Serving the Forreston area since 1865
FORRESTON Journal November 6, 2014 Volume 152, Number 28 - $1.00
Cards Advance
New Ornament
PAG Production
The Cardinals advanced to the second round of the football playoffs with a 53-20 win. B1
A handmade Christmas ornament will raise funds for statue repair. A3
“Arsenic & Old Lace” opens Nov. 7 at the Pinecrest Grove Theatre. A6
Harn claims auditor failed to get documents Emails sent by sheriff to Ogle board members By Matt Mencarini Sauk Valley Media
Three release forensic County
days after public of results from a audit of the Ogle administrative tow
fund, Sheriff Michael Harn sent an email to six County Board members that claimed the auditor had failed to get necessary documents from his department. That email and others related to the tow fund and the forensic audit were obtained by Sauk Valley Media through a Freedom of Information Act request. Harn did not attend either
of the County Board’s public meetings Oct. 21, including a regular meeting, where the forensic audit’s results were presented by the auditor. “Just want to send you a little FYI,” Harn said in the email sent Oct. 24. “Since all the County Board has [their] opinion about the tow fund and the articles in the papers I want to inform you of this. I met with the auditor on three
different dates, I explained in detail from start to finish, I explained who he needed to speak to and why things [were] done the way they were and WHO told me I could do things the way I did them. “I’m very unhappy with myself that everything gets twisted, lies, bull----, and the attacks. But I assume responsibility because of
[who] I am.” Harn didn’t respond to Sauk Valley Media’s requests for comment. Ogle County State’s Attorney Mike Rock declined to comment on whether he had passed, or would pass, the forensic audit’s results on to an outside agency for further investigation. Rock, like Harn, lost his election in the March
Republican primary; their terms end on Nov. 30. In his Oct. 24 email, Harn also said he had twice told the auditor, James Sullivan, that a lieutenant had 46 documents that could clear up some of the confusion and disorganization with the tow fund. Ogle County Chairman Turn to A7
Meridian district voters approve tax referendum By Vinde Wells Editor Voters in the Meridian School District went to the polls Tuesday to support paying higher taxes to keep and reinstate educational and extracurricular programs. Results Tuesday night showed that a referendum for a 70-cent tax rate hike in the district’s Education Fund passed by 1,990 votes to 1,573. Meridian Superintendent P.J. Caposey said he was very pleased with the election results. “It’s a great day for our kids,” he said. “I think we’ll be able to provide a first-class education for our students moving forward.” School district officials asked voters to raise real estate taxes in the Education Fund Jasmine and Skyler Engle choose a treat Oct. 31 at the trick or treat table at First United Methodist Church, from the present $2.78 per Forreston. The two wore coats and mittens with their costumes due to the chilly temperature. Photo by Vinde Wells $100 of equalized assessed value (EAV) to $3.48 for the next seven years. Voters in Ogle County approved the referendum 1,905 to 1,446, while By Vinde Wells Winnebago County voters Editor cast only 85 yes votes to 127 no votes. The cause is undetermined The hike will increase the of fire Nov. 1 that destroyed taxes on a $150,000 home a maintenance building at by $350 per year, excluding Edgewood Golf Club six exemptions. miles south of Polo. Polo Fire Chief Tony Karrow said Monday that the investigation has been closed after he and a representative from the Office of the State Fire Marshal spent two hours A Park Ridge man died sifting through the ruins. Nov. 1 after he was struck “The cause remains by a combine northeast of undetermined due to lack of Forreston. evidence,” Karrow said. “The David Olzeski, 65, was evidence needed to determine pronounced dead at 8:30 a cause was lost in the fire, p.m. at Rockford Memorial and therefore the official Firefighters responded to a structure fire at Edgewood Golf Club on Nov. 1. The Hospital where he was Turn to A3 storage shed was located just west of the practice green and hole one. Photo by airlifted following the Earleen Hinton accident on West Lightsville Road approximately four miles northeast of Forreston. Ogle County Sheriff’s
Tasty Treats
Fire destroys building at golf course
“We understand that a burden was placed on our taxpayers, and we don’t take that lightly,” P.J Caposey Meridian Superintendent According to the question on the ballot, the referendum would bring an estimated additional $1.1 million into district coffers annually. “We understand that a burden was placed on our taxpayers, and we don’t take that lightly,” Caposey said. “We appreciate the people who came out to support this.” He said the increase was needed to balance the budget and avoid drastic cuts. The school board had already cut staff and course offerings, and eliminated junior high sports and other activities in an effort to erase a $1.9 million deficit. Without the new tax dollars, Caposey said the board would have been forced to look at further cuts that could increase class sizes, reduce course offerings further, and eliminate the sports program at all levels. The district has faced Turn to A3
Man dies after being struck by a combine
Boy Scout Troop 52 visits village By Chris Johnson Reporter Learning about local governments in something every Boy Scout learns on the way to becoming an Eagle Scout. A group of scouts from Oregon Troop 52 visited the Forreston Village Board
to observe a government meeting. “We are doing Citizenship in the Community,” said scoutmaster Ray Gruber Monday night during the public comment portion of the meeting. Having a standing room only crowd at a Forreston meeting is a rare occurrence
In This Week’s Edition...
but the board welcomes visitors to its meetings. The scouts were taking notes about what happened during the meeting. They learned about a variety of topics during the meeting. Trustee Gary Buss asked what an expense on the accounts payable was for.
Business Briefs, B7 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B8-B12 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B6
Veterans invited to a luncheon on Nov. 9
“We drilled 19 holes for new street signs,” said Alan Cruthis, superintendent of public works. They also found out that The Forreston American rebar was delivered to the Legion Auxiliary will host wastewater treatment plant. The village approved its sixth annual Veterans a $2.8 million loan for Appreciation Luncheon on Turn to A3 Sunday, Nov. 9 at noon at Faith Lutheran Church in
Forreston Police, A3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B7 Public Voice, A11 Property Transfers, B6
Police said Olzeski, who was wearing camouflage clothing, was walking with traffic at 6:30 p.m. when he was struck from behind by the combine. Sheriff Michael Harn declined Tuesday to release the name of the combine driver because he said the investigation is still ongoing. He said no tickets have been issued.
Sheriff’s Arrests, B5 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2, B3 State’s Attorney, B6 Weather, A3
Forreston This year pulled pork and all the trimmings will be served. All veterans are invited along with family and friends.
Deaths, B5 Marguerite L. Dietz, Janet M. Dunivan, Marcus Soresi
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com