MMT_04102014

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Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967

MT.Times MORRIS April 10, 2014 Volume 47, Number 6 - $1.00

Double Victory

Building Plans

Tow Fund

Lady Hawks down the Duchesses in a doubleheader played April 5. B1

The county board will discuss a new sheriff’s building. A3

An internal memo from the sheriff says fees will not be collected for the Tow Fund. A11

Village Board will go forward with TIF district By Chris Johnson Reporter A second tax increment financing (TIF) district is in the works in Mt. Morris. After a quick vote without discussion, the board rescinded the vote and held a discussion before approving

the plan. “It is a $30,000 cost to do the TIF district,� said trustee Jon Murray. “The money generated will come from increased property values.� Murray said growth in the village may not be immediate with the creation of the village’s second TIF district.

“We need to take a hard look at growth,� he said. A member of the audience asked what the first TIF district did for the village and how it benefited residents. “TIF 1 versus TIF 2 are different areas,� said village president Dan Elsasser. “TIF 1 is undeveloped and

industrial. We are generating zero funds from it.� The Kable News property on Hitt Street and the Quad Graphics property are within original TIF district. Both of those businesses have closed their doors in the village. “TIF 2 is more retail,� said Elsasser. “We feel if there

is going to be growth this is where it is.� Murray said the village has taken a hit in recent years. “We need incentives to develop,� Murray said. “We will need to promote Mt. Morris.� In other business, trustee Don Sorensen asked if

the board will consider an annexation agreement with Mt. Morris Estates. The question stems from wastewater rate increases to the property. The Mt. Morris Estates are outside the village limits but some of the units use the Turn to A3

Donated tractor sold for charity The 1966 tractor was hard to miss when visitors walked into the 2014 Hazelhurst Spring Consignment Sale on Saturday. Yes, John Deere tractors always draw the interest of the green and gold faithful, but this one was starting to catch the eyes of others. Maybe it was the way the sun sparkled off the bright green and gold while a burst of red, white and blue in a smartly designed American flag, seemed to unfurl across the 4020’s hood. Or was it the buzz that 75 percent of the sale price would be donated to the Polo Lions Club? Either way, the interest level was high when auctioneer Lenny Bryson started to sell the “parade ready� tractor. “This John Deere 1040 has been donated by the Bocker family. Seventy-five percent of the sale price will go to the Polo Lions Club and the other 25 percent will go to a charity that the buyer wants it to go to,� said Bryson. “In other words, the Bocker family is donating this tractor. What a great, great donation.� The bidding quickly reached $21,000. “This is all for a great

cause folks,� said Bryson in between bids. “What a great tractor. Now $21,500 do I hear $22,000...yesss...now how about $22,500?� After a another minute or so, Bryson closed the deal. “Going once, twice, sold! You all know the story, we want to thank you all very, very much,� he said. Chuck McCormick, Geneva, was the successful bidder for the tractor and it was the only item he bought at the sale. “I collect tractors so I probably will add it to my collection,� he said on Monday. The tractor was being used as a “chore� tractor when the Bocker family saw a brand new life for the faded green diesel workhorse. “We bought it when it was in pretty hard shape,� said Mark Bocker, Polo, as he took a break from helping at the Polo Lions Club food booth. “It was being used as a chore tractor. It needed mechanical repairs and miscellaneous repairs.� Donating the tractor was a way his family could give back to the Polo Lions Club which has been a commitment for generations Turn to A2

Auctioneer Lenny Bryson auctions off the 1966 John Deere tractor at the Hazelhurst Sale on April 5. The tractor was donated by the Bocker family. Seventy-five percent of the $22,000 sale price was donated to the Polo Lions Club with the remaining 25 percent yo be donated to a charity of the purchaser’s choice. Photo by Earleen Hinton

Large crowd turns out for sale By Earleen Hinton General Manager A perfect spring day greeted winter-weary bidders last Saturday at the annual Hazelhurst Spring Consignment Sale, west of Polo. An estimated crowd of between 5,000-6,000 descended on the 30-acre site with each visitor taking his or her time to walk by rows of farm machinery, cars, and a

miscellaneous mix of this and the occasional “what the heck is that?� “We had a real good turnout,� said Lyle Hopkins, who owns and operates Public Auction Service, Polo, with his wife, Sheryl. “No one was able to get out and work in the fields yet so we could not have asked for a more beautiful day.� Temperatures in the high 50s, sunny skies, and a 60plus year tradition helped

bring the crowd to the sale site on Saturday. “With all the weather we’ve had this year, we really lucked out,� said Hopkins. The sale has been held west of Polo near the tiny hamlet of Hazelhurst ever since Sheryl’s mother and father, Ruth and Ellery Shank, hosted the first sale on their 30-acre farm site in the 1940s. It started as a venue where local farmers could buy and

sell farm machinery. Now, in addition to farm machinery, the sale also includes a wide variety of other items including cars, trucks, lawn tractors, all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles, snowblowers, lumber, tires, and other miscellaneous “finds.� Vehicles, primarily pick-up trucks hauling trailers of all sizes, were Turn to A10

Two charged following shooting By Vinde Wells Editor Two people are facing felony charges in connection with a shooting last month in rural Byron. Ogle County State’s Attorney Michael Rock said Tuesday that Brandon McMahon, 20, has been charged with attempted first degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated discharge of a firearm, possession of a weapon by a gang member, and possession of a weapon by a felon. Rachel Deiter, 18, Machesney Park, has been charged with concealing or aiding a fugitive. Assistant State’s Attorney Joshua Versluys said Deiter Four-year-old Tyler Duchay, Sterling. concentrates on is accused of attempting to getting one of the tires he and his mom, Laura, bought prevent McMahon’s arrest at the Hazelhurst Consignment Sale on April 5. Photo by after the shooting by fleeing Earleen Hinton with him from the county.

In This Week’s Edition...

Church Bells, A5 Classifieds, B6-B12 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B6 Library News, A3

McMahon was arrested in Rockford. As of Tuesday, it was unclear as to where Deiter was arrested. McMahon is accused of shooting Wyatt Ackerson, 19, Byron, during a confrontation at a party in the early morning hours of March 22 at a residence on North Hoisington Road, northwest of Byron. Ackerson remains in the hospital. Deiter is being held in the Ogle County Jail in lieu of $75,000 bond, Versluys said. She was arraigned March 28, and a public defender was appointed then to represent her. Although Deiter was taken into custody March 24, the report of her arrest has not appeared on the Ogle County Sheriff’s website that lists arrests. Rock said last week that he knew of no arrests in the case

Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B4 Public Voice, A8 Property Transfers, B2 Service News, A4

Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, A 12, B1 State’s Attorney, B4 Zoning Permits, B6

Rachel Deiter

Brandon McMahon

other than McMahon. A juvenile may also be involved in the incident, Rock said Tuesday, but he would not give further details. McMahon, a parolee, is currently being held in the Winnebago County Jail. He has also been charged with a shooting in Winnebago County. According to Illinois Department of Corrections

(IDOC) records, McMahon was paroled from state prison in July of 2013. He was sentenced to three years in the IDOC in 2010 after being convicted on several charges, including armed robbery (no firearm) and possession of a firearm by a gang member. All the offenses occurred in Winnebago County.

Deaths, B3 Phyllis A. Brashaw, Neil D. Johnson. James M. Schoonhoven, Darrell O. Wagner

0UBLISHED EVERY 4HURSDAY BY /GLE #OUNTY .EWSPAPERS A DIVISION OF 3HAW -EDIA s WWW OGLECOUNTYNEWS COM


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