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SPIETH GETS OFF TO SLOW START
Civil War education event next week
PGA GOLF STORY, COMMENTARY, B1
STERLING, A3
dailyGAZETTE Friday, July 10, 2015
SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
ROCK FALLS | HENNEPIN CANAL AND TRAILS
Plotting future of recreation Maps are starting point for branding natural resources Canal/Trails committee. While it is advised to keep mission and vision statements as short as possible, committee members discussed the importance of incorporating certain elements, including tourism. “I think the statement needs to encourage events, because we’d like to see the trails and canal be a draw for tourism,” committeeman John Larson said.
BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
ROCK FALLS – The city’s trail system might not have a name, but it has mission and vision statements. Those elements, particularly important for grant-writing purposes, were developed Thursday during a meeting of the Hennepin
Gwen Tompkins of Rock Falls, a guest at the meeting, hoped education would be included in the vision statement. “I’d like to see something to promote the public’s understanding of the history of the area,” Tompkins said. “The railroads are a very Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com important part of all that.” Sheryl VonHolton (left) and Deb Meyers ride along the Hennepin Canal canal path Thursday afternoon near RECREATION CONTINUED ON A10 Centennial Park in Rock Falls.
ILLINOIS | BUDGET CRISIS
STERLING | PARK DISTRICT PROJECTS
2 OUT OF 3 AIN’T BAD
Stopgap adopted; confusion ensues
Westwood jobs rolling; weather still hindering dredge work
Court orders state workers be paid for July; appeal expected BY JOHN O’CONNOR AND SOPHIA TAREEN The Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD (AP) – The Illinois House adopted a stop-gap spending plan Thursday that would guarantee state employee paychecks for July, but Gov. Bruce Rauner quickly criticized it. Just for good measure, Illinois’ budget muddle got even messier when a judge’s ruling on worker pay contradicted an earlier decision by a different court. As the Democratic-controlled House OK’d a 1-month budget after a 2-hour debate peppered with name-calling and recrimination, a southwestern Illinois judge decreed that state workers should get their full paychecks even without a formal budget. That contradicted a Cook County court ruling earlier in the week that no budget means no pay.
Photos by Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com
Workers attach the roof on a building at Westwood Fitness and Sports Center in Sterling. Larry Schuldt, director of the Sterling Park District, says the roof could be finished by September. BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
STERLING – A $1.1 million project to renovate a long-closed building at the Westwood Fitness and Sports Center is underway. The first phase of the project at Building 2 involves replacing the roof and side walls at a cost of $538,900. Three subsequent phases would include restrooms, heating, lighting, sidewalks, and ramps. The park district acquired the late-1970s building in 1991, and it was used almost exclusively for tennis. But as interest in the sport waned, the four extra courts weren’t needed, so they were used to accommodate youth programs. PROJECTS CONTINUED ON A10
TOP5 Your Weekend
Big Daddy Woo Woo at Lowell
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DIXON – Big Daddy Woo Woo, a six-piece funk and R&B band, will play the second of three free summer concerts from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday in the Lowell Park Shelter. Donations will be accepted, with proceeds benefiting the restoration of the park’s Historic Reagan Bath House.
$1.00
TODAY’S EDITION: 28 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 161 ISSUE 151
‘‘ ’’ BUDGET CONTINUED ON A4
We’re being cruel to them, because what we’re saying is there’s hope ... we’re just kicking the can for 30 days.
Heavy machinery sits idle Thursday, waiting to continue work on the rain-hampered Thomas Park pond dredging project.
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Benefit rolling into Rock Falls’ Long Shot
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ROCK FALLS – The free annual Rock Falls Antique Tractor and Engine Show Cookout runs from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Long Shot Bar and Grill, 3312 W. Rock Falls Road/U.S. Route 30. Tractors and engines will be on display, and parts and equipment will be sold. There also will be a blacksmith demonstration, and vendors selling jewelry, crafts, and other items. A playground will be open, and food will be sold. Nonperishable food and pet supplies for the Sauk Valley Food Bank will be accepted as an entry into a raffle.
DIXON – Second Saturdays Art Happenings, featuring art, music and other cultural events, returns to various venues, mostly from 6 to 8 p.m., between First and Second streets and Peoria and Galena avenues. Find the event on Facebook for more details.
STERLING – Sauk Valley Community College’s Theatre Department and Woodlawn Arts Academy present free performances of Steven Sondheim’s “Into the Woods.” Shows begin at 7 p.m. today through Sunday at the academy, 3807 Woodlawn Road. At 6 tonight, students from Shakespearience! theater camp will perform on the Shakespeare in the Park stage. Call 815626-4278 for more information.
INDEX
Get cultured at Second Saturdays
Rep. Steven Andersson, R-Geneva, on message stopgap sends to state workers
ABBY ................... A8 BUSINESS ......... A13 COMICS ...............B4
CROSSWORD....B12 LIFESTYLE .......A7&8 LOTTERY ............. A2
You’re invited ‘Into the Woods’
NATION/WORLD .. A9 OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6
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Jazz and roots in Mount Morris
MOUNT MORRIS – The Mount Morris Jamboree Committee presents the Jim Kanas trio, playing jazz and American roots music, from 7 to 9 tonight at the band shell downtown. Admission is free. A meal will be sold starting at 6 p.m. Bench seating is available, and attendees also can bring a chair or blanket.
Today’s weather High 80. Low 59. More on A3.
Need work? Check out your classifieds, B7.
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