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COLLISION CLAIMS DIXON WOMAN’S LIFE
Rebounds help push Newman to victory
LEE COUNTY, A2
BOYS BASKETBALL, B1
dailyGAZETTE Monday, December 7, 2015
SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
DIXON | EDUCATION
LANARK
The charge: Murder Husband arrested in wife’s death BY JERMAINE PIGEE jpigee@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5525 @JPigee84
LANARK – A Freeport man is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of his wife, whose body was found around 2:15 a.m. Saturday in a home in the 200 block of West Locust Street. Morgan D. Hake, 49, was arrested in Freeport by Freeport Police at 3 a.m., less than an hour after the body of Suzanne M. Hake, 46, was found, Carroll County Sheriff
Jeff Doran said in a news release. Hake is in Carroll County Jail pending a bond hearing today. Carroll County deputies, Lanark Police, and several other police agencies responded to a 911 call about a shooting and discovered Suzanne Hake’s body, the release said. According to their Facebook pages, Suzanne “Suzy” Hake was a social worker at Gaffey Home Nursing and Hospice, which is based in Sterling, since March. She formerly was the director of the social services department at
Morgan D. Hake
Suzanne M. “Suzy” Hake
the Stephenson Nursing Center in Freeport, staff there confirmed. Morgan Hake is the owner of Hake’s Hardwood Floor Co., 1884 W. Becker School Road in Freeport. MURDER CONTINUED ON A5
STERLING
Shop, in the name of the law
High school plan will make public debut Residents invited to Tuesday meeting BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 @CHeimerman_SVM
DIXON – On Tuesday night, Dixon residents will get what they asked for: a visual of what a renovated high school would look like. The floor plans of a renovated Dixon High School will be on display and discussed during the latest long-range facilities plan forum – which should be the greatest forum to date, Superintendent Margo Empen said. “What’s going to happen on Tuesday night is the result of 6 or 7 months of work that came out of the community telling us they need more, that they need to know what it’s going to look Margo like,” she said. Empen Empen and two board members have advised Green Associates while the architecture firm has built the visual, recommending what should go where in order to foster a 21st century learning environment. For instance, the math department shouldn’t be far from the science department. HIGH SCHOOL CONTINUED ON A5
Q&A
Photos by Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@saukvalley.com
Alex, 4, is all smiles as he checks out the gifts he bought on Saturday during his visit to the Sterling Wal-Mart for Shop With a Cop. The event raises funds to allow kids to buy Christmas gifts for their family and themselves while helping foster positive relationships with police. Funding from the Wal-Mart Foundation, Illinois Police Benevolent and Association Sterling Unit No. 37, the Sterling Police Department’s No Shave November, and donations from the public brought the program back to Sterling after a 6-year absence.
Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Deb Dillow, assistant to the president and board of trustees at Sauk Valley Community College, is retiring Dec. 18 after spending more than 30 years at the college.
Sauk official reluctantly wraps up her journey Assistant leaving Sauk after 32 years BY JERMAINE PIGEE jpigee@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5525 @JPigee84
ABOVE: Officer Shane Bland watches as Anastasia puts dolls into a shopping cart on Saturday morning. LEFT: Blake checks out a new set of wheels with Officer Josh Webber.
DIXON – Deb Dillow, assistant to the president and board of trustees at Sauk Valley Community College, is retiring Dec. 18 after spending more than 30 years at the college, the last 9 of which she’s spent in her role as assistant. Dillow says the college has changed her life. She met her husband, Jim, at Sauk and she earned her associate degree at the college. Why are you retiring? I’m retiring because of some of the changes with the pension. The actuary tables have forced my hand. If I stay after Jan. 4, then I will start losing money. I love being here, so it’s not because I don’t want to be at Sauk anymore. I would have to stay 9 months to a year to re-coup what I would be losing. That has kind of forced my hand. Q&A CONTINUED ON A5
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TODAY’S EDITION: 20 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 161 ISSUE 255
INDEX
ABBY ................... A7 COMICS ............... A8 CROSSWORD....B10
LIFESTYLE ........... A7 LOTTERY ............. A2 NATION ................ A9
OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6 POLICE ................ A2
Today’s weather High 44. Low 34. More on A3.
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