Diversity of topic isn't something that normally tops off the news on rapidcityjournal.com. But there are diverse topics that generally hold the top end of the most read stories and most viewed videos.
And this week, it seemed they were all there.
Whether it was a drug raid, a fatal accident, the passing of a well-known person or, as usual, a visit from our good friend Mr. Mountain Lion, the past week was one of the most representative of any given week on our Web site. These are the issues of the time.
Of course, we had stories on the economy and abortion, too. And did we mention stories on St. Thomas More sports (believe it or not, readers drive that up more than we do).
Anyway, here's a quick look at the week that was
Top Five Stories
1. Five arrested in drug raid plead not guilty
A major drug raid, first reported at www.rapidcityjournal.com last week, was read by twice as many readers as the next best read story on the site over the past week. The arrest of the five Pine Ridge Reservation residents in their 30s and 40s brought an avalanche of comments (more than half that couldn't be posted primarily because of innuendo and potential misinformation) and huge reader interest.
2. Man killed in rollover north of Wall
Tragedy among the young always brings in readers. Thus was the case of 22-year-old Zane Hoffman of Creighton who rolled his pickup early Monday morning and was ejected from his vehicle northwest of Wall.
3. Hills man makes miraculous recovery from off-road accident
Good news stories rarely make the top five story list. We wish they would, but the "if it bleeds, it leads" axiom was derived by reader habit more than media preference.
That being said, David Westergaard's recovery from a terrifying UTV accident is a welcome addition to this week's Top Five list. And the comment string (aka, Rapid Reply) is well worth the read as well. (See below)
4. Outdoors personality Tony Dean dies at 67
Those in the know had feared for Tony Dean's health. Those outside the circle of people who were privy to his sudden decline in health, such as myself, were shocked to hear that the broadcaster was unable to recover from a series of medical problems that began after an appendectomy earlier this fall. The well-known outdoorsman - whose presence for more than three decades via television and radio shows, as well as his relentless work with South Dakota tourism, made him a media star of sorts - died Sunday.
A celebration of his life has been scheduled for Nov. 1.
5. Archery deer hunter shoots mountain lion
Y'know, we haven't had a good mountain lion story in a while. Apparently, word got out that roaming around Rapid City isn't such a good deal unless you want to go out in a blaze of glory on the front page of the Rapid City Journal.
So I kinda welcomed this story, especially since it took place out near the Missouri River in Gergory County and involved a mountain lion that was almost certainly a threat. Still, the standard discussion over mountain lions ensued, but the presence of these powerful cats in the West remains one of the most interesting conflicts of the urban interface and man's place in nature.
Top Five Videos
1. Rapid City Rush makes their debut
A great showing by the CHL expansion team, Kristina Barker went to extraordinary lengths to get this video from the Rapid City Rush's first ever game in Colorado.
Always popular, the work of videographer Tim Appel has greatly spruced up the appearance and editing quality of the end of the week segments highlighting some of the top news.
3. Colin Powell Endorses Barack Obama
Not necessarily a surprise, but Powell's endorsement of a Democratic candidate over a veteran who is also a Republican certainly sparked plenty of debate and discussion, and it brought in video views, too.
4. Britain Releases Secret UFO Sighting Documents
Words escape me. For someone who grew up reading about UFOs and spaceships, it reminds me of my days hanging out in the Duluth Public Library and scouring books that referred to Project Blue Book.
Last week's 3 Minute Drill, as highlighted as last week's Editor's Pick, remains very popular.
Normally in this space, I highlight a comment or two that are particularly funny or poignant. The reason only one or two is highlighted is that Rapid Reply strings tend to spin a bit out of control, hitting a whole bunch of targets. They get semi-hijacked, or the poster introduces outside topics a bit beyond the relevance of the story, or there are enough off-hand remarks that are great on themselves, but more distraction than anything else.
This week, we had that rare Rapid Reply moment when the discussion took on an interesting topic - albeit, one related to the story but not necessarily the topic of the story - and the debate was relatively civil and enlightening.
The story was that of David Westergaard and his unlikely recovery from a brutal UTV accident near Johnson Siding. The discussion, prompted by Westergaard's belief that spiritual intervention is the primary cause of his survival and eventual recovery from the crash that doctors said would paralyze him, is one of the best I've read on Rapid Reply.
Top Poll
The readers got it right, but barely. We wanted to use the term "ironing the crease" as one of the hockey phrases, but we couldn't verify that it was an actual term. Does anybody know? Has anyone ever heard of that one?
Test your hockey IQ during the Rush opening weekend. Which is not a hockey phrase?
Lighting the lamp 257 17 percent
Frosting the cake 591 39 pecent
Dropping the mitts 71 5 percent
Stacking the pads 70 5 percent
Going five-hole 513 34 percent
Editor's pick
Mary Garrigan brings a new type of blog to the Rapid City Journal.
The longtime religion writer for the Journal has invited a number of area clergy and church lay members to discuss some of the key issues facing organized religion and churches of the day.
Of course, launching it in the heart of the political season with such issues as the abortion ban on the ballot has helped get it off to a good start, but Garrigan is one of the pre-eminent religion reporters in the region and the theme of the blog should make it one of the most popular on the Journal site.
In the first week, it hovered in the top five, which is generally unheard of in the blogosphere.
Check it out here.
