Longtime columnist dies; student denied lunch; storms, fires rock the community 

Over the next several issues, the staff at the Dowagiac Daily News will be looking back at the top 10 stories of 2014. We will feature several of our picks each edition, culminating with the top three on the Dec. 31 

The list was voted on by staff in various departments at Leader Publications based on the most read, talked about stories of the year that carried the most impact in the community.

 

10: Cardinal Charlie dies at 84

Despite never holding an official position with the newspaper, few writers were as prolific in their contributions to the Dowagiac Daily News than Charlie Gill.

For the past 25 years, Gill shared the stories and memories of years long past in the Grand Old City in his weekly column. In total, the Dowagiac resident penned nearly 700 pieces for the paper, chronicling everything from stories about old Round Oak stoves to transposing old letters from locals serving the American Civil War.

Sadly, the paper and its readers lost his invaluable voice during the summer. The longtime Daily News columnist died on June 2, at 84 years old.

Known to his readers as “The Cardinal” due to his collection of memorabilia pertaining to the bird, Gill began submitting columns to the paper in 1989, a year after suffering from a stroke that he claimed enhanced his long-term memory. In addition to his own memories of the city, his home on Orchard Street served as a repository of more than a century’s worth of Dowagiac history, as he collected old newspapers, graduation directories, scrapbooks and other documents.

According to longtime Daily News editor John Eby, Gill’s columns became one of the publication’s main attractions, with readers from all over the country reacting to news of his passing.

 

9: Wounded Minnow struck by gas fire

One of downtown’s most popular eateries and watering holes temporarily closed its doors in July, following a gas fire that took firefighters nearly three hours to extinguish.

The Wounded Minnow sustained water and smoke damage from the blaze that erupted during the afternoon of July 2, caused by a ruptured gas meter in the rear side of the building. It took the combined efforts of 15 Dowagiac Fire Department firefighters and crews with public works and Semco Energy to finally put it out, requiring crews to dig inside the ground of the back alleyway and crimp down the line.

While the structure itself sustained little adverse effects, owner Kyle Belew and his staff spent around two weeks cleaning up the building, replacing the flooring and cleaning up others areas hit by the smoke.

Despite the closing, the business took the incident in stride. To celebrate its reopening, the bar offered special drinks such as the “Gas Leak” and the “Candy Apple Exploding Martini.”

The Minnow experienced another scare a few months later in October, when it was hit another gas leak. This time, though, fire crews were able to get it under control before it caused any damage to the business.

 

8: Lunch controversy makes headlines

An outstanding student lunch balance of $5 sparked several new stories, an online petition and lots of angry emails and messages directed at Dowagiac Union Schools to kick off the summer.

On May 1, a Dowagiac Union High School junior was told he would be unable to purchase a hot lunch due to the amount he owed them. According to the school, he then left the lunchroom to get ahold of his mother, during which his uneaten plate was disposed of by a cafeteria employee.

The next day, his mother met with Assistant Principal Kelly Millin to discuss what occurred, paying off not only her son’s outstanding balance, but those of other students as well.

She later went on to create an online petition calling for the district to establish a policy that would allow students to always receive some form of meal, regardless of any outstanding balances. Her story drew the attention of people throughout the country, many of whom left negative messages on the district’s and high school’s Facebook pages, which were temporarily taken down.

In spite of the controversy, then-Superintendent Mark Daniel said that district had an informal policy to allow students with outstanding balances to still have the opportunity to receive lunch after receiving permission from an administrator. During its meeting in May, the Dowagiac Board of Education approved a formal meal policy that details that process in writing.

An internal investigation by the district also found that employees with Sodexo, the district’s food vendor, had acted within these guidelines during the incident.

 

7: Summer thunderstorm rocks community

While much of her wrath was delivered that winter, Mother Nature had a few surprises in store for the region near the end of June.

More than 100 homes across the city lost power following a severe thunderstorm that blanketed the city during the evening of June 30. Among the streets facing massive blackouts included Willard Street, Riverside Drive and Gray Street.

City crews worked around the clock in the following days to clean up the fallen foliage that dotted the city streets, lawns and parks. The devastation affected many properties within its limits, including a massive fallen tree inside of Riverside Cemetery.

Despite the damage, many residents had power restored to them within days following the incident.