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PLAYOFF SYSTEM MAKES ITS DEBUT
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ENTERTAINMENT, A9-11
COLLEGE FOOTBALL, B1
dailyGAZETTE Friday, January 2, 2015
SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
ROCK FALLS
Cost increases for well users Only a handful remain in noncompliance after hearing BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5570
ROCK FALLS – Cecil and Joan Young were connected to the city’s water service nearly 2 weeks ago, but unfortunately for them, the Youngs missed the Oct. 1 deadline. The Young household was among 248 within the city
limits that in 2011 were given until April 2014 to make the switch from well water to the city’s water service. The deadline was eventually extended 6 months. The process became costlier for the Youngs and others who missed the Oct. 1 deadline. The city had decided to put in stop boxes for everyone
for a flat fee of $500. Mayor Bill Wescott said the cost to connect can reach $3,000. After the deadline, residents were on their own, forced to pay for time and materials. Cecil Young said he spent $2,650 on the process, including $1,150 for the permit. The city told him that if he would have had the stop box in by
Oct. 1, the cost would have been only $500, but Young said his stop box was put in 2 years ago. “I had the stop box in already, and I was charged $1,150 anyway because everything was finished after Oct. 1,” he said. WELL USERS CONTINUED ON A5
DIXON | STORYLINES FOR 2015
Resolution on the horizon?
City water cost structure Single-family residential
Meter size: 5/8 of an inch Minimum monthly charge: 16.82 Usage allowed in minimum charge: 300 cubic feet Debt service charge: $4.85 Customer service charge for capital improvements: $2.40 Basic user charge: $9.57 Basic user rate: $3.80 (per 100 cubic feet)
ILLINOIS | MEDICAL MARIJUANA
Quinn’s office misses deadline Won’t explain why recipients of permits not yet announced
Photos by Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Work at the corner of Ottawa Avenue and First Street in Dixon heated up in July. The downtown streetscape project is expected to be completed soon, one of a few storylines that will likely be resolved in 2015 in Dixon.
Form of government, school superintendent among changes BY MATT MENCARINI mmencarini@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5529
DIXON – Much of what started in Dixon in 2014 will be resolved in 2015. The city started and completed the majority of the work for the downtown streetscape project. Voters decided it was time to change the city’s form of government, a change that will be made official this year. The following are a few of the storylines expected to come out of Dixon in the next 12 months:
Election On April 7, Dixon voters will have 11 candidates to choose from to fill four commissioner spots on the City Council. Two incumbents, Dennis Considine and Colleen Brechon, will be on the ballot. Commissioner Dave Blackburn won’t seek reelection to his seventh term.
Fixing the rusty railing on the Galena Avenue bridge was one of 18 goals Mayor Jim Burke set for the city to accomplish in 2014, but the project was put on hold. The others on the ballot There will also be two include Jesse Arjes, Chris- choices for mayor, Liantopher Bishop, Chuck dro Arellano Jr. and Jeff Brainerd, Tamera Brooks, Kuhn, a current commisBob Gibler, Ryan Marshall, sioner. Mayor Jim Burke Mitch Tucker, Mike Venier last month announced last and Josie Whaley. month that he will not seek Despite the higher number a fifth term. of candidates for four comAmong the council’s first missioner positions, there tasks will be to pass an ordiwill be no primary election. nance providing the new
role of the city manager and reorganizing the city’s departments. The council will then have to hire a city manager. Once that hire is official, the city will have completed its switch from commission form to managerial form, a change brought about from a ballot question in November. City Administrator David Nord, who was hired Nov. 12, 2013, has said he wants to be hired as city manager. His contract runs through May 31.
New form of government By a 3-1 margin, Dixon voters decided the city government should switch from the commission form to the managerial form The biggest difference between the two is where the executive authority rests. RESOLUTION CONTINUED ON A2
CHICAGO (AP) – Without explanation, Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration has conceded it missed its end-of-the-year target for deciding which businesses will receive permits to begin the state’s pilot program with medical marijuana. Some observers think the decision could come in a matter of days. The lag will force cultivation center owners to break ground during the coldest winter months, and, ultimately, delay harvest of the first cannabis crop. Patients who’ve paid $100 for marijuana registry cards will have to wait, perhaps until summer or beyond, before they can legally use the drug. Some patients say they’ll continue to use pot they’ve obtained on the black market. “I hate to have to do anything illegal,” said Marla Levi, 51, of Buffalo Grove, who uses marijuana for his multiple sclerosis symptoms and has been approved as a patient under the new program. “I believe it’s going to happen. In the meantime, I get it how I have to get it.”
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DEADLINE CONTINUED ON A5
If I were a patient, I would be antsy. If I were someone waiting to get a license, I would be tense.
State Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie
$1.00
TODAY’S EDITION: 24 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 161 ISSUE 17
INDEX
ABBY ................... A8 COMICS ...............B6 CROSSWORD....B12
LIFESTYLE ........... A7 LOTTERY ............. A2 MOVIES................ A9
OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6 SPORTS ...............B1
Today’s weather High 32. Low 22. More on A3.
Need work? Check out your classifieds, B7.
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