Each December, newspapers and other media announce their top stories of the year — those which elicited the most attention by readers. If you missed 2019’s top local stories you can see them at Cdapress.com. For the Associated Press — a compendium of reporting both of its own staff and from member newspapers around the globe (including this one) — the top-rated stories of 2019 included no surprises, although one or two probably didn’t garner much attention here.

It’s unclear when local newspapers started this annual habit, but the first AP top-stories poll was conducted in 1936, with the abdication of Britain’s King Edward VIII (over his American lady love) ranking first.

AP’s 2019 top 10 stories, in order, are:

1. Impeachment: The House impeached the president based on allegations that he abused the power of his office by enlisting a foreign government to investigate a political rival. The articles of impeachment also accused President Trump of obstructing Congress’ oversight “like no president” in U.S. history. This impeachment, AP reported, was quite partisan — no Republican in Congress voted to impeach.

Impeachment was also voted the top story of the year the last time it happened — in 1998 over the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal.

2. Immigration: The Trump administration carried out sweeping new immigration enforcement measures in the face of record numbers of migrant families arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border. These top story-hits included reports of immigrant children who died after being held in U.S. custody, children found living in squalid conditions at cramped border facilities, and the global outrage which peaked after the publication of a photograph showing a drowned father and his toddler daughter in the Rio Grande across from Texas. The president also successfully freed up billions of dollars in Pentagon funds to build his border wall and imposed new rules forcing tens of thousands of asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their immigration cases play out slowly in the U.S.

3. Trump-Russia probe: After a two-year investigation, Robert Mueller told Congress he did not find sufficient evidence to charge a criminal conspiracy between the Trump presidential campaign and Russia. However, Mueller testified that Trump was not cleared of obstructing justice. Six Trump associates were charged with various crimes, as well as 25 Russians accused of interfering in the presidential election.

4. Mass shootings: A Walmart store crowded with shoppers in El Paso, Texas, was targeted by a gunman who killed 22 people before his arrest. Police say the suspect posted anti-Hispanic writings online prior to the attack, and the massacre sent chills through Latino communities around the country. That was only one of several mass shootings in the U.S. Targets included a garlic festival in California, a bar in Ohio, and a municipal building in Virginia.

Last year the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla., — which killed 17 students and staff, and sparked nationwide student-led marches for gun control — was voted the top news story of 2018.

5. Opioids: State and local governments across the nation filed court actions seeking huge compensation from drug companies for the costs of the long-running opioid epidemic. OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma declared bankruptcy as it settled more than 2,700 lawsuits. The opioid epidemic has killed more than 400,000 people in the U.S. since 2000.

6. Climate change: The U.S. withdrew from the Paris agreement to curb emissions, and marathon U.N. climate talks ended with no major breakthrough as large-scale polluters balked at intensifying the fight against global warming. Across the world, Greta Thunberg and other young activists called for tougher action as weather data indicated 2019 would likely be the second-hottest year on record.

7. Brexit: Britain’s deep division over its pending departure from European Union was a big story even across the pond. Brexit potentially affects nearly all aspects of British life, from politics and travel to business and most consumer goods. Ultra-conservative Brexit-supporter Boris Johnson became prime minister and soon lost key votes in the U.K. Parliament and Supreme Court. But he did succeed in calling national elections, resulting in victory for his Conservative Party, resolving that Brexit would indeed take place despite some waning of pro-Brexit feelings among the British populace.

8. U.S.-China trade war: The world’s two biggest economies (and each other’s biggest trade partner) have been duking it out all year over trade rules. Just before the holidays the U.S. and China announced a limited deal with concessions on both sides, but falling short of the one-sided demands our president made when he launched the trade war. Negotiations will undoubtedly continue.

9. Boeing jets grounded: Air safety regulators worldwide grounded the Boeing 737 Max jet after two crashed in Ethiopia and Indonesia, killing more than 300 combined. In both cases a faulty sensor caused a flight control system to push the nose of the plane down and pilots were unable to regain control. The grounding has cost Boeing and airlines using them billions of dollars. Boeing says it will temporarily stop producing the jet in January.

10. Hong Kong: Usually stable Hong Kong experienced months of massive protests over threats of eroding freedoms. It started with an extradition bill many viewed as a sign of creeping Chinese control (remember, Hong Kong was transferred from British to Chinese sovereignty in 1997). During months of clashes, riot police fired 26,000 tear-gas and rubber-baton rounds and arrested more than 6,100 people.

Here’s hoping 2019’s top stories prove cathartic, and that 2020’s will take an encouraging turn.

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Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Contact her at Sholeh@cdapress.com.