Effingham, IL-(Effingham Radio)- We at Cromwell Media share news stories every day, but it is up to you, the viewer, to tell us which stories garner the most attention. We compiled a list of the top 10 news stories/categories for the year by how many views it received, and the list shows just how much we cover in any given year. The news never stops, so neither can we.
10. Rounding out the top ten stories of the year was a report about DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) looking to close two dozen Illinois facilities earlier this year. The few months that DOGE was active was tumultuous to say the least, and the effects of the agency were felt locally as well. The report details some of the government buildings and local agencies that were deemed unnecessary and were on the list to cut, but it is unclear how much of this was actually followed through on. DOGE was later discontinued after President Trump and Elon Musk, who headed the agency, had a falling out and Musk left his government role. https://www.
9. Our 9th top story was about EBT benefits for the 2024-25 school year. Lots of local residents use EBT, so we made sure to post information about it leading up to the start of the school year. IDHS provided detailed information for everyone to access, and we made sure to inform the community. https://www.
8. In 8th was a final report about the deadly Teutopolis Anhydrous Incident from 2023. The NHTSA released a final report earlier this year that detailed their findings, interviews, and crash overview that took about a year and a half to complete. While we cannot recover the lives lost on that tragic day, we at least got an idea of what happened, why, and what to do to try to prevent it from happening again. https://www.
7. 7th was a story about Real ID through the state, and all the confusion surrounding it. We posted a story from the State clarifying things and attempting to clear up any confusion about Real ID as it was being rolled out. With as important as the State has made the Real ID, we wanted to make sure everyone knew as much as possible about the new ID. https://www.
6. In 6th was our coverage of coroner reports, which come directly from Effingham County Coroner Kim Rhodes Office. We get the stories from Rhodes and post them as we receive them, informing the community of Coroner activity and investigations. These stories are not always easy to report on, but they are necessary to get out in a timely fashion to inform the community of local deaths and investigations.
5. Coming in 5th was a story about the State of Illinois joining in a lawsuit for a multi-state settlement with Vanguard, who failed to disclose potential tax consequences to investors that resulted in higher capital gains taxes for some investors. We always make sure to keep up on state news as it comes in, and this was a top story due to the possibility of being eligible for part of the $106M lawsuit. https://www.
4. In 4th place was coverage of Accidents and Crashes, which unfortunately can sometimes end with loss of life. We only post information about crashes when the police (Effingham City, Sheriff, or ISP) send us the information directly, as not to get ahead of the police doing their job of contacting the family first. We post the information to our website and social media when it is ok to do so.
3. Third was our coverage of SNAP Benefits being cut off due to the government shutdown. Lots of local community members rely on SNAP every month, so when the benefits were slated to be cut off, we made sure to post the information on our website. It was a very turbulent time, and the shutdown did eventually end. But benefits were delayed for quite some time. https://www.
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