Serving the Forreston area since 1865
FORRESTON Journal October 10, 2013 Volume 151, Number 23 - $1.00
Two Advance
Assessments
Memorial Wall
Two Forreston golfers advanced out of the Rockford Regional Oct. 8. B1
Ogle County’s 2013 property assessments are set. A11-12
A Memorial Wall honoring fallen soldiers was on display during Autumn on Parade. A3
Village could save $34,000 on health insurance By Chris Johnson Reporter A savings of up to $34,000 may be possible if the Forreston Village Board approves switching health insurance plans. Insurance agents Steve Smith and Jim Niedermeier presented insurance options for employee health insurance Oct. 7. Currently the village’s health insurance rate is $8,161 per month through Blue Cross Blue Shield. The village covers 65 percent of the cost and the employee pays 35 percent.
Smith said the plan is a $500 deductible and covers 90 percent of medical costs. The current contract expires in July. If the village renews the contract early in December the monthly rate would be $67 less per month. “Option 3 is switching to the Affordable Care Act plans,� said Smith. “This would save $29,000 per year but the cons are increasing the individual exposure.� The increased out-ofpocket expenses would be $3,500 for an individual or $8,200 for a family. He said subsidies are
available to help defer the costs for the individuals. “If we switch we are substantially lowering benefits,� said Niedermeier. “We recommend setting aside a sinking fund to assist.� He said the sinking fund can be used to bridge the price gap between the current plan and a new plan. Niedermeier said the village board could consider a higher deductible plan to help with the costs. Having a $5,000 deductible instead of the current $1,500 would save money. This works, he said, by reimbursing the employee if
they spend more than $1,500 in deductible costs in the calendar year. “In my opinion save the $29,000 in monthly premiums but commit to cost sharing,� said Niedermeier. “This is cheaper than what you do [currently].� Switching to the government’s platinum plan would cost $6,700 per month which is $1,461 cheaper. Smith said using a sinking fund could potentially allow the village to increase the yearly deductible while lowering the employee’s out of pocket expenses. He said this is called self-funded
insurance. The worst case scenario would be if all 8 people on the insurance plan use the maximum deductible. This would cost $28,000 if the village used the sinking fund, a number that is still less than the village is currently spending on health insurance. One employee in the village could qualify for Medicare and use the village health insurance to supplement the coverage. “This employee could end up have no out-of-pocket expenses next year,� said Smith. The insurance agents said
the savings if the individual switches would be $433 per month which would add another $5,000 in savings for the village. “This is a transitional year,� said Niedermeier. “We could get ahead. There is the potential that for half of your current insurance costs you could get 100 percent coverage.� The board will consider all options for insurance and have a discussion before moving forward. Village president Michael Harn and trustee Mark Metzger were absent from the meeting.
Attendance high despite some rain By Vinde Wells Editor Gloomy skies and a couple of rain showers just weren’t enough Saturday to put a damper on Oregon’s annual fall festival. Although the final numbers weren’t available Monday, Autumn on Parade Committee President Marseyne Snow said attendance was high for both days of the festival. “The Farmer’s Market was very busy, even on Saturday with the rain,� she said. “People didn’t leave when it rained. They took cover until it stopped.� Sunday morning’s bright fall weather more than made up for what Saturday may have lacked. By mid-morning festival-goers filled the Farmers Market and Food Court around the Ogle County Courthouse. “It was packed on Sunday,� Snow said. “�I think the vendors did very well.� Festval-goer Penny Gentzel, Byron, said she comes to AOP every year. “I like to look at all the vendors,� she said Sunday. “And I can’t wait for the parade.� Vendor Kathy Benson, Elk Grove Village, was doing a brisk business Sunday at her booth selling fall-themed sweatshirts. She said AOP is one of her favorite events. “Everybody is so nice and
friendly at this festival,� she said. “The weather is beautiful and the crowd is bigger today.� Sean Hall browsed a booth selling knitted afghans. He said he came up from the Quad Cities for AOP for the second time. “It’s a good festival,� he said with a grin. “I’m enjoying the weather.� Overall, Snow said, the festival went off without a hitch. “It went very well,� she said. “We had more than 500 runners for the 5K Sunday morning, which is more than we’ve ever had before. The kids’ Fun Zone was busy, the parade brought out a huge crowd, and the postparade show was a highlight.� The South Shore Drill Team thrilled the audience with their precision and dexterity Sunday afternoon during the post parade show as well as at the Harvest Time Parade. A new feature, the zipline, made a hit with youngsters at the Fun Zone in the N. Fifth Street parking lot. “Awesome� was the comment most made as they emerged from the attraction wearing wide grins. Snow praised the efforts of the AOP Committee and everyone else who helped with the festival. “Once again, we couldn’t have done it without all the volunteers and the help from the City of Oregon, Oregon Park District, and Ogle County,� she said.
