Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS May 7, 2015 Volume 48, Number 10 - $1.00
Lady Hawks Second Getting Ready
Fundraiser Armed Forces Day and a Memorial Fundraiser will be held at Barnacopia May 16. A6
Area schools schedule commencement exercises. A8
The Lady Hawks take second at the county meet, boys finish in fourth. B1
Mt. Morris man killed in Tuesday evening crash
Practice Burn
An Mt. Morris man died Tuesday afternoon after he was ejected from his sport utility vehicle in a roll-over crash southeast of Mt. Morris. Eric J. Pepper, 37, was pronounced dead at the scene of the one-vehicle crash on Camp Road approximately a quarter-mile west of Ridge
Road. Ogle County Sheriff’s Police said Pepper was driving the SUV west on Camp Road when it went out of control and entered the north ditch where it sideswiped a utility pole. The vehicle then rolled over at least three times and
struck a second utility pole, breaking it off, before coming to rest in the ditch. The accident remains under investigation. The Mt. Morris Fire Department and ambulance and the Ogle County Coroner’s Office assisted at the scene.
Man dies in motorcycle crash
Mt. Morris firefighters practice cutting holes in a roof at a practice burn May 2 of a vacant house at Camp Ross. Polo and Leaf River firefighters also took part in the practice exercise. Camp Ross officials plan to covert the reinforced concrete basement of the house into a storm shelter for campers. Photo by R. J. Hough
A Polo man was killed May 2 when the motorcycle he was driving failed to negotiate a curve. Douglas A. Weidman, 44, Polo, was pronounced dead at the scene following the 9:05 p.m. accident that occurred at the intersection of North Union and West Canada roads, north of Polo. Ogle County Sheriff’s Deputies determined that Weidman was driving his
1994 Yamaha south on Union Road when he failed to negotiate a curve in the road. The motorcycle skidded on the roadway for approximately 60 feet before it left the roadway on the west side of Union Road. The motorcycle continued off the roadway for approximately 190 feet before striking and snapping a utility pole on the west side of union road where the motorcycle
and driver came to a rest. Police said speed was a factor in the accident. The Ogle County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Polo Police department, Ogle County Coroner’s Office, and the Polo Fire and ambulance services. The accident remains under investigation, pending the results of laboratory tests. An autopsy was conducted at the Ogle County Morgue.
Black Hawk repairs get green light at long last By Vinde Wells Editor After months and months of paperwork and waiting, the work can finally begin on the restoration of Oregon’s best-known icon. “The work on Black Hawk can begin. We’re happy at long last,” Frank Rausa, Sterling, said Tuesday morning. “The state issued the contracts last week.” Rausa and his wife Cherron head up the Friends of the Black Hawk Statue, a group formed six years ago
to raise funds to repair the areas of the statue that are deteriorating due to time and weather. Chris Young, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), said May 1 that agency officials had signed all contracts. Because the 50-foot concrete landmark is located at Lowden State Park, it is under IDNR jurisdiction. “Work can begin when the vendors are ready,” Young said in an email. Young also said that the
IEMA official praises county’s tornado response By Vinde Wells Editor Ogle County’s emergency crews drew praise from a state official for their response last month when an EF4 tornado destroyed an estimated 40 homes and damaged nearly 180 structures. “Ogle County first responders are very professional and dedicated to public safety,” said Brian Brackemyer, coordinator for Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) Region 2, which includes 17 counties in northwest Illinois. Region 2 is headquartered in Dixon, and Brackemyer was on the scene April 9 after the tornado swept through two subdivisions west of Rochelle, where most of the destroyed homes were located. “Everyone was very professional and concerned
about the general public,” he said. The tornado, a half-mile wide at times, stayed on the ground for an estimated 39 miles, according to the National Weather Service. It first touched down in a field just west of Franklin Grove and moved in a northeasterly direction, damaging Crest Foods outside of Ashton before moving into Ogle County just after 6:30 p.m. Grubsteakers Restaurant at the intersection of Ill. 64 and 251 and nearby farms and homes were destroyed by the twister as it continued on its path to Fairdale, a tiny village on Ill. 72 just over the DeKalb County line. Two women died there in their homes, and many of the 50 homes and structures in the village were flattened. The tornado also damaged structures in Boone and McHenry Counties. Brackemyer and other
In This Week’s Edition...
$350,000 received by the IDNR from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity will also be forthcoming. “The grant is good through May of 2016,” he said in the email message. Through the efforts of the Friends of the Black Hawk Statue, experts came up with a plan to restore the portions of the statue that are crumbling and falling off. The folded arms of the statue, especially the elbows and underneath the arms; the middle of the robe; and the
vertical fold in the robe from armpit to toe are the critical areas. The statue was encased in plastic mesh for the winter to protect it from further damage from cold, ice, and snow. Designed by Chicago sculptor Lorado Taft in 1910 and dedicated in 1911, Black Hawk was named to the state’s list of Most Endangered Historic Places April 22 by Landmarks Illinois. The agency released a statement about the statue.
“Despite several repairs and patches over the decades, the now 104-year old statue is in desperate need of full conservation – its concrete body in some places is so deteriorated that if not addressed immediately there is a risk that the damage will quickly accelerate and the majority of its original details will be lost,” the press release said. The cost of the restoration is estimated at $825,000, of which nearly $750,000 has been raised by Rausa and his group through donations,
grants, and fundraisers. Red tape and getting official approval of the repair plan and the contract for the work has repeatedly delayed the start of the repairs. Everything seemed to be in place late last fall after IDNR officials signed a contract with project conservator Dr. Andrzej Dajnowski and his crew, from Conservation of Sculpture & Objects Studio, Forest Park. However, over the winter, Rausa said, the IDNR Turn to A3
What’s Cookin’ drew out tasters
Both cooking teams and tasters were enthusiastic about the third annual What’s Cookin’ held May 2 at Barnacopia. “Nineteen cooking teams came to the barn with so much excitement and left with so much joy and anticipation of coming back for the 2016 event which is being planned for April 16, 2016,” said event organizer Diane Palmer. More than 300 people Ogle County Emergency Management Agency (OCEMA) Director Tom Richter makes a point May 2 during turned out to try the many
food dishes prepared by the teams who participated. Sean Considine, Byron, this year’s spokesperson for the event, was on hand sharing his specialty dish. Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle, Ogle County State’s Attorney Eric Morrow and Ogle County Circuit Clerk Kim Stahl were part of Considine’s team. “This team has already talked about coming back Turn to A3
an evaluation of the county’s response to the April 9 tornado. Photo by Chris Johnson
Region 2 officials held an evaluation Monday to determine how well the Ogle County Emergency Management Agency (OCEMA) and other agencies handled the rescue and recovery operations after the storm. Representatives of Ogle County police and fire departments, as well as county officials were invited to the evaluation, held at Rochelle Township High School.
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B7-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B5 Library News, A3
The response was evaluated on 10 points, each of which included several target items. Those attending were encouraged to weigh in with their assessments of what was done well and what needs to be improved. Each target item was graded P for performance without challenges, the highest rating; S for performance with some challenges; M for performance with major challenges; and U for unable Turn to A7
Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, A7 Public Voice, A9 Property Transfers, B5 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3
Twyla Neubauer, Peoria, and Jeri Heckman, Pecatonica, sample some of the sweet delights at Cupcake QTTS, Mt. Morris, during What’s Cookin’ at Barnacopia on May 2. Photo by Earleen Hinton
Sheriff’s Column Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B3 Zoning Certificates, B4
Deaths, B6 Nolan Deets Jr., Lea A. Spengler, Robert J.M. Tudor
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com