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Rock Falls, ’Bago in Big Northern clash BOYS BASKETBALL, B1
STATE’S ATTORNEY SENTENCED FOR DUI LEE COUNTY, A5
2016 ELECTION | LEE COUNTY JAIL REFERENDUM
A group effort at promotion Lee County officials make case for voters to say ‘yes’ BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
John Simonton The Lee County sheriff said the jail, built in 1970, is in a serious state of disrepair
DIXON – A group of county officials, led by Sheriff John Simonton, will be on the informational meeting circuit to tell voters why a sales tax referendum for a new jail is on the March 15 primary ballot. The group went before the Sauk Valley Media editorial board Wednesday to make its presentation. Lee County Board Chair-
man Rick Ketchum, Vice Chairman John Nicholson, and Assessor Wendy Ryerson were with Simonton. The County Board voted Dec. 15 to put the request for a 1 percent sales tax increase on the ballot. The cost of a new jail is estimated at $12 million to $13 million. An earlier estimate was higher, but it has been decided that new administrative offices would not be built at a new facility, saving about $1.5 million. The new jail would house up to 85 inmates.
If voters pass the referendum, it would generate a new revenue stream estimated at $2.2 million a year. A 1 percent increase would bump Lee County’s sales tax from 6.25 percent to 7.25 percent. Because the new revenue must be used exclusively for the building project and future maintenance, county officials said the tax could be reduced in the future. EFFORT CONTINUED ON A4
EDUCATION | SCHOOL REPORT CARDS
Rick Ketchum The Lee County Board chairman said liability concerns have become very real
STATE BUDGET
Spike in SNAP subsides, for now
Illustration by Alex T. Paschal/ apaschal@ saukvalley.com
BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 @CHeimerman_SVM
Better late than never for PARCC scores? Administrators gleaning what they can from state-mandated test results BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 @CHeimerman_SVM
You’d be hard-pressed to find a Sauk Valley educator who thought the first batch of results from the state’s mandated assessment were delivered in timely fashion. They were a sorry excuse for an early Christmas gift, released Dec. 11, about half a year after students cut their teeth on the Partners for Assessment of Readiness for College Careers test. But what, if anything, can be done with those results is where opinions vary. Unpleasant as it might have
Partly cloudy
VOLUME 8 ISSUE 20 40 Pages
Today: 19/3 For the forecast, see Page A13
been, Oregon School District Assistant Superintendent Adam Larsen painstakingly aggregated the raw data to find out how, if Adam Larsen at all, the scores could help drive instruction and help districts align curriculum with the Illinois Learning Standards. The process was painstaking for several reasons. Chief among them: The results were so late. The Illinois Standard Achievement exams, administered from the 1990s through 2014, were sent to Cedar Rap-
ids, Iowa, and turned around within a month. Comparatively, Larsen said, results from the PARCC exam, some taken online, some with pencil and paper, were released 191 days after the last student took it. “It had nothing to do with technology,” he said. “It had to do with establishing what a good and bad performance was. They were still figuring it out in the fall. “And here’s the problem: The teacher who taught this student is 6 months removed from teaching this kid. The student on paper doesn’t even exist anymore. He’s gone.”
Business
Even a tornado can’t keep a good eatery like Grubsteakers down. See Page C1
PARCC CONTINUED ON A8
Coming next Saturday Nestled deep in the Illinois Report Card data is a statistic called Freshmen on Track, and it reflects the percentage of freshmen on track to graduate in 4 years. Read about programs districts have implemented to help transition middle-schoolers into high school.
Inside The Illinois School Report Card by the numbers for districts in the Sauk Valley. Page A8
Community From diving catches to a twister’s wrath, 2015 gave us 365 days of photo ops. Photographer Philip Marruffo shares his favorites. See Page C12
STERLING – At one end of the spectrum of folks who take advantage of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, you’ll find David Hoefke III. Homeless, unemployed, with post-traumatic stress disorder and an ailing back and shoulder, the 19-year-old has been on SNAP for a couple of months. Formerly known as the food stamp program, it’s funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and puts the equivalent of $194 in Hoefke’s pocket a month, which must be used only for certain types of food. “It’s just not enough,” Hoefke, who lives with his sister in Rock Falls, said while enjoying a free meal at Firehouse of God Ministries on Monday evening in Sterling. “I try helping out as much as I can, but it doesn’t go too far. All it is is a Band-Aid. It’s really nothing.” Several other diners lamented their benefits being halved, more or less, about half a year ago, when the state budget impasse began. At the other end of the spectrum are the gainfully employed. SNAP CONTINUED ON A3
Inside Story State Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon, is helping to lead a charge to make sure youth is better served in Springfield. Page A5
Index Births................ C5
Lottery .............. A2
Business........... C1
Markets .......... A13
Classified .......... B8
Obituaries ......... A4
Comics ........... A12
Opinion............. A6
Community ..... C12
Scoreboard ...... B5
Crossword Saturday ......... B13
Scrapbook ....... C3
Crossword Sunday ............. C8
Support groups .. C5
Dave Ramsey ... C1
Weather.......... A13
Dear Abby ........ C6
Wheels ........... B14
Sports .............. B1 Travel .............. C10