The Republican takeover of Arkansas' government was selected as the top news story in the state for 2015, and political fights that developed after their ascension found their own spots on the list compiled by The Associated Press.
Arkansas' failed attempt to restart executions was selected second by AP-member editors, news directors and journalists. The battle over anti-discrimination efforts ranked third.
The top 10 stories, in order, were:
1. Gov. Asa Hutchinson and a GOP-led Legislature give Republicans their greatest grasp on state political power since Reconstruction.
2. Lawmakers say key parts of Arkansas' execution procedures should be a secret, but a judge questions whether a new law violates an agreement with inmates.
3. Some cities and counties test state limits on anti-discrimination ordinances, and legislators are forced to tweak a religious liberty law amid concerns it is anti-gay.
4. Arkansas continues its "private option" Medicaid expansion but vows to seek restrictions on benefits and eligibility.
5. Legislators ban the "rehoming" of adopted children after a girl who lived with a state lawmaker is sent to a new home, where she is abused.
6. Josh Duggar says he molested some of his female siblings; TLC drops his parents' reality show "19 Kids and Counting."
7. Hillary Clinton and former Gov. Mike Huckabee run for the White House.
8. Arkansas asks the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate an Arkansas law restricting abortions after the 12th week of pregnancy.
9. A couple is killed in a tornado at Nashville, and floods hit different parts of the state in the spring and winter.
10. State Supreme Court justices engage in an unusually public spat over who should sit in during a challenge to Arkansas' anti-gay marriage law.
