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PACKERS PULL AWAY FROM BEARS
Need balance in your life? SPRY LIVING, INSIDE
dailyGAZETTE NFL, B1
Monday, September 14, 2015
SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
GRAND DETOUR
TWIN CITIES
Building a bridge, one step at a time Unifying events held Saturday
Student shows her metal The 67th annual Grand Detour Art Show was Sunday at the John Deere Historic Site. See photos, including an award-winning welded piece, on A3.
ILLINOIS | GOVERNMENT FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Photos by Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@saukvalley.com
Kids near the finish line Saturday during the Kids’ Bridge Dash, a frenetic fun run that kicked off Bridge the Community, a 60-plus-year-old tradition that features a 5K and 10K that covers ground in Sterling and Rock Falls and crosses the Rock River twice. The event is run in conjunction with the Fiesta Days Parade, which followed at noon.
Looking Forward Among the happenings in the area this week: Christopher Heimerman, night news editor: Silver Linings series continues : More stories from the Wallace Street neighborhood will be published in Saturday’s SVM Weekend edition. Among those stories will be that of Francisco “Panchito” Martinez, who drove from Sterling to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas and back to get family members and friends jobs at Northwestern Steel and Wire Co. Jermaine Pigee, education: Dixon school budget: The School Board will examine a $600,000-plus deficit in its proposed education budget during a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Reagan Middle School, 620 Division St. Parade participants represent “Las Adelitas,” as female soldiers who fought during the Mexican Revolution, as they march down First Avenue in Rock Falls on Saturday afternoon during the Fiesta Day Parade. For more photos from the parade, and more information on the Taste of Fiesta festivities slated for Saturday, turn to A9.
Pam Eggemeier, Sterling/Rock Falls: Downtown redevelopment: Now that Sterling Today has gained possession of the former Sterling Standard building, plans to demolish the historic downtown structure will be accelerated this week.
Grocery shortage at issue SNAP participants: Disbursement schedule leaving shelves bare PEORIA (AP) – Grocers and government food assistance recipients want Illinois to increase the number of days it disburses the benefits to help relieve sporadic food shortages that have occurred since the state changed its schedule 2 years ago, according to a news report. For years, the Illinois Department of Human Services disbursed Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program payments every other day from the first to 23rd of each month, enabling grocers to keep a steady supply of food on the shelves and give workers consistent hours. But that changed in 2013, when most of the more than 2 million Illinois SNAP recipients began receiving benefits during the first 10 days of the month. Grocers and recipients say that means store shelves are depleted quickly and there is little incentive for grocers to keep shelves stocked with fresh fruits, vegetables and meats the rest of the month, when business falls off significantly in communities where SNAP usage is high. SNAP CONTINUED ON A4
Q&A | ROCK FALLS PIGEON RACER DOUG HARMS
Pastime not just for the birds Hobbyist ranked nationally, but says having fun is his main goal BY CHRISTI WARREN cwarren@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5521 @SeaWarren
Doug Harms is nationally recognized for his achievements in pigeon racing, a pastime he picked up as a kid. But the Rock Falls resident says the most important aspect of the hobby is to have fun.
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How did you get into pigeon racing? I grew up on a dairy farm east of Rock Falls, and there was a pigeon with bands on his legs. Me being inquisitive, I caught the pigeon and I started asking around about it, and they said it was a racing pigeon. I found a fellow who had racing pigeons and he got me into the same club I’m in now – the Rock River Valley Racing Pigeon Club – in 1963 and 1964 when I was in high school. Then, I went to the service and I didn’t have racing pigeons for a number of years.
TODAY’S EDITION: 20 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 161 ISSUE 196
INDEX
Meet Doug Harms Name: Doug Harms Age: 67 Spouse: Cheryl Lives in: Rural Rock Falls Hometown: Rock Falls Occupation: Runs a treetransplanting service called Dial-A-Tree. Retired from the steel mill. Member: Rock River Valley Racing Pigeon Club, rrvpigeonclub.org But a friend of mine moved to Florida and had racing pigeons there.
ABBY ................... A7 COMICS ............... A8 CROSSWORD....B10
Q&A CONTINUED ON A3
LIFESTYLE ........... A7 LOTTERY ............. A2 NATION/WORLD .. A9
Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Doug Harms, 67, grew up racing pigeons and, after a hiatus, got back into the hobby. Along with the racing pigeons, Harms has others, such as this thief pouter perched on the gutter of his Rock Falls home. OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6 POLICE ................ A2
Today’s weather High 75. Low 52. More on A3.
Need work? Check out your classifieds, B6.
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