By Staff
7NILES – The prestigious magazine for business and finance has ranked Niles as one of the Best Small Places for Business.
"This is outstanding," Niles mayor Mike McCauslin said Wednesday. "It's nice to be recognized by an organization like Forbes.
"We've always known that we're a pro-business community," he added. "It can't be stressed enough the cooperative spirit of business, government and the community in general."
The annual list, published in May, divides communities by size and then ranks them based on cost of doing business, job growth, education attainment and population. The greater Niles area, listed under the smaller metros category, was ranked 159th overall in the national survey.
"I think it's awesome that we're on the list," Lisa Croteau, director of Niles Main Street, said.
Pokagon band breaks ground for new casino
6NEW BUFFALO – On June 3, the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians broke ground on their long-sought Four Winds Casino Resort. The groundbreaking was the culmination of 12 years of work by the Dowagiac-based tribe.
For tribal chairman John Miller, 41, developing a $400 million casino scheduled to open in the summer of 2007 has consumed a quarter of his life.
"After years of waiting, we are finally near to having casino gaming as an economic development tool that will help our tribe become financially self-sufficient," Miller said.
Four Winds is located on I-94 at Michigan Exit 1 in New Buffalo Township. It will be the only land-based casino within 150 miles of southwest Michigan.
The resort will offer 130,000 square feet of gaming floor with 3,000 slot machines, 90 table games and 20 poker tables. It will also feature six restaurants, entertainment bars, retail opportunities and a 164-room suite hotel.
Dunnuck serving 25 years for 1990 shooting
5CASSOPOLIS – Michael Dunnuck, 34, a former Niles man charged in the 1990 shooting death of William Whittaker, is serving 15 to 25 years for the murder.
In an Aug. 21 plea agreement, Dunnuck acknowledged getting into an argument with Whittaker, then 42, on March 7, 1990, while at Whittaker's trailer on M-51 in Pokagon Township. He admitted to grabbing a gun and shooting Whittaker.
Dunnuck was sentenced in Cass County Circuit Court on Sept. 15.
His original trial, which began in March, ended in a mistrial. Dunnuck was to face another trial on Sept. 19, but his plea deal ended the proceedings.