Partly Cloudy / 37° FThe year’s top stories
- Fifteen-year-old Dakotah Eliason, shown taking oath in Berrien County Court, was sentenced in October to life in prison for murdering his grandfather, Jesse Miles, in March. (File photo)
The state of the economy stole state and national headlines throughout much of the year, but 2010 will be remembered by Niles residents for more than just the slow climb out of the hole of the recession.
Crime and tragedy
A series of tragedies, including a double homicide in Niles Township, a teenager sentenced to life in prison for taking the life of his grandfather and a Niles High School freshman found dead in his closet, devastated the community over the course of just a few months.
For 11 months, a double homicide in Niles has gone unsolved. On Feb. 5, John and Carolyn Tarwacki were found dead in their Howard Township home.
Carolyn was well-known in the community, especially by Niles High School music students, as she worked as a representative for the music education company Quinlan and Fabish.
Police have received hundreds of tips, conducted dozens of interviews and released a description and sketch of the suspect, but they have led to few answers.
“It’s the most difficult case I’ve ever dealt with,” said Det. Fabian Suarez of the Michigan State Police Niles Post.
Officers have been tight-lipped about details of the case, but continue to maintain their belief that the murderer knew the couple.
Just one month after the Tarwacki murders, Dakotah Eliason, a 14-year-old freshman at Niles High School at the time, shot his grandfather Jesse Miles in his sleep.
Eliason, tried as an adult and convicted of first degree murder, was sentenced to life in prison in October.
“If I don’t regret this every day, then I am truly less than human,” Eliason said at his sentencing.
The case received national attention, as it raised questions about Michigan’s law allowing juveniles to be sentenced to life in prison.
Although the case is over, there is still no answer to what possessed the teenager to take the life of his own grandfather.
Those events, combined with the death of Niles High School freshman Alex Wentz, made for an emotional year for students at the high school.
“I’ve lived here all my life, and this is the most odd set of circumstances that I’ve been around in our little town,” said high school principal Jim Knoll. “We don’t have this type of stuff happen around here. We just don’t.”
Also in crime news this year was Matthew Purchase’s alleged embezzlement of more than $200,000. Purchase is accused of pocketing money people gave his Berrien Springs business, Legacy Family Funeral Services, for pre-arranged funeral services rather than putting the funds in an escrow account, as required by state law.
Purchase will appear in Berrien County Trial Court in February, facing 15 felony charges.
GOP dominates elections
The Republicans were the big winners in the November election in southwest Michigan.
Fred Upton, R-St. Mich., successfully defended his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. The 12-term congressman was also named Chairperson of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
On the state level, John Proos, R-St. Joseph, will be switching offices, moving from the House of Representatives to the Senate. Niles Republican Sharon Tyler was re-elected to a second term in the House.
Republican John LaMore was re-elected to the 12th District seat on the Berrien County Board of Commissioners, while 28-year-old newcomer Zach Perkins rode the Republican wave and upset Democratic incumbent John Klimek for the 13th District seat.
“All the Republicans have a lot of work ahead of us,” Perkins said the night of the election. “We’ve got to do what we actually said on the campaign trail.”
Schools struggle with budget cuts
This summer, Niles Community Schools said goodbye to Eastside Elementary, despite a group of residents’ complaints against closing the school. The decision was made due to cuts in state funding — a problem that affected all local schools.
Brandywine Community Schools, offering early retirement incentives, saw 10 teachers retire and resign. The athletic fund and food services were also slightly reduced to cut costs.
Niles Community Schools also said goodbye to superintendent Doug Law, who retired after 39 years in the school system. Richard Weigel was selected as the new school chief and has gotten right to work, introducing plans for adding a New Tech High School to the district.
Buchanan Community Schools also found a new superintendent in Andrea van der Laan, replacing Diana Davis, who retired.
Meanwhile, Lake Michigan College had a successful year, named one of the fastest growing two-year colleges in the country, according to a November edition of Community College Week Magazine.
LMC is ranked No. 45 of the top 50 fastest-growing public two-year colleges with enrollments of 2,500 to 4,999 from fall 2008 to fall 2009. During that time, LMC increased enrollment by 19 percent.
Tear down that mall; debate over dumping landfill
It’s taken more than two years, but the dilapidated Eastgate Shopping Plaza in Niles Township is finally being torn down. The demolition process began in December.
Township Supervisor Jim Kidwell and the board of trustees spent much of the year, working through the legal system to get the long-abandoned building razed. ML Developers, the current owners of the property, plan to sell it to one or more businesses once the property is cleaned up.
The proposed sale of the East Berrien County Landfill, owned by the cities of Niles and Buchanan and the townships of Niles, Buchanan and Bertrand, has been controversial. The plan to sell the struggling landfill was put on hold when residents and members of the landfill authority board voiced concerns.
Currently the five municipalities are accepting questions about the sale of the landfill from residents, which will be forwarded on to the consultant doing a feasibility study on the landfill.
The City of Niles also completed the recreation trail extension project, tripling the length of the trail in Riverfront Park. This took place after several delays due to the presence of state-protected prairie trillium plants, which are endangered.
Niles Township trustee Michael Bailey resigned in October in light of pleading guilty to indecent exposure in April. He was replaced by Gary Conover. The board saw more turnover with the sudden passing of Ronald Goodwin, 78, in December. The township is still searching for a replacement.
TJ’s triumphant return
In 2010, Niles also welcomed home one of its most successful sons, rocker Tommy James.
A Niles native, James got his start performing in the Niles area and went on to sell more than 100 million records, landing 23 gold singles and nine gold and platinum albums in his career. Returning to Niles in August, James met with hundreds of fans and olds friends at a book signing, received a key to the city and had a celebration at the high school in his honor.
Niles again hosted dozens of musical acts this summer with the Bluegrass Festival and Summer Concert Series. Event organizer Tom Majerek said it was one of the most successful years, as he booked Peter Rowan, Cadillac Sky, Jypsi and Ali Baba’s Tahini, featuring Niles native Jake Cinninger of Umphrey’s McGee.
The strange
Months after President Obama signed the health care overhaul, Kathy Myers of Niles got national attention in June when she shot herself in the shoulder in an attempt to obtain treatment for a pre-existing medical condition since she doesn’t have medical insurance.
The 41-year-old woman did not face any criminal charges.
Sylvester Vanderbutts, a Howard Township resident and medical marijuana card holder, was found guilty of four drug-related offenses in April. Several months later, he ran for Cass County Commissioner as an independent with a cannabis leaf on his campaign signage. He picked up only 51 votes.
