I have put together a list of what in my opinion constitutes the top 10 stories of the 2011 calendar year in Michigan City.
10. Common Council members vote against ensuring that Moon Valley, a 57 acre tract of greenspace between Lake Shore Drive and US 12 will be preserved. An ordinance reapprorpriating $75,000 would have all but guaranteed that Moon Valley would be saved through a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA). Since the May 4 no vote, the Save the Dunes council is still awaiting word from NOAA on the response of the grant application.
9. IU Health La Porte Hospital lays off 112 employees, and legal battles are still being fought.
8. Citizens and community leaders speak out against a proposal for a "gentlemen's club" near US-421 and I-94. The variance is denied by the La Porte County Board of Zoning Appeals, but the petitioners have now taken the matter to court and are requesting a jury trial.
7. "Snowmageddon" shuts down much of Michigan City in early February.
6. A 17-year-old girl is killed and an 18-year old man injured after a family party at Krueger Memorial Park in July ends with gunfire. According to the Michigan City Police, there were two shooters in the parking lot. The one allegedly responsible for the death is still at-large.
5. Former La Porte volleyball coach Robert Ashcraft is sentenced to 21 years in prison after being found guilty of having a sexual relationship with a former player.
4. The revival of Franklin Square into the Uptown Arts District is strengthened as Common Council members vote unanimously to purchase the Warren Building for the Redevelopment Commission, who will then sell it to Minneapolis-based Artspace, a non-profit group dedicated to finding housing for area artists. Once renovations are complete, the seven-story Warren Building will be a colony for about 30 artists.
3. A major up-hall of the Sanitary District includes a new General Manager and board members. Shortly after former employee Ron Meer wins the democratic mayoral primary, GM Al Wals resigns. Meer later names Michael Kuss, a former IDEM to executive to the post.
2. One Chicago-area teenager is dead and another faces manslaughter and battery charges following a July 4 fight at Stop 26 in Long Beach where 17-year-old Kevin Kennelly Jr. was allegedly struck in the head by 19-year-old James Malecek. Malecek is set to go to trial in July.
1. Ron Meer is elected Mayor, completing a two-year turnaround where he was fired by the Sanitary District for being a whistle-blower, and now in the midst of appointing top personnel at the District. His "fighting blight" and "aggressive on crime" approach won over many voters as well as his close ties with the local unions.
Photo: Although she only acquired a little more than 300 votes on Election Day, Independent mayoral candidate Nancy Moldenhauer (pictured) said the campaign was a success because the platform of turning Michigan City into the "Green City of Northern Indiana" was brought to the forefront.
