The sun sets along the Flathead River in this previously unpublished photo from 2009. (Chris Peterson photo)

Looking back on 2009

The Hungry Horse News reviews the top stories of 2009:

January

• The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a deal between Bonneville Power Administration and Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. — effectively ending a $17 million payment from Bonneville Power Administration to the company. • Plum Creek manufacturing said it would trim 145 jobs in local mills as lumber markets continued to slump. In Columbia Falls, 35 jobs would be cut from its Medium Density Fiberboard plant.

• Semitool announced plans to cut 200 jobs from its Flathead and Libby workforce.

• Late payment of city water bills was about double of normal levels. City staff was working to set up payment agreements with those unable to pay.

February

• The Columbia Falls High School speech and debate team won its fourth consecutive state A title. It was also the team's eighth championship in the past 10 years.

• The Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. negotiated an agreement with BPA to obtain enough power to keep half of a potline open. That was enough to keep 85 of the 200 workers who were set to lose their jobs.

• F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber Company was looking to upgrade its boilers and plant by creating a co-generation system as part of the mill's operation. The system creates electricity by burning woody biomass.

March

• About 140 workers were called back to Plum Creek's sawmill. A lift in the demand for pine boards allowed the company to resume production at the mill.

• An increase in residential power rates was predicted. BPA was proposing a wholesale power increase that would effect Flathead Electric Co-op, which gets its power exclusively from BPA.

• F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber resumed operations at its sawmill. The move meant that about 50 employees would be back on the job after a six-week layoff over the winter.

April

¥ West Glacier Elementary started looking at switching to a four-day school week. Reasons for the change included financial savings to the school and as a benefit to parents, many of whom are seasonal employees.

¥ American Rivers, a nationwide river conservation group, placed the North Fork of the Flathead River on its "Most Endangered" list. The listing came after continued threats of coal mine development near tributaries of the river in the Canadian Flathead.

¥ Randy Bocksnick celebrated 45 years as a barber at his shop on Nucleus Avenue in Columbia Falls.

¥ A mountain lion made a stir when it was found in a tree near Columbia Falls High School. Firefighters removed the cat after it was tranquilized.

¥ Several projects in Glacier National Park would get a multi-million dollar boost from a newly passed economic stimulus bill. The largest allocation was $15.6 million for work on the Many Glacier Hotel.

May

¥ Wild weather dumped upwards of four feet of snow at St. Mary and East Glacier, and high winds that topped out near 75 mph toppled trees on homes south of Columbia Falls.

¥ The Going-to-the-Sun Road saw significant damage on the west side at Granite Creek, where a massive avalanche partially removed at least a lane of highway.

June

¥ Glacier Park rangers trying to haze a black bear from the St. Mary area inadvertently killed the bruin after a cracker shell hit and killed the bear. A necropsy of the animal found that the shell hit the bruin in the side and then exploded in it, killing it.

¥ A bill passed into law allows anyone to carry an legal firearm in a national park or wildlife refuge as long as it's allowed by state law and the parson is not otherwise prohibited by law from possessing a firearm. The law would allow a citizen to carry a firearm in Glacier Park, but not fire the weapon.

¥ Glacier Park interpretive ranger Doug Follett celebrated 50 years of working in Glacier.

¥ A Kalispell man running in Glacier was bitten by a grizzly bear. He was ruing along the McDonald Valley Trail when he heard a noise and saw two bears behind him. One of the bears came at him and he kicked at it. The bear backed off, but the man fell and the bear bit him in the right calf.

¥ Plum Creek announced it would cut 23 positions from its Columbia Falls sawmill. This would put the work fore at 107, down from 130.

July

¥ School District 6 announces it will receive $1.87 million in funding for special services from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The money is one-time funding that must be spent in two years.

¥ The City approves plans for an assisted living center near the junior high. Bee Hive Homes purchased the 2.2 acres from School District 6 for the 46-bed center . The district plans to use the money from the sale to develop a new junior high track.

¥ $150,000 makeover is completed at the Montana Veterans Home Cemetery after a year of work. New fencing, paving, new benches, landscaping and improvements to maintenance sheds were part of the upgrades. Funding for the project was obtained through personal and business donations.

August

¥ Kate Roosevelt, the great-granddaughter of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, retraced the ride her great-grandfather took on the Going-to-the-Sun Road 75 years before. Both Roosevelts rode in a fleet of 1925 Cadillacs. An owner of one of the cars, Bruce Austin, organized the event and brought other owners of the cars to Glacier Park.

¥ Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar pledged his support for a long-term solution to protect the Flathead River from mining threats. Salazar visited the Flathead at the request of Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester.

¥ Glacier Park rangers shot and killed a 17-year-old grizzly sow that had a habit of purposely entering backcountry campgrounds. In addition, one of her cubs died shortly after being tranquilized. The other was sent to the Bronx Zoo.

¥ A boat crash on Flathead Lake put five people, including U.S. Congressman Denny Rehberg, in the hospital. The powerboat, driven by state Sen. Greg Barkus, slammed into an embankment at Wayfarer State Park in Bigfork.

September

¥ U.S. Sen. Max Baucus and U.S. Trade Ambassador Ron Kirk toured F.H. Stoltzle Land & Lumber Co.'s mill. Kirk promised to enforce the U.S.-Canada Softwood Lumber Agreement.

¥ Two scientists from the United Nations toured Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park and the Canadian Flathead to see the potential impacts of proposed mines in the region.

¥ The Columbia Falls City budget was bolstered by several grants and reduced loans from state and federal sources. A massive upgrade to the Waste Water Treatment Plant received a combination of $1.76 million in funding to help with the project.

October

¥ Enrollment counts in School District 6 continued to drop. The district was down 95 students from 2008 in kindergarten through 12th grade.

¥ Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. announced it would cease operation and release 88 employees by the end of the month. The shutdown resulted because CFAC and Bonneville Power Administration could not reach an agreement on power rates.

November

¥ An albino black bear was transported to Glacier National Park. The bear had been spotted near Olney. It was trapped and then released in the Park because of concerns for its safety.

¥ The City of Columbia Falls announced plans to close its jail in 2010 after joining a countywide 911 system. A change in operations is expected when officers will have to transport prisoners to Kalispell.

¥ The Montana Historical Society launched a year-long exhibit — "Land of Many Stories: The People and History of Glacier National Park" — to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Glacier Park.

¥ Plans to repair damage to the Shay engine, located at the end of Nucleus Avenue, moved forward with city staff reviewing the project. The city set aside $10,000 for the project earlier in the year.

December

¥ A Kalispell youth led police on a high speed chase through Columbia Falls on U.S. Highway 2. The chase ended with an arrest and damage to a Columbia Falls Police car and Flathead County Sheriff's car.

¥ Several business owners along U.S. Highway 2 and Nucleus Avenue launch a campaign to remind folks that they are open.

¥ Rick Hagen takes over as Columbia Falls Fire Chief after the former fire chief was terminated.