Library News

SPORTS VIEW

It was a busy sports Saturday at OHS complex

Iwas out of town last weekend and missed all the activity at Oregon High School and playing fields elsewhere.

In its busiest weekend of the year, Oregon hosted a football game, volleyball tournament and huge cross country meet.

Parking spots were so hard to find on Saturday that Polo cross country team bus driver Trish Bolen told me she almost considered parking in my driveway, as my house abuts Park West. Her or any other bus driver would have been welcome.

Credit to all the good people who drive buses. Amidst today’s labor shortage, some schools are in danger of missing athletic competition because of lack of transportation.

On a similar note, Kyle Zick recently notified us that Forreston’s week 6 game with East Dubuque was changed to Saturday because of a shortage of officials. Lack of workers is everywhere and will continue to impact high-school sports.

I did see a decent fresh-soph football game on Monday night between Oregon and Forreston, with the Cardinals coming on top 14-0. It also gave me a chance to catch up with new varsity head coach Keynon Janicke.

It’s truly a family affair with his parents on the sidelines as photog and statistician. A hometown lad like Keynon could be a lifer as Forreston coach.

Sure, some coaches aspire to move to bigger schools, but with a family atmosphere at Forreston that extends beyond kinfolk, what’s the point of leaving.

The biggest change from being an assistant to head coach?

“I find myself thinking about things a lot more at night, things that (former head coach) Kyle Zick had to figure out,” Janicke said.

Forreston’s 28-0 loss to Durand-Pecatonica was not indicative of the how much closer the game was. Janicke felt his squad gave Du-Pec too many opportunities.

The game of the week in the NUIC will be Du-Pec and newcomer Fulton. Hard to gauge how good either team is yet, though Du-Pec has been getting plenty of love from the media.

The problem for Du-Pec will come in the playoffs. At 438 students, they are 3A. In 2019, they faced Byron in the first round.

Let’s see. Byron beat Stillman Valley 35-0. Stillman Valley beat Rock Falls 48-0 and Rock Falls beat Rockford Christian 56-0.

Does that mean RC will lose by 139 points when they play Byron on Friday? One reason Oregon was playing Forreston in a fresh-soph game is that RC used underclassmen on the varsity.

Getting back to cross country under coach Tony Hardin, Polo has started its program again. This includes the middle school, as well.

This is great news, as distance running is one of the best things for young people and the camaraderie with fellow opponents is unmatched among other sports. It is also very inexpensive compared to other athletics.

Counting both high school and junior high kids, there were over 700 runners at Oregon Park West on Saturday. You could see why parking was at a premium with so many parents, grandparents and the like.

I ran in a much smaller 100K race in rural Madison County, Iowa the same day.

With its covered bridges and movie of the same name, this area is a tourist draw.

Call me prejudiced, but I think Ogle county is more picturesque and our farmland is better looking. The bridges were a nice touch to the race, but overrated.

The high point of the 63-mile trek to me was the quaint town of Winterset. What a beautiful downtown courthouse and town square. Additionally, businesses and houses on the main drag had huge American flags on display.

VIEWS Andy Colbert

POLO LIBRARY

Polo Library Hours

Polo Library’s open hours are Monday Thursday - 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., Friday - 10 a.m. 4 p.m. and Saturday - 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. - Curbside services will continue to be available during open hours.

Saturday, Sept. 11 - Tails & Tales Movie Night - Games & Activities at 6:30 p.m., Outdoor Movie starts at 7:30 p.m.

Join Ms. Melanie for games, activities and an outdoor showing of “The Secret Life of Pets”! This family friendly event will start at 6:30pm and have fun for all ages. Remember to bring your chairs and blankets to watch the movie once it gets dark! Questions? Email melaniew@pololibrary.org or call 815-946-2713

Storytime Saturday

In Person - Polo Library Lawn or Pavilion - Sept. 11 & 25 at 10:30 a.m. - Join Ms. Melanie *LIVE* at 10:30 a.m. these Saturdays on the Library Lawn, or in the Library Pavilion, for a story and a craft! - Register by calling 815-946-2713 or emailing melaniew@ pololibrary.org

Thursday, Sept. 16 - 10:30 a.m. - Healthy Living for Your Brain & Body PLUS a Free Line Dancing Lesson to Follow

For centuries, we’ve known that the health of the brain and the body are connected. But now, science is able to provide insights into how to make lifestyle choices that may help you keep your brain and body healthy as you age. Join us to learn about research in the areas of diet and nutrition, exercise, cognitive activity and social engagement, and use hands-on tools to help you incorporate these recommendations into a plan for healthy aging.

