Tri County Press

POLO TRI-COUNTY PRESS VOLUME 162 NO. 46 • SERVING THE POLO AREA SINCE 1857

Friday, January 22, 2021 • $1.00

COUNTY NEWS

POLO ART & SOUL

Revitalization

Two local men have big plans for Mt. Morris’ downtown. / 4

COUNTY NEWS

House Fire

A rural Polo home is heavily damaged during a Jan. 16 fire. / 13

Vaccinations Ogle County first responders receive COVID-19 vaccinations. / 14

Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@shawmedia.com

Polo’s Ryan Jandrey is proving his ability to capture the soul and personality of a person through his use of charcoal, graphite, pen, light and shadow. Here he files through an old sketchbook. Story on page 11.

One section • 20 Pages

INDEX Betty’s Column ........ 7 Business News......... 4 Church Listing.........19 Classifieds ........19, 20

COVID-19 Update..... 6 Library News ...........19 Otto’s Column .......... 6 Polo Police ...............15

Property Transfers..18 Sheriff Activity........18 State Police .............15 Zoning Permits .......18

DEATHS Published every Friday

by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media

Mark J. Gruszeczka, Ronald K. Haefner, Gretel Anne Jones, Page 15

CITY COUNCIL POLO TRI-COUNTY PRESS POLO TRI-COUNTY PRESS RI-COUNTY PRESS

Tri-County Press / oglecountynews.com • Friday, January 22, 2021

TRI-COUNTY BEAT

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Copyright 2021

Bank makes counter offer on building City will seek extension, inspection and make a counter offer

BY JEFF HELFRICH

jhelfrich@shawmedia.com The City of Polo’s offer of $175,000 on the CedarStone building at 610 S. Division Ave. was countered by a $225,000 offer by the bank that owns it.

The city was under contract to purchase the property for $229,000 late last year before the deal expired due to the building being tied up in bankruptcy proceedings. The council is looking to purchase the building and convert into a new city hall.

At its Monday meeting, the council mulled the counter offer and directed City Attorney Tom Suits to ask for an extension to respond to the offer from Jan. 20 to Jan. 25. The city wants to have the property inspected further for ADA compliance, among other things, before making a county offer.

“I think it would make sense to look at it and see what we got even if it costs us something,” Mayor Doug Knapp said.

“Check on the ramp outside and potential other problems. Before we offer anything back.”

Alderman Randy Schoon expressed desire to make a final counter offer of $185,000 on the building after getting

inspection done.

Alderman Troy Boothe was concerned by the bank not moving much from the original asking price of $229,000.

“When we made the offer, my concern was it was low and people can be insulted,” Boothe said. “To go from $229,000 to $225,000, they weren’t happy with our offer. If it was my house, I would’ve been [angry]. Someone would be lucky to get a counter offer if it was me selling.”

“I don’t see how the bank could be mad,” Schoon said. “It’s their fault they didn’t get $229,000. We need to know what we’re getting into.”

it hard to plow,” Kyker said. “If we go no parking at all, we return that whole road to the state. They’d take care of it and plow it. If they redid it, we’d have to do our own parking lane if it was still ours.”

Removing parking would also aid Moring Disposal, the city’s sanitation contractor. There’s been discussions of Moring ceasing to go into alleys in town due to wear and tear on them and trucks getting stuck during the winter.

The city’s contract with Moring is up in coming weeks and it decided Monday to receive sealed quotes from other contractors along with Moring.

“It would help Moring and keep our expenses down on the highway,” Kyker said. “People don’t like change, but in time they’d never know it happened.”

Knapp said about 15 cars are parked on Illinois 26 at any given time. He also said a public hearing could be held on the issue in the future.

Liquor License Fees

City officials discussed ceasing to allow parking on Illinois 26 at the meeting due to concerns brought up by Public Works Director Kendall Kyker.

“There have been accidents by Casey’s and cars parked on Illinois 26 makes

The council decided unanimously to waive this quarter’s $325 liquor license fees for businesses that have been impacted by COVID-19.

“They’re trying to recover and missed 10 weeks of paychecks,” Alderman Jim Busser said.

The next payment due will be May 1, making it a full year of the city waiving them. Alderman Justin Grobe abstained from the vote due to having a family connection to one of the businesses.

two months, they will all be home. I can hardly wait to see them all in person.

This will be another busy week with school, work, and online gatherings. I miss seeing everyone, but I have a new appreciation for staying home. I have found several projects to work on and ways to relax at home.

When I was staying at home with my young children, my mom invited me to make a few crafts to put in her booth at a local craft show. She had been participating in craft shows since I was a teenager. The smell of pine still takes me back to our garage when I would help her.

Little did I know that making crafts would become such a big part of my holiday season. I still remember the excitement and exhaustion of getting ready for a show. Mom and I would make drawings of our booth plans, share ideas for new crafts, and create items together.

After she passed away, I had intended on going back to our craft business, but with work and school over the past couple of years I have not found the time to

get back into it. Since we are all spending more time at home now, I have made time to make a few projects.

Creating will always be a part of me.

My mom and grandma were very creative. Their artistic gifts were handed down to my mom’s generation, and in turn, to my children. I am glad to carry that piece of my mom with me always.

As God’s children, we have inherited His traits. We have the ability to forgive, to care, and to love one another. These traits are a part of each of us. We can choose to use them as we interact with our family, friends, and neighbors.

Our prayers are with Lyle and Sheryl Hopkins after they lost their home to a fire. Thankfully, they were not hurt. Our hope is that they will be able to return to their place as soon as possible.

Make plans to join Charlotte in her midweek message on Wednesday at noon. All of her videos are available for viewing on our Facebook page. I hope to see you next week when we gather online to worship and share a time of prayer.

Parking on Illinois 26

PINE CREEK NEWS

BY KAREN MERLAK The dreary days of winter keep moving on. Already, we are almost through January. The welcoming sunshine provides relief for our mental health, as well as, a break from the cold winter winds. For all the ways we experience God’s blessings, we are thankful.

This morning for church, Pastor Charlotte Hoppe shared her morning message over Facebook Live. Charlotte also shares a midweek message on Facebook.

All are welcome to follow our church’s page.

We continue to hope for the day when we can worship side by side.

On Monday, I started my semester as a student teacher in Rockford. The class is small and excited to learn. I am enjoying meeting the students and staff. The first week has been learning new routines and ways that I can help.

This past Saturday afternoon, I spoke with Stephanie, João, and Clint about their plans to come home. Matt caught up with me later in the day. In less than

COUNTY BOARD

Potential Rochelle business could invest $130 million

BY JEFF HELFRICH

jhelfrich@shawmedia.com The Ogle County Board unanimously expanded its tax abatement ordinance at its Tuesday meeting in hopes of attracting “Project Jackpot,” a business looking at opening at the old Nippon-Sharyo locations in Rochelle.

The business, which still remains anonymous, said it would be making a capital investment of over $130 million and adding 150 jobs that pay an average of $52,000 per year before benefits to the area.

“This is the dream project,” Rochelle Economic Director Jason Anderson said. “150 people hired.

These don’t happen every day. We need cooperation from every taxing

A major manufacturer could soon be moving into the Nippon Sharyo buildings in Rochelle and create more than 150 new jobs for the region. district. A real effort to show we’ll support it.”

The Nippon Sharyo buildings at 1600 Ritchie Court have been vacant for almost three years. They have already been purchased by Project Jackpot. Lee-Ogle Enterprise Zone Administrator Andy Shaw presented the abatement changes at the meeting. There are now three tiers of abatement.

The first is the abatement that

was already in place, which is six years of 50 percent abatement. The second tier is not aimed at Jackpot, but other projects in the future and consists of adding four years of 50 percent abatement to the base and requires $50 million in investment and 75 jobs, 95 percent of which must be maintained for the duration of abatement.

Project Jackpot requested the current two years of abatement left on

the west Nippon Sharyo building be extended by 10 years.

“The top tier put in for Jackpot adds 10 years of 50 percent abatement,” Shaw said. “They need an investment of $100 million or more plus 125 new jobs and a pay rate of $50,000 or more before benefits yearly of nonmanagerial employees and maintain 95 percent employees. We want to see good-paying jobs. The east building won’t be abated at all.

It’s a total of 12 years for the west building.

The potential business is headquartered in Illinois and is a multi-billion dollar company with 17 domestic production facilities, its representative, Clare Walter, said at the meeting.

“We’ve worked with them for a year,” Anderson said. There’s a number of hurdles. This is an American company seriously committed to restoring jobs back lost in recent decades. There’s a lot of other hurdles, but this is a big one. Thank you for your support.”

ROCHELLE

USDA told OCHD it couldn’t close Rochelle Foods Spring outbreak may not have been end of COVID issues at plant

BY JEFF HELFRICH

jhelfrich@shawmedia.com Issues between the Ogle County Health Department and Hormel’s Rochelle Foods plant made national news this week.

The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting published a story in USA Today on Monday reporting that USDA staffers told OCHD Administrator Kyle Auman on May 1 that he had “no authority to investigate or keep plants like Rochelle Foods closed,” citing President Donald Trump’s April 28 executive order invoking the Defense Production Act to keep food processing facilities operating despite mounting reports of worker infections and deaths.

A late April outbreak caused Auman to close Rochelle Foods for two weeks and all 900 employees were tested and at least 123 COVID-

Rochelle Foods processing plant was shut down by the Ogle County Health Department for two weeks in April after several workers tested positive for COVID-19.

19 cases were found. To date, three employees have been hospitalized and another died from the virus, the story said.

“We essentially had to leave Rochelle Foods alone,” Auman said in an interview, quoted in the story.

“They were using the act to keep people working, not to protect public health.”

In response to questions from reporters that wrote the story, the USDA said in a statement that it sought to offer help and “foster a conversation so that all the parties could work out a path forward that

ensures the safety of the dedicated workers in the facility and continuity of operations.”

No COVID-19 cases have been reported publicly since Rochelle Foods opened May 4, the story said.

The OCHD has been fighting COVID19 cases ever since, it reported.

“A second outbreak of infections this fall went unreported to anyone outside the company and the local health department,” the story said.

“By mid-September, at least 137 COVID-19 cases had been reported at the plant in Rochelle.

In response to questions for the

story, Rochelle Foods said it has spent $80 million on safety measures related to the coronavirus.

