Serving the Forreston area since 1865
FORRESTON Journal April 27, 2017 Volume 155, Number 1 - $1.00
Cardinals Win
Harp Concert
Home & Garden
The Forreston softball team held on for a 13-12 win over Oregon April 21. B1
An angelic harp concert will be performed on Sunday. A10
Master Gardeners are needed and students learn about where food comes from. A8-A9
Lawmaker asks IDNR about statue progress By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com The Black Hawk Statue remains shrouded in black while the state budget is in the red, but a state representative promises to do what he can to help both. “I will strongly advocate for including the Black Hawk restoration project in any capital bill discussions, and will continue to stay in communication with DNR [Illinois Department of Natural Resources] for updates and news regarding the project,” State Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) wrote in an email last Friday. The much-needed repairs to the surface of the 106-year-old Black Hawk Statue at Lowden State Park near Oregon have been side-tracked by the state legislature’s failure to pass a budget and red tape. Meanwhile, the local landmark has been wrapped in black plastic since late last November to protect it from further damage. Demmer said he has been in frequent contact with IDNR officials and has found out that the agency, which has authority over the statue, has earmarked $50,000
“I will strongly advocate for including the Black Hawk restoration project in any capital bill discussions, and will continue to stay in communication with DNR,” — State Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) to pay for the architecture and engineering study and scope of work, which has been completed and will be released upon payment, which is expected to happen soon. When the IDNR has received the scope of work report, they will share it with the two conservators who have been approved by IDNR and by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA), Demmer said. “While DNR has been able to find funds to pay for the study, they do not have budget room to pay for the actual restoration work,” Demmer wrote in his email. “They said they will need funding from a state capital bill in order to complete the restoration.” “Talk of a capital bill has been ongoing during the state budget impasse, and has been talked about as part
of a larger deal to resolve the impasse,” he wrote. Attempts to get information from IDNR officials have been unsuccessful, although IDNR Director of Communications Ed Cross has said a statement will be forthcoming. Demmer also promised to advocate for the statue project last summer at a Lunch ’n’ Learn, sponsored by the Oregon Chamber of Commerce. He explained then that a $350,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) that was earmarked for the statue repairs can’t be released until the General Assembly passes budget legislation. Created by sculptor Laredo Taft in 1910 as a tribute to Native Americans, the statue stands on a 125-foot bluff The Black Hawk Statue at Lowden State Park remains shrouded in black protective
plastic, awaiting badly needed repairs to its rapidly deteriorating surface. Photo by
Turn to A3 Vinde Wells
Man accused of bleaching food
Mongan case in court Tuesday Victim’s parents want special prosecutor By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com A Rockford attorney is asking that a special prosecutor be appointed in a case involving a fatal boating crash last summer on the Rock River near Oregon. Cynthia Koroll, an attorney hired by David and Robin Swaziek, Rockford, filed a motion in Ogle County Court Tuesday asking Judge John Redington to replace Ogle County State’s Attorney Eric Morrow as prosecutor in the case against Oregon resident Marc Mongan. Mongan is charged with two misdemeanors, operating a watercraft while under the influence of alcohol, and reckless operation of a watercraft. He has pleaded not guilty
By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
Approximately 30 people held signs in front of the Ogle County Judicial Center on Tuesday afternoon prior to a hearing concerning the death of Megan Wells who was killed in a boating accident on the Rock River last June. Photo by Earleen Hinton
to both charges. The Swazieks’ daughter Megan Wells, 31, Rockford, died June 24, 2016 when a johnboat operated by Mongan went over the back of the pontoon boat she was riding in and struck her, throwing her overboard. An Ogle County Grand Jury that met in December failed to indict Mongan on more serious felony charges. Koroll also presented a motion to name the Swazieks as crime victims in the case. Redington continued the case until June 13 when he will rule on the motions. David Swaziek was pleased with the outcome of the hearing because he has been critical all along of Morrow’s handling of the case. “There should have been
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felony charges,” he said after the hearing. “We don’t think he [Morrow] vigorously prosecuted this. With the mountain of evidence we need someone else to take a look at it.” He has accused Morrow of having a conflict of interest in the case and of giving Mongan special treatment. Morrow, however, disagreed. “I don’t believe there is a conflict. I don’t think a special prosecutor needs to be appointed,” he said after the hearing. “If I thought there was a conflict, I would have asked for that myself.” About 30 people, family and friends of Wells, lined up on the steps to the Ogle County Judicial Center before Tuesday’s hearing, all wearing red shirts and
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4
Turn to A2
A former employee of the Polo Shell Express Lane is accused of putting bleach into food ingredients at the store. Brent A. Gross, 23, Sterling, was charged April 7 with attempted tampering with food, drugs or cosmetics, a Class 2 felony. According to court documents, he poured bleach into the barbecue sauce intended for sloppy joe sandwiches to be sold to customers. Gross is also charged with four misdemeanors, three counts of criminal damage to property and one count of theft less that $500 in connection with the same incident, which occurred last Dec. 12.
Polo Police Chief Kurt Cavanaugh said police were called by an employee at Shell after she noticed the smell of bleach in her hand lotion. Subsequently, the same odor was detected in the barbecue sauce about to be added to the food sold at the store. The investigating officer also smelled bleach in the same items, which were then sent to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, for testing, Cavanaugh said. Gross was initially charged with criminal damage to property in January, but the additional charges were filed April 7. The court documents indicate that Gross damaged a computer mouse at the store by striking it against a file cabinet. Cavanaugh said he is also
Brent Gross
accused of taking business related files from the store, leading to the theft charge. At an April 11 court appearance, Ogle County Judge John B. Roe appointed Public Defender Mike O’Brien to represent Gross, who is free on $10,000 bond. During a hearing on Friday, Roe set a preliminary hearing for May 24.
Bakery in Oregon opens soon By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com The Village Bakery, operated by the Village of Progress in Oregon, is slated to open in May. The bakery will offer cakes, pies, doughnuts and other sweet treats in addition to a full line of coffees, and custom-ordered ice cream. Customers can dine in, or pick up their orders at a drive-through. The building at 101 N.
Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B3 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B4
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B4
Third St. is located on the northeast corner of North Third Street and Washington Street (Illinois 64) in downtown Oregon. Previously, it housed Max Media and before that Basler’s Ace Hardware and has been undergoing an extensive remodeling since the VOP bought it last fall. The Village Bakery will provide jobs for developmentally disabled youth and adults in the community. Jackie Fransen is the
bakery’s manager. She’s hired a full-time baker, a full-time assistant manager, a part-time cake decorator and a part-time baker, and is figuring out which clients will work well in the bakery, and where. “It will be an integrated environment,” Village of Progress Director Brion Brooks said. “We’ll have people without disabilities working side-by-side with people who may have Turn to A3
Deaths, B4 John D. Baker, Ronald R. LeVar
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com