*Editor's Note: Looking back over the 2010 editions of the Zachary Plainsman-News, we were prompted to recall a year that included everything from tragedies to triumphs, community news to celebrations and much in between.

We pulled the high-lights and the low-lights straight from our headlines to present a year in the community life of Zachary.

JANUARY

1/7

Arrest made in triple-shooting

ZPD arrested Bernard E. Bethley, and he was later booked into parish prison for attempted first-degree murder for the Avenue Z shooting on Dec. 27.

1/8

Winter weather blasts South

Fire departments were prompted to issue tips to survive the cold weather. Water fountains were photographed at Oakwood Village and residences in Copper Mill and near Rollins Road which froze over making for beautiful ice sculptures.

1/17

Community goes to bat for Cory Lentini

A fundraiser was held at Cactus Cafe in Zachary for Cory Lentini, a ZHS Bronco baseball player who was injured in a car accident on McHost Road on Nov. 7, 2009.

1/20

Cassard receives Coach of the Year

The American Baseball Coaches Association named Zachary High School Baseball Coach Jesse Cassard the Region 6 National Coach of the Year for 2009. Cassard was recognized at the Zachary School Board meeting held Jan. 14.

1/24

Saints headed to Superbowl

The New Orleans Saints defeated the Minnesota Vikings 31-28 in overtime on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010, in the NFC Championship game. Who dat!

FEBRUARY

2/9

Impaired Zachary man causes collision, swallows crack, tries to flee scene

Zachary police and firefighters responded to the scene of a motor vehicle accident with injury on Feb. 9. As emergency personnel tried to free an injured woman from the wreckage, Alvin Johnson, 52, of Zachary, attempted to flee the scene on foot when bystanders pursued and apprehended him until officers could arrive. As Johnson was being interrogated, officers heard a crunching sound and discovered he was chewing on crack cocaine in an attempt to keep from being charged, officers said.

2/19

Lady Broncos trample Lady Wildcats

The Zachary High School Lady Bronco soccer team defeated the Walker Lady Wildcats 10 - 0 on Jan. 19 in Bronco Stadium.

2/20

Blaze destroys home, firefighter injured

Baker firefighters responded to a call of a house fire in progress Feb. 20 on Texas Avenue. The blaze prompted a mutual aid call to Zachary FD. Baker firefighter Stephen Martinez received burns to both hands while exiting a window in the rear of the home.

2/24

Say ‘hi’ to Sweetie Pie

Northwestern Elementary students chose the name for the baby calf born Nov. 30, 2009, with the markings of a heart on its forehead. Kleinpeter’s Name that Calf contest made national news and television news shows picked up the story as well as Yahoo news, ABCNEWS.com and YouTube. Kleinpeter Farms received more than 3,000 names but chose “Sweetie Pie” suggested by NES student Kade Chauvin.

MARCH

3/3

Beating victim dies

Holden faces second-degree murder charge

A grand jury indicted Patrick Holden, 28, of Zachary in the beating death of Robert James, “Robby” Payne III. The grand jury returned the indictment of second-degree murder on Feb. 25. Zachary police initially arrested Holden on attempted first-degree murder charges after he found Payne asleep in the apartment of his ex-girlfriend and severely beat him. Payne died in the hospital after a month-long coma on Feb. 22.

3/10

Victim found murdered along McHugh Road

Zachary Police: Death possibly drug related

Workers from East Baton Rouge Parish Dept. of Public Works found the body of a black man who had been shot in the back of the head, Zachary Police said. No identification was found on the man and drug paraphernalia was found near the body.

3/17

ZHS, NHS rock relays

Northeast and Zachary High Schools’ boys track teams ran away with first and second places in the Broncos Relays held at ZHS March 12 - 13.

3/24

Zachary prepares for ZFest

The City of Zachary prepared for its annual family-oriented festival complete with rides, games, food, entertainment, contests, arts, crafts and much more. ZFest was held March 24 -28 at Zachary Youth Park.

APRIL

4/7

Search is on for armed robbers, employees held at gunpoint

On March 31, about 10:30 p.m., an employee of Cajun Catch was approached by two men wearing masks and one holding a gun. The men took money from the register and fled through a rear door of the restaurant. No one was hurt in the incident.

4/14

Three arrested in Zachary for marijuana distribution

ZPD arrested Corey Bowers, 23, and Wesley Bowers, 22, of 3730 Truman Steet in Zachary, on one count each of distribution of marijuana. They also arrested Wanda Yarbrough, 55, of 4035 Shaffett Lane in Zachary, on warrants alleging marijuana sales. The busts came after a three-month undercover investigation.

4/21

Lady Broncos are number one!

