In the last days of 2013, WYDaily has been taking a look back at the year in news with overviews of stories from James City County, York County, the City of Williamsburg and more.
But which stories had readers clicking and sharing when they first published?
Below is a listing of the 10 general news stories WYDaily published that received the most pageviews in 2013. Click here for the most read crime and public safety stories of 2013.
10. Halsey Minor, the dot-com millionaire who was facing bankruptcy in his venture formed to purchase Carter’s Grove from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, contacted WYDaily to break his silence after the Carter’s Grove trustee filed a motion to have Minor apprehended and brought to court following failed court appearances and lack of communication. (May 18)
9. Stores throughout the Historic Triangle released their plans for Black Friday, and local readers clicked the WYDaily article in droves to help plan out their shopping spree. (Nov. 26)
8. Brothers Jason and Jon Wade, natives of Williamsburg, announced they would open Two Drummers Smokehouse in the spot Hog Wild Smokehouse closed earlier in the year. The restaurant’s opening fulfilled a longtime dream for the brothers, both of whom have spent years working in the local restaurant industry. (June 2)
7. Finney Lynch, an eighth-grade student at The Covenant School in Charlottesville, spotted a Revolutionary War-era button on a path from the Archer Cottage next to Cornwallis’ Cave at Yorktown to the Watermen’s Museum on June 25. The button is believed to be a collar or sleeve button from a French unit based in the West Indies that aided George Washington’s troops during the 1781 Siege of Yorktown. (Aug. 1)
6. The Cheese Shop is now bottling and selling its popular house dressing. The dressing has a two-year shelf life and does not need to be refrigerated until after the bottle is opened. (June 7)
Jim Kennedy
5. Supervisor Jim Kennedy (Stonehouse) called in an incident that occurred near his restaurant Dudley’s Bistro in New Town. The next day, Kennedy wrote an email to county officials complaining of “issues with youth violence, cursing, loitering and lack of police protection, or security staff to handle the crowds and situations that arise.” The responding James City County Police officers to the incident took issue with Kennedy’s characterization of the events that took place the night before and issues in New Town, reporting Kennedy made inappropriate comments regarding the teenagers involved in the incident. Kennedy later provided his own witnesses of the incident to WYDaily and other media outlets, while other New Town business owners reported their disagreement with Kennedy’s complaints about the area. WYDaily looked into the crime rate in New Town, finding juveniles in that area account for less than 2 percent of all crime in the county. (Oct. 18)
4. When the federal government shut down in October, the Historic Triangle felt the ripple effect. Jamestown Island was closed, as was a portion of the Colonial Parkway that led motorists to the historic site. The shutdown also sent many civilian employees of the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station home on furlough. The Yorktown location of the Carrot Tree was forced to close its doors during the shutdown, but the owners soon decided to reopen despite the order. (Oct. 1)
3. Buon Amici, an Italian restaurant in New Town, closed. In its place, Hogarth’s Bar & Bistro opened with an aim to re-create the atmosphere of the English pubs and small bistros co-owner Chris Hogarth grew up patronizing. (Sept. 5)
2. The James City County Board of Supervisors voted to fire County Administrator Robert Middaugh in a November work session. The vote, split 3-2 along party lines, ended Middaugh’s three-year tenure with the county. The decision prompted some citizens to begin an effort to recall Chairman Jim Kennedy. (Nov. 26)
1. The Jamestown Rediscovery Project announced archaeologists found evidence of cannibalism at Jamestown during the “Starving Time” — the period of 1609-10 when food sources in the fort were depleted and supply ships from England were slow to arrive with relief. Archaeologists uncovered pieces of human bone, later determined to belong to a 14-year-old girl they nicknamed Jane, with cut marks that indicated she had been butchered after her death — a sign of cannibalism. (May 2)