Marching Band The Forreston High School Redbird Regiment showed off its timing and coordination while performing Sunday in the Harvest Time Parade at Oregon’s Autumn on Parade festival. Photo by Vinde Wells
Two arrested for equipment theft Two Rockford men were arrested last month in connection with theft of wire and equipment from quarries in three counties. Andrew A. Garkey, 27, and Cecil C. Sexton, 26, have been charged with burglary and theft in connection with items taken from quarries near Polo, Adeline, Leaf River, and Oregon, as well as in Winnebago and Boone Counties. The two are being held in the Winnebago County Jail under $75,000 bonds.
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Cecil C. Sexton
Andrew A. Garkey
Restaurant will close on Oct. 31 By Vinde Wells Editor
An Oregon icon will close its doors at the end of this month after more than 60 years in business. Maxson’s Riverside Restaurant and the Pride of Oregon Riverboat will serve meals for the last time on Oct. 31, owner Rich Wiesner said Tuesday. “The decision to close has been tremendously difficult, The Forreston High School freshman class took third but we’ve come to realize place for its float in the Homecoming Parade Oct. 3. that now is the best time for
Homecoming Parade
In This Week’s Edition...
Ogle County Sheriff Michael Harn issued a press release Oct. 3 that said the two were taken into custody Sept. 22 after detectives from the Ogle County Sheriff’s Department, Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department, Boone County Sheriff’s Department, and the Belvidere Police Department stopped a truck occupied by Garkey and Sexton. The detectives, who had been working together to
Business Briefs, B5 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B12 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4
this to happen,� Wiesner said in a press release issued Monday afternoon. In a phone interview on Tuesday, Wiesner said he wants to retire, but hasn’t been able to find a buyer for the landmark restaurant. “I’ve had it for sale for a year now, and I haven’t had one person [buyer] come through here,� he said. “I’m 66 years old; I’m ready to retire.� Wiesner said he still hopes to sell the restaurant. “It’s a good location. It’s a good
Forreston Police, A3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Public Voice, A9 Property Transfers, B4
banquet facility,� he said. Wiesner, who is the restaurant’s fourth owner, has owned and operated it since mid-September of 1992 when he purchased it from the heirs of Rose Jones. John Maxson and his family opened the restaurant in 1952 and operated it until they sold it to John and Peter Tsioles in 1978. Jones purchased the restaurant from the Tsioles brothers in 1985. She added the riverboat, originally called the Rose of the Rock
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B3
four years later. The paddle wheeler was built in Palatka, Fla. It was launched on the St. John’s River and sailed into the Gulf of Mexico, to Mobile, Ala., on its month-long trip to Oregon. Its route took it up the Mobile River to the Tennesee-Tombigbee Waterway, then on the Tennessee and Ohio Rivers, and finally up the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers to Ottawa,
Deaths, B3 Nancy L. Bell Kenneth C. Dummer Emilie P. Keller
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