It defended its record and said, in part, that “like so many food-production companies, Rochelle Foods had one mission, to keep team members safe from a virus that no one knew how to completely mitigate – including the communities in which we have operations. The work we did in those earliest days kept people safe. It is easy to go back and judge nearly a year later, but we remain confident that we did everything we could to put safety first.”

The story reported that complaints from Rochelle Foods were sent to the OCHD that suggested the company “was allowing, but not forcing, symptomatic employees to work.”

Rochelle Foods said it does not allow employees to work after a positive result and pays workers to stay home, the story said.

According to the story, on Oct. 7, Auman wrote to the plant manager, Scott T. Morrison, that “cases continue to grow and do not seem to be under control.”

See PLANT, Page 8

OGLE COUNTY NEWS Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, January 22, 2021

Tax abatement expanded for “Project Jackpot”

3

Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, January 22, 2021

OGLE COUNTY NEWS

4

BUSINESS

Butcher shop, restaurant planned for Mt. Morris

Two businessmen team up to revitalize downtown properties

BY JEFF HELFRICH

jhelfrich@shawmedia.com Josh Nelson farms the land right next to Jeff Warren’s orchard north of Mt. Morris.

This year, they’ll be starting a business together that they hope will revitalize Mt. Morris, starting with its downtown.

Wesley 1895 will consist of a butcher shop and bakery, and later, a farm-to-table restaurant.

The pair purchased property located at 13 S. Wesley Ave including the adjacent lot where the Penner building was late last year in a deal facilitated by the village board. $1.1 million will be invested in the development of the business.

“There’s a risk here,” Nelson said. “But I think this communi-

Josh Nelson of Nelson Family Farms (right) and Jeff Warren of BerryView Orchard have purchased property in downtown Mt. Morris and plan to develop it into a restaurant and butcher shop. Photo supplied ty deserves a business and marketplace like this. This is to revitalize the Mt. Morris community. If we’re the next step, that’s what I want to do. I was raised here. I want to see it prosper and do well.”

The two Mt. Morris residents won’t be straying far from their areas of expertise. Nelson Family Farms and Warren’s BerryView Orchard have become community staples.

Nelson plans to use his livestock experience at Wesley 1895 after noticing flaws in the food supply chain during the COVID-19 pandemic. He wants to get more local products to the community after conversations he has had with area residents.

As a small livestock producer, Nelson saw meat packing plants close, leaving producers high and dry with delays and decreased return on investment.

“There are fewer and fewer places taking livestock,” Nelson said. “I want to change that and bring power back to the consumer. I have a lot of conversations with the older generation. The relationship they built with a butcher shop. I want to get back to that. Convenience. Knowing where your food comes from.”

The pair decided to go into business together after the village’s economic development group noticed they had similar desires and put them in touch. Conversations have gone on for over a year-and-a-half.

Warren said a part of him is glad

See WESLEY 1895, Page 5

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conversations have taken “a bit” so the business wasn’t trying to start in the heart of the pandemic.

The pair have learned lessons from the pandemic and plan to incorporate them into Wesley 1895.

“We can design more towards COVID-19-friendly practices like drive-up and having space for social distancing,” Warren said. “Things that may be parts of our world’s new way of life.”

Warren and Nelson plan on outdoor seating for the restaurant, due to its proximity to the Mt. Morris downtown events like the summers’ Kable Band concerts. They both have fond memories of those nights.

“The simple answer is revitalizing downtown,” Nelson said. “Every Wednesday as a child I’d go and watch the Kable band play. It’s a perfect little spot. I want to highlight that and be a part of it. Down the road I want every building in that area to be full of life. We’ll offer another experience.”

The restaurant will have seasonal menus highlighting fruits, vegetables and ag producers in season in the area.The pair want to stay away from pre-processed and packaged foods.

Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@shawmedia.com

Volunteers from the Mt. Morris Economic Development Group work to clean up the building at 13 S. Wesley Avenue in downtown Mt. Morris on Jan. 16.

Customers may see asparagus first and then peppers and tomatoes.

Maybe fresh lamb, too. The menus will be small.

“A unique culinary experience,” Nelson said. “People may go in without knowing what’s on the menu.

We want to do the small things great. That’s the vision.”

The village will be reimbursing

Wesley 1895 for a total of $200,000 in TIF money during the development, which Warren called “instrumental” and will help with the visuals, structure and “bones of the building.

Nelson and Warren intend to complete the renovation of the buildings

by September in time for Labor Day. They’ve spent the past couple week-

ends filling dumpsters and prepping for renovations. Something they found in initial visits to the properties inspired its future name.

“We were brainstorming,” Warren said. “It’s on Wesley Avenue.

There was a cement stone engraved with 1895. That’s when it was built.

That sounded good.”

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OGLE COUNTY NEWS Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, January 22, 2021

Continued from Page 4

Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, January 22, 2021

OGLE COUNTY NEWS

6

LOCAL HISTORY

Two locals included in 1905 book of Republicans

Editor’s note: Otto Dick, Oregon has researched the people, places and events important in the Oregon area’s history for the Ogle County Historical Society. The following is one of a series of the articles he has written.

BY OTTO DICK In 1905 the Lewis Publishing Company published a book containing a portrait and chronological record of members of the Republican party in Illinois.

This was a collection of Republicans who represented and worked for the Republican Party in Illinois.

Beneath the portrait of over 350 portraits is included a brief biography.

It is no surprise that Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant are the first two Republicans listed.

Abraham Lincoln

“Born Hardin Co., Kentucky, Feb. 12, 1809, a martyr at Washington, April 15, 1865.

“Reared in Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois, educated himself, was Mississippi flat-boatman, rail-splitter, captain in Black Hawk War, kept a store, was a practical surveyor, at age of 25 elected to the Illinois Legislature, at age 27 admitted to the bar.

“In 1837 moved to Springfield, Illinois. In 1846 he was elected to the U. S. Congress and elected President of the U. S., 1860 and reelected in 1864.

He guided this country through the Civil War and was assassinated at its close.”

Ulysses S. Grant

“Born in Point Pleasant, Ohio,

Fred Zick

Ziba Landers

Ziba’s home on S. 6th Street in Oregon.

Abraham Lincoln

Ulysses S. Grant

have three children, Fred S., Leon A., and Helen E. Zick.”

offices.

“He served as sergeant of arms for the session of the Illinois Senate in 1902 and doorkeeper of the House of Representatives of the 43rd.” Assembly. He was a member of the following organizations, Masons, Woodmen, Mystic Workers and Yeomen.”

April 27, 1822 and died at Mt. McGregor, New York, July 23, 1885.

“He graduated at West Point, 1842, serving through the Mexican War. He left the army in 1854 and located at Galena, Illinois, 1860. He was the commander of the Union Armies until March 1864 and received Lee’s surrender April 9, 1865.

“He was elected President of the U. S. in 1868 and was one of the most prominent figures in American military and public life.”

Fred Zick from Polo and Z. A. Landers from Oregon are listed.

Fred Zick

“Born in Jo Daviess County, Illinois on, Oct. 20, 1858, Fred worked on a farm, taught school and graduated from Northern Illinois College.

“In 1844 he was admitted to the Bar and 1886 engaged in the practice of law. In 1902 he was elected mayor of Polo and worked as an active Republican. In 1890 Fred married Miss Mary G. Sanborn. 1890. They

Z. A. Landers

“Ziba born in Waukegan, Illinois, educated in Ogle County, and has been editor of the Ogle Republican since 1895. He is a lifelong and active Republican and filled many local

COVID-19 UPDATE

Ogle County cases up to 4,506 as of Tuesday, Jan. 19 No new deaths, 101 cases in a week

BY JEFF HELFRICH

jhelfrich@shawmedia.com The Ogle County Health Department reported 15 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, Jan. 19 for a total of 4,506.

Twenty eight cases were reported over the weekend. One hundred and one new cases have come in the past week. Ages and locations of the individuals that test positive are not being released to protect their privacy.

The OCHD has reported no new deaths in the past week. Ogle County has seen a total of 59

COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Recoveries of documented cases stand at 3,973, with 46 new ones reported Tuesday.

The Illinois Department of Public Health site said Tuesday that there are 1,467 cases in the zip code that includes Rochelle, Creston and White

Rock.

Stillman Valley has 240 cases, Byron has 838 cases and Davis Junction has 278 cases.

Oregon and Mt. Morris have 568 and 240 cases, respectively.

Polo has 251 cases, Leaf River has 127 cases and Forreston has 179 cases.

The Sauk Valley as a whole reported 77 new cases Tuesday.

Whiteside County announced 21 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday involving four people under 20, three in their 20s, one in their 30s, three in their 40s, six in their 60s, three in their 70s and one over 80.

See COVID-19, Page 8

LOCAL HISTORY

fter I had sorted the history of the Presbyterian Church, I had a folder of very old information. I started writing from a letter that had been written May 5, 1888 by V. B. Webster and figured that would be it since it was all typed up and easy to read.

Then I came across handwritten notes that were read Easter March 31, 1907 at a special service. The paper clip was rusty and needed to be removed. As I did so I started reading. The handwriting was easy to read and the person had really investigated all of the past history.

In fact this person had more of a philosophy to impart as well as history. Interesting little details popped up.

The paper started out: “In these days of marvelous material development, invention and discovery we sometimes forget that all these material triumphs are possible only because of what has gone on before. We are sometimes tempted by the glamour of the present to belittle the past.”

Of course I was hooked on this person’s writing and I had to read more.

This person in the first few pages reflected on the heritage of the American church at large and the part it played in our history. Then he or she got down to the task of what they were to do and that was to write on the first twenty years of the life of the Buffalo Grove Independent Presbyterian Church.

This individual started out with the first 11

COMMENTARY Betty Obendorf Polo Historical Society

people who started the church and the question of slavery in our country along with the use and making of intoxicating beverages. Those were the issues of the day that helped develop the church.

The first pastor came and they soon did not have enough money to support him. The next person came and they added 17 more people to the church membership. But it was still such a struggle that Rev. Calvin Gray who divided his time between Mt. Carroll and Buffalo Grove “simply wore himself out.”

He went to Kansas. You soon got the feeling that this was not an easy process!

The third pastor, Rev. Wm. Todd came and by this time the making of Polo had come into view and he gently moved people into Polo, added 64 more members, and started the building of the church in Polo. “When the walls of the church were blown down he helped with his own hands to repair the damage” were in the notes of this person’s writings.

