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OSW EGO LEDGER THU RS DA Y , M A Y 19 , 20 16 • 75 ¢

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Effective Feb. 4, the Oswego Ledger is the successor newspaper to the Ledger-Sentinel, as contemplated by 715 ILCS 5/5 (e)

GRADUATION DAY

Oswego women speak, lead procession at WCC commencement Nicholson Logging & Lumber Tree Service and Sawmill

THANK YOU to all of our friends and customers that have referred us and made 2015 a success

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You’re helping a child play a sport, put kids through college, and a Dad put food on the table.

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So whether it be for Tree Removal, Lumber, or Firewood, I just would like to say

/ Countywide 12-13

Oswego Ledger / KendallCountyNow.com • Thursday, May 19, 2016

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POSTMASTER: Please send change of address forms to The Oswego Ledger, c/o Shaw Media, P.O. Box 250, Crystal Lake, IL 60039-0250.

Effective Feb. 4, the Oswego Ledger is the successor newspaper to the Ledger-Sentinel, as contemplated by 715 ILCS 5/5 (e), which was a consolidation of the Oswego Ledger and the Fox Valley Sentinel, published every Thursday in Oswego, Illinois, in Kendall County

by Shaw Media. Periodicals postage paid at Oswego, Illinois, 60543.

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ON THE COVER Waubonsee Student Senate President and graduate Blair Gray, of Oswego, leads graduates into the commencement ceremony at Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove on Saturday. Gray was student marshal for the ceremonies.

See story on pages 12-13 of the Countywide section.

Photo provided

Per diem pay system criticized Treasurer urges county board to make change

By MATT SCHURY

mschury@kendallcountynow.com The Kendall County Board will take another look at adjusting the amount of compensation board members receive for attending meetings and whether they will be able to continue to receive health insurance benefits through the county.

The board agreed Tuesday morning to hold a special board meeting on Thursday, June 2, to discuss the topic and possibly take action making changes to the pay and benefits made available to board members. The board may also bring up the idea of changing the way members can claim mileage reimbursements for traveling while on county business inside and outside the county.

The board was prompted to set the meeting after hearing from Kendall County Treasurer Jill Ferko, who said the board’s compensation system has

to be fixed.

County board members are allowed to claim an $85 per diem for attending county meetings. In order to be compensated, board members are now required to sign an attendance sheet at each meeting. The board created the sheets a couple of years ago in an effort to verify board member meeting attendance.

However, Ferko said her office struggles every month to make sure attendance sheets are turned in and that meetings occurred when they were scheduled.

“A lot of the same problems that were going on five years ago we are still seeing in our office today, every month,” Ferko told the board. “It’s a struggle.”

She added that she had to track down meeting attendance information by emailing members and sometimes they miss the deadline to turn in vouchers for reimbursements.

The board previously discussed having board members paid a fixed salary and doing away with the per diem system. However, there were not enough votes to approve that change. Some members said they had concerns with fairness since some board members

don’t attend all meetings and the workload placed on board committees varies.

Ferko said she would like the board to reconsider going to a salary-based payment system.

“Obviously I would be in favor of a salary because that would relieve a lot of headaches in our office,” Ferko said.

“It takes quite some time to go through [attendance] and we have to double check everything.”

The board has a fixed amount of time to make the change. Additionally, any change would only affect the five board seats that are up for election in the fall.

The other five members are in the middle of their terms and would remain on the current system. Their compensation levels could not be changed until 2018 when they are up for election.

“There’s two parts to this – the per diem voucher and then there is the salary versus per diem,” Board Chairman John Shaw said.

Board member Lynn Cullick said she would like to know why some board members are opposed to going to a salary system.

“It is my opinion that that system has never really been fixed,” she said.

1 hurt, dog shot in Boulder Hill subdivision OSWEGO LEDGER Kendall County sheriff’s deputies shot and killed a dog outside a residence in the 100 block of South Bereman Road in the Boulder Hill subdivision at 6:12 p.m. May 14.

Police said the deputies responded to the home along with officers from the Oswego Police Department and Montgomery Police Department on a report of a dog attacking a woman outside of her residence.

Police said a neighbor saw the dog attacking the woman and hit the dog several times with a baseball bat to get

it away from her.

Police said after they arrived at the home, the dog continued to bark at everyone on the scene as the victim was receiving medical attention from paramedics.

The sheriff’s office K-9 deputy spoke with the victim, who agreed that due to the attack and the potential for harm to others, the dog should be put down, police said.

The deputy made a further assessment and determined that putting the dog down was the safest course of action. The K-9 deputy then shot and killed the dog.

Sign up now for Ledger’s free smartphone app OSWEGO LEDGER The Oswego Ledger has launched a smartphone app, which will make viewing our content from a mobile phone much faster and easier.

You can download the app for free. Just search for “Kendall County Now” in Apple’s App Store, if you have an iPhone; or in Google Play, if you use an Android device.

Now you can access Oswego and Montgomery news and information more quickly from your phone. We encourage our readers to check out the app today.

The 47-year-old dog bite victim was taken by Oswego Fire Protection District paramedics to Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora with injuries to her hands, arms, abdomen and ankles.

There have been no previous reports made to the sheriff’s office regarding the dog, which was an American Bulldog mix, according to police.

Police said the dog’s owner is the daughter of and lives with the injured woman. The owner was not present during the attack.

At this time, there are no charges or citations expected to be filed, according to police.

CIVIC MEETINGS WEEK OF MAY 23-27 Monday, 6 p.m.: Montgomery Intergovernmental and Community Committee, Montgomery Village Hall.

Monday, 7 p.m.: Montgomery Village Board, Montgomery Village Hall.

Wednesday: Oswego Historic Preservation Commission, CANCELED. Wednesday, 5 p.m.: Oswego Public Library District Board, Montgomery Campus Library.

Wednesday, 7 p.m.: Kendall County Regional Plan Commission, County Office Building, Yorkville.

Thursday, 5:30 p.m.: KenCom Executive Board, Kennedy Pointe Restaurant, Bristol.

Thursday, 5:30 p.m.: KenCom Operations Board, Kennedy Pointe Restaurant, Bristol.

Oswego, Montgomery presidents also voice support for studies

By JOHN ETHEREDGE

jetheredge@shawmedia.com

Metra to resume studies Metra officials announced Wednesday they will resume studies on the proposed extension of commuter rail service into Kendall County. Read more at KendallCountyNow.com. we look to the future.”

Montgomery Village President Matt Brolley said he agrees with the “vast majority of Kendall County officials” on the need for the Metra extension from downtown Aurora into the village and other Kendall County communities along the Burlington-Northern Santa Fe mainline tracks.

Brolley said, “Without completing the preliminary study, a Metra extension into Kendall County is not even on the table. We look forward to working with Chairman Oberman and Metra as this project moves forward.”

Oswego Village President Gail Johnson said Hultgren’s questionnaire “confirmed what Kendall County leaders already knew to be true: that an overwhelming majority of elected officials support the completion of the already funded studies to examine the feasibility of an extension of Metra services to

Kendall County.”

Johnson continued, “Oswego began working to get these studies restarted a year ago. Under the direction of then interim administrator Carrie Hansen and then handed off to Oswego’s current administrator Dan DiSanto, we have worked tirelessly lobbying for the completion of these studies. Leaders cannot make decisions without facts.

These studies will provide the facts needed to make an informed and educated decision about commuter rail transportation for our residents. Only when we know those facts can we begin to discuss how to proceed.”

Johnson added that she has been “heartened by the cooperation and collaborative effort of the vast majority of elected officials in our region” on the Metra effort.

“We know that together our communities will accomplish more and I welcome any and all dialogue from my colleagues. Mayors Brolley, [Yorkville Mayor Gary] Golinski, [Plano Mayor] Robert Hausler, and [Sandwich] Mayor [Rick] Olson and Chairman Shaw have been candid and supportive throughout this process. We also had the support of everyone of our Congressional representatives as well as all of our state senators and representatives in Kendall County. That is no small feat,” she said.

