For 2016 06 30

Page 1

Serving the Forreston area since 1865

FORRESTON Journal June 30, 2016 Volume 154, Number 10 - $1.00

Resale Shop Open Angel Treasures has moved to a new location in Mt. Morris A8

Safe Fireworks

Free Music

Stay safe and understand the laws about fireworks in Illinois. A6

The StingRays will perform in Mt. Morris Friday evening at the band shell. A10

Former banker receives sentence in federal court Bergstrom has home confinement and community service hours By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com A Polo woman was sentenced in federal court in Rockford Tuesday to two days in prison and two years supervised release for embezzling almost $60,000 from the local bank where she worked. Kayla Bergstrom, 46, was also sentenced to six months of home confinement and ordered to perform 250 hours of community service work. Joseph Pederson, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, said the home confinement means Bergstrom will be allowed to leave home only for employment. Bergstrom pleaded guilty in March to embezzling $59,560.88 from First State Bank Shannon-Polo between Feb. 23, 2010 and Feb. 3, 2014.

Parking Change Work has been ongoing at the Forreston Junior/ Senior High School this summer on replacing the parking lot on the west side of the property. Work is scheduled to be completed before the start of the school year. Photos by Vinde Wells

Kayla Bergstrom

She was a first vicepresident at the bank’s Polo branch and had the highest security level assigned in the bank’s software program which controlled all customer bank accounts, the bank’s general ledger accounts, adding new accounts, and the maintenance of all bank accounts. Pederson said Bergstrom was not ordered to make restitution because she has already repaid the bank. Bergstrom was indicted Oct. 20 in federal court in Rockford, and entered a not guilty plea during her arraignment two days later. She is currently is employed by the City of Polo as the manager of its swimming pool.

Mt. Morris is ready for An Old-Fashioned 4th of July By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Celebrate “An OldFashioned 4th of July” with food, fireworks, music,

and family activities at Mt. Morris’ 53rd annual Let Freedom Ring Festival July 2-4. “The fireworks are always a highlight, and we have lots of free entertainment,” said

LFR Committee Chairman Mark Lewis. “Several bands will be performing throughout the weekend.” The long-range forecast was promising with mild temperatures and fair skies

predicted for the holiday weekend. “We’re hoping for good weather, and right now it’s looking pretty good,” Lewis said. Festival events began

Wednesday evening with the crowning of the 2016 LFR Queen. Four high school seniors, Anastasia Gordon, Lani Morris, Sarah Palmer, and Sydne Robinson, are seeking

the honor of reigning over the annual Let Freedom Ring Festival. Most events are planned Saturday, July 2 through Monday, July 4. Turn to A9

Oregon man is charged after boat accident Rockford woman was killed June 24 By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com

Bible School Forreston Community Vacation Bible school recently finished after a week of fun activities for the kids. The children ended one of the days by throwing paper in the air. Photo supplied

In This Week’s Edition...

Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 College News, A7 Entertainment, A6

Library News, A2 Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B5 Property Transfers, B5

An Oregon man has been charged after a June 24 boating accident that took the life of a Rockford woman. Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) spokesman Chris Young said Monday that Marc Mongan, 46, has been charged with operating a watercraft while under the influence of alcohol and reckless operation of a watercraft. Mongan, who is the owner of Oregon Healthcare Pharmacy Services Inc., is scheduled to appear in Ogle County Court on July 15 for arraignment.

Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B2 State’s Attorney, B3

Megan M. Wells, 31, was pronounced dead at Swedish American Hospital, Rockford, after the johnboat Mongan was operating struck a pontoon boat in which she was a passenger on the Rock River three miles north of Oregon. Young said Wells, the mother of three, was thrown overboard in the collision, which occurred at 8:40 p.m. The Oregon ambulance transported her to the hospital. An autopsy performed by the Winnebago County Coroner’s office Monday showed Wells died from blunt force trauma to her chest. Ogle County Sheriff Police said Nicholas Lamb, 29, Oregon, a passenger in the Turn to A3

Deaths, B4 David E. Broderick, David A. Buse, Delores I. Gecan, Willard T. Harmon, Margery L. Kump, James D. Travis

Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.