All the specifications of the new church were in

the notes and even when the payments were to be made.

Nothing was left out and I liked all the little details of the struggles of building and keeping a church going.

The notes continued with these words: “Fifty years ago there were no wealthy men in the community, the First Presbyterian Church town was new and nearly every man was struggling to secure his own home. The farmers were not much if any better off. Under these conditions it was no small task to build and pay for a $12,000 church but there were men then who were willing to work and to sacrifice.”

In the end it was not until 1865 that the entire debt was taken care of and by that time they had to pay an additional $1,500 in interest.

It was indeed a struggle to build a church in the new little community of Polo. The person writing the history of the church reported on many years of history. More than 20 years which had been the original job. All very interesting.

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OGLE COUNTY NEWS Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, January 22, 2021

Church folder has interesting handwritten details A

7

Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, January 22, 2021

OGLE COUNTY NEWS

8

READING MATTERS

Tips offered on how to help struggling readers I

n the world of online learning in 2020 many are concerned about student learning, including parents and teachers.

For parents, it may be difficult to know and understand how their child is doing in a subject area.

If you are concerned, be sure to contact your child’s teacher. This month’s column offers a broad overview of various reading difficulties and possible ways to support struggling readers in each area.

English is an alphabetic language, so learning to read begins with learning the names of the letters of the alphabet.

It is also necessary to learn the sounds that each letter represents. For young readers who find this difficult it can be helpful to add music to the learning, play games that focus on letters and sounds, or to add tactile experiences by making letters in shaving cream on a table or with Play Doh. There are many apps and online games for early readers that involve learning the names and sounds of the letters. A good place to begin is with the letters in the child’s name.

Beginning readers also need to learn whole words by sight. These words are sometimes called high frequency words, sometimes sight words.

They are generally short words, but they are found in a high percentage of all print so learning to read them automatically without slowing down to sound them out makes reading easier.

COMMENTARY Mary Gardner Reading Specialist

Additionally, many of the high frequency words do not follow regular phonics rules, which makes them difficult to sound out. Think of words like said, have, or the.

Teachers in the early grades send lists of these words home, perhaps six to eight words a week, for children to learn. Making flashcards for these words is one way to practice them.

If you make two identical sets you can play a memory game. You can also write sentences using the words, children’s names, color words, and pictures as needed. Sight words are best learned in the context of real reading and writing.

From the beginning we want to be sure our children and grandchildren know that the whole purpose of reading is to understand what is read.

Reading comprehension is one of the main reading difficulties that students encounter.

We can support comprehension by talking about what we are reading to or with our children and grandchildren.

Before reading we can read and discuss the title,

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any pictures, and even information on the back of a book, making predictions of what we think the book will be about. We should stop during reading and after reading as well to discuss what we learned or what happened.

Asking questions like why, who, what, when, where, or how can guide those discussions. A problem related to comprehension is reading fluency. This includes an appropriate rate, accuracy, and reading with expression.

If readers must slow down and sound out many words, the reading breaks down and understanding what is read is difficult, if not impossible.

Repeated re-readings of easy, familiar texts build fluency and confidence. An older child can read to younger siblings and both benefit from time spent reading. You might also try echo reading which is when an adult reads a line or small amount of text and the child repeats it.

Be sure the child is looking at the print as they repeat what you read. The adult models reading with expression and at an appropriate rate. Poetry works well for echo reading. It is good to have fun while practicing!

Reading is a complex process. That process can break down in many areas and cause reading difficulties.

This is a simplistic explanation of some of the ways the process may break down. We always want to support our readers and encourage their efforts. Keep reading to them!

• PLANT

Continued from Page 3 In the story, Auman is quoted as saying the first outbreak at Rochelle Foods had a “huge impact on community spread outside the plant and contributed to infections locally.

Auman did not return calls seeking comment for this story by time of publication. He did address the Ogle County Board at its Tuesday night meeting, but the issue was not mentioned.

The Jan. 18 story was written

• COVID-19 UPDATE

Continued from Page 6

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Lee County announced 41 new COVID-19 cases since last Friday.

Two of those were from Dixon Correctional Center. The other new cases involved three teens, 10 people in their 20s, three in their 30s, 11 in their 40s, five in their 50s, three in their 60s and four in their 70s. There were also 67 additional recoveries.

Carroll County did not report updated statistics on Tuesday.

Whiteside County has had 5,375 cases and 134 deaths. Lee County has had 2,820 cases and 54 deaths. Carroll County has had 1,406 cases, 1,356

by: Derek Kravitz, Georgia Gee, Madison McVan, Ignacio Calderon Brown Institute for Media Innovation, Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism and Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting is an independent, nonprofit newsroom based in Illinois offering investigative and enterprise coverage of agribusiness, Big Ag and related issues. USA TODAY is funding a fellowship at the center for expanded coverage of agribusiness and its impact on communities. recoveries and 31 deaths.

The North region (Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside and Winnebago counties) has seen zero days under the 6.5% positivity rate to advance to Phase 4. The region’s positivity rate decreased to 6.8%. Currently, 29% of ICU are available.

The region has 11 consecutive days above the 20% threshold for ICU bed availability.

Within this region, DeKalb County’s positivity rate increased to 9.7%, Ogle County’s rate decreased to 5.7%, Lee County’s rate decreased to 1.4%, and Whiteside County’s rate increased to 5.8%.

YOUR ENVIRONMENT The first residential electronic recycling drop-off in Ogle County is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 29, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the County Annex Building, 909 Pines Road in Oregon.

Free permits are required in advance for this recycling event.

The permits may be obtained by calling 815-732-4020 or email solidwaste@ oglecounty.org with your name, street address, and town.

This recycling event is for Ogle

County residents only and proof of residency is required in addition to the free permit.

The permit is good for the event in which you sign up for, and allows a resident to bring in a maximum of seven large or bulky items for recycling. Limit one permit per residence per month.

Items accepted at these recycling events include all residential televisions, computer monitors, comput-

ers, computer hardware and cables, printers, FAX machines, desktop copiers, VCR/ DVD players, satellite and cable boxes, video gaming equipment, remote controls (remove batteries), cell phones, tablets, laptop computers, radios, stereo equipment (no large wooden speakers), shredders, digital clocks, calculators, adding machines, phones and phone systems, rechargeable batteries, printer toner cartridges, CFL bulbs, extension cords.

PUBLIC VOICE Lions say thanks for all the help To the Editor,

We want to thank everyone who helped with our Christmas boxes this year. Especially the Forreston Schools who collected a lot of canned food for us.

Thanks to the Forreston Mutual Insurance company for purchasing the fruit. We delivered 60 boxes this year and gave three truckloads to the food pantry!

Thanks to the fire department for donating six smoke alarms. Thanks to everyone who helped me under the limited circumstances this year and thanks to everyone who gave monetary donations.

Larry Dikkers Forreston Lions Club

Where will Illinois’ Man-Thing go from here?

To the editor:

I enjoyed comic books as a kid. Superman and the Silver Surfer were among my favorite characters. However, there was also a more obscure character called the Man-Thing The Man-Thing started out as a human being named Sallis. However,

after injecting himself with a serum and crashing into a swamp, Sallis was transformed into a slow-moving plant-matter creature that lacked normal human intellect. The Man-Thing was dependent upon the swamp he inhabited for his continued survival.

The 16th Congressional District in Illinois has its own Man-Thing: Rep. Adam Kinzinger.

Kinzinger first ran for the U.S. House of Representatives as a Tea Party candidate in 2010 and even won an endorsement from Sarah Palin. “The [Tea Party] movement has helped remind the party that it lost track of the Republican principles that I believe in,” Kinzinger said in 2010.

Kinzinger won the general election that fall and went to Washington, D.C. Shortly after that, he must have injected himself with the serum. He joined the Tuesday Group, an informal caucus formed by “moderate” Republicans in 1994 as a counterbalance to conservative Republicans.

By 2012, Kinzinger had already become a lackey for House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor. Kinzinger joined Boehner in opposing the Tea Party during the debt-ceiling fight of 2011, while Cantor lost the GOP

primary in 2014 to Dave Brat, a Tea Party candidate. Kinzinger’s transformation had begun.

During recent years, Kinzinger crashed into the swamp and is now fully a creature of that swamp, to the extent that he actually joined Nancy Pelosi and her fellow anti-American Democrats in yet another illegitimate impeachment of President Trump.

Where will Illinois’ Man-Thing go from here? It’s unlikely that he will prevail in a primary contest next year, yet he needs the swamp to survive. My guess is that he’ll move to the liberal media swamp and become a CNN “Republican.”

Kevin Groenhagen Overland Park, Kansas

Now is the time for all to pull together To the editor,

Are you weary of the dreaded news?

Are you tired of man’s inhumanity to man? When will we all say, “enough is enough?” Are we willing to allow evil to take over our families, schools, towns, states, country and world? This beautiful planet that God created for us, is this how we want to teach our next generations This madness has got to stop and it begins will all of us.

I have lived a long life, but I think of the younger generations behind us and what kid of lives they will have. We have allowed the attitude of opposition and hate to take over our society, and we have the power, time and energy to turn this around for out good and for those coming behind us.

If only a few people pull on the rope,” the job is very difficult, but if we all grab hold and pull, the job will be light.

Let’s try to teach each other how to get along and live in peace. It will make for a healthier, happier and more progressive existence for all of us.

Consider what God has to say to us in 2 Chronicles 7:14, If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Let’s all try to be a good example and teach other how to live peaceful lives.

Let’s all try to make a difference in our daily contacts more positive attitudes and examples to all we come in contact with. Let’s try to behave more the way god asks us to behave and see where it takes us.

Nancy Lenhart Mt. Morris

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OGLE COUNTY NEWS Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, January 22, 2021

Recycle electronics on Jan. 29 in Oregon

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Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, January 22, 2021

OGLE COUNTY NEWS

10

TRIBUTE

Daws leaves behind county board, farming legacy

Typer: “Somebody had to have the insight. He did”

BY JEFF HELFRICH

jhelfrich@shawmedia.com Despite leaving the Ogle County Board in 2004, the recent completion of the Judicial Center Annex was a testament to Jerry Daws’ legacy.

