Your source for community news and sports 7 days a week.
SVM UNVEILS TOP STORIES OF 2013 SPORTS, B1
LOCAL ENTERTAINMENT, A9
dailyGAZETTE Thursday, December 26, 2013
SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
NEW LAWS IN 2014
2013 IN REVIEW | TOP LOCAL NEWS STORIES
‘You can’t destroy people’s spirits’
State to drivers: Stay off your cell Local police say they’ll be lenient with ban at first BY CHRISTI WARREN cwarren@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 521
Photos by Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Firefighters continue to pour water in downtown Prophetstown after a devastating fire ripped through several buildings early Monday morning. Eight buildings were destroyed, and two others had smoke damage. About two dozen area fire departments were on scene, some having to bring waters on tankers. Firefighters also were pumping water from the Rock River, as Prophetstown’s and Lyndon’s water towers were drained.
NO. 1 STORY
The other top headlines of 2013
Prophetstown rallies after fire devastates historic downtown
2. Nathan Woessner, 6-year-old Sterling boy, survives falling into a sinkhole at the Indiana Dunes and spending about 3 hours under 11 feet of sand 3. Nicholas Sheley receives a second life sentence Jan. 16, this time for the June 2008 murder of Russell Reed, 93, of Sterling 4. Rita Crundwell sentenced to 19 years, 7 months in federal prison for stealing nearly $54 million from the city of Dixon 5. Ohio man shot and killed by conservation officer along Interstate 88 6. City of Dixon’s lawsuit against former auditors and bank results in $40 million settlement 7. Dixon public school teachers strike for 9 days in a contract dispute; talks with teachers aides at standstill; board OKs closure of Lincoln Elementary School 8. Dixon City Engineer Shawn Ortgiesen resigns after it was revealed he’d racked up more than $13,500 in personal expenses on a city credit card 9. Paul Busser Sr., 76, of Polo, fatally shoots Marcellene Jones, 73, in her Polo home before hanging and fatally shooting himself 10. Administrations of the Sterling and Rock Falls fire departments merge 11. Bill Wescott handily defeats Mayor David Blanton in April election in Rock Falls 12. Vocal instructor at VIVA! Performing Arts School in Dixon charged with aggravated sexual assault against former student; VIVA! officials also charged 13. Woman dies in a fire that destroys a home west of Dixon 14. Dixon City Council hires David Nord as first city administrator, agrees to put on Nov. 2014 ballot a question about a switch to city manager form of government 15. Oregon teen dies Aug. 11, a day after being punched at an underage drinking party in Oregon See more on Page A10&A11
BY JEFF ROGERS jrogers@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 591
July 15 is a day many people who live in Prophetstown probably would prefer to forget, but few will. About 2:30 that Monday morning, a fire broke out in the city’s historic downtown. The fire was under control by 7 a.m., but the damage was devastating. Eight buildings in the 300 block of Washington Street had been destroyed. Businesses and apartments were gone. Two other buildings suffered smoke damage. The buildings that were destroyed were knocked down the same day, leaving a hole in the center of downtown. The fire was so massive that by 4:50 that morning, only 10 feet of water – or about 45 minutes worth – remained in the Prophetstown water tower. Other area fire departments started bringing in water on tankers, and firefighters were pumping water from the Rock River to take to the scene. About two dozen other area departments aided the fight. “All I know is I called for more help, more help, more help,” Prophetstown Fire Chief Keith Crady said. “Paw Paw is one of the farthest [departments] I heard came. It got to the point where I needed tankers, and I just called the county and I said, ‘Give me 10 tankers.’ I don’t know where they came from.”
A sign is seen in the window of a downtown Prophetstown business after a fire there razed eight buildings.
PROPHETSTOWN CONTINUED ON A3
STERLING – Police agencies in the Sauk Valley will, for the most part, take it slow when it come to ticketing drivers after the cellphone ban takes effect Jan. 1. No formal grace period has been declared by any local agency. Police chiefs from Dixon, Rock Falls and Sterling, and a lieutenant with the state police, all agreed that, while deciding whether to ticket a driver is always up to the officer at the scene, police are likely to be a little more lenient while residents get used to the cellphone ban. “Officers usually consider the totality of the circumstances involved in the traffic stop,” state police Lt. John Biffany said. “What were the conditions of the roadway at the time. Are you in a school zone? Are you in a construction zone?” CELL CONTINUED ON A2
GAY MARRIAGE
Latest frontier: state courts Judges in Ohio, Utah and New Mexico have ruled in favor in just the past week SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Advocates on both sides of the gay marriage debate predicted that the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that overturned part of a federal ban on gay marriage would create a pathway for states to act. They were right. In the six months since the decision, the number of states allowing gay marriage has jumped from 12 to 18, a trend that started before the high court ruling that’s been reinforced since. Judges in New Mexico, Ohio and, most surprisingly, conservative, Mormon-heavy Utah all ruled in favor of same-sex marriage in just the past week. Both Utah’s case and another in Nevada will next be heard by federal appeals courts, putting them on the path toward the high court. Ohio’s case, which recognized same-sex death certificates, also will likely be appealed. COURTS CONTINUED ON A2
$1.00
TODAY’S EDITION: 24 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 160 ISSUE 14
INDEX
ABBY ................. A12 COMICS ...............B4 CROSSWORD......B9
LIFESTYLE ......... A12 LOTTERY ............. A2 OBITUARIES ........ A4
OPINION .............. A6 PLAN!T ................. A9 SPORTS ...............B1
Today’s weather High 26. Low 16. More on A3.
Need work? Check out your classifieds, B8.
TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE PAPER, CALL 815-625-3600 OR 800-798-4085