The top Gazette news photos of 2018

Thirteen-year-old Lily Brown of Lisbon steers as (from left) Corey Greene of Lisbon, fifteen-year-old Connor Nebergal of Mechanicsville and Brett Brown of Lisbon push the bathtub toward the finish line during the Bathtub Races at Lisbon Sauerkraut Days on Saturday, August 18, 2018. During the races, which are sponsored by the Lisbon Fire Department, spectator throw water balloons at the participants. It can be hard to make compelling images from summer festivals but this event made for some interesting pictures thanks to the water balloons that pelt the participants as they compete. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette)

I could spend hours wandering in museums, but some people are limited due to health or mobility. So I was excited to watch the Figge Art Museum's robot in action at the art museum in Davenport on Monday, Aug. 13, 2018. Docent Stephanie Raphael-Nakos of Davenport (left) and docent Janet Leman of Bettendorf show Flower Abstraction by Georgia O'Keefe, on loan from the Whitney Museum of American Art, to Deb Ralfs of Walcott via Genie the BeamPro robot. The pilot program connects patients at the Genesis infusion center with virtual guided tours of the museum. Raphael-Nakos' energy can be felt in this image, which I framed simply to let the art, and the robot, take literal center stage. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

'Being able to visually tell the story of Berthony Ceneliant and his son Lens as they spent time in Cedar Rapids for medical treatment not easily available in their native Haiti is why I became a photojournalist,' said Gazette staff photographer Jim Slosiarek. 'In my 28 years as a professional photographer, it's always been about sharing moments from people's lives with a broader audience. I'm grateful for being allowed past ‘the velvet ropes', so to speak, to capture glimpses of everyday life like Sheila Scheib (right) feeling the forehead of Lens Wogger Ceneliant as he sits at the dining table as her husband Steve Scheib comforts the boy before dinner at the Scheib house in northwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Tuesday, May 8, 2018. The Scheibs were concerned for Lens since he and his father Berthony were having surgery in the morning. Berthony Wogger Ceneliant and his son Lens were flown to Cedar Rapids from their home in Dessalines, Haiti, to get medical treatment: Berthony for the removal of his enlarged thyroid gland or goiter and Lens for removal of a growth on his sternum. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

This image was part of an assignment I had a couple weeks ago, although this shot didn't run in the paper. I was photographing from the other side of the tree and, once it was tapped, ran around to the other side just as the kids were starting to sample the sap, making for a fun layered effect. It's a fun event to shoot, as both kids and adults get into the process. Once the kids had tested the sugary liquid, the parents and grandparents accompanying them jumped in as well. Kids sample sap from the tree they just helped tap during 'Maple Syrup Time' at Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids on Saturday, March 10, 2018. Groups learned about traditional and modern ways of making maple syrup, and then had a chance to tap a maple tree and sample its sap. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Vainqueur Debe, 4, stares at a jar of cucumbers filled with brine as a class makes pickles at the Linn County Child Development Center in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 3, 2018. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette)

Crews work to lift a concrete girder with a 110 ton crane as traffic is stopped on I-380 southbound while work continues on the Forevergreen Road interchange on I-380 in North Liberty on Thursday, Apr. 12, 2018. Crews worked from 11 P.M. to 4 A.M. to install concrete girders,141 feet long and 60 tons in weight, over I-380. Traffic was stopped for 20 minute periods to allow them to install the beams. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette)

Vinton fire fighters continue to work the scene of a fire at (from) left Fischer Law Firm, Clingman Pharmacy and Michael & Dowd Furniture and Appliances on E. Fourth St. in downtown Vinton on the morning Friday, February 9, 2018. The fire started on Thursday evening at Michael & Dowd Furniture and Appliances and spread to the two attached business. The subtle emotion of the people walking toward the damaged buildings adds a human element to the drama of the weather. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette)