Daws, 81, of Forreston, died on Jan. 2. He served on the county board for 30 years starting in 1974 and was chairman from 1978-1979 and from 1990-2002.

Daws formed the board’s longrange planning committee that resulted in building the health department, judicial center, remodeling the courthouse, and finally the judicial center annex.

He was essential in making the decision to dedicate landfill tipping fees towards long-term planning, current board member Marty Typer (District 5, Stillman Valley) said.

A vote in the early 90s put money towards the judicial center rather than a planned jail outside of Oregon.

“The county was growing and there was a shortage of space,” Typer said. “That was probably the biggest issue he faced. He provided for leadership that still shows now.

We could’ve not had anything at this point. It was his best accomplishment. Somebody had to have the insight. He did.”

Typer began serving on the board with Daws in 1992. He called Daws multi-focused and multi-sighted.

Being in leadership for as long as Daws was is significant, Typer said.

“When you look up ‘good old boy’ in the dictionary, you see his picture,” Typer said. “He was very likable. We didn’t always agree. He was a very formidable adversary.

But he had everyone’s best interest at heart. People saw him as a leader.

He worked well with department heads. He was good at talking to people to find out what they wanted to get done.”

Professionally, Daws was a lifelong farmer, dedicated to soil conservation, a third generation purebred Poland China hog producer, and also raised beef cattle. Later in life he focused primarily on corn and soybean farming.

“Jerry will be missed,” Ogle County Farm Bureau Manager Rob Kern said. “He was involved in quite a few things. And he was passionate about

Ogle County Newspapers File Photos

ABOVE: The Ogle County Judicial Center opened in 2005 in Oregon. It houses the courtrooms and offices of the circuit clerk, state’s attorney, and probation. BELOW LEFT: Jerry Daws was a former Ogle County Board Chairman. BELOW CENTER: Daws watched the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Ogle County Jail from a van. Daws was one of the proponents for a new jail years ago when he was on the Ogle County Board. BELOW RIGHT: Daws feeds mortgage documents for the Judicial Center into a shredder in 2013 while then-chairman Kim Gouker glances over others. The board agreed in November 2013 to pay off the $10.3 million debt remaining on the center 10 years early, saving the county an estimated $2.7 million in interest. Gouker invited Daws to do the honors because Daws was chairman when the new judicial center was proposed, approved, planned, and built. It was completed in 2005 at a cost of $15 million.

them. He was never half-hearted.

He’d give it everything he had when he put his mind to something. We worked with him for many years and he supported our organization.

It was always good to see him.”

Daws received the Conservation Farmer of the Year award for Ogle County in 1978 and served six years on the Poland China Record Association Board with five years as President. The Ogle County Pork Producers Association was organized with

his leadership.

Since he chaired a county board in an agriculture-focused county, Daws addressed ag issues and its needs a lot, Kern said.

Kern called Daws’ generation of farmers as one that “knew and knew well,” despite technological advances that changed the way they did things.

“Those guys were hard-working,” Kern said. “To make a farm last this long with seeing drought, flood and

bad prices and keep going. Jerry would be one that may not be able to use the technology, but he could pass on knowledge of farm management.”

Typer will remember Daws for his attitude as much as he will for his contributions to the county.

“He always smiled,” Typer said.

“He loved a good joke and story. He was as happy in his work as anyone could be. He loved to give advice and show people around.”

IN THE ARTS

BY ALEX T. PASCHAL

apaschal@shawmedia.com One winter day years ago when anxiety got him down, Ryan Jandrey picked up a pencil.

The Polo personal trainer had and still battles anxiety, enough so that he was on medication for a time, but he has since found a better medicine for him: art.

“It’s like turning chaos into order,” the 35-year-old Jandrey said.

“It puts all the excessive energy into focus, it puts a concrete thought instead of an abstract one.”

The self-taught artist was given art supplies as a gift, and on that aforementioned winter day, he started to create. He had found the process to be a reliever of stress, to be cathartic in the struggles of his anxiety that comes out of nowhere.

“In the winter, when it’s cold and I feel cooped up is when I have have the most trouble,” Jandrey said.

“Heart’s pounding, cold sweats, there’s nothing in your mind that you’re freaking out about, it just comes out of nowhere.”

From all of these struggles a focused, talented artist has emerged.

Jandrey is proving his ability to capture the soul and personality of a person through his use of charcoal, graphite, pen, light and shadow. His portraits are deep and personal, his technique is careful and soft, even with hard-boiled historic characters as troubled poet Edgar Allan Poe and famed existentialist Leo Tolstoy.

While learning his craft, Jandrey struggled. “Looking at faces were very overwhelming. I never had confidence for a long time because I compared myself to the masters. I need to compare myself to a month or year ago.”

The artist worked on honing his style by referencing anatomy books, looking for landmarks, breaking down the form and structure and studying ratios. “There’s a science to it, but also creativity comes in there.”

What gives Jandrey’s portraits such depth is his exercise in philosophical study and discussion.

Books by Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Bukowski and “The Outsider” by

Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@shawmedia.com

LEFT: Ryan Jandrey is proving his ability to capture the soul and personality of a person through his use of charcoal, graphite, pen, light and shadow. ABOVE: He drew this portrait of his grandfather Don Jandrey with his dog Hazel. BELOW: Charcoal on grey paper is his favorite medium. Here’s a trio of some of his favorite works.

Colin Wilson line his shelves. “‘The Outsider’ is basically about people who don’t fit in with the rest of society, because they’re not happy with the surface-level thinking that most people live on, they want something deeper out of life,” Jandrey said.

He took this philosophy to heart one day by leaving a good factory job. “Do I really want to do this?” he

asked himself before walking away.

He had designs on becoming a personal trainer before his exit, so studying became his new job. After focusing, studying and passing the test, he was hired at the Sterling Park District’s Westwood Sports Complex in Sterling.

Current global conditions suggest that anxiety is rampant. Art therapy isn’t for everyone, but as one who

has dealt with the condition, Jandrey does offer this advice: “Don’t let it bring your walls in on you.

Don’t let it stop you from living, it can quickly snowball. Keep your routine, and if you don’t have one, find one.”

Jandrey is open to commission work. Call or text 815-631-4451, find him on Facebook or look him up at @jansauce85 on Instagram.

• Oregon Republican Reporter • Mt. Morris Times •Tri-County Press • Forreston Journal Only $39 a year for subscribers living in Ogle County. Call 815-632-2518 to subscribe today!

OGLE COUNTY NEWS Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, January 22, 2021

Polo trainer uses shade, shadow back to the light

11

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Law enforcement officials weigh in on reform bill

BY JEFF HELFRICH

jhelfrich@shawmedia.com Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle testified in Springfield Jan. 9-10 during proceedings of House Bill 3653 concerning police reform, which is now headed to the Governor’s desk.

VanVickle has various concerns about the bill, which includes eliminating cash bail within two years, allowing the use of deadly force only when an officer acts in self defense or defending others from bodily harm, making it easier to decertify officers by eliminating signed affidavit of complaint and mandating the use of police body cameras for all officers by 2025.

The cash bail change is VanVickle’s chief concern. Offenders being back out on the street faster makes him uneasy about victims’ safety.

“That doesn’t keep the community or victims safe,” VanVickle said.

“To provide offenders the ability to get out and victimize people all over again, that doesn’t do anybody justice. Chicago has tried that and has had a reduction in domestic battery prosecutions. The victims

are scared.”

Oregon Police Chief Shawn Melville echoed VanVickle’s sentiments.

“We run into taking people to jail and victims ask how long they’ll be in for,” Melville said. “They want to make a plan to stay safe. If it’s cashless they’ll be out before we’re done with paperwork. It’s not fair to victims.”

Most of the changes in the bill would take effect July 1, save for cash bail reform within two years and body cameras by 2025.

The training required to facilitate the changes along with the purchase of body cameras were both called “unfunded mandates” by VanVickle and Melville. There is no funding currently in place for either of those changes.

“It falls directly on taxpayers,” VanVickle said. “That will be for the county board to determine.”

Melville believes body cameras and training will be tough for a small town like Oregon to pay for.

Having years to budget and prepare for it could help.

“It doesn’t go into effect immedi-

ately for small towns,” Melville said.

“Body cameras are very expensive.

We can budget for it over the next few years. There’s state grants and fundraising. But we want them. Our guys are doing the right things.”

The changing of guidelines regarding engaging suspects concerns both Melville and VanVickle. If a suspect can be identified later and presents current danger, police are required to let them go, according to the bill.

Melville believes that change will force officers to consider more factors in split-second situations and could cause more conflicts.

“That will increase physical altercations,” Melville said. “If they think they can take off and get away, a lot more will. We already have to make split-second decisions. Officers will let them go or feel they’ll get sued or punished.”

The issue of making it easier to decertify officers by eliminating signed affidavit of complaint makes Melville think that officers could be more susceptible to discipline based on “nameless, no-evidence accusations.”

He also thinks it could be harder

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to recruit new officers in the future and keep those currently on staff.

“Anybody close to retiring would get out of the profession,” Melville said. “It’s already hard enough to find applicants. College kids have seen what’s happening. They don’t want to be cops anymore. All this talk, it will make things worse. Losing good cops and having to lower standards to get more cops.”

VanVickle called the totality of the changes in the bill “significant” to the law enforcement profession as whole.

“There was a reason chiefs, sheriffs, state’s attorneys and unions were all against this,” VanVickle said. “It changes things put in place to keep communities safe.”

He took to Facebook on Jan. 14 to reassure the community of his office’s dedication to policing going forward.

“We remain dedicated to the citizens and victims of this county,” VanVickle said. “We’ll put our boots on and continue to protect people to the full extent we can. We’ll be there for them when they need it.”

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HOUSE FIRE

House may be a total loss, fire chief says

BY JEFF HELFRICH

jhelfrich@shawmedia.com A house fire early Saturday morning in Polo yielded no injuries, but may have resulted in the total loss of a two-story home, Polo Fire Chief Tony Karrow said.

Crews responded to 7074 W. Penn Corner Rd. shortly after 2 a.m. on Jan. 16 and were on scene until 5:30 a.m. Heavy smoke was seen all around the home when crews arrived while both occupants had already gotten out.

“I don’t know if they could keep the shell,” Karrow said. “It burnt the metal off the roof. The second floor was completely destroyed. There was heavy smoke and water dam-

R.G. Hough

The Mt. Morris Fire Department was one of several departments that responded to a house fire at 7074 West Corner Road southeast of Polo. age and freezing to the first floor.

