We’re looking back at our top stories of the year in terms of page views, using Google analytics. We’ve only included stories that we reported and published in 2022, but towards the end of the section, we’ll include pieces that we ran from other outlets that went viral on our site, too.

Thanks to everyone who read our pieces (especially the election ones!) and contributed to these numbers! We’ll start with #10 and go from there!

There are three candidates running for Guilford County Sheriff in the Democratic primary on May 17: Incumbent Danny Rogers, Juan Monjaras and Therron “TJ” Phipps. (courtesy photos)

#10: ELECTIONS: Democratic primary for Guilford County Sheriff draws in two contenders plus incumbent

As you’ll notice as you go down the list, a lot of our top stories from this year are election stories and that’s because we live in a news desert despite being the third largest metro area in the state! We’re proud to have covered as much election news as we did in 2022 and that include this story about those who ran for sheriff in Guilford County.

Page views: 8,449
Published: March 24

Namaste Lumbini

#9: ICYMI: 10+ new Triad restaurants that opened recently

In August, we charted new restaurants that opened in the Triad including several new sushi spots, an Indian location and a BBQ joint. Note: This article hasn’t been updated since August so please check to see if the restaurant is still open before going! For example, Gate City Provisions closed a few months ago.

Page views: 9,877
Published: August 20

Ben Shapiro speaking with attendees at the 2018 Young Women’s Leadership Summit hosted by Turning Point USA at the Hyatt Regency DFW Hotel in Dallas, Texas. (photo by Gage Skidmore)

#8: Thanks, I hate it: Ben Shapiro has no place at UNCG

If you didn’t read this piece from April, here’s the TLDR: Fuck Ben Shapiro. And you can quote us on that. Back in the spring, the right-wing conservative idiot brought his hateful, uninformed rhetoric to UNCG, much to the chagrin of students, staff and educators at the university. We hated it, so we wrote about it.

Page views: 11,289
Published: April 5

Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough and Denise Hartsfield interact on Nov. 8. (photo by Jerry Cooper)

#7: ELECTION RESULTS: Incumbents win big in Forsyth County races, school board split

No. 7 on our list is this story from November that charted the winners and losers in Forsyth County elections. Highlights included the county school board seats, sheriff and district attorney.

Page views: 11,574
Published: November 9

#6: ‘It’s not fair’: Family left with questions after Nasanto Antonio Crenshaw killed by GPD

At TCB, we pride ourselves in making sure we report from a place that aims to balance the power structures at be, like pushing back against police narratives and asking critical questions when police shootings happen. So that’s what we did in the story about Nasanto “Duke” Crenshaw who was shot and killed back in August. Read the full story here.

Page views: 12,022
Published: August 26

Greensboro primary election results

#5: ELECTION RESULTS: Incumbents win big in Guilford, Greensboro primary races

No. 5 on our list is this story from May that charted the winners and losers from the Guilford County and Greensboro primary election. Highlights included the mayoral race, GSO city council and county school boards and county commission.

Page views: 14,121
Published: May 18

Northern Guilford High School English teacher Holly Weaver is currently fighting a book ban that challenges ‘Salvage the Bones’ by Jesmyn Ward.

#4: As book-bannings sweep across the country, one Guilford County teacher fights back against book challenge

No. 4 on our list is this story that was published just one day after our No. 5 story. The piece delves into a book challenge from Northern High School and one teacher’s fight to keep the book in classrooms. In the end, the school board voted to retain the book at Northern HS this past fall.

Page views: 14,865
Published: May 19

#3: Hail Satan? Guilford County Schools rethinking facility-use agreements after Satanic Temple applies to use schools

No. 3 on our list is another school-relate story in which the Satanic Temple announced it was going to open up an after-school curriculum using Guilford County school buildings in response to another story about a Christian evangelical program that had been approved by the district. In the end, Guilford County schools decided not to allow either program in its facilities.

Page views: 15,236
Published: April 26

From L-R: Justin Outling, Nancy Vaughan, Eric Robert, Mark Cummings

#2: ELECTIONS: Who’s running for mayor in Greensboro? Here’s what you need to know

The runner-up on our list is an election piece that delved into each of the mayoral candidates for the primary election in Greensboro. In the end, incumbent Nancy Vaughan won it all in November.

Page views: 17,091
Published: March 16

#1: 2022 Primary Election Guide

And last but certainly not least was our Primary Election Guide which was published back in April, and gave voters information on virtually every single race that was on the ballot in May. At TCB, we’re proud to be a one-stop shop for election coverage (we had the most of any news outlet in the Triad this year!) and thank you for your continued support!

Page views: 25,328
Published: April 28

Runners-up and honorable mentions:

Three of our top five stories of the year were election related but we wanted to share some of the other pieces that made an impact this year, including ones from other outlets that we ran on our site. Here they are:

Jody Greene’s racist comments cost Columbus County Sheriff’s Office military equipment

This story by NC Policy Watch ran on our site just this past week and has garnered more than 18,000 page views in just three days! On social media, we called this story a “fuck around and find out” kind of story. Read it here.

Most commonly seen birds in North Carolina

In more wholesome news, one of the top stories that ran on our site this year (more than 17,000 page views) was a Stacker piece about the most common birds in North Carolina. It’s been so popular that we’ve been thinking about switching our entire business model to be a bird-focused news site. We’re thinking of calling it, Triad City Birds. Read the piece here.

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson made hateful comments about LGBTQ people — then raked in the cash

As an alternative weekly newspaper, we love to support other altweeklies in the area like INDY Week, which published this story about Lt. Mark Robinson back in February. It’s gotten more than 12,400 page views on our site this year. Read it here.

The lost boys of Ukraine: How the war abroad beckoned American white supremacists

This story wasn’t published in 2022 which is why it didn’t make our Top 10 list but it got 10,543 page views this year because of the war in Ukraine. The story, by Jordan Green, charts how the war abroad inflamed and encouraged right-wing extremism on US soil.

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