Hastert will not appeal conviction, attorney says SHAW MEDIA Former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert won’t appeal his conviction and 15-month prison term in a hush-money case that centered on his sexual abuse of students when he was a high school wrestling coach while at Yorkville High School, the Associated Press reported May 12.

Washington, D.C.-based lawyer Thomas Green confirmed in an email to the Associated Press that his 74-yearold client won’t file any appeals.

Asked whether Hastert would appeal his conviction or sentence – or any other aspect of the case – Green re-

sponded, “No.” He provided no other explanation, according to the AP. Hastert pleaded guilty not to sex abuse but to violating banking law as he sought to pay $3.5 million to one victim referred to in court papers only as “Individual A” to keep him quiet about the sex abuse.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin branded the Republican “a serial child molester” at his April 27 sentencing, where Durkin imposed a punishment that went beyond federal guidelines.

Durkin justified it by pointing to Hastert abusing at least four boys at Yorkville High School when he was a coach and teacher there from 1965 to

1981.

Earlier this week, Yorkville School District 115 confirmed that it will be removing items from YHS bearing the name of Hastert, the former U.S. Speaker of the House.

“The decision has been made by district officials to begin the process of removing signs, banners and trophies that name Dennis Hastert from Yorkville High School,” the district said in a statement.

School District 308 also confirmed that they had removed a plaque from Oswego High School bearing Hastert’s name a few months ago.

The AP report indicates that had

Hastert appealed, he could have tried to argue that the judge put too much weight on something for which the former GOP leader was not charged – the abuse – and shouldn’t have gone beyond the guidelines. But it would have been a longshot, the AP says, because federal judges have enormous discretion.

Appealing the conviction itself would have been even more difficult, since Hastert voluntarily pleaded guilty, according to the AP. Defendants can theoretically claim they were forced to plead guilty or weren’t mentally competent at the time, but such claims are extremely rare and rarely work on appeal, the story said.

Thursday, May 19, 2016

U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren, R-Plano, is standing with Kendall County area governmental leaders in their efforts to secure the release of $6.6 million in federal funds to complete preliminary engineering and environmental studies for a proposed extension of Metra commuter rail service into the county.

In a letter to Martin Oberman, Metra chairman, dated May 6, Hultgren noted that he circulated a questionnaire to Kendall County officials and elected leaders, “to ascertain the support for using scarce funds” to complete the Metra studies.

Hultgren said in his questionnaire he asked local officials if they supported Metra releasing the federal funds.

During a meeting with Kendall County officials in Yorkville in March, Oberman, citing Metra’s budget constraints and need to make improvements to the agency’s existing commuter rail infra-

structure, suggested that local officials should seek the release of the federal funds to pay for some other local transportation-related project.

But Hultgren said the results of his confidential questionnaire “indicated overwhelming support for the completion of the initial studies and the release of the estimated remaining $6.6 million in available earmarked funding, currently frozen by Metra.”

Hultgren continued, “The outcome of my questionnaire demonstrates that the leadership of Kendall County is strongly united in the opportunity to extend Metra services throughout their communities. As noted in previous letters and conversations with you, I believe an extension, such as the one being assessed, would benefit the region through job growth and most importantly, offer the communities an additional transportation alternative.”

Hultgren asked Oberman to carefully weigh releasing the funds “and moving forward with completing the studies with the specific earmarked funds.”

He concluded, “The majority of elected leaders and community officials of Kendall County look forward to continuing conversations with you regarding the development of the BNSF (Burlington-Northern Santa Fe Railway) Extension Project to Kendall County as

LOCAL NEWS | Oswego Ledger / KendallCountyNow.com •

Hultgren: Metra would benefit region

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Oswego Ledger / KendallCountyNow.com • Thursday, May 19, 2016

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OPINIONS OUR VIEW

Garden club and its sale thrive after 50 years The Oswego/Montgomery area was a far different place a half century ago.

Back in 1966 the combined population of Oswego and Montgomery was less than 5,000, while contractors for the Don L. Dise Corporation were busily building homes in the unincorporated Boulder Hill subdivision between the two villages. That year the first modern shopping center opened in the area, the Boulder Hill Market off Boulder Hill Pass, just east of Route 25.

1966 was also the first year that the members of the Hilltop Gardeners in Boulder Hill, an organi-

zation founded in 1959, held their first community plant sale at the Boulder Hill Market.

During the ensuing years as the community has grown and changed, we’ve come to look forward to receiving notices of the club’s annual plant sale as a sure sign of the arrival of spring.

We were pleased to read that the club’s 50th annual sale, held May 3 at Fox Bend Golf Course, was a rousing success. In fact, according to Diane Wisinski, club president, the sale was a “mega success,” setting records for donations, for attendance and for earnings.

In a letter in last week’s Ledger, she reported that club members now look forward to using the sale proceeds to provide “many educational programs and local beautification projects in the coming year.”

At a time when many clubs and civic organizations struggle to maintain members, it’s heartening to see the Hilltop Garden Club growing and thriving. Certainly the community is a much prettier and colorful place every spring and summer due to their efforts. We’re already looking forward to the 51st plant sale next May and many more after that.

Humans have always been disruptive here on Earth REFLECTIONS Roger Matile Suzanne Jacobs, writing on the Grist website Dec. 19, reported that: “In a new study published in the journal Nature, researchers report that humans have been ‘agents of disturbance’ on this planet roughly since the dawn of civilization. Starting around 6,000 years ago, we began to fundamentally change the way that plants and other animals coexist – something that even mass extinctions and severe climate change haven’t been able to do on their own.”

For some reason, people think that we humans are just sort of passengers on Spaceship Earth who are simply along for the ride and who really cannot affect the planet. Listening to the climate change deniers, one of their major arguments seems to be that humans are too puny to actually have an impact on an entire planet.

However, it doesn’t really take much time or trouble to find out that while most of us have neither the time or ability to come up with a paper like “Holocene shifts in the assembly of plant and animal communities implicate human impacts” that Jacobs cites above, we can find all sorts of evidence that humans can and do have major impacts on the Earth and its environment. Those changes have been, and continue to be, both micro and macro in nature.

From the time skeletons of giant Ice Age mammals like mammoths and mastodons were discovered, people wondered whatever became of them.

Then paleontologists began finding evidence that our ancient predecessors, from Homo erectus to Neanderthals,

in turn created islands, blocked channels, and possibly even changed the course of creeks and rivers.

Further, those early hunter-gatherers soon realized that the large game animals they hadn’t yet completely eliminated from the Midwestern landscape, namely deer and bison, favored certain kinds of habitats.

Deer, for instance, favor the edges of wooded areas, while bison like more open grasslands. It didn’t take much observation to come to the conclusion that setting fires on the prairies that replaced the taiga and spruce forests behind the retreating glaciers as the Ice Age ended kept trees from colonizing the open areas. And fires in woods created a lot more “edges” that Eric Miller file photo - emiller@shawmedia.com attracted browsing deer.

Clearing land for corn fields by Native Americans had a major impact on the ecology of This might be simple conjecture, if the very first French explorers and the Midwest – well before any Europeans arrived. missionaries hadn’t left accounts of everything that turned us into modern Native Americans setting prairie used mammoths, giant bison and othhumans.” fires for a variety of purposes, from er Ice Age mega fauna for food.

After disposing of the Ice Age mega driving game into areas where it could Here in North America, a numbe harvested more easily to clearing fauna, the earliest inhabitants of ber of sites have been located where underbrush. the Americas began modifying their elegantly manufactured Clovis spear As Stephen Pyne explained in environment to suit their needs. They points have been found intermixed started out as hunters, who then even- “Fire In America: A Cultural Histowith Ice Age mammal bones, somery of Wildland and Rural Fire,” the tually became hunter-gatherers, and times even embedded in the bones. landscape the first Europeans found you’d think that both groups would That is pretty convincing evidence have had a light footprint on the plan- when they arrived was “the result of that the earliest Americans were Ice et. It was certainly lighter than ours, repeated, controlled, surface burns on Age mega fauna predators. And the but it was not nonexistent. a cycle of one to three years, broken argument is now being fought out For instance, early people built fish by occasional holocausts from escape whether or not those hunters and weirs in the region’s streams to capfires and periodic conflagrations their Clovis technology were so effiture fish, which were a major portion during times of drought. ... So extencient that they wiped out those huge of their diet. Those weirs were basical- sive were the cumulative effects of Ice Age animals.

