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ROCK FALLS SHOWS HOW THE WEST WAS WON SOFTBALL, B1
FOOD, A9, 10
dailyGAZETTE Wednesday, April 13, 2016
SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
DIXON ONE
Amplifying Dixon’s voices Group discusses ways to bring everyone to the table to promote city BY RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5529 @rj_rodgers
DIXON – Aiming to nail down a governing structure for the city’s future tourism, marketing and development hub, the Dixon One advisory task force examined three similar organizational models Tuesday. During its meeting last month, the task force split into three sub-committees,
each charged with designing an operational structure for Dixon One. The models presented during the task force’s meeting Tuesday shared distinct traits, including forming a board of directors with governing abilities rather than an advisory body. It would contain 13 to 16 members. Task force member Dana Considine, board chairwoman for the Dixon Area Chamber of
Next meeting
The Dixon One advisory task force next meets at 5:30 p.m. April 26 at City Hall, 121 W. Second St. Commerce, said even though it could be more difficult to reach a quorum with a large board, the additional input and group representation would benefit the organization.
SAUK VALLEY | EDUCATION
In with the new
But not out with the old; board OKs plan for new Dixon High School, but pledges to make use of the old one BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 @CHeimerman_SVM
DIXON ONE CONTINUED ON A4
DIXON – The school board unanimously picked its plan: build a new Dixon High School. Appropriately, whether that plan will become reality will come down to education. After 3.5 years of research, meetings, and forums, the board on Tuesday night approved a resolution to recommend the district build a new high school and bring all the district’s other buildings up to code. The total cost would be $77,675,104. The option to renovate the old high school, build a new remote athletic facility and bring buildings up to code carried a price tag of $86,965,623, which was $3.5 million more than a previous estimate because of new costs associated with replicating the original building’s exterior on the addition.
NEWMAN BRINGS MUSIC AND MAGIC TO THE STAGE
HIGH SCHOOL CONTINUED ON A4
Newman students Zachary Brauman plays the king and Megan Carney plays the queen Tuesday during a rehearsal for “Cinderella.”
It could be good news – more or less Erin Pasley, as the title character in Newman Central Catholic High School’s “Cinderella,” rehearses a scene from the play Tuesday night. Students will bring the Rogers and Hammerstein musical to the stage at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday at Centennial Auditorium, 1608 Fourth Ave., Sterling. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, and $5 for students, and are available at Newman High School, 1101 St. Mary’s St., Sterling, Farley’s Home Appliances, 1245 N. Galena Ave., Dixon, and at the door.
Rauner proposal would help schools plan budgets, but the figures don’t add up to a better bottom line for everyone BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 @CHeimerman_SVM
School districts in Sterling and Rock Falls can bask guardedly in projected full-fledged state funding for fiscal year 2017, a big piece to each district’s financial puzzle. Dixon Public Schools, however, are lamenting that even with the state foundation level fully funded, the district’s distribution would be slightly smaller than the current fiscal year’s prorated version. The Illinois State Board of Education Tuesday morning released projected district-by-district general state aid for next year, if Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposal wends its way through the Legislature. Rauner has proposed fully funding education for the first time in 7 years, resulting in a $120 million increase compared to fiscal year 2016. GOOD NEWS CONTINUED ON A5
Photos by Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com
DIXON
Center hopes to shine a light into a dark world Public invited to forum to break the ice about sexual abuse, and help give young victims a voice BY ANGEL SIERRA asierra@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5695 @_angelsierra
DIXON – The best defense against child sexual abuse is education, according to the executive director of a local child advocacy center. “Offenders look for vulnerable kids, so if we can arm them with that, it’ll
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go a long way,” said Shelly Brantley, executive director of Shining Star Children’s Advocacy Center, 215 E. First. St., which logs more than 120 interviews a year. That’s on par for areas of similar size – April House in Whiteside County serves about the same number. Shining Star operates with a staff of three: Brantley, who also works in
INDEX
ABBY ................... A8 COMICS ............... A7 CROSSWORD....B10
family advocacy; a full-time family advocate, and a part-time forensic investigator. A contractual therapist also helps. “We have a great team in our county,” Brantley said, “but we also know that only 1 in 10 kids ever tell. We know the problem is local, but it’s everywhere.”
FOOD ..............A9-10 LIFESTYLE ........... A8 LOTTERY ............. A2
Get involved A free community forum on child sexual abuse runs from 6 to 8 p.m. today at the Dixon Elks Lodge, 1279 Franklin Grove Road. Doors open at 5 p.m. Among the topics to be discussed: minimizing opportunity for abuse; recognizing the signs; and how to respond and react responsibly.
LIGHT CONTINUED ON A5
OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6 POLICE ................ A2
Today’s weather High 60. Low 39. More on A3.
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