The Zachary High School Lady Broncos, lead by Head Coach Leslie Efferson, shut out Live Oak High for the 5-5A title and began bi-district play April 20.

4/28

T.I.M.E. to drive safely

Zachary and Central High Schools began a collaborative initiative safe driving campaign after several accidents that involved area teenagers. T.I.M.E. (Teen Influence Motivating Everyone) involved students signing pledge cards to promise to drive safely. The two schools competed to see who could get the most pledge cards signed.

MAY

5/5

3-peat Broncos begin bi-district play tonight!

Flawless hitting and near flawless pitching helped lead the ZHS Broncos to a district 5-5A championship with an 8-3 win over top-ranked Catholic High on April 29. The champs began bi-district play at home against Airline.

5/26

Plainsman reporter gets tased

Zachary Plainsman-News reporter Mark Smith volunteered to get tased May 21 by officers from Baker and Zachary. The tasing was part of the training Zachary Police Department officers received after a grant funded them with the stun guns.

JUNE

6/16

Zachary couple wins Miracle Mansion

Ryan and Megan Southall hit the jackpot on June 6 when their name was drawn as the lucky winner of the 2010 Children's Miracle Mansion.

6/23

Rezoning paves way for Heritage Ranch

Baton Rouge Metro Council voted June 16 to rezone a 50-acre site on Tucker Road which paved the way for a Christian children's home to be built which would serve boys and girls, ages 8-18, who are in the midst of a personal or family crisis.

JULY

7/7

Jaws of life used on crash victim

Zachary Fire/Rescue worked quickly to extricate a man trapped inside his car after a collision with another vehicle at Highway 64 and Fennwood on Thursday, July 1. Zachary Fire Chief Boyce Smith, ZPD Sgt. Shawn Pratt and rescue personnel arrived on the scene to find the wreckage of two vehicles intertwined and lying partially on top of a telephone pole box.

7/14

Community mourns loss of former mayor

The Zachary community mourned the passing of a great leader, former mayor John Womack, who died at 6:53 a.m. Wednesday, July 7, at the Carpenter House in Baton Rouge after a short and intense battle with esophageal cancer. He was 67.

7/21

Code simplifies new development in Zachary

The city council ratified a new, 400 page property development code at their regular meeting Tuesday, July 15, designed to provide a more detailed framework for land use, signage and new developments within the city.

7/28

Fund for Teachers Odyssey

Three Zachary teachers embarked on life and career changing odysseys around the world this summer which they designed to fuel personal and professional growth. Kristy Gilpin and Breigh Rainey traveled through Italy and France in the footsteps of great Renaissance thinkers. Darketa Green, a Spanish teacher, participated in a Spanish language and culture immersion program in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

AUGUST

8/4

Zachary council agrees on sewer rehab project

The Zachary City Council authorized Mayor Henry Martinez to sign the necessary documents with Professional Engineering Consultants, the city’s engineering firm, that would institute a sewer rehab project along 39th Street.

8/11

Drowning victim identified as Zachary resident

A Zachary man’s body has been identified by the East Baton Rouge Coroner’s Office as that of Brandon Hunt, 30, of Cobb Street in Zachary. Hunt’s body was found Saturday, July 31, after his body washed ashore along the banks of the Mississippi River near the Belle of Baton Rouge Casino around 2 p.m.

8/18

ZCSD raises standard of excellence

Wednesday, Aug. 11, the Zachary Community School District, the number one school district in the state, held an opening session for all district employees, of which there are 550, at Fellowship Church to kick off the 2010-11 school year, the eighth since separating from East Baton Rouge.

8/25

Imagine your BREC Zachary Park

Ted Jack, Assistant Superintendent of Planning , Operations and Resources at BREC, visited Zachary Rotarians Thursday, Aug. 19, to give an update on BREC’s Zachary Community Park currently under development near Zachary Youth Parklocated off Hwy. 964.

SEPTEMBER

9/1

Zachary Fire’s fire hot garden

Zachary firefighters in between fighting fires, rescuing people and staying current on mandatory training, have a bit of downtime between calls. Of that very small window of downtime, four firefighters from the ZFD’s Shift C decided to make the most of that time by being productive and planting a garden.

9/8

Chamber committee hosts Zachary forum on Sept. 16

In an effort to continue maximizing that services provided by the Zachary Chamber of Commerce to its members and to the Zachary community, one of the Chamber’s new committees, the Governmental Relations Committee, is sponsoring a candidate forum for the City of Zachary. The forum is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 16, at 6:30 p.m., at Fellowship Church.

