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Tuesday, May 6, 2014
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Sycamore’s Nelson leads victory against Kaneland
Genoa man killed in grain bin accident
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Sycamore awards $5,000 grant to new jewelry store City Council also tweaks Downtown Facade Improvement Program By ANDREA AZZO aazzo@shawmedia.com
Photos by Danielle Guerra - dguerra@shawmedia.com
Firefighters and family frantically shovel corn as it empties from the grain bin on the Madey Farm. An hours-long rescue effort involving numerous fire and police agencies from across Northern Illinois ended Monday with the recovery of the body of Genoa farmer Leon Madey. Authorities said Madey, 72, was found inside a 30,000-bushel grain bin on his property at 35770 Genoa Road, between Melms and Hill roads near Genoa.
Officials: Farmer was trying to dislodge corn By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com GENOA – Leon Madey, 72, was trying to dislodge a hardened layer of corn inside a grain bin on his rural Genoa farm when he fell in and died Monday afternoon, officials said. It took rescue crews from across Northern Illinois more than three hours to remove Madey’s body from the grain bin on his farm on Genoa Road. Madey was found dead inside the bin after the hours-long recovery effort, police said. Officials did not know how far Madey had fallen or how much corn was inside the bin, but said when they found him around 4:15 p.m., he was in a standing position about six to seven feet from the bottom. Madey was a lifelong farmer and also was a volunteer firefighter with the Genoa-Kingston Fire Department for 20 years, retiring about 10 years ago, fire Chief Bruce Kozlowski said. “He was a great guy,” Kozlowski said. “A hard work-
er, good farmer, good firefighter.” Madey and his son were trying to dislodge the corn inside the grain bin Monday, Kozlowski said. The son, who officials would not identify, walked away from the bin for an undetermined amount of time. When the son returned his father was gone. Suspecting his father had gone into the corn bin alone, the son called 911 at 12:44 p.m., police said. When the DeKalb County Sheriff’s police arrived they searched other buildings on the farm before determining Madey had fallen into the bin. Crews cut holes on the side of the bin to allow corn to spill out before sending firefighters to rappel inside the bin to search for Madey. More than 100 firefighters and rescue personnel responded to the scene from fire departments across northern Illinois. They cut a handful of holes in the side of the bin, calling in semitrailers to haul the corn away
See ACCIDENT, page A7
SYCAMORE – A new jewelry and coin store that is slated to open in mid-June in downtown Sycamore is getting financial help from the city of Sycamore. Building owner Mario Ruffolo was awarded a $5,000 grant Monday as part of Sycamore’s Downtown Facade Improvement Program during the City Council meeting. “It does help, believe me, every bit helps,” Ruffolo told council members before they approved the grant. “The building is probably 120 years old. It needs a lot of TLC, as we all know.” The program was also in the agenda for council members Monday for some tweaking. Council members voted to clarify the definition of eligible facades for the program as “facades abutting pedestrian walks generally used by the public,” city documents show. The jewelry store will be called First State Jewelers and Coin and will be located at 216 W. State St. in Sycamore. Ruffolo, a jeweler for more than 40 years, said he will sell pre-
cious metals such as gold and platinum, as well as repair jewelry and watches. The grant Ruffolo received will be used to install new windows on the front of the building. Masonry work will be tuckpointed using lime-based mortar, city documents show. Other downtown businesses have benefitted from the facade program since it began in 2004, including State Farm Insurance, Taxco Restaurant and Sweet Earth. Jane Fargo Hotel, 355 W. State St., Sycamore, used the grant money for signage and a permanent awning. “The attractiveness and welcoming nature of downtown shopping has improved any time one business has improved their facade,” Sycamore Mayor Ken Mundy said. Other downtown building owners can also apply for a grant from the program. The city budgeted $25,000 for the program for the current fiscal year, which ends April 30, 2015. Downtown building owners are eligible to receive a matching grant of up to $5,000. The one-month priority
See GRANT, page A7
Ill. marijuana hearing draws entrepreneurs By CARLA K. JOHNSON The Associated Press
Firefighters above a grain bin on the Madey Farm prepare to repel into the bin as a tractor clears corn from a hole on the side of the bin.
“He was a great guy. A hard worker, good farmer, good firefighter.” Bruce Kozlowski Genoa-Kingston fire chief, speaking about Leon Madey
CHICAGO – A public hearing on Illinois’ new medical marijuana program morphed into an informal networking session Monday, with wouldbe growers, retailers and patients collecting business cards and sharing trade secrets. The hearing in Chicago drew about 200 people, with two dozen testifying about proposed rules for the state’s four-year pilot program. Pharmacists said they should play an official role. Patients asked for lower fees. A businessman promoted a Colorado company’s expertise in growing and selling. “It’s similar to a gold rush,” said political consultant Roberto Caldero of Chicago, who, like many, attended only to observe. “Everybody’s trying to stake out their claim.” The Illinois Department of Public Health hearing was in-
tended as a forum for patients, not the business owners planning to apply for licenses to grow and sell cannabis. But most of the comments came from entrepreneurs eager to get involved in what could be a $20 million to $30 million industry. Jonathan Caulkins of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, a leading expert on marijuana legalization, calculated the annual sales for Illinois at the request of The Associated Press. But in a recent phone interview, he stressed it was his best guess based on the size of the black market and assumptions about Illinois’ restrictive law, which limits the illnesses that can be treated and prohibits patients from growing their own. Illinois officials haven’t publicly estimated the size of the potential market or the taxes it could generate from 21 cultivation centers selling
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