Owensboro readers showed up big in 2025, pushing OT to record engagement across every platform. From breaking news to viral weather videos, emotional features to sports highlights, and everything else shaping the community, here’s a look back at 2025 — by the numbers, through the eyes of our staff, and via the stories you couldn’t stop reading and sharing.
By the numbers: How Owensboro clicked, watched, and shared in 2025
Before diving into individual stories, the scale of engagement in 2025 is worth noting. And keep in mind — we focus exclusively on stories affecting Daviess and the surrounding counties, meaning no national filler content.
Across owensborotimes.com you helped us reach:
- More than 10 million total page views
- 2.7 million views across obituary pages alone — a reminder of how often readers turn to OT during life’s most personal moments (Did you know obits are free to publish and to read on owensborotimes.com/obituaries?)
And on the main OT Facebook page, we totaled:
- 87.3 million total views
- 14 million Reels views
- Nearly 10,000 content interactions
- 10,000 new followers added in a single year
Flood and weather coverage that traveled far beyond Owensboro
The most widely viewed content of 2025 centered on flooding and severe weather, when real-time reporting met dramatic visuals.
- OT’s flood coverage across just 12 Facebook videos generated more than 2.58 million views and nearly 12,000 shares.
- One of the most shared clips showed a farmer-built levee collapsing along U.S. 231, drawing more than 700,000 views and 3,300 shares on Facebook.
- The most-watched video of the year overall, with more than 785,500 views, was a short clip of an EF-0 tornado touching down in Owensboro.
Even pictures packed a punch. The one of American Pickers star Mike Wolfe stopping in Owensboro became the most viewed photo of the year, approaching 620,000 views on Facebook.
Staff picks: The stories and moments that stuck with us
Behind every headline is a newsroom full of people with their own favorite moments — stories that mattered not just statistically, but personally.
- Ryan Richardson didn’t hesitate to name his own highlight: being named journalist of the year. Modesty aside, it capped a year defined by growth and momentum for OT.
- Jason Tanner pointed to the Owensboro Times-Tanner Publishing merger to officially form Black Box Media, a major behind-the-scenes move shaping the future of local journalism.
- Christy Chaney, self-proclaimed Pizza Queen, chose Pizza Week coverage, a community-driven event that blended food, fun, and fierce opinions.
- Nathan Seaton leaned into retail news, citing announcements for Publix and Kroger at Gateway Commons and the opening of Old Navy.
- John Kirkpatrick chose flood coverage, recalling on-scene reporting that literally involved climbing into a boat to tell the story from the waterline.
- Kaleb Carter highlighted the rise of Sons of Habit and Ole 60, two local bands closing out the year with a New Year’s Eve concert.
- Max Rayman chose the All-OT Sports Awards, which gave him the chance to help personally honor the athletes he spent the year covering.
- Meghann Richardson, after everyone “stole” her favorites, made room for one more: the launch of OT in print, which exceeded expectations and is already poised to expand in 2026.
The most-read stories of 2025: What readers couldn’t stop clicking
While staff favorites tell part of the story, the numbers tell another.
- News that everyone was talking about
Woman charged with filing false report in alleged Whitesville assault case
The most-clicked hard news story of the year, this was a case that drew huge attention and conversation across the community. - Business story of the year
KWG hits the mark: New gun store thriving with classic business approach
By far the most-read story overall of 2025, this feature surpassed 140,000 page views as readers gravitated toward a deep dive on a new Owensboro business with old-school roots. - Feature that resonated far beyond Owensboro
Owensboro family reflects on emotional Normandy trip after children discover undetonated WWII grenade on beach
An unexpected moment on a family vacation turned into one of the year’s most powerful features, blending history, perspective, and reflection in a story readers deeply connected with. - Sports stories that defined the year
Owensboro High wins state championship; Evan Hampton named Mr. Football
A championship season capped by individual honors, this story captured the peak of Owensboro High School football. - Community-submitted story that sparked conversation
The Outsider: Why some people experiencing homelessness choose to sleep outside over a shelter
The most-read opinion piece of the year, this column by Harry Pedigo challenged assumptions and prompted meaningful discussion about homelessness in Owensboro.
The headlines that filled the year in between
Beyond the year’s biggest individual stories, 2025 was packed with ongoing developments that kept readers checking back daily. New businesses and attractions continued to shape the local landscape, from the openings of 7 Brew and Dutch Bros to the debut of Owensboro Racing & Gaming, while Malibu Jack’s remained a steady source of buzz and curiosity throughout the year.
Serious news and public accountability stories also shaped much of the year’s coverage. Readers closely followed updates on gun crimes, murder charges, drug trafficking cases, child abuse investigations, and high-profile court trials, turning to OT for clear, consistent reporting as cases moved from arrest to indictment to the courtroom.
And in a year full of major headlines, even Texas Roadhouse moving just a few dozen feet proved that in Owensboro, sometimes the smallest changes can spark the biggest conversations.
Looking ahead
As 2025 comes to a close, one thing is clear: Owensboro readers are deeply invested in their community, and they expect local journalism to reflect that — with urgency when needed, depth when deserved, and the occasional pizza ranking when appropriate.
Here’s to the stories that defined 2025, and to the ones already waiting to be told in 2026.
