MMX has happy news year written all over it

Welcome to MMX!

I have always admired Roman numerals — something to do with being a Super Bowl fan, I imagine — and the Roman numerals for 2010 gives me a feeling of confidence.

MMX appears to be a year to get things done. I’m not sure what the Roman numerals for 2009 are but I think it might be MMIX, and that number has all of the makings of a mixed up year.

The fact that we have a full moon staring down on us as we enter a new year and decade is also a good sign. It’s a once in a blue moon start of a new decade.

I am a year-is-half-full guy and it is easy to be optimistic after coming out of a tough year.

2009 will be remembered for many things and hopefully for you and your family, they are mostly happy memories.

Still, it is hard to escape the bad economic news.

Bonner and Boundary counties felt the full brunt of the national recession. Unfortunately, if you worked in the timber industry at the beginning of this past year, there is a good chance you don’t now.

The timber industry’s slowdown started earlier than the recession, so those folks have had it harder longer than most of us.

Watch for some good news on the timber front the early part of this year.

Another tough sign was that foreclosures in our legals section made the legals our second-fastest growing profit center at the Bee this year.

We are forecasting that portion of our business will slow down in 2010. We hope that means more of our friends and neighbors will keep their homes this year.

Some good news was shared by local merchants during the holidays. Dick Larson reports he had a good sale day on the day after Thanksgiving. He also had pretty good traffic throughout the holiday season, from what I could see.

Mr. Larson has always been a downtown leader and if Larson’s is doing well, that means most of his neighbors are as well.

Pedro’s Pride, Sharon’s Hallmark, Athlete’s Choice, Meadowbrook, Vanderford’s, Staples and Sears all helped me help Santa fill stockings this season.

We also discovered A Child’s Dream after Christmas.  It is a very cool store.

I didn’t spend as much money as some years, but I made a concerted effort to shop locally and especially with those businesses that advertise in the Bee.

I figure we are all in this together.

I am a pretty good goal setter and I accomplished 10 of the 15 goals I had set last year. What are the five I didn’t finish?

One involves Ken Lawrence in the spring.

Did you set any New Year’s resolutions last year?

I think most people set goals but don’t fully commit themselves unless they are forced to by a doctor or a spouse.

I am lucky Dr. King said I was OK last time I saw him and Dr. Anderson said my teeth and gums were looking good. As far as my spouse is concerned, well, that is day to day.

Bonner County Dispatch Log: 12/30/09 at 4:27 a.m. Sandpoint officer was called to West Superior to remove a couch and a Christmas tree from the roadway.

Here’s wishing you a happy news year in MMX.

All the best!

David Keyes is publisher of the Daily Bee.