I would say total loss. We salvaged some personal effects.”

The fire marshal inspected the

scene for insurance purposes, Karrow said. The fire was accidental and not suspicious.

Fire crews from Mt. Morris,

Dixon Rural, Sterling, Oregon, Milledgeville, Leaf River, Forreston, Byron, Lynn-Scott Rock and Stillman Valley along with Advanced Ambulance responded to the scene.

“We only used 5,500 gallons and the guys did a good job of preventing the building from collapsing,” Karrow said.

County Board Member Lyle Hopkins owns the home and said the outpouring of community support since has “blown his mind.” Hopkins and his wife, Sheryl, have been working to sort things out and will likely have to rebuild almost completely after hearing about insurance specifics.

“Nobody got hurt,” Hopkins said.

“We’ve got a place to stay. The rest can be replaced. You wake up in the middle of the night and your house is on fire, you have to move fast.

The fire departments did great and got it under control. It could’ve been worse.”

STATE NEWS

School and police officials comment on tabled bill House Bill 0029 would eliminate School Resource Officers at schools

BY JEFF HELFRICH

jhelfrich@shawmedia.com A now-tabled state house bill introduced earlier this week would have eliminated school police resource officers and outlawed any police presence on school grounds save for “imminent threat of danger.

Since the bill’s first reading, Sauk Valley law enforcement organizations have spoken out against House Bill 0029. Lee County Sheriff John Simonton and Dixon Police Chief Steve Howell released a statement Jan. 15 to their community that was affected by a shooting at Dixon High School in 2018.

Simonton and Howell believe if the bill were to move forward in the future, it would negatively impact the relationships SROs have created with children on a regular basis.

School resource officers are paid for by school districts to be present in the school to assist students having problems, deter active shoot-

Oregon Police Chief Shawn Melville

Lee County Sheriff John Simonton

ers, violence and aid school officials with disturbances and fights.

“Do we need to look any further in our region, with the heroic actions taken by School Resource Officer Mark Dallas of the Dixon Police Department, saving the lives of multiple students and staff with his quick actions and intervention during an active shooting incident at Dixon High School,” Simonton said.

Simonton went on to advise the public to reach out to their state legislators against the bill or future legislation like it.

“If you believe it is you and your school district’s right to hire police officers to protect and aid your children while in school, you may want

Oregon Superintendent of Schools Tom Mahoney

to let your state legislators know, before they pass further legislation defunding and reducing police presence in our communities,” Simonton said.

Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle answered questions of the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Anne Stava-Murray (D-Downers Grove), while testifying over the weekend of Jan. 9-10 in Springfield about police reform.

VanVickle said he wasn’t surprised at Stava-Murray introducing the bill or the “pushback” she got as a result.

“My concern is the bill still sitting there and can be pushed forward later,” VanVickle said. “That is horrible. No law enforcement on the property without present danger.

They can’t be at a football game or a school dance. It shows the perspective it came from. It’s inappropriate.

It doesn’t protect our kids. It takes things out of local hands.”

Oregon Police Chief Shawn Melville called the bill’s ideals “very frustrating.”

“By the time there’s already a threat, with no officer, we’re losing lives,” Melville said. “People could’ve died in Dixon if not for Officer Dallas. Our support staff, them telling us we can’t have an officer in school, that’s terrible.”

Oregon School District Superintendent Tom Mahoney utilizes an SRO. He says it’s not to police kids, but to build a relationship before they get into the criminal justice system.

Mahoney said the bill may have caused schools to revert back to being reactive.

“The only time police were called was if there was violence or drugs or a threat,” Mahoney said. “The only times kids saw a cop was after violence. Now he’s integrated in what we do and we are building relationships.”

“It’s been successful. I was confident that the bill wouldn’t make it.

I think it’d be a tremendous detriment and a loss of a resource.”

OGLE COUNTY NEWS Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, January 22, 2021

No injuries in house fire early Saturday in rural Polo

13

Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, January 22, 2021

OGLE COUNTY NEWS

14

YOUR HEALTH

OCHD finishing up phase 1A of vaccinations

County, region, moves into Tier 1 mitigations

BY JEFF HELFRICH

jhelfrich@shawmedia.com Around 2,300 vaccinations have been administered in Ogle County so far, Health Department Public Administrator Kyle Auman said.

The OCHD has been vaccinating healthcare and long-term care personnel in phase 1A several days a week in conjunction with Rochelle Community Hospital. Auman said the main hurdle right now is receiving “limited and inconsistent” vaccination allocations weekly.

“It’s hard to create a larger plan when it’s a small number,” Auman said. “We hope those numbers grow.

It’s been random. First week it was 600, then 300 for a couple weeks and it was 400 this week. There’s no rhyme or reason. We’re ready to handle more, we’re just not getting it.”

Auman said the county is “wrapping up” the 1A vaccination phase and the state has told health departments they can move on to 1B soon.

Auman hopes to do that “pretty quickly.”

Phase 1B includes first responders, education, food and agriculture, manufacturing, corrections and inmates, postal service, public transit, grocery store and shelter and daycare workers along with anyone over the age of 65.

“We believe there’s 22,000 people in phase 1B,” Auman said. “That’s a good chunk of our population. It will be a big lift. It will probably take several months. I can’t give an exact start date, but it will be in the next

Forreston Fire Department Chief Bob Myers gets the COVID-19 vaccination.

Photo supplied couple weeks.”

Auman said the OCHD has continued to see hundreds of calls a day from residents asking when they can be vaccinated. The OCHD has started to use a new scheduling appointment system from the state and has been looking at scheduling dates with schools and employers after finishing up with first responders.

Vaccinating the over age 65 group presents a unique challenge for the OCHD, Auman said.

“They don’t use email,” Auman said. “We have a list of over 300 we’ll be calling. We’re still planning.”

Auman said over 4,000 people have pre-registered to get vaccinated when it becomes possible.

Ogle County and the rest of Region 1 has been moved to tier 1 mitigations as of late last week. It moved quickly through tier 2 on its way to

Mt. Morris Fire Department Paramedic Justin Stewart receives his COVID-19 vaccination. Photo supplied

Oregon Fire Department Paramedic Toni Giuffre gets the COVID-19 vaccine.

Photo supplied

tier 1.

“We can now do some indoor dining,” Auman said. “We’re below eight percent and at 6.8 percent as a region. We’re close to phase four which allows mitigations to relax more. It’s very exciting for the region. Ogle County is at 5.7 percent.

Auman said he was happy to see

the numbers coming down after seeing percentages in the 20s during the pandemic.

One mitigation change has made its way to Oregon’s Nash Recreation. Starting Monday, its gym opened for walking in three different time slots per day. Reservations and memberships are required, but masks aren’t while walking.

In order to move back further in mitigations, the county and region will have to clear another hurdle.

“I think a region had to be below 6.5 percent for three consecutive days to get out of mitigations,” Auman said. “We’re trending that way. One entity can’t solve all of these problems. We’re still relying heavily on the public.”

Auman said 83 percent of the county population has been tested.

Hospital ICU bed availability is at 30 percent, the most since the beginning of the pandemic.

POLO CHAMBER CHATTER Decorating Winners Congratulations to the 2020 Christmas House Decorating Winners: First place, Russ and Kathy Port, $40 Polo Dollars, Second pace, Joey Kochsmeier, $25 Polo Dollars, Third Place, Jamie and Angie Gorzny $15 Polo Dollars.

Honorable mention goes to Val and Steve Hass, Shawn Willis, and Larry and Ruth Loomis who won $10 Polo Dollars. Winners may pick up their winning Polo Dollars at Scholl Insurance. For more information, call the Chamber at 815-946-3131.

The Chamber is busy working on a project for our downtown area. Watch for details soon!!

Save the Date Mark your calendars for “The Original Polo, Illinois 32nd Annual Car Show” on Aug. 14, details coming soon.

Business After Hours If you are interested and would like to host a Business after Hours or Breakfast before Business call the Chamber at 815-946-3131.

Certificates of Recognition The Polo Chamber of Commerce would like to issue Certificates of Recognition to any Polo Chamber of Commerce business members who are celebrating

five years of being in business, or those with five-year increments of being in business in Polo. Contact us so that we can announce your special business celebration during our Annual Dinner.

Get the Word Out Contact The Polo Chamber of Commerce at 815-9463131, polochamber@gmail.com, or mail to P.O. Box 116, Polo, IL 61064 if you would like to post your event on the Chamber Sign, Chamber Website (www.polochamber.org), Chamber Face Book Page and/or the Chamber Chatter.

OREGON – Mark J. Gruszeczka, 59, a longtime resident of Oregon, passed away on Wednesday January 13, 2021 in his home.

He was born February 23, 1961 in Peoria, the only son of John and Phyllis Jean (Middleton) Gruszeczka.

Mark attended school in Kewanee and Walnut before moving to Oregon, where he graduated from Oregon High School class of 1979.

He worked out of the Labors Union Local #727 in Dixon for many years until he retired for health reasons. Mark excelled at the game of golf, starting when he was only 8 years old. Fishing was also a hobby that he enjoyed.

Mark is survived by his son, Robert Gruszeczka, Oregon and mother and stepfather, Phyllis Jean (Darrell) Kump, Oregon.

He is preceded in death by his father, John Gruszeczka, Kewanee; and grandparents, Gean (Ruth) Middleton, Walnut.

Cremation rights have been accorded with Finch Funeral Home, 405 East Hitt, Mt. Morris.

Due to COVID-19, a memorial may be held at a later date for family and friends. Interment will be held in Daysville Cemetery, Oregon.

Memorial funds may be sent to the family for disposition.

A special thank you to Randy Becker and Mike Blake for being there for Mark

for all the years.

GRETEL ANNE JONES OREGON – Gretel Anne Heuerman Jones, 83, passed away on Sunday, January 17, 2021 at her home in Oregon after a lengthy battle with ALS, Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Anne was born on Sept. 19, 1937, the second child of six, to Ailt and Lila (Hendrickson) Heuerman.

Anne graduated from Oregon High School in 1955 and was married on Dec. 18, 1987 to Leonard E. Jones.

They renewed their vows on Dec. 9 with Pastor Dave Rogula, the pastor that married them over 33 years ago.

