Palm Springs 2023 Year in Review: Our top 5 stories
From news about a canceled development to the announcements of closed banks, readers of The Post showed what they were most interested in by …. reading. See what they clicked on the most in 2023.
We’re fortunate that our business model doesn’t depend on clicks. But readers still clicked a lot in 2023. Similar to previous years (see 2022 here and 2021 here), a majority of our most popular stories had to do with development, as residents are always curious about what’s being built (and not being built) in the city.
Below is a countdown of the stories you clicked on the most — which are not necessarily the biggest stories of the year — dating back to January and ending on Dec. 17. Interested in looking back? Make sure to click on each title read the stories.
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5. Residents struggle to find doctor’s appointments amid provider shortages, pandemic impacts
There was a lot of talk around town about how hard it was to see a doctor in 2023, so we asked reporter Maria Sestito to look into it. What she found was a statewide shortage of primary care physicians — and little hope that would change — impacting patients in Palm Springs and throughout the Coachella Valley.
4. Palm Springs AIDS Memorial Sculpture faces public backlash; redesign is being discussed
For eight years, the Palm Springs AIDS Memorial Task Force has been working to design, donate, and install a memorial to honor the lives lost to HIV and AIDS in Downtown Park. During a few weeks in September, however, the design and process came under fire, leading to some rethinking that’s still happening
3. Palm Springs bank closures imminent but limited
Wells Fargo at Smoke Tree Commons and Bank of America at nearby Smoke Tree Village both closed in 2023. That had some residents, as well as employees at nearby banks, worried. While two major banks closing branches in Palm Springs made in-person banking more difficult for some, it’s not surprising. There were 8,000 commercial banks in the country in the year 2000. By mid-2022, there were only about 4,200.
2. Outgoing Palm Springs Planning Commission members pan Miralon condo project
Our readers always enjoy a little snark or a swipe during government meetings, and some Planning Commission members gave them plenty to enjoy as they weighed in on a 242-unit condominium project at the Miralon development. “The problem is the individual buildings are just aggressively ugly,” said outgoing Commissioner Michael Hirschbein at a June meeting (his last). He then went so far as to say that the Miralon design and others like it will “lead to the demise of the profession” because artificial intelligence can create a much better design. “It’s just embarrassing how bad it looks,” Hirschbein concluded.
1. Cancelation of plans for Soho House, claims of troubles with city, catch officials by surprise
The announcement of plans for an exclusive Soho House at the Colony 29 historic property site was number five in our 2022 list of most-read stories. Its eventual demise, announced in February, ended up as our most-read story in 2023. The developer claimed that “bureaucracy has proven insurmountable,” but city officials refuted that statement, saying, “there was no indication whatsoever that Soho House was moving anywhere but forward with their project.”
BONUS: Our most shared social media post
When the California Transportation Commission met over two days earlier this month in Riverside, there was only one topic on the minds of city residents: Would there finally be money provided to bridge the wash along North Indian Canyon Drive? The answer was a relieving “yes.” We posted the news as soon as the vote to award the Coachella Valley Association of Governments $50 million in state funds to help complete the project happened. The community set about rejoicing, sharing the storing on Facebook and Instagram hundreds of times. The project won’t solve all the road closures, but for those caused by flooding it will certainly help. You’ll have to wait a few years for the bridging to be complete, but we suspect there will be more rejoicing when it is.
THIS WEEK: OUR YEAR IN REVIEW SERIES
TODAY: Our top 5 stories of 2023, according to the data
TUESDAY: Readers weigh in on their top stories of 2023, predict 2024’s news
WEDNESDAY: Palm Springs in 2023: Leaders look back
THURSDAY: Palm Springs in 2024: City Hall sets priorities
FRIDAY: Meet our 2023 Palm Springs Person of the Year
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