Top stories of 2016 in Merced County: Counting down from 15 to 11

In 2016, news stories around the world were filled with everything from deadly violence, bitter political battles and unexpected celebrity deaths nearly every day.

Television personality and businessman Donald Trump pulled off a stunning upset in November, winning the presidential election just months after British voters opted out of the European Union, dubbed “Brexit.”

A gunman opened fire inside an Orlando nightclub in June, killing 49 people, one of several high-profile terror attacks worldwide in 2016. A few weeks later, another gunman killed five police officers in Dallas.

There also were significant breakthroughs for transgender rights, American women dominated the summer Olympics in Rio, and a baseball team known for its ineptitude ended a more than century-long World Series drought.

Merced County also made major headlines throughout the year. From a tragic bus crash in August that killed four people, to a political corruption scandal in Los Banos still unfolding, and a softball superstar at Merced High School was named the National Player of the Year.

During the next three days, we will count down the top stories of 2016 in Merced County. The list was compiled by the Sun-Star’s newsroom staff based on a variety of factors including attention from online readers and which stories are most likely to affect the lives of Merced County residents.

Disagree with our selection? Is there one you think we missed? Tell us what you think were the top stories of the year in our readers comments section online at http://www.mercedsunstar.com/.

11. Los Banos teen’s skydiving death

The skydiving death of a promising 18-year-old Pacheco High School graduate on Aug. 6 shook the Los Banos community and triggered investigations into the controversial Parachute Center in Acampo near Lodi.

Tyler Turner and his tandem instructor, 25-year-old Yong Kwon, died after parts of the parachute reportedly malfunctioned.

Turner graduated from Pacheco High with honors two months before the jump. He was accepted to UC Merced and was planning to enter as a sophomore after receiving enough advanced placement credit.

The tragedy led many, including Turner’s mother, Francine Salazar Turner, and the Federal Aviation Administration to take a deeper look into the Lodi Parachute Center’s shaky past involving fatal jumps and airplane malfunctions.

An FAA investigation determined that a small parachute meant to pull the reserve and main parachutes didn’t fully inflate, leading to entanglement with the reserve parachute and tether.

While the FAA still is determining any actions against the parachute center, the U.S. Parachute Association concluded that Kwon was uncertified.

The sanctioning skydiving body ordered more than 130 instructors, many at the Lodi center, to retake courses.

Turner’s death stunned Merced County residents, especially his family.

His mother created a memorial display for him in their home containing mementos of his life from family, friends and strangers.

12. Big changes, controversy and still unanswered questions at Merced College

A tumultuous 2016 school year saw the Merced College president’s office change hands, a shake-up in the school’s police force and the hiring of a private investigator.

The former president, Ron Taylor, was placed on paid leave by the board in January without explanation. He later retired. Susan Walsh, the director of the Learning Resource Center, has filled in as president through the end of the semester in December.

Walsh was embroiled in a clash with the Merced County Sheriff’s Office, which until this summer had provided security at the campus. The former college police chief, sheriff’s Sgt. Vince Gallagher, told the Merced Sun-Star he was asked to search for fingerprints on an anonymous letter that disparaged college leaders and that Walsh had pressured him to arrest a trustee she believed recorded a closed-session meeting.

An invoice obtained by the Sun-Star showed the college hired Cen Cal Investigations, a Merced-based private investigation firm, to conduct a “latent fingerprint” search on March 31. School officials initially refused to answer any questions regarding the search, but, on the heels of the Sun-Star investigation, later acknowledged financing the test and said it returned no usable fingerprints.

Walsh denied pressuring the sheriff’s sergeant. The college severed its relationship with the Sheriff’s Office, contracting instead with the Merced Police Department.

About two weeks ago, the board of trustees announced it hired Chris Vitelli, the school’s vice president of student services, to take over as president. Vitelli had been named in the disparaging anonymous letter.

