Each month in FDMC Magazine we feature the 'Notable Nine Online', nine stories that were the most viewed and engaged with from WoodworkingNetwork.com over the past month. The following stories were chosen by our readers by what they were most interested in from October 12, 2024, to November 13, 2024.

#1 Allegheny Wood Products owners indicted (Posted Oct. 21)
A father and two of his children who were owners of the closed Allegheny Wood Products company in West Virginia have been indicted on a multitude of felony counts of larceny.

#2 Fire destroys large Chicago-area cabinet manufacturer (Posted Oct. 17)
Fire crews from 22 Illinois agencies fought a raging fire at Tri-Star Cabinet & Top Co. in New Lenox, Illinois, a south suburb about an hour from Chicago. After about 12 hours battling the blaze fire, fighters were still on the scene extinguishing any hot spots left in the facility. The fire at the company, which has manufactured cabinetry for more than 60 years, destroyed the more than 85,000-square-foot facility.

#3 Cabinetworks files notice of Pennsylvania plant closing (Posted Oct. 16)
In September, the Cabinetworks Group announced it was closing its Thompsontown assembly plant, and in October the company filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry informing the agency that it will officially close the facility. According to the notice, 420 people will be affected. The layoffs are set to begin on December 9 and will continue through December 21.

#4 Nearly $5 million upgrade will keep sawmill open (Posted Oct. 28)
A $4.75 million investment will keep the doors open at an Upper Peninsula lumber facility and retain dozens of jobs in the region. Northern Hardwoods Lumber announced plans last week to upgrade its sawmill in Houghton County by installing a new biomass boiler and back-pressure steam turbine.

#5  Washington lumber company faces $126,000 in fines (Posted Nov. 8)
A Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) inspector found the floor and equipment in a Spokane Valley sawmill were blanketed by sawdust when walking through several buildings at Fox Lumber Sales. The company faces more than $126,000 in fines for 61 safety and health violations after being cited by the L&I.

#6 Oldest intact woodworking tool found in Britain (Posted Nov. 4)
The wooden spade was discovered during archaeological excavations by Wessex Archaeology for The Moors at Arne project. Archaeological excavations taking place as part of the project have led to the discovery of an extremely rare and near complete prehistoric wooden spade. Preliminary scientific dating confirms it is around 3,500 years old, making it Bronze Age and one of the earliest wooden tools to be discovered in Britain.

#7 Richelieu on the verge of closing four acquisitions (Posted Nov. 5)
Richelieu Hardware announced it signed agreements in principle during the third quarter to acquire four unnamed companies. During the company's third quarter earnings call, Richard Lord, president and CEO, said two of the acquisitions are in the United States and two are in Canada.

#8 Kentucky millwork company to bring on more than 200 trainees (Posted Nov. 12)
Powell Valley Millwork, in Clay City, Kentucky, is one of 104 Kentucky manufacturing companies who received funding from the state to train new workers. The company received enough funding to train 219 workers. Powell Valley Millwork is a domestic supplier of Poplar and Radiata that specializes in creating the highest quality wood products.

#9 The 2024 Rockefeller Christmas tree has been chosen (Posted Nov. 1)
Rockefeller Center's Christmas tree has been chosen. It was grown in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts. This year marks the first time in 65 years that the tree is coming from Massachusetts. The tree, a Norway spruce, is around 70 years old, stands 74 feet tall, 43 feet wide, and weighs approximately eleven tons. The tree will be on display until mid-January.