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WARRIORS STRUGGLE AT NIB-12 TOURNAMENT PREP WRESTLING, B1
SPECIAL SECTION INSIDE
dailyGAZETTE Monday, January 26, 2015
SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
EDUCATION | WHITESIDE AREA CAREER CENTER
Student minds her own business Entrepreneurial class leads to gem of an idea BY JERMAINE PIGEE jpigee@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5525 @JPigee84
STERLING – During the day, Rachel Humphreys is a regular Newman Central Catholic High School senior. But by night, the self-proclaimed girly-girl becomes a well-dressed, 18-year-old entrepreneur. With the help of the Whiteside Area Career Center CEO class (Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities), which she took last year, Humphreys started Dainty. She sells jewelry. “In that class, one of the requirements at the
Dainty deals Go to Pinterest.com/daintybyrachel or Daintybyrachelhumphreys on Instagram to see more of Rachel Humphreys’ jewelry. Want to buy some? Humphreys.Rachel@comcast.net is her email address. end of the year was to create our own business,” she said. At first, she wasn’t sure what she wanted that business to be. When she got a necklace for Christmas, “It just all fell into place,” she said. So far, two vendors are selling her pieces, one in New York and one in Israel. She found them on Etsy, a peer-to-peer e-commerce website. “All of my products are handmade by professional jewelry-makers,” she said. BUSINESS CONTINUED ON A2
Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@saukvalley.com
Newman High School senior Rachel Humphreys, 18, is the owner and operator of Dainty, a jewelry company she founded after taking the CEO class at the Whiteside Area Career Center.
ILLINOIS
PUTTING THE FUN IN FUNKY AND FUNDRAISING IN DIXON
‘Fracking’ off to slow start in state Slumping oil prices, new regulations reasons for lack of movement so far BY JIM SUHR AP Business Writer
Photos by Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@saukvalley.com
Mason Beck brings Mallaki Mathews out of the stands Sunday afternoon during Funky Munky Wrestling’s Wrestling for a Cause fundraiser for Kreider Services at Dixon High School. The wrestling troupe’s next show will be Feb. 28 at the Latin American Social Club in Sterling.
ABOVE: Tyler “Dodgeball Superstar” Priegel slams the champ, Bobby “The Business” Houston during a match.
Kaity Henley, 9, of Rock Falls boos during the Wrestling for a Cause event Sunday. Go to funkymunkywrestling.com or facebook.com/funkymunkywrestling for more information on Funky Munky Wrestling. For more information on Kreider Services, go to kreiderservices.org or facebook.com/kreiderservices.
RIGHT: Fat Stanley tries to intimidate the crowd Sunday at the fundraiser.
ST. LOUIS – The oil and gas drilling technique known as “fracking,” once trumpeted as a job-creating boon for southern Illinois, is off to a feeble start in the state as slumping oil prices and the rigors of Illinois’ new regulations have energy interests cautiously waiting on the sidelines. Two months after a legislative panel approved long-awaited rules for high-volume hydraulic fracturing, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources says only Denver-based Strata-X has registered with the state to pursue such drilling. No one has applied for a permit yet. The lack of immediate movement contrasts sharply with a land rush in recent years in southern Illinois, where energy interests spent millions snapping up oil and mineral leases spanning hundreds of thousands of acres in anticipation of a shot at the area’s oil and natural gas deposits. Fracking proponents were banking on the industry producing tens of thousands of jobs in a region that long has had some of the state’s highest jobless rates. But a downdraft on oil prices has left investors fidgety. Compounding matters is the need to sort through the state’s new regulations, as well as threats of lawsuits by Illinois fracking foes hoping to block or at least modify the drilling practice, which they consider risky to humans and the environment. While winter conditions complicate any actual drilling, it wouldn’t normally slow down planning or seeking permits. “We got through one hurdle [the regulatory process], and now we have more,” said David Hettich, CFO of Strata-X, which since 2011 has acquired oil and gas exploration rights involving 67,000 acres in southern Illinois. “It’s poured some cold water on this.” SLOW CONTINUED ON A3
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TODAY’S EDITION: 20 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 161 ISSUE 33
INDEX
ABBY ................... A7 COMICS ............... A8 CROSSWORD......B9
LIFESTYLE ........... A7 LOTTERY ............. A2 NATION/WORLD .. A5
OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6 POLICE ................ A2
Today’s weather High 32. Low 27. More on A3.
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