QLD TOP STORIES OF 2018
GAMES: The Gold Coast Commonwealth Games is hailed a success, however it ends on a sour note with organisers criticised for not televising the entrance of the athletes to the closing ceremony. (April)
COURT: Rick Thorburn is sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his 12-year-old foster-daughter Tiahleigh Palmer in 2015. (May)
JOGGER: The bizarre case of the "poo jogger" who defecated over 60 times on Brisbane footpaths. It turns out to be corporate executive Andrew Douglas Macintosh after a disgruntled neighbour caught him in the act, snapping a picture after lying in wait for three nights. (June)
COURT: Shock jock Alan Jones is slapped with a record defamation payout of $3.7 million. (Sept)
CRIME: Toyah Cordingley, 24, is found murdered at a beach north of Cairns, sparking a major investigation, with her killer still at large. (Oct)
POLITICS: Laws to remove abortion from the state's criminal code pass state parliament. (Oct)
STRAWBERRIES: Needles discovered in supermarket strawberries spark a nationwide recall. (Sept) Former strawberry farm worker, My Ut Trinh, is charged over the initial contamination incidents, however police are still hunting for several copycats. (Nov)
SHARKS: Victorian doctor Daniel Christidis dies after being mauled by a shark at Cid Harbour in the Whitsundays. (Nov) There are two non-fatal attacks in the same area in September.
FIRE: A record-breaking extreme heatwave leads to an unprecedented start to the bushfire season. While numerous buildings and properties are damaged, there are no thankfully no deaths. (Dec)
