Serving the Forreston area since 1865
FORRESTON Journal May 26, 2016 Volume 154, Number 5 - $1.00
Marcos Statebound
Tourism Tab
Forreston-Polo Falls
The Marcos track team has high hopes headed into the state meet in Charleston. B1
The Ranger will help guide you to local events, attractions. Insert
Miscues hurt the softball and baseball teams as they loose in the regional final. B1
Forreston School Board ends two sports co-ops By Andy Colbert acolbert@oglecountynews.com Because of limited opportunities for playing time, the baseball and softball co-ops between Forreston and Polo will cease to exist. At the May 18 Forreston school board meeting, co-ops for track and wrestling were renewed, but not for baseball and softball. “Lack of participation is the number factor in our decision,” said Dennis Osterloo, Forreston school
board president. “What we are seeing is a decline in Forreston kids going out because of lack of playing time.” According to Osterloo, Forreston athletes were canvassed on this issue. “It’s disheartening to hear that they grew up playing baseball or softball, but aren’t going out because of this,” he said. “Or, maybe they played for a year and didn’t return because of lack of playing time.” The two schools have co-oped
baseball and softball for since 2011. In that time, the baseball team has gone 98-61, winning a 2A regional last year. In softball, the girls reached the 1A super-sectional the year before the co-op went into effect. They did win a 2A regional as a co-op the following year, but have been 5-5 in regional play since then. Forreston’s enrollment of 273 puts them 10 students below the baseball/softball cut-off between 1A and 2A.
“This isn’t about being in 1A or winning,” Osterloo said. “It’s about allowing our students the chance to participate. In baseball, the number of Polo kids is not that significant, but in softball it is more like 50-50.” Besides several Polo residents in attendance at the meeting, there were a handful of Forreston track athletes, concerned about the future of their sport. “When the co-op began, Polo needed help to field a baseball and softball team and Forreston needed
help to field a competitive track team,” P-F track coach Ryan Deets said “We entered into the co-op with that intention. Six years later the numbers still reflect the same situation. Together we have a very strong track team. Separately, there will be great individuals but neither town will field a complete team with the ability to compete for a state trophy, which is what we have now.” Though Forreston opted to renew Turn to A3
Problem gamblers still exist despite rules to prevent it Editor’s note: This is part 3 of a 4-part series on the impact of local video gaming terminals. By Andy Colbert acolbert@oglecounty news.com The sole purpose of a slot machine is to redistribute wealth from the poor and stupid to the rich. At least that’s the definition from the Urban Dictionary. Not all people that play slots are poor and stupid. Many are highly educated and have plenty of disposable income. But, a percentage of those will continue to play slots despite harmful and negative consequences. “As far as I’m concerned, the only places that should have gambling are Las Vegas, Reno and Atlantic City,” said a husband of a problem gambler. His wife also realizes she has a gambling addiction and has gone as far as having herself banned from casinos in Illinois and the surrounding states. That does not prevent her from entering any of the 40-plus establishments in
Ogle County that offer video gaming terminals. She tried them and lost hundreds of dollars. “I hope these places go out of business,” her husband said ruefully. “There are six of them within four blocks of where we live. They don’t belong here.” Though video gaming is a temptation for problem gamblers, they are probably here to stay. But, is there is anything that can be done to include video gaming establishments on the self-exclusion list that the Illinois Gaming Board offers for casinos? “It’s something we are working on,” said Gene O’Shea, Director of the Justin Koeller, Freeport, cooks hot dogs on the grill for the grand opening May 21 of Koeller’s Forreston Statewide Voluntary SelfHardware. Koeller is the son of store owners Gary and Jane Koeller. Photo by Vinde Wells Exclusion Program for Problem Gamblers. “Our chairman and board are very interested in it.” The Gaming Board began its first self-exclusion By Vinde Wells overpasses for several program in 2002; about vwells@oglecounty interstates and four rivers, “Please protect our farmland and our 10 years after casinos news.com including the Rock River in were licensed in Illinois. Ogle County. way of life,” — Currently, there are 11,958 Several opponents of the The route would run Robert Walsh, people who have voluntarily proposed Great Lakes Basin through sparsely populated Lindenwood areas, bypassing the congested signed up. Railroad again urged the Ogle Turn to A7 County Board last week to Robert Walsh, including one in Rochelle, to Chicago rail system. The new pass a resolution against the Lindenwood, echoed her gather input on a proposed rail lines would connect with $8 million project. 278-mile rail line project that existing Class I railroads. concerns. “We’ve got to nip this in Plans call for one of the “Please protect our would extend from southern the bud,” said Cindy Brown, farmland and our way of Wisconsin to northern branches to connect with Lindenwood, who also spoke life,” he said. Rochelle’s rail system on the Indiana. at the April 19 meeting along Opponents have cited The system would extend city’s southeast side before with several others. potential danger to the from Milton, Wisconsin, to continuing to an Interstate 39 Teresa Petry, Rochelle, watershed, farmland, the La Porte, Indiana, requiring overpass. asked the board to officially environment, and wildlife. oppose the plan. The rail system would be “The railroad will change entirely funded by private Ogle County in many ways,” investors led by Frank Patton, she said. Crete, a former software Although the plans now developer. The American Legion in the Forreston Junior High call for the railroad to go The Surface Transportation Forreston Post 308 will hold gymnasium. through the east side of the Board, an agency that A luncheon will be served county, Petry said that could works independently within its annual Memorial Day Service on Monday, May 30 immediately following change as much as 30 miles in the U.S. Department of at 10 a.m. in Memorial Park. the service, for a freewill either direction. Transportation, organized 10 In case of inclement donation. “It could run through your public meetings last month, weather services will be held backyard,” she said.
Grand Opening
Opponents of rail line again address board
Memorial Day Service is at Memorial Park
TelePharm changes plans for Mt. Morris By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
Telepharmacy officials who announced their intention late last year to open in Mt. Morris, released Senior Vice President of Forreston American Legion a change of plans last week. Instead, according to a Auxiliary Jena Bettner helped distribute poppies to May 20 press release from support area veterans May 21. Photo supplied
Poppies
In This Week’s Edition...
Church Bells, A5 Classifieds, B10-B14 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B7
TelePharm Pharmacy, Byron pharmacist Tom Felker is interested in opening a Mt. Morris telepharmacy. “TelePharm Pharmacy, with a community group of investors from Mt. Morris, had planned to open a telepharmacy site in town under a special program,” the press release said. “However
Marriage Licenses, A4 Public Voice, A8 Property Transfers, B7 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3
recently, TelePharm Pharmacy learned that a local pharmacy owner, Tom Felker, would commit to opening a telepharmacy location in 2017. TelePharm Pharmacy is excited that the community will once again have local access to pharmacy care services.”
Social News, A4 Sports, A14, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B3
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Felker declined to comment on Tuesday. “There’s too many variables to comment on it at this time,” he said. The TelePharm Pharmacy release said the company will continue to work with Felker to make sure the Mt. Morris telepharmacy becomes a reality.
Death, B3 Lowell L. Beggs