The paper cited by Jacobs suggests ly fixed nets, obstructions built across these modifications that it can be said streams designed to funnel fish into that the general consequence of the that wherever humans have thrived, small areas where they could be more Indian occupation of the New World the very Earth has been changed in easily harvested. But when they were was to replace forested land with myriad ways. She notes that humans, done using their weirs, the Native grassland or savannah, or, where the apparently by our very nature, can’t Americans didn’t take them down, but forest persisted, to open it up and free help “our tendency to fragment left them in place. There, they created it from underbrush.” natural habitats, domesticate and obstructions and slowed the current of hunt animals, move species around See REFLECTIONS, page 5 the streams they were built in, which to non-native areas, etc. – basically,

FORUM To the Editor: While we wait for the library district to come clean with taxpayers on its wasteful purchase of 19 North Street, let’s look at the village of Oswego.

What do you get when only 11 percent of registered voters vote for the Oswego village president and trustees? The answer is more taxes.

Village President Gail Johnson and her newly elected trustee friends raised Oswego sales taxes. The reason: we were lower than other towns. Shameful. Too bad she or her group didn’t study basic economics that prove people will shop elsewhere, especially for big ticket items.

Then, Ms. Johnson hired a consultant for $22,000 to study a TIF (an issue that had been studied thoroughly and rejected by former trustees) for the old Alexander Lumber property, which is in a floodplain.

Ms. Johnson wanted a TIF while she was a trustee but was overruled by her former, tax-conscious trustees. (TIFs are useful in urban ghettos where developers need a strong profitability incentive to build new structures. A TIF is not needed, nor desirable, in Oswego.)

It would be a huge tax on citizens, who pay for the TIF bonds, thereby subsidizing construction that developers normally pay for themselves. Why does she want this TIF? The fact is that some developers were heavy contributors to her election campaigns and they want to build luxury condos on this floodplain. So, taxpayers are likely to get stuck for a TIF bond issue of about $25 million to $50 million.

We will watch our taxes skyrocket once again.

I’ve not even mentioned a possible $30 million police station bond issue moving forward, while gigantic village hall sits half full. Every time you drive by the Oswego “Taj Mahal” (aka Village Hall), note its enormous size and the fact that it is not even half occupied. Are we doing anything to occupy space we already own?

No, we are going to issue more bonds to make your property taxes skyrocket.

Letters policy The Forum provides our readers with a weekly opportunity to express their opinions on topics of community interest. Here are our guidelines: • Letters must be no longer than 500 words.

• Letters must be accompanied by the writer’s full name, address and home phone number. Only the author’s name and city of residence will be printed.

• Letters must be written by the individual whose name appears as the author.

Second party letters or letters copied off the Internet or from other sources will be discarded.

• We reserve the right to edit all letters for brevity and fairness, and to withhold from publication letters that we determine to be either libelous, obscene, untrue, invade personal privacy, or are personal attacks.

• Letters withheld from publication will not be accepted as copy for paid advertisements.

• Elected and appointed public officials who write letters will be identified with their titles listed under their names. Officials who wish to write letters that are not necessarily representative of their agency’s view should preface their letters accordingly.

• The deadline for letters to the editor is 5 p.m. Friday for the next week’s edition.

Send letters to letters@kendallcountynow.com or Record Newspapers, 109 W. Veterans Parkway, Yorkville, IL 60560.

Do you think more voters will take an interest in voting and in whom they are voting for in future elections? I hope so, but wouldn’t bet on it.

Leonard R. Wass

Captain, USN (Ret.) Oswego

Heartfelt thanks from Gardeners To the Editor: Hilltop Gardeners Garden Club of Oswegoland’s 50th Annual Plant Sale fundraiser exceeded all expectations.

Our success was achieved by a team of dedicated, hardworking club members, longtime and new, by the generosity of fellow gardeners in our communities who graciously shared their bounties, by our friends, neighbors and guests who shopped our sale and with the support of our local business partners. We would not have surpassed our goals without you. Thank you one + all = team.

Many special thanks to the businesses who donated their time, resources and goods: Contrary Mary’s Plants & Design, Minooka; Lizzie’s Garden, Naperville; Winding Creek Nursery and Garden Center, Millbrook; Schaefer Greenhous-

• REFLECTIONS

Continued from page 4 The landscape was also drastically changed by Native American farmers, who began by encouraging useful wild plants to grow in areas where they could be more easily harvested. They also undertook considerable genetic modification of some of those wild plants.

The prime example, of course, is corn, which was developed over thousands of years from a native

etery on Route 71 between Oswego and Yorkville. Four volunteers are needed for the Pearce Cemetery on Pfund Drive.

If you would like to adopt one of the little cemeteries, or can help with one of the bigger ones, please call me at 630554-2321.

Stephenie Todd Oswego

Poppy Days approach

To the Editor: It is once again that time of year when the members of the Oswego American Legion Post 675 and American Legion Auxiliary distribute the Memorial Poppy.

Distribution of the poppies will be Friday and Saturday, May 27-28.

The poppy is a memorial flower for American war dead and is a tradition, which began in the years following World War I. Poppies bloomed in abundance es; The Growing Place, Aurora; Oswego on the battlefields of France, where so Walmart Supercenter; Redbud Creek many of our men had fallen on battle.

Farm, Sheridan; Blaine’s Farm & Fleet; Veterans returning to their homes in this Spring Bluff Nursery & Garden Center, country remembered the wild poppies Sugar Grove; The Home Depot and Ace which lined the devastated battlefields, Hardware, Oswego. We are grateful for and their dead comrades’ sacrifice. Thus, your support. a replica of the poppy has become the memorial flower of the American Legion Esther Jamison Plant Sale Chairperson and American Legion Auxiliary.

Oswego Today this symbolic flower continues to pay tribute to those who made the Flags for vets’ graves supreme sacrifice in all wars. However, To the Editor: it is more than a symbol. It is a handI’m writing to the readers to solicit a lit- made flower made by disabled veterans tle help placing flags on veterans’ graves. as a part of their therapy to aid in their Every May, Jim and Joyce Frankino buy rehabilitation. They receive financial U.S. flags and a few days before Meassistance for their work. The funds from morial Day, volunteers put them on the Poppy Days are used exclusively for veterans’ graves to honor our men and assisting veterans and their families. women for their service to our country.

Look for members of the American The Oswego Township Cemetery on Legion and American Legion Auxiliary Main Street can be flagged in an hour at various locations around the village or so with six people. There is only one Friday, May 27, and Saturday, May 28. grave to be flagged in the Wormley Cemetery on Route 31 between Oswego Delores Mooney and Montgomery, one in Doud Cemetery Poppy Days Chairman Woodson on the southwest corner of Route 71 and Kim Poppy Days Co-Chairman Minkler, two in Evergreen Cemetery on Oswego American Legion Auxiliary Post 675 Oswego Roth Road, and seven in Cowdrey Cem-

Mexican grass called teosinte to the grain grown on so many Midwestern farms today.

Clearing land for corn fields and maintaining them had a major impact on the ecology of the Midwest – well before any Europeans arrived.

So while we modern Americans bear a lot of responsibility for creating the environmental mess the Earth finds itself in these days, we shouldn’t assume we are the first to modify our environment in ways not necessarily in line with Mother Nature’s wishes – whatever those might be.

As Daniel Botkin put it in his 1990 book, “Dis-

cordant Harmonies: A New Ecology for the Twenty-First Century”: “Native Americans had three powerful technologies: fire, the ability to work wood into useful objects, and the bow and arrow. To claim that people with these technologies did not or could not create major changes in natural ecosystems can be taken as Western civilization’s ignorance, chauvinism, and old prejudice against primitivism – the noble but dumb savage.”

