Community Corner
Joliet Patch Readers: Thank You For Helping Us Grow
Joliet Patch has been around since May 2012, but we've seen a surge in growth over the past year. Check out our recent readership figures.
JOLIET, IL — At a time when many professional news organizations are downsizing, cutting back on their news coverage or hiking their print newspaper and online newspaper subscription fees, the Joliet Patch is continuing to grow its audience, and we continue to provide in-depth and exclusive news coverage across a broad spectrum of topics all for free.
In August, Joliet Patch recorded 451,966 visitors. Our visitors hail from Joliet and other towns in Will County. That figure — compiled and verified through Google Analytics — includes readers on desktop, laptop, tablet, mobile and our app, and our visitors often access Patch on several devices over the month.
After more than 20 years of working for several large print newspapers across the Midwest, I decided to join Patch during the summer of 2017. I wanted to work for a news organization that is innovative and makes decisions based on the topics and issues that resonate with readers.
Find out what's happening in Jolietwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
And that's what drew me back to my hometown of Joliet to oversee the Joliet Patch. Since I took over in July 2017, Joliet Patch has continued to provide you with updated coverage on some of the biggest and most noteworthy stories in Will County. I went to the scene to speak with neighbors after the September 2017 triple murder on Great Falls Drive. Last year, I covered several public rallies and community events surrounding the Sema'j Crosby tragedy in Preston Heights.
Sadly, both high-profile murder cases remain unsolved. But both are cases the Joliet Patch will continue to keep in the public spotlight, in hopes of getting the killers off the streets and justice for the victims.
Find out what's happening in Jolietwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
On the other spectrum, I've made it a big priority to greatly expand the story topics at the Joliet Patch.
I've drawn attention to the fact that a growing number of city of Joliet employees have retired and walked away from their jobs not only with a government pension but with a sizable retirement severance package for cashing their unused sick and vacation days.
For a few of them, their payouts have surpassed $100,000.
This past May, the Joliet Patch was the first news outlet in Will County to report that veteran Joliet Township High School District 204 School Superintendent Cheryl McCarthy would be leaving after the 2018-19 year. I also brought you an exclusive story analyzing McCarthy's multi-year contract.
McCarthy's current salary for the 2018-19 school year of $293,724 is $61,000 higher than what McCarthy was making in 2014 holding the same position for Joliet's high school district.
In recent months, I've greatly expanded our business and restaurant coverage. The Joliet Patch was the first news outlet to report Binny's Beverage Depot would be opening a store near the Louis Joliet Mall.
Here are 10 recent news articles from the Joliet Patch that show you a variety of my coverage:
Podcast On Molly Zelko Mystery Almost Ready, Aug. 1, 2018
Beef Shack Joliet Project Underway, Aug. 13, 2018
My First Mr. Submarine Visit: Ferak Column, Aug. 15, 2018
Huge Raise For Joliet Housing Authority CEO, Aug. 16, 2018
Fairview Public Housing Plans May Surprise You, Aug, 16, 2018
Thousands Attend Electrifying Joliet Prison Party, Aug. 26, 2018
Warren Dorris Selling His Joliet WOW! House For $750,000, Aug. 30, 2018
Triple Murder On Great Falls Drive Unsolved, 1 Year Later, Sept. 7, 2018
Rare Photos: Joliet Central, High School Artifacts, Sept. 8, 2018
Mayor's Re-Election Bid: Here's Who's Donating Campaign Funds, Sept. 10, 2018
I make it a point to get out into the community to get to know common, ordinary, everyday people, people who care about Joliet.
On Saturday night, Aug. 25, an incredibly muggy night, I spent several hours taking photos at one of Joliet's greatest community events in years, a night when more than 3,500 people paid $40 admission to attend the first-ever Great Joliet Prison Break-In. The fund-raiser will pay for ongoing repairs and restoration efforts of the world-famous prison property from the Blues Brothers movie.
It was a magical night for the "City of Champions" and thousands of people turned to the Joliet Patch as their primary source of event coverage.
It's quite evident that the Joliet Patch's reach is growing and making a difference. As of July 2017, the Joliet Patch had 38,553 Facebook followers. As of this month, that number has grown to 46,350 Facebook followers. The number of people who have subscribed to our free breaking news alerts has increased by 5,148 over that time frame, too.
If you own a business and are interested in getting your message on Joliet Patch or our nearby Patches, please visit this page and tell us what you need. One of our sales reps will be in touch.
In closing, many news websites here in Illinois and beyond are limiting access to free articles, but Joliet Patch articles and events by our journalists and our users are always free to view.
File photo of John Ferak/Joliet Patch Editor
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