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DIXON DIGS OUT OF DEFICIT GIRLS BASKETBALL, B1
Santa Claus is coming to town
HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS, A9-13
dailyGAZETTE Thursday, November 17, 2016 n SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
LEE COUNTY
Time running out for jail Without a new jail, the county could find itself stuck between a cell block and a hard place BY RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5529 @rj_rodgers
DIXON — The Lee County Jail is slated for more frequent state inspections, a sign that time is running out to make improvements or face closure.
The Illinois Department of Corrections recently completed its annual inspection of the jail, and as a result on ongoing issues, plans to put the facility back under its microscope in March. Switching to twice-a-year inspections does not bode well for the 46-year-old jail, Lee County Sheriff John Simonton said.
“We don’t have a whole lot of time left to make these corrections,” he said. IDOC found seven areas of noncompliance with state jail standards, six of which have been recurring violations for the past 7 years or so. Consistent issues include inability to
separate inmates by gender or mental health issues, cells that are over capacity, inadequate ventilation or air conditioning, graffiti on cell walls, and bathrooms that don’t meet sanitation standards because of rust. JAIL continued on A34
ROCK FALLS
SAUK VALLEY | CELLPHONE STORE ROBBERIES
Reshaped riverfront comes together
Authorities put out a call for help Police work with FBI to solve rash of robberies BY KATHLEEN A. SCHULTZ kschultz@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5535 @KathleenSchul10
A worker finishes the edges of the seating in the amphitheater on the Rock Falls riverfront Wednesday afternoon. Crews took advantage of the nice weather by pouring concrete, moving dirt and doing finishing work on the project. Work on first phase of the RB&W green space project wrapped up and now workers are on to phase 2, thanks in part to weather that’s done its part to keep the riverfront project moving ahead, which suits the city just fine. Officials want to expedite the project near the new Holiday Inn Express & Suites so that the entertainment venue will be in place for the city’s 150th anniversary celebration next year. The amphitheater will be the focal point of the second phase of the $4.2 million project that also will include a large concrete platform that can be used for dancing or other activities. In September, City Engineer Brian Frickenstein said the second phase should be done by the end of July 2017. Other plans call for a water feature with themed music, restrooms, scenic overlook piers, and a skate park.
Workers finish a section of sidewalk on the riverfront Wednesday.
Photos by Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com
MORRISON
Hot off the Grille: A new pizza place Happy Joe’s will take up a bigger slice of downtown with new addition BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
MORRISON – A longtime dining staple in the city’s downtown will expand at its current location. Kevin and Lynn Kenady have owned the Happy Joe’s at 109 W. Main St. for 29 years. The Kenadys
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are adding a Happy Joe’s PizzaGrille in two vacant buildings they own east of the restaurant. PizzaGrille is part of the Happy Joe’s franchise, but it’s a full-size variation of the business model that offers a tap room with craft beers, a new design, and an expanded pub-type menu that will include burgers and appetizers.
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ABBY.................... A8 BUSINESS............ A7 COMICS................B7
While PizzaGrille brings a different environment, walls will be knocked out and both businesses will be connected. “We still have the Happy Joe’s family atmosphere, but customers will have easy access to more of a pub option,” Lynn Kenady said.
Last week’s armed robberies of U.S. Cellular stores in Dixon and Rock Falls, which mirror a rash of such take-over robberies in the Rockford area over the summer, have local officials working with the FBI to track down the gunmen. Locally, police are looking for three black or darkskinned men – likely the same three, they say – who robbed Next Generation Wireless, a U.S. Cellular agent at 1021 First Ave. in Rock Falls, shortly before 8 p.m. Nov. 8 and the U.S. Cellular store at 166 Keul Road in Dixon around 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10. Have a tip? In both cases, one Anyone with any man flashed a handinformation on either gun, and all wore masks. robbery is asked to call Both times, they tied up Rock Falls police, 815employees, took cash 622-1140, or Whiteside and merchandise and County Crime Stoppers, fled in a dark gray car. 815-625-7867, or Dixon Both robberies took less police, 815-288-4411, than 10 minutes. or Lee-Ogle Crime There have been several Stoppers at 888-228strikingly similar robber4488. ies in Rockford recently. Those who call Crime With few variations, they Stoppers can remain were committed by two anonymous and are or three armed black men eligible for rewards of in their 20s, their faces up to $1,000 if their masked with bandanas information leads to an or otherwise hidden, who arrest and conviction. entered a store, moved employees and customers to a back room, made them open a safe, tied them up, grabbed money and electronics and fled in about 10 minutes or less, often in a gray sedan. Physical injuries inflicted, if any, were minor. As of Wednesday, no local arrests had been reported. Police are working with the FBI, and have turned up some promising leads, Dixon Police Chief Danny Langloss confirmed. “We are working with other agencies, and we hope to have some information soon,” Rock Falls Police Chief Tammy Nelson said. “It looks like our incident in our town is not an isolated incident – they are happening all around us – and it looks as if the suspect pool is pretty similar to ours, so we’re checking into that.” As a matter of policy, the FBI does not comment on ongoing investigations, agency spokesman Garrett Croon said. He also could not say whether investigators suspect an organized ring, or whether the crimes might be gang-related.
GRILLE continued on A54
CROSSWORD...B11, 13 LIFESTYLE............ A8 LOTTERY.............. A2
OBITUARIES......... A4 OPINION............... A6 POLICE................. A2
HELP continued on A54
Today’s weather High 70. Low 55. More on A3.
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