• Looking for more local history? Visit http://historyonthefox.wordpress.com.

Oswego Ledger / KendallCountyNow.com • Thursday, May 19, 2016

More taxes

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Oswego Ledger / KendallCountyNow.com • Thursday, May 19, 2016

|LOCAL NEWS

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Zika virus a ‘low risk’ in Kendall County Oswego prepares to spray for mosquitoes

By MATT SCHURY

mschury@shawmedia.com Kendall County residents are at low risk for the Zika virus, though there are some precautions that health officials are advising the public to take, especially women who are pregnant or are planning to become pregnant.

Terri Olson, community health services director at the Kendall County Health Department, said the department has tested four pregnant women in the county who have recently traveled to areas where Zika has been discovered, but they have yet to receive the results.

She added that the cases the Illinois Department of Public Health is dealing with mainly concern pregnant women who have traveled to an area where the virus has been discovered in mosquitoes. In most cases, Olson said, the women do not show symptoms or even know they have been bitten.

“Of course if you are pregnant you

don’t even want to take that chance,” she said. “These are only travel associated. We have no local cases, the United States still has no local cases.”

A local case of Zika, Olson explained, would include an infected mosquito that was discovered to have the disease. While the risk in Kendall County is low, one of the breeds of mosquitoes that can carry the disease can live as far north in Illinois as Peoria.

“There are no signs of it yet and they are testing different areas … even in Kendall County that they are checking,” she said. “As time goes on, we will be monitoring during the summer time.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Zika virus was discovered in 1947 and is named after the Zika Forest in Uganda. In 1952, the first human cases of Zika were detected and since then, outbreaks of Zika have been reported in tropical Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.

The virus is spread by mosquito bites. Common symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes), which lasts for several days.

The CDC points out that most people don’t experience severe symptoms and avoid going to the hospital because

they don’t even know they have been infected. Death from Zika virus is very rare, the CDC explains.

“However, Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause a serious birth defect called microcephaly as well as other severe fetal brain defects,” according to a CDC report.

Though that seems scary, Olson said the areas in which the mosquitoes carry the disease do not include Kendall County because northern Illinois gets a hard freeze each year, which kills the mosquito.

“We are not really a high-risk area,” she said.

Olson added that doctors are suggesting that women who have traveled to an area with Zika and may have been bitten by an infected mosquito to wait at least six months before becoming pregnant. She said this is more as a precaution since it is not known exactly how long the virus stays in the body.

She said that pregnant women who have traveled can get tested for Zika and should contact the Kendall County Health Department.

“We send the patient to one of the hospitals and there is specific testing for it and a specific timeframe for it,” she said, adding that pregnant women

can get tested two to 12 weeks after they come back from traveling.

She added that people should avoid the outdoors during peak mosquito hours. The public can also use bug sprays and wear long clothing to combat the pests. Doctors are also advising women who are pregnant or may become pregnant to limit their travel to areas where the virus has not been discovered in mosquitoes.

“We have so many other diseases, Zika is just highlighted right now,” Olson said. “We see Lyme disease affecting people. … I think you just have to be smart about it.”

Oswego to begin mosquito spraying

At the local municipal level, officials are preparing for the mosquito spraying season.

In Oswego, village officials budgeted for 10 mosquito sprays this year with about two per month between May and September, according to Jennifer Hughes, the village’s public works director. The cost of each village-wide application is about $8,600.

Daniel Di Santo, Oswego’s village administrator, said the village contracts

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Gjovik Chevy-Buick-GMC

Oswego Ledger / KendallCountyNow.com • Thursday, May 19, 2016

|LOCAL NEWS

8

Wage increases approved for coroner, circuit clerk Both elected offices to get raises in fiscal 2019, 2020

By MATT SCHURY

mschury@kendallcountynow.com The Kendall County coroner and Kendall County circuit clerk will be getting raises in their respective salaries over the next four years.

The Kendall County Board set salaries for the county coroner and county circuit clerk Tuesday morning after a lengthy discussion and multiple failed motions to increase the pay.

The next county coroner elected in November will get approximately a 2 percent raise over four years from a starting salary of almost $58,000. That office will get no pay increases in fiscal years 2017 and 2018, followed by 1 percent increases respectively in fiscal years 2019 and 2020.

The board approved the salary and pay increase for the office in a 5-3 split vote with board members Lynn Cullick, Bob Davidson and Matthew Prochaska casting the three “no” votes.

Absent from the meeting at the time of voting were board members John

Purcell and Elizabeth Flowers.

Meanwhile the county circuit clerk, whose base pay is currently about $90,000, will receive no pay increase for fiscal years 2017 and 2018 and then a 0.64 percent pay increase in 2019 followed by a 0.97 percent raise in 2020. At the end of the four-year term, the officeholder’s salary will be $91,554.

The board approved the salary and pay increase for the office in a 7-1 split vote with board member Davidson casting the only opposing vote.

County Coroner Ken Toftoy announced his retirement last year. Jacquie Purcell, a Kendall County deputy coroner, won the March Republican primary for office over challenger Carl Gutierrez of Oswego. Purcell does not appear to have a challenger in the November general election. Purcell is the wife of County Board member John Purcell.

Robyn Ingemunson has been filling out the remaining term of former Kendall County Circuit Clerk Becky Morganegg, who stepped down last year.

Ingemunson won the spring GOP primary without facing a challenger in March and does not appear to have one for the fall general election.

OHS Athletic & Alumni 24th Annual Golf Outing Friday, June 10, 2016 at Blackberry Oaks Golf Course

11:00 am Check-in Begins 12:00 pm Shotgun Start Following Golf: Happy Hour & Steak/Chicken Dinner Rain Date: 6/24/16

Bringing Back Tradition

Special Guests: Ken Pickerill, Karl Hoinkes, Craig Watson, Mike Schnable & Doc Elko Will also have a Raffle, Silent Auction, NEW Reverse Raffle, Live Auction and

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Va

To schedule an appointment, call Marilyn Bogda at 630-554-8050 or sign St. Luke’s Lutheran Church will hold its up after church services. Walk-ins are annual blood drive from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. welcome. Photo ID is required.

Donate a pint and get a certificate for a Tuesday, May 24. free pint of Baskin-Robbins ice cream.

The Heartland Mobile Coach will be in – Oswego Ledger the back parking lot.

Continued from page 6 the mosquito spraying through a St. Charles-based company, Clarke Mosquito Control Products & Services.

“Internally we are monitoring the situation on the national level. I haven’t seen anything come towards Illinois yet but we have emergency management protocols for any type of epidemic,” he said. “A lot of municipalities stepped up their spraying efforts after West Nile [virus] and Zika is just another reason to continue the programs.”

If the village wanted to step up its monthly sprayings, that would be a village board decision, he said.

“If we see Zika becoming an issue in our region, all bets are off and we are going to reconsider our whole program

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Visiting Angels of Plainfield is looking for experienced caregivers.

If you love working with seniors call 815-254-0152 or fax resume to 815-254-0175

Donors needed for St. Luke’s blood drive this Tuesday

to make sure we are as prepared as possible,” Di Santo said. “It’s something that we take seriously and definitely are keeping an eye on.”

Clarke also maintains traps in the village to count the number of mosquitoes, according to Hughes.

“They use the counts, coupled with predictions of hatching based upon rainfall and temperatures, to determine the most effective date to spray,” Hughes said.

The village treats about 3,800 storm catch basins with a larvicide application that inhibits larvae from hatching and becoming adult mosquitoes, Hughes said.

Typically one application is done for the entire season, she added. Hughes said that Clarke is also preparing information for the village to post on its website that will address the Zika virus.

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BRIEFS

Hilltop Gardeners Garden Club celebrated its 50th year of hosting the annual plant sale on May 7.

