Serving the Forreston area since 1865
FORRESTON Journal December 8, 2016 Volume 154, Number 33 - $1.00
Basketball Preview
Staying Warm
Holiday Hole
The Forreston Cardinals had a late start to the season but are preparing to play. B1
A Byron seventh grader helped to collect 5,000 coats for HOPE. B3
A one-of-a-kind Black Friday prank was dug on property near Oregon A7
Village Board reviews health insurance options By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecountynews.com The Forreston Village Board continued to discuss health insurance renewal options for employees Monday evening. Jim Niedermeier returned again to discuss the health insurance renewal options. Currently, the village is staring down an $800 per month increase, should they choose not to change their coverage
options at all. Niedermeier met with village employees Dec. 2 to discuss options and see who utilizes care options that would be lost if the village switched to a preferred network. Switching to such a plan could knock the $800 per month increase down to $400. However, individual deductibles would raise from $500 to $1,000, while out-of-pocket expense would decrease from $5,000 to $3,000.
The biggest change in this shift would be in the network; the village would have to give up the Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO - the largest, broadest network that Blue Cross offers in Illinois - to a more restrictive network called Blue Choice Preferred. After comparing and contrasting which doctors the employees used with which ones are within the Choice Preferred network, Niedermeier found little conflict
except for one: Rockford Health System (RHS). Under RHS, there’s a waiver program where the company would pay in-network insurance, despite being out of network. This program only operates under the larger Blue Cross PPO. “If that’s an issue, then I would recommend you take the renewal as it is,” said Niedermeier. “I would prefer to make a recommendation based on what the
employees are using, and what they need,” said Village President Mark Metzger. Metzger added this comes with discussing the give and take with employees; if the village eats a 13 percent increase in insurance premium costs, it may affect potential raises. The board opted to gather more information from the employees and get in touch with Niedermeier before the Dec. 19 meeting.
German Valley Christmas event set for Saturday
Christmas in the Country
Staff Report Christmas in German Valley will be celebrated on Saturday, Dec. 10. A schedule of events and times is listed below. Customer Appreciation Day will be observed at the German American State Bank, 100 Church S., from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Enjoy refreshments. A Craft and Vendor Show, sponsored by the German Valley Lions Club, will take place at the German Valley Grade School, 220 N. Rock City Rd., from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be free cookies while you browse. A Bake Sale, Cookie Walk and Coffee Café will take place at the Silver Creek Reformed Church, 326 S. Bunker Hill Rd., from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Freshly baked cinnamon rolls and beverages will be offered. New for purchase this year will be “Take & Bake” prepared rolls ready to thaw
The annual Forreston Christmas in the Country was held Dec. 2-3. Visitors had the chance to meet Santa, hear Christmas carols, and find shopping deals. Above, members of the Forreston High School and Junior High choirs pack into Sweetwood Interiors to carol. The carollers were led by Forreston Vocal Director Kristin Crase and accompanist Tammy Rinehart. At right, Kobe Sutherland shares his Christmas wishes with Santa at the Forreston Public Library. Photos by Zach Arbogast..
County board going digital By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecounty news.com
Gouker re-elected board chairman By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com A challenge from a fellow Ogle County Board member from Byron fell short Monday evening of unseating Kim Gouker as board chairman. Gouker, Byron, was reelected to a third two-year term as chairman by a vote of 17-7. A previous motion to elect Dorothy R. Bowers, also a Byron resident, was defeated 8-16. After the vote, Gouker
and bake, icing will be included. “A Victorian Christmas” will be observed at the German Valley Historical Museum, 805 Church St., from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wassail and cookies will be served, and guests, children and adults, may make an old fashioned ornament. The German Valley United Methodist Church, 7 Main St., will serve a Soup and Sandwich Luncheon from 10:30 to 1:30 p.m. Chicken noodle, vegetable beef, split pea and potato soups will be offered along with sandwiches, desserts and beverage. Costs are $7 for adults, $4 for those age 4 – 10 with those 3 and younger served free. Carry outs will be available as well as soup sold by the quart. For handicapped access, use the front entrance and take the elevator to the basement fellowship hall. For information call 815541-5903 or 815-541-4782.
thanked the board for its confidence in his leadership and pledged to continue making Kim progress. Gouker “I think we’ve made a lot of progress over the last couple of years,” he said. “I want to help this board continue to move forward over the next couple of years.” Gouker, who has served on the county board for 18 years, said he hopes to build more unity on the board and
In This Week’s Edition...
make the committees more dynamic. He said the biggest projects facing the board are building a new jail and remodeling the recently purchased clinic building in Rochelle. Board member John Finfrock, Mt. Morris, was elected to his third two-year term as vice chairman. Before the votes for chairman and vice chairman, Judge Robert Hanson administered the oath of office to the 16 board members elected Nov. 8, including Ricky Fritz, Monroe Center, and Zach
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B5
Oltmanns, Davis Junction, in District 1; Wayne Reising, Oregon, and Thomas Smith, Kings, in District 2; Greg Sparrow and Garrett Williams, both of Rochelle in District 3; John Kenney, Rochelle, and Kimberly Whalen, Hillcrest, in District 4; Martin Typer, Stillman Valley, and Donald Griffin, Oregon, in District 5; Bowers and Gouker in District 6; Ron Colson, Mt. Morris, and Finfrock in District 7; and Patricia Saunders, Polo, and Marcia Heuer, Oregon, in Turn to A3
Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B3 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B5
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B3
The Ogle County Board is saying goodbye to paper waste and postage and going digital for the new year. In an effort to cut back on unnecessary expenses, reduce labor, and increase convenience and efficiency for board meeting information, the county board has invested in a set of 24 personal laptop computers - one for each of its members. According to board chairman Kim Gouker, the discussion to make the adjustment has been ongoing for around a year, starting with former County Clerk Rebecca Huntley in 2015 and continued by current Clerk Laura Cook. “I did state when I campaigned for County
Clerk and Recorder that I would like to have the county board have their own access page for paperless packets,” said Cook. “I am happy to say this will have been accomplished within the first nine months of my time in office with the cooperation of the Ogle County Board.” Currently, one person at the clerk’s office spends two full days gathering any documentation from the 20 committees, which gets compiled with information regarding business items, copied, sorted, and mailed personally as inches-thick packets to 24 board members. Around three full packages of computer paper get expended to produce the packets, and postage costs around $3 per packet according to Gouker. Turn to A3
Deaths, B4
Freda E. DuBois, Janice M. Gilbert, Charron M. Rausa, Sherman D. Schubbe, Thomas L. Simpson, Lorraine E. Straw, James R. Williams
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com