[V]TDigger has an ardent and devoted (and much appreciated) following of 120,000 unique readers a month, but the most-read stories of the year got a little outside help from readers around the country.
Here are the Top 10 most-viewed stories of 2014 as compiled through Google Analytics.
1. VERMONT FIRST STATE TO CALL FOR CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION TO GET MONEY OUT OF POLITICS / 58,683 page views
This story by Morgan True about the Vermont Legislature’s support for a constitutional amendment to ban big money in politics made “the front page of the Internet.”
The May 2 article was uploaded to the Web aggregation site reddit.com, where it drew enough “up” votes to elevate it to the website’s main page.
Vermont’s resolution, which called for a constitutional convention to overturn the effects of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens’ United case, has a long way to go.
Thirty-four states would have to pass similar resolutions before a convention was called. After that, voters in at least 38 states would have to support any resulting constitutional amendment.
The 27th and last amendment to the U.S. Constitution took 203 years to be ratified. The amendment, which calls mandates that any congressional salary increase or decrease go into effect in the next Congress, as opposed to the current. The amendment was proposed in 1789 and was added when the 37th, 38th and 39th states approved it in 1992.
2. ZUCKERMAN INTRODUCES MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION BILL / 19,450 page views
Morgan True did it again, with a little help from the well-oiled marijuana legalization lobby.
The Marijuana Policy Project and NORML, among others, shared this New Year’s Day story about Sen. David Zuckerman’s intention to introduce legislation to legalize the use of recreational cannabis with its many supporters.
Zuckerman’s bill gained no traction in 2014 but he has said that he will bring it up again in 2015.
3. VTDIGGER EXCLUSIVE: JAY PEAK LOSES TRUST OF FIRST EB-5 INVESTORS / 17,146 page views
This July 27 story by Anne Galloway and Hilary Niles about a group of immigrant investors unhappy with the owners of Jay Peak Resort resonated strongly among people from around the world who follow the federal EB-5 program.
The investors claimed they were not notified in a timely manner about significant changes made in their investments in the ski area’s Tram Haus Lodge project. Bill Stenger, a partner with Ariel Quiros in Jay Peak, admitted that his poor communication with investors was a “big mistake,” but denied any wrongdoing. The situation has not been resolved.
4. ST. JOHNSBURY TODDLER DEATH THIRD IN 3 MONTHS INVOLVING DCF CONTACT / 12,313 page views
Laura Krantz covered a series of concerns around the safety of children with ties to the state’s Department for Children and Families in 2014.
This June 4 story was about a third child in three months to have died while the family had contact with DCF. Family caregivers were charged in two previous toddler deaths but this one was the result of natural causes.
The tragedies sparked a series of investigations and commission reports aimed at improving the safety of children who are involved in the state’s child protection services. Legislation to address the findings of those reports is expected in the upcoming session.
5. EXCLUSIVE: SINGLE PAYER FINANCING LIKELY TO START WITH 8 PERCENT PAYROLL TAX / 11,998 page views
This Dec. 4 story by Morgan True offered the first glimpse into Gov. Peter Shumlin’s secretive single payer financing plan. It also drew an impressive 260 comments on the VTDigger.org website.
True’s story, based on sources with knowledge of preliminary administration plans, reported that an 8 percent payroll tax would be part of the revenue stream for a publicly financed health care system.
Two weeks later, the governor revealed a plan calling for an 11.5 percent payroll tax and a graduated 9.5 percent income tax. Shumlin determined that was too expensive and the march toward single payer was put on hold.
6. VERMONT LAW SCHOOL PROFESSOR CHERYL HANNA DIES AT 48 / 10,654 page views
Often the most-read stories are not major projects or deep investigative dives but short reports on tragic news.
Such was the case with this July 28 story on the untimely death of popular Vermont Law School professor Cheryl Hanna. I combined a news release from the school with some very quick research to post the news as soon as possible. Sometimes the subject alone drives the traffic.
7. VACCINATED KIDS ACCOUNT FOR 90 PERCENT OF CHILD WHOOPING COUGH CASES IN VERMONT / 8,616 page views
Speaking of research, the beauty of the Internet, as opposed to a newspaper morgue file, is that information lasts forever and is easily retrieved.
So it must have been with former VTDigger reporter Andrew Stein’s 2012 story on the hot-button issue of childhood immunization. No doubt an outbreak of whooping cough last winter led to a multitude of Google searches that found Stein’s piece.
8. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE HANDS-FREE CELLPHONE LAW / 7,839 page views
This was VTDigger’s first attempt at a Vox-style story presentation. Web developer Stacey Peters and I came up with eight quick-hit facts to help readers know what to expect when a new law banning the use of hand-held devices while driving went into effect Oct. 1. Readers apparently found the format useful.
9. ANALYST, ECONOMIST WEIGH POTENTIAL OF IBM SALE TO GLOBALFOUNDRIES / 7,804 page views
IBM’s “impending sale” of its manufacturing wing to GlobalFoundries tantalized the media for months until it finally happened in October.
But this story by Hilary Niles included an industry analyst’s speculation on what GlobalFoundries might do with IBM’s Essex Junction plant. Three months after IBM essentially paid GlobalFoundries to take over its chip-making operation, that question remains unanswered.
10. COMMUNITY FEARS HISTORY WILL REPEAT ITSELF AT Q BURKE MOUNTAIN / 7,779 page views
This early January story by Hilary Niles looked at attempts to resurrect the Burke Mountain ski resort by its new manager, Ary Quiros, son of Jay Peak principal owner Ariel Quiros, and at the history of the mountain’s ownership.
So, there you have it. Whether we make the “front page of the Internet” in 2015 or not, we will continue to cover the stories that matter about politics, people, business, education, the environment, health care, state finance and criminal justice.
Happy New Year.