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ROCK FALLS | WATER SYSTEM SHUTDOWN
Answers won’t come easily City’s search for cause of failure ongoing, complex BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 570
ROCK FALLS – Nine days after a wastewater infrastructure failure took down the city’s water supply service for 18 hours, an investigation continues into the exact cause of the failure.
Everyone from the city engineers at Willett, Hofmann & Associates to a multitude of subcontractors involved when the plant was built Mayor Bill Wescott have been called “We may to examine the lift Says never know station. exactly what T h e a n s w e r s happened” might not come quickly, or at all, city officials say. “We may never know exactly what happened,” Mayor Bill
water treatInside ment facility. Lyndon The city had was without struggled for water Friday years to meet after a main i n c r e a s i n g l y break, A4 strict federal regulations at the old facility. Rock Falls was under court order to put a new sewage system in place by December 2011. In 2004, the city and its engineers started working toward that end. They worked with the Illinois attorney general’s office and state regulators to reduce
Wescott said. “We’re conducting a thorough investigation, and the good, the bad, or ugly, we’ll let people know.” The sheer number of suppliers and subcontractors used on the nearly $30 million water reclamation project could make it more difficult to put together the puzzle pieces. Willett, Hofmann engineer and Vice President Matthew Hansen estimates that number to be well into the 20s. The raw sewage pump station went online July 28, 2011, followed the next day by the waste-
WEEKEND FEATURE | LOCAL SCHOOLS
‘We’ve waited so long’
the fines assessed until the new facility was built. The city’s engineers have been responding to whatever officials need from them. This is somewhat new territory for some of the people at the engineering firm as well, Hansen said. “With sanitary sewer systems, you can expect to be dealing with backup and wet-weather situations, but I’ve never seen anything like this on this scale,” he said. ANSWERS CONTINUED ON A4
DIXON | CRUNDWELL AFTERMATH
Crundwell returns not all in yet Farmland, bank accounts to increase Dixon’s recovery BY MATT MENCARINI mmencarini@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 529
Photo submitted by Jeff and Melanie Reis
Jeff and Melanie Reis of Sterling play with their daughters (from left) Lena and Lily in August at Sinnissippi Park in Sterling. The road to parenthood was long and bumpy for the couple. They battled Melanie’s ovarian disease, failed fertility treatments, a dead-end domestic adoption journey, and a painful miscarriage before having Lily and adopting Lena from Ethiopia. Today, the Reises could not be more happy.
Couple blessed with miracle baby, adopted orphan BY JENNY YOUNG jyoung@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 565
STERLING – “Elmo! Elmo!” shouts a curly-haired toddler. Wearing a big smile and Elmo pajamas, Lena runs to the television and dances to a favorite “Sesame Street” song. Meanwhile, her bouncy baby sister, Lily, giggles and plays with toys on the floor.
Their mother, Melanie Reis, 30, of Sterling, never imagined such a scene in her living room. After battling ovarian disease, failed fertility treatments, a dead-end domestic adoption journey, and a painful miscarriage, Melanie’s dreams finally came true. She and her husband, Jeff, 31, are the parents of a little
Mostly sunny
VOLUME 6 ISSUE 26 44 Pages
Today: 29/10 For the forecast, see Page A11
Ethiopian princess and a miracle baby.
‘The worst look he had ever seen’ Melanie suffers from polycystic ovary syndrome and endometriosis. She and Jeff always wanted a family but struggled to conceive. And their efforts to adopt within the United
Business Notebook
Area mechanics open Lonnie’s Affordable Auto Repair in Rock Falls. See Page C1
States led nowhere. When Melanie finally became pregnant in November 2011, the couple were overjoyed – until a devastating appointment knocked the wind out of them. The ultrasound technician listened for the baby’s heartbeat. No thumping. No more life inside Melanie. COUPLE CONTINUED ON A9
Decorating tips Simple home décor tips from the pros Also inside USA Weekend: Braised chicken with tomatillos Vote for top star of Make A Difference Day
DIXON – More money from the assets of former Comptroller Rita Crundwell are coming to Dixon. Crundwell, who was arrested in 2012 for stealing nearly $54 million from the city over two decades, had a 20 percent interest in the Humphrey Family Partnership, which controls about 347 acres of farmland near Dixon, said Jason Wojdylo, chief inspector of the U.S. Marshals Service’s asset forfeiture division. Two known Crundwell bank accounts also contained about $19,000 combined, he said. Crundwell’s share of the farmland is now owned by the federal government, Wojdylo said, the result of her assets being seized soon after her arrest. CRUNDWELL CONTINUED ON A5
COMMUNITY
Midwinter blues Thought it was cold outside, it was hot inside Rosbrook Studio in Dixon for the Midwinter Meltdown earlier this month. See for yourself. PAGE C12
Index Births................ C5 Markets .......... A12 Business........... C1 Nation ............ A11 Classified .......... D1 Obituaries ......... A4 Comics ............. B8 Opinion............. A6 Community ..... C12 Scoreboard .... B12 Scrapbook ....... C3 Crossword Saturday ........... D5 Sports .............. B1 Support groups .. C5 Crossword Sunday ............. C8 Travel .............. C10 Dear Abby ........ C6 Weather.......... A11 Lottery .............. A2 Wheels ............. D8