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PLAYERS LEARN TO KEEP THEIR HEADS IN THE GAME SPORTS, B1
Thousands of hot dogs will be unleashed STERLING, A12
dailyGAZETTE
Thursday, August 4, 2016 n SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
EDUCATION
Wanted: Teachable moments If you’ve got some time to spare, Sauk’s got some students that could use your help BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 CHeimerman_SVM
STERLING – As a bilingual administrative assistant with Lee County Health Department, Laura Moreno knows many folks who could use a free English as a Second Language course. She also knows that, regardless of heritage, a lot of folks could use some
help getting their GED. And she knows just how good it feels to help folks better themselves. She knows all these things because she’s been there, done that. Two pivotal programs at Sauk Valley Community College, Project VITAL (Volunteers in Teaching Adult Literacy) and Adult Education, helped Moreno, 25, learn English when she emigrated from Mexico in October 2010, then get
her GED and help others follow suit. When Moreno’s sister, Mirna Cabrera, persuaded her to move to Sterling, she knew little to no English. She’d left Universidad Autonama De Chihuauha in Mexico during her third semester of studying international relations, only to start over, more or less, at Sauk. “It was exciting, because I knew I’d learn a new language,” she said. “But it was hard and scary. I knew I was going
to be behind. I knew I was going to have to start over.” Moreno’s not the only on who’s felt that way. Emily Kruger, Sauk’s adult literacy outreach coordinator since January 2015, said she’s been approached this summer by numerous students looking for tutoring, many of them fluent only in Spanish. SAUK continued on A54
LEE AND OGLE COUNTIES | ENTERPRISE ZONES
DIXON
Middle is a good place to be Counties get good news from state about the ‘best economic development tool’ they’ve got BY RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5529 @rj_rodgers Photos by Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com
Zach Hill of Dixon hides one of his 3-D Pokemon characters at Dixon’s Memorial Pool.
A Fat Finger points the way to Pokemon Business owners adds another dimension to popular app BY RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5529 @rj_rodgers
DIXON – Lee and Ogle county officials can breathe a little easier when it comes to attracting new businesses. The State Enterprise Zone Board released the rankings of 18 applicants competing for 12 available enterprise zones Wednesday, and the Lee-Ogle zone landed in the sixth spot. Having a place in the middle Online extra of the ranks gives the region Read this story at a decent cushion to sit on saukvalley.com while waiting for official zone to see maps of the approval, but it does not guarproposed enterantee the state’s decision. prise zones. “They are not bound by the scores, but they tend to follow them,” said John Thompson, president of the Lee County Industrial Development Association. Enterprise zones serve as economic development tools to draw in new businesses or expand existing ones through tax abatements and other incentives. DEVELOPMENT continued on A24
INSIDE How to find them
DIXON – People chasing Pokemon around the city are suddenly on the hunt for the real thing. Well, real in the sense of finding plastic, 3D-printed Pokemon Online extra rather than the byte-size kind on a Read this story at phone screen. saukvalley.com to Dixon resident Zach Hill, inforsee video, and more mation systems technician at KSB photos, of Zach Hospital and owner of Fat Finger Hill’s 3-D Pokemon. Photography, began hiding Pokemon figurines at the riverfront last week and posting hints on their whereabouts on his photography Facebook page. “Seeing the kids light up when they’re looking for them and when they find them is amazing,” he said. “It blew my mind that so many people were interested.”
Top-of-the-line performers
Search for Fat Finger Photography on Facebook to get hints on where Zach Hill is hiding 3D Pokemon like the one seen above at his Dixon business. He hides new batches every day and asks that the Pokemon catcher posts a photo of the find on social media so he can release another clue.
A member of Shadow, a drum line from Oregon, Wisconsin, performs Wednesday at the start of the Petunia City Brass event at A.C. Bowers Field in Dixon. See more percussion in the Petunia City on Page A3 and at saukvalley.com.
POKEMON continued on A54 Michael Krabbenhoeft/ mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com
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TODAY’S EDITION: 24 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 162 ISSUE 168
INDEX
ABBY.................... A8 COMICS................B6 CROSSWORD.....B10
LIFESTYLE............ A8 LOTTERY.............. A2 OBITUARIES......... A4
OPINION............... A6 PLAN!T.............A9-12 POLICE................. A2
Today’s weather High 90. Low 71. More on A3.
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