Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS August 28, 2014 Volume 47, Number 26 - $1.00
Season Previews
River Sweep
Ice Bucket Challenge
The Oregon athletic teams are ready to face the competition during the fall season. B1
Volunteers are needed to help clean the Rock River Sept. 6. A6
Staff at Serenity House and Home took part in the Ice Bucket Challenge Aug. 22. A9
Speaker urges collaboration
High Flying Granny
By Vinde Wells Editor
91-year-old tandem skydives on Aug. 24 By Earleen Hinton General Manager It’s OK to scream. That was just one tip Dorothy Morris received on Sunday before jumping out of a plane over Rochelle at 14,000 feet. Turns out the 91-year-old great grandmother didn’t need it anyway. “I forgot to scream. I was too busy looking around. I think I wanted to, but it was so thrilling I forgot,� the Mt. Morris resident said shortly after landing with her tandem skydiving instructor Paul Piccolo. Surrounded by nearly 50 family members and friends, Morris jumped with Piccolo at the Chicagoland Skydiving Center in Rochelle on a hot and humid Sunday afternoon. She decided to try skydiving after hearing her niece, Kathy Qualkinbush, DeKalb, talk about how much she enjoyed her “jumps�. “She kept bringing it up and finally
Paul Piccolo, chief instructor at the Chicagoland Skydiving Center, checks his altimeter as he tandem jumps with Dorothy Morris, 91, Mt. Morris on Sunday. Photo by Michael Squires
I said ‘Ok, I will arrange it’,â€? said Qualkinbush who has made hundred of jumps. “Initially, I was surprised, but knowing her it made sense. I mean, she’s on Facebook‌I’m sure she’ll put this on too.â€? This was not the first visit for Morris to the skydiving center. She had watched other skydivers jump while eating at the Flight Deck Bar & Grill, located adjacent to the landing area. “I just love watching them jump,â€? she said. “We’ve come over for the evening meals so I’ve seen them over and over. I told Kathy I think I could
do that.� After signing the necessary pre-form jumps at the registration desk, Morris made her way into a nearby room where she watched a video about her upcoming experience. One of the tips encouraged screaming because “it actually helps� combat the anxiety. Another urged jumpers to let their jumping partner know if they felt nauseated so the professional could “take evasive action� and avoid any splash back. Turn to B6
Bank in Davis Junction robbed By Vinde Wells Editor Police are seeking information about a bank robbery Aug. 23 in Davis Junction. Ogle County Sheriff’s Police said a white male robbed the Byron Bank branch at the intersection of Ill. 72 and 251 around 11:30 a.m. The police report said the suspect handed the teller a note and implied that he had a weapon.
He obtained an undisclosed amount of money and fled the scene in a small silver vehicle headed east on Ill. 72. The Illinois State Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation are assisting in the investigation. Ogle County Sheriff Michael Harn said in a text message on Aug. 25 that he believes the FBI has taken over the investigation. Anyone with information may contact the sheriff’s department detective division at 815-732-6666 or Ogle
County Crime Stoppers at 888-228-4488. The last bank robberies in the area occurred more than eight years ago when a robber held up German American State Bank in German Valley twice in just a few days. Shaun P. Hille, then 25, Rockford, was arrested April 20, 2006, shortly after he robbed the bank for the second time. Bank employees recognized him from the first robbery 13 days earlier on April 7, 2006.
That investigation was also handled by the FBI. A suspect, who was not captured, attempted to rob the Holcomb State Bank in Holcomb on Jan. 27, 2010. He tried to enter the bank by following an employee who was coming to work through a back door. However, the door closed too quickly, thwarting the attempt. Two days earlier a car of the same description as the suspect’s was seen near the Byron Bank’s branch at Davis Junction.
Setting aside differences and preconceived ideas has made it possible for the citizens of a small city in Kansas to rebuild “green� in the wake of a devastating tornado. “It has to be a collaborative effort. We have to change how we think about sustainability,� said Bob Dixson, mayor of Greensburg, Kans., when he spoke to a group of about 60 people at the Illinois Renewable Energy and Sustainable Lifestyles Fair Aug. 23 at the Ogle County Fairgrounds. Dixson was the keynote speaker at the 13th annual fair, and he brought a message of encouragement about rebuilding after a disaster and going as “green� as possible whatever the situation. Greensburg, then a city of more than 1,500 people and the countyseat of Kiowa County in south central Kansas, was 95 percent destroyed on May 4, 2007 by an EF5 tornado. Eleven residents died. “In the blink of an eye your life can be changed,� Dixson said. “It didn’t matter what our socio-economic status
Bob Dixson Greensburg Mayor
was, we were all homeless. We went from a tree-lined community‌.to rubble.� The tornado packed 205 mph sustained winds and was more than a mile wide — almost as broad as the town. Homes, businesses, schools, churches, and government buildings were all destroyed when the storm swept through in the early evening. Dixson said he knows all too well how the loss felt. He and his wife Ann rode out the storm in the basement of their 100-plus-year-old Victorian Turn to A2
Lighting ceremony will be held Friday Mt. Morris’ new downtown street lights are in and ready to be switched on. Thirty-nine Victorian-style street lights were installed last week around Kable Square in the heart of the downtown. Planning committee member Jerry Stauffer said work crews from Utility Dynamics finished wiring the new lights on Aug. 23 and did a test lighting. “A few minor things on the hit list this week and we will be ready for the lighting ceremony and band on Friday evening Aug. 29,� he said. “The event will be held rain or shine so join us at the bandshell for supper and good country music.� The lighting ceremony will begin with food, compliments of the village board, starting at 6:30 p.m. at the bandshell
with all donations to be used to help pay for flag holders and new Christmas decorations. Lyle Grobe and the Rhythm Ramblers will play country music from 7 to 9 p.m. The lights will be switched on for the first time during the band break at dark. The first new pole and light went up Aug. 16 at the corner of Main and Seminary Streets in front of the post office. The village board recently approved the lighting project, which will cost almost $250,000. The board has applied for a state energy grant to help offset some of the cost. The new poles and lights, with energy efficient LED fixtures and underground wiring, replace ones that were decades old.
Peanuts are not allowed at FGS By Vinde Wells Editor
Mom’s old standby peanutbutter sandwich is no longer welcome at two local elementary schools — even if it’s part of a sack lunch from home. Forrestville Valley Superintendent Sheri Smith Oregon school administrators Mike Lawton, Andrew Nelson, Kip Crandall, and Mike Boyer react as coolers of ice told the school board Aug. 20 and cold water are dumped on during an Ice Bucket Challenge during the school’s Red & White Night on Friday. that peanuts and all nuts that Photo by Earleen Hinton
Ice Bucket Challenge
In This Week’s Edition...
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B9-B14 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B3 Marriage Licenses, A4
Library News, A3 Oregon Police, B7 Public Voice, A11 Property Transfers, B8 Sheriff’s Arrests, B4
Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B8 Weather, A3
grow on trees are banned this year at Forreston and German Valley Grade Schools. She said that decision was made because seven elementary students, including her own child, have allergies to peanuts. Smith said a letter has been sent home to parents informing them of the policy.
Deaths, B3 Lila V. Kaufman, Frances M. O’Brien
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