A massive landslide that destroyed a small community near Everett - killing dozens - was voted the state's top news story of 2014 by Associated Press member editors.

Other top news items of the past 12 months included the Super Bowl win by the Seahawks, wildfires, a deadly school shooting and the beginning of legal pot sales in Washington.

Here are 2014's top Washington stories:

1. Mudslide destroys small community in Oso; 43 killed.

The wall of earth and mud that crashed through homes and structures in March killed 43 people, making it one of the worst natural disasters in Washington history. A large rescue and recovery effort stretched over weeks and involved heavy equipment, trained search crews and local residents using chain saws to pick through the debris.

2) Student at high school in Marysville fatally shoots four classmates.

A popular student at Marysville-Pilchuck opened fire in the cafeteria in October, fatally wounding four classmates. The shooter, freshman homecoming prince Jaylen Fryberg, died of a self-inflicted wound.

3) Seattle Seahawks win Super Bowl.

The Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII in February, defeating the Denver Broncos 43-8. The Super Bowl triumph delivered a major men's professional sports championship to Jet City for the first time since the now-departed Seattle Sonics won the NBA crown in 1979.

4) Wildfires burn homes and hundreds of thousands of acres, including the Carlton Complex, the largest wildfire in state history.

Large blazes through rural north-central Washington in July destroyed about 300 homes. The Carlton Complex fire burned more than 250,000 acres and hit the small community of Pateros particularly hard.

5) Legal retail marijuana sales begin.

Almost two years after voters made the recreational use and sale of marijuana legal, Washington's first licensed pot shots opened for business in July. The marijuana stores ran short on product - and some couldn't even open because they had no pot to sell. By late December, the state had taken in more than $14 million in taxes on legal marijuana.

6) Washington voters pass measure requiring background checks for all gun sales.

In November, Washingtonians approved Initiative 594, which requires background checks on all gun sales and transfers. Big-name supporters of I-594 included Microsoft co-founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Proponents of I-594 raised more than $10 million during the election cycle.

7) Supreme Court holds Legislature in contempt over lack of education funding.

Justices in September said lawmakers were in contempt for failing to make progress on fixing the way Washington pays for K-12 education. However, the high court gave the Legislature until the end of the 2015 session to come up with a multi-billion dollar fix for the problem.

8) Washington State University proposes to start its own medical school in Spokane, while the University of Washington proposes to expand its existing medical education programs.

Washington State Regents in September voted to build a medical school in Spokane, saying not enough doctors are being produced to serve rural areas. The University of Washington in Seattle - currently home to the state's only public medical school - said it would pursue its own plan to expand medical education.

9) Avalanche on Mount Rainier kills six climbers in May.

The six - four climbers and two guides - were all experienced mountaineers. In 1981, 11 people were killed during a guided climb on Rainier when they were struck by a massive ice fall on the Ingraham Glacier.

10) Machine digging tunnel under downtown Seattle remains stuck.

Bertha, the state-of-the art machine that is supposed to drill a tunnel beneath downtown Seattle to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct, had an idle year. It has been stuck since December 2013. Crews have been trying to dig an access pit to reach and repair Bertha. The $2 billion tunnel project is falling behind schedule and will likely be a key issue in 2015 Seattle elections.