The very first plant sale was organized in 1966, seven years after the club’s inception, and was held at the Boulder Hill Market. LEFT: Oswego Village Board President Gail Johnson cuts the red ribbon, helping the Hilltop Gardeners celebrate the club’s 50th annual plant sale. Pictured are the club’s Executive Board members Diane Wisinski, Valerie Gierhart, Carol Hayner, Joyce Schomer and Patti Clements with Plant Sale Chairperson Esther Jamison in the middle.

Photos provided

H

T 5 12

The public is invited to attend a gathering to mark the dedication of the Roger A. Matile Room at the Little White School Museum in Oswego at 2 p.m.

Sunday, May 22.

The museum is located at Jackson and Polk streets in the village’s downtown. Some of Matile’s current and former colleagues have been invited to speak and refreshments will be available.

Cathi Mundsinger, a member of the Oswegoland Heritage Association, the nonprofit organization that operates the museum, said the association’s board decided to name the room in Matile’s honor for his work on the museum’s behalf over the past 40 years and his work as a journalist, author, local historian and preservationist.

Lions Club offers free hearing screenings

To help protect the hearing of the public through an early alert system, to increase public awareness not only of the problems of the deaf, but also the capabilities of the hearing impaired, the Lions Clubs of Illinois every year sponsor free hearing screenings for persons 18 and older and 10 to 17 years with written parental consent, in communities all over the state.

As part of that program, the Oswego Lions Club is sponsoring a screening from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Monday, May 23, at the Oswego Senior Center at 156 E. Washington St. in Oswego.

– Oswego Ledger

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9

Thursday, May 19, 2016

RIGHT: Abi Hillgoth, shopping with her grandmother, won a Bleeding Heart door prize. FAR RIGHT: The garden “treasures” area of the sale was a place to find quirky, unusual and useful garden-themed delights.

Little White School Museum to dedicate Matile Room on Sunday

LOCAL NEWS | Oswego Ledger / KendallCountyNow.com •

Hilltop Gardeners mark 50th year of plant sale

Oswego Ledger / KendallCountyNow.com • Thursday, May 19, 2016

| LOCAL NEWS

10

2016 - 2017 Street art coming to TRAVEL TEAM TRYOUTS downtown Montgomery The tryouts will be held, rain or shine at:

PNA Youth Camp 10701 River Rd., Plano IL (Just west of Route 47)

By JOHN ETHEREDGE

jetheredge@shawmedia.com A colorful design intended to help showcase downtown Montgomery will be painted on River Street in front of the village hall later this summer.

Village Administrator Jeff Zoephel told the village board May 9 the project is part of the village’s continuing “Montgomery in Motion” campaign to highlight the village’s historic downtown business district and its close proximity to recreational opportunities provided by the Fox River.

Zoephel said village officials invited students in Marie Strejc-Wood’s graphic design class at Oswego High School to submit designs for the street artwork earlier this year.

“We received a lot of great designs and we [village staff] reviewed them,” he said.

Zoephel said a design by Luke Torrez was chosen because it best exemplified the Montgomery in Motion campaign.

The design includes red and yellow kayaks along with footprints that symbolize the opportunity to run and walk along the trails that adjoin the Fox River.

Referring to the design, Zoephel said, “It has kind of a compass feel, pointing out all the directions you can go in Montgomery, and then it has blue and green colors that represent the outdoors.”

Village President Matt Brolley presented Torrez with a certificate of appreciation for his work on the design.

Village board members voiced sup-

Date

Photo provided

The “Montgomery in Motion” design by Oswego High School student Luke Torrez.

port late last year for a village staff proposal to create the Montgomery in Motion marketing campaign for the downtown.

Richard Young, the village’s community development director, told the board that village staff came up with the idea of the marketing program as part of an ongoing effort to “help jump start redevelopment activities in the downtown area.”

Zoephel noted that in recent months business activity has picked up in the downtown with the opening of the South Moon BBQ restaurant in the historic Gray’s Mill building and, more recently, the Swirls and Sweets shop.

“We want to continue to build on that momentum,” he said.

Volunteers sought to plant bridge flowers

Age

Time

Mon., May 9 HS Girls Only 6:00pm Tues., May 10 HS Girls Only 6:00pm Mon., May 23 Boys/Girls U7-U9 5:00-6:00pm U10-U12 6:00-7:00pm U13 & up 7:00-8:00pm Tues., May 24 Boys/Girls U7-U9 5:00-6:00pm U10-U12 6:00-7:00pm Birth Year: Tryout for: U13 & up 7:00-8:00pm 2010..................... U7 Wed., May 25 Boys/Girls 2009..................... U8 U7-U9 5:00-6:00pm 2008..................... U9 U10-U12 6:00-7:00pm 2007..................... U10 U13 & up 7:00-8:00pm 2006..................... U11 2005..................... U12 Please wear appropriate clothing, shin guards and 2004..................... U13 cleats. Also, please arrive 10-15 minutes before the 2003..................... U14 designated time and bring water.

2002-1999 ........... HS

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You are cordially invited to attend a

Retirement Open House honoring

d Kathie Hart d for her many years of community banking service

May 27, 2016 1 to 4 pm

Heartland Bank and Trust Company 128 S. Depot St., Somonauk Photo provided

Do you enjoy the colorful flower boxes on Montgomery’s Mill Street bridge each summer? If so, here’s an opportunity to help beautify the village and create flower displays for the community to enjoy all summer long. The village’s Beautification Committee is looking for volunteers to help plant flowers in the boxes that line the Mill Street bridge on Saturday, May 21. Families and flower lovers of all ages are invited to meet in Montgomery Park at the corner of River and Mill streets at 9 a.m. to help with this annual project.

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OSWEGO LEDGER | Oswego Ledger / KendallCountyNow.com •

Congratulations Winners

11

Oswego Ledger / KendallCountyNow.com • Thursday, May 19, 2016

| LOCAL NEWS

12

OSWEGO POLICE REPORTS

BRIEF

Juvenile charged at OHS Oswego police arrested a female juvenile on a charge of possession of cannabis May 6 at Oswego High School.

Road at Douglas Road in the village May 13 at 9:21 a.m. Police said Elizondo was wanted on an in-state warrant and was ticketed for using a cellphone while driving.

Paraphernalia arrest Oswego police arrested Alysia C. Sanders, 24, of the 300 block of Wolverine Drive, Oswego, on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia in the 90th block of Fifth Street in the village May 16 at 11:55 p.m.

Property damage arrest Oswego police arrested Darren S. Fuson, 26, of the 2000 block of Farmington Lakes Drive, Oswego, at his residence May 13 at 12:50 a.m. on a charge of criminal damage to property.

Storage unit burglary A storage unit in the 1900 block of Wiesbrook Drive in Oswego was burglarized sometime between March 1 and May 16, village police were notified. Police said property worth $1,470 was stolen and the investigation is continuing.

Arrest two on warrants Oswego police arrested Marcus A. Payne, 25, of the 400 block of Silver Charm Drive, Oswego, and Devante M. Earl-Brown, 24, of the 400 block of Melrose Avenue, Aurora, on warrants at Payne’s residence in Aurora on May 10.

Cannabis, alcohol arrest Oswego police arrested Christine Velazquez, 20, of the 200 block of Stuart Avenue, Aurora, on Route 34 at Douglas Road at 2 a.m. May 15. Police said Velazquez faces charges of unlawful possession of cannabis, drug paraphernalia and possession of an alcoholic beverage by a minor.

Oswego man arrested Oswego police arrested Blair H. Strater, 21, of the 600 block of Mansfield Way, Oswego, on charges of criminal damage to vehicle and battery May 10 at 4:14 p.m. at his residence.

Minor injuries in crash A Yorkville resident, Kelsey Vanderlinden, 17, of the 2000 block of Kingsmill Street received minor injuries in a three-vehicle crash on Route 71 east of Orchard Road in Oswego at 10:44 a.m. May 15. Police said Vanderlinden was treated at an area hospital.

Vehicle damaged An Aurora resident told Oswego police that an unknown vehicle struck and damaged her vehicle while it was parked in a lot in the 100 block of West Washington Street in the village May 10 between 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Police said damage to the victim’s vehicle was estimated at $1,000.

