Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS September 25, 2014 Volume 47, Number 30 - $1.00
First Place
Snow White
The Oregon Hawk golf team won the annual Wessels Invitational Sept. 20. B1
Returning Home
PACT will perform Snow White with some surprises Sept. 26-28. A13
A Navy officer from Polo was greeted with a surprise homecoming parade Sept. 22. A11
Residents urged to help clean up By Vinde Wells Editor Mt. Morris residents will soon be getting a newsletter in the mail informing them about an effort to spruce up the village — and the penalties for those who don’t comply. In addition to a message from Village President Dan Elsasser about the clean-up campaign, the newsletter lists several ordinances that will be strictly enforced. The ordinances in question cover when trash can be placed on the curb for pick-up, keeping grass mowed, junked cars, and improperly permitted structures. Village trustee Mary Francis told the village board Tuesday night that she and Elsasser have met with the police department to coordinate enforcement. Violators will get one warning, she said, and then increasing fines will be levied if the violations continue. “I think we should let people read the newsletter and give them a chance to behave themselves before they get a warning,� she said. Francis said she has developed a spread sheet to keep track of who has been warned and what the violation was. She said she also has been taking date-stamped photos of violations she observes, making sure to get the house number in the photo. She advised other board members to do the same. Violations should be reported to the police or village clerk, she said.
Chatauqua on the Square Above, Jeff Bold portraying Robert Hitt, introduces his “good friend� Ulysses S. Grant and his wife Julia Grant Sunday afternoon at the Chatauqua hosted by the Mt. Morris Tourism Committee on Kable Square. The Grants were portrayed by Scott and Peggy Whitney, Winnebago. At right, Erik Sundman paints a picture of a full moon at the art table. Photos by Vinde Wells
The newsletter said the violations targeted are: s TRASH RECYCLING AND YARD waste that is put out for pick-up before 6 p.m. on the day prior to pick-up; s EMPTY TRASH RECYCLING AND yard waste containers that are not removed by 6 p.m. on the day of pick-up; s FENCES THAT ARE NOT properly permitted or are out of compliance with existing permits; s GRASS AND WEEDS MORE THAN eight inches high; s STICKS AND TWIGS THAT ARE less than one inch in diameter and placed in piles for pick-up, rather than in yard waste bags or proper containers; s POOLS MORE THAN TWO FEET deep not properly permitted and/or out of compliance with placement, fencing, and gates; s USE OF CANVASS OR CLOTH storage units and car ports; s SIGNS THAT ARE PLACED ON terraces, highway right-ofways, and utility poles; s INOPERABLE VEHICLES PARKED on streets or on private property; and s OUTDOOR STORAGE OF ITEMS such as lawn mowers, building materials, trash, and other items that create a nuisance. Village resident Joyce Carr said prohibiting putting out garbage cans before 6 p.m. could create a hardship in winter when it’s already dark at 4:30 p.m. She said residents who work night shifts may also find compliance with that ordinance difficult because of their schedules.
New store features animal feed and “rustic relics� By Vinde Wells Editor A love for old-fashioned items and agriculture has led a rural Leaf River family to open a new business that features both. Gene and Vicki Miller will host a grand opening Oct. 4 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to show off Vintage Chicks & Feed
at 700 E. Ill. 72, three miles west of Byron. The family enterprise includes the couple as well as their three grown children. The store, which opened Sept. 6, features livestock and pet food along with what Vicki calls “rustic relics,� everything from Mason jars to barbed wire art. It all started years ago,
daughter Amy Kirchner explained, when her father started selling livestock feed from the store which is just down the road and around the corner from the family farm where they raise Hereford cattle. “We were in 4-H and had livestock projects so Dad started selling feed,� she said. They were hoping to
expand the feed business, and decided to add some kind of country store, Vicki said. “We didn’t want to sit here with just feed,� Amy said. For a long time, Vicki, Amy, and a friend had been scouring sales for rustic pieces and had amassed a good-sized collection. “We just love old things. We love the memories the
old things hold. We’re the Vintage Chicks,� Vicki said with a laugh. The spaces inside the store are filled with artfully arranged rustic items and decorator pieces. The relics range from children’s toys to Grandma’s kitchen tools to items once used on the farm. Salvaged architectural pieces, shutters,
and barn boards are also part of the inventory. Amy’s hand-painted animal signs and other handmade craft items are also for sale. Vicki pointed out that with six grandchildren of their own, they have made sure the store is “kid-friendly.� Turn to A2
A trip to the grasslands is like going back in time By Chris Johnson Reporter Walking through lush prairie grasses and winding though a savanna was like a trip back in time. There were no cars, roads or power lines visible when exploring portions of East Heinkle Hill Saturday morning at Nachusa Grasslands during Autumn on the Prairie. Thousands of acres of prairie land are being restored at the grasslands to recreate what the Midwest had in the 1800s. Volunteers have been Mike Crowe, Lindenwood, gazes over the prairie during seeding, planting, clearing, a tour of East Heinkel Hill Saturday morning at Nachusa and burning the land to destroy invasive species and Grasslands. Photo by Chris Johnson
In This Week’s Edition...
Byron Police, B5 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B8-B14 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4
return the prairie to all its glory. Mike Crowe, Lindenwood, has been with Nachusa Grasslands for 26 years. “I was one of the first groups of stewards,� he said. “Today you are going to visit East Heinkle Hill. This is an 18-year-old prairie.� Crowe was leading a dozen people on a tour of this secluded part of the grasslands. “It was a sandy corn field,� he said. “Now there is tall Indian grass in the field.� Another grass that was thriving was big blue stem, commonly called turkey foot. A third grass that had patches in the prairie is cordgrass, spartina.
Library News, A3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, A11 Public Voice, A8 Property Transfers, B4
“This grass is good for thatched roofs but on the prairie it is also used for burning,� Crowe said. These was only some of the hundreds of plant species that make up the prairie. As the group walked across the land he would pause at several of the plants. While talking about the White Indigo plant. “This is a legume and has deep roots,� said Crowe. “This allows the plant to grow on this sandy soil.� Crowe went on to talk about how several of the weeds and invasive species have trouble growing in the area because of the drier topsoil. When the prairie is burned, the native plants have the
Sheriff’s Arrests, A11 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B7 Weather, A3
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ability to regrow where the invasive species have limited abilities to survive. Seeding after the controlled burns ensures the prairie is restored. One advantage of the burning seems to be a decrease in