Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS January 7, 2016 Volume 48, Number 45 - $1.00
Close Game
Recycle Trees
Seminary Founded
Hawks lose nail biter to host Newman in double overtime in tourney championship. B1
Local FFA members will recycle Christmas trees Jan. 9. A7
The Rock River Seminary was founded in 1839 by early settlers in Mt. Morris. A3
Nuclear plant and printing plant on tax appeal list By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Assessment appeals of the Byron Generating Station and a former Mt. Morris printing plant will be among the 48 scheduled to be heard by the Ogle County Board of Review (BOR) later this month. Ogle County Supervisor of Assessments Jim Harrison said the BOR is set to hear appeals on Jan. 28 that were filed by both Exelon Generation and the Byron School District contesting the assessment he set for the Byron nuclear plant. An appeal of the former Quad Graphics plant in Mt. Morris will be heard on Jan. 26. Harrison said the BOR will hear the 48 appeals in the last two weeks of January. More than half the appeals, 25 of them, are for commercial and industrial properties, Harrison said, while the rest are residential or farm properties. “We have a fair number of commercial and industrial from Rochelle,” he said.
The appeals are for 2015 assessments, which affect taxes payable in 2016. Exelon officials believe the $482.4 million assessment set by Harrison is too high, while school officials argue that it’s too low. Exelon Generation’s appeal sets the plants value at $238.3 million, less than half of Harrison’s number, which is identical to the amount set by the BOR at the appeal hearing last January. The school district’s appeal did not specify a value for the plant. Both entities also appealed the nuclear plant’s assessment for 2012, 2013, and 2014. The BOR upheld both the 2012 assessment of $499 million and the 2013 assessment of $509 million, but reduced Harrison’s 2014 assessment of $509.4 million by $27 million. Both entities then took The air filtering device is loaded onto a flatbed semi trailer at Quad Graphics in Mt. Morris last summer. File photo their appeals for the three years to the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB). Harrison said Monday that PTAB is in the process of setting a date to hear the By Chris Johnson message out Saturday until making calls to get the VanVickle said the Turn to A2 cxjohnson@oglecounty after the sirens were turned sirens fixed,” VanVickle computer board was pulled news.com off.” said. “Only use 911 for from the system which Inside the 911 center the emergencies.” finally turned off the sirens A computer board failure dispatchers are unable to Just after midnight the for the night. was to blame for the tornado hear the sirens and were Ogle County Sheriff’s Office “The system is computer sirens being activated unaware they were sounding Facebook page had a post controlled and was installed throughout the county late until 911 calls flooded the stating “The tornado sirens in when the building was built. I Saturday night. system. Ogle County sounded. There really think the power surges Stukenberg family’s barn on After many residents went “When sirens are is no severe weather threat a few weeks ago could have the southeast corner of Ill. 72 to bed Saturday night the activated, shelter in place and and it appears to be an issue impacted the electronics,” he and Main Street. sirens began sounding on a check local media and social with a computer system. said. “We have had several Shelton said the fire calm winter night. media for information,” said Technicians are currently fluctuations in power.” marshal went through the Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle. “Do not call 911 working on the problem.” Since the system was rubble from the barn on Dec. VanVickle said the problem when there is no emergency.” That message was also sent fixed and the cost of 29 and has reviewed video was fixed and the system Dispatchers handled to the local media including the repairs is part of the tapes from cameras inside was tested Tuesday morning 102 calls in the 17 minutes WRHL in Rochelle and the sheriff’s department annual the structure. during the monthly test of following the siren Rockford television stations. maintenance contract for Firefighters from 10 area the system. activation. What made Saturday the computer system, no departments battled the blaze “The sirens accidentally “This increased call night’s glitch harder to additional money was spent and despite a strong east going off was a rarity,” he volume created several fix was having the sirens from the department budget. wind kept it from spreading said. “When we set off the issues including preventing automatically start up again The new building was sirens a message is sent out, dispatchers from handling even after dispatchers officially opened in April of Turn to A2 but we were unable to get a any emergency calls and manually turned them off. 2015.
Computer glitch blamed for midnight sirens
No cause yet blaze that destroyed barn By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com The cause has yet to be determined of a fire that destroyed a landmark barn in Leaf River last week. Leaf River Fire Chief Steve Shelton said Monday evening that he has not yet received the findings from the Illinois State Fire Marshal about what caused the fire Dec. 28 at the
Polo woman dies after fire By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com A Polo woman died Saturday morning after a two-alarm fire at her home. Shirley Jeanne Clayton, 74, known as “Jeannie,” was pronounced dead at KSB Hospital, Dixon, where she was taken by Polo ambulance. She lived alone at 502 E. Mason St. in a well-kept
two-story home. A spokesman for Lee County Coroner Jesse Partington said that an autopsy was performed Monday, but no cause of death will be available for several weeks. Polo Fire Chief Tony Karrow said firefighters found Clayton, still alive, in the kitchen shortly after they arrived on the scene at 7:40 a.m. Jan. 2. Karrow said the fire
Polo firefighters rescued Shirley “Jeannie” Clayton, 74, from a fire that damaged her home Jan. 2 at 502 E. Mason St., Polo. Clayton later died at KSB Hospital, Dixon. Photo by Mark Ellis, Polo Fire Department
In This Week’s Edition...
started in the living room of the home and most of the fire damage was confined to that room. “We arrived on the scene to find heavy smoke conditions on both floors and heavy fire coming from the room of origin,” he said. The house sustained an estimated $20,000 damage, Karrow said. “There was major fire damage to one room and smoke and heat damage to the rest of the house,” he said. Firefighters had the blaze under control within 15 minutes, he said. Karrow said the cause is undetermined. “We’re looking at it as an accidental fire,” he said. The Illinois State Fire Marshal assisted with the investigation. Fire departments assisting at the scene included Mt. Morris, Oregon, Forreston, Milledgeville, Dixon City, and Dixon Rural.
Church Bells, A5 Classifieds, B7-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B5 Marriage Licenses, A4
Bowling Party The Summerhill Huskies 4-H club was in Mt. Morris Sunday afternoon for a bowling and pizza party at Town & Country Lanes. Here, Carter Daws releases his ball down the lanes as he hopes for a strike. Photo by Chris Johnson
Library News, A9 Oregon Police, B2 Public Voice, A10 Property Transfers, B4 Reading Matters, A9
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B6 Weather, A3
Deaths, B5 David A. Buse, Anna M. Castle, Shirley J. Clayton, D. Dean Dye, J. Bruce Howell, Mark Schwartz, Royal L. Wells
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com