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PROPHETSTOWN GETS WIN AGAINST ERIE ERIE REGIONAL, B1
dailyGAZETTE
FOOD, A9-10
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
DIXON CRIME | ATTEMPTED MURDER CASE
Sterling teacher still on paid leave He will next appear in court Wednesday BY CHRISTI WARREN cwarren@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5521 @SeaWarren
STERLING – A Sterling teacher accused of attempted murder remains on paid administrative leave with Sterling schools while he sits in jail. Bilingual first-grade teacher
Mario Garnica Jr., 26, of Sterling was arrested at Jefferson Elementary School on Feb. 3, accused of stabbing his 29-yearold boyfriend in the neck and beating him about the head, shoulders and arms with a metal pipe just before 10 p.m. Jan. 19 in the boyfriend’s Dixon home. On Friday, a grand jury indicted him on four counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of armed violence, four counts of aggravated domestic battery, and two
Mario Garnica Jr.
counts of battery. Superintendent Tad Everett said he’s been in contact with the school district’s attorneys and with the state’s attorney and is monitoring the
proceedings. “We’re interested to see how it progresses,” he said. “We
have protocols and practices in place that, essentially, as a district, protect our students and staff but also at the same time protect the rights of any individual. ... What I mean by that is there is due process, and we understand that and respect that.” Everett wouldn’t say any more about discussions regarding Garnica’s employment status, citing the ongoing investigation. “We are determining what
options we have, if any, and then we are also working with law enforcement and the legal system to determine what information they can provide us,” he said. A long-term substitute teacher has been placed in Garnica’s former classroom Garnica remains in Lee County Jail on $300,000 bond. He will next appear in court Wednesday for a motion hearing. He is being represented by attorney Jim Mertes.
MORRISON | WASTEWATER TREATMENT
WHITESIDE COUNTY | SPELLING BEE
What impasse?
City cuts back plans for plant If proposal is approved, burden on city’s utility users could be eased BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
Photos by Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@saukvalley.com
Meagan Moore, an eighth-grader at St. Mary’s School in Sterling, shares an embrace with her parents, Steve and Deb Moore, after winning the Whiteside County Regional Spelling Bee on Tuesday evening at Morrison Junior High School. Moore won a trip to Washington, District of Columbia, to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
St. Mary’s student wins competition, earns spot in national event BY JERMAINE PIGEE jpigee@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5525 @JPigee84
MORRISON – The third time was a charm for Meagan Moore. After 12 rounds, the only thing that stood between Moore, an eighth-grader at St. Mary’s School in Sterling, and a trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee was the word impasse. Moments after she was given the word, Moore uttered the letters I-M-P-AS-S-E. With that correctly spelled word, Moore was named the winner of the Whiteside County Regional Spelling Bee on Tuesday night at Morrison Junior High School. She was able to win the
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competition in the 12th round over Glen Wicks, an eighth-grader from Montmorency School in Rock Falls. Wicks incorrectly spelled benevolent. “I was in shock, and I was not expecting it at all,” said Moore as she was surrounded by proud family members. “I was pretty nervous, and I tried to keep my nerves down and just focus and relax.” Moore was taking her third crack at the annual event. Last year, she was eliminated in the early rounds by the word fidelity. The first time she participated, 2 years ago, she came in second place and was eliminated on the word oratorical. IMPASSE CONTINUED ON A2
INDEX
MORRISON – Regulators are looking at revised plans for the city’s new wastewater treatment plant that would reduce its scale and capacity by about 30 percent. Mayor Everett Pannier said the city expects to hear something soon from the state Environmental Protection Agency, and he is hopeful there won’t be any significant complications. “The regulators are going through our latest proposal now,” Pannier said. “I don’t really have any concerns about it because I’m pretty sure that if there had been a glaring problem we would have heard something by now.” The cost of the sewer plant had originally been estimated at $23 million, but the city worked with engineers to downsize the project while staying compliant. Officials decided in July to delay the project in hopes EPA’s new financing rules would also make the project more affordable. PLANT CONTINUED ON A3
Building razed A dilapidated apartment building that has raised safety concerns within Morrison for several years was torn down Tuesday. Story on Page A7
Videos online
Glen Wicks, an eighth-grader at Montmorency School in Rock Falls, spells his word during the Whiteside County Regional Spelling Bee. Wicks came in second place.
ABBY ................... A8 COMICS ............. A12 CROSSWORD....B12
FOOD ................... A9 LIFESTYLE ........... A8 LOTTERY ............. A2
OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6 POLICE ................ A2
Go to saukvalley.com to see videos from the GayStraight Alliance open house at Sterling High School. Story on Page A5. There is also video from Summit of Hope in Rock Falls. Story on Page A7.
Today’s weather High 20. Low 8. More on A3.
Need work? Check out your classifieds, B6.
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