Battery reported in park Oswego police are investigating a report of Mislaid property stolen a battery that occurred in Chesterfield Park Oswego police are investigating the theft of off Chesterfield Drive in the village May 11. some mislaid property at a retail store in the 2700 block of Route 34 in the village May 14 Traffic violations at 3:10 p.m.

Serviano Mosqueda Vazquez, 38, of Aurora, driving on a suspended license and speeding.

Battery arrest Amalio Herrera-Lopez, no age given, of the Oswego police arrested a juvenile on a 400 block of Park Street, Aurora, no valid charge of battery at Oswego East High driver’s license.

School at 3:46 p.m. May 12.

Jose A. Sandoval, 22, of the 100 block of Glendale Street, Bolingbrook, driving on a Warrant arrest revoked license.

Oswego police arrested Monique ElizonAdriana Salas Dominguez, 39, of the 3000 do, 33, of the 1000 block of Cascade Drive, block of Troon Drive, Montgomery, no valid Aurora, after stopping her vehicle on Old Post driver’s license.

Friday, May 20 Saturday, May 21 Sunday, May 22 (815) 246-9700

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34

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Police on Oswego donut shop roof to aid Special Olympics

Law enforcement officials throughout Illinois will once again be staking out the rooftops of Dunkin’ Donuts to heighten awareness and raise money for Special Olympics Illinois on Friday, May 20. Each guest who visits a Cop on

a Rooftop location that day and makes a donation to the Torch Run will receive a free donut coupon.

The Oswego Police Department will be participating in the Cop on a Rooftop event from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Dunkin Donuts at 2420 Route 34.

– Oswego Ledger

MONTGOMERY POLICE REPORTS Burglary to vehicle Someone broke out the front window of a Nissan Rogue and stole miscellaneous items from inside the vehicle while it was parked in the 200 block of Main Street on May 8, Montgomery police reported.

to scratch the fender on her 2009 Mercury Mariner.

Theft suspect arrested Montgomery police arrested Destiny Ross, 18, of the 2400 block of Courtyard Circle, Aurora, on a charge of retail theft at a store in Bicycles stolen the 1100 block of Ogden Avenue in Aurora at A resident of the 2200 block of Andrew Trail 4:56 p.m. May 10. Police said store employtold police that two mountain bikes were sto- ees observed Ross pass the last point of sale len from his garage when the door was left in possession of unpaid for merchandise. open May 8, Montgomery police reported.

Traffic violations Tyler Vervynck, 21, of the 1700 block of MidLakewood damage dlebury Drive, Aurora, driving on a suspended Someone entered a building in the 2300 block of Lakewood Creek Drive and damaged license.

Arlene Depratto, 46, of the 800 block of some of the doors, Montgomery police Galena Boulevard, Aurora, no valid driver’s reported May 8. license.

Vehicle damaged Raul Zavala, 42, of the 500 block of Lake A local resident told Montgomery police Street, Aurora, driving on a suspended May 11 that someone used a sharp object license.

WOW 7 CINEMA

Showtimes In Parenthesis ( ) Play Friday - Sunday ONLY Showtimes Followed By Astericks ** Play Friday & Saturday ONLY

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MONEY MONSTER - R 12:05, 2:15, 4:25, 7:00, 9:10

NEIGHBORS 2 -R 12:10, 2:10, 4:15, 7:30, 9:50

NICE GUYS - R 12:30, 4:00, 7:10, 9:40

ANGRY BIRDS - PG 2D 12:15, 2:25, 4:35

JUNGLE BOOK - PG 12:00, 2:20, 4:45, 7:15, 9:35

ANGRY BIRDS - PG 3D 7:05, 9:15

Showtimes starting before 3 pm do not play Monday - Thursday.

Showtimes starting after 8 pm do not play Sunday -Thursday.

For more info & links, www.wow7.com or call the Movie Line (815) 786-1999

OSWEGO LEDGER

Montgomery police sergeant graduates from command school OSWEGO LEDGER Montgomery Police Sgt. Ismael Diaz graduated May 6 from Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command Class No. 389.

The 10-week School of Police Staff and Command (SPSC) is a demanding management program designed to provide police officers with high-quality training while accommodating their time and financial constraints. Through management and supervision, specialized instruction in technical subjects and presentation of current issues and new techniques in the field, the SPSC program prepares first- and second-level police management personnel for senior-level positions in their agencies.

“This prestigious university provides our police supervisors with a higher level of excellence that will help to direct the Montgomery Police Department now and in years to come,” said Police Chief Daniel Meyers.

The Center for Public Safety, located on Northwestern University’s Evanston campus, was established in 1936 to expand the scope of university-level education and training in traffic safety. Since that time, it has broadened its original objective to include training in police op-

Suspect identified County sheriff’s deputies reported May 16 that they have identified a suspect in connection with the breaking out of a rear window of a vehicle parked in the 2200 block of Light Road in Oswego on May 15. Police said their investigation is ongoing.

ID theft reported A Boulder Hill man told county sheriff’s deputies May 16 that an unknown person used his debit card at a retail store in Bolingbrook without his permission.

Police said they are investigating.

In custody after pursuit County sheriff’s deputies arrested Edgar Bravo, 36, of the 0-100 block of Old Post Road, Boulder Hill, at his residence May 16 at 9:27 p.m. after he led deputies on a three-mile pursuit. Police said Bravo had been charged with two counts of aggravated fleeing, driving on a suspended license, possession of cannabis, and speeding in excess of 26 mph over the posted speed limit. In addition, police said Bravo was also cited for numerous moving and equipment violations.

Warrant arrest County sheriff’s deputies arrested Philbert James Griffin, 35, of the 1000 block of Grand Boulevard, Aurora, after they stopped the vehicle in which he was a passenger on Orchard Road and Mayfield Drive in Montgomery at 3:32 a.m. May 17.

Police said Griffin was wanted on an Aurora police warrant for failure to appear in court on a prior charge of driving on a suspended license.

Thornhill Court burglary Several items of jewelry were taken from a residence in the 7000 block of Thornhill Court in Yorkville between May 13 and May 15, county sheriff’s deputies reported. Police said the owner of the home reported that someone forced their way into his home while he was away.

Photo provided

Sgt. Ismael Diaz recently graduated from the School of Police Staff and Command at Northwestern University. erations and management and to address urgent issues in criminal justice and law enforcement. Representatives from federal, state and local police agencies, as well as members of foreign agencies, attend the center’s many and varied programs.

DUI arrest County sheriff’s deputies arrested Vicki Sue Osmanson, 55, of the 26000 block of Black Road, Joliet, after stopping her vehicle for driving 78 in a 55 mph zone May 15 in the area of Route 52 east of County Line Road. Police said Osmanson was charged with driving under the influence and speeding.

Harbor Drive domestic County sheriff’s deputies investigated a reported domestic battery incident involving a male and a female at a residence in the 100 block of Harbor Drive, Oswego Township, at 10:31 p.m. May 13.

Police said neither of the parties wished to sign complaints or allow officers to document their injuries.

13 More online Get more news on crime in Kendall County at KendallCountyNow. com/news/crime-and-courts.

Juveniles arrested County sheriff’s deputies investigated a battery involving two juvenile females that occurred May 14 in the 4000 block of Douglas Road in Oswego Township.

Police said the parents of the two juveniles were identified and briefed on the incident.

Identity theft An Oswego Township resident told county sheriff’s deputies that someone charged $500 in purchases to one of her store credit cards without her permission May 5.

Disorderly at ballgame County sheriff’s deputies took a report of a disorderly conduct incident that occurred between two spectators at a baseball game on the grounds of Boulder Hill Elementary School on May 6. Police said the report was filed May 13.

Shed burglarized Sheriff’s deputies received a report of a burglary to a storage shed in the 8000 block Van Emmon Road, Bristol Township, on May 14.

Storage shed damaged A storage shed in the 70th block of Cannonball Trail, Bristol, was found damaged May 14, according to the county sheriff’s office.

