Most-read web stories show breaking news, reader interests

It was another year full of news in Lorain County. From prison sentencings — including one that went awry — to a shooting that left one Lorain police officer dead and two others wounded, the year's top 10 stories based on traffic at chroniclet.com leaned heavily into breaking news of crime and calamity. But there were some stories that represented readers' leisure interests, including the Lorain County Fair schedule and the debut of a new roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky. Here are the top 10 stories as determined by page views on our website: Remains found in trunk of abandoned car identified, Aug. 7 — on the morning of Aug. 5, a body was found in the trunk of a Ford Fusion parked on Camden Avenue in front of a home on Lorain's demolition list. The following day, Lorain County Coroner Dr. Frank Miller identified the deceased as Ronnie Geary, 39, of Vermilion, a registered sex offender. Geary appeared to have died the previous Friday. Elyria man, viral sensation in Twisted Tea video, dies unexpectedly, March 28 —In 2020, Bobby Oliver briefly became famous thanks to a viral video that showed him hitting someone using racial slurs with a Twisted Tea can at the Elyria Circle K. The video of Oliver, who died unexpectedly in Lorain at the age of 35, didn't get to his true character, family members said, as a comic book fan and a devoted father. Sheffield Lake woman gets life in prison, parole possible after 14 years, for raping boy, Sept. 18 — Following a two-day trial, Hillary Trivett was found guilty of seven felony charges: Three counts of rape, three counts of gross sexual imposition and one count of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles. Trivett is now a Tier III sex offender who will have to register with her local sheriff's office every 90 days for the rest of her life upon release from prison. She is appealing the verdict. Developer terminates deal to purchase Midway Mall, Dec. 2 — The fate of the nearly empty Midway Mall has been debated for years, and it appeared a new path was laid in April, when the Lorain County Port Authority agreed to sell the property to ICP for $17 million. But after two extensions for due diligence, the company walked away from the property. The county said there are other interested parties and will begin the search anew. Lorain woman killed by train 20 years after attempted suicide on tracks, May 1 — Sharon Matusiak, 64, was killed early on the morning of April 30 when she was struck by a train at the Leavitt Road railroad crossing between Edith and West 21st streets in Lorain. A little more than 20 years earlier, on April 18, 2005, she'd stepped in front of a train in a suicide attempt on the Frank Nardini Gateway over Broadway in Lorain. She said she was despondent over financial problems, her husband's arrest and her son's marriage breaking up. She ended up losing her hands in the attempt, and also sustained skull injuries. 2025 Lorain County Fair schedule released, June 24 — Lorain County residents love the fair, and this year was no exception. Interest was particularly high for the new Ross Exposition Center and the Maureen Cromling Horse Arena, but fair fans were also excited for concerts by Cheap Trick, Lonestar and standbys like demolition derbies, harness racing and the tractor pull. Three Lorain police officers shot; at least one suspect dead, July 23 — It was supposed to be a quiet lunch at the Colorado Avenue Industrial Park. But a man armed with several guns and more than 100 pounds of explosives fired on Lorain police, wounding three officers, Phillip Wagner, Peter Gale and Brent Payne. Wagner later died from his injuries, the first line-of-duty death for Lorain police in more than a century. The shooter, Michael Parker, 28, of Lorain, was killed when Lorain officers returned fire. Police said Parker acted alone, and his motive is unknown. Fight breaks out in court following guilty verdict in attempted murder trial, June 13 — After Andrew Davison was found guilty of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault and a misdemeanor of criminal damaging or endangering, Judge Christopher Rothgery sentenced him to 10 to 15 years in prison. "I'm not going to jail," said Davison, who'd struggled with officers, and a melee broke out. Ultimately, seven law enforcement officers had to bring him down. Davison ended up getting an additional 40 years in prison for the brawl. Teenage pedestrian struck, killed by car in North Ridgeville, Nov. 17 — Violet Gustafson, 16, was returning to work at the McDonald's at Lorain and Lear Nagle roads when she was struck by a vehicle. Gustafson, a carpentry student at Lorain County Joint Vocational School, was taken to St. John Westshore Hospital, where she died. Cedar Point unveils new tallest, fastest and longest tilt coaster — Siren's Curse, April 29 — The Sandusky amusement park remains a destination for roller coaster fans not just in Ohio, but around the world. This year, the park debuted Siren's Curse, which takes riders up an old 160-foot-tall Lake Erie shipping crane tower, before teetering on a piece of broken track that locks into place for a 2,966-foot ride at a top speed of 58 mph. Vince Guerrieri can be reached at 440-329-7124 or vguerrieri@chroniclet.com. Follow him @vinceguerrieri on Twitter.