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WEATHER THROWS LOCAL BASKETBALL OFF SCHEDULE ROUNDUP, B3
Family loses home in fire ROCK FALLS, A2
dailyGAZETTE Tuesday, December 29, 2015
SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
AGRICULTURE
SAUK VALLEY WEATHER
Finding room for growth
Slippery and sloppy
Committee gives farmers more of a voice, and it’s not done yet BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
When Congressman Adam Kinzinger’s Agriculture Advisory Committee was formed, the lack of a farm bill created a sense of urgency for members. Two years later, the current farm bill has removed many of those uncertainties, but the committee continues to gain momentum. When the 16th District U.S. representative decided to start the committee, he gave an honest assessment of his agriculture acumen, saying that “it’s important for legislators to know what they don’t know.” The now 27-member committee has representatives of all 14 counties in Kinzinger’s district, and had its semiannual meeting Dec. 14 in Ottawa. Emily Pratt, a Lee County representative, said the congressman and the committee have come a long way since that first meeting on Dec. Adam 19, 2013. Kinzinger “He was very honest in the beginning about wanting to learn more, and I think he’s learned a lot since we started meeting,” Pratt said. “He’s much more comfortable with the group, and it’s become an informal sharing of experiences.” Kinzinger said he enjoys the committee meetings, and they help him make more informed decisions on ag policy while in Washington. He has learned that sometimes the best thing government can do for producers is get out of their way. “Agriculture is a major economic driver for the Illinois 16th Congressional District, and Washington needs to empower our agriculture community, and allow them to do what they do best – produce food not only for the U.S., but also globally,” the Channahon Republican said. While many tax issues were addressed during the farm bill process, the Section 179 tax deduction limit is an important issue every year. Agriculture and small business interests received an early Christmas gift on that front when the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act (PATH) was passed in the House and Senate, and signed into law Dec. 19. The deduction limit for equipment and other capital investments was raised to $500,000, and the 50 percent bonus depreciation for equipment purchases was extended through 2019.
Photos by Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com
A sheet of ice slides off a sign along Stouffer Road outside of Sterling on Monday afternoon. In the background, the weather had an icy grip on a vine on a barbed wire fence along Stouffer Road.
Wind, rain, snow – if it was cold and wet, the Sauk Valley saw it Monday BY ANGEL SIERRA asierra@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5695 @_angelsierra
No major accidents were reported locally by late Monday afternoon, despite the day’s inclement weather, but the danger isn’t over yet: Wind and ice still are big concerns because of the added weight on electrical lines, and drivers with
travel plans could face some slick roads. “We’ve been able to stay ahead of it,” said Whiteside County Sheriff Kelly Wilhelmi, who commended county and state work crews for battling gusts in excess of 30 mph to try to keep the roads clear. Just a couple of roadside assists were called in, and no crashes, he said. WEATHER CONTINUED ON A5
Inside More photos of Monday’s wild weather ride: A3 Mother Nature lashes out across the country: A3
GROWTH CONTINUED ON A9
RECYCLING
Old TVs getting hard to ditch Paybacks are going down the tube, and recyclers respond BY KATHLEEN A. SCHULTZ kschultz@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5535 @KathleenSchul10
DIXON – Old TVs are like crazy relatives – everybody has at least one or two, but no one knows quite how to get rid of them. Thrift stores don’t want them, your grandkids sure as heck don’t want them, the trash guys won’t take them – and they’re illegal to dump in landfills, so stop leaving them by your mailbox; it annoys the neighbors. It’s even getting harder to take
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them to the folks who used to welcome them – local nonprofit recycling centers. Responding to a drop in the return on recyclables, especially old TVs, Secure Recycling Services is ditching its daily residential drop-off service and opting instead to keep its oncea-month event only. Residential recyclables will be accepted from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. the last Friday of the month only, starting Jan. 29. TVs and computer monitors will be accepted free of charge
INDEX
from Lee County residents only. Aluminum cans still will be accepted daily. A year and a half ago, SRS could get a quarter a pound to recycle TVs and old cathode ray tubes, or CRTs, but that barely covered the cost to get them to the recycler. Now SRS, a division of Kreider Services, must pay 10 cents to 25 cents a pound to get rid Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com of the plastic dinosaurs – not Kevin Cardot dismantles a computer at Secure Recycling including the cost of labor and Services in Dixon on Monday. SRS is changing its residential transportation. electronic recycling drop-off service from daily to once a month, RECYCLING CONTINUED ON A5 due in large part to the high cost of recycling old TVs.
ABBY ................... A7 BUSINESS ......... A10 COMICS ............... A8
CROSSWORD....B10 LIFESTYLE ........... A7 LOTTERY ............. A2
OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6 POLICE ................ A2
Today’s weather High 32. Low 23. More on A3.
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