Serving Ogle County since 1851
OREGON Republican Reporter
Hawks Win Tourney The Hawks beat Byron to win their holiday tournament. Next up, Dixon on Friday. B1
4-H Awards
December 3, 2015 Volume 165, Number 51 - $1.00
Christmas Concert
4-H clubs and individuals were recognized Nov. 16. A7
A community Christmas concert will be performed in Mt. Morris Dec. 6. A6
Exelon plant assessment is in dispute By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecountynews.com
Oregon High School’s Madrigal Singers perform at Conover Square during the 29th annual Candlelight Walk in Oregon on Saturday night. Photo by Earleen Hinton
Candlelight Walk draws a crowd By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Shoppers in a holiday mood thronged Oregon’s downtown Saturday evening for the 29th annual Candlelight Walk. Long lines of people filled the Coliseum and Conover Square for the bargains, entertainment, and food offered throughout the evening. The winter nip in the air only added to the holiday atmosphere. Debbie Dickson, executive director of the Oregon Chamber of Commerce, which sponsored the event, said it may have been a record crowd. She estimated the turn-out at 3,500 to 4,000 people. “We’re very please with the crowd,” she said. “I feel this year is the biggest we’ve ever seen. There was lots of energy and excitement.” Much of that energy and excitement was in the basement of the Coliseum where a long winding line of youngsters and their parents waited to have a word with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Four-year-old Kylie Morrow was on her way to tell Santa about the Rainbow Hair Barbie she’s hoping to find in her stocking on Christmas morning. She and her father Eric has also been to see the live reindeer at First National Bank, just a block away. “I got a picture by them,” Kylie said. “I think one of them is Dasher.” Youngsters also queued up in the Coliseum’s basement for the Winter Quarter Carnival that offered games and prizes, while adults enjoyed the food from the Gingerbread Kitchen. Sylvia Norman, Oregon, was taking a break from shopping with a snack. She Turn to B2
In what has become an almost annual procedure, officials from both Exelon Generation officials and Byron School District have appealed the assessment of the Byron Generating Station. The two entities are on opposite sides of the issue — Exelon officials believe the $482.4 million assessment set by Ogle County Supervisor of Assessments Jim Harrison is too high, while school officials argue that it’s too low. The Ogle County Board of Review (BOR) is expected to hear the appeals in mid to late January. A hearing date has not yet been set. 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. The appeals are for the generating station’s 2015 assessment, which affects taxes payable in 2016. Turn to A9
Fire district buys property By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecountynews.com
Santa and Mrs. Claus talk to Evelyn and Isabella Rains and Devin Canada Jr., during Oregon’s Candlelight Walk on Saturday night. Photo by Earleen Hinton
The Oregon Fire Department now has plenty of room to expand, if the need should arise. Fire Chief Al Greene said Tuesday that fire protection district officials purchased the Whiskey’s River property next to the fire station. “We acquired the property for possible future expansion,” he said. “We have it now if we need it.” According to Ogle County property records, the fire district bought the property at 123 N. Second St., Oregon, from Kevin Wedel for $120,000. The Whiskey’s River building was destroyed by an accidental fire on March 16, 2014. Although the exact cause of the fire was never determined, investigators determined it was accidental and started in the basement. The restaurant had been closed for some time when the fire occurred. Wedel, who lived in the upstairs apartment, was not at home at the time. It was formerly Moe’s Bait Shop.
Former sheriff’s building razed By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecountynews.com
Brooklyn King and Gabriella Havey applaud their fellow dancers during a performance by Dance with Angie at the Oregon Coliseum during the Candlelight Walk on Nov. 28. Photo by Earleen Hinton
In This Week’s Edition...
Agriculture, A7 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B7-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4
Library News, A3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Public Voice, A8 Property Transfers, B4
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B4
The walls of what was once the headquarters of E.D. Etnyre & Company in Oregon are no more. Demolition began Nov. 16 on the century-old brick building that most recently was the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office. By the end of the week the building had been razed. The demolition is the final phase of a project that began more than a year ago with the construction of the new Ogle County Public Safety Complex just to the east of the old building. The new $4.1 million building, which houses the sheriff’s department, coroner, and telecommunications center, officially opened last April. The old building is being razed to make way for a parking lot. E.D. Etnyre & Company was located in the building at 103 Jefferson St. from around 1900 until the firm gave the building to the county to use as a sheriff’s office in the 1980s. The county board approved $1 million in capital Turn to A2
Deaths, B5 June E. Arians, Michelle J. Huskins, Maurice C. Scholl
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com