Serving the Forreston area since 1865
FORRESTON Journal December 7, 2017 Volume 155, Number 33- $1.00
Marcos Host Hawks
Holiday Event
March Primary
The Marcos hosted the Oregon Hawks Tuesday night in non-conference basketball. B2
Celebrate Christmas in German Valley on Dec. 9. A3
Ogle County candidates throw their hats in the ring for the March 20 Primary. A3
Festive Joy at Christmas in the Country After arriving at Veteran’s Memorial Park for Christmas in the Country, Santa headed down to the Forreston Public Library, where children like 7-year-old Madison Stevens lined up to share their Christmas wishes. Christmas in the Country provided downtown Forreston with several sights and activities to get in the holiday spirit, from visits with Santa to cookies and coloring at the library, sweet treats at Forreston Fire Department, a scavenger hunt, arts and crafts in the park, trimming trees at Sweetwood Interiors, and shopping at the Christmas bazaar. Photo by Zach Arbogast. More photos appear on B1.
No one injured in Monday house fire By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com No one was injured Monday morning in a fire that caused heavy damage to a rural Forreston home. Forreston Fire Chief Bob Meyers said the only occupant of the home, Kristia Hord got out safely. “Everyone got out including the pets,” he said. Hord’s husband Richard was away on business and the couple’s two children were at school when the fire started at 9263 N. Columbine Rd., approximately three miles northeast of Forreston. The fire was reported at 8:18 a.m. Meyers said Monday afternoon that no cause has yet been determined, and the Above, Smoke begins to pour out under the eaves at the front of the Hord home at 9263 N. Columbine Rd., rural Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Forreston. Firefighters from Forreston, German Valley, Leaf River, and Byron battled the fire Monday morning. office is assisting with the Below, Firefighters work to put out the fire Monday morning at the Hord home. Photos by Vinde Wells. investigation. The fire started, he said on the south side of a four-seasons room at the rear of the house. “In the south rear portion of the house the wall was totally engulfed with fire when we arrived,” he said. The full extent of the damage has not yet been assessed. The fire also got into the attic over the living room and other portions of the house, and the bedrooms sustained smoke damage, Meyers said. The Leaf River, German Valley, and Byron Fire Departments also responded to the fire. Firefighters remained at the scene for approximately five hours.
In This Week’s Edition...
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B5-B8 Entertainment, A6 Marriage Licenses, A4
Public Voice, A4 Property Transfers, B3 School Menus, A3 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3
Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B4
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com
Parcels annexed into village By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecounty news.com The Forreston Village Board approved petitions for annexing two former railroad properties into the village. During Monday evening’s board meeting, the board approved annexation and zoning petitions to bring two of three properties previously used as railroad into village limits. The properties, which skirt along northern village limits up to the intersection of North Baileyville Road and West White Eagle Road, belong to Fischer Brothers, LLC, the Village of Forreston, and Carroll Service Company respectively. “Basically, we feel like these are properties that only make sense to be in, and we want to clean them up and get them inside village limits with the TIF coming up,” said Village President Mark Metzger. Fischer Brothers and the village went ahead with their annexation petitions, but Carroll Service opted out due to the properties being zoned in as Residential 1, which allows only for a single family home to be built on the property. Turn to A2
Deaths, B4 Carolyn Armour