Domestic battery County sheriff’s deputies arrested Derrick Moore Jr., 26, of the 100 block of Saugatuck Road, Boulder Hill, on a charge of domestic battery in the 40th block of Saugatuck Road at 12:14 a.m. May 11.

Cannabis arrest County sheriff’s deputies arrested Jawon Robert Jackson, 29, of the 800 block of West South Street, Plano, at 5:15 a.m. May 11 on South Street at Ben Street in Plano. Police said Jackson has been charged with unlawful possession of cannabis.

Traffic violations Alexander Mateo Martel, 18, of the 500 block of Cheshire Court, Yorkville, driving on a suspended license.

David Adam Hubert, 39, of the 1600 block of Wild Rose Lane, Aurora, driving on a suspended license.

Sulay Ronald Kemokai Jr., 38, of the 2200 bock of Gallant Fox Circle, Montgomery, driving on a suspended license.

Thursday, May 19, 2016

The Oswego Police Department has announced the recent graduation of Sgt. Shane Yackley from the School of Police Staff and Command at Northwestern University.

The School of Police Staff and Command (SPSC) is an intensive 10-week program designed to prepare today’s progressive law enforcement supervisors for senior command positions by combining academic principles with practical applications. Since the program launched in 1983, the SPSC has received enthusiastic response from executives and participants throughout the country.

Research is a key component of SPSC and all students are required to write an objective, well-documented study addressing a problem or issue currently affecting the student’s organization. Since the research project comes directly from a timely and critical issue facing that student’s agency, the knowledge gained can Photo provided be put to use immediately. The Oswego Police Department anticipates a variety Sgt. Shane Yackley recently graduated from of benefits from Sgt. Yackley’s atten- the School of Police Staff and Command at Northwestern University. dance at this program.

KENDALL COUNTY SHERIFF’S REPORTS

LOCAL NEWS | Oswego Ledger / KendallCountyNow.com •

Oswego police sgt. graduates from NU command school

Oswego Ledger / KendallCountyNow.com • Thursday, May 19, 2016

| LOCAL NEWS & SPORTS

14 PREP ROUNDUP

Oswego baseball sweeps Minooka Oswego East moves to 10-16 after losses OSWEGO LEDGER

walking seven and allowing two earned runs while scattering six hits.

Oswego won Game 1 of the series by a score of 7-5 on May 11 after trailing 3-1 early. The Panthers scored one run in the fourth and took a 4-3 lead in the fifth. Dato went 3-for-5, Panza hit 3-for-5 with two RBIs while Mitchell Gwodz had two runs scored.

Oswego East varsity: The Wolves were swept by Plainfield Central in Southwest Prairie Conference action to move to 10-16 overall.

After a 4-1 loss on May 11, the Wolves fell to the Wildcats 12-4 last Thursday when the series resumed after inclement weather. Vince Schwartz had three hits and Garrett Goetz was 2-for-3 with a three-run home run to lead the Wolves’ offense.

On Friday, the Wolves fell 6-3 to Plainfield Central. Mason Madalinski led the Wolves offense by going 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs.

The Oswego varsity baseball team completed its three-game sweep over Minooka with a 4-3 win on Friday.

The Indians took a 3-2 lead in the top of the seventh, but the Panthers scored the game-winning runs in the bottom of the frame ending with a walk-off single by Mike Dato.

Oswego knocked out nine hits, led by a 3-for-3 effort from Dato. Colton White hit 2-for-2 with an RBI and Cole Aughenbaugh had a pair of hits and two runs scored.

Carter Turnquist was the winning pitcher, striking out four and allowing one earned run in a complete game effort.

On May 12, Oswego won 3-2 over Minooka with the go-ahead run in the sixth inning. Turnquist hit 2-for3 with one run, Dato hit 2-for-2 with TRACK AND FIELD an RBI and Gabe Panza went 2-forBoys: Minooka took home the 3 with an RBI. Luke Torrez pitched Southwest Prairie Conference title a complete game, striking out six, with a commanding 149 points at

Oswego East last Thursday while Plainfield North finished a distant second with 84 points.

Oswego East finished fourth with 71 points and Oswego was fifth with 57 points.

Oswego East’s Devonte Weathersby won the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.28 seconds and was third in the 100 (11.06). Oswego’s Steven Strange won the 400 with a time of 49.57 seconds and was fifth in the 100 (11.16). Oswego East’s Dylan Zangri took second in the 1,600 (4:27.86) and Oswego’s Bennett Peterson was the runner-up in the 3,200-meter run in 9:49.45.

Oswego East’s Greg Darata took third in the 300-meter hurdles (41.11) and teammate Adrian Corona was third in the discus (136-10) while Oswego’s Nick Janca was third in the high jump (6-1) and teammate Matthew Schwaschwary was third in the pole vault (13-1). Oswego East’s Kaelub Newman took second in the long jump (20-3½).

In the relays, Oswego East’s 4x800-meter team won with a time of 8:05.94 while Oswego’s 4x400-meter team took second in 3:25.87.

Help needed for annual PrairieFest OSWEGO LEDGER Oswego’s PrairieFest community celebration is looking for some helpers. The Oswegoland Park District is seeking a whole crew of volunteers to help host PrairieFest, taking place this June 16-19. Adults as well as youth ages 12 and up are invited to be a part of a long tradition in town and give a couple of hours to coordinating the community festival over Father’s Day weekend.

Junior high students can help keep the fest grounds safe and clean as a member of the grounds crew, while high school and college students can join the parking crew.

Adult volunteers are always needed to help greet festival guests, serve beer or drive courtesy shuttles. Additional volunteer opportunities include the helping with Sunday’s 5K PrairieFest race and the parade.

All volunteers will receive a purple 2016 volunteer T-shirt. Youth volunteers earn community service credit towards their scholastic, athletic or religious commitments.

Sign up online through the PrairieFest website. Interested volunteers are encouraged to visit prairiefest.com/volunteer. For additional questions, contact the Volunteer Coordinator, Cori Veverka, at cveverka@ oswegolandpd.org or 630-554-4433.

GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD

Wolves send 8 athletes, Panthers qualify 5 to state

By KRISTIN SHARP

ksharp@kendallcountynow.com

ter relay team, which qualified with a time of 49.36 seconds and placed fourth at sectionals behind the efforts of Onyeabo and Taylor. Oswego East also celebrated a first-place finish by the 4x400-meter relay team of Buado, Schumacher, Henz and Flammersfeld, which clocked in at 4:03.21.

Oswego scored 42 points at sectionals and qualified five athletes in four events. The 4x800-meter relay team of Isabelle Christiansen, Kayla Wooten, Julia Manzano and Maddy Kammerer clocked in a first-place time of 9:24.53, which ranks eighth among all state-bound relays.

“The 4x8 has been coming together over the past four years, really, with the exception of Isabelle Christiansen, who is a really talented freshman,” Oswego coach Jamie Bechina said. “It is a fantastic time, and I think they can run faster under the right conditions.”

Kammerer and Christiansen also qualified in the 1,600-meter run, with Kammerer clocking in at 5:08.10 to take second and Christiansen under the state cut with her finish in 5:10.74. Kayla Wooten is state-bound in the 800-meter run after finishing second with a time of 2:17.40. Coral Ottesen will make another state appearance after qualifying with her second-place finish in the pole vault, clearing 10-9, which is in the top five heights among state qualifiers.

BOYS TENNIS

• SOFTBALL

Panthers shake up SPC standings Oswego surges ahead to take conference crown

By KRISTIN SHARP

ksharp@kendallcountynow.com A dual meet loss to Minooka left the Oswego boys’ tennis team trailing the Indians in the Southwest Prairie Conference season, but the Panthers turned the tables as Oswego clinched both the tournament and overall conference championships.

Oswego scored 21 points last weekend behind first-place finishes from its No. 1 and No. 4 doubles team to surge past Minooka (16) and Romeoville (11.5) in the tournament standings.

Combined with their third-place finish in the dual season, which awarded Oswego five points, the Panthers edged the Indians 26-23 for the overall SPC crown.

