Triad City Beat’s most-read stories of 2023

This year was a big one for TCB. We got a new reporter, won more than $75,000 in grants and brought home a handful of awards. We published more than 450 original stories and many of them racked up thousands and thousands of pageviews.

So here’s a rundown of the most-read stories that were published this year by TCB.

#10 – A tale of two outlooks: UNCG staff, faculty push back against administration’s budget narratives

Published Oct. 10; by Sayaka Matsuoka

This story was the first by TCB that chronicled the ongoing issues that UNCG brought upon by major changes by university administration including potential academic program cuts. In the weeks that followed, we published multiple follow-up pieces and will continue to report on this into 2024. So far it’s gotten 13,512 pageviews.

#9 – Mike’s Vegan Grill celebrates grand opening of new brick and mortar in Greensboro

Published May 24; by Sayaka Matsuoka

After years of driving around the state, Mike Roach of Mike’s Vegan Cookout celebrated the opening of his first brick-and-mortar location in Greensboro this year. This story has 13,547 pageviews.

#8 – The Green Bean reopens in Greensboro under new ownership less than two months after staff walkout

Published Nov. 7; by Sayaka Matsuoka

This story was a follow-up to our Sept. 14 news story about the staff of the Green Bean Coffee Shop in downtown Greensboro walking out. That story made the list further up. This one has 21,061 views so far.

#7 – In Winston-Salem, NataBelles Desserts’ ‘world-famous’ brownies have customers lined up to the door

Published March 16; by Kaitlynn Havens

This story highlighting Shanata McMillian Shepard’s baking business garnered 21,135 pageviews as of Dec. 27.

#6 – After three decades, Piedmont Aviation Snack Bar continues to serve up classics at top-flight

Published April 20; by Kaitlynn Havens

This story looking at the 30-year-old snack bar at Smith-Reynolds Airport took off with 27,805 views.

#5 – Winston-Salem-based U.S. Army reservist who worked for Guilford Sheriff’s Office ran ‘white nationalist’ training camp, touted KKK ties

Published Aug. 11; by Jordan Green

Ok, this one is a bit of a divergence from the formula because it wasn’t technically published by TCB, but we republished it to our site. Still, the piece is by TCB‘s former co-founder and senior editor Jordan Green so we felt it was appropriate to include it here. So far the piece has gotten 30,856 pageviews on our site.

#4 – GSO Pallet home residents say they’re being ‘evicted,’ will have to return to living on the streets

Published March 13; by Gale Melcher

This piece was one of many follow-up pieces that Gale wrote about the first iteration of Greensboro’s Pallet community for the unhoused. The first piece in the series made the list too, further up. So far, this piece has gotten 34,776 pageviews.

#3 – Ava’s Cuisine, a new Black, woman-owned food business is moving into the old Iron Hen location

Published June 29; by Sayaka Matsuoka

Readers were curious to know what would happen to the old Iron Hen location in Greensboro and in June, TCB answered the call. Now, Ava’s Cuisine takes space in the building there serving up classic soul food along with some vegetarian and vegan offerings. 37,052 pageviews.

#2 – Staff of beloved Green Bean coffee shop in downtown Greensboro walk out citing pay issues, absent ownership

Published Sept. 14; by Sayaka Matsuoka

As one of the most-loved coffee shops in Greensboro, it came as a shock when the entire staff walked out of Green Bean in early fall this year. This piece chronicled what happened. 42,494 pageviews.

#1 – The Pallet community for the unhoused in Greensboro is open. Here’s a look at how it’s going.

Published Jan 16; published by Gale Melcher

On Jan. 16 when we published this story by Gale, we couldn’t have imagined the kind of traffic the story would get. Over the next week or so, the piece garnered more than 100,000 pageviews, quickly becoming the most-read story on TCB’s site of all time. And we’ve been chasing that high ever since. As of Dec. 27, the piece has 107,810 pageviews.