Followed by, 30 minutes of line dance lessons taught by Manager, Education and Community Volunteers, Joe Landmichl from the Rockford Office of the Illinois Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association

Tuesday, Sept. 28 - 7 p.m. - Live on Zoom - Twin Disasters - Join us for an informative discussion about the 150th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire and the Peshtigo Fire.

OREGON LIBRARY

Library Card Sign-Up Month

Since 1987, Library Card Sign-up Month has been held each September to mark the beginning of the school year.

Oregon Public Library joins the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries nationwide to remind parents, caregivers and students that signing up for a library card is the first step on the path to academic achievement and lifelong learning.

Masks Required

Masks are required upon entering the Library. Hand sanitizing is requested. Please call 815-732- 2724 for any questions.

Library Book Clubs

The Afternoon Book Club meets Wednesday, Sept. 15 at 1 p.m. to discuss The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett.

Books on Tap meets Thursday, Sept. 23 at 6 p.m. to discuss The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda.

The 2WBC Book Club meets Wednesday, Oct. 13 at 12:30 p.m. to discuss World War Z by Max Brooks.

Where is Away? Exhibit at the library Now through the 23rd - Interactive Exhibit in the Art Gallery - Learn everything you need to know about recycling and living green. Come upstairs to explore the interactive “Where is Away?” exhibit that has been loaned to us by SCARCE, an award-winning environmental education non-profit dedicated to creating sustainable communities.

The exhibit is a 3-dimensional, four-sided, free-standing exhibit that allows a person to explore how to responsibly dispose of common items found around the home.

The items range from plastic bottles and bags to household chemicals, electronics and food scraps with best practice solutions that include composting, recycling at home, or taking them to a special collection center.

Libraries by their very nature are “green” in that their resources are shared by the larger community.

Please come and see what difference you can make with this traveling exhibit. Open during our normal business hours.

Want to bring a group, no problem, call to schedule a time at 815-732-2724.

LOCAL NEWS

K inzinger: War exit ‘failure ’ doesn’t take away achievements, good done by ser vice members

By ALEXA ZOELLNER azoellner@shawmedia.com

BYRON – Less than two weeks shy of the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the U.S. completed withdrawing from Afghanistan in a military operation that has garnered much criticism. It marked the end of a war that claimed the lives of at least three area service members.

Army National Guard Spc. Norman L. Cain III, of Mt. Morris, was 22 on March 15, 2009, when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device in Kot, Afghanistan. He died instantly, leaving behind a wife, then-3-year-old stepdaughter and then-1-yearold son.

Marine Staff Sgt. Justus S. Bartelt, of Polo, died July 16, 2010, while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He had turned 27 just 12 days earlier.

Marine Lance Cpl. Alec E. Catherwood, 19, of Byron, was on his first combat deployment when he was killed in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on Oct. 14, 2010. His parents are building a retreat for combat veterans – the Darkhorse Lodge – in Tennessee.

“For those who have fallen and have served and given so much up in Afghanistan, I’ll say this – geopolitically, this is seen as a failure. Let’s not paper that over,” U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Channahon, said Wednesday.

“But I also know that there are hundreds of thousands of people right now that were able to get an education that are journalists, that are scholars –women in particular – that never would have had that chance had it not been for U.S. intervention,” he said. “I know that, for 20 years, the American homeland was safe from organizations that seriously wanted to strike out and destroy our homeland. So there was a lot that was achieved [by service members].”

Kinzinger spoke to reporters following a roundtable with community leaders to discuss the future of Byron’s nuclear power station.

The congressman – who currently serves as a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard – said he is extremely angry regarding the handling of the exit from Afghanistan. It’s a feeling shared by many veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, he said.

