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WOMAN FINDS HERSELF IN GREAT OUTDOORS
Tractor show rolls through Sublette
STERLING, B1
PHOTOS, A9
dailyGAZETTE Monday, March 16, 2015
SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
ILLINOIS | SUNSHINE WEEK
DIXON
Requests for info remain in dark
Running for their cabbage
Because of backlog, 1 in 5 FOIA appeals yet to be addressed BY JOHN O’CONNOR AP Political Writer
SPRINGFIELD – After scandal sent former Gov. Rod Blagojevich to prison, lawmakers adopted a raft of reforms that included creating a referee to intervene when bureaucrats reject citizens’ requests for government records. Five years later, the p u b l i c access counselor in the attorney general’s office has yet to respond to more than 2,800 appeals of Freedom of Information Act requests Sunshine Week for inforis an initiative to mation that promote open a governgovernment and ment agenfreedom of inforcy deemed mation. s e c r e t , according to an analysis of records obtained by The Associated Press. That’s about one in five of all FOIA appeals submitted to the office since the law took effect in 2010. REQUESTS CONTINUED ON A4
Local lawmakers at work
Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com
A hu man blur z o o m s p a s t M i k e W i l c o x o f Dixo n while he p l a y s b a g p i p e s n e a r t h e finish line of the first Shamrock Shuffle 5K on S aturday mo r n i n g a l o n g t h e D i x o n riverfront. See m o r e p h o t o s f r o m t h e r ace o n A2, and p h o t o s o f t h e a n n u a l St . Patrick’s D a y P a ra de in Dix on o n A 3.
• 2 board chairmen to meet with governor, make case for smaller cuts to counties’ share of tax, A2 • 2 officials named to task force to prevent waste, A4
WHITESIDE COUNTY
Car crashes into house; driver killed in blaze Those in rural Propetstown home get out safely STAFF REPORT news@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5501
PROPHETSTOWN – A person is dead after the car they were driving crashed in rural Prophetstown on Saturday night and then burst into flames. According to a news release from the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Department: The driver was traveling west on Hahnaman Road when they failed to stop at the intersection of Yorktown Road and
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hit the guardrail. The car became airborne and slammed into a home at the intersection before comming to a rest inside the home and and erupting in flames. The driver was trapped inside the car and died. Deputies and fire crews reached the scene at 10:33 p.m. Those in the residence excaped without injury. Because of the severity of the fire, neither the victim nor the vehicle has been identified yet.
INDEX
ABBY ................... A7 COMICS ............... A8 CROSSWORD....B10
Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com
Whiteside County officials are working to identify the driver and vehicle that crashed into a residence and erupted in flames Saturday night at the T intersection of Hahnaman and Yorktown roads in rural Prophetstown.
LIFESTYLE ........... A7 LOTTERY ............. A2 OBITUARIES ........ A4
OPINION .............. A6 POLICE ................ A2 SPORTS ...............B1
Today’s weather High 74. Low 39. More on A3.
Need work? Check out your classifieds, B6.
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