January 19, 2007
The Lewiston Sun Journal has posted, in the midst of their current home page, a new listing (with links) of their most viewed news articles for 2006. Their earlier listing of the general story of Turner, Maine’s mysterious monster as number six was based on unknown criteria. This new online-based ranking of individual articles reinforces the common knowledge of those working at the paper – the Mystery Beast stories last summer sold the most newspapers for the L/A media organization over the most days in the reporters’ recent memory.
As you can see below, story numbers 1, 5, and 9, were about the so-called “Maine Mutant,” in articles by Mark LaFlamme. Crime beat reporter LaFlamme also wrote articles #8 and #10, so he actually was responsible for half the top ten.
Click on the Lewiston Sun Journal photograph by Douglas Van Reeth, to enlarge it. Reproduced with permission.
Here’s the full list:
January 19, 2007
Top Ten Stories of 2006
#1 Mysterious beast
#2 Flying object spooks man
#3 Why are sex words our worst swearwords?
#4 Nude teens test Vt. limits
#5 “Like horns of a devil”
#6 Infant left inside car; 2 charged
#7 ‘Sorry… my baby needs diapers’
#8 City man slain; son charged
#9 Verdict: It’s a dog
#10 Car crash kills teen
Goofy as the Maine Mutant by Peter Loh.
The illustration, then his tee-shirts’ logo, by Mike Lemos.
Cryptozoology rocks. It also sells newspapers.
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Update: January 20th – Mark LaFlamme has written a new blog, “Above the Fold: You can’t handle the truth,” about this.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
Filed under Artifacts, Breaking News, Cryptomundo Exclusive, CryptoZoo News, Cryptozoologists, Cryptozoology, Evidence, Forensic Science, Pop Culture, Public Forum, Year In Review