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COMETS SENIOR HOPES TO GO OUT WITH FLARE PREP BASEBALL, B1
Victim in fiery crash identified WHITESIDE COUNTY, A3
dailyGAZETTE Tuesday, March 17, 2015
SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
STERLING
Cleanup pact with utilities OK’d Gas plant site along riverfront needs EPA approval BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
STERLING – The city agreed to enter an agreement with two utilities for the cleanup of a manufactured gas plant site along the riverfront. The pact with Nicor and ComEd was approved at Monday’s council meeting. The utilities discovered that a coal-
burning gas plant was once on part of the property, commonly known as the former Northwestern Steel and Wire Plant 1. The property was entered into the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s site remediation program in September 2010. The utilities investigated the site and took soil and groundwater samples, and the city received the results in January 2014. The city needs a No Further Remediation letter from IEPA
DIXON | ELECTRICITY RATES
before it can do much work on two planned riverfront projects. The first is the demolition of a suspended slab at the plant site, which has already begun. “We’re covering the site with 3 feet of dirt, so we were worried about what would happen if the dirt and rain kept collecting with the concrete there,” City Manager Scott Shumard said. CLEANUP CONTINUED ON A4
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We hope that it is done as soon as possible, but they must get EPA approval of their remediation plan. The utilities also have quite a few of these that they’ve acquired responsibility for over the years.
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Scott Shumard, Sterling city manager
Next meeting
The Sterling City Council next meets at 6:30 p.m. April 6, at City Hall, 212 Third Ave. Go to sterling-il.gov or call City Hall at 815-6326621 for an agenda or more information.
PENNY PICKS UP SCENT IN DIXON
ILLINOIS
Bill’s focus is putting cameras on officers
City opts to change alternate provider
Bivins also backs bill to improve treatment programs
Rates expected to be lower than through ComEd
MATT MENCARINI mmencarini@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5529 @MattMencarini
BY MATT MENCARINI mmencarini@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5529 @MattMencarini
DIXON – Judging the market, the city took an early look at options for electricity providers and which gave residents the best deal. The review is part of the municipal aggregation process, which gives the city government the ability to negotiate for lower electricity rates. In May 2013, the city entered a 3-year contract with Verde Energy. On Monday night, the City Council authorized City Administrator David Nord to enter into a contract with a new provider, Mid American, for 3 years, pending council approval, which could come at a later council meeting. The previous contract, like the proposed Mid American contract, has no early termination fee. With municipal aggregation, residents can opt into a new rate with a new company, picked by the city, or stick with the ComEd rate. The proposed 3-year contract with Mid American would cost residents 6.79 cents for each kilowatt hour in the first year. The rate will drop to 6.46 cents for each kilowatt hour in the second year, before increasing to 6.62 cents for each kilowatt hour in the third year. The rates aren’t guaranteed. The ComEd rate for January through May is 7.572 centers for each kilowatt hour. The 4,678 Dixon residents who opted for the Verde Energy rate have saved a combined $530,800.
Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Penny the pot-bellied pig cleans up the streets of candy left over from the St. Patrick’s parade Tuesday afternoon in Dixon. Penny’s owner, Caroline Burkett Scott, took Penny around the block for some exercise.
FIDO-FRIENDLY CONDITIONS PUT ON PAWS? Regardless of your best friend’s species, hopefully you enjoyed temperatures that teased the upper-70s on Monday. Because the next few days’ highs will sit in the 40s. Today’s forecast, specifically, calls for a high of 47 and a low of 26, as well as stiff winds. See the 5-day forecast for the Sauk Valley on A3.
DIXON – A local state senator has introduced a bill that could make it easier for police officers to be equipped with body cameras. The bill, from state Sen. Tim Bivins, R-Dixon, amends the Law Enforcement Camera Grant Act to allow grants to buy and support use of video cameras for law enforcement and for training officers. Bivins also is sponsoring a bill aimed at “keeping criminal defendants from leaving courto r d e r e d treatment p r o g r a m s Sen. Tim Bivins, too early,” R-Dixon according to a Former sheriff news release. invokes name of In t h e recent national r e l e a s e , violent incidents Bivins, a in promoting bill former Lee for body cameras County sheriff, addressed recent media attention to violent incidents involving police officers. “Our society must address the underlying factors behind cases like the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri; the two officers who were ambushed and killed in Brooklyn, New York; and the most recent police shooting of a civilian in Madison, Wisconsin,” Bivins said. “However, we can make practical changes now that can be easily implemented to protect everyone involved in our legal system.”
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TODAY’S EDITION: XX PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 161 ISSUE XXX
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INDEX
ABBY ................... A7 BUSINESS ......... A10 COMICS ............... A8
CROSSWORD......B9 LIFESTYLE ........... A7 LOTTERY ............. A2
NATION/WORLD .. A9 OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6
Today’s weather High 47. Low 26. More on A3.
Another role Rock Falls’ Harts in ‘Blacklist’, A3.
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