4. Buchanan bond issue passes

 

In May, voters paved the way for massive improvements throughout the Buchanan Community Schools district when they approved a $14.9 million bond issue during a special election.

The bond issue will pay for what school officials said are much-needed additions to Buchanan Middle School and several other improvements throughout the district.

It was the third time the district had tried to get a bond passed. Previous attempts being struck down.

The proposal asked voters to extend the current millage rate for another 20 years, or until 2033. It was set to expire in 2019. The bond that passed in May is different than the previous two in that it doesn’t raise taxes.

Supt. Andre van der Laan said she believed the bond passed because it didn’t raise taxes.

 

3. Boston Marathon bombing

 

Although it took place approximately 900 miles away, the Boston Marathon bombing was still felt here in Niles.

Several runners from the greater Niles area, including Niles resident Charles Archer, ran in annual race in early April.

Archer said he was on pace to finish the race around the time two bombs went off near the finish line, killing three people and wounding hundreds more.

Leg cramps forced him to slow down around the 22nd mile, so when the first explosion happened, he was a half mile back from the finish line.

“The Lord was really looking out for me,” he said following the race.

Archer said he was a couple streets away from Boylston Street — the location of the finish line — when he heard a blast and saw smoke in the air.

“We didn’t know what was going on … then we heard the sirens and the police,” he said.

It was Archer’s fourth Boston Marathon and his 38th marathon overall. He said he already qualified for next year’s race and plans on returning.

 

2. Enbridge pipeline

 

Hundreds of workers came to Niles this summer to work on the massive Enbridge Line 6B replacement project. Locally, workers were staged at the site of the former Eastgate Shopping Center on Oak Street.

The project is the second phase of a 285-mile pipe replacement project stretching from Griffith, Ind., to Marysville, Mich.

Reaction to their arrival was mixed. Some families were upset because the pipeline construction was taking place close to their homes and/or businesses, negatively impacting their daily lives.

Others were happy to welcome the workers into town as they spent money at local restaurants, hotels and shops.