Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS July 3, 2014 Volume 47, Number 18 - $1.00
DUI Conviction A Chana man received a 3-year jail sentence for a wreck with a Rochelle school bus. B2
Music on the 4th
Pie Contest Sweet prizes are up for grabs during a July 5 Pie Baking Contest. A3
The Bootleg Flyers open for Bobby Messano. The Kable Concert Band performs in the evening.
Music and kids events featured at LFR festival By Vinde Wells Editor Lots of music and more activities for kids will add to the family fun as Mt. Morris rolls out the red carpet for this year’s Let Freedom Ring festival. Eleven bands will be on stage during the four-day festival, LFR Committee
Chairman Mark Lewis said, and youngsters will find 11 inflatables added to the usual events just for them on Saturday for Kids Day. “We have expanded kids’ events on Saturday,� Lewis said. “Besides the Kiddie Parade and kiddie water fights, we’re doing more by having a bouncy house and other inflatables.�
Kids Day will also feature wrist bands where kids can have unlimited access to the activities for a set cost, he said. A new family event this year will be the Family Feud Game Show Saturday at 6 p.m. at the band shell. The festival gets off to a traditional start Wednesday, July 2 with two pageants
— the Little Miss & Mr. Firecracker contest at 6 p.m. at the band shell followed closely by the Let Freedom Ring Queen contest at 7 p.m. Eight Oregon High School seniors — Abigail Baker, Samantha Miller, Beth Obendorf, Kelsey Pudlas, Sarah Scott, Soledad Silva, Kristin Vandesand, and
Lexie Walker — are vying for the honor. The evening will conclude with a patriotic concert performed by the Kable Concert Band. Fourth of July highlights, Lewis said, are the Firemen’s Breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. at the fire station, the Patriotic Program at noon at the band shell
followed by the ringing of the Official Illinois State Freedom Bell, the Grand Parade at 2 p.m., topped off the fireworks at dusk. For more festival events TURN TO ! ! AND ! &OR A COMPLETE SCHEDULE VISIT THE FESTIVAL WEBSITE AT WWW LETFREEDOMRINGFESTIVAL COM OR ON &ACEBOOK
Storm damages Oregon By Vinde Wells Editor Brigette Peterson, Oregon, was chatting with her sister in the kitchen Monday night when part of an oak tree crashed through the ceiling. A severe storm packing high winds, torrential rain, and small hail swept through town just before 9 p.m. bringing down trees and power lines and leaving most of the city without electricity for more than 12 hours. The storm uprooted a massive oak tree behind Peterson’s house at 410 N. Sixth St., and brought it crashing down on her grill and house. About two feet of one of its branches protruded through the ceiling above her kitchen sink. Peterson and her two children, ages 6 and 8, were in the kitchen when it happened along with her sister and niece and nephew. “We were actually in that room when it happened,� Peterson said Tuesday morning. “The sound was unbelievable. I’ve never heard anything like it. It sounded like every window in the house was shattering a once. “And then we had water pouring into the house everywhere, from the light fixtures, the ceiling, everywhere,� she said.
The main thing, she said, was that no one was hurt. “I’m so thankful we were all fine, not a scratch,� said Peterson, who is expecting a baby in November. She called 911 for help and when the fire department arrived, firefighters told her the tree had landed on her outdoor grill, which was keeping it from coming down completely on the house. Firefighters shut off the electricity and natural gas to the 160-year-old house, and Peterson and her family left to spend the night in Rockford. Oregon Fire Chief Don Heller said trees and power lines were down throughout Oregon, with the most damage between Eighth and Tenth Streets. He said the fire department answered 18 calls and stayed at the fire station until midnight after the storm had run its course. Heller said he drove down Fourth Street near McDonald’s to assess the storm as it was coming in, and when he tried to return a few minutes later the street was already blocked by a large tree. ComEd spokesman Dave Gross said Oregon was the hardest hit community in the Dixon area, which includes parts of Ogle and Lee Counties. “The damage is pretty
widespread,� he said. “Oregon has been one of our main focuses.� Numerous ComEd and contract crews were in Oregon all day Tuesday to remove limbs and branches from power lines and restore service. ComEd’s website showed more than 4,000 Ogle County customers without power early Tuesday. Gross said OregonNashua, Pine Rock, Pine Creek, Byron, and Grand Detour Townships were among the most affected townships in ComEd’s Dixon area. Oregon Street Superintendent Mike Bowers said he and his crew began putting up barricades Monday night, staying at it until midnight. They were back on the job early Tuesday morning cutting up trees and clearing limbs from the streets. “This was a pretty bad storm,� Bowers said. At Oregon Super Valu, a 13 and one-half hour power outage left employees throwing away fresh meat and deli items. “We lost our whole meat case and a lot of deli,� said store owner Jim Kauffmann. “Fortunately the freezers were fine. It’s tough to run a business without electricity.� A delivery truck that came
Brittney Smith, 19, Mt. Morris, was injured Monday morning when her vehicle rolledover in the 1200 block of North Ridge Road. Photo by Jerry Stauffer
Woman injured in fiery crash A Mt. Morris teenager was injured Monday morning in a fiery roll-over crash. Ogle County Sheriff’s Police said Brittney Smith, 19, was transported by Mt. Morris ambulance to KSB Hospital, Dixon, for non life
threatening injuries. Police said a car driven by Smith was northbound in the 1200 block of North Ridge Road when the vehicle drifted off the right side of the road. Smith then reentered the roadway and skidded into the
left ditch striking a culvert and overturning. The crash occurred at 8:17 a.m. The Mt. Morris Fire Department responded to the scene. Smith was issued a citation for improper lane usage.
