Talk of the Sound 2010 In Review

As we close out our second full calendar year, it’s time to look back at the stories that made an impact this year.

Once again it is safe to say that many if not most of the stories below would never have come to the public’s attention except for reporting by the contributors to Talk of the Sound. Most of these stories are based on tips from readers or articles by contributors and I want to thank each of them for making 2010 a great year for Talk of the Sound. This is what a community news site is all about — no one person knows everything going on in town but together we can become a tremendous resource and a check on corruption and dishonest dealing my those who feed at the public trough.

We had a number of highlights in 2010. We broke through the 250,000 reader barrier and close out the year with 460,000 unique visitors since launch on September 1, 2008. We debuted an iPhone app, were selected for inclusion in Google News. We were added to the Topix news aggregator. We launched La Charla de New Rochelle, the first spanish-language publication for New Rochelle.

Stories first reported on Talk of the Sound appeared in media outlets around the country and around the world including the Associated Press, New York Daily News, the New York Post, The Daily Mail (UK), The Malta Times, The Hindustan Times, the L.A. Weekly, the American Journalism Review, the Online Journalism Review and many, many others. Many stories were picked up by the Journal News, Channel 12 News, Newsday, WCBS Radio. We had some fantastic photos contributed by readers. Articles that first appeared on Talk of the Sound were picked up and reported by local media on a regular basis

By far our biggest story of the year was the “Sister Susie” story about the Iona College Vice President of Finance, Marie Thornton, a nun from Philadelphia who embezzled over $800,000. Soon after our reports became public and were reported in media outlets around the country, the Department of Justice indicated Thornton and she was arrested in New York by the FBI. The story of her arrest was reported around the world.

Talk of the Sound is now firmly entrenched as the “go to” place to find out what is going on in New Rochelle.

With the year now closed out we are in the process of selecting our story of the year. We have whittled the list down from hundreds of articles to a group of 45 stories and asked a select panel to make their selections for the ten most important stories of the year. From that we list we will offer readers a chance to vote on the #1 story from among the top 10 vote-getters from among our panelists.

Here are the 45 stories, listed in alphabetical order, under consideration by the Talk of the Sound Selection Panel.

2011 Budget
4 Year-Old Child Dies of Complications from Flu
Animal Sacrifices in New Rochelle Parks
Anthony Piliero Murder for Hire Case
Barnard School Intruder
Big Top Closes
BoE Budget Cuts, Staff Reductions
Carbon Monoxide at 867 Weaver
Collapse of Graduation Rates at New Rochelle High School
Death of James Stowe, Impact on District 3
Demise of Cappelli Enterprises in New Rochelle
District Attorney Investigation of the DPW, Resignation of Jeff Coleman
Election of First Female Judge in New Rochelle, Susan Kettner
Federal Jury Finds Against City Court of New Rochelle
Fire at 43 Bayard
Frank Pasquale Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison in Connecticut Sex Sting
Fred Smith Fired, Plagiarism, Fired Again
GreeNR
Huguenot Hills Illegal C of O
IDA Audit
Introduction of Optical Scan Voting Machines
James Drago, MV Firefighter, Drowns
Jerome Smith of BoE Not a New Rochelle Resident, Loses Election
Jesse Wasserman Arrested, Central Park Bandit
Kevin Williams Murder
Lincoln 50th Anniversary
Moody’s Downgrade of New Rochelle Debt
Nelstad Closes, Auctioned
New City of New Rochelle web site
New Rochelle Armory/Home Rule Bill
New Rochelle Police PACT Unit Gambling and Porn Web Site
New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan Visits New Rochelle
North End Burglary Spree
NR Building Inpsector John Caldaro Arrested for DWI
NR Cop Flees Scene of Accident, Arrested for DWI
Patch Plagiarizes Talk of the Sound
Public Broadcast of IDA, Planning and Zoning Meetings
Return of Thanksgiving Day Parade
Rolf Koehler Municipal Civil Service & New Rochelle Board of Education
Sail Boar Student Drowns
Shots Fired at Hartley Houses; 2-5 Anniversary
Sister Susie Embezzlement of Iona College
United Water Rate Increase
West End Drive By Shooting
Wicked Weather – Windstorm 2010 & Blizzard 2010

Based on Goole Analytics, the Top 50 search terms for Talk of the Sound for 2010 are…

1 talk of the sound
2 new rochelle talk
3 new rochelle talk of the sound
4 new rochelle blog
5 new rochelle talks
6 new rochelle news
7 newrochelletalk.com
8 newrochelletalks
9 talk of the sound new rochelle
10 new rochelle talk of the town
11 newrochelletalk
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13 new rochelle
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15 new rochelle’s talk of the sound | news for new rochelle
16 www.newrochelletalk.com
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18 shoprite new rochelle
19 sister marie thornton
20 new rochelle pulse
21 new rochelle patch
22 talkofthesound
23 new rochelle high school 2010 graduations
24 tara rosenblum
25 new rochelle stabbing
26 john caldararo
27 martin daly, new rochelle
28 anthony piliero
29 jared bergman new rochelle
30 kevin williams new rochelle
31 new rochelle civil cases
32 nick nespolini
33 new rochelle postcard
34 new rochelle layoffs
35 talk of new rochelle
36 new rochelle man arrested on child-porn charges
37 http://newrochelletalk.com/
38 jared bergman death
39 cynthia lobo
40 new rochelle firefighter salaries
41 new rochelle ny blog cox
42 paula izurieta
43 vincent delazzero
44 best of westchester 2010
45 new rochelle robberies
46 new rochelle chamber of commerce
47 ursuline new rochelle drinking
48 makenewrobetter
49 new rochelle boe email addresses
50 iona college embezzlement

Based on Goole Analytics, the Top 50 referrals for Talk of the Sound for 2010 are…

1 google / organic
2 (direct) / (none)
3 bing / organic
4 aol / organic
5 yahoo / organic
6 facebook.com / referral
7 google.com / referral
8 twitterfeed / twitter
9 search / organic
10 mail.aol.com / referral
11 feedburner / feed
12 domainnotfound.optimum.net / referral
13 images.google.com / referral
14 topix.com / referral
15 twitter.com / referral
16 ask / organic
17 fairwaymarket.com / referral
18 poynter.org / referral
19 optimum.net / referral
20 search.mywebsearch.com / referral
21 googleads.g.doubleclick.net / referral
22 webmail.aol.com / referral
23 ionahoops.proboards.com / referral
24 search.domainnotfound.optimum.net / referral
25 us.mg2.mail.yahoo.com / referral
26 news.google.com / referral
27 olbermannwatch.com / referral
28 mediabistro.com / referral
29 us.mg201.mail.yahoo.com / referral
30 freerepublic.com / referral
31 topix.net / referral
32 chronicle.com / referral
33 google.ca / referral
34 yahoo.com / referral
35 my.att.net / referral
36 m.www.yahoo.com / referral
37 google.co.uk / referral
38 weaselzippers.us / referral
39 voy.com / referral
40 emtbravo.net / referral
41 owa.newrochelleny.com / referral
42 search.myway.com / referral
43 us.mg4.mail.yahoo.com / referral
44 my.earthlink.net / referral
45 101010nr.com / referral
46 my.msn.com / referral
47 google.de / referral
48 businessinsider.com / referral
49 m.topix.com / referral
50 smokehousechili.com / referral