13. Outgoing county supervisor leaves meetings early to lead fitness class

By September, Deidre Kelsey, Merced County supervisor for District 4, recorded a failing attendance record for board meetings. The Sun-Star learned Kelsey was scheduled regularly to lead Body Pump classes at a Merced gym at the same time board meetings were scheduled.

In a phone conversation with the Merced Sun-Star, Kelsey declined to discuss her schedule at the private fitness center, saying she had other obligations and calling the subject a “private health issue.”

Kelsey blamed the board chairman, Hub Walsh, for allowing meetings to run too long by “inviting the public to ask questions.”

“I set up my schedule according to what’s going to be on the agenda,” she said. “The chairperson switches back and forth with public comment.”

Walsh took responsibility for meetings running longer, but stood by his practices in letting the public comment and ask questions.

Kelsey was absent during discussion on some of the biggest issues facing Merced County, such as a joint public safety update from the sheriff and district attorney and votes for projects to renovate the old county hospital for mental health services and the John Latorraca Correction Center.

In 2015, Kelsey announced she wouldn’t seek re-election. Lloyd Pareira won election to her seat this year. Kelsey earned $99,090.16 in pay in 2015. Supervisors do not earn sick or vacation time and do not punch a timecard. As a longtime county employee, Kelsey stands to collect pension payments upon her retirement, according to the Merced County Employees’ Retirement Association member handbook.

14. Merced makes gains on downtown revitalization

Merced city officials made numerous announcements for downtown development plans in 2016 , while building construction sprang up at multiple locations.

The El Capitan Hotel and Mainzer Theater are set for multimillion-dollar upgrades from the same developer, city staff reported. Leaders called it a sign that Merced is attracting attention for its growth potential.

UC Merced also will have a presence in downtown once construction of its new Downtown Center is complete. City officials used that project as leverage when pitching plans for another downtown development, called the Downtown Commons, that will include retail spaces and apartments or offices.

Early in 2016, it was unclear whether the California High-Speed Rail Authority would include Merced as a stop in the initial stretch of the bullet train. After Assemblymember Adam Gray, D-Merced, blasted the authority, Merced was put back into the plans.

City leaders from the beginning have been mostly supportive of high-speed rail, saying it will help boost downtown. The city and its consultants hosted workshops this year to hear how residents think downtown should be developed to accommodate and complement the rail station.

While many projects are in the works for downtown, not all downtown news was good this year. After a new drive-thru Starbucks was built on 16th Street, the coffee shop vacated its space on Main Street near the movie theater. The Partisan, a popular Main Street watering hole, also remained closed for renovation with no estimated time for reopening.

Businesses at the Westgate Shopping Center, at the corner of R and Main streets, also quietly began renovation work. Rockin’ Jump and a new gym are set to open there.

15. Los Banos boy breaks age barrier in Alcatraz swim

It’s still awaiting confirmation from the Guiness Book of World Records, but Mercey Springs Elementary fifth-grader James Savage gained fame as the youngest person to swim from the San Francisco Aquatic Park to Alcatraz Island and back.

At 4 feet, 6 inches and about 60 pounds, James is an unassumingly accomplished swimmer in Los Banos.

James told the Merced Sun-Star and Los Banos Enterprise about the self-motivated June 14 swim and his training for it. After the story broke, national news picked it up and his swim was live-streamed.

James finished the swim in just over two hours.

He received a recognition by the Los Banos City Council for his effort on July 6.

He also was invited to be featured as a special guest at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s new circus production Aug. 25 in San Jose.

James successfully set another age-based record, the youngest to complete the “bridge-to-bridge” 6.2-mile swim from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Bay Bridge, on Dec. 10, his mother Jillian Savage said.

Savage said James’ next goal is to swim the length of the Golden Gate Bridge, something he might attempt in the spring.

This story was originally published December 28, 2016 at 5:11 PM with the headline "Top stories of 2016 in Merced County: Counting down from 15 to 11."