Serving the Forreston area since 1865
FORRESTON Journal November 23, 2017 Volume 155, Number 31 - $1.00
Season Ends
New Flag
Christmas Angel
Forreston’s football season ended Saturday with a 12-8 loss to Le-Win in the state semifinal. B1
A large stationary flag was dedicated on Nov. 11. A8
Participate in the the Christmas Angel Project to make a child smile. A2
Cause of Leaf River fatal fire not yet determined By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com The cause of the Nov. 10 fatal house fire in Leaf River has not yet been determined. Firefighter Gregory Wood, 19, died in the early morning blaze, and two of his family members were seriously injured. “Officially it’s still under investigation,” Ogle County Detective Brian Ketter said Monday morning. “We’re waiting for the state fire marshal’s office to finish their investigation. At this point it’s not at all suspicious.” He said the fire started in the downstairs along the west wall of the living room. Leaf River Fire Chief Steve Shelton said Gregory’s father, Marcus, 43, and brother, Travis, 16, were recently released from the Rockford hospitals where they were treated for burns and smoke inhalation. “Marcus was released yesterday [Saturday], and Travis a couple of days ago,” Shelton said Sunday afternoon. Marcus is the deputy fire chief, and Travis is a cadet firefighter. Gregory’s mother Nicole, an EMT, was treated and released from the hospital on the day of the fire. Gregory, a 2017 graduate of Forreston High School, had recently successfully completed EMT classes. An autopsy last week determined he died from smoke inhalation. Funeral services will be
held on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 1 p.m. with the visitation beginning at 10:30 a.m., both at the River Valley Complex, 605 Main St., Leaf River. Shelton said the team investigating the fire included the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office, Illinois State Police Crime Scene Investigation, Ogle County Sheriff’s Department, and an insurance company. Shelton, who lives across the street from the Wood home, said he was awakened at about 12:40 a.m. on Nov. 10 when members of the Wood family pounded on his door for help. At that point, he said, the entire front of the two-story frame house was in flames. He said he and his son Aaron, also a firefighter, immediately went to the fire station. When they arrived back on the scene minutes later with a firetruck, the house was totally engulfed. “Basically there were flames coming from every window of the house,” he said. The Wood family rented the house from Lazette Rasmussen, of Steward. Fifteen area fire departments responded with mutual aid. Neighboring fire departments have been covering Leaf River’s fire calls and manning the station since the fire. The Leaf River Fire Department has set up a fund at German American State Bank, German Valley, to assist the Wood family.
Above: Demolition began late last week of the burned out Wood home at 209 W. Second St., in Leaf River. Gregory Wood, 19, died in the fire in the early morning hours of Nov. 10. Below: This memorial to Leaf River Firefighter Gregory Wood stands in the front yard out at his home at 209 W. Second St. in Leaf River. Wood died when the home was destroyed by fire in the early morning hours of Nov. 10. Photos by Vinde Wells
Village board says no to solar farm By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecounty news.com
Season Ends Forreston’s Hunter Daws (25) talks to Brayden Walton (50) after the Cardinals fell to Lena-Winslow in the semifinals of 1A. Photo by Earleen Hinton
In This Week’s Edition...
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B12 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B3
Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B3 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B3
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports,B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B3
The Forreston Village Board said no Monday evening to a solar farm south of village limits. Board members voted 4-2 against recommending the Ogle County Board approve the special use permit necessary for Cypress Creek Renewables, a Californiabased company, to build a 20-megawatt solar energy farm on 200 acres of land south of Town Line Road, surrounding Ill. 26, owned by Rod Wubbena. Trustees Ken Toms and Jeff Freeze voted in favor of the recommendation, while Vickye Norris, Gary Buss, Ken Vinnedge, and Tim Drayton voted against it. Toms acknowledged how many changes CCR was willing to make to appease neighbor concerns, such as noise, proximity, and visual eyesores. “If you look at the final maps submitted to the county, [CCR] moved the whole farm back 350 feet from their original proposed location,
just to make people happy,” said Toms. Buss voiced concern over locking a large section south of village limits off from possible development for 40 years. “I feel like we’re essentially shutting off a mile south of the village from anything,” said Buss. Freeze said he understood the concern over development, but that in his 12 years with the board, he’s only seen one new building go up. Vinnedge’s main concern was that the people living outside village limits, but still operating and doing business inside of it, had representation, and that they were against it. CCR held a public meetings, conducted by CCR senior developer Scott Novack, on Aug. 17 and Oct. 16 with the adjacent homeowners and village board, respectively, to explain their mission and look for feedback. The project was met with resistance from the surrounding neighbors, many of whom posted signs in their yards clearly opposing the building of the farm.
Deaths, B5 Drew E. Crase, David A. Jones, Richard D. Lovelace, Lois J. Medlar, Goldie D. Reinke, Gregory J. Wood, Larry Woolcott
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com