Fort Atkinson Online has nearly completed its second year in publication. We began in February of 2021. We will celebrate the anniversary of our second full year in publication on Feb. 1, 2023.
To determine our list of the most read stories in 2022, we, once again, consulted the counters placed on our stories, looking specifically at the number of “reads” between Jan. 1 and Dec. 28.
A list of our top 10 most read stories in 2021 is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/the-year-in-review-top-10-stories-from-2021/.
In 2022, here, in descending order, are our most read top 10 headlines:
1. “Fort resident charged with attempted sex assault of a child, possession of child pornography,” read 24,091 times.
Reported on March 10, the story was developed around a criminal complaint filed by the Fort Atkinson Police Department with the Jefferson County District Attorney’s office bringing 12 counts of alleged possession of child pornography against Donald Reynolds, a resident of Fort Atkinson. Evidence offered within the complaint was collected in June of 2021. At the time, Reynolds also was facing charges of attempted first-degree child sexual assault.
In December, Fort Atkinson Online ran the following headline: “Fort man found guilty of causing mental harm to a child.” The followup story reported that Reynolds had been found guilty of two counts of the charge of causing metal harm to a child and received a sentence of 10 years in prison for each count to be served concurrently. All charges reported in the March 10 story were dismissed by the court.
The full story developed from the criminal complaint filed in March is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/fort-resident-charged-with-attempted-assault-of-a-child-possession-of-child-pornography/.
The story in which the two counts of causing metal harm to a child were reported, along with the defendant’s sentencing, is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/fort-man-found-guilty-of-causing-mental-harm-to-a-child/.
2. “Woman dead after being struck by vehicle near Whitewater,” read 22,135 times.
In October, a woman was struck by a vehicle in Jefferson County just north of the city of Whitewater on County Trunk N. Maricela Del Camen Rivas Rivas, 30, of Nicaragua and living in Whitewater, was pronounced dead at an area hospital after succumbing to injuries sustained in the crash. She was married and the mother of a 5-year-old son. A GoFundMe account was opened to raise money to send her body back to Nicaragua.
The full story about the crash is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/woman-dead-after-being-struck-by-vehicle-near-whitewater/.
3. “Linda Godfrey, who launched ‘Beast of Bray Road’ legend, has died at age 71,” read 16,752 times.
Reported on Nov. 29, the story, sharing news of the death of Linda Godfrey, who lived in Delavan and Janesville, was republished with permission from the online news site Walworth County Community News. The story was written by Dan Plutchak, a former editor of “The Week,” which featured news about Walworth County communities. Godfrey served as a reporter with the publication. She began writing stories about the legend of the Beast of Bray Road in the weekly newspaper in 1991. Bray Road is in Elkhorn. After she began writing about the legend, TV crews began arriving in Walworth County to interview Godfrey, which helped her launch a new career as an investigative researcher. In her new role, she authored more than 20 books, including novels, crime stories and cryptozoology, Plutchak wrote.
The full story is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/linda-godfrey-who-launched-beast-of-bray-road-legend-has-died-at-age-71/.
4. “One dead, one injured in crash on Twinkling Star Road,” read 14,886 times.
A crash reported in May on Twinkling Star Road in the town of Koshkonong left one person dead and another critically injured. The two occupants were traveling in a vehicle headed northbound when it left the roadway and struck a tree. According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, both occupants of the vehicle were initially transported to an area hospital with critical injuries. The passenger in the vehicle was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The full story about the single-vehicle crash is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/one-dead-one-injured-in-crash-on-twinkling-star-road/.
5. “Delavan woman, 92, drives into Madison Avenue building,” read 13,963 times.
Earlier this month, Fort Atkinson Police Chief Adrian Bump confirmed that a 92-year-old Delavan woman had mistaken the gas pedal in her car for the brake while trying to park in front of X-TremeSmoke. As a result, her vehicle accelerated, crashing into the smoke shop, which is located within a strip mall on the city’s north side. Bump reported that no one was injured during the incident, but, he said, there was structural damage to the smoke shop and “moderate” damage to the vehicle.
The full story about the incident is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/delavan-woman-92-drives-into-madison-avenue-building/.
6. “February Primary Voter’s Guide: Fort school board candidates share experience, views,” read 13,087 times.
A spring primary election in 2022 was held Feb. 15. In advance of the primary, on Jan. 18, Fort Atkinson Online published responses made to questionnaires from six candidates running for two seats on the School District of Fort Atkinson Board of Education. Candidates headed into the primary included Samantha LaMuro, Matt Loup, Dale Prisk, Christopher Rogers, Robynn Selle, and Rebecca Van Ess. Those candidates advancing from the primary to the general election included LaMuro, Loup, Rogers and Selle. After a spring general election held April 5, Christopher Rogers and Robynn Selle emerged as the board’s new members.
The full story including the candidates’ questionnaire responses is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/february-primary-voters-guide-fort-school-board-candidates-share-experience-views/.
