Serving the Forreston area since 1865
FORRESTON Journal December 31, 2015 Volume 153, Number 36 - $1.00
Determination Polo-Forreston wrestler Noah Paul is determined to win state at 106 pounds B1
Happy 2016
Tree Recycling
Be smart during holiday celebrations while ringing in the New Year.
With the new year approaching, it is time to think about recycling the Christmas tree. A6
Skridla tests are complete No accelerants found on victim By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecountynews.com
Flames engulf the Stukenberg family’s century and a half-old barn in Leaf River Dec. 28. Photo by Vinde Wells
Barn in Leaf River destroyed by fire By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecountynews.com Weather conditions hampered firefighters Monday afternoon as they battled a fire that destroyed a Leaf River landmark. Leaf River Fire Chief Steve Shelton said the Stukenberg family’s century and a half-old barn on the southeast corner of Ill. 72 and Main Street is a total loss, but praised firefighters for saving other nearby buildings, including two houses. “The firemen worked hard to save the houses. They did an outstanding job,” he said. “The wind made things very challenging.” A strong east wind drove the flames from the barn toward all the buildings, but especially threatened the closest house. In fact, Shelton said the flames were blowing so far over the roof of that house when he arrived on the Turn to A3
Firefighters form 10 area departments battled the fire that destroyed the Stukenbergs’ barn on the corner of Main Street and Ill. 72 in Leaf River Dec. 28. photo by Vinde Wells
Christmas tradition continues in Forreston By Chris Johnson cxjohnson@oglecounty news.com A Christmas gathering continues to promote fellowship and love every year. From the moment guests arrived at the Forreston Reformed Church Dec. 25, they were greeted by smiling faces and wished Merry Christmas. Robert Dillavou was the first face visitors saw when they arrived for Christmas brunch. He was opening the door and welcoming everyone to the church. Downstairs Dave and Cindy Giesen were hard at work serving food and talking to visitors. These three were working with everyone in the congregation to make the annual brunch memorable. Pastor Scott Ralston said the congregation deserves the credit
for running the event on Christmas morning. “It is a blessing,” said Ralston. “We have new people come every year and they get to share in our fellowship.” The brunch is a time to gather and meet with friends and family, Ralson said. It is also a time to meet new friends. “It is a real joy to bring the church together and bring the community together,” he said. “On Christmas day, what better place is there to be then church to share that Christmas spirit with friends and family.” The brunch was a free, but donations were accepted and the generosity showed which people placing money in the basket for the New Life Community Food Pantry in Forreston. Turn to A2
In This Week’s Edition...
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 College News, A4 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4
Monty Cotter cooks sausage Christmas morning at Faith Lutheran Church. Photo by Chris Johnson
Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, A7 Public Voice, A6 Property Transfers, B4 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3
Social News, A4 Sports, B1 State’s Attorney, B3 Weather, A3
Lab tests done earlier this year on the remains of a 1948 murder victim show no signs of an accelerant. Winnebago County Deputy Coroner Bill Hintz said Monday that results of testing done on scrapings taken from the skull of Stanley Skridla came back negative. “Scrapings from the skull were sent to the Joliet crime lab to test for accelerant and came back negative,” he said. Skridla was exhumed May 28 from his grave at Calvary Cemetery, west of Rockford. Winnebago County officials ordered the exhumation, requested by Skidla’s nephew, Stephan Skridla,Rockford, in an effort to solve the murders of Stanley Skridla, then 28, and his date, Mary Jane Reed, then 17, on a lover’s lane just outside of Oregon. Stephan Skridla was assisted in his efforts by former Oregon Mayor Michael Arians. Winnebago County Coroner Sue Fiduccia said after the exhumation that because of the Skridla family’s concern that his body had been burned with acid, scrapings were taken from the skull. She said the scrapings would be analyzed to determine the presence of acid or an accelerant, such as gasoline. The test results recently became available. Two .32 bullets were also removed from Skridla’s casket during the exhumation and sent to the crime lab for testing, along with a .32 gun turned over to Arians, who gave it to Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle. VanVickle reported last week that test results showed one bullet was too corroded to be tested and the other was not fired from the gun that was also tested. In a press conference the day after Skridla’s exhumation, Arians said he had uncovered new evidence in the case, including the two guns he believes were used to kill Reed and Skridla. One of those guns was submitted for testing along with the bullets from Skridla’s casket. Arians said the guns had been passed down to new owners over the generations from the killers. He declined to reveal who the current gun owners are, but said he gave that information to investigators. Arians said last week that he spent $14,000 of his own money on Skridla’s exhumation. The long-unsolved case began on June 24, 1948 when Reed, who lived in Oregon, failed to return home after a date. She and Skridla, her companion on the night she disappeared, were subsequently found shot to Turn to A3
Deaths, B4 Kraig H. Avey, I. Deborah Barnhart, Laura N. Behan, Mary Ellen Ridenour
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com