MMT_09042014

Page 1

Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967

MT.Times MORRIS September 4, 2014 Volume 47, Number 27 - $1.00

Hawks Win Opener

River Sweep

Time for Entries!

The Hawks football team battles Johnsburg and the weather to win their home opener 13-7. B1

Volunteer to help clean up the Rock River on Sept. 6. A10

Sept. 15 is the deadline for entries for Autumn on Parade’s Harvest Time Parade. B3

Abandoned car’s owner located in Chicago hospital By Vinde Wells Editor

grant to help offset some of the cost.

The owner of an abandoned car, who was the subject of an all-day search Tuesday, was located in a Chicago hospital. “We verified that he’s a patient in the VA hospital in Chicago,� Ogle County Sheriff Michael Harn said around 5 p.m. Tuesday. He said the search had been called off, but he does not yet know if the car’s owner or someone else was driving it, or how it happened to be abandoned in a field along Ridge Road about three miles south of Pines Road. He said deputies searched the surrounding area on foot and by helicopter after

The new poles and lights, with energy efficient LED fixtures and underground wiring, replace ones that were decades old.

Oregon hardware store closing Oct. 1

Local residents filled the benches at the band shell Aug. 29. More than 300 turned out for ceremony to officially switch the new downtown street lights. Photo by Vinde Wells

New street lights are officially on By Vinde Wells Editor Village officials switched on the new street lights in downtown Mt. Morris Aug. 29 while Mother Nature was putting on a light show of her own. The lighting ceremony took place about 10 minutes earlier than planned as dark clouds moved in, lightning flickered, the breeze picked up, and sprinkles began to fall at the band shell. “Let there be light in Mt. Morris,� said Planning Committee Chairman Jerry Stauffer as he flipped the switch and illuminated the 39 new Victorian-style light poles and fixtures throughout the downtown. A crowd of at least 300 people turned out for the ceremony, which included a free pork chop supper, compliments of the village

board, and country music by Lyle Grobe & the Rhythm Ramblers. Some danced, some sang along, and some just talked with the family and friends seated on benches, lawn chairs, blankets, and picnic tables. Stauffer thanked the village board and Mt. Morris Economic Development Group for the part each played in getting the lighting project accomplished. Village President Dan Elsasser recognized members of those two groups, as well as the Planning Committee during the program. John Finfrock, a member of the Economic Development Group, talked about projects the group has undertaken to attract businesses to Mt. Morris. The first new pole and light went up Aug. 16 at the corner of Main and Seminary Streets

in front of the post office. Installation was completed early last week. The village board recently approved the lighting project, which will cost almost $250,000. The board has applied for a state energy

a resident reported the abandoned car Tuesday morning. Harn said he did not know what time the car was found, how long it had been there, or who deputies were searching for. “We’re trying to find the driver. It looks like someone went for a walk,� Harn said in the mid-afternoon. “No one has reported anyone missing. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. Until we figure out who was driving the car, we don’t know who we’re looking for.� He said a cell phone was found in the black Volkswagen. No sign of foul play was found in or near the car, Harn said.

By Vinde Wells Editor Business was brisk Tuesday morning at Basler’s Ace Hardware, Oregon, as customers flocked in to take advantage of the store’s going-out-of-business discounts. The large sign at the store’s entrance on Pines Road proclaimed “Sale 40% off Everything,� bringing in a steady stream of cars, pickup trucks, and vans loading New Victorian era street lights are now installed up on landscaping materials, throughout Mt. Morris’ downtown. A lighting ceremony paint, tools, and everything took place Aug. 29 at the band shell. Photo by Vinde else the store has offered the community for the last 40 Wells

years. At the back of the store, owner Jeff Basler waited on customers and chatted with well-wishers who congratulated him on his retirement. “Best thing I ever did. You won’t be sorry,� said one 80ish man as he added an item to his cart. Basler, 63, is retiring and closing the store on Oct. 1. “It’s been in the works for a while,� he said. “After 40 years in the business and working 60 hours a week, my wife told me it’s time to retire.� Turn to A2

Rock River Trail showcases beauty of the river By Chris Johnson Reporter From the marshes of Wisconsin, a winding river flows through 11 counties on its way to the Mississippi River. For the past 40 years Frank Schier has been canoeing the Rock River and recently started the Rock River Trail Initiative. Schier was one of the presenters during the Illinois Renewable Energy and Sustainable Lifestyle Fair Aug. 24. “In 1972 I started exploring the river,� he said. “I started canoeing and looking at the beauty.� Not wanting to keep this to himself, Schier began looking at turning the river into an organized trail. This led Schier to look at making the river a National Trail in 2010. “I started talking to officials and Rockford and Winnebago County agreed to spend $20,000 to map the

river,� said Schier. “I then went to the National Park Service to start discussions.� These discussions led to a meeting with all 11 counties and 37 municipalities that are along the Rock River. The meeting was held in August 2010. “Winnebago County is the founding county for the trail,� said Schier. “We are lucky to have the support of the Rockford Park District.� This collaboration has led to the forming of urban camp sites along the Rock River in Rockford. “It is a unique experience to camp in an urban area,� Schier said. These campsites are only part of what the final trail could look like. “The river starts at the Horicon Marsh which is 14,000 acres of beautiful land,� said Schier. “We are trying to set up campsites along the entire river.� A goal of a campsite every eight hours for canoers along with several portages is the

In This Week’s Edition...

first step. “I started doing the costs of campsites and portages,� said Schier. “Currently campsites are lean along the river.� There are also 23 dams on the river and portages would be built to make it safe to paddle down the river, he said. In Oregon, a portage currently exists at Oregon Park East. Signs on the river direct paddlers to the east shore to use the portage to get around the dam. “We also want information kiosks along the river at each community to provide local information for the canoers,� said Schier. “They could also advise the paddlers which channel of the river to use.� All of these upgrades cost money. The estimated costs are an average of $2,500 per site for camping and $250,000 for a portage. Schier said these costs go down if existing services are in place that could be utilized for camping and portages. “There are challenges to the

Church Bells, A5 Classifieds, B8-B12 Entertainment, A6 Marriage Licenses, A4

project and we are working to overcome them,� said Schier. With dams along the river, safety was a major goal for the trail. “In Oregon there are signs warning of the dam,� said Schier. “The first is a sign 5,050 feet from the dam to advise boaters to stay to the left [east shore].� A second sign is 500 feet from the dam advising canoers that there is a dam ahead and a portage available on the east shore. Finally at Oregon Park East the park district has a portage sign marking a safe location to exit the river. “We are working on installing signs along the entire river with uniform markings, “ said Schier. One aspect of creating the trail system was making the river the cleanest tributary to the Mississippi River. “Our goal is to make it the cleanest tributary,� said Schier. “We are working on it.� Turn to A10

Oregon Police, B3 Property Transfers, B6 Public Voice, A8 Sheriff’s Arrests, B7

Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B5 Zoning Permits, B6

Rock River Trail founder Frank Schier shows a picture of a Native American tablet found in Rockford. Burial mounds have been found along the entire length of the Rock River and several were discovered while the Rock River Trail was being mapped. Schier was a presenter during the 2014 Energy Fair Sunday morning. Photo by Chris Johnson

Deaths, B5 Edward B. Bryant, Yvonne S. James, Arlene F. Kness, Evelyn J. Pederson

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


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.