She was a confirmed member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. She served as President of the Oregon Woman’s Club and was also very instrumental in helping to form the Oregon Park District; she was on committees for Autumn on Parade, the 125th Anniversary of Oregon and the Sesquicentennial celebration of Oregon.

Anne also worked on The Story of Oregon history book and says it was a challenge but felt they preserved Charlie Mongan’s stories for future.

For 14 years, she operated the Oregon Home Appliance store and made many local friends throughout those years.

She also was instrumental in beginning Moonlight Madness, an evening of shopping held in town where the retailers

POLO POLICE

BRIEFS

Polo Police Chief Tim Rockwood released the following police activity.

Illinois State Police

Jan. 12 Eric L. Pratt, 45, of Polo, was cited at 10:01 a.m. for speeding 44 mph in a 35 mph speed zone. Pratt was released on an I-Bond.

Michele A. James, 48, of Chicago, was cited at 2:25 p.m. for speeding 51 mph in a 35 mph speed zone. James was released on an I-Bond.

Brandon M. Fenton, 19, of Polo, was arrested at 3:03 p.m. for intent to deliver cannabis and on an outstanding Ogle County warrant.

Fenton was transported to the Ogle County Jail.

See POLO POLICE, Page 18

wore pajamas and stay open late.

After leaving the retail business, Stronghold and Lutheran Outdoor Ministries provided a place to work until her and Len moved to Missouri. While there, she was president of the Lafayette Lions Club, worked with the Country Fair Committee and co-authored the Lafayette County History Books.

They returned to Oregon 10 years later and she served with St Paul’s Altar Guild and began the Low Vision Support Group that still meets today at Rock River Center in Oregon.

One of Anne’s favorite quotes was, “Learn to not look at your feet, but look to the stars.”

Anne is survived by her husband of 33 years Leonard E. Jones, daughter Kim (Winston Hines) Kruse, sister Wyonne (James) Hegland of St. Charles, sister Christine (Bob) Johnson of Brooklyn, Wisconsin, sister Sharon (Bill) Barger of Woodstock, sister Shelia (Tom) Humble of Deland, Florida and brother Richard (Phyllis) Heuerman of Stillman Valley.

Also surviving her are Clifford (Rhonda) Jones, Ron (Charolett) Young, Rick (Judy Cline) Jones, Wally (Sheila) Jones and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

The family would like to extend their thanks to the neighbors, friends, the Visiting Angels who looked after Anne during her illness and a very special thank you to Cliff and Rhonda Jones for all their loving care of Anne the past year and a half and the Serenity Hospice & Home for all their help and generosity.

After cremation rites, burial will be

Jan. 19 At approximately 2:55 a.m., Michael E. Knoeppfle, 39, of Forreston, was stopped on Freeport Road at Genesse Road in Ogle County for depositing injurious material on the highway and improper use of turn signal.

Knoeppfle was charged with driving while license suspended and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.

Knoeppfle was released on a recognizance bond.

Chana man charged with four counts of distribution of child pornography A 41-year-old Chana man was

arrested Jan. 13 and charged with four counts of distributing child pornography, the State Police said in a news release.

Morgan A. Rains faces 6 to 30 years in prison on each Class X felony charge.

He is free on a $10,000 recognizance bond, and has a court hearing Jan. 27.

The investigation began in November and also involves the state Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit and the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office, the release said.

The investigation continues;

held at Daysville Cemetery.

A memorial fund is established in Anne’s name for the Serenity Hospice and Home in Oregon and the ALS Association.

Farrell-Holland-Gale Funeral Home in Oregon is assisting the family.

RONALD K. HAEFNER MT. MORRIS – Ronald Keith Haefner, 58, passed away on Wednesday, January 13, 2021 in the VA Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin.

Ron was born on June 21, 1962 in Freeport, the son of Paul Frederick and Anne Sharon (Schindler) Haefner. He graduated from Mt. Carroll High School and he served in the United States Navy.

Ronald married June Carol Haefner and she preceded him in death on April 11, 2012.

Ron worked as a security guard for Goodyear for several years. He was a member of the Lutheran Church.

Ron is survived by his brothers, Roger (Catherine) Haefner, Morris, and Scott Marth, Mount Carroll.

Ron is preceded in death by his parents and his wife, June.

Cremation rites have been accorded with Finch Funeral Home, 405 East Hitt, Mt. Morris.

A memorial service for Ron will be held in the spring in Oakwood Cemetery, Mt. Morris.

no additional information is being released at this time, it said.

Air Quality Assessments Blackhawk Hills Regional Council is scheduling free Indoor Air Quality Assessments for local businesses, nonprofits, libraries, and municipalities in Carroll, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, and Whiteside counties.

Indoor spaces that lack ventilation pose a higher risk of COVID-19 transmission than do well-ventilated spaces.

Please contact Tara Walters at 309-269-2875 or tara.walters@blackhawkhills.com to schedule an IAQ Assessment or for more information.

15 OGLE COUNTY NEWS Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, January 22, 2021

OBITUARIES MARK J. GRUSZECZKA

Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, January 22, 2021

OGLE COUNTY NEWS

16

Financial Planning

Start thinking about financial planning now (MS)

Financial planning has become a catchphrase in recent years, and it’s something many consumers may not fully understand. Learning some key components of financial planning can help people have more capital on hand to help them achieve their short- and long-term goals.

A 2018 study commissioned

by GuideVine that polled 1,000 Americans 30 and older about their finances found that many lack knowledge of basic financial terms. In addition, the study found that numerous people feel completely lost in regard to having

a solid plan with their money.

Financial planning can be intimidating, but learning the basics of sound money management can help people secure their financial futures.

According to the online learning resource WiseGeek, financial planning is a process of setting objectives, assessing assets and resources, estimating future financial needs, and making plans to achieve financial goals. Investing, risk management, retirement planning, tax requirements, and estate planning are key components of financial planning.

To get started with financial planning, the financial guide and

online resource Ramsay says individuals will need to see where they stand financially, establish financial goals and create a plan to reach those goals.

While a person can create his or her own financial plan, oftentimes the help of a financial planner can make sure that all avenues are being explored, especially for financial novices.

It’s important to note that financial planning may mean different things to different people.

For some, planning may revolve around saving for a child’s college tuition but still having enough money left to retire. Another person may be looking to save extra money to invest in a business

venture. Others who are living paycheck to paycheck may need help reevaluating their spending so they can grow their savings.

One of the key components of financial planning is to begin doing it as soon as possible. A financial plan can be instituted at any age, and goals can be revisited as life changes occur.

Financial planning strategies are something anyone can learn and utilize to secure their financial futures.

SM-ST1849477

Get in the habit of saving more each month (MS)

Saving is a vital component of financial planning. However, more than half of Americans are saving too little and do not have an accurate grasp of their spending habits.

A recent survey from Intuit Mint Life found that, in 2019, 59 percent of Americans were living paycheck to paycheck and 65 percent didn’t know how much they were spend-

ing on a monthly basis. The situation is similar in Canada, where the annual BDO Canada Affordability Index indicates 53 percent of Canadians are living paycheck to paycheck and 25 percent say their debt load is overwhelming.

While there’s no magic formula to save money, and the amount of money one should save each month depends on how he or she wants to live now and in the future, a handful of strategies can help people save more money

each year.

• Follow the 50/30/20 rule. The popular 50/30/20 rule advocates for allocating 50 percent of your budget to essentials like rent, food and housing, 30 percent for discretionary spending and 20 percent for savings. Many people cannot save 20 percent of their income. In such instances, people can make a concerted effort to save 10 percent of their take-home pay.

• Build an emergency fund. The credit reporting agency Experian recommends consumers keep between three and six months’ worth of expenses in an emergency fund.

The fund should cover expenses on the absolute necessities paid each month, like utilities rent/ mortgage and groceries.

• Set goals. Savings goals can help a person stay on track and provide motivation to put money away.

Establish separate savings accounts for each goal to reduce the temptation to spend. For example, if the goal is to save more for vacations, then a person can open an account where funds are used exclusively for vacations.

• Automate with your employers’ help. Certain employers allow workers to direct deposit a paycheck into more than one bank account. It’s easy to request the payroll manager put 10 percent or 20 percent of a paycheck into a savings account while the remainder is deposited into a checking account. Automated deposits can help individuals get accustomed to living on less.

Saving money isn’t always easy, but with goals and certain strategies in mind, it’s possible for individuals to grow their savings and secure their financial futures.

How to prioritize your bills during the pandemic (MS)

Wealth Planning • Tax Planning Social Security Planning

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319 W. 1st Street, Dixon, IL 61021

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Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor, Member FINRA/SIPC

The World Health Organization declared a COVID-19 pandemic in March, and the ripple effects of that were profound. Since the novel coronavirus began spreading across the globe, millions of people have lost their lives, millions more have survived the virus after lengthy hospital stays and hundreds of millions more lost their jobs. Though there’s no magical formula to help people make it through unscathed, learning to prioritize bills can help people stay on the right financial track.

• Make sure the necessities come first. The credit reporting agency Experian notes that health and safety should always be a person’s top priority in a tough financial situation. Food and shelter should take precedence, so always pay for food and housing costs first. Change your eating habits to dine out less and make grocery lists before visiting the store so you’re less likely to make potentially costly impulse buys while shopping. A 2018 survey from Slickdeals.net found that 70 percent of consumers’ impulse buys are spent on food, so creating a grocery list can help people save substantial amounts of money. In regard to housing, if you’re accustomed to paying additional principle on your mortgage each month, continue to do so only if you can still afford it.

• Don’t cut costs in regard to medical care. Make sure you keep your medications up-to-date and continue to visit your health care provider. Medical debt is a substantial problem in the United States. A 2019 study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that roughly two-thirds of all bankruptcies in the United States were tied to medical issues. Unemployed professionals should keep in mind that medical issues may prevent them from reentering the workforce when the economy recovers from COVID-19, so it’s imperative that medical care and maintenance continue to remain a priority even in difficult financial times.

• Eliminate high-interest debt if possible. High-interest debt such as credit cards can snowball if consumers miss payments or are only capable of making minimum monthly payments. If you have been laid off or are working on reduced wages but have a sizable amount of money in savings, consider eliminating your high-interest debt. Doing so can reduce the stress stemming from the pandemic-related financial uncertainty and it also greatly reduces the amount of interest you’ll pay on bills you can afford to pay off.

