Community Corner
Brookfield Patch's Most-Read Stories of 2013
The five stories you the readers clicked on the most in 2013.
As we look back on 2013 and forward into 2014, Brookfield Patch went through the numbers to look at the top five most-read stories from the year.
Last year, the readers clicked the most on Election Night and an update on plans to build Connecticut’s first Chick-fil-A in Brookfield.
The search for a lost Brookfield grad, a tragic accident that resulted in the death of an innocent driver and news of the newly-elected First Selectman facing criminal charges round out 2013’s most-read.
Brookfield Votes in Municipal Elections
An open race for First Selectman, a third party in the mix and a new, almost instantaneous reporting tool made the main article for the Nov. 5 Municipal Elections far and above the most-read post of the year.
Readers were checking in for updates throughout the day but by 8:10 p.m. results were beginning to show for the top races. By 8:30 p.m. all the races were called and Brookfield was looking at their 2013 slate of candidates-elect.
Chick-fil-A on the Way
When news broke in March that Chick-fil-A had filed to open their first Connecticut location on Federal Road, Brookfield and the surrounding area erupted in a chorus of opinions ranging from unfiltered joy to threats of boycotts.
A follow-up in August garnered just as much attention and both posts could be considered independently for most-read of 2013.
Police Chase Ends in Death of Innocent Driver
A pursuit involving State Police in August ended in the death of a Washington man when the driver being pursued crashed into his vehicle moments after the chase was called off.
Police charged 25-year-old Eric Sciarretta, of Waterbury, with manslaughter and first-degree assault in the incident, along with a litany of other charges. Sciarretta pleaded ‘not guilty’ and is being held until his next court date on Jan. 21.
First Selectman Facing Charges
News of then-First Selectman-elect Bill Tinsley facing criminal charges in Vermont shocked residents, including members of his own party, when it was revealed days after the election.
The initial story — updated throughout the first day — was one of the top-read posts of the year and several follow-ups on his ‘no contest’ plea and the response from Republican Party leaders were also candidates for most-clicked-on.
However, the single most-read post in this series included a video provided by the storeowner who had accused Tinsley of theft and the recently sworn in First Selectman responding to what it showed.
Friends Search for Lost Hiker Eric Langlois
After Brookfield High School graduate and local photographer Eric Langlois went missing in the woods around Lake Lillinonah, people came from all over the state and the northeast to help with the search.
Days of heavy rain prompted state officials to temporarily suspend the search but volunteers kept at it, combing the shorelines downstream of Lover’s Leap. His body was recovered nine days later, the morning after hundreds gathered on Lover’s Leap Bridge for a candlelight vigil.
While the subject is a sad one, it is heartening that the most-read post in the series was one about hope and continuing the search.
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