7. Obituary for Luke Joseph Veenhuis, read 10,889 times.
The obituary of Luke Joseph Veenhuis, 30, formerly of Fort Atkinson, reported that he passed away unexpectedly from natural causes at his home on Monday, September 26, 2022. He graduated from Fort Atkinson High School in 2010, was an Eagle Scout, and attended the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in computer science. He was employed by Dartmouth College of Hanover, New Hampshire, as a computer research engineer, specializing in artificial intelligence.
His full obituary is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/luke-joseph-veenhuis/.
8. “Fort Fire Department responds to house fire,” read 9,139 times.
On Sept. 28, the Fort Atkinson Fire Department responded to a fire in the 400 block of Edward St. Upon arrival, firefighters found flames coming from the porch and the first and second floors of the home. Three residents were reportedly living in the house, but, according to Division Chief Dion Brown, only one was at home at the time of the fire. The individual was transported to Fort Atkinson Memorial Hospital to receive treatment for smoke inhalation. A cat was found deceased in the building, which Brown described as a total loss.
The full story about the fire is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/fort-fire-department-responds-to-house-fire/.
9. “Crowd of 400 welcomes drag queen to Fort market stage,” read 8,924 times.
In June, some 400 people gathered at the Fort Atkinson Farmers Market to watch a performance given by Victorya Atwood, a drag queen. The performance came under some scrutiny and was briefly canceled, with organizers citing “some negative Facebook posts,” as reasons for concern. The farmers market organizers later said after talking with representatives from the Fort Atkinson Area Chamber of Commerce and the police, they opted to continue with the show. On the day of the performance, a Fort Atkinson Online reporter noted that the audience was “appreciative and supportive, with no problems observed.”
In the weeks that followed, some area organizations reported continued negative comments on their social media sites and, as reported by Fort Atkinson Online in June, 14 residents arrived at city hall during a Fort Atkinson Common Council meeting seeking a public apology from council for allowing the performance to occur.
The full story about the performance held at the Fort Atkinson Farmers Market is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/crowd-of-400-welcomes-drag-queen-to-fort-market-stage/.
A story about the residents who arrived at city hall is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/residents-bring-comments-to-council-regarding-recent-drag-queen-performance/.
10. “Jefferson County residents included in suit filed to disqualify Johnson, Fitzgerald, Tiffany from running in November,” read 8,469 times.
As reported in May by Fort Atkinson Online, 10 Wisconsin plaintiffs, including two from Jefferson County, filed a civil rights lawsuit in the United States District Court Eastern District of Wisconsin seeking a declaratory judgement to disqualify U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, and U.S. Reps. Tom Tiffany and Scott Fitzgerald as candidates running for public office. All three are Republican seat holders whose terms end Jan. 3, 2023. In November, all three were reelected to another term.
Jefferson County residents Dan Russler and Leslie DeMuth were among the 10 plaintiffs naming Johnson, Fitzgerald and Tiffany as defendants in a complaint filed with the federal court on March 10.
The complaint alleged: “This action seeks a declaratory judgement … establishing that Senator Ron Johnson and Representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott Fitzgerald, having previously taken oaths as members of Congress and/or the Wisconsin Legislature, engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States of America during the period between November 8, 2020 and January 6, 2021 …”
The complaint further alleged: “Ten fraudulent electors from Wisconsin met at the State Capitol on December 14, 2020, the date designated by law, in a room procured for them by Fitzgerald, and committed multiple crimes by preparing and signing documents that falsely asserted that they were duly and lawfully chosen electors from Wisconsin whose votes were entitled to be tallied in the Joint Session on January 6, 2021. The fraudulent electors then compounded their illegal conduct by sending their forged electoral votes to (then-vice president Mike) Pence in his capacity as President of the Senate, without any reservation or condition stating the truth: that the fraudulent electors were not in fact duly and lawfully chosen pursuant to Wisconsin law.”
Additionally, the complaint alleged that “The falsehoods of Johnson, Fitzgerald, and Tiffany about the integrity of Wisconsin’s election procedures began even before citizens were allowed to cast their ballots in the 2020 Presidential Election and continued long after their lies were disproven.”
In June, Fort Atkinson Online ran a story with the following headline: “Judge finds suit against Johnson, Fitzgerald, Tiffany ‘procedurally improper.’” The story reports that the United States District Court Eastern District of Wisconsin granted a motion to dismiss the suit on procedural grounds.
The full story about the filing of the complaint is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/jefferson-county-residents-included-in-suit-filed-to-disqualify-johnson-fitzgerald-tiffany-from-running-in-november/.
The story about the court’s decision to dismiss the suit is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/judge-finds-suit-against-johnson-fitzgerald-tiffany-procedurally-improper/.
This post has already been read 2011 times!
I just want to say how much I enjoy reading your online publication, especially in light of the decline of the Daily Union. You do a wonderful job of serving our community and keeping us well-informed. Thank you so much for your efforts! Know that the community appreciates your efforts.
Thank you.