Many people have been forced to prioritize their bills as they confront the economic fallout of COVID-19. Prioritizing necessities and personal health can help people overcome the financial challenges of the pandemic.

OGLE COUNTY NEWS Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, January 22, 2021

Financial Planning

17

Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, January 22, 2021

OGLE COUNTY NEWS

18

OGLE COUNTY ZONING The following Ogle County zoning certificates were issued in December.

Phillip Frey, section 30, Pine Creek Township, agricultural storage building.

AT&T, section 11, Woosung Township, temporary microwave antenna on existing telecommunications tower, $15,000.

Scott Immel, section 22, Buffalo Township, temporary residential accessory building.

John Kenney section 17, Flagg Town-

• POLO POLICE

Continued from Page 15 Kaimen Williams, 19, of Mt. Morris, was arrested at 3:03 p.m. for possession

ship, residential accessory building.

Daniel Kurzawinski, section 22, Byron Township, four residential accessory buildings.

Thomas Sluiter, section 18, Maryland Township, open unenclosed front deck.

Mulligan Restoration-Kottke, section 27, Marion Township, dwelling addition.

Ray Marschang, section 17, Buffalo Township, residential accessory building.

Haywell LLC Westwood, section 20,

Flagg Township, two single-family dwellings, $200,000 and $180,000.

James Schabacker, section 11, Pine Rock Township, remove grain bins and storage buildings.

Stateline Solar-Peterson, section 27, Leaf River Township, private ground mounted solar array.

William Tunink, section 33, Leaf River Township, private ground mounted solar array.

Sun Badger Solar, LLC-Myers, section

09, Maryland Township, private ground mounted solar array.

Jacob Abel, section 08, Flagg Township, residential accessory building.

Tris Brumbly-Considine, section 21, Marion Township, dwelling addition.

Doris Duitsman, Section 10, Eagle Point Township, dwelling addition.

Sun Badger Solar-Utley, section 20, Scott Township, private ground mounted solar array.

of cannabis, less than 30 grams.

Williams was transported to the Ogle County Jail.

35, Sterling, was cited for driving with a suspended license and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. Grassnickle was released on an I-Bond.

John M. Arreola, 36, of Dixon, was cited at 9:48 a.m. for operating an uninsured motor vehicle and speeding 44 mph in a 35 mph speed zone.

Jan. 13 At 12:16 p.m., Patrick W. Grassnickle,

Jan. 15

Arreola was released on an I-Bond.

OGLE COUNTY SHERIFF Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle reports the following police activity.

Jan. 15 Christina Galvan, 29, of Sterling, was arrested at 7:46 p.m. for possession of a controlled substance (heroin) and possession of a hypodermic syringe after deputies conducted a traffic stop at the 4,500 block of South Lowell Park Road.

Galvan was transported to the Ogle County Jail where she was released to the correctional deputies

Jan. 16 Evan Keeton, 18, of Rockford was arrested for driving while unlicensed after being stopped for speeding by deputies on Interstate 39 near Monroe Center. Keeton was released on a I-bond and will appear in court at a later date.

Jan. 17 At approximately 11:27 p.m. deputies responded to a single vehicle rollover accident in the 7,000 block of East Illinois 38 where they learned that a

2017 Subaru driven by Savannah Siron, 20, of Dixon was traveling westbound on Illinois 38 when she lost control and entered the north ditch and overturned.

Siron received minor injuries and was transported to a nearby hospital by Ashton Ambulance. Deputies were assisted on scene by Ashton Fire and Ambulance.

Danielle M. Miller, 28, of Stillman Valley was arrested at 12:58 a.m. for aggravated domestic violence after deputies responded to the 100 block of

North Walnut Street in Stillman Valley in reference to a disturbance. Miller was transported to the Ogle County Jail where she was held with no bond.

Jan. 19 Javier Salinas, 41, of Beloit, Wisconsin was arrested at the Ogle County courthouse on an outstanding warrant for driving while license suspended. He was unable to post 10 percent of the $3,000 bond and was scheduled to appear in court at a later date.

PROPERTY TRANSFERS These Ogle County property transfers were recorded the week of Jan. 8-14.

Warranty Deeds • Linda S. Lacombe to Kayla M. McKinney and Joshua P. Richolson, 632 Chana Road, Oregon, $294,000.

• Leon Capes to Kathryn A. Paigen, 406 N. Fifth St., Oregon, $127,000.

• ARC Investments LLC to Too Many Hobbies LLC, 6379 Grist Mill Road, Oregon, $210,000.

• Kayla McKinney to Lauren R. Worley, 236 S. Oak St., Stillman Valley, $135,000.

• Harold Martin Dirksen to Robert Joel and Krista L. Hanna, one parcel in Scott Township, Davis Junction, $35,000.

• Samantha Barkus to Jeff Fiegenschuh, 817 N. Seventh St., Rochelle, $115,000.

• William E. and Kathleen L. Carlson to Perry Byers and Wayne E. Byers Resid-

uary Trust, Carol A. Byers, trustee, one parcel in Byron, $739,575.

• Michael and Jamie L. Curtis, also Shepard to Ellen Rice, 933 N. Crestview Trail, Byron, $130,000.

• The Late Mary Judy Ranz and Alan W. Ranz to Theodore J. and Julie Ranz, 11504 W Lanark Road, Forreston, $0.

• John William and Robert Barrymore Weeks and Rebecca Jo Billips to Christopher J. and Maegen Renee Wruck, 105 Jata Drive, Davis Junction, $149,900.

• Emily S. Fields to Bryan D. Watson, 208 W. First St., Mt. Morris, $95,000.

• Vulcan Building LLC to Pamela J. and Jeffrey P. Reuter, 1100 Conductor Lane, Davis Junction, $202,851.

• Richard L. and Gail Maggi to Alicia E. Kellogg, 603 E. Webster St., Polo, $159,000.

• Eileen J. and Keith Eugene Anderson to Caseys Retail Co., 314 E. Main St., Forreston, $1,542,712.

• Diane E. Severns to Stacia N. Hamill, 602 N. Fifth St., Oregon, $90,000.

• Elaine J. Myrvold and Ronald E. and Raymond D. Hall to Todd M. Hall, 19552 E. State Route 72, Davis Junction, $178,000.

Quit Claim Deeds • Renae A. Stevens to Mark Heslop, 9207 N. Lemke Drive, Byron, $0.

• Jerry L. Early to Andrew Eugene and Amy Garrison, 206 Etnyre Ave., Oregon, $0.

Trustee’s Deeds • Eubanks Family Trust, Carol L. and Kenneth E. Eubanks, trustees to Illinois Postal Holdings LLC, 110 N. Franklin Ave., Polo, $146,000.

• White Oak Trust, Joshua J. Petry, trustee to Vulcan Building LLC, 1100 Conductor Lane, Davis Junction, $0.

• Fairbanks Revocable Trust1, Stanley

A. Weber, trustee to Kaylene E. Reynolds, two parcels on Lowell Park Road, Mt. Morris, $442,000.

Executor’s Deed • The late Bernice Hagemann by executors to George B. Burkhart, one parcel in Pine Rock Township, $221,310.

• The late Ralph F. Coffman by executor to Timothy L. and Victoria A. Coffman, one parcel in Forreston, $233,000.

• The late Luke T. Carmichael by executor to Luke T. Carmichael Family Trust, Lishya M. Carmichael, trustee, 12782 E. State Route 64, Chana, $0.

Sheriff’s Deed • Sheriff of Ogle County and Mary D. Dombkowski to AJ Homes LLC, 504 N. Third St., Rochelle, $48,881.

Source: Ogle County Recorder’s Office

BERTOLET LIBRARY available for loan at the library circulation desk. Come to one or all of our discussions...and bring a friend.

Family Story Time Family Story Time is back!! Starting Thursdays at 10 a.m., join Miss Jana for your family’s own personal story time.

Call to register for your family time slot or follow the SignUpGenius link found on our Facebook page. Masks are required for ages 3 and up. Miss Jana can’t wait

to see all of you again!

New Releases Adult Fiction: Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner; The Lost Boys

by Faye Kellerman; The Switch by Beth O’Leary; The Scorpion’s Tail by Douglas Preston; The Engineer’s Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood Young Adult Fiction: The Blossom and the Firefly by Sherri Smith; Juvenile Fiction & Non-Fiction; The Dance in

the Dark by Sophie Cleverly; The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan Children’s Fiction: The Littlest Valentine by Brandi Dougherty Reminder: We are unable to collect soft plastics at this time. Also, we regretfully cannot accept book donations right now. We apologize for the inconvenience. We ask that you refrain from depositing your plastics and book donations unattended.

sible party. Curbside pickup is still available for anyone who wishes to use it.

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Instill a lifelong love of reading in your babies and young children with this easy incentive program. Just sign up at the library to receive information and a book log and then start reading! Prizes are awarded at various levels of completion.

Preschool Activities

Looking for fun, engaging activities for your preschooler? Our Grab n Go packets include a Scholastic story paper with a different theme each month, accompanying worksheets/coloring pages, and a code to access online stories and activities. Call to reserve yours or stop in and pick one up for your favorite little person.

Library Updates

Please like our Facebook page to stay up to date with the most current information on our plans and activities and also check out our recently updated website at forrestonlibrary.org. If you have any questions or needs, please feel free to contact us by phone at (815)9382624, email at forrestonpubliclibrary@ gmail.com, or through Facebook messaging.

space, sing about the solar system, participate in a rap battle with the sun, and learn the difference between revolution and rotation, and still be home in time for dinner. Registration required.

Contact library 815-734-4927 or dawn. mtmorrislib@gmail.com to register. You will need to provide an email address where the Zoom link can be sent.

Healthy Kids Out of School New Program for 3rd to 5th graders.

Healthy Kids Out of School, with the U of I extension office. This program focuses on how to be healthy and active. We will have a discussion, an art project and a fun way to be physically active. Thursday evenings from 6-6:30 via Zoom. Email dawn.mtmorrislib@ gmail.com for the link to join.

Browsing, Computer Use By Appointment We are open for browsing and com-

puter use by appointment; call they library to schedule a time. Masks are required and you will be asked to use hand sanitizer upon entering the library.

No unaccompanied children are allowed in the library at this time (do not bring your children if you will be using the computer).

