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Former Warriors, Dukes do battle
NEW OWNER, PLANS FOR OLD STERLING COMMONS LOCAL, A5
ALUMNI FOOTBALL, B1
AT THE MOVIES | STERLING THEATER
COMMUNITY
A change is brewing Management group of brew and view, city part ways BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5570
STERLING – The Sterling Theater is undergoing a management change that officials hope will bring a more local flavor to the brew and view. The city has cut ties with Skip Huston, owner of the Theater Management Group, and General Manager Tim O’Brien has been running the theater at 402 Locust St., City Manager Scott Shumard said. Shumard said Huston was behind in his payments for the
building that is owned by the Greater Sterling Development Corp. “We arrived at an agreement for him to leave the theater,” Shumard said. While the financial situation was a factor, it was not the only problem. There were philosophical differences, and many in the community felt that Huston had strayed from delivering the type of experience they had wanted. CHANGE CONTINUED ON A8
Fun in the mud A look back at the Tampico Days mud volleyball tournament. PAGE C12
AMBOY DEATH
Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com
Moviegoers get their food, drinks, and popcorn before the night showings of “The Way Way Back” and “An Unfinished Song” on opening night of the Sterling Theater on Aug. 23, 2013. The theater also sells beer and wine.
THE PEOPLE’S VOICE| LAUREN BELL
A tragic, common, danger Hot skin well known problem with RVs BY KATHLEEN A. SCHULTZ kschultz@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5535
Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Rock Falls native and recent Northern Illinois University graduate Lauren Bell holds a cue card for her Coloma Township Park District cheer campers July 9 at Merrill Elementary School. This is Bell’s 10th year working with the youngsters, and her third year running the camp that helped her overcome shyness as a child. Listen to the latest People’s Voice podcast at saukvalley.com to hear a conversation with Bell, as well as the cheer the group was going over.
Time to buy stock in Bell christopher HEIMERMAN Heimerman is the Night News Editor at Sauk Valley Media. He can be reached at cheimerman@ saukvalley. com or 800-798-4085, ext. 5523.
T
he smart money says Lauren Bell will soon not meet one of the chief criteria for this column: being a resident of the Sauk Valley. The thought of the fast-riser from Rock Falls moving on to bigger, better things is a mixed bag for Mike Sterba, superintendent of the Coloma Township Park District. He’ll miss her dearly, because Bell has so many attributes that make for a great column: She’s smart, driven, talented and, my personal favorite, inspiring. She’s been a veritable Swiss Army knife for the district for 10 years
Mostly sunny
VOLUME 6 ISSUE 47 40 Pages
Today: 82/59 For the forecast, see Page A9
Coffee and treats
JavaJoint Xpress in Rock Falls offers baked goods and pastries, too. See Page C1
now, most notably with the girls skills program, of which she took the helm 3 years ago. The program is for girls in first through eighth grades, and is broken into categories of dance, cheerleading and tumbling. A few weeks ago, just a jog down Interstate 88, Bell received a degree in nutrition and dietetics at Northern Illinois University, with a minor in dance. But the things she achieved on stage were anything but minor. Tap, ballet, modern, hiphop. You name the style, she’s well versed in it. PEOPLE’S VOICE CONTINUED ON A8
Zach at the movies Braff is back, finally, with a new film, “Wish I Was Here” Also inside USA Weekend: Watermelon and bourbon cooler Candid stars Top juice bars
The accidental electrocution of a 3-year-old Amboy boy as he exited the family camper was caused by something known in RV circles as “hot skin.” It occurs when a vehicle that is plugged into an electrical source becomes improperly grounded, and the shell, or skin, of the camper becomes electrified. Landyn Gerald Keener was killed June 30 when he touched the camper door handle as he was standing on wet ground. The current went from the camper and through his body, stopping his heart. “It was determined by an electrician that [the camper] was poorly grounded,” Lee County Sheriff John Varga said. “It’s an extremely tragic accident, and we’re not putting fault on anybody.” Hot skin is not uncommon. According to a 2010 survey done by RVTravel.com, 21 percent of the 1,200 owners who responded reported being shocked by their RV, most mildly. DANGER CONTINUED ON A10
ONLINE EXTRA
Sweet corn season We asked SVM’s Facebook friends to tell us where the best places are in the Sauk Valley to get sweet corn. Read their list in The List blog at saukvalley.com.
Index Births................ C5 Lottery .............. A2 Business........... C1 Markets .......... A10 Classified .......... D1 Obituaries ......... A4 Comics ............. B6 Opinion............. A6 Community ..... C12 Scoreboard ...... B9 Scrapbook ....... C3 Crossword Saturday ........... D6 Sports .............. B1 Support groups .. C5 Crossword Sunday ............. C8 Travel .............. C10 Dave Ramsey ... C1 Weather............ A9 Dear Abby ........ C6 Wheels ............. D8