SAN ANGELO, TX -- While crashes and crime stories are typically the most viewed by our audience, some of the most intriguing storylines come from other segments of news coverage in the Concho Valley. Here’s my list of the top storylines from 2017. See if you agree!
January 15 — San Angelo Woman Killed in Crash with Semi, Son Severely Injured. Vehicle crashes are an almost daily part of the news. Sadly, many crashes include fatalities. This head-on collision between a semi-truck and a passenger car on Highway 158 between Garden City and Midland was the most viewed story of January with over 20,000 unique page views.
February 16 — SAPD Identifies Murder-Suicide Victim and Presumed Suspect. Reporting stories like this one is difficult. The decision to identify persons involved is never easy. In this case, the San Angelo Police Department made the identities public. We published that information. This story had almost 24,000 unique page views.
March 7 — Sheriff Digs for A Body at the Former San Angelo Speedway. This is the first story in the ongoing saga of a man who is charged with killing his wife and burying her body at the former race track off FM 2105. His girlfriend was also arrested and charged with murder. Both are still awaiting trial. This story was viewed by more than 50,000 unique viewers.
April 6 — 7-eleven to Take Over Stripes Convenience Stores. This story about the $3.3 billion, 1,110 store buyout of the former Town & Country Convenience Stores that are currently branded as Stripes was shared over 2,000 times even though it wasn’t the most read story of the month. We found out in a clarification statement from Sunoco, the parent of the Stripes, that about 200 stores out here in West Texas were excluded from the deal. This month, Sunoco announced they had an operating agreement for the remaining locations with what Sunoco called a "commission agent." Sunoco's plan is to exit the retail convenience store business to become just the supplier of fuel to thousands and thousands of these types of stores across the nation.
May 17 — Teen Charged With Capital Murder Takes 35 Year Plea Deal. There are about 12 capital murder cases pending in Tom Green County. Fred Angel Garcia is one of several individuals charged with shooting Juan Guerrero and Zane Lopez. This story was shared over 1,000 times and viewed over 16,000 times.
June 23 — UPDATES: Wild Storm Hits San Angelo, Damage Everywhere. In what was arguably the most destructive storm to hit San Angelo since the tornado of 1995, the June storm caused major damage to buildings and residences across San Angelo and the Concho Valley. This series of stories was shared over 15,000 times and had over 56,000 unique page views.
July 19 —18-Year-Old Male Found Dead in Residence, Police Investigating. This story was the first one we ran about an Hispanic male fatally shot in a westside residence. It was shared over 3,000 times and had over 35,000 unique viewers.
August 4 — Sheriff Finds Body of Eric Torrez. Torrez’s murder was big news across the the Concho Valley and the Big Country. This series of stories was shared over 6,000 times and viewed over 100,000 times.
September 24 — Fatal Crash Involves a Horse Trailer on U.S. 67 North. This crash took the life of a local man and a horse. It was the most viewed story in September with over 40,000 unique page views.
October 13 — Body Found Hanging from Highway Bridge in Brady. Viewers shared this story over 5,000 times and had 43.000 unique page views. Brady police never informed us why this happened, but we don't suspect foul play.
November 8 — John Young Sentenced to Prison. The saga of John Young, Ray Zapata, Chris Hartman and John Sullivan was one of the most written about stories of 2017. Young’s trial lasted 18 days and his attorneys have filed a request for a new trial. Stay tuned in 2018.
December 15 — Grape Creek Athletic Director Arrested. While this story came about during the school Christmas break, it was the most viewed and most shared in December 2017. It has had almost 20,000 unique views.
Do you have any stories your remember from 2017 that we haven't listed here? If so, please make a comment, I mean, "rant," below.
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