(AP) – Political news and a major economic development announcement were among the state’s top stories of 2018.

 
U.S. Sen. Doug Jones took office after becoming the first Alabama Democrat elected to the Senate in a quarter-century. However, Democrats’ hopes for additional gains were crushed by a GOP sweep in state elections.
 
Toyota and Mazda selected Huntsville as the site of a new car plant. The opening of a lynching memorial brought thousands to Montgomery.
 
The shooting of an African-American man by a police officer prompted nightly protests in Hoover.
 
Other top stories included public corruption cases; tornado damage; litigation over an adaption of “To Kill a Mockingbird”; ongoing debate surrounding the death penalty; and continuing success on the football field for the University of Alabama.