Like newsstand sales, the biggest indicator of what captivates public attention nowadays is the number of “hits” an article receives when it is posted. A whole new lexicon has emerged for tracking Internet business, and those in the news industry are not immune. While “hits” or “reads” do not drive news coverage (although reporters, editors and publishers are not immune to their influence), those most popular stories have their own intriguing way of telling stories about today’s culture and the way we think. And contrary to conventional news industry interpretation, it is not always crime, accidents and weather that drive traffic. As proof of that, we have culled the most popular stories from 2013 at PenBayPilot.com just to see what trended locally. While some of this unscientific survey was predictable, it also held surprises. 

For instance, the number of hits on some articles to do with animals skyrocketed, although the reasons behind the leap in readers were vastly different. We even requisitioned help from tech guys to dig into the data.

In reviewing the stories, we also took a moment to update some of them, calling the Coast Guard or the district attorney to check on the outcome of some major events and incidents. Below are the top stories of 2013.

1. About Great White Sharks and What They Eat

39,195 reads. Why a great white story? For one, the Great White Shark sighting was captured on video feeding on a whale. Anytime we hear great white, we conjure up visions of the movie Jaws. We picture a man being swallowed whole and Richard Dreyfus making the curse statement, “Well, this was no boating accident.” For whatever reason, sharks attract people.

2. Ravens: The only birds that will fly toward the sound of gunfire 

31,039 reads. In February 2012, we published a column by biologist Ron Joseph about ravens. “The incomparable raven: World’s second smartest creature?” was an indepth exploration into the mind and habits of a mischievous, intelligent bird. Ron’s column concentrated on the raven’s ingenuity and association of humans with food. “In recent years, there’s growing anecdotal evidence that ravens are learning that the sound of gunfire may translate to fast food.”

In November 2013, the column went viral. Why? Because someone posted a link to it on Reddit.com, on a sub-Reddit page devoted to.... fans of the football team, Baltimore Ravens, with the comment “Ravens are the only birds in the world that will fly toward the sound of gunfire, having learned a hunter may soon leave a gut pile for the raven to eat.”

That spiked a sudden interest in the habits of birds, and in a flash of history, Ron Joseph was educating thousands of football fans about the nature of an ancient bird. Such are the anomalies of modern human communication (aka, the web).

So quote the raven, nevermore.

3. A tragic accident in Port Clyde

21,639 reads. Tragic is the only way to describe the accident of Aug. 12. A lone car careened out of control down the Port Clyde Pier resulting in 9-year-old Dylan Gold losing his life. Boy dies in Port Clyde as car careens down hill, crashes into people and cars. How one vehicle operated by a New York woman who was heading for the same boat to Monhegan as the family of Dylan spun into disaster on a Sunday afternoon remained under investigation for months. The file now rests with Knox County District Attorney Geoffrey Rushlau, who said Dec. 31 that he would be in contact with the Gold family after the holidays.

“I’m waiting to review the matter with the Gold family,” he said, declining to comment further. “We have had communication.”

He said it would be several more weeks before anything definitive would materialize.

4. A Sailboat crashes onto rocks

18,122 reads. On Aug. 7, the Archangel, a 70-foot charter sailboat with a homeport of Newport, R.I., hit East Goose Rock, at the south end of Islesboro, In Penobscot Bay. Coast Guard investigates Penobscot Bay yacht-rock crash. As IT went aground, the mast broke and the vessel eventually rolled. Passengers and crew were rescued. On Aug. 8, some involved with its rescue and salvage were talking about the recovery, given its status as a marine casualty. In late December, the case was still under investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard but the crash of the $2.4 million vessel still resonated in the minds of locals, who couldn’t help but wonder how such a crash could have occurred, given the well-marked charts, depth-sounders and modern equipment. 

It’s an age-old adage: rocks are for drinks, not boats.

5. Injured fawn

18,038 reads. This one, though loaded with kindness and gentle effort, does not have a happy ending. Camden police come to rescue of injured fawn at head of the harbor. On July 24, Camden Police Chief Randy Gagne crawled down on the seaweed-covered rocks at low tide to rescue a fawn with a broken leg. Then, the fawn was transported to Vassalboro to the Wildlife Care Center on Route 3. Alas it was ultimately euthanized when it was discovered a metal rod to fix its leg would cost upwards of $3,000. Yet another victim of the growing crisis of not being able to afford good health care.

6. Owls Head meth lab

10,986 reads: Better living through science was not the case for four young adults busted Nov. 15 for running a methamphetamine lab in Owls Head.  A house on South Shore Drive was cordoned off as agents of the state’s Drug Enforcement Agency served a warrant on the residence. Four identified, arrested in raid on suspected Owls Head Meth lab.  

7. What kind of monster shoots a dog full of 83 BB pellets?

10,856 reads. Probably one of the more cruelest stories to come out of 2013: A black lab found as a stray and taken to a vet to be spayed was found to have 83 BBs lodged under her skin. The wounds covered her entire body, including her face. It's one of those stories that takes a turn in the pit of your stomach. Oh the tales a dog could tell, if only she could talk. The dog has since been adopted into a loving home and the person who perpetrated the crime was arrested and charged with animal cruelty. The man, 32-year-old Waldoboro resident Aaron Armstrong, was charged with aggravated animal cruelty.

8. Terrible accident claims life of young Hope man

9,418 reads: Cameron Dow, of Hope, suffered devastating injuries when the sport utility vehicle he was driving Nov. 27 in Hope crashed as he attempted to avoid a tree that had fallen in the road. Crash injures Hope man, Fayette teen. First responders carried him swiftly to the hospital, but he died several days later from his injuries.

9. Another accident kills a local teacher

8,797 reads: A teacher at the Waldorf School in Rockport died after her car collided with a bus at a Route 1 intersection in Belfast Sept. 2. Jaws of Life used to extricate injured driver in Belfast accident. First responders extricated her from the car and took her to Eastern Maine Medical Center, where she subsequently passed away.

10. Investigation into Port Clyde accident continued

7,353 reads: The Knox County Sheriff’s Office enlisted the help of a mapping forensic expert from Kennebec County to aid in understanding the horrific accident of August on the Port Clyde Harbor Wharf.

Other stories that rose through to the top in 2013 included news that:

• Tim Horton’s, a Canadian fast food sandwich and coffee shop on Route 1 in Rockland, had abruptly closed - Rockland Tim Horton’s shop abruptly shuttered overnight;

• Several Walmarts across the state, including the new super Walmart in Thomaston, were hit with simultaneous bomb threats the same afternoon - UPDATED: Thomaston, Calais and Palmyra Walmarts hit with afternoon bomb threats;

• The Lobster trap tree in Rockland was up for a national television contest - Time to vote: Rockland's Lobster Trap tree in Jingle Brawls competition; and,

• Hooters arrives in Rockport. (Not really, it was an April Fool’s joke, courtesy of Adventure Advertising) - 'Hooters' arrives in Rockport this April 1.