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WARRIORS WHITTLE Meet the Village AWAY COMETS’ LEAD people of Amana VOLLEYBALL, B1
DAY TRIP, A7
dailyGAZETTE
Friday, August 26, 2016 n SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
ADDICTION | THE ROAD TO RECOVERY
Guiding lights
A Dixon mother and daughter hope their struggles will help to lead others out of the darkness of drugs BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 CHeimerman_SVM
DIXON – Stacey Nielsen never meant to bring her daughter into her darkness. But that’s how it played out.
On Sept. 28, 2014, Mackenzie, then 16, was in her room, and her mom was in her room down the hall. Mackenzie got a call from her mom’s friend, who had been talking to Stacy on the Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com phone, urging her to wake up her mom and get Mackenzie Nielsen, 18, talks about the night her mother, Stacey, her to throw up. 47, overdosed on pain pills, and the recovery process they are ADDICTION continued on A44 both enduring.
ILLINOIS
OREGON
Gr wth potential BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 CHeimerman_SVM
OREGON – What if you could harvest fresh, organic lettuce from your basement in the dead of winter? The seed for such a possibility might be sprouting behind the bus barn at Oregon High School. That’s where you’ll find the offthe-grid greenhouse that soon will be in operation.
No boundaries on the ballot
The one-room schoolhouse is back, and what students will learn in it could pave the way for success in year-round farming
As you turn the corner, the 432-square-foot building looks relatively unassuming, but as you reach its south-facing side, you see solar panels that, along with the Earth itself, provide all the energy necessary to grow plants inside, yearround – under Happy Leaf LED lights created right here in Oregon.
High court rules against effort to change the way districts are drawn CHICAGO (AP) – A divided Illinois Supreme Court narrowly ruled Thursday that a voter referendum seeking to change how Illinois draws political boundaries is unconstitutional, making it ineligible to appear on the November ballot. The high court, in a 4-3 decision, affirmed the ruling by a Cook County judge who determined the ballot initiative seeking to give legislative mapmaking power to an independent commission instead of lawmakers didn’t meet constitutional muster. It’s the second failed attempt to overhaul redistricting by petition in 2 years. The ruling in the high-stakes case – falling the day before an election deadline to certify fall ballots – had the potential to alter Illinois’ political power dynamic, where elected officials in the Democraticleaning state run the once-a-decade process. But in a 63-page ruling, the majority justices said the measure didn’t meet narrow constitutional requirements. “The intent demonstrated by both the plain constitutional language and this court’s prior case law imposes clear restrictions on the scope of permissible ballot initiatives,” Justice Thomas Kilbride wrote for the majority. “We may not ignore our mandate by simply deferring to the redistricting approach proffered by a particular ballot proposal, no matter how appealing it may be.” The legal arguments in the case have largely centered on whether the ballot measure met the constitutional scope of being “structural and procedural” to the state’s Legislature. It’s a high bar. Only one other petition-driven measure has made it to the ballot. Justices were sharply divided. Dissenting Justice Robert Thomas blasted the majority decision as “nothing less than the nullification of a critical component” of the constitution with “particularly unfortunate” timing.
Online extra
Read this story at saukvalley.com to get an inside look at the new greenhouse at Oregon High School.
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Oregon High School agriculture educator Josh Nelson talks about the school’s off-the-grid greenhouse that runs on solar and geothermal power. Students will be able to grow vegetables and herbs hydroponically. Nelson’s vision is for the kids to pass what they learn along to residents in the community.
TOP5 Your Weekend
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1 Summer cookouts MOUNT MORRIS – Sundays in the Park continues this weekend at White Pines Inn, 6712 W. Pines Road. There will live entertainment, grilled burgers and brats, craft beers, Bloody Marys, margaritas, and wine for sale from 1 to 4 p.m. this Sunday and next, and then the season ends. Go to whitepinesinn.com or call 815-946-3817 for more information.
DIXON – “Tapas and ’Tinis,” a fundraiser for Hospice of the Rock River Valley’s new hospice home, begins at 6 p.m. Saturday at Brandywine Banquet Center, 441 state Route 2. Local chefs will set up tapas (appetizer) stations, and participants will vote with cash for the top tapas chef. A cash bar with specialty martinis will be open. Tickets cost $45, which includes one martini, and are available at the hospice office, 2600 N. Locust St. in Sterling, and at the door while they last. Call 815-625-3858 for more information.
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Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Appetizing event
INDEX
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Depot Days returns
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AMBOY – The 36th annual Depot Days runs through Sunday in the downtown. All-town garage sales run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and Sunday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; the carnival is open 6 to 10 p.m. today, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Saturday – Pancakes from 7 a.m. to noon at the fire station, 25 Northeast Ave.; tractor and rat rod show from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.; a parade at 3 p.m.; and fireworks at 9 p.m. Sunday – Pancakes at the beer garden from 6:30 to 10 a.m.; a car show from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and the 50-50 raffle drawing (last year’s top prize was $149,333). Go to depotdays.com for the complete schedule.
ABBY.................... A8 BUSINESS.......... A13 COMICS................B7
CROSSWORD.....B12 DAY TRIP.............. A7 LIFESTYLE.........A7-8
Have fun, help kids
STERLING – A fundraiser for Sinnissippi Centers’ SASS program will be held Saturday at The Factory Pub & Grub, 103 W. Third St. It begins at noon with a scavenger fun run for motorcycles and other vehicles. Registration is $15 per person per vehicle today, and $20 from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at The Factory. Each additional person costs $5. Registration includes a free meal. Also featured: A silent auction, bake sale, carnival games, 50-50 raffles and a DJ, all starting at 3 p.m. Food will be sold. Screening Assessment and Support Services provides emergency services for youths in crisis. Contact Olyvia McCombs at Eventsbydesign2016@gmail. com for more information.
LOTTERY.............. A2 OBITUARIES......... A4 OPINION............... A6
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Celebrate farming
STERLING – The 10th annual Farm Heritage Festival starts Saturday with a $6 breakfast from 7 to 9 a.m. at East Jordan Church, 22027 Polo Road. Farm machine demonstrations run from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and will be accompanied by activities that include corn shelling, rope making, a bounce house and a farm animal petting zoo. A lunch of sandwiches, baked beans, salads, chips and dessert will be sold for $7.50 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.. Proceeds benefit the church’s Habitat for Humanity Mission Crew.
Today’s weather High 82. Low 66. More on A3.
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