“We had a couple losses during the season so we had to dig ourselves out of a little bit of a hole in the tournament.

I thought we had a shot at it and we really played well Thursday and Friday and got the wins where we needed the wins,” Oswego coach Ryan Parr said.

“The guys played awesome from top to bottom.”

Oswego East finished fourth in the SPC tournament and took third overall after a 6-1 dual finish.

“Last weekend was a learning opportunity. We now know that we have to step up our game no matter what seed we have to start a tournament,” Oswego East coach Scott Gengler said. “We have to give credit to all of the teams in the tournament as they performed well and each team earned their finish in conference.”

At No. 1 doubles, Oswego East’s Ryan Zaprzal and Giri Ekkurthi entered as the top seed and opened with wins over Romeoville and Minooka to meet second-seeded John Watson and Kyle Hennessy from Oswego in the finals. The Oswego duo clinched first place overall.

At second doubles, Oswego East’s Rohan Pisharody and Alex Hwang upheld their top seed, defeating Romeoville, Oswego and Minooka to clinched the title. Oswego’s doubles team of Connor Stark and Maxwell Blount took third overall. Oswego’s No. 3 doubles team of Dylan Patel and Derek Ho took second overall despite entering as a fourth seed.

The Panthers opened with wins over Romeoville and Oswego East and lost to Minooka in the finals. Oswego East’s Diego Martinez and Ryan MacNicol took third overall.

Oswego picked up one more doubles championship on the No. 4 court after Adam Pflederer and Connor Sutton entered as the No. 3 seed and swept the bracket with wins over Plainfield North, Oswego East and top-seeded Minooka.

In singles play, Oswego’s Anders Eckert took third on the No. 1 court and teammate Ben Livingston took second on the No. 2 court. Connor Backus finished second on the No. 3 court.

Oswego and Oswego East will now enter the nine-team Plainfield East Sectional on Friday and Saturday.

The top four finishers in singles and doubles play will advance to the state finals.

“Hopefully we can come in and play even better there [at sectionals] than we did last weekend,” Parr said. “Waubonsie and Neuqua are always extremely tough. It just depends on how hard we work this week and how focused we are, and we’ll definitely have a shot at it. We’ll do the best we can do and see how everything lands.”

Continued from page 16 with a single and scored on Davis’ hit to right field. Davis came home on Benson’s well-placed hit through the infield gap to create a 5-3 lead.

Jenna Veber relieved Scaramuzzi after 4 2⁄3 innings and Oswego East scored once in the top of the seventh.

Schultz (3-for-4, three runs scored) led off with a double and Williams came through with the RBI hit.

“We started out very well. Our energy was up, everyone was coming out hitting and we had really good defense,” Oswego coach Amanda Stanton said. “We want them to put the ball into play and hope they find a hole, but the hits just weren’t back-to-back when we needed it to happen.”

Oswego East 7, Waubonsie Valley 6:

The Wolves faced the Warriors on Monday and scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning for the win. Schultz (1-for-1, RBI) delivered the game-winning single to drive in Caitlyn Webb (2-for-4, RBI).

Oswego East 12, West Aurora 7: The Wolves scored six runs in the sixth to come back from a 7-6 deficit and defeat the Blackhawks. Juvia Davis fueled the rally with a home run to put Oswego East ahead for good, 8-7. Schultz earned the win in 4 1⁄3 innings of relief, allowing no earned runs and striking out.

Thursday, May 19, 2016

The hard work, sweat and tears over the past four years finally paid off in a big way for the Oswego East senior athletes on the girls track and field team.

The Wolves clinched the Class 3A Ottawa Sectional title last Thursday and qualified nine events to the state finals this Friday and Saturday at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.

Oswego East scored 90 points – 23 more than runner-up Naperville North.

Senior Morgan Harris picked up three individual sectional titles and adds a fourth state-bound event with the qualifying 4x100-meter relay team. She will be joined by senior teammates Sade Akinfe and Tara Schumacher – both sectional champions – as well as teammates Adaora Onyeabo, Maya Taylor, Ashley Buado, Alexis Henz and Abby Flammersfeld.

“This is something we look forward to every year.

In track, you basically train for one big meet and that’s state. To be able to finally get there is just an

amazing experience,” Akinfe said. “At sectionals, everyone is focused on qualifying and being able to win sectionals as a team was a nice little cherry on top.”

Harris, a three-time state qualifier, finished fourth in the 400-meter event last year and will look to add to her All-State medals after she won the sectional 100 (12.07 seconds, school record), 400 (57.13) and 200 (25.96). She brings the third fastest 100-meter sectional time to state and is the third fastest in the 400.

“I’m excited and have a chance to do really well this year. Mentally, I’m a lot stronger,” Harris said.

Akinfe, the 2015 long jump state runner-up, won the triple jump last week with a school-record mark of 38-2¼ and will return in the long jump after finishing second at sectionals with a leap of 17-10½. Her triple jump mark is in the top five entering the state prelims.

Schumacher became the 100-meter hurdle sectional champion with her finish in 14.77 seconds, which ranks fourth among all sectional times and sets a new school record at Oswego East. She also qualified in the 300-meter hurdles with a runner-up finish in 45.82 seconds.

“I was really happy that I had a good race [in the 100] because that gave me a lot of confidence going into the 300 hurdles and 4x4,” Schumacher said.

Akinfe and Harris will also race with the 4x100-me-

SPORTS | Oswego Ledger / KendallCountyNow.com •

Oswego East wins Ottawa Sectional

15

Oswego Ledger / KendallCountyNow.com • Thursday, May 19, 2016

16

SPORTS PREP SOFTBALL: OSWEGO EAST 6, OSWEGO 3

‘WE KEPT RALLYING’ Wolves stay consistent in crosstown battle to move to 17-10 overall

By KRISTIN SHARP

ksharp@kendallcountynow.com The Oswego softball team had an answer for Oswego East’s early attack, but the Wolves were able to maintain that consistency at the plate to overpower the Panthers in Thursday’s crosstown game.

The Panthers’ 3-2 lead lasted for three innings before the Wolves tied the game in the fourth and rallied to win 6-3. Oswego East improved to 17-10 overall and 5-7 in the Southwest Prairie Conference and is now on a threegame win streak. Oswego moves to 8-13 and 2-9 in the SPC. “We were able to get our bats going, and it was nice to see clutch hits from a variety of girls,” Oswego East coach Laura Nussle said. “Our base running had no hesitation and it was great to see. We had that consistency.”

Oswego East jumped on starter Annie Scaramuzzi early with leadoff hits from Emily Schultz and Dani Williams, and Juvia Davis walked to load the bases. Emma Benson capitalized with an RBI hit, and a throwing error

by Oswego allowed Williams to also reach home for the 2-0 lead. Oswego first baseman Ashley McCance turned a double play to end the inning.

Although Schultz opened the bottom half of the frame with a strikeout, she gave up a pair of walks after Kayla Moky’s double to load the bases and McCance was hit by a pitch to score the first run.

Rebecca Pieroni kept the momentum going with a two-run double to center field to put Oswego ahead, 3-2.

Schultz closed out the inning with a pair of strikeouts and allowed just one hit for the rest of the game, striking out eight batters in all.

“It’s a big game, and the biggest thing about this team is that we stayed up the entire time,” Schultz said. “Even when we were down, our whole dugout was cheering and we kept rallying. It was just getting through things in the first inning and knowing I have a great defense behind me, it’s the best thing.”

Oswego East tied the game in the top of the fourth behind Rachel Johnson’s RBI single, which drove in Sydni Mitchell after her one-out single.

In the next inning, Schultz led off

See SOFTBALL, page 15

ABOVE: Oswego East’s Emily Schultz chops the game-winning hit during Monday’s contest against Waubonsie Valley at Oswego East. The Wolves won, 7-6.

LEFT: Oswego East teammates Emily Green (left), Rachel Johnson (14) and Caitlyn Webb (right) mob Schultz after she hit a walkoff single to win Monday’s game against Waubonsie Valley.

Photos by Steven Buyansky for Shaw Media