Browsing is limited to 30 minutes and computer use to one hour.

help and encourage you in your writing.

If you need brainstorming ideas, we can help suggest ideas or aid with the creative process.

In the Belly of the Best: King in Chicago - 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 25, virtual program On his way to the Mountaintop, Dr. Martin Luther King trod many miles and visited many cities including Chicago.

The extraordinary work he did here is largely forgotten by those who were there or unknown to those too young.

To learn more about this remarkable man and this remarkable time, please join musician/historian Clarence Goodman for “In the Belly of the Beast: King in Chicago.” Registration required 815732-2724.

Museum of Bad Art 101, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26, virtual program The world’s only museum dedicated

to the collection, preservation, exhibition, and celebration of bad art in all its forms. The growing collection of works of bad art awaits your discerning eye. Join Louise Reilly Sacco, founding member of the Museum Of Bad Art in 1993, as she shares this introduction to the collection. Starting as the Director of Financial Enablement, she has risen to Permanent Acting Interim Executive Director. Louise retired from a career in marketing and now works summers as a Fenway Park usher. Registration required 815-732-2724 New Library App This allows patrons to check library accounts, search for items, place holds, and see library events from a mobile device. Download the PrairieCat Mobile app today! Search for PrairieCat Mobile on your device’s app store, connect with your Oregon Public Library card and you

are all set.

FORRESTON LIBRARY Library Hours The library is open with the following hours: Monday 10 a.m. - 1 p.m, 2 - 7 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 10 a.m. - 1 p.m., 2 - 6 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

We are closed on Friday and Sunday.

Masks are required for everyone over the age of 2 and children under the age of 10 must be accompanied by a respon-

MT. MORRIS LIBRARY Space! The Cosmos for Kids: The Sun, The Earth, the Moon and Revolution & Rotation - 4 to 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, February 17 via Zoom. This techno-space-dance-party for kids is designed to help them learn and have fun at the same time. Each song in Space. The Cosmos for Kids includes dancing, music technology, and information about our universe delivered with a thumping beat. Meet aliens from outer

OREGON LIBRARY Book Bundles at the library We have librarian created book bundles. Each bundle has 3-4 books, we have bundles of mysteries, holiday books, fiction, non fiction, assorted and even a trilogy from a local author.

Library Book Clubs Afternoon Book Club, Books on Tap Book Club meets on Thursday, Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. to discuss The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate. The 2WBC Book Club meets Wednesday, Feb. 10 at noon to discuss Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley. The Afternoon Book Club meets Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 12:30 p.m. to discuss Educated by.

Oregon Writer’s Group, 10 a.m. second Tuesday each month The OWG is a gathering of writers or writer-wannabes who meet to support each other and to further their own writing. The purpose of the group is to

Friends of the Library Grab Bag Sale This is an ongoing sale and the bags are in the library labeled by genre. Bags are $5. There are approximately 8-10 books in each bag.

Storywalk The Oregon Public Library StoryWalk at Oregon Park West is now open! StoryWalk was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT in 2007, and developed in collaboration with the Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition and the Kellogg Hubbard Library. Thank you to the Etnyre Foundation and the Oregon Park District for helping the Oregon Public Library present this unique reading experience. Current story being presented, “The Jacket I Wear in the Snow,” by Shirley Neitzel.

OGLE COUNTY NEWS Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, January 22, 2021

Wednesday WhoDunIt What does a man do when he receives a mysterious email from his deceased wife? That is the premise of Harlan Coben’s novel Tell No One , Wednesday WhoDunIt’s book pick for January. Join us Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 10:30 a.m. to discuss this terrific thriller.

The discussion will be held in the Bertolet Library meeting room. No registration is necessary. Copies of the book will be

19

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

LEGAL NOTICES

101

LEGAL NOTICES

101 g NOTICE TO BID Ogle County.

Board of Courtroom #304 The Trustees of the Dino M. Urso Polo Fire ProtecJan. 15, 22, 29, tion District, Polo 2021 Illinois will receive sealed bids for reLEGAL NOTICE placement of 80 Notice of kW 120/240 3 ph Public Hearing Emergency StaOregon Park tionary–Standby District Outdoor Generator with 1- 120/240 3 Public notice is ph 200 amp auto- hereby given that matic transfer the proposed switch and 2- Combined Budget 120/240 1 ph auto- and Appropriation matic transfer Ordinance of the switches equip- Oregon Park Disment only. All bids trict, Oregon, Illishould be post- nois for the fiscal marked/received year beginning by Wednesday January 1, 2021 Feb. 17, 2021 at and ending DePolo Fire Protec- cember 31, 2021 tion District Office will be available for P.O. Box 95 Polo, public inspection Illinois 61064 or be at the Oregon Park hand delivered to District Office, Polo Fire Protec- Nash Recreation tion District's Sta- Center, 304 South tion by Wednesday Fifth Street, Oreat 5:00p.m. Central gon, Illinois from time. No bids will and after January be accepted after 8, 2021. that date. On MonNotice is further day Feburary 21, given that the pub2021 all bids will lic hearing on the be open and pub- adoption of said licly read aloud at proposed Comthe Polo Fire Pro- bined Budget and tection District Sta- Appropriation Ordition at 206 South nance will be held Franklin Street at the Oregon Park Polo, Illinois 61064 District River at 7:00p.m. at our Room, Nash regularly sched- Recreation Center, uled monthly meet- 304 South Fifth ing. Bid specifica- Street, Oregon, Illitions can be ob- nois, on February tained by calling 9, 2021 at 6:00 815-440-1371 or p.m. email Daniel J Griffin charliepolofire Board Secretary @gmailcom January 8, 2021 Jan. 22, 29, 2021 January 22, 2021 Publication Notice of Court Date for Request for Name Change (Adult) State of Illinois, Circuit Court, Ogle County Case Number 2021MR000001 Request of: Dino Michael Urso There will be a court date on my request to change my name from: Dino Michael Urso to the new name of: Dino Michael Savaiano Court Date: March 5, 2021 at 10:30 A.M. At 106 S. 5th St., Oregon, IL, 61061

VOLUNTEERS

APARTMENTSFURNISHED 305

DIXON Dixon Square Apts. 1540 Freedom Walk 815-284-3409 Wait List Open Subsidized Housing currently accepting applications for 1 & 2BR Apts.

ROCK FALLS 1 & 2BR Hampton Apts.

815-625-7043

STERLING Sinnissippi Townhomes Spacious 2/3BR 2 story townhomes Central air, Good location. Laundry hookup.

(815)626-1130.

EMPLOYMENT

505

Rock River Lumber & Grain hiring Custom Applicator.

Inquiries can be made by calling Mike at 815-537-2630 or resumes can be sent to Rock River Lumber & Grain, PO Box 68, Prophetstown, IL 61277.

CHILD CARE

WANT TO BUY 795

Local Buyer Pays Cash 4 Gold, Silver, Coins, Estate Gold, Single Earrings, Antiques, etc. 24/7 779-245-2950 RECORDS - 33s, 45s & 78s (Rock, Blues & Jazz) Scott 815-847-0382

LIVESTOCK / SUPPLIES

840

DISABLED LIVESTOCK WANTED Top Prices Paid 815-871-2697 SCHAAP LIVESTOCK

AUTOMOBILES 905 '03 Acura RSX 2 Dr, 4 cyl automatic 147,000 mile, new breaks, runs good, $2495 1227 N. Vernon St., Princeton 708-752-3742

TRUCKS

910

For sale. 2013 Chevy Silverado 1500. 2WD, reg cab. 33,689 miles.

Call/text Christopher @ 815 535 8037 for pics and more details. Asking price $14K O.B.O

uestion:

Q

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The classified section of the newspaper!

Answer:

Whatever you need to part with–your car, your truck, your boat, your house–the classifieds can help you do it. Call or go online today to place your ad.

Sale to be held via: Tele-Auction Call (call 815-946-4120 Tuesday between 1pm-4pm March 1st to obtain a bidders number & call in information)

80 Acres +/- ONE PARCEL:

SEARCH FOR LOCAL CARS

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Tuesday, March 2nd, 2021 at 11:00 A.M

CARS815.com

What is less than an inch tall and can move almost anything?

est. 1851

FARMLAND AUCTION LOOKING FOR QUALITY

126

CASA 15th Judicial Circuit (Lee/ Carroll/Ogle Counties) is seeking volunteers in the Ogle County area to advocate for children in the Ogle County court system involved in abuse and neglect cases.

Your involvement can impact a child’s future.

Contact Trisha Morrow, Executive Director (815) 288-1901 www.casaleecar roll.com

512

NO INDIVIDUAL, unless licensed or holding a permit as a childcare facility, may cause to be published any advertisement soliciting a child care service.* A childcare facility that is licensed or operating under a permit issued by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services may publish advertisements of the services for which it is specifically licensed or issued a permit. Sauk Valley Media strongly urges any parent or guardian to verify the validity of the license of any facility before placing a child in its care. *Family homes that care for no more than three (3) children under the age of twelve or which receive only children from a single household, for less than 24 hours per day, are exempt from licensure as day care homes. The three children to whom this exemption applies includes the family's natural or adopted children and any other persons under the age of 12 whether related or unrelated to the operator of the day care home. (DCFS Rule, Part 377.3 (c))

Section 36 of Woosung Township in Ogle, IL For complete listing of sale bill, maps, tax info, and terms & conditions, etc. visit www.lennybrysonauctioneer.com

SM-ST1850723

Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, January 22, 2021

OGLE COUNTY NEWS

20

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: Lenny Bryson – Auctioneer Mark Ebert – Auctioneer 11749 West Judson Road Polo, IL 61064 Ph) 815-946-4120

OWNER: Janice & Kevin Deets ATTORNEY: Rebecca Rodriguez Ward, Murray, Pace & Johnson, P.C.

NEWSPAPER CARRIERS Routes Available Now Dixon

4th Ave, Graham, Hubbell (Rt. 3102 - 58 customers) 1st-4th Ave, Palmyra St, Hill Dr (Rt. 3107 - 83 customers) Marclare,Apple, Brinton,Washington (Rt. 3081 - 90 customers)

Sterling and Rock Falls

Several routes available! Call for more details.

Call for available Motor Routes!

est. 1851

CALL 815-625-3600 EXT. 5301 Telegraph • 113 S. Peoria Dixon, IL 61021