As we’ve done in years past, the editorial staff of The News Courier is looking back on 2018 in an effort to nail down our most important stories. Those year-in-review stories will be published in Wednesday and Saturday editions next week.

Things started with a bang in January with the announcement of the $1.6 billion Mazda Toyota Manufacturing U.S.A. plant in Huntsville-annexed Limestone County. It’s a project officials believe will change this area permanently, and they’re probably right.

We’ve covered a fair amount of good news in 2018, but there’s been plenty of bad news to go around. There was an alarming increase in the local murder rate here. Two of those were murder suicides with multiple victims. We certainly hope 2019 brings less tragedy.

Whether good or bad, we’ve tried to report on the news that matters most to our community. We hope our year-in-review reports will reflect that. We’ve been in schools, at sporting events and in churches. We’ve been at groundbreakings, ribbon-cutting ceremonies, celebrations, protests and press conferences.

It’s been a pleasure for us to cover Athens and Limestone County in 2018, and we’re glad you came along for the ride. We hope you and yours have a safe and merry Christmas and a wonderful 2019.