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Serving the Forreston area since 1865

FORRESTON Journal March 9, 2017 Volume 154, Number 46 - $1.00

Coming of (Digital) Age

Spring Ahead

On Their Own Now

The Forreston Village Board on Monday OK’d a proposal for a website. A3

Set your clocks one hour ahead at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 12.

The Forreston softball team begins life after its co-op with Polo came to an end. B1

Sixth Street property was bought with jail in mind By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Ogle County officials said last week that building a new county jail on South Sixth Street in Oregon has been part of the long range plan for several years. This machine shed was destroyed by the tornado. Photo by Earleen Hinton Kim Gouker told a crowd of more than 30 in Forreston that the Sixth Street property was purchased with the intention that a jail would go there at some point. The county board By Zach Arbogast purchased and then razed five zarbogast@oglecountynews.com houses on east half of the 100 block of South Sixth Street A bus full of high school students in 2006, after completing the from Thome School in Rock Falls rolled new judicial center in Fifth into Oregon last week to help a pair of Street the previous year. neighbors whose farms were in the path The purchase was made, of the Feb. 28 tornado. Gouker said, “with the idea of The twister tore through the Janssen possibly building the jail there. and Macauley farms at 4779 and 4778 We wanted to maintain the S. Daysville Rd., respectively, around 5 efficiency we had already built p.m., causing several hundred thousand in there [in the judicial center].” dollars in damage. Gouker, Long Range “This place looked like a war zone,” Planning Committee said Sean Janssen, 49. Chairman Don Griffin, and Troops in the form of 20 high school Sheriff Brian VanVickle students, two teachers, a teacher’s aide, made the fifth of seven a social worker, and a parent arrived presentations about the shortly after 9 a.m. March 3 to help. proposed jail March 2 at the Before the morning was over, they would haul away more than 100 buckets Jarid Wilson, left, and Klaytin Reynolds haul off a log while cleaning up Forreston Public Library. last Friday southeast of Oregon. Photo by Alex T. Paschal, Sauk Valley The final two presentations of debris. were scheduled for March 7 The debris that covered the Janssens’ Media in Mt. Morris and March 9 at 10 and a half acres included the the Oregon Coliseum. Macauleys’ destroyed machine shed Gouker recounted the and garage, shards of glass from several history of the county’s long windows, tin shingles, and fallen limbs range planning which has and splinters from more than 50 windincluded several building and decimated trees. remodeling projects. Thanks to the direction of the EF1 The Long Range Planning twister, the Macauleys did not have Shaw Media to information gathered by agency Committee was formed in nearly as much in the way of debris. surveyors and posted at weather.gov. 1998, he said, to come up “We went ahead and gave most of it to The tornado that damaged farms The other two did damage in our neighbors,” joked Roger Macauley, 74. southeast of Oregon Feb. 28 was one Whiteside and Bureau Counties. Jodi Orcutt, Janssen’s cousin and of three in the area confirmed by the They were among at least six a teacher with Bi-County Special National Weather Service (NWS) last that raced across northern Illinois, Education Cooperative, which oversees Friday. including the two strongest, which Thome, saw pictures on Facebook of the All three registered as EF1s, were EF3s. damage. moderate tornadoes with wind Turn to A3 speeds of 86 to 110 mph, according Turn to A9 Everything from farm toys and collectibles to crafts and candles will be available at the Forreston FFA Alumni’s 29th annual Toy Show & Craft Fair on Saturday, March 11 from By Zach Arbogast 1 Chicago Fire, PD, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Forreston zarbogast@oglecounty Justice crossover event, and Junior & Senior High School. news.com will be seen regularly on each The Toy Show will be held individual show throughout in the Forreston High School A local actress raised in March and April. gym, and the Craft Fair will Polo will be making regular The three-hour crossover be held in the Forreston appearances on NBC’s event begins at 7 p.m. with Junior High School gym and Chicago Fire, Med, PD, and Chicago Fire, then continues cafeteria. Justice shows, as well as an on through episodes of A wide variety of items will upcoming movie. Chicago PD and wrapping up be available from vendors at Erica Foster, 22, has been in Chicago Justice. this event. acting since 2006, beginning “It’s actually really funny The event is designed to as many people do with to see yourself change so give people a day with friends school productions and local many times,” said Foster. “In and families as well as provide community theatre. one episode I’m a fire victim, funds to support the Forreston She continued to pursue then I’m a med student, and High School agriculture and her acting career, and has then a reporter. It’s crazy.” FFA programs. landed reoccurring on-screen When she’s not acting, Erica Foster enjoys some time off of filming with her The Toy Show will offer extra roles. Foster is a family woman, sons Bocephus, 3 months, and Chase, 4. Photo by toy tractors, farm equipment, She had parts on the March Turn to A3 Zach Arbogast memorabilia, and collectibles.

Students help clear debris

Tornado was one of six in northern Illinois

Ogle County Board Chairman Kim Gouker answers a question March 2 at an information meeting about the proposed new Ogle County Jail at the Forreston Public Library. Photo by Vinde Wells

The final presentation about the proposed new Ogle County Jail will be held on Thursday, March 9 at 7 p.m. at the Oregon Coliseum. with an organized approach to capital projects. “We came up with a fivestep plan that we took to the board in 2000,” said Gouker, who chaired the first Long Range Planning Committee. Turn to A3

Collectibles, crafts aplenty at Toy Show

Hometown Polo actress on NBC shows

In This Week’s Edition...

Church Bells, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 Entertainment, A6 Marriage Licenses, A4

Oregon Library, B3 Oregon Police, B5 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B4

Sheriff’s Arrests, B5 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B4

The event features more than 100 tables of vendors that come from all over the Midwest. The Forreston FFA Alumni will also have Oliver 1755 toy tractors for sale. The Craft Fair will have a large number of vendors offering crafts, food, candles, and other items. On the day of the event, the Forreston FFA Alumni will raffle off $200 and $100 gift certificates to Eickman’s Processing, Seward. Lunch will be available from the FFA Alumni as well. Fore more information log on to www. forrestonffaalumni.org, email FFA Advisor Robert Nelson at rnelson@fvdistrict221.org, call Rick Garnhart for the Toy Show at 815-238-3044, or Cathy Kohlbauer for the Craft Fair at 815-275-6710.

Deaths, B4 Elwin (Bill) W. Janssen, Robert A. Stouffer

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


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