The good news of 2009!

Just so nobody thinks I’m whining, I had a great year. No complaints. But what a tough year for our communities and our nation.

I’m convinced that one of the most important hurdles faced by President Barack Obama is a kind of backlash: voters expected him to just make it all go away.

But as we learned through 2009, this is going to be a slog, not a sprint. Yes, the economy is showing feeble signs of life, but sheesh. Can we get some unambiguously good news, please?

Actually, yes. Here’s my top-10 list of cool news from the last twelve months, in no particular order:

10. America — including much of the North Country — elected an African American president. A huge step, and more than symbolic. A black man is the most powerful man on earth. Wow.

9. Trudeau Institute expansion. This one’s closer to home, and it’s big. Saranac Lake has needed an economic shot in the arm for a while now, and this is the kind of high-end, high-tech work most rural towns only dream of.

8. Big Tupper reopening. This one snuck in just under the wire, with heaps of volunteer effort, some generosity on the part of the owners of the mountain, and a little help from the weather gods. Congratulations to Tupper Lake.

7. The Democratic Party’s North Country resurgence. We need a 2-party system. It was no good when Republicans ruled unquestioned. Now we have competitive elections. Huzzah for democracy. Now if the GOP can just stage the same kind of revival statewide…

6. The Adirondack-North Country region prepped at least nine athletes for the Vancouver Olympics. The Games don’t start for a few weeks yet, but the work, training and community support of the last year (and years) laid the foundation. This is something to be proud of.

5. Congressman John McHugh was named Secretary of the Army. A distinguished North Country public servant is chosen to help lead our military at a time of desperate need. It’s an honor for him and the Fort Drum-North Country region.

4. The North Country gets wired. Innovative public and private ventures around the region have hastened the expansion of broadband and cell phone service. This is the basic equipment of a modern economy. More and more North Country residents have full access to the brave new world that is on-line.

3. The dredging of the Upper Hudson begins. This may seem distant to a lot of North Country residents, but the renewal of this iconic river, which begins in our High Peaks, is a huge environmental step.

2. No St. Lawrence Seaway expansion. It appears that a consensus has been reached that expanding the St. Lawrence Seaway is off the table. This is good news for the environment and for communities along that crucial industrial waterway.

1. Burn barrels were banned. I know, flame on. We all hate intrusive government, etc. But the science of burn barrels is, well, toxic. It’s time to let this North Country tradition go.

So there’s my list. What do you think? What are the best good news stories of 2009?