It’s kind of hard to believe that All WNY News publicly launched a mere nine months ago. So much has happened in that time. So many stories. So much news. So many events.
Interactivity seems to be the name of the game around here, as three of our 10 most-read stories in 2016 were about the voter-driven All WNY Awards.
1) All WNY Music Awards
One post truly dominated the year, accounting for more than 25,000 more page views than the second-place story. We can’t say we’re surprised, really; that post had an entrenched fan base years before the notion of All WNY News even existed. It was the vote for the 2016 All WNY Music Awards.
While voting ended for the awards on Oct. 15, the story is far from over. A week from today, those awards will be publicly announced and celebrated at the Seventh-Annual All WNY Music Awards Ceremony at the Evening Star Concert Hall. In all, 189 awards will be handed out to the best bands, musicians, and music-related businesses and organizations during the eight-hour long free concert. We invite all to stop by and enjoy the best Western New York has to offer.
2) Tragic fire in Lockport
The tragic fire in Lockport on Aug. 10 was our second-most-read story of the year. We were the first news organization to publish the alert on the fire and provided live updates as things happened from 7 p.m. until after 6 o’clock the next morning. We resumed following the story at noon on Aug. 10 and updated it throughout the day. We learned in the end that 14-year-old Joe Phillips, who was in a storage building at High Tread International with two friends died in the blaze. One of those friends, a male who was 13 at the time of the fire, is facing criminal charges — including criminally negligent homicide. The trial resumes Jan. 10
3) Best ice cream
It was late July. We knew ice cream would be a hit. But we had no idea the thousands of people that would vote in our All WNY Awards poll best ice cream shop in the area. The poll included Anderson’s Frozen Custard, Antoinette’s, Nick Charlap’s Ice Cream, Inc., De Dee’s Dairy Inc., Hanna’s Frosty Treats, Hedonist Artisan Ice Cream, Jerk’s Soda Fountain & Ice Cream, Kone King, Lake Effect Artisan Ice Cream, Little Red Caboose LLC, Mississippi Mudds, Pittsford Farms Dairy & Bakery and Sunset Twisters. It was Lake Effect that scooped the competition, adding to its lengthy list of previous awards for similar categories from other outlets. Good news: Lake Effect decided to remain open through the winter. So you can get WNY’s best ice cream any time you want.
4) Best chicken wings
The debate over who has the best chicken wings in Western New York rages on longer than most of us can remember. This year, the crown went to Bar Bill Tavern in East Aurora. They faced stiff competition in the All WNY Awards category from Anchor Bar, Brennan’s Bowery Bar, Buffalo Brew Pub, Doc Sullivan’s, Duffs, Gabriel’s Gate, Jeremiah’s Tavern, JP Dwyers, The Nine-Eleven Tavern, La Nova, Pony’s, and The Valley. It was a close vote. Surely the others are looking forward to the rematch coming later this year.
5) Bank robbery suspect
On Aug. 10, the Buffalo Police Department put out a photo of a man they say robbed the First Niagara Bank located in the 900 block of Clinton Street a day earlier. South District officers say the suspect entered the bank just after 3 p.m. and handed the teller a note demanding money, then fleeing on foot with an undisclosed amount of money. As of last we checked, the investigation remained ongoing.
6) Events
Our sixth most popular post of 2016 wasn’t a story at all. It was our events page. This isn’t all that surprising to us here. We list Western New York events from Jamestown to Rochester every day on our events calendar. It’s a good place to go if you’re looking for something to do. Event listings can be sent to events@allwnynews.com to be added to the calendar.
7) Franklinville man charged with criminal sex act
The sad fact of the matter is people like to read crime stories. This accounts for our seventh-most-read story. On Dec. 6, we posted that a 27-year-old Franklinville man charged with first-degree criminal sex act, first-degree sexual abuse, third-degree assault, obstruction of breathing, and third- and fourth-degree criminal mischief following a domestic abuse call. According to NYSP, Troopers responded to a domestic call on Route 16 and concluded following and investigation that George Merrell had struck and choked the complainant. Merrell destroyed property during this dispute and also prevented the complainant from calling 911. Further investigation revealed that Merrell performed criminal sexual acts on the complainant. He was arraigned at the Town of Machias Court and was remanded to the Cattaraugus County Jail in lieu of $10K bail or 20K property bond. An order of protection was obtained.
8) Lockport man charged in alleged meth-lab fire
On Aug. 11, A 33-year-old Town of Lockport man was charged with third-degree unlawful manufacture of methamphetamine — a felony — following a fire at an alleged meth lab. This all happened during the fire at the tire plant (story #2). According to New York State Police, Thomas V. Fusco was removed from his apartment around 8:15 p.m. Wednesday by Rapids Vol. Fire Co., which had responded to 6383 Robinson Road for a report of a fire. While there, volunteer firefighters observed indicators of a meth lab, which caused the fire. New York State Police Contaminated Crime Scene Emergency Response Team (CCERT) responded and processed the scene. Fusco was transported to SP Lockport and processed before being arraigned at the Town of Lockport Court and remanded to the Niagara County Jail without bail.
9) Two Niagara County men charged with child porn
A pair of Niagara County men were indicted Aug. 9 on charges of conspiracy to distribute and receive child pornography, distribution of child pornography, receipt of child pornography and cyberstalking. Charged were 26-year-old Travis Guerriera of Olcott and 25-year-old Timothy Laubacker of Lockport. It’s a cautionary tale for parents with teens using the Internet.
10) Falls police looking for missing teen
Finally, our 10th most-read story is from Dec. 15. A 16-year-old Niagara Falls boy went missing on Nov. 7. Police say the six-foot tall, 300-pound male with brown hair and green eyes is still missing. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call NFPD at 716-286-4711.