9/15

Plank Road shuts down after 18-wheeler accident

A stretch of Highway 67 around a Comite River bridge shut down Friday, Sept. 10, due to an 18-wheeler accident that occurred at about 5 a.m. North bound traffic was rerouted to LA 959 and South bound traffic was diverted to LA 412.

9/22

Broncos stampede past Glen Oaks

The Broncos rebounded from last week's loss to St. Thomas More in fine fashion with a 48-26 win over Glen Oaks Friday, Sept. 17.

9/29

Freshman facility breaks ground

The Zachary Community School District continues to make great strides with its ongoing construction projects. Tuesday, Sept. 21, school boards members, district employees and folks from the Zachary community celebrated the groundbreaking for Zachary High's new ninth grade academy , set to open fall 2011.

OCTOBER

10/6

Zachary re-elects police chief; mayor, city council seats in runoff

Polls opened at 6 a.m. Saturday for the Oct. 2 primary. Only 75,047 voters cast their ballots early for Saturday's election. Two mayoral candidates, incumbent Henry Martinez and David Amrhein will proceed to a runoff on Nov. 2, as will Melvin Riley and Tommy Womack in the race for the city council seat in District 4.

10/13

Juvenile arrested for armed robbery

Zachary Police have made an arrest in the Aug. 19 armed robbery of Sonny's Pizza, said Det. Enoch Sims. Officers arrested a 15-year-old boy on Monday, Oct. 11, who allegedly robbed the restaurant's employees with a 9mm handgun, Sims said.

10/20

Broncos fall to Wildcats in double overtime

It was a thriller, but it ended in disappointment at homecoming for Bronco fans as Central High earned a 16-9 double overtime District 5-5A win over Zachary.

10/27

Rotarians receive bond breakdown

Superintendent Warren Drake and district officials have been visiting different service and civic organizations over the last week and hosting community meetings to educate the citizens of Zachary on the $40 million bond proposal votes will see in the Tuesday, Nov. 2 election. If passed, the fourth bond proposition since 2004 will initiate a new phase of construction within the district.

NOVEMBER

11/3

Broncos stomp Wildcats 62-14

The Zachary Broncos rolled to a 62-14 victory over Walker to set up a chance for a share of the District 5-5A title this week against Catholic of Baton Rouge.

11/10

Zachary names new mayor

The Zachary community has chosen a new leader. In last Tuesday's election, the community voted David Amrhein (No Party) as the mayor of Zachary over Republican incumbent Henry Martinez.

11/17

Zachary School Board honors veterans

The Zachary Community School Board honored several district personnel veterans at its Thursday, Nov. 11 meeting. Veterans recognized included Zachary High's JROTC department head Maj. Leslie Martin, JROTC Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Bradford, ZCSB business manager Maj. Gordon Robertson and Port Hudson Career Academy Principal Maj. Patrick Jenkins. Richard Averitt, U.S. Army, and World War II veteran Willaim Harvey Davis were recognized as well.

11/24

Broncos run comes to an end

The turnaround season is over for Zachary as Acadiana High rolled to a 49-7 win over the Broncos in the regional round of the Class 5-A playoffs. The No. 11 Broncos recorded just three wins last year and with the first round win, earned a showdown with No. 27 Wrecking Rams (7-5_ who had to forfeit four victories because of the use of an ineligible player.

DECEMBER

12/1

Subdivision site plan passes UDC guidelines

At its meeting Tuesday, Nov. 23, the Zachary City Council approved the first subdivision site plan under the city’s new Uniform Development Code adopted in August. The approved plan is for Redwood Lake, a 105-acre subdivision development proposal located about a fourth mile north of the Plank Road and Main Street intersection and adjacent to the Oaks of Zachary subdivision in the 20600 block of Plank Road.

12/8

Home brewed: Zachary man creates new Abita beer

One talented Zachary native recently went from beer enthusiast to brewmaster after winning first place in the 2010 Abita Home Brewer Contest Saturday, Nov. 13. As the grand prize winner, Kerry Yoes will have his Louisiana Oyster Stout recipe brewed and distributed by the Abita Brewing Company as a limited edition draft Abita Select.

12/15

Zachary woman sentenced for fatal interstate crash

Zachary resident Christine Cooper Braud was fined $1,000 Thursday, Dec. 9, and sentenced to six months of home incarceration for a November 2009 interstate crash that killed her paralyzed passenger. Braud, 33, was accused of texting and driving while intoxicated at the time of the 2009 crash that killed 33-year-old Bruce Chaisson, of Ethel, who was paralyzed from the chest down in a 1994 car wreck.

12/22

Audit report reveals Zachary's growth

The Zachary City Council received good news during its Dec. 14 meeting with an annual audit report revealing a $1.7 million increase in the city's profits over the previous fiscal year.