Year in Review: Our most-read and most impactful stories of 2023

To truly encapsulate 2023 would mean rehashing some stories we’d rather not touch on again concerning local officials behaving badly, tragic accidents and/or death. So instead we’ve curated a selection of stories that either ranked among our most-read or that we’ve deemed most impactful and worthy of another look before we close the books on 2023.

Is there a story not included here that you believe should be? Email us at [email protected] or send us a message on social media explaining why, and we may include your thoughts in a future post.

Most-read

Suspect to be charged in 1988 murder of Cathy Swartz in 35-year-old Three Rivers cold case (May 1, 2023)

We broke the news when a suspect was apprehended in a 35-year-old Three Rivers cold case, then again when the suspect committed suicide in his jail cell, and provided coverage of the press conference where authorities explained how the case was solved.

Three Rivers celebrates love and acceptance at its very first Pride Festival (June 26, 2023)

We took a stand against hate, highlighted how Three Rivers Pride came to be, and captured and incapsulated the city’s first Pride festival, all of which were among the most-read/listened to content of the year.

Three Rivers senior eying Stanford, Princeton after receiving Cooke College Scholarship (April 11, 2023)

*Three Rivers High School Senior Giovani Gioiosa has been selected for the Cooke College Scholarship, and is only one of two Michigan students to receive the award. (Courtesy)*

Giovani Gioiosa applied to 24 colleges, including all eight Ivy League schools. “I got into three of them: Princeton, Dartmouth, and the University of Pennsylvania,” he said. “Then I got into some other schools like the University of Michigan, Tufts, Swarthmore, and Wake Forest.”

Water in Three Rivers exceeds EPA lead limit (August 3, 2023)

The City of Three Rivers announced in August that it found more lead service lines while conducting a test of tap water in homes for lead and copper in accordance with the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act. In the first round of collecting first and fifth liter samples from 47 homes, six homes had results over 15 parts per billion (ppb), the federal limit for lead contamination.

Most impactful

Finding support as you find your authentic self: LGBTQ+ resources for youth (October 23, 2023)

Lia Smallcombe, a 16-year-old senior at Three Rivers High School, shared her experience about transitioning and the support from her family: “When my parents asked me—how do you know? I didn’t at first know how to answer. But they always told me that I could talk to them about anything.” (Deborah Haak-Frost|Watershed Voice)

For the past two years we’ve focused on mental health, and the services available to those in need in St. Joseph, Cass, and Kalamazoo Counties. While gaining some understanding of how one identifies is the first step toward being authentic to oneself, what comes next for many LGBTQ+ youth is confusion, anxiety, depression, isolation, fear and discrimination. Help is available if one is willing to reach out, and this story details the resources available locally should you need them.

Teletherapy is a mixed bag for clients and clinicians alike but ultimately a useful tool (June 9, 2023)

Ashton Smith looks through pictures on his laptop on a Saturday afternoon at Scidmore Park in Three Rivers. He participates in group therapy once a month online, and sees another therapist on a biweekly basis who specializes in gender affirming care. (Alek Haak-Frost|Watershed Voice)

This year we took a good look at teletherapy, earning our third national award nomination in two years.

Sturgis’ emergency weather shelter for unhoused could provide blueprint for Three Rivers (January 6, 2023)

We highlighted local efforts to aide the community’s unhoused, with several stories concerning a proposed extreme weather center in Sturgis.