Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS April 7, 2016 Volume 49, Number 6 - $1.00
Poole Signs
Budget Impact
Walking for Serenity
Oregon bowler Derek Poole will bowl for Judson College B1
State’s inability to pass a budget hurts local programs...again. B3
A Polo man will walk 100 miles to help the Serenity Home in Oregon. B1
Ogle gamblers spent $176M in slot machines 220 percent growth in county since VGTs allowed By Andy Colbert acolbert@oglecounty news.com The figures are staggering. In 2015, gamblers played $176 million in slot machines. No, those weren’t numbers for Illinois. That was for Ogle County
alone. Statewide, $11 billion was fed into the slots. Since video gaming was approved by the state legislature in 2012, Ogle County went from $54 million played two years ago to the $176 million last year, a growth of 220 percent. Of that amount, gamblers lost $14 million in 2015. Officially known as video gaming terminals (VGTs) by the Illinois Gaming Board and one-armed bandits in slang, these machines
have pumped loads of money into businesses that house them, the machines operators themselves and state and local tax coffers. The same is true in Las Vegas, the gambling capital of the world. It is slot machines, not table games or sports betting that bring in the most revenue to a casino. Reviewing the amounts gambled in February statewide, there was more than a billion dollars pumped into machines. The February amount among Ogle County
licensees with number of gaming terminals in parenthesis was: Rochelle (49) .............$2,790,259 Oregon (45) ...............$1,854,061 Mt. Morris (25) ............$708,130 Byron (24) ....................$867,318 Davis Junction (15) ......$600,479 Stillman Valley (15) .....$513,766 Polo (15) ......................$348,527 Forreston (5) ................$225,636 Grand Detour (5) .........$133,897 Chana (5) .....................$122,629 Leaf River (4) ................$67,135
Ten Pennies ($735,000 for February) and Father and Sons ($524,000) dominate the VGT scene in Oregon with 10 terminals each. “Being a tourist community, we have more bars and restaurants,” said Oregon mayor Ken Williams, explaining why the community has nearly twice as many slots as Byron and Mt. Morris. “I think there has to be a balance. Economically, there is a point of diminishing returns. Turn to A9
Event to explore art on campus
1,700 turn out for show By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Elaine Edler, Forreston, was barely in the door Saturday when she found one of the things she looking for at the Oregon Woman’s Club’s 66th annual Antique Show. Edler said she came to the show at the Blackhawk Center in Oregon to shop for Ronald Reagan memorabilia, trinkets, and valentines. “I did find a valentine as I came in the door,” she said with a smile. Edler was just one of an estimated 1,700 people who attended the two-day show which is known for its eclectic mix of antique and vintage items. Show manager Ron Bry said the attendance was about average overall with fewer than usual people on Saturday and more than normal on Sunday. He said the weather may have been a factor in Saturday’s turnout. Although only blustery in Oregon, the surrounding area got a blast of winter early in the day. “They had heavy snow for a while around Milwaukee and Chicago on Saturday
By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
Joseph’s Orphanage [in Lisle]. It’s now Benet Academy and that’s where I work,” she said. Her husband said they saw an ad for the show in their local newspaper and decided to come. “What attracted us is that it’s the 66th year for it,” he said. “For it to go on that long they must know what they’re doing.” Across the auditorium, Carolyn Melling, Rockford, was waiting for Bob Gates,
Economic development experts and businessmen from as far away as Chicago and Wisconsin will be part of a brainstorming event this weekend in Mt. Morris. The Mt. Morris Economic Development Group (EDG) will host Encore!, on Thursday, April 7, Friday, April 8, and Saturday, April 9 at the Pinecrest Grove Community Center. The event is designed to explore economic development opportunities related to the arts. “We will explore the redevelopment of empty businesses downtown,” said Mt. Morris Village Clerk Paul Diehl, who is also an EDG member. “This has been in the works for a long time. EDG wants to develop something that will draw people to the downtown area.” Diehl said about 80 people have been invited to participate, including residents and businessmen from Mt. Morris as well as
Turn to A9
Turn to A3
Carolyn Melling, Rockford, is all smiles as she examines her Waterford vase, newly repaired by Bob Gates, Joliet, at the annual Oregon Woman’s Club Antique Show at the Blackhawk Center on April 2. Photo by Vinde Wells
morning,” Bry said. “That may have made some people wonder if they should start out.” The show went off without a hitch, he said. “Everything went quite well,” he said. “It was a buying crowd — the dealers were quite happy.” Several new dealers offered their wares at this year’s show, and they were pleased, Bry said. “The new dealers did quite well. They were pleased with
the show and the facility and the staff at the Blackhawk Center,” he said. The lunch counter manned by the women from the Chana United Methodist Church did a bustling business. “The Chana ladies were bombarded both days,” Bry said. “Their food was very good.” Anita Hayward, Oregon, and LaVonne Anderson, Mt. Morris, browsed from booth to booth Saturday afternoon. “We’re just having a good
time wandering and looking at all the beautiful things,” Hayward said. “Anything Sterling silver and cut glass is what I like,” Anderson said. “I’m coming back tomorrow, too.” Donna Zielinski, Lisle, had just found a treasure. She and her husband Dennis, first-timers at the show, were looking through the picture post cards when she found a couple she was hanging onto. “I found some from St.
Cook steps down after 24 years By Chris Johnson cxjohnson@oglecountynews.com The local ride is over for Ogle County Engineer Curtis Cook when he steps down after 24 years on the job. He is stepping away at the end of the month to work at the Rockford office of Chastain and Associates, Decatur. “It has been a good ride. The time was right to step away from the post. It has been a blast,” he said. “I look back at the projects we completed and we went from a period of high economic development to a recession. Economically I saw one extreme to another.” Despite economic challenges which impact the county highway department’s budget, Cook has been proud of the accomplishments the department has made. “There were several major projects I was tickled with,” said Cook. The highway department worked with the City of Rochelle, the BNSF
Railroad, IDOT, and other agencies to build the Steward Road overpass. “It took coordination of all these agencies and the road benefits the companies along the road,” said Cook. This project started in 2005 with the concept and was completed in 2010 after a two-year construction. “Coordinated projects were fun because it shows we play well in the same sandbox,” he said. Another project he was proud of was the county Geographic Information Systems (GIS) project. The highway department, county board, zoning department, and assessor worked together to assemble the data for Ogle County. “The GIS system required coordination and 15 years later we have 38 agencies that participate,” Cook said. “GIS has the cooperation and is a product with information that the public wants.” Looking forward, Cook sees the need to address township bridges.
In This Week’s Edition...
Church Bells, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 Entertainment, A6 Marriage Licenses, A4
“The county bridges are in good condition but the issue is looming for township bridges,” Cook said. Currently the funding model for bridges has the costs to replace one bridge every two years. In Ogle County there are 196 township bridges. “The state and local agencies will need to find a way to fund the replacement of these bridges,” said Cook. This concern is heightened because there have been talks at the state level of reducing or removing township governments. If the townships were removed, the highway department would have an extra 1,000 miles of road to maintain. For the current 270 miles the county maintains, the highway department can only afford to replace a road every 24 years. Proper maintenance is required to ensure the roads last because the cost of Ogle County Engineer Curtis Cook will step away from maintenance and replacement continues the county engineer post after 24 years. Photo by Chris to increase while revenue has declined, Johnson Cook said.
Mt. Morris Library, A3 Oregon Police, A9 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B4
Sheriff’s Arrests, B4 Social News, A4 Sports, B1-B2 State’s Attorney, B3
Deaths, B4 Mary Ann Greenawalt, F. Imogene Fridley Rothermel
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com