Kinzinger joined the U.S. Air Force in 2003 and has served in the Air Force Special Operations, Air Combat Command and Air Mobility Command in addition to the Air National Guard.

“I think for too long, we’ve had leaders – frankly on both sides – that have not understood or tried to sell to the American people the reason for involvement in Afghanistan,” he said. “I could sell that reason, but we’re out now and that is what it is.”

That doesn’t negate the fact that the U.S. withdrawal involved “some of the worst military decision-making in my lifetime,” Kinzinger said.

If there’s a leader in President Joe Biden’s administration whose advice led to the actions taken, Kinzinger said he would fully expect that leader to resign out of honor.

“The American people deserved far better an exit in Afghanistan than to have the last vision be us begging the Taliban to protect us and having 13 people killed by ISIS-K,” he said.

Former President Donald Trump is responsible for “a terrible negotiation of a terrible deal,” while Biden is responsible for following through on that deal and “a terrible exit,” Kinzinger said.

Kinzinger said he’s not going to act emotionally, because his job right now is to be professional and get answers.

On Aug. 31, the congressman set a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin requesting more details on the number of people left behind; the classification those people in relation to their entry into the U.S. –such as the kind of visas they’d require or which refugee status is being granted to them; the number of pending visa or refugee statuses; and more.

He asked for written answers no later than Sept. 8. “We need answers on how we got to here,” Kinzinger said. “But we need to do it in a way where we’re not just trying to find the political advantage in that answer.”

In addition to Cain, Bartelt and Catherwood, the area lost two others in the Iraq War, which took place from 2003 to 2011.

Army Pfc. Scott M. Tyrrell, 21, of Sterling, died Nov. 20, 2003, from wounds received when an ammunition point caught fire in Tikrit, Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Andrew G. Patten, 19, of Byron, was killed Dec. 1, 2005, by an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Fallujah, Iraq.

Shaw Media file photo Former state Sen. Tim Bivins offered some words of kindness in 2017 to Gretchen and Kirk Catherwood, parents of Lance Corporal Alec E. Catherwood, who died in combat serving the marines in Afghanistan. They were presented with a replica of the sign that designates Illinois Route 72, from the south side of the bridge in Byron to the Ogle and DeKalb County line, as “Lance Cpl. Alec E. Catherwood Memorial Road.”

POLITICS

Ogle Count y Republican committee censures K inzinger

By RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@shawmedia.com

OREGON – The Ogle County Central Republican Committee voted unanimously to censure U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger last week.

The group will not give Kinzinger financial support in any future election, and the “organization has no confidence in Kinzinger’s representation of his constituents,” according to a news release from the Ogle County Republicans.

Members also voiced criticism of his “last-minute effort” to keep the Byron Nuclear Plant from closing Sept. 13. He wrote a letter to President Joe Biden a week ago calling for federal action to keep Exelon from shuttering the Byron and Dresden plants. He asked that emergency powers be used to combat the closures until Congress passes the Preserving Existing Nuclear Generation Act, which includes a financial credit program for such plants.

“The committee was dismayed by Kinzinger’s last-minute effort to work against the closing of the nuclear plant, allowing too much time to pass before doing anything to support the extension,” said Jamey Sulser, who made the motion to censure Kinzinger during the committee meeting Tuesday. “So, after the time had passed when something could be done about it (the nuclear plant), he decided to pander to people he knew he had let down.”

Precinct committeeman Kevin Colbert said he recently walked his district speaking with Republican voters, and no one had any positive comment about the 16th District congressman.

Kinzinger has been under fire from several Republican groups criticizing him for voting to impeach former President Donald Trump and not supporting false claims that Trump won the 2020 election.

“The Ogle County Republicans join other area counties in their conclusion that Kinzinger listens to big money interests rather than his constituents, aligns himself with the Democrats and Nancy Pelosi, is dismissive of grass roots concerns and is disconnected from the real needs of the local area he represents,” commitee members said in the release.

O t h e r o r g a n i z a t i on s t h at v o t e d t o c e n s u r e Kinzinger include the LaSalle County Republican Central Committee, the Will County GOP and the Central Illinois’ Iroquois County’s GOP. Kinzinger called the censure votes “petty” after hearing of the Will County vote.