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Three local news stories you loved in 2019

A smooth jazz cow serenade caught your attention this year, along with a senior prank gone awry and a move to stay on Daylight Saving Time.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Weather is almost always the most-read topic on all of the KGW platforms, especially when the word "snow" is involved. So we've got a story like this one just for the weather news that caught your attention.

Aside from that, we took a look at what our audience read the most over the last year, and what you talked about and what you shared, and these stories came to the top of the list:

Oregon approves permanent daylight saving time

Oregon moved toward making daylight saving time permanent and ditching the twice-yearly time change back in June. But it hasn't actually taken effect yet. 

The measure establishes year-round daylight saving time across the state,  with the exception of Malheur County in eastern Oregon, which is on Mountain Time and will continue changing the clocks.

The catch: The bill can only take effect if other West Coast states follow suit and Congress signs off. While states can opt into standard time permanently — which Hawaii and Arizona have done — the reverse is prohibited and requires congressional action.

Oregon lawmakers said they had heard passionate support from their constituents.

"It's what the people of Oregon want," said Rep. Bill Post, the Republican from Keizer who carried the measure on the floor. "It's what we've heard over and over and over again."

RELATED: Oregon votes for permanent daylight saving time

Watch: Saxophone practice draws rapt attention of Oregon cow herd

A Yamhill County man took over the internet for a moment when he showed off his newly acquired saxophone skills to a captive audience. Of cows.

Rick Herrmann had played for his family and his dog, but nobody else. That changed after he, his wife and his daughter went to a field where cows were grazing one evening. Herrmann started playing and over the course of a few minutes, the herd of cattle took notice.

“I thought they might be curious,” said Herrmann. “I guess I didn’t expect them to crowd the fence so much.”

Herrmann's daughter captured a video of the performance and posted it to social media. 

At this point more than 12 million people have viewed the video.

“Happy a lot of people are smiling out there,” said Herrmann. “I guess people needed it so that’s great.”

RELATED?: Cow horns stuffed with manure used by Oregon winery to fertilize vineyards

Gladstone students almost didn't walk in graduation after senior prank

More than three dozen students entered Gladstone High early one Friday morning in June and they moved hundreds of desks out of classrooms and into the hallway as a senior prank. They also replaced dry erase markers with hot dogs.

It was a creative prank. Nobody was hurt. It took quite a while to clean up.  

Then the principal announced that the kids had illegally entered the school, and that they had manipulated a trusting custodian in order to accomplish the prank. He said he was planning to charge each student about $50 for the mess, and that they may not have the honor of walking at graduation.

Parents found the punishment outrageous. You found it outrageous. And the principal had a change of heart. 

He later explained that the students would take part in graduation, but that they would have to help set up the ceremony, starting at 6 a.m. He added that they would have to make amends with the one staff member that was particularly impacted by the prank, and they'd have to take part in a conversation with staff to re-establish positive relationships.

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