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WEEKEND ENTERPRISE | OPEN GOVERNMENT
Mixed search results
ENTERPRISE SERIES | ILLINOIS TOWNSHIPS
Public access to warrants varies greatly by county BY MATT MENCARINI mmencarini@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 529
STERLING – More than anything, access to search warrants in the Sauk Valley depends on where you are. Freedom of Information Act requests to Bureau, Carroll, Lee, Ogle and Whiteside counties show that the availability of search warrants and the procedures for filing and keeping them vary by county. Of the five counties where
Sauk Valley Media asked for warrants, three sent copies of the most recent search warrant executed. Two denied the requests, citing different exemptions under the law. In Lee County, the FOIA request for the most recent search warrant executed by the Sheriff’s Department was fulfilled within 24 hours. The office has one of several copies of each search warrant, Sheriff John Varga said. In Whiteside County, the Sher-
iff’s Department doesn’t keep a copy of executed search warrants and instead files them with the state’s attorney’s office, which handles prosecutions, Sheriff Kelly Wilhelmi said. Wilhelmi said he doesn’t “see any danger” in the public having access to the warrants. “Basically what the search warrant is going to say is that we’re searching a certain property for certain items,” he said. SEARCH CONTINUED ON A8
Under the Radar: Many townships, little scrutiny
Sheriff John Varga Fulfilled request to Lee County within 24 hours, said office has several copies of each warrant
Sheriff Kelly Wilhelmi Referred Whiteside County request to state’s attorney, where it was denied
WEEKEND ENTERPRISE| HEALTH CARE
Cultural hurdle to hospice
About this series Today’s story is part of a yearlong occasional series about townships in Illinois.
Assessor post left unfilled Official agrees to resign; Palmrya looks to save money BY DAVID GIULIANI dgiuliani@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 525
Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Grace Rodriguez-Cid talks about the decision to put her mother, Ciria “Mama” Rodriguez, in hospice care at Coventry Living Center in Sterling. Rodriguez-Cid has been a nurse at Coventry for about 3 years. She said she might not have thought about hospice care for her mother had she not worked there. “That’s Hispanic culture,” Rodriguez-Cid said. “We take care of our elderly at home.”
Statistics show Latino population less likely to seek hospice care BY MATT MENCARINI mmencarini@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 529
STERLING – Grace Rodriguez-Cid and her mother, Ciria “Mama” Rodriguez, were sitting near a window in Coventry Living Center. Mama, as she’s known, likes to sit and look outside. On that late October day, as Rodriguez-Cid, 52, talked about the peace of mind she gets from having her 91-year-
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Kaitlyn Henderson, spokeswoman for Passages Hospice
old mother in a facility with constant care, she paused. It started to snow. “I can go home knowing that someone is there to take care of her,” said Rodriguez-Cid, who has
Mostly sunny
VOLUME 6 ISSUE 9 52 Pages
There’s not enough education and there’s some mistrust [in Latino communities] of the hospice community and the health care industry, in general.
Today: 51/27 For the forecast, see Page A11
been a nurse at Coventry for about 3 years, the same amount of time her mother has been there. And it’s because she’s a nurse and had seen the benefits of hospice care that she
Useful internships
A Rock Falls Chamber program helps people like Derek Flannery. See Page C1
ASSESSOR CONTINUED ON A8
COMMUNITY
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decided to move her mother to Coventry Living Center. If she hadn’t been, she said, she might not have thought of it. HOSPICE CONTINUED ON A2
‘Last Vegas’ reflections Kevin Kline, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman and Michael Douglas talk about careers Also inside USA Weekend: COPD tips Pumpkin spice doughnuts
DIXON – Officials in Palmyra Township were unhappy with the work of their assessor. And they wanted to save money. Now, they’re getting their wish. In July, they persuaded the Lee County state’s attorney to file a misdemeanor charge of neglecting duty against the township’s longtime assessor, Heidi Granskog. Granskog hired an attorney to defend herself, but in September, she signed an agreement in which she would resign her position and give up all of her township documents. It was a little more than 3 months before the end of her term. Months ago, County Assessor Wendy Ryerson informed Palmyra Supervisor Vern Gottel and other township officials that Granskog wasn’t doing her job.
Fright night See some of the terrifying sights there are to experience at Haunted Haven. PAGE C12
Index Births................ C5 Markets .......... A12 Business........... C1 Nation ............ A11 Classified .......... D1 Obituaries ......... A4 Comics ............. B6 Opinion............. A6 Community ..... C12 Scoreboard ...... B7 Scrapbook ....... C3 Crossword Saturday ........... D7 Sports .............. B1 Support groups .. C5 Crossword Sunday ............. C8 Travel .............. C10 Dear Abby ........ C4 Weather.......... A11 Lottery .............. A2 Wheels ............. D8