2016: A busy and tumultuous year in review

While 2016 will likely go down as one of the meanest presidential elections in history, locally, the news was a bit more tame. On the downside, there was the historic merger between Plum Creek and Weyerhaeuser, which resulted in the closure of the Cedar Palace and two mills in Columbia Falls. On the upside, the Columbia Falls is slowly, but surely going through a rejuvenation, as it capitalizes on crowds visiting Glacier National Park with a new hotel in Cedar Creek Lodge and a host of new businesses. Here’s a look at the year, month-by-month.