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NIB-12 boys battle the elements TRACK & FIELD, B1
HONOR FLIGHT LOOKS FOR MORE TRAVELERS LOCAL, A3
STERLING | RIVERFRONT DEVELOPMENT
Things rollin’ on riverfront State group awards city, mayor for work to turn brownfields into ecotourism destination BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
STERLING – The city’s progress on its riverfront redevelopment plans can be seen in several places, but most eyes eventually return to two blighted buildings. Cleanup and redevelopment of the Lawrence Brothers and StanleyNational sites carries an estimated price tag of $67 million. Different situations have the city in a holding pattern with both buildings. The city’s progress in revitalizing other riverfront areas, however,
has been recognized by a state organization concerned with water environment issues. Mayor Skip Lee recently received this year’s public official award from the Illinois Water Environment Association for his leadership in implementing Sterling’s downtown riverfront redevelopment plans. The award recognizes work done in the areas of clean water legislation, public policy, and government service that enhance the water environment. The mayor said the city received a nomination for the award after the organization saw an article about
Sterling’s riverfront efforts. It piqued the nominating committe’s interest, and after doing more research, members liked what they found. Lee said that although he received the recognition, he doesn’t consider it his award. “They don’t give awards to a city, otherwise I think we’d get one, but this is really an award for the entire city, not the mayor,” Lee said. “The scale of the riverfront work that is going on in Sterling and Rock Falls is huge, and this recognizes the great efforts of the team here at Sterling.” RIVERFRONT CONTINUED ON A5
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The scale of the riverfront work that is going on in Sterling and Rock Falls is huge, and this recognizes the great efforts of the team here at Sterling.
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Sterling Mayor Skip Lee
The plan
Go to sterling-il.gov/riverfront.cfm for detailed information on the city’s riverfront redevelopment plan.
THE PEOPLE’S VOICE | THE REV. MARK AND NANCY OEHLERT, STERLING
AMBOY
No fines, or fish kills, yet City, Sensient sent violation notices for discharge into river BY RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5529 @rj_rodgers
Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@saukvalley.com
The Rev. Mark Oehlert and his wife, Nancy, stand outside St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sterling. Oehlert is leaving the church after 12 years. He plans to “drop down a gear or two” to be pastor of the small, rural Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Schapville. It’s about an hour’s drive from Dubuque, Iowa, where the Oehlerts’ grandchild lives.
A ‘bittersweet’ Sunday ahead christopher HEIMERMAN
Departing pastor reflects on life after industrial exodus
Heimerman is the Enterprise Projects Editor at Sauk Valley Media. He can be reached at cheimerman@ saukvalley. com or 815-625-3600, ext. 5523.
he Rev. Mark Oehlert calls being a pastor “an incredible privilege.” “It’s rainbow of experiences, to get to know people at the beginning and the end of their lives, and to be with them at the best and the hardest times of their lives,” he said. When he arrived as pastor of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in August 2004, for the most part, many of the sheep in his flock were wandering in the wilderness,
Online extra
Click on this story at saukvalley.com to watch Mark and Nancy Oehlert give a farewell message.
T
Sunny, chilly
VOLUME 8 ISSUE 37 36 Pages
Today: 54/36 For the forecast, see Page A11
having just lost manufacturing jobs that left town. “The ghost of that was still very evident in the town,” he said. “A lot of unemployment. It hasn’t been a speedy recovery, but Sterling and Rock Falls have made some good strides forward in the community, and I’m proud of them for that.” Before moving forward, however, one must grieve. “There was a mourning for what was, those good
Business
middle-class jobs,” he said. “They lost pensions and health care coverage. Thank God the church was here for spiritual comfort and helping them get through those hard times.” Suffice to say, he and his wife, Nancy, equally devoted to her husband and the church, have earned a reprieve from the demands of a large congregation. PEOPLE’S VOICE CONTINUED ON A5
Community SVM’s Philip Marruffo was at the Tri-County Gun Club’s open house recently. Take a look at the club through the camera lens.
Owners of Shooters want the new bar to be a “cross between a biker bar and Coyote Ugly.” See Page C1
See Page C12
AMBOY – The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has issued violation notices this week to both the City of Amboy and Sensient Technologies Corp. for pollutant discharges present in Green River. When Sensient Flavors Inc., a division of the Milwaukeebased corporation located at 25 E. Main St. in Amboy, began expanding last June, a pump at the facility’s pretreatment center failed. That caused levels of effluent to bypass city treatment stations and spread into the river. Reaching the city’s wastewater lagoons, the discharged substance killed the biological matter that normally breaks down organic matter in the wastewater system, said Kim Biggs, public information officer for the IEPA. RIVER CONTINUED ON A2
ONLINE EXTRA Heroin in the Sauk Valley
Did you miss Friday’s special section about the efforts to combat heroin abuse in the Sauk Valley? Go to saukvalley.com for free access to our stories about the initiatives and programs underway to help beat the addiction.
Index Births................ C5
Lottery .............. A2
Business........... C1
Markets .......... A11
Classified .......... B7
Obituaries ......... A4
Comics ............. A8
Opinion............. A6
Community ..... C12
Scoreboard ...... B6
Crossword Saturday ........... B9
Scrapbook ....... C3
Crossword Sunday ............. C8
Support groups .. C5
Dave Ramsey ... C1
Weather.......... A11
Dear Abby ........ C6
Wheels ........... B12
Sports .............. B1 Travel .............. C10