It’s time once again to count the clicks and see which 10 stories generated the most online interest at nsnews.com.
Every year we tally up the page views to find out what stories got the most online action, and there are always a few surprises.
This year’s list has at least one story from each leg of the unofficial motto of the North Shore News: dogs, bears, trees. There was no shortage of tragic incidents either this year, and of course, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic made its presence felt. But it wasn’t all doom and gloom – read on to see why this year’s list might be predicting a bit of a pandemic baby boom for 2021.
Here’s the list:
1. Serious police incident in Lynn Valley, March 27. That was the initial headline on a story that would end up shaking the entire community to its core. It was a chaotic, frightening Saturday afternoon in North Vancouver, and at the end of it one woman was dead, six more people were wounded and a man was in custody following a series of stabbings within and outside the Lynn Valley Village library complex. We’re still following the case as it proceeds through the court system, but, more importantly, we also documented the heroism of the day and the healing that happened in the weeks and months following the attack. The incident revealed humanity at its worst, but the outpouring of love and support that occurred afterward showed our community at its best.
2. West Vancouver couple ordered to pay for topping their neighbours’ trees, Aug. 27. This was one of those stories that was relatively minor in the grand scheme of things, but somehow struck a chord with readers. It proved, once again, that our readers are very passionate about their trees, which is no surprise given that our community is tucked into a stunning mountain-side forest. This story also contained some serious neighbourly squabbling, which is often a recipe for generating reader engagement. Watch where you’re wielding those chainsaws!
3. Why do some people feel a strange arm twitch after getting the COVID-19 vaccine?, June 3. This story is a piece of “evergreen content,” as its known in online lingo, as in it stays fresh for a long time, for reasons that may not be entirely clear. It’s just a short little piece from a reporter at our sister publication, Vancouver Is Awesome, but people have been clicking on it in the hundreds every day since it was first published. Why? We don’t really know. Anti-vaxxers looking for more fuel for their burning-hot rage? A daily batch of vaccine newbies seriously interested in what side effects there might be? A redirection from searches for the popular Twitch video game streaming service? Whatever it is, the clicks just keep on coming.
4. Vancouver police arrest suspect in three Masonic Hall arson fires, March 30. This was another stunner, made all the more intense by the fact that it happened just three days after the Lynn Valley attack. Two Masonic Halls in North Vancouver and a third in Vancouver were torched in the span of a couple of hours. A Richmond man was arrested and later sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to three arsons at Metro Vancouver Masonic lodges. The man said he has drug addiction problems and was hearing voices that told him to burn the buildings because the Masons were engaged in mind control of other people.
5. Sudden COVID death of 46-year-old father at home leaves family devastated, April 27. This was a heartbreaking reminder of the personal toll COVID-19 is taking on us. Reid Hance, on otherwise healthy 46-year-old Handsworth grad, died suddenly at home in Delta April 14 after contracting COVID-19. He left behind a wife and two young sons. Friends started a GoFundMe page to provide financial help to the family.
“I hate that my husband is now a statistic,” said his wife Melissa, adding she hopes people wake up to the need to stop the spread of the virus and that the virus can turn deadly, even for young, healthy people. “Nobody deserves to go out like this. Especially not Reid.”
6. North Vancouver family traumatized after goldendoodle Lucy killed by off-leash dog, Aug. 31. Another sad one, and proof again that the North Shore cares deeply about our canine companions. Lucy, a 10-year-old mini goldendoodle, was attacked by an off-leash dog in North Vancouver on Aug. 18, and died a few days later. Our story documented the owner’s search for accountability for the attack which came despite the District of North Vancouver receiving complaints about the aggressive dog before the fatal incident.
7. RCMP closes North Vancouver trail after bear charges at hikers, May 25. This one completes the trifecta of dogs, bears, trees. It was bit of an uncertain time on Mount Fromme after a bear charged a hiker, leaving the man with “some gnarly cuts.”
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service closed trails in the area over the weekend, fearing that the bear was exhibiting predatory behavior towards humans. They re-opened the trails a few days later without finding the bear, urging hikers to be cautious.
8. Time ticking for Vancouver man charged in $1B international stock fraud scheme, Nov. 19. White collar crime drew some big buzz on our website this year with this story about a Vancouver physician turned stock promoter and his links to an alleged $1 billion international stock fraud scheme. The allegations are part of a much broader international pump and dump scheme alleged by American authorities to have been orchestrated by Frederick Sharp, a West Vancouver resident and former lawyer tied to the Panama Papers.
9. Here are the top baby names for 2020 in Canada, Dec. 29, 2020. Whaaaaa? Do you have babies on the brain, dear readers? This story from late 2020 was the ninth-most clicked article for all of 2021. Granted this is the kind of cute evergreen content that can generate interest all year long, so maybe it isn’t such a big surprise. Anyway, spoiler alert: the answers are Liam and Olivia. Read on to find what other names made the list, if you’re into that sort of thing.
10. One worker dead, a second injured in partial collapse of North Vancouver building, Aug. 26. Another shocker, with a tragic building collapse in North Vancouver killing one worker and sending another to hospital. Lower Lonsdale residents felt their apartments shake as a “structural collapse” occurred next door to their buildings at the former Cineplex Esplanade site, at Chesterfield Avenue, between West First Street and Esplanade at 9:45 a.m. on Aug. 25. The building, which was under demolition, had “a structural failure of some sort,” causing it to partially collapse.
Bonus story: West Vancouver student video explains how we could warp to Alpha Centauri, Sept. 14. This one just missed the top-10 – it was 11th – but I really wanted to include it just because it’s such a surprise when compared to the rest of the stories on the list. How did this fun, wholesome, interesting piece about a high school student doing some cool science stuff generate so many clicks? Maybe our readers are really into space travel? Or maybe they were just looking for some positive content in a world full of negatives? Or maybe they seriously wanted to learn how to warp out of here to another dimension. I wouldn’t blame them for that, considering all the bad news over the last year. Here’s hoping 2022 will see us covering fewer tragic stories and more stuff that is out of this world.
