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GIRLS ROLL WITH LANE CHANGES
Business rolls out the Barrel kitchen
BOWLING, B1
GRUB HUB, A3
dailyGAZETTE Monday, February 1, 2016
SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
A CLOSER LOOK | ILLINOIS BUDGET BATTLE
IOU – and U and U and ...
Budget mess leaves businesses with unpaid bills, and the state with piles of overdue notices SPRINGFIELD (AP) – The Friday afternoon email read with remarkable alacrity, given its message: The trip to a Springfield store to buy all-purpose Fabuloso Cleaner for the Secretary of State’s office was for naught. “They would not sell to us because we are shut off due to lack of payment,” the storeroom
worker wrote to his boss and others. “Have a great weekend!” As Illinois politicians continue to squabble over a budget that should have taken effect July 1, hundreds of state contractors have been left with little more than IOUs, according to more than 500 pages of documents – just since Nov. 1 – released to The Asso-
ciated Press under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. From a $28.44 late-notice water and sewer bill at the 1848 Mt. Pulaski Courthouse – which had neither when Abraham Lincoln practiced law there – to $4.8 million that Illinois owes Michigan for a health partnership, vendors have flooded the Capitol with disconnect warnings, credit-
hold notices, desperate pleas and even a frowny face stamp in an effort to get paid. The state owes $2 million to Ashley’s Quality Care in Chicago, which provides inhome care workers to keep seniors out of nursing homes, according to chief accountant Michael Robinson. The company has not met its payroll for
Out with the gold
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BELOW: Crews tear down a derelict office building Saturday morning at 1112 E. Fourth St. in Sterling. The building, seen before the demolition at top right, had been a distinctive presence in the neighborhood for many years, with its gold-colored ornamental facade, but had been empty for some time, and a faulty roof caused mold and interior structural problems. Curt Poff, owner of CP’s Demolition Service of Sterling, which was in charge of the demolition, said that taking down the building was proving to be a little tough, due to its concrete block structure. RIGHT: Poff sprays down an area Saturday as demolition work progresses.
BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 @CHeimerman_SVM
ELECTION 2016| RACE FOR THE PRESIDENT
All eyes are on the Hawkeye State Iowa’s caucus countdown ends today, but out East, a primary countdown begins
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paigning with his wife, Melania, and pregnant daughter, Ivanka, continued his attacks on Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. The two men lead polls of likely caucus-goers. Trump also predicted that “many” senators would “soon” endorse him rather than their Texas colleague. Trump didn’t name any
INDEX
Building blocks of education Grade schools consider pilot program that would change the way subjects are taught
Photos by Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
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STERLING SCHOOLS
STERLING
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – From sounding duck calls to predicting the weather, presidential contenders are blanketing Iowa in a final frenzy to close the deal before today’s Iowa caucuses begin the formal process of choosing President Barack Obama’s successor. Republican Donald Trump, cam-
14 weeks, forcing the departure of 40 percent of its previous 1,000 employees; clientele has dipped by one-third, to 800, slicing revenue. “You go from affecting a company, to its employees, to the clients, to the social well-being of the community,” Robinson said.
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such senators, and none immediately emerged. Cruz, meanwhile, campaigned on the eve of the caucuses with conservative media firebrand Glenn Beck and “Duck Dynasty” cable TV star Phil Robertston.
STERLING – The tried-and-true method of grade-schoolers getting a well-rounded education from one teacher isn’t bad, say school district officials, but it’s not the only way to teach, either. The shape of things to come could be a well-rounded education – made up of blocks. The public elementary schools in town are considering piloting a program that would have Cindy teachers teaching a speFrank cific department of core curriculum to multiple classes. The educational term for it is departmentalizing, and it would mean teachers would pair up and, for 90-minute education blocks, teach the classes in which their expertise lie. Tad Superintendent Tad Everett Everett said it’s possible for the pilot program – which would see half of each school’s sections adopt the departmentalized schedule and half retain the traditional format – to launch in the fall. But it would require some compromise. At the moment, Lincoln Elementary’s faculty is Lindsey on board, but WashingStumpenhorst ton’s isn’t quite yet sold. “It’s an emotional topic with our elementary teachers,” Everett said. “Some teachers love the diversity of teaching every subject. Other teachers would rather teach one specific subject twice. It’s just a preference, and neither is right or wrong.” But in order to best serve students, their instructors must be happy, he said. BLOCKS CONTINUED ON A5
CAUCUS CONTINUED ON A4
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Today’s weather High 40. Low 30. More on A3.
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