2018 was a year of ups and down, bumps and bruises and good times and bad.

Among the ugly moments were the disappointing way:

• SCE&G and Santee Cooper executives rewarded themselves while mistreating their ratepayers, and how state lawmakers and regulators became complicit in their unjustified high rates.

• State transportation officials have used higher gas taxes and other fees and under-delivered on promised road and bridge repairs.

• Amtrak officials slept at the switch leading to a fatal train collision in Cayce.

• 2 trusted public officials, Rep. Rick Quinn of Lexington and Sen. John Courson who represented Irmo, were exposed for political corruption and forced to resign.

Yet, like almost any year, we saw bright spots, too.

These included:

• Mother Nature’s kindness in sparing us from the kind of flooding and wind damage that coastal Carolina and others suffered.

• The mid-term elections will bring newcomers into the Statehouse, Republican Reps. Chris Wooten and Paula Calhoon of Lexington and Democrat Dick Harpootlian who will replace John Courson in the Senate representing the Irmo area. Voters hope new blood will improve ethics and results.

• The county’s booming economy and the steady growth of about 1,000 newcomers a month. That will challenge community leaders and public officials to meet a growing need for services and traffic relief.

• Lexington 1 voters passed a $365 million bond for needed new and renovated schools. Older residents struggling with higher taxes will be watching how the district handles this.

Details on these and other highlights of the year can be found on Page A3.