January

• The year began with news that a gin distillery would be coming to Maidstone, which bosses said would restore the County Town's rich historical association with the spirit. A visitor centre and bar is included in the plans, but nearly 12 months on, it is yet to open its doors.

• There was frustration as a decision on the future of high speed trains to London was once again delayed by the government. The Kent Messenger has long campaigned to ensure the popular services are retained but as we enter 2020, a firm verdict on the next rail franchise is still yet to be delivered.
• BASE jumper Chad Smith, from Tovil, caught the eye in January as he avoided death by a matter of seconds after leaping from one of Dover's famous white cliffs. Despite suffering a broken back and pelvis, he returned to his beloved hobby just a few weeks later.
• In Headcorn, a particularly illuminating tale captured hearts. Relatives of Valerie Beaney bought a light bulb from the now-defunct retailer, Woolworths, some 75 years ago, and despite decades of service to the family, the 40-watt wonder was incredibly still found to work in 2019.

February

• Snow ground the county to a halt in February as the extreme weather brought down hundreds of trees and forced the closure of the A229 at Blue Bell Hill in both directions. Despite the difficulties, however, hearts were warmed by the sight of communities rallying together to help each other out.

• Maidstone was shocked by the stabbing of Wesley Adyinka in Knightrider Street, which a trial has since heard was in the midst of a drugs war. Four men have all denied murdering the 39-year-old and wounding his partner, Amanda Francis, with intent, with a jury's verdict expected early in the new year.
• Young Tony Hudgell, whose legs had to be amputated after sickening abuse from his birth parents, saw his family's fight for justice roll into Parliament, where MP Tom Tugendhat has helped push for tougher sentences for those found guilty of child cruelty.
• Elsewhere there was outrage as it was announced Maidstone's Trinity Foyer, which has helped keep vulnerable youngsters off the streets for more than 20 years, would only be catering for 16 and 17-year-olds, leaving dozens of older residents having to find alternative accommodation.

March

• BMI Healthcare announced it was closing the Somerfield Hospital in London Road, Maidstone, which came with 62 job losses and dozens of cancelled appointments. The company blamed competition from new healthcare operators.

• The Shepway estate in Maidstone was shocked when Andrew Jenkins was shot dead in Cambridge Crescent by Jeffery Mills, who he confronted after finding out his old friend was having an affair with his wife. Mills was cleared of murder but jailed for six-and-a-half years for having an illegal firearm.
• Shopkeeper Bala Baleswaran was hailed a hero after he saw off a masked gunman who tried to hold up his Mace Store in Premier Parade, Aylesford, shortly after it opened in the morning. Mr Baleswaran saw red and picked up a case of fizzy drink cans and hurled it at his assailant.
• Happy Times was the name of the restaurant but the times were far from happy for the owner of the Chinese takeaway in London Road, Larkfield. David Wen admitted five charges related to poor food hygiene and safety issues, which included one occasion when a customer was served a portion of crispy seaweed containing a metal wing-nut.

April

• Police in Maidstone used a new "knife bar" for the first time. The portable metal-detecting equipment allowed officers to check that those entering Brenchley Gardens in the town centre were not carrying a weapon.

• We revealed a trial run of Operation Brock - the HGV management system on the M20 - in preparation for a possible no-deal Brexit was costing £9,600 a day in hotel bills alone. Highways England had shipped in an extra 80 highways officers to top up the 140 already in Kent.
• Maidstone council announced plans to end the 24-hour monitoring of CCTV in the town centre. The 32 cameras have been monitored around the clock from a command centre in Strood, but a need to save money meant that would cease in March 2020.
• A spray-painted mural at Loose Primary School generated speculation of Banksy's return. Instead, the school used the mural for two weeks of debate on the ethics of graffiti, before revealing it to have been Graham Golden - or G-Man as he is known - from Graffiti Kings.

May

• "Guilty, guilty, guilty." These were the words that shocked a courtroom preparing to hear about the murder of a teenage wife. Mohammad Qoraishi, 27, was expected to deny stabbing his 19-year-old bride Parwin 38 times on Christmas Day 2018. But he shocked all those present - including his own defence team - when he admitted the charges.

• Volunteers celebrated a decade of helping revellers in Maidstone's town centre. The Urban Blue Bus team got a celebratory cake next to their iconic vehicle in Jubilee Square, they're continuing to ask for volunteers and any one who is interested should contact Val Jacobs on 01622 763309.
• Teachers took a dim view of pupils end of year pranks at Maidstone Grammar School for Girls. The school decided to ban their leavers' prom, saying it "will not tolerate unacceptable behaviour with significant impacts on the health, safety, well being of all in the school community." Pupils and parents instead organised their own prom.
• Tragedy struck in May when childhood sweethearts Harry Skilton and Beth Eves drowned after their Mini Cooper ploughed into the river in Lydd. An inquest heard the Maidstone couple were both at least 14 times over the drug drive limit, it ruled that Miss Eves was "likely" to be driving before the car hit the water.

June

• Global star Meghan Trainor voiced her grief over the death of one of her biggest fans, Jalisa Forsyth. The singer wrote: "Jalisa was always more than just a fan. She treated me like one of her best friends and I felt the same about her."

• A family trying out magnet fishing for the first time caused police and the bomb squad to descend on Teston. Luke Crofts said he felt his metal detector lock on to something quite large and quickly realised he had pulled a grenade dating back to the First World War from the river.
• A grieving dad started his first plea to Disney after it refused to let him put Spider-Man on his son's grave. The story of little Ollie Jones' grave went around the world with thousands backing his dad's campaign, but Disney have still not yielded to the public's demand.
• A Beetle-maniac restored his prize possession after it was gutted by fire. The VW community came together and helped Chris Bramwell rebuild the precious car he spent seven years to put together. He said: "I believe things happen for a reason and this happened to show me that I can be broken but I can be rebuilt."

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