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SKYHAWKS PREY ON TOURNEY FOE VOLLEYBALL, B1
Last-minute primer on voting details ELECTION 2014, A3
dailyGAZETTE Tuesday, November 4, 2014
SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
OGLE COUNTY | TOW FUND
Sheriff: Audit incomplete Harn: Auditors didn’t obtain documents Board members that claimed the auditor had failed to get necessary documents from his department. That email and others related to the tow fund and the forensic audit were obtained by Sauk Valley Media through a Freedom of Information Act request.
BY MATT MENCARINI mmencarini@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5529
OREGON – Three days after public release of results from a forensic audit of the Ogle County administrative tow fund, Sheriff Michael Harn sent an email to six County
Harn did not attend either of the County Board’s public meetings Oct. 21, including a regular meeting, where the forensic audit’s results were presented by the auditor. “Just want to send you a little FYI,” Harn said in the email sent Oct. 24. “Since all the County
Firm: We weren’t told to Board has [their] opinion about the tow fund and the articles in the papers I want to inform you of this. I met with the auditor on three different dates, I explained in detail from start to finish, I explained who he needed to speak to and why things [were] done the way they were and
DIXON
WHO told me I could do things the way I did them. “I’m very unhappy with myself that everything gets twisted, lies, bull----, and the attacks. But I assume responsibility because of [who] I am.” AUDIT CONTINUED ON A5
DIXON
Combining for a cause
Students charged not in school, police say Suspect in 3rd threat ID’d; expulsion hearing is Thursday BY CHRISTI WARREN cwarren@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5521
Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Mike Book of rural Amboy is one of seven farmers who harvested 240 acres Saturday for fellow farmer Brad Shippert, laid low and hospitalized with a bout of meningitis. The 28-year-old Book went to Amboy High with Shippert, whose wife, Erin, is battling pancreatic cancer.
Seven farmers bring in harvest for ailing friend BY JERMAINE PIGEE jpigee@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5525
DIXON – It’s the way of the Midwest. Seven farmers combined this weekend to harvest more than 200 acres of corn owned by Brad Shippert, 30, hospitalized with meningitis. Shippert’s wife, Erin, 31, was diagnosed last year with pancreatic can-
cer that has metastasized to her liver. They have a 2-year-old daughter, Reagan. “The farming community will come together to help each other out,” said Peter Pratt, 35, of Dixon, one of the farmers who donated his time Saturday. Shippert grows corn and soybeans on his sixth-generation family farm at U.S.
Route 30 and Pump Factory Road. Each farmer drove a combine; the harvest took about 6 hours to complete. “Everyone came to help, so he can focus on getting better and getting healthy,” Pratt said. “This is one less thing he has to deal with.” COMBINING CONTINUED ON A2
STERLING CITY COUNCIL
Taxpayers off hook for bonds payments Several general obligation issues abated BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5570
STERLING – Six tax abatement resolutions were approved by the council Monday for various city projects. All of the projects were funded with general obligation bonds, meaning that all
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had multiple sources provided for repayment. The action is good news for property owners, who are on the hook for the bonds through a levy if the primary revenue sources don’t come through. “The general obligation bonds are all issued with an alternate revenue source, so
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INDEX
in the event the main source wouldn’t be there, the city must issue a levy,” said City Manager Scott Shumard. In that scenario, the taxes would have been levied for the next fiscal year. The resolutions guarantee that the property tax levies will not be needed for the projects in the next fiscal year.
ABBY ................... A7 BUSINESS ......... A10 COMICS ............... A8
BONDS CONTINUED ON A4
CROSSWORD......B6 LIFESTYLE ........... A7 LOTTERY ............. A2
Next meeting The Sterling City Council next meets at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 17, at City Hall, 212 Third Ave., on the first floor in the Council Chambers. Go to www.sterling-il. gov or call City Hall at 815632-6621 for an agenda or more information. OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6 POLICE ................ A2
DIXON – The children who police believe are responsible for the violent threats made at two Dixon schools in the past 2 weeks have been taken out of school, Dixon Police Chief Danny Langloss said Monday. Superintendent Michael Juenger couldn’t confirm the punishments given to the two girls charged with writing threats in girls bathrooms at Reagan Middle and Madison Elementary schools, citing the students’ privacy, but he did agree to speak in generalities. “Our normal practice in a situation like this is we would suspend the students for 10 days, and we would have an expulsion hearing,” Juenger said. An expulsion hearing has been scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday. A suspect has been identified in a third threat, found in a girls bathroom at Reagan, and “we believe that suspect is connected with the first threat,” Langloss said. STUDENTS CONTINUED ON A4
‘‘ ’’ We do believe that everyone responsible for the threats is out of the school.
Police Chief Danny Langloss
Election 2014 coverage
• Local Democrats sneak in stumping stop in Sterling, A3 • Candidates for governor make last pushes, A9 • Lots of problems brought up. But what about solutions? A9
Today’s weather High 55. Low 35. More on A3.
Need work? Check out your classifieds, B5.
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