As the midterm election came to a close, I covered the final debate between Rep. Rod Blum challenger Iowa Rep. Abby Finkenauer at the KGAN studio in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018. The debate was civil but contentious, and I watched the competitors' expressions as they listened to answers by their challenger. Finkenauer defeated Blum to join Democrat Cindy Axne in becoming the first women to represent Iowa in the US House, and is the second youngest woman ever elected to the House. My framing with Finkenauer on both sides of Blum referenced the prospect of the 'blue wave' and increasing participation by women in this year's elections. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Law enforcement investigate the scene of a multiple vehicle crash in the northbound lanes of Interstate 380 south of the 76th Avenue SW overpass in southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Monday, Jan. 29, 2018. According to police, officers received a report just after 9 p.m. of a car going southbound in the northbound lanes. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Mollie Tibbetts' disappearence this summer shocked the state and the country. I covered an early press conference and the family graciously allowed us an interview afterward. It can be hard to photograph press conferences because those who appear at them are often more withholding than they would be if I were interacting with them one-on-one. This one was different, however. Mollie Tibbetts' family was in the throes of the search for their daughter, but they were still hopeful that she would be found. They were frank about their emotional state, and I could see on their faces that the ordeal was taking its toll. I thought it was important to capture this state of limbo and high anxiety in which they found themselves as they made an appeal for Mollie's safe return. Laura Calderwood, Maddie Tibbetts' mother, and Kacey Auston-Tibbetts listen during a press conference at the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office in Montezuma on Friday, Aug. 3, 2018. Officials did not have new information to report, but Mollie Tibbetts' mother shared that an account has been set up at a local bank to receive funds to help with the search for Mollie. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Kelly Mick of Marshalltown rests in the broken window of a storefront in Marshalltown on Friday, July 20, 2018. He says one of his favorite buildings directly across the street was damaged by the tornado on one side. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

John Hansen (left) of Cedar Rapids holds a paddleboat steady while helping a friend load items from a refrigerator as Dee McLaud of Cedar Rapids approaches on a paddleboard in Ellis Harbor in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018. The Cedar River in Cedar Rapids is projected to reach major flood stage on Thursday after heavy weekend rains. The harbor was closed Tuesday evening and power scheduled to be disconnected on Wednesday. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Nick O'Halloran of Victor, an ironworker at Cedar Valley Steel, reaches to steady a steel sculpture shaped like a house during installation of the West Side Rising sculpture on O Avenue NW in the Time Check neighborhood in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, June 7, 2018. West Side Rising is part of the Gateway to the River plaza, which memorializes the flood of 2008 and connects the river to the northwest neighborhood. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Brandon Phillips, pilot, looks out from the pilothouse aboard the Sierra Dawn on the Mississippi River near East Dubuque, Ill. on Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette)

Gov. Kim Reynolds prepares to speak to the crowd gathered at an Iowa GOP election night watch party at the Hilton Des Moines Downtown Hotel in Des Moines on Tuesday. Nov. 6, 2018. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Gordon Fischer of Cedar Rapids votes at the National Czech and Slovak Museum in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, June 5, 2018. Voters will decide on their party's candidates for various races at the national, state and local levels. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Dick Myers of Iowa City introduces Iowa democratic candidate for governor Fred Hubbell to an overflow crowd of supporters at the Johnson County campaign field office on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018. Hubbell first gave remarks inside the field office before moving outside to speak again. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Iowa judiciary committee member Sen. Jason Schultz and floor manager of SF 2106, the constitutional carry bill, makes a facial expression as he listens to committee chair Sen. Brad Zaun answer reporters' questions about the bill after the committee met during funnel week at the Iowa State House in Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. Zaun decided to not bring the bill up for debate, which was scheduled for the day after the Parkland School shooting in Florida, effectively killing the bill. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Jim Koppenhaver of Springville plays 'taps' at a memorial service for Robert Newman, who died at sea during the Korean War, at the Springville cemetery in Springville on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017. Petty Officer Newman and several others died when their plane malfunctioned and crashed into the ocean. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

A cyclist rides along the Iowa River during a snow fall in Iowa City on Sunday, November 25, 2018. I had actualy driven to City Park to try to make a landscape shot looking down the river looking toward downtown when I say this cyclist wearing a red jacket, sometimes you get lucky. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette)

Elysia Apodaca, 16, reacts while reading a victim impact statement at a sentencing hearing for Keith Furne of Cedar Rapids at the Linn County District Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Monday, June 4, 2018. Furne will serve two sentences of ten years and one sentence of five years in prison for his role in the deaths of two minors while he was texting and driving on County Home Road in 2016. The sentences will run concurrently. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

A 'wave' is drawn in the snow on the field and is visible to patients inside the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital in an aerial photograph at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. The snow drawing paid tribute to the Kinnick Wave tradition started last season and the University of Iowa Dance Marathon. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette)

