A person looking at analytics on a computer. Photo by Myriam Jessier on Unsplash

As LINK’s digital editor, I always have my eye on what you, our readers, are most interested in so we can make sure we’re providing you with the best and most interesting content we can.

One way we can tell what people are interested in is through looking at pageviews. These tell us how many people read each of our online articles.

Read on for the top five stories from the LINK staff in 2024, according to Google Analytics.

5. Amazon opens ‘last-mile’ delivery station in Florence

Our fifth most popular story this year is from LINK’s business reporter Kenton Hornbeck, who reported in August that Amazon had opened its first ‘last-mile’ delivery station in Northern Kentucky, located at 7435 Industrial Road in Florence. 

The facility is a transportation hub for packages that arrive, are processed, picked up by a delivery driver, and then transported to their final destination. The facility is equipped with the latest shipping and processing technology, dozens of Rivian delivery trucks, and the capability to process tens of thousands of customer orders daily. 

4. Performance Lexus RiverCenter to move due to bridge construction

The site of the new Performance Lexus Northern Kentucky facility in Fort Wright. Photo provided | Kenton County Property Valuation Administrator

Number four also comes from Hornbeck. In July, he reported that Performance Lexus RiverCenter in Covington was permanently relocating to Fort Wright due to the imminent construction of the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project. 

The new 52,000-square-foot facility, called Performance Lexus of Northern Kentucky, opened in May. The space offers amenities such as an outdoor roof deck, a two-story showroom, and a service department with 33 service lifts. The new location was constructed on the former site of the Dixie Gardens Drive-In.

3. Development with 261 homes may be coming to Kenton County

The third most popular story from LINK staff this year comes from our Kenton County reporter Nathan Granger. This story is from September when the Kenton County Planning Commission approved a zoning change for a 261-unit Drees Homes development in the unincorporated county, despite concerns from residents and at least one planning commissioner. 

The development, which will be located on a 120.5-acre tract of land near Independence, will feature a mix of single-family homes and patio homes, with prices ranging from $350,000 to $550,000. The development is estimated to begin in 2026, pending final approval from the fiscal court.

2. Land slippages in NKY highlight unique geological challenges, economic risks

Second place this year goes to a story Granger wrote in April about two land slippages which highlighted a peculiar aspect of NKY’s geography. 

Both slippages coincided with periods of exceptional rainfall. The Hillside Trust, an advocacy group, warned of the potential for landslides in the region, particularly during the winter and spring months when there is high water runoff. 

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet reported six slide repair projects in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties since Jan. 1, 2023, with rough costs for repairs for these slides estimated at $525,000. Proper grading and geological compaction are crucial for avoiding slippages and slides.

1. Erlanger breaks ground on 1,000 acre ‘forever adventure park’

  • Conceptual renderings of the Eons Adventure Park in Erlanger. Image provided | The City of Erlanger
  • Conceptual renderings of the Eons Adventure Park in Erlanger. Image provided | The City of Erlanger
  • Conceptual renderings of the Eons Adventure Park in Erlanger. Image provided | The City of Erlanger
  • Conceptual renderings of the Eons Adventure Park in Erlanger. Image provided | The City of Erlanger
  • Conceptual renderings of the Eons Adventure Park in Erlanger. Image provided | The City of Erlanger
  • Conceptual renderings of the Eons Adventure Park in Erlanger. Image provided | The City of Erlanger
  • Conceptual renderings of the Eons Adventure Park in Erlanger. Image provided | The City of Erlanger
  • Conceptual renderings of the Eons Adventure Park in Erlanger. Image provided | The City of Erlanger
  • Conceptual renderings of the Eons Adventure Park in Erlanger. Image provided | The City of Erlanger
  • Conceptual renderings of the Eons Adventure Park in Erlanger. Image provided | The City of Erlanger
  • Conceptual renderings of the Eons Adventure Park in Erlanger. Image provided | The City of Erlanger
  • Conceptual renderings of the Eons Adventure Park in Erlanger. Image provided | The City of Erlanger

This year’s most clicked-on story from LINK staff goes to Granger’s reporting on Erlanger’s Eons Adventure Park in October. 

The project, which broke ground on Oct. 23, will feature over 1,000 acres of urban woodland, 20 miles of mountain biking trails, a network of tree canopy trails and other amenities. The first phase includes a dog park, traffic construction aimed at curtailing semi-truck incursion into Cherry Hill, the addition of multi-use paths into the neighborhood and the general revitalization of Old Erlanger Road, which will serve as a kind of spine along which the park will run.

The city currently has $900,000 set aside this fiscal year to finance the early parts of the project. The money comes from the property tax-funded city parks fund. Additionally, the city has secured $250,000 in grant funding from the National Parks Service to aid in the phase 1 construction.