WATCH: Top news in 2025: 855 reasons to keep digging

Message from the editor

Jan 03, 2026

When we launched the StayTunedSandusky.com Substack in June 2025, I knew there was a hunger for local reporting that didn’t just repeat press releases, but actually challenged the people in power.

Six months later, the numbers speak for themselves. We have grown to 855 total subscribers — nearly 300 new subscribers in the last 30 days — and our YouTube channel has seen videos surpass 33,000 views. We have established a community that refuses to accept “no record found” as an answer.

Whether it was the conviction of Fred Reer Jr., the fallout from the Ashli Ford trials, or the ongoing questions surrounding the Huron County Sheriff’s Office, you were there. Your subscriptions—especially the 82 paid members who fund our records requests and courthouse travel—are the only reason this work is possible.

As we look back at the stories that defined our first six months, remember that we are just getting started. The truth belongs to the public, not the politicians.

Thank you for staying tuned.

Top traffic

The big winner in 2025 for generating the most attention is also the area’s biggest loser of the year.

A recorded interview conducted by former Norwalk Police Chief David Smith with Ashli Ford in September 2022 was the No. 1 video in 2025 at the newly launched StayTunedSandusky.com YouTube channel, racking up more than 33,400 views. In the footage, Ford’s self-styled persona as a “crusader” is on full display—even as the legal walls began to close in.

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In the interview, Ford claims the chief should investigate her allegations because she is “labeled an expert witness in every county except for this one.”

“I’m telling you I am an investigator for these things,” Ford told Smith. “I do this as investigative journalism. I have a very valid reputation.”

Reality Check Despite those claims, no record of Ford being labeled an expert witness in Erie County—or any other county—has ever been located. She has declined to expand on those comments or offer proof of her credentials. There are no known court cases where her “expertise” was utilized, she has never been employed as a journalist at a media company, and she has no professional background as a licensed investigator.

According to prosecutors, Ford’s podcasting at Facebook and Patreon serves a different purpose: exploiting crime victims and accusing public officials of wrongdoing to generate personal income through digital attention.

Year of Legal Reckoning Ford’s 2025 was defined by two high-profile trials with very different outcomes:

The Win: She was acquitted in a Norwalk misdemeanor trial on falsification charges.
The Loss: She was convicted in Erie County on four felony counts of intimidation. Those charges stemmed from a Facebook post where she threatened to escort city officials to their “demise.”

The legal troubles aren’t over. Ford currently faces a mortgage foreclosure lawsuit and an additional felony trial this year in Erie County. Prosecutors allege she forged her ex-husband’s name on loan documents to obtain a federal bailout and a revised mortgage schedule for a home where she was living with her new husband.

The “Stay Tuned” Analytics Ford’s “very valid reputation” may be a point of contention in court, but it is a powerhouse for traffic. News coverage of her trials, her claims, and her revolving door of lawyers drew steady traffic since the StayTunedSandusky.com Substack launched in June.

Our story “Prison for podcaster,” detailing the prosecution’s argument for a significant sentence, was among the Top 10 news stories of the year.

Power and protest

While Ford dominated the #1 spot, the second most-viewed video of 2025 was a commentary regarding the “No Kings” protest near the Sandusky Mall—reminding us that while one woman’s legal drama captures the headlines, the community remains deeply invested in the fundamental questions of local power and protest. The “No Kings” video generated 10,281 views.