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Student of BRUINS PULL the Month DOWN COMETS
SVM ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
NEWMAN, A9
SPORTS, B3
BASEBALL, B1
dailyGAZETTE Tuesday, April 12, 2016
SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
SAUK VALLEY | DRUG TREATMENT
WHITESIDE COUNTY
Lobbying for lives
County invests in safety
Local law enforcement lends its voice to a call for funds to fight addiction BY RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5529 @rj_rodgers
DIXON – As far as local law enforcement leaders are concerned, drug addicts can’t afford to wait for the state budget battle to end. On Wednesday,
they’ll send that message straight to the people who can help end the stalemate in Springfield. Dozens of police chiefs from throughout the state plan to advocate for the Safe Passage Initiative when they meet with legislators. About 60 members of the Illinois Association of
Chiefs of Police will speak with lawmakers during their annual lobby day, and association Executive Director Ed Wojcicki said the Safe Passage program will serve as one of their discussion topics.
Health department will install bulletproof glass, add other safety measures
LOBBYING CONTINUED ON A5
EDUCATION
BY JERMAINE PIGEE jpigee@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5525 @JPigee84
ROCK FALLS – The administrator of the Whiteside County Health Department doesn’t want to wait for the worst to happen, but if it does, she wants to be prepared. Terrorist attacks in San Bernardino, California, along with a shooting at a Rockford health center have prompted the department to invest in extra security measures, including bulletproof glass. Administrator Beth Fiorini said the goal of the measures is simple, but important: keeping employees safe. Her department is in the process of installing bulletproof glass for the staff working near the main entrance. In addition, new locks have been installed, and the department has created an active shooter task force that is working with Beth the Rock Falls Police Fiorini Department to come Says no local up with other ways incident to protect workers. prompted “We have family measures, but “my job is to planning, the medihelp protect cal clinic, dental and my staff.” behavioral health clinics, and those ladies all sit in a fish bowl,” Fiorini said. “Glass is all around those people who sit up front, and we want to keep them safe.” The bulletproof glass is being installed in phases. The hope is to have the $110,000 project, approved by the Community Health Center Governing Council, completed by May. The money will come from the community health center’s cash reserves. “We don’t make a lot of money, but occasionally, we make some, and it goes into the reserves to maintain care,” Fiorini said. Though Fiorini said her staff routinely deals with “disgruntled people” and people who call in and have to be calmed down, there was no local incidents that propelled the decision to install bulletproof glass. “We haven’t had those kind of incidents here,” she said, but “my job is to help protect my staff.”
Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Erie High School junior Ben Grimes works on a welding project Monday during his Whiteside Area Career Center welding and manufacturing technology class. Grimes got into welding a couple of years ago and would like to be a pipefitter, but said he’ll do anything in welding and machining.
Sparking an interest When students weld their interests to the courses that WACC has to offer, the result is a set of skills that can take them in many different directions
BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 @CHeimerman_SVM
STERLING – Now that the students in Steve Bierdeman’s welding and manufacturing technology class are coming down the school year’s homestretch, they’re finding more ways to have fun. You know, like laying in a skid steer bucket Online extra and painstakingly tryClick on this story ing to fix a welding at saukvalley.com job gone awry. Hey, to watch welding and that’s the job Erie High manufacturing technolSchool junior Ben ogy students work on Grimes didn’t hesitate projects at Whiteside to jump on Monday Area Career Center. afternoon at Whiteside Area Career Center. He got into welding a couple of years ago and would like to be a pipefitter, but said he’ll do anything in welding and machining. SPARKING CONTINUED ON A5
SAFETY CONTINUED ON A5
MORRISON
At the top of city’s capital needs list: More capital BY JERMAINE PIGEE jpigee@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5525 @JPigee84
MORRISON – Balancing a $4.1 million budget might be easy, at least compared to coming up with more money to put in it. The City Council voted unanimously
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Monday night to approve a preliminary budget for the city – but that budget told only part of the story. The other chapter in the city’s ledger books has yet to be written, and city officials aren’t sure yet how it will end. What they do know is that the city needs more than $400,000 to fund the city’s capital equipment needs. In order for those needs to be met, City
INDEX
ABBY ................... A7 BUSINESS ......... A10 COMICS ............... A8
Administrator Barry Dykhuizen said the city must develop and put in place a strategy to provide adequate funds on an ongoing basis. “They city is falling far behind with allocating resources to keep its fleet of vehicles, equipment and squad cars in service,” Dykhuizen said.
CROSSWORD....B10 LIFESTYLE ........... A7 LOTTERY ............. A2
CAPITAL CONTINUED ON A4
OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6 POLICE ................ A2
Next Meeting
The Morrison City Council will next meet at 7 p.m. April 25 at the Whiteside County Law Enforcement Center Building, 400 N. Cherry St. Visit morrisonil.org or call 815-7727657 for an agenda or more information.
Today’s weather High 51. Low 29. More on A3.
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