The Niles Daily Star’s look back at 2014 culminates today with the top four stories of the year.

4: Shelton’s Farm Market founder dies

Niles lost one of its most beloved figures in 2014, when Ethan Shelton died March 19 at the age of 110.

The Berrien Center man is most well known for his business, Shelton Farms, and the retail and wholesale markets that stemmed from it.

Ethan’s oldest son and co-owner of Shelton’s Farm Market and Whole Sale said Ethan will be remembered for much more.

“I learned so much from my daddy,” Jim said in a March interview with the Daily Star. “I think I got good work ethic. I think what I learned most is what he always said, ‘You can be tough, but you’ve got to be fair.’ That’s guided my whole life.”

Ethan and his family moved to Michigan in 1947 after selling a corner store he and his wife, Rose, owned in Chicago.

Ethan then opened a roadside market at the corner of Bell and South 11th streets on the same lot where Shelton’s Farm Market sits today. The family’s stand was one of 17 sitting on the strip at the time and is the only one that remains today.

After retiring in 1962, Ethan became an avid golfer and honed his skills on several musical instruments, including the mandolin, ukulele, harmonica and violin.

He even performed in a bluegrass band that played at festivals all over the area.

In August, Ethan was featured on the Willard Scott Birthdays segment on the Today Show.

He had a fairly simple philosophy on the longevity of his life.

“It’s the way you eat and exercise,” he said in a 2010 interview. “If you eat right and chew your food right that helps. In grade school, our teacher gave us a talking-to that I never forgot — chew your food. Eat slowly. That’s good advice to anybody.”

 

3: Winter hits hard

The winter of 2014 will be remembered as one of the snowiest and coldest in recorded history.

It began early and kept coming thanks to a persistent upper-level low over Eastern Canada that kept temperatures well below normal.

According to the National Weather Service, Niles experienced its third snowiest winter since 1943.

Meteorologist John Taylor said in a March interview that Niles had received more than 110 inches of snowfall.

The snowiest winter, he said, occurred in 1969-70 when 122.9 inches fell. In 1966-67, 115.4 inches fell, making it the second snowiest winter.

Niles received the following snowfall totals per month in inches:

• November — 9.6

• December — 21.7

• January — 52.8 (record)

• February — 20.1

 

2: Niles

superintendent resigns

The resignation of Richard Weigel from his position as superintendent of Niles Community Schools dominated headlines early in 2014.

Weigel, who was hired in 2010, was voted out of the job 5 to 1 by the Niles school board March 5.

The resignation came soon after the school board received a letter signed by the majority of the district’s principals and administrators — 15 in all.

The letter listed several complaints about Weigel, including that he allegedly bullied administrators and created a hostile work environment.

The board also received a couple of letters from school staff in support of Weigel’s leadership.

Weigel received a severance of $115,000.

Since then, Weigel has accepted a job as the superintendent of Portage Township Schools in Portage, Indiana.

Michael Lindley was brought on to serve as a full-time interim superintendent at Niles Community Schools. He has aided in the board’s search for a permanent replacement.

The board will interview six finalists for the job next week.

 

1: Man stabs people on Amtrak train

The biggest story of the year is one that grabbed national attention and shined a spotlight on the professionalism of the Niles Police Department.

On Friday, Dec. 5, four people were stabbed on board an Amtrak train that was parked at the Niles Amtrak Depot. One of the victims was a conductor on the train and the others were passengers.

Niles Police were the first to respond and Officer Shane Daniel used a taser to subdue the suspect before he could harm anyone else.

The suspect, 44-year-old Michael Darnell Williams, of Saginaw, was charged the following Monday with four counts of assault with intent to commit murder. He is currently undergoing a forensic examination to determine if he is mentally fit to stand trial.

Passengers reported that Williams was acting erratically in the moments leading up to the stabbing.

Williams later told Niles Police detectives that he remembered talking to a man on the train that turned into a demon, according to the complaint warrant. He then told detectives that he had to fight the demon, but didn’t remember what happened next.

Terrified passengers fled the train as the incident occurred.

One of the passengers — Caitline Cipri — was seated just a few rows back from where the stabbings took place.

She said it took awhile to realize what was going on as she saw the suspect raise his arm and rain down blows on a passenger.

“At that point I got out of my seat and ran toward the exit,” she said. “It was terrifying. You just don’t think something like that will happen to you.”

The Niles Police Department received much praise from citizens, the Niles City Council and the mayor for their quick response and the way they handled the situation.