January 03, 2025
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Northwest Herald’s 24 most-read stories of 2024

By Shaw Local News Network
Catherine McAllister took this photo on Thanksgiving day, Nov. 28, 2024. "Maybe the first sighting," McAllister wrote. "I was a passenger in the car and first saw him, I didn't even know if he was real. I had never seen a snowy owl before. We turned around and he was still there. I took the picture from the car not wanting to disturb him. I'm so sad he got hit by a car and killed."

News that a snowy owl had been hanging out in the McHenry area - the first sighting in several years - was followed the news that the owl had hit by a car and killed. The two stories were among the most-read in 2024. Catherine McAllister took this photo on Thanksgiving day, Nov. 28, 2024. "Maybe the first sighting," McAllister wrote. "I was a passenger in the car and first saw him, I didn't even know if he was real. I had never seen a snowy owl before. We turned around and he was still there. I took the picture from the car not wanting to disturb him. I'm so sad he got hit by a car and killed." (Photo provided by Catherine McAllister)

Here’s a look at the 24 most-read news stories in 2024 on our website, based on unique user pageviews. Our roundups of election-night results during the primary and general elections were not included, nor were weather alerts.

  1. Woman allegedly rented a truck in Woodstock in 2018 and never returned it; now she’s charged with theft
  2. Woman accused of stealing ID from Crystal Lake car and trying to cash fraudulent check pleads guilty
  3. McHenry County is auctioning off abandoned properties; bidding starts at $814
  4. Snowy owl dazzles as it visits McHenry-area field over weekend; 1st recorded sighting in county in 6 years
  5. Joe Cicero leaving radio station 105.5’s morning show after 15 years on air
  6. Carnival in Lake in the Hills is shut down; teens ‘with intentions to disrupt and cause trouble’ blamed
  7. 3 arrested during ‘heavy police activity’ in McHenry
  8. Crystal Lake man accused of theft from veterans group, guilty of $8M Ponzi scheme now works at Fox Lake bar
  9. McHenry County judge charged with driving motorcycle 93 mph in a 55 mph zone in Hebron Township
  10. Crystal Lake man charged with 6th DUI while license suspended, authorities say
  11. 2 arrested in McHenry with meth, fentanyl packaged ‘ready for sale,’ police say
  12. Huntley chosen for stop on new Chicago-to-Rockford train line. But where will the station go?
  13. Chicago man tried to pass counterfeit $100 bills at 3 Crystal Lake businesses, authorities say
  14. McHenry’s snowy owl struck by car, killed; so much attention can be ‘too much for these birds’
  15. McHenry: City unsure of Fox Hole Tap & Pizzeria’s future, plans
  16. New occupant of decades-vacant Motorola facility in Harvard recognized
  17. Wildlife refuge gets 1,000 new acres, touted as largest open land acquisition in Chicago area in decades
  18. Woodstock school aide ID’d as woman killed in crash that also took 2 other lives
  19. Woodstock-area fatal crash: Friends say 2 of 3 dead were young men with ties to Harvard area
  20. Man abused, gave drugs to teen girl; hid from police in woods ‘like Rambo,’ McHenry County authorities say
  21. New Huntley strip mall wins approval
  22. Judge orders Cary Dairy to remove sign, pay about $5,000 in fines
  23. McHenry VFW Commander Ben Keefe dies at 50; started Queen of Hearts game, ran weekly drawings: ‘Huge loss’
  24. Spark’d marijuana dispensary abruptly closes in Crystal Lake
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