ORR_01072016

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Serving Ogle County since 1851

OREGON Republican Reporter

January 7, 2016 Volume 166, Number 4 - $1.00

Close Game

Recycle Trees

Seminary Founded

Hawks lose nail biter to host Newman in double overtime in tourney championship. B1

Local FFA members will recycle Christmas trees Jan. 9. A7

The Rock River Seminary was founded in 1839 by early settlers in Mt. Morris. A3

Glitch blamed for tornado siren activation By Chris Johnson cxjohnson@ogleocounty news.com A computer board failure was to blame for the tornado sirens being activated throughout the county late Saturday night. After many residents went to bed Saturday night the sirens began

sounding on a calm winter night. Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle said the problem was fixed and the system was tested Tuesday morning during the monthly test of the system. “The sirens accidentally going off was a rarity,” he said. “When we set off the sirens a message is sent out, but we were unable to get

a message out Saturday until after the sirens were turned off.” Inside the 911 center the dispatchers are unable to hear the sirens and were unaware they were sounding until 911 calls flooded the system. “When sirens are activated, shelter in place and check local media and social media for

information,” said VanVickle. “Do not call 911 when there is no emergency.” Dispatchers handled 102 calls in the 17 minutes following the siren activation. “This increased call volume created several issues including preventing dispatchers from handling any emergency calls

and making calls to get the sirens fixed,” VanVickle said. “Only use 911 for emergencies.” Just after midnight the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page had a post stating “The tornado sirens in Ogle County sounded. There is no severe weather threat Turn to A2

Preliminary survey results presented By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com

Winter Arrived Winter arrived in Ogle County last week as evidenced by this ice covered log on the Oregon dam on Tuesday. Cold temperatures were forecast for the rest of the week. Photo by Earleen Hinton

BOR to hear tax appeals in Jan. By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Assessment appeals of the Byron Generating Station and a former Mt. Morris printing plant will be among the 48 scheduled to be heard by the Ogle County Board of Review (BOR) later this month. Ogle County Supervisor of Assessments Jim Harrison said the BOR is set to hear

appeals on Jan. 28 that were filed by both Exelon Generation and the Byron School District contesting the assessment he set for the Byron nuclear plant. An appeal of the former Quad Graphics plant in Mt. Morris will be heard on Jan. 26. Harrison said the BOR will hear the 48 appeals in the last two weeks of January. More than half the appeals, 25 of them, are for

Exelon’s Byron Station is located on German Church Road between Oregon and Byron. Photo by Earleen Hinton

In This Week’s Edition...

commercial and industrial properties, Harrison said, while the rest are residential or farm properties. “We have a fair number of commercial and industrial from Rochelle,” he said. The appeals are for 2015 assessments, which affect taxes payable in 2016. Exelon officials believe the $482.4 million assessment set by Harrison is too high, while school officials argue that it’s too low. Exelon Generation’s appeal sets the plants value at $238.3 million, less than half of Harrison’s number, which is identical to the amount set by the BOR at the appeal hearing last January. The school district’s appeal did not specify a value for the plant. Both entities also appealed the nuclear plant’s assessment for 2012, 2013, and 2014. The BOR upheld both the 2012 assessment of $499 million and the 2013 assessment of $509 million, but reduced Harrison’s 2014 assessment of $509.4 million by $27 million. Both entities then took their appeals for the three years to the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB). Harrison said Monday that PTAB is in the process of setting a date to hear the 2012 appeals sometime this spring. Exelon paid more than $32 million in real estate taxes in 2015 to 11 taxing bodies, which include Ogle County,

Church Bells, A5 Classifieds, B7-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B5 Marriage Licenses, A4

Rockvale Township, Byron School District, Oregon School District, Oregon Park District, Byron Fire District, Rock Valley College, Byron Public Library District, Byron Museum District, Byron Forest Preserve District, and Kishwaukee Community College. The Byron School District received the largest share of that money — $18.2 million. The value of the Byron Generating Station has frequently been disputed throughout the 30-year history of the facility. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced Nov. 19 that the license for Byron station’s two reactors has been renewed for an additional 20 years. The plant’s original 40year operating license was set to expire in 2024 for Unit 1 and 2026 for Unit 2. The license renewal allows the plant to operate until 2044 for Unit 1 and 2046 for Unit 2. Byron Station began generating electricity in 1985 when Unit 1 came online, followed two years later by Unit 2. The sprawling Mt. Morris printing plant, now used only as a warehouse, is assessed at $2.8 million, but the current owners, Mt. Morris Business Park LLC, Downey, California, set the value at $375,000 in the appeal. Mt. Morris Business Park LLC has no connection to Turn to A2

Library News, A9 Oregon Police, B2 Public Voice, A10 Property Transfers, B4 Reading Matters, A9

Several aspects of the preliminary results of a recent survey of Oregon residents’ opinions was discussed Tuesday by the Economic Community Development Committee (ECDC). Although committee members went over handouts containing details from an early tally of the results, Oregon Mayor Ken Williams said the information should not be made public until all of the surveys have been tallied. He said citizens might not understand the results are not yet final and give them an inaccurate picture of what the survey actually indicates. He said he expects to receive the final results later this week. Approximately 10 percent of Oregon residents responded

to a recent the survey as part of an update of Oregon’s Comprehensive Plan. The survey asked questions about age, income, shopping patterns, household members, and sought opinions on what kind of local businesses and services are needed in Oregon. It also sought residents’ opinions on the businesses and services already offered in the community. Williams said a joint meeting of the ECDC and Oregon Planning Commission will be held in February to go over the survey results. A town meeting will he held after that, he said to inform the public about what the survey indicates, he said. After that a plan will be developed, based on the survey results, and presented to the city council, Williams said.

Polo woman dies after house fire By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com A Polo woman died Saturday morning after a two-alarm fire at her home. Shirley Jeanne Clayton, 74, known as “Jeannie,” was pronounced dead at KSB Hospital, Dixon, where she was taken by Polo ambulance. She lived alone at 502 E. Mason St. in a well-kept twostory home. A spokesman for Lee County Coroner Jesse Partington said that an autopsy was performed Monday, but no cause of death will be available for several weeks. Polo Fire Chief Tony Karrow said firefighters

found Clayton, still alive, in the kitchen shortly after they arrived on the scene at 7:40 a.m. Jan. 2. Karrow said the fire started in the living room of the home and most of the fire damage was confined to that room. “We arrived on the scene to find heavy smoke conditions on both floors and heavy fire coming from the room of origin,” he said. The house sustained an estimated $20,000 damage, Karrow said. “There was major fire damage to one room and smoke and heat damage to the rest of the house,” he said. Firefighters had the blaze Turn to A2

Polo firefighters rescued Shirley “Jeannie” Clayton, 74, from a fire that damaged her home Jan. 2 at 502 E. Mason St., Polo. Clayton later died at KSB Hospital, Dixon. Photo by Mark Ellis, Polo Fire Department

Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B6

Deaths, B5 David A. Buse, Anna M. Castle, Shirley J. Clayton, D. Dean Dye, J. Bruce Howell, Mark Schwartz, Royal L. Wells

Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com


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