2018 was an interesting year in Murfreesboro and here at the Voice we are not above a good year-end retrospective.

From naming bridges to busting innocent people, the Voice had many notable stories during the year. Here are some of your favorites from the year that was.

Operation Candy Crush

In February, Rutherford County law enforcement agencies raided 23 businesses and served 21 indictments on people accused of selling hemp-derived products.

The fiasco shuttered the businesses for a week and led to at least one lawsuit.

You can brush up here.

Mike Sparks says something stupid, still wins re-election

In the run up to the Republican State Primary in August, a video surfaced of Tenn. State Rep. Mike Spark saying he thinks teachers are not underpaid, and he suggested the state launch a website to show the public.

"It seems like there's a misnomer out there that teachers are very low paid," Sparks said in a video of the State House Education and Planning Subcommittee from March 6.

Problem for Sparks is Rutherford County actually does put its salary schedule online.

The video wasn't enough for Sparks to lose either the primary or general election though.

You can catch up on what happened in the 2018 elections here, including the Rutherford County Election Commission's use of Vote Centers.

We named a bridge

We named a bridge, at least for one day. For one glorious day, the Bridge over Broad was named Bridgey McBridgeface.

“Shakespeare said, ‘A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool. Who are we to question the wisdom of the people in the naming of a bridge, better to be a fool if even for a day?” Mayor Shane McFarland said when he announced the bridge would be called Bridgey McBridgeface on April Fool's Day after a Change.org petition by Jeanne Vest generated 4,517 digital signatures.

All the Bridgey McBridgeface news can be found here.

Miranda Lambert comes to town

Country supergroup The Pistol Annies (Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe, and Angaleena Presley) released a music video with Rutherford County as their co-star.

Filmed across downtown Murfreesboro, the video's setting includes the Historic Courthouse, County Clerk's office, Regions Bank and snarky comments presumably about Blake Shelton.

You can read more about the video and watch it here.

Everyone has an opinion

We had opinions from all side about political issues of the day like getting mad about holiday classics, how the Blue Wave was more of a purple puddle in Tennessee, why some Democrats voted her an atheist, and why Democrats are dumb sometimes (from a Democrat).

But people are good

When Blackman standout offensive lineman Micheal Brown and his family moved from Gordonsville to Murfreesboro four years ago, they had no idea what a tremendous blessing it would be to land in the Blackman school district.

Over his high school football career, Brown has gone from joining the Blackman Varsity squad as a freshman for the 2015 playoff run to becoming a starter in his sophomore year, to earning All-Region honors as a junior last season.

And after his mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2016, his family has been overwhelmed by love and support from the Blackman community.

Read more here.

And you like to read about when they are bad

You really enjoyed crime stories.

From a Rutherford County deputy appearing on a true crime show to stories about true crime themselves, crime as a topic topped the list in 2018.

You favorites were from when a Murfreesboro woman was arrested in October after allegedly stabbing an acquantence in the neck and when community leader Nate Schott was arrested for health care fraud.

Also the stories about cold cases – Lauren Agee, David Riemens, Tabitha Tuders and Shelly Mook – were highly read.