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Serving Bureau County Since 1847
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
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Spring Valley man found dead Another SV man facing involuntary manslaughter charges By Goldie Currie gcurrie@bcrnews.com
SPRING VALLEY — A 20-yearold Spring Valley man faces involuntarily manslaughter charges in the death of the 23-year-old Spring Valley man found dead in a Spring Valley basement on Saturday.
Spring Valley Police Department responded to a 911 call at 2:34 p.m. Saturday in reference to a man who had been shot in the leg and not breathing. When officers arrived on the scene at 127 W. Minnesota St., they found Kyle W. Zinser of 12672 East 3065 St. dead and believed his shotgun wound had
been made several hours before it was reported. Bureau County Coroner Janice Wamhoff pronounced Zinser dead at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Angel E. Moreno of the Minnesota Street residence had made the 911 call and was subsequently taken to Bureau County Jail. According to a press release issued by the Spring Valley Police Department, the shooting occurred in the basement at the Minnesota Street residence.
Police recovered a shotgun believed to have been used in the shooting at a different residence, where Moreno allegedly had hidden it. It was discovered Moreno and Zinser were acquaintances and had been together at the home prior to the shooting. Spring Valley Police, Illinois State Police Crime Scene Services and the Bureau County Coroner’s Office are still investigating the circumstances surrounding
the shooting. The exact time of the shooting had not yet been determined, as of press time. An autopsy is yet to be scheduled. Wamhoff confirmed it would be a couple days due to weather circumstances. She confirmed an inquest would most likely take place. Moreno will be processed through the Bureau County Court. Comment on this story at www.bcrnews.com.
It’s in the record books! Zahara: Pendulum is going to swing the other way By Terri Simon tsimon@bcrnews.com
According to WQAD News 8 Chief Meteorologist James Zahara, the brutal blast the area is experiencing is called a polar vortex, which means the cold air hitting the area originated at the North Pole. “It is rare to see it swoop down as far as it did,” Zahara said, adding the bitter cold is being felt as far as the panhandle of Florida. Even Brownsville, Texas, which borders Mexico, is having wind chill advisories. “This is something you won’t see in several decades,” he said. Zahara said he expects the area to see below zero temperatures, stretching from around 6 p.m. last Sunday all the way to noon today, Tuesday. He said that’s the longest stretch of below zero temps the area has seen since 1996, when our neck of the woods underwent 120 hours of below zero temperatures from Jan. 31, 1996, to Feb. 4, 1996, when the lows dropped between minus 19 to minus 28 degrees. “There’s only been a small handful of times in my career (when it’s been this cold), Zahara said Monday morning as he checked his record books in the Quad Cities. He said in 2009, he recorded a January
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BCR photo/Becky Kramer
Thermometers around Bureau County varied greatly Monday morning, but this minus 19 degrees sign at Beck’s North in Princeton told the story — but not the whole story. The minus 19 degrees didn’t reflect the wind chill, which was expected to make it feel like it was minus 40-plus degrees.
Wind, snow, below-zero temperatures By Donna Barker dbarker@bcrnews.com
Bureau County was pretty much closed down by the winter storm that slammed the county on Sunday and Monday with sub-zero temperatures, high winds and more than 6 inches of fresh snow, causing extensive blowing and drifting of roads. Schools across the county announced plans on Sunday to be closed on Monday. Businesses, libraries and governmental offices across the county announced they would be closed on Monday, or possibly opening late and closing early.
On Monday, Bureau County Sheriff John Thompson said there have been lots of traffic accidents, and the road conditions “are terrible.” There are lots of stranded vehicles throughout the area, some of which are occupied, Thompson said. Authorities have been in touch by cell phone with those occupants, and every effort is being made to get to them as soon as possible. The sheriff’s department has limited resources and is doing the best it can, the sheriff said. If someone does become stranded in his vehicle, it’s best to stay in the vehicle which will provide some shelter, Thompson said. Venturing outside of the vehicle could “prove
to be a critical event” for the person, he added. The eastern part of Bureau County may have gotten hit a bit harder, but then again that might just be where a lot of the heavy drifting has occurred, Thompson said. The Princeton Water Treatment Plant recorded a total of 6 inches of new snow during the weekend, with 3.5 inches on Saturday and 2.5 inches of new snow on Sunday. Bureau County Highway Engineer John Gross pulled the county’s snow removal trucks from the roads on Sunday evening and then sent them back out early Monday morning, but only for a short time.
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For breaking news, sports and current weather conditions, go to bcrnews.com Year 168 No. 3 One Section - 16 Pages
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