Journal readers were thirsty for news about Liberty Lake in 2024, as is evidenced by the list of Most Read Stories in 2024. 

Three of the top 10 stories involved developments occurring in the growing city at the easternmost edge of Washington. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that those stories involve one project that still is expected to occur, and one that won't be coming to fruition. 

The Most Read stories list is based on online page-views data generated by Google Analytics. That data typically skews toward business-to-consumer news, though as you'll see, there certainly were some exceptions this year.

One note: We're only including pieces published in 2024. If we were including older articles, though, a 2022 "Whatever Happened To" story about teen inventor-turned-venture-capitalist Brooke Martin would have finished eighth. 

Without further ado, here are the most read stories of the year, in descending order: 

10. Post Falls auto dealer acquires Foothills Lincoln Mazda: In March, Journal reporter Erica Bullock broke the news that veteran North Idaho car dealer Eve Knudtsen had bought the North Side dealership. The acquisition marked the Knudtsen family's first foray into the Spokane market, and the story appears to have been popular with readers on both sides of the state border. 

9. Spokane physician indicted on 23 counts of COVID-relief funds fraud. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Washington announced in late October that Spokane dermatologist Dr. William Philip Werschler was indicted on charges of using $1.5 million in relief funds to buy personal items and pay off personal debt. Through his attorney, Werschler vehemently denied the charges, saying the government was relying on information from a disgruntled former bookkeeper. 

8. Topgolf may be coming to Liberty Lake. In early August, Journal reporter Dylan Harris discovered a code-amendment request application for a Topgolf facility in Liberty Lake. The envisioned multistory facility with its stories-high netting system would cost $25 million-plus to build and employ about 200 people. Candidly, we're a little surprised this one didn't break the top five. 

7. Dave's Hot Chicken planned for North Spokane. Chicken-centered fast-food restaurants have been popping all over Spokane, but especially on the North Side. Restaurateurs have opened or announced plans for a new Raising Cane's and additional Houston's Hot Chicken and Chick-fil-A franchises. From an article standpoint, none attracted more attention than plans for the first Dave's in the Inland Northwest. 

6. Global manufacturer plans West Plains plant. In September, Spokane County commissioners approved the sale of 80 acres of land west of Spokane International Airport to a U.S. affiliate of France-based Soprema Inc. The global building materials manufacturing company's envisioned plant on that site is expected to employ up to 400 people eventually. 

Peter Stanton (left) is now the executive chairman of Washington Trust Bank. Jack Heath, (right) is now CEO. 

| Dean Davis Photography

5. Washington Trust Bank names new CEO. The Journal's Karina Elias reported a significant milestone moment in one of Spokane's most venerable companies when Washington Trust Bank disclosed in April that Peter Stanton would be moving into an executive chairman role with the bank, and Jack Heath would be taking over as CEO. The change marked the first time in the bank's 120-year history that someone outside of the Stanton family would lead the bank. 

4. New grocery store opens to fill downtown void. It's a small store in a former drug store building next to the old Ridpath Hotel. We questioned whether Downtown Grocery III belonged on the front page when we published it in November, but with downtown safety and services being such a focal point this year, we decided to move it forward. It proved to be a good decision, as evidenced by the way it resonated with readers. 

3. Dave & Buster's project underway. We didn't break the news that Dave & Buster's was planning a Spokane Valley location; it's the only story on this list that we didn't have first. Even so, it appears our story was the first that many people had heard about the popular company's plans, based on the amount of buzz it generated in mid-November.

1 and 2. It's difficult to explain the second most-read story of the year without first talking about the most-read article. Coming in at No. 1 was Big-box retailer eyes Liberty Lake. In early June, the Journal news team discovered a preapplication on file with Liberty Lake for a huge retail store that had all of the characteristics of a Costco Wholesale Corp. outlet. After years of speculation about a new store in Post Falls, it appeared the company had decided to locate on the Washington side of the state line. But five months later, the retailer backed out, which brings up the second most-read story, titled Costco scraps Liberty Lake plans. The company opted not to buy the property it had initially looked to secure, but this just might be setting the table for news about a new store at a different site—and potentially another most-read story in 2025.