Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS January 15, 2015 Volume 47, Number 46 - $1.00
Wrestling Tourney
Getting Fit
Tickling the Ivories
The Oregon and Polo wrestling teams compete Jan. 10 at Polo Invite. B1
Find out how to get healthy and fit and stay that way. A8, A9
Dueling Pianos will perform Feb. 7 at the Byron Forest Preserve. A6
Board freezes rate for jr. high By Vinde Wells Editor
Pain at Pump Eases Gas prices in Mt. Morris dropped to just under $2 per gallon early this week, the lowest in recent years.
Oregon school officials can count on water usage costs remaining the same at the junior high for some time, thanks to action taken Tuesday night by the Mt. Morris Village Board. By a vote of 5 to 1, the board approved a request made several weeks ago by Superintendent Tom Mahoney to freeze the rate the district pays for water at D.L. Rahn Junior High, 105 W. Brayton Rd., Mt. Morris. Trustee Jan Hough cast
the only no vote, while Don Sorenson, Tim Harvey, Jon Murray, Phil LaBash, and Mary Francis voted yes. Harvey told the board Dec. 22 that Mahoney asked for the freeze because of cuts in state aid to the district. Mahoney asked for the rates to be frozen for the 23-year duration of the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District recently established by the village board. Village president Dan Elsasser said Mahoney spoke to him about the water rate freeze in return for the school Turn to A3
Report says lawmakers could keep nukes open By Vinde Wells Editor A report released by several state agencies last week said Illinois lawmakers can prevent Exelon Corporation from closing nuclear plants by adopting policies that penalize competitors that emit carbon dioxide, including coal-fired power plants, according to the Associated
Press. After Exelon officials said early last year that they might close at least three of its Illinois nuclear plants, including the Byron Generating Station, the Illinois House adopted a resolution in May that asked four state agencies to study the impact and what could be done. Sponsors of House
Resolution 1146 included Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) and Brian Stewart (R-Freeport). The 269-page report prepared by the Illinois Commerce Commission, the Illinois Power Agency, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, and Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity was released
Jan. 7. The report suggests the state could favor Exelon because its nuclear plants generate electricity without emitting greenhouse gases, according to the Associated Press article. The report said that closing the Byron plant would result in the loss of the jobs of the 880 workers employed there, plus another 1,776
jobs across the state due to Byron’s “twin,” LaSalle “the indirect impacts of lost County, and Dresden were employee spending in the Turn to A3 local economy as well as purchases the plant makes within the state.” Exelon identified its Illinois nuclear plants at Byron, Clinton, and the Quad Cities as unprofitable and atrisk for closing. Its other three plants, By Vinde Wells Braidwood, considered Editor For the third consecutive year, Exelon Corporation officials have appealed the assessment for the Byron hour there was another baby that we had a little girl to Generating Station. born, and then as the night join our family,” she said. The Ogle County Board continued, there were two “Our daughter was hoping of Review (BOR) was more born, so it was kind of for a sister the whole time scheduled to hear the appeal a domino effect.” because she’s in love with Jan. 14. Caroline Marie Kalnins, the movie ‘Frozen’ and In the appeal, company all 8 pounds, 2 ounces of wanted a sister just like officials have set the plant’s her, was born at 10:16 that Elsa.” value at $212.6 million, Friday morning. The Kalnins live outside less than half of the $509 “It’s kind of funny. I Chana in Ogle County, and million set by Ogle County mean, it’s something that both Lynn and Matt work in Supervisor of Assessments we can always kind of talk Ogle County. Jim Harrison. about,” Lynn said. “Our Lynn is assistant principal The appeal is for the other daughter was born at Chana Education Center, generating station’s 2014 before the Fourth of July, and Matt is a police officer assessment, which affects so we kind of joked that our with the Oregon Police taxes payable in 2015. daughters like to be born Department. Exelon also appealed its around holidays.” The parents, both 32, 2012 and 2013 assessments. Four-year-old Abigail, were married in 2007 and The BOR upheld both born July 3, also was will celebrate their eighth the 2012 assessment of delivered at KSB. anniversary on Sept. 1. $499 million and the 2013 “We didn’t find out the assessment of $509 million. gender for either pregnancy, “Like I said, it was just Exelon has appeals for so it made the moment even such a surprise,” Lynn said. both those years pending more exciting to know “We’ve had quite a year!” before the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board. Exelon paid more than $34 million in real estate taxes last year to 11 taxing bodies, which include Ogle County, Rockvale Township, Byron School District, Oregon School District, Oregon Park District, Byron Fire District, Rock Valley College, Byron Public Library District, Byron Museum District, Byron Forest Preserve District, and Kishwaukee Community College. The Byron School District received the largest share of that money — more than $19 million. The value of the Byron Generating Station has After making a few remarks, Bruce Rauner works his frequently been disputed way around the Swedish Pancake House in Byron Jan. throughout the 30-year 9. Photo by Alex Paschal, Sauk Valley Media history of the facility.
Exelon appeals assessment
Chana couple has KSB’s first baby of 2015 By Christi Warren Sauk Valley Media
the nurses told them their daughter, who was born Jan. 2, was KSB Hospital’s Lynn and Matt Kalnins first of 2015. were pretty surprised when “They just kind of said,
‘Oh, by the way, you’re the first one,’” Lynn said. “We were the only ones in there at the time, but as soon as we delivered, within half an
Matt and Lynn Kalnins, along with their 4-year-old daughter, Abigail, welcome the newest addition to the family, Caroline, on Jan. 2 at KSB Hospital in Dixon.
Rauner stops in at Byron restaurant during tour By Jermaine Pigee Sauk Valley Media Days before he was set to take office, Republican Gov.elect Bruce Rauner paid a visit to Byron Jan. 9 to show some gratitude to the people who put him in office. “I’m ready to go to work for you and we are here to say thank you,” Rauner said as he stood alongside Lt. Governorelect Evelyn Sanguinetti. “We are here because we want this to be the greatest
state and the greatest nation on earth. We want Illinois to be the most passionate and most competitive state in America.” Rauner spent about 30 minutes last Friday morning at the Swedish Pancake House in Byron as part of his 2-day Ready to Work Tour. In addition to Byron, Rauner was also scheduled to visit Chillicothe, Casey, Grayville, Benton, Maryville, Quincy, Moline, and Moweaqua.
In This Week’s Edition...
Rauner didn’t plan to stop in any of the state’s major media markets, including Chicago and Springfield. Rauner ousted Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn in the November election. Rauner is a venture capitalist from Winnetka who will assume his first public office when he is sworn in on Monday. Rauner also told reporters he was disappointed with the Legislature’s
Business Briefs, A9 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B7-B12 Entertainment, A6
Turn to A6
Fines, B3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B6
Sheriff’s Arrests, B6 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B6
Deaths, B5 Donald E. Asp, C. Lowell Edwards, Elizabeth Frantz, Bernice M. Hitchcock, Wilda E. Lundin, Karl L. Myers
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com