Colonel Miller will speak during Patriotic Program By Sally Gray LFR Committee
The Let Freedom Ring Committee and Mt. Morris American Legion Post 143 are pleased to announce that retired Col. Chris Miller, U.S. Army, will be the guest Turn to B1 speaker for the Patriotic Program at 12 p.m. on Friday, July 4, at the Mt. Morris Campus band shell. This year’s Independence Day celebration falls on the 175th anniversary of the laying of the Rock River Seminary cornerstone, and of music, speeches, parades, prayers, and picnics on the Mt. Morris Campus. Colonel Miller, the son of Nelson Miller of Mt. Morris, was commissioned in the U.S. Army in 1982 after graduation from James Madison University, Virginia. He served with the 9th Infantry Division, the 268th Attack Helicopter Battalion,
and at the Yuma Proving Grounds in the research and development of the Apache Helicopter fire control and training systems. After completion of the Army Senior Service College in 2005, Col. Miller directed the Stryker Brigade Combat Team at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2012 to support NATO Training and to help establish the Afghan Special Mission Wing. He earned an MBA from Washington State University, graduated from the Army Command General Staff College and the Aviation Officers Advanced Course, and was a U.S. Army Senior Fellow at the University of Texas. Some of his military awards include the Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Clusters, the Afghan Campaign Medal, the NATO Forces Medal, and
the Presidential Superior Unit Award. The Let Freedom Ring Queen and her court will also be introduced and the winner of the annual patriotic essay contest will read her essay. The program will be followed by the annual ringing of the Official State of Illinois Freedom Bell, located on the campus. The bell will ring one time for each of the original thirteen colonies. All guests and participants are invited to join in the bell ringing ceremony. July 4, 2014, is the 175th anniversary of the cornerstone laying at the old Rock River Seminary on the Mt. Morris Campus. Over 500 people gathered on July 4, 1839, also the birthday of our nation’s independence, to celebrate the event. The seminary was founded on May 4, and the cornerstone Turn to A2
Three boys accused of vandalism Friday Concert Dave Warkins, left, signs and plays the guitar with Jim Hastings on bass during the Country Standard Tyme performance June 27 at the Mt. Morris Band Shell. Concerts are performed by a different group every Friday night in Mt. Morris. Photo by Chris Johnson
In This Week’s Edition...
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B2
Three male juveniles were taken into custody last week after a spree of vandalism in the southeast part of Mt. Morris. Police Chief Jason White said the three, who are about 16 years old, were released to their parents awaiting
Library News, A3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Public Voice, A8 Property Transfers, B5
appearances in juvenile court. The most serious damage was spray-painting a house, garage door, several vehicles, and a boat, White said.
Bruce Lane, Barbara Street, and Betty Street. The three are also accused of minor vandalism, such as spraying fire extinguishers inside mailboxes. The incidents happened in “That involved no dollar the early morning hours of loss, but someone had to do June 26 on Brayton Road, some cleaning,� White said.
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B1 State’s Attorney, B3
Deaths, B5 Mary Jean Gipe, Harmine W. Scheffner, Roger E. Schultz
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