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THAT GUY COULD REALLY FLY
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dailyGAZETTE Monday, July 6, 2015
SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
ILLINOIS BUDGET | NEWS ANALYSIS
DIXON | PETUNIA FESTIVAL
Woman wins $10K in 50/50
Despite deadlock, there are ways out Lawmakers still have options to end fears of government shutdown BY JOHN O’CONNOR The Associated Press
Photos by Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
The Dixon Rural Fire Department moves through the Petunia Festival parade in style Sunday afternoon, riding a 1928 Dodge Brothers fire truck. The vehicle was used by the department up through the ‘60s. The department raised funds to buy back the truck, with plans to showcase the truck in parades and at area schools.
Organizers happy with how new additions to festival turned out BY JERMAINE PIGEE jpigee@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5525 @JPigee84
DIXON – The 51st annual Petunia Festival was a huge success, event organizers say. “It could not have gone any better,” Ashley Trueblood, spokeswoman for the Petunia Festival, said Sunday night. Official numbers from the festival will not be available for another few weeks, but organizers were pleased with this year’s event. “We had no major hiccups, which is what we love,” Trueblood said. Event organizers were not the only ones who were pleased with the festival. Diane Wolf of Dixon became just over $10,000 richer, thanks to the festival’s new 50/50 raffle. Wolf was not at the Petunia Festival on Sunday night to claim her
winnings. More than $20,000 was raised in the raffle. “We are very thrilled with how the 50/50 turned out,” Trueblood said. The money raised from the raffle is used to help fund the festival. “In the past, the winner either won a [Harley Davidson motorcycle] or $10,000 cash,” Trueblood said. “We gave away more than $10,000 this year. Another new event added to the festival was the Ultimate Air Dogs Show, where dogs run down a dock and fly into a large swimming pool to see who can jump the farthest. “We are hoping to have the Ultimate Air Dogs back,” Trueblood said. “That was a huge success.” Trueblood is already looking forward to the 52nd Petunia Festival. “This event makes us even more happy about next year,” she said.
Maddy (left), 6, and Natalie Storey, 4, dress to the patriotic nines Sunday afternoon. For more photos from the parade, go to saukvalley.com. Flip over to A2 to see photos from the Nuts About Art fine art show, and A3 for photos from the Midland States Bank kids day.
SPRINGFIELD – What Illinois needs is for one of its political leaders to blink. But as Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and legislative Democrats stand eyeball-toeyeball in negotiations over a new budget, neither is likely to submit, forcing the state to continue stumbling into the fiscal year that began July 1 without broad authority to spend. There are Bruce some actions Rauner that could end government shutdown fears, even if they don’t settle the issues separating the two sides. Rauner, a conservative businessman, Michael wants to change Madigan Illinois’ business and political climate to spur investment and create jobs. Democrats such as House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate John President John Cullerton Cullerton want to ensure government continues to provide social services and other key operations for that same population, and are seeking revenue increases. Here’s a look at the immediate options: DEADLOCK CONTINUED ON A4
FULTON | ANDRESEN NATURE CENTER
‘... to educate, inspire ...’ Area’s latest attraction provides permanent and seasonal displays BY KATHLEEN A. SCHULTZ kschultz@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5535 @KathleenSchul10
FULTON – It’s a new attraction with a simple mission: teaching the public, and especially children, about the quiet joy that nature can bring to their lives.
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TODAY’S EDITION: 20 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 161 ISSUE 147
After a year of gathering exhibits and renovating the former residence, the Andresen Nature Center is blossoming on the banks of the Mississippi River, at 409 N. Fourth St. In displays both permanent and seasonal, it offers visitors up-close views of all kinds of little wonders: hides and pelts of native animals, a see-through beehive, various mounted animals (including a tom turkey), several other local birds, and a cougar that once roamed the county, now perched in mid-stride on a rock.
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ABBY ................... A7 COMICS ............... A8 CROSSWORD....B10
The live versions of other critters, including deer, eagles and a bushytailed black squirrel, often can be seen through the center’s windows. The mission of the city-owned center is “to educate, inspire, and encourage all to have an appreciation for our natural environment through exploration and demonstration,” Executive Director Kyle Kopf said in a email last spring, as he was readying the two-story home, where he now lives, for its new life. EDUCATE CONTINUED ON A5
LIFESTYLE ........... A7 LOTTERY ............. A2 OBITUARIES ........ A4
Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
A tom turkey sits quietly in a corner at the Andresen Nature Center. In displays both permanent and seasonal, the center offers visitors up-close views of all kinds of little wonders.
OPINION .............. A6 POLICE ................ A2 SPORTS ...............B1
Today’s weather High 86. Low 62. More on A3.
Need work? Check out your classifieds, B6.
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