Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS May 21, 2015 Volume 48, Number 12 - $1.00
State Bound
Ranger
Recognition
The Lady Hawks track athletes will compete in five events at the state meet this week. B1
Read about tourism activities throughout Ogle County. Inside
Ogle County Telecommunicators were recognized for their tornado response. A10
Board agrees to delay property taxes for some Tornado victims have extra time By Vinde Wells Editor
Ground Breaking Ground was officially broken May 15 for the Sullivan’s Food store in Mt. Morris. Pictured left to right are: Mt. Morris Economic Development Group (EDG) member Doug Akins, Mt. Morris Village Trustee Phil Labash, Planning Committee member Dave Saunders, Village Trustee Jon Murray, Village Clerk Paula Diehl, architect Brian Busser,, Village Trustee Tim Harvey, Village President Dan Elsasser, owner Scott Sullivan, Planning Committee member Jerry Stauffer, EDG member Rob Urish, EDG member John Finfrock, and EDG member Howie Herman. Photo supplied
Bond remains $250,000 for Swisher Motion to reduce was denied Tuesday By Vinde Wells Editor An Ogle County judge denied a motion Tuesday to reduce the bond for the Peoria man who led Ogle County Sheriff’s Police on a high speed chase two weeks ago. Judge Robert Hanson ruled that the bond for Daniel
H. Swisher, 40, will remain at $250,000. Swisher’s attorney Paul Whitcombe, Dixon, had asked for the bond to be reduced to $100,000. “I know very little about Mr. Swisher,” Hanson said. “And now I’m finding out today that he has another fleeing to elude charge in Peoria County.” Hanson asked the Ogle County Probation Department to do a background check on Swisher and bring back the needed information in time for a preliminary hearing on Wednesday, May 27.
Swisher was charged May 13 with four counts of aggravated fleeing to elude, all Class 4 felonies; two counts of resisting a peace officer, both Class 4 felonies; and possession of cannabis, a misdemeanor. Whitcombe said Swisher has no previous felony convictions and no history of violent crimes. Swisher testified at Monday’s hearing that he has been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and has suffered from manic depressive episodes since 1998. He said he has been
Victims of the April 9 tornado will have a few extra months to pay their property tax bills. The Ogle County Board approved a measure Tuesday that extends the deadline for both installments to Oct. 16. “Basically this will allow anyone with property damaged by the tornado to pay their taxes in October instead of June and September,” said board member Greg Sparrow, Rochelle. Otherwise, the first installment, or half, of the bill is due on June 12 and the
second on Sept. 4. Board member Lee Meyers, Byron, asked if the county can take any other measures to help tornado victims. “I doesn’t seem like very much,” he said. Since the 2015 tax bill is for 2014 taxes, the amount due will not be affected. However, shortly after the tornado, Ogle County Supervisor of Assessments Jim Harrison announced he had frozen the assessed values of improvements (structures) on properties destroyed by the tornado as of April 9. That means those values will be reduced by 73 percent on the 2016 tax bills. Zoning Administrator Mike Reibel has waived permit fees for anyone Turn to A2
Memorial Day
prescribed medication for the condition, but was not taking it when he fled from Ogle County deputies May 6. Swisher told the court that he was hospitalized in 1998 after an episode when he The Mt. Morris American took a car from a dealership believing it to be his property. Legion Post 143 will host the annual Memorial Day Subsequently, he said he Program on Monday, May quit taking the medication he 25 at the Mt. Morris Campus was prescribed and had no Band Shell. The campus is located at more episodes until 2013. Since 2013, he said, he has the corner of Wesley Avenue been hospitalized nine times. and Main Street, one block Swisher agreed to bond south of Ill. 64. The program and the band Turn to A9 shell begins at 10 a.m.
program is May 25 Silver Star and Purple Heart recipient Doug Wean will be the main speaker. The program includes the reading of “The Gettysburg Address” and “In Flanders Fields” by members of the Performing Arts Guild. The Mt. Morris Fire Protection District Color Turn to A2
Bison Boom Herd is already helping prairie at the Grasslands By Earleen Hinton General Manager Yes, yes, all the buzz may be about the baby bison boom at Nachusa Grasslands, but the real excitement is what the grown ups are already doing to help restore the prairie. “It’s been super exciting ever since the bison arrived and we are already starting to see success from bison grazing,” said restoration ecologist Cody Considine. “It looks like the bison are eating the grasses around the spring flowers and that’s pretty cool.” While the recent inclusion of the big prairie mammals may be what’s driving new people to the Nature Conservancy’s 3,500-acre Grasslands, located east of Dixon and south of Oregon,
Bison calves are surrounded by cows at the Nachusa Grasslands. As of last week, 11 calves had been birthed by the Nature Conservancy’s bison herd at the Grasslands. Photo by Earleen Hinton
it is the delight in the details that inspires Considine and other Grasslands volunteers who have spent years and hundreds of hours pulling invasive plants, collecting prairie plants seeds, burning, and replanting. “Already we can see where the prairie plants are doing better based on where and what the bison are eating, but from a science research point of view, this study will take several years. Right now,
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it is very evident they are avoiding the forbs (flowers) and eating the grass,” he said. Bison were reintroduced to the Grasslands in October 2014 when Considine and Bill Kleiman, preserve manager, and Grassland volunteers, made three trips totaling nearly 3,500 miles to transport cows and bulls from established herds in Iowa and South Dakota to the Grasslands.
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The Grasslands’ herd is the first to live at a TNC preserve east of the Mississippi and also the first conservation herd in Illinois—with a primary purpose of helping the prairie thrive. And so far, the bison seem be fitting well into their new home. The first calf was born in early April, followed by 10 soon after. “As of last Saturday, we now have 11 new calves,” said Considine. “We now
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have 41 in the herd.” The bison, and their calves, have also meant an increase in visitors driving by the bison enclosure, to catch a glimpse of the new additions. The Grasslands kiosk, located on Lowden Road, offers maps of the Grasslands including where the bison are located. “People are excited about the bison. Now people can come here and learn more
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about what we do and how they can contribute. They may or may not be able to see the herd, depending on where they are at. This isn’t a zoo. These are wild animals,” said Considine. Sometimes the herd can be seen grazing on the west side of Lowden Road or from the north side of Stone Barn Road or south from Flagg Road.
Deaths, B3 Frances L. Shadewaldt
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com
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