BOISE, Idaho -- Bonners Ferry, a small town on Idaho's northern border, has long had strong bonds with Canada. When the city installed flag poles at its town entrance in the 1980s, it designated one of the three to permanently hold a Canadian flag, Mayor Rick Alonzo told the Idaho Statesman.

And when the Idaho Legislature this year passed a law banning cities from flying "unofficial" flags, Bonners Ferry took down its Canadian flag for only about a week before its City Council voted to implement a year-round "special occasion" recognizing the city's friendship with Canada, circumventing the state law. The flag's been back up ever since.

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