Serving the Forreston area since 1865
FORRESTON Journal January 26, 2017 Volume 154, Number 40 - $1.00
Hawks vs. Cardinals
Recycling
No Agreement
Oregon and Forreston tipped off Tuesday night in non-conference action. B1
The schedule for electronics recycling in Ogle County is set. A6
The Byron School Board is negotiating with the teachers union over a new contract. A7
BOR denies the tax appeal for printing plant By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com The Ogle County Board of Review deliberated only about 5 minutes Tuesday morning before denying a tax appeal filed by the owners of a shuttered Mt. Morris printing plant. Board Chairman Joe Yockey, Stillman Valley, recommended keeping the assessment of the former Quad Graphics plant the same as last year, the $895,912 set by Mt. Morris Township Assessor Paul Peterson. The appeal sought an assessment of $122,761. Board member Mitchell Montgomery, Rochelle, agreed with Yockey, and Paula Diehl, Mt. Morris, recused herself because she is the village clerk for Mt. Morris, one of the taxing bodies that receives revenue from the plant. Daniel Tucker, from Ryan Law LLC, Chicago, represented the plant’s owner, Mt. Morris Business Park LLC, Downey, California, which has no connection to
Training Drill Police from several area agencies advance on the front door of the old Spoor house alongside the Ogle County Judicial Center during a training on Monday. The home has been purchased by Ogle County and will soon be razed. Photo by Earleen Hinton
County will demolish old home By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com An Oregon landmark is coming down as the second phase gets underway of a plan to expand parking near the Ogle County Judicial Center. County board member Don Griffin,
Oregon, told the board Jan. 17 that employees of the county highway department are helping with the demolition of the Spoor house at 102 S. Fifth St., Oregon, which was a part of the Spoor Hotel a century ago. Most recently the house has been the law offices of attorney Robert Lowe.
A power point showed the board the deteriorating condition of the inside of the house and the progress being made to tear it down. Griffin said he planned to contact representatives of the Ogle County Historical Society to see if they are interested in having components of Turn to A2
Million dollar ticket
Citgo Gas at 406 E. Third St., Leaf River, sold the winning $1 million Lucky Day Lotto ticket Monday’s midday drawing, but the winner had not yet come forward, the Illinois Lottery
the village of Mt. Morris. He said the value should be much lower because the plant has been taken off the real estate market. “I think the $400,000 appraisal is what we should go with to put a value on this thing,” Tucker said. Yockey disagreed. “I, personally, think the appraisal is too low at $400,000,” he said. The appraisal is based on the fair market value of the printing facility, and assessments are a third of the fair market value. Peterson set the fair market value at $2.68 million. Being taken off the real estate market should have no bearing on the current assessment, Peterson said, because it still was on the market when the value was set. “As of the date of value a year ago, it was on the market,” he said. Oregon School Superintendent Tom Mahoney agreed with Peterson. “If it’s not on the market for this tax year, then we Turn to A7
said in a news release. The winning numbers: 3-4-7-10-36. The retailer will receive $10,000, or one percent of the prize amount, for selling the winning ticket.
Six seniors are named Illinois state scholars Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle stands with his wife, Marla, and daughter, Ali, in view of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The VanVickles attended President Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony Friday. Photo supplied
Sheriff attends inauguration By Rachel Rodgers Sauk Valley Media Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle and his family greeted the chilly January morning surrounded by thousands waiting to see the nation’s 45th chief executive come into power Friday. “It was neat to see the peaceful transition from one president to another and see that part of history that still works more than 200 years later,” VanVickle said shortly after President Donald Trump’s inauguration
“It was neat to see the peaceful transition from one president to another,” —
Six Forreston High School seniors have been recognized as 2017 Illinois State Scholars. Those honored for this achievement are Ross Behrends, son of Paul and Julie Behrends, Brian Dillard, son of Dana Dillard, Bryan Edler, son of Bryan and Michele Edler, Katie Fisher daughter of Richard and Sally Fisher, Emily Homman daughter of Michael and Tammy Homman, and Emma Nelson, daughter of Shawn and Jennifer Nelson. The award is given annually
by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) which is recognizing 19,300 high school students from across the state as this year’s State Scholars. Illinois State Scholars possess strong academic potential and are chosen based on a combination of exemplary ACT or SAT test scores and six semester class rank. State Scholars rank in the top 10 percent of high school seniors from 765 high schools across the state. Forreston High School
Principal Travis Heinz praised the students’ efforts. “To be recognized in the top 10 percent of graduating seniors in the State of Illinois is a tribute to the students’ work ethic, desire to succeed, their teachers, and the support they receive at home,” he said. “The nice thing about each of these students is that they are not only successful in the classroom. Many of these students are leaders outside the classroom in the many extra-curricular activities they are involved as well.”
Brian VanVickle ceremony. VanVickle, his wife, Marla, and daughter, Ali, traveled to the capital Wednesday during the calm before the inauguration storm, walking down an oddly hushed Pennsylvania Avenue not far from where Trump will call his home for the next 4 years. “It was surprising; it
In This Week’s Edition...
was really quiet, and there was no traffic,” he said. “Then, it all changed, and there were people everywhere.” The family set out at 6:30 a.m. prior to the sun rising on hundreds of thousands of people finding a spot in the National Mall, a mixed
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B5-B10 Entertainment, A6 Library News, A3
Turn to A2
Forreston High School seniors Ross Behrends, Brian Dillard, Bryan Edler, Katie Fisher, Emily Homman, and Emma Nelson were recently named Illinois State Scholars. Photo supplied
Oregon Police, B4 Public Voice, A7 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3
Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B3
Deaths, B4 Margaret L. Blake, Emerson Garman Jr., Martha Sue Gilbert, Andrew J. Smith, Sandra J. Spinks, Richard E. Wing
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com