For 2017 06 01

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Serving the Forreston area since 1865

FORRESTON Journal June 1, 2017 Volume 155, Number 6 - $1.00

Special Run

Third Place The Forreston-Polo track team brought home a trophy from the IHSA 1A State Track Meet. B1

Memorial Walk

The Special Olympics torch will be brought to Oregon June 7. A6

Sign up now for the annual July 4 Pound the Pavement Lois Nelson Walk in Mt. Morris. A7

Festival time in Leaf River

Memorial Day Above, Allen Genandt, left, and Jerry Daws, right, ring the bell during the Forreston Veteran’s Memorial Day ceremony. At right, Near the end of Forreston’s Memorial Day service, the rifle squad gave a 21-gun salute to the fallen veterans who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Photos by Zach Arbogast

Oregon offering “Smart Homes” building lots By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecountynews.com Smart homes are available for building in Oregon’s Stonegate Ridge. Stonegate, formerly known as Settler’s Ridge, is a subdivision project in east Oregon, near the corner of Ill. 64 and South Daysville Road. It began in 2007, fell victim to the recession, and wound up in foreclosure. It had been the property of Sycamore National Bank & Trust since 2010, before being auctioned Feb. 28 to Nitram Properties, Oregon. The 19.85-acre, 47-lot subdivision officially opened November for building, and includes door-to-door fiber optic internet - the first available residentially in the region. “The subdivision offers some cutting-edge opportunities, especially with smart homes now being in the picture,” said Mayor Ken Williams. The Rockford-based builders of Ambassador Homes, LLC, have indeed added Stonegate Ridge to their locations where smart homes are available for building. Stonegate Ridge is one of 11 areas Ambassador builds in, and the only such in Ogle County. According to Ambassador’s

Ground was being broken for an incoming 1,944 square feet singlefamily ranch home to be built in Stonegate Ridge in Oregon. Photo by Zach Arbogast

website, “Smart Homes” have appliances, lightning, heating and air conditioning, and virtually anything else electronic being controlled remotely by phone or internet. This includes being able to check your phone remotely to see if you locked your door, and lock it if you did not. Ground was broke on Monday, May 15, for a single-family ranchstyle home and a side-by-side

In This Week’s Edition...

Church News, A5 Classifieds, B5-B10 College News, A4 Entertainment, A6

two-unit condominium, at 203 Woods Drive and 202 Martin Ave. respectively. Both homes will feature the “smart home” amenities. “This is part of an initiative to get buyers looking at Oregon,” said Rebecca Hazzard, owner of the Oregon Re/Max of Rock Valley and member of the Economic Development Committee. “We’re bringing the features people are

Fines, B3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B4

looking for to Oregon. According to Hazzard, the push to get buyers looking at Oregon comes from a shortage in homes with amenities people currently want. She says inventory is at a 20-year low. “We currently have very little to offer those people looking to move out of their first houses and into bigger, family-sized homes,” said Hazzard. “That means they end up looking at other communities.” Hazzard says her agents get calls constantly from people who are attracted to Oregon’s features, but are looking for newer, more modernconstructed homes. The smart homes are only part of the equation to get people looking to buy lots and build, or to buy alreadyconstructed homes, in the new subdivision; the city is also looking to make said building more affordable. During the April 18 city council meeting, per a recommendation from Hazzard and the ECDC, the council voted to reduce impact and utility connection fees for the first year or first 12 homes built in Stonegate Ridge by an average of around $3,000. Impact and connection fees are additional costs added to building a new home and connecting utilities, and are enforced to help fund infrastructure and public services.

Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, A10, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B3

A band and fireworks will kick off the Leaf River Summer Daze festival on Friday, June 2. Grass Attack will perform bluegrass music from 6:30 to 9 p.m., ending just before the fireworks begins on the field behind the River Valley Complex (formerly the school). The fireworks will begin as soon as it’s dark enough, around 9:20 p.m. The Leaf River Lions Club will serve hamburgers, hot dogs, and brats beginning at 6 p.m. Along with the grilled items will the fare will include potato chips, nachos, brownies, and sodas. Bring lawn chairs or blankets for the evening. The Leaf River Grange will present the Citizen of the Year award at 8 p.m.. Tractors will put on a show of strength on Saturday, June 3 as the Forreston FFA Alumni hosts its sixth annual Truck and Tractor Pull. The pulls begin at noon with classes for antique tractors, farm stock tractors, trucks, and Badger State. This year Badger State will feature both trucks and tractors, and those classes will start at 7 p.m. Admission for the entire day is $10, and kids 6 and under get in free. Entry fees for pull participants are $20 per hook. The pulls take place on the track behind the River Valley Complex in Leaf River. The pulls are a fundraising event for the Forreston FFA Alumni to continue support of the Forreston FFA Chapter and Forreston ag classes. For more information, follow Forreston FFA Alumni on Facebook or call Alumni President Andy Colloton at 815-871-8428. Members of the Leaf River Museum will hold their annual bake sale on Saturday, June 3 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the museum on Ill. 72. Baked goods being donated for bake sale should be brought in after 8 a.m. on June 3 for pricing. The public is invited to have a cup of coffee and browse the two levels of the museum, which includes military, railroad, and drivethrough post office displays, as well as new acquisitions. A quilt raffle will be held on Saturday, June 3 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday, June 4 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The drawing for the winning ticket will be after the park on Sunday at the Bertolet Park. Contributions to this fundraiser helps pay for the Turn to A2

Deaths, B4 Charles H. Ehmen, Gladys L. Haring, Gene E. Medlar, June E. Rowland, Sherry Siefken

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


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