Serving the Forreston area since 1865
FORRESTON Journal October 12, 2017 Volume 155, Number 25 - $1.00
Sectional golf
$75,000 Given!
Deficit Budget
Local golfers wrap up the season with sectional and regional golf tournaments. B1
An anonymous donor gives $75,000 to HOO. A4
The Ogle County Board is working to solve a $850,000 deficit budget. B3
Mongan faces felony charges June 2016 boating crash killed Megan Wells By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Felony charges were filed in Ogle County Court Oct. 4 against an Oregon man who was operating one of boats involved in a collision that took the life of a Rockford woman more than a year ago. Marc Mongan, 47, was charged with seven new felony counts — one count of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, a Class 2 felony; three counts The Forreston High School Redbird Regiment marches down Fourth Street Sunday at Autumn on Parade. Photo of reckless homicide, all by Vinde Wells class 3 felonies; and three counts of reckless conduct, all Class 4 felonies. Mongan had already been charged with six misdemeanors in the death of By Vinde Wells Megan Wells, 31, who died vwells@oglecounty on June 24, 2016 after the news.com
Large crowd turns out for festival
Although the final numbers aren’t yet tallied, Oregon’s 47th Autumn on Parade festival may have drawn its largest crowd ever on Sunday. “Several people told me they had never seen so many people there before,” said AOP Committee President Marseyne Snow. After intermittent drizzle all day Saturday, Sunday dawned bright and beautiful with temperatures topping off in the mid-70s — picture perfect for browsing craft booths, shopping for mums and pumpkins, and best of all, watching a parade. An array of colorful barn quilts were for sale at Lori Blask’s Baileyville Barn Quilts Turn to A3 during the Autumn on Parade festival last weekend in Oregon. Photo by Vinde Wells
johnboat he was operating struck her when it went over the back of the pontoon boat she was riding in, throwing her overboard. The collision occurred just around 8:40 p.m. on the Rock River three miles north of Oregon. Judge John Redington set a preliminary hearing for Wednesday, Oct. 18, when he will rule on whether or not probably cause exists for the felony charges. Special prosecutor David Neal, from the Illinois State’s Attorney’s Appellate Prosecutor’s office, said he decided not convene a grand jury for an indictment on the new charges. He said probably cause can be determined either by Turn to A3
Forreston woman charged with felony A Forreston woman was charged last week with stealing money from an elderly Polo resident she was taking care of. According to Ogle County court documents, Cynthia J. West, 36, faces three charges, aggravated identity theft, financial exploitation of an elderly person from $5,000 to $50,000, and theft by deception of more than $5,000 from a person older than 60, all Class 2 felonies. Polo Police Chief Kurt Cavanaugh arrested West
on Oct. 5 with the assistance of the Forreston Police Department. She is accused of stealing more than $5,000 from an 80-year-old man for whom she was an in-home caretaker. During a court appearance on Oct. 6, Judge Clayton Lindsey denied a motion to reduce West’s $25,000 bond. She remains in the Ogle County Jail. She was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday for a status hearing.
Lodge at the Pines gets addition and new name By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com A long-awaited expansion is close to becoming a reality at the White Pines State Park. Local and state officials attended a ground-breaking at the park’s lodge Oct. 6 that they say will usher new tourism dollars into the area economy. Lodge concessionaire Beth Henderson said the construction project, which is slated for completion Dec. 18, means the lodge, now known as the White Pines Resort, will have a brand new stage with state-of-the art lighting and sound, seating for 40 more guests in the dining room, and more storage. The goal, she said, is have a retreat center to attract corporate groups to the facility. “We have tourists and weddings on the weekend, but all we have mid-week is the dinner theater. Now we have space for corporate retreats mid-week as well,” she said. Henderson declined to give the
cost of the expansion, but said the project is a partnership between the resort and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, which has authority over the park. “The state [IDNR] paid for the design and I’m paying for everything else,” she said. Henderson told the crowd at the ground-breaking that the expansion has been a long time coming. “I’ve been here 29 years and this has been in the making for 20 years,” she said. “It is really a symbol of growth as we transform from the White Pines Lodge to the White Pines Resort. We want to be a showplace for the state.” Keynote speaker Cory Jobe, director of the Illinois Office of Tourism, said the cooperation between Henderson and the IDNR is noteworthy. “This is the first time I’ve been at a ground-breaking for a public-private partnership,” he said. “It’s refreshing to see that happening at one of our state parks.” State Sen. Tim Bivins (R-Dixon) recounted coming to the White Pines
In This Week’s Edition...
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4 Guest Column, A7
since his childhood. He said when he came the first time with his parents he was fascinated with the park’s fords. “How cool is that to drive through the water?” he said with a smile. “This is a jewel,” Bivins continued. “This place has special meaning for those of us who live around here and grew up here.” Jerry Campagna, vice president of operations at the White Pines Resort, credited Henderson with securing IDNR approval of the expansion. “It’s all due to her energy and commitment,” he said. He also introduced the resort’s new logo, the focus of which is a lantern. “A lantern is a light that brightens the path,” he said. “We inspire others.” The resort’s tagline will be “Stop the dash, connect the dots.” Campagna also announced a partnership with Highland Community College, Freeport, for its hospitality program. Workshops for the program will be held at the resort.
Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B4 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B4 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3
White Pines Lodge concessionaire Beth Henderson addresses the crowd at the ground-breaking ceremony at White Pines Resort on Oct. 6. Photo by Zach Arbogast
Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B4 Zoning, B4
Deaths, B5 Lawrence L. Acker, Robert H. Cavanaugh, Freda J. Engelkes, Charles E. Kump Jr.
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com