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REMEMBERING ROCK FALLS STANDOUT RICHARD SKELTON SVM SPORTS RETROSPECTIVE, B1
LOCAL ENTERTAINMENT, A8-10
dailyGAZETTE
Thursday, May 8, 2014
SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
DIXON
Sheriff: Woman drove into river Investigators look to car’s data recorder for more information BY CHRISTI WARREN cwarren@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5521
DIXON – Authorities say the woman whose body was pulled from the Rock River last week drove herself into the water. Her body was found downstream
from her submerged car. Lee County Sheriff John Varga said investigators Wednesday worked on removing the black box – the data recorder – from the 2002 Pontiac Grand Am of Melva M. Meridith, 56, of Dixon. They hoped that it might reveal more
information, particularly some indication of how fast Meridith’s car was moving before it entered the water. “We’re just trying to get all the i’s dotted and t’s crossed,” Varga said. “We’re still talking to family members and friends, but unfortunately
it does look like she drove into the river.” Meridith’s cause of death has not yet been released, because the coroner’s office is waiting on toxicology reports, Varga said. DROVE CONTINUED ON A4
STERLING
Melva M. Meridith
POLAR PLUNGE
Out of barn’s way
Area now immersed in social media fad Authorities warn that unsupervised jumps are risky BY CHRISTI WARREN cwarren@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5521
Photos by Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@saukvalley.com
Andy and Marion Younger embrace before the move of their two-story, 3,400-square-foot barn about a mile-anda-half along U.S. Route 30 on Wednesday morning. The couple will add the old Wahl Equestrian facility to their bar and grill, K’s Korners, 13030 Galt Road.
Historic structure makes 2,000-foot trek along U.S. Route 30 BY KATHLEEN A. SCHULTZ kschultz@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5535
Online extra
STERLING – The sun was a fuzzy yellow stain in the gray, overcast sky, and a cool breeze was blowing. A clearly irritated killdeer ran across a stretch of green grass, recently dotted with dandelions, screeching at the annoying cluster of workers tromping around his little patch of prairie, such as it was. There was quite a production going
Watch video of the behemoth of a barn making its way along U.S. Route 30 at www.saukvalley.com. on across the road from Crop Production Services Wednesday morning, at the old Double G ranch, and a handful of locals were parked in CPS’s gravel lot for a front-row seat.
The occasion: a little ol’ barn-moving. Except this was no little ‘ol barn. The historic two-story behemoth was 100 feet long, 34 feet wide. That’s 3,400 square feet trundling up the highway. It had been lifted off its foundation and tethered to the semitrailer the day before, in preparation for this road trip, a little jaunt just 1.5 miles up the road to its new home at K’s Korners bar and grill, 13030 Galt Road.
DIXON – The “24-hour polar plunge challenge” has been making its way through social media feeds across the nation in the past month. Now, it seems, it’s finally coming to the Sauk Valley. The way the challenge works is that people, mostly young adults, dare each other to jump into frigid waters and record their escapades for all to see. Before (or after) they jump in the water, they “call out” other friends to do the same, and usually tag them in a post on Facebook. Unlike most polar plunges, which are carefully monitored by medical staff and authorities – and attached to a specific charity – this challenge is mostly just for fun. That’s not to say no good is coming of it. Golden Key Gifts in Sterling is sponsoring a donation drive in connection with these individual plunges for the Team Jess Scholarship Fund: $10 if you jump, at least $50 if you don’t.
BARN CONTINUED ON A2
PLUNGE CONTINUED ON A12
FAITH IN AN UPLIFTING STORY
ROCK FALLS | MOBILE HOME PARK UPDATE
Issue rolled over to committee Official on owner getting license: What we want is compliance BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5570
ROCK FALLS – Licensing for the owner of a local mobile home park in danger of being shut down will be discussed at the May 22 meeting of the city’s Ordinance and Licensing Committee. Several residents of Valley Properties Inc., 1507 W. Route 30,
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attended Wednesday’s city Building Code Committee to express their views on the situation. Terry Helt, the owner of the mobile home community, also known as Easy Living Trailer Park, received a letter from the city dated May 1, telling him that his business license will not be issued unless a long list of city code violations are correct-
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ed. The letter goes on to say that if Helt does not comply within 7 days of the notice, operations at the park must cease. The May 1 letter was sent to the residents, and a few said this was the first they had heard of the violations that needed to be addressed.
BUSINESS ......... A14 COMICS ...............B7 CROSSWORD....B12
ROLLED CONTINUED ON A4
DEAR ABBY ....... A11 LOTTERY ............. A2 OBITUARIES ........ A4
Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com
OPINION .............. A6 PLAN!T ................. A8 SPORTS ...............B1
Today’s weather High 82. Low 62. More on A3.
Gabrielle Rydzynski plays Maria Rainer in Faith Christian School’s presentation of “The Sound of Music.” Showtimes for the play are 6:30 p.m. Friday and 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the Faith Christian gym in Grand Detour.
Need work? Check out your classifieds, B8.
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