University of Iowa Dance Marathon 24 development director Kelsie Ferstl (right) encourages the crowd as she stands on the stage with other members of the executive council during the final hours of the 24-hour dance marathon Big Event of the UI Dance Marathon 24th annual fundraiser for pediatric cancer research at the Iowa Memorial Union in Iowa City, Iowa, on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Praire High School sophomore Jaron Jenkins looks through a night vision device in a darkened room at Cedar Rapids Armed Forces Readiness Center on Thursday, May 3, 2018. The Iowa National Guard partnered with Prairie High School to hold a STEAM Career Exploration event featuring soldiers demonstrating a range on military equipment and discussing military and civilian STEAM careers. I stepped into this room and one of the soldiers told me that they would be turning out the lights. I started to step out and then she suggested I try shooting through one of the nigh vision devices and handed me the one she was using. Thanks to her great idea I was able to make an interesting image.(Cliff Jette/The Gazette)

Families, including Autumn Belcher of Cedar Rapids, her son Reese Kula, 5, and fiancee Jerry Curtis view constellations in the SkyLab mobile planetarium at the downtown branch of the Cedar Rapids Public Library on Friday, March 16, 2018. Visitors to the mobile planetarium learned about constellations, eclipses, the sun and moon. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

A dancer performs in a shaft of window light hitting the stage during a Teej festival held by the Bhutanese Community of Eastern Iowa at the Unity Center of Cedar Rapids on Saturday, September 22, 2018. Teej is an annual Hindu festival dedicated to woment and girls. This was one of my favorite events that I covered all year. It was just a fun, colorful and joyous occasion and a chance to learn a little bit about Bhutanese culture. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette)

Anike Elias, a Jefferson senior, hugs Sparkebots teammate Odeta Uwimana after their best match of the day, with Odeta as a driver, during the FTC league championship at Marion High School in January. The team won the Motivate award at the meet, which helped them qualify for the Super Qualifier meet for the second time in the team's history. Odeta, a sophomore at Jefferson, joined the club when she was in eighth grade and is interested in pursuing a career in engineering. Like other members of the team, Odeta immigrated to America with her family from Tanzania as Burundian refugees, eventually drawn to Iowa for job opportunities and a community of African immigrants. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Fairgoers ride a flying merry-go-round at The Great Jones County Fair in Monticello on Thursday, July 19, 2018. Fair events continue through Sunday with Luke Bryan and Kid Rock headlining Friday and Saturday nights. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

People in the Grand Stands look on during the Mutton Bustin competition at the Linn County Fair on the Linn County Fairgrounds in Central City on Wednesday, Jun. 27, 2018. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette)

Susan Torbett feeds lettuce to a rabbit after spending the mooring cleaning cages as she volunteers at Cedar Valley Humane Society in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018. The no-kill shelter took legal possession of over 800 animals seized from the Vinton, Iowa, house of Barbara and Marshall Galkowski in a settlement that included 14 animals that were previously allowed to remain with the Galkowskis. It takes 12-20 staff and volunteers 10-12 hours to clean the cages and feed and water the animals each day. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Gracelynn Watkinson (center), 12, reacts as she gets the third and fourth of four vaccinations by registered nurses Meredith Quinlan (left) and Stephanie Stecher during an appointment at the Mercy Pediatric Clinic, Monday, Aug. 20, 2018. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Jacoby Pledge (center, left) kisses his three-year-old son Jaylen after Jaylen and Jacoby's wife Megan arrived in the visitors' room before the Class of 2018 High School & Apprenticeship Commencement Ceremony at the Anamosa State Penitentiary in Anamosa, Iowa on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018. Pledge received his HiSET high school equivalency diploma. The program through Kirkwood Community College saw about 12 inmates graduate with their high school equivalency diplomas and about 14 receive apprenticeship certificates. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Gary Farmer (left) and his brother David are reflected on the glass covering a display of their father Leslie's medals and other commendations from his service in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II at David's house in northwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018. Leslie Farmer fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima during the war. Farmer was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Chuck Roeser (top) and Cornell College facilities technician Dustin Burnett (left) maneuver the clock face back into place with support from Roeser's brother Jim Roeser (bottom) in the tower at King Chapel on the Cornell College campus in Mount Vernon on Tuesday, June 19, 2018. Chuck Roeser is owner of Essence of Time Tower and Street Clock Restoration of Lockport, New York, where he will be restoring the clock over the next year. The clock faces will be prefabricated to the same dimensions as the original, with a black face and restored gold-leafed numbers, minute marks and hands. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Megan Gustafson looks out over the edge of a boulder at Quarry Beach along the shore of Lake Superior in Port Wing, Wisc. on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018. Gustafson says she grew up coming to Quarry Beach in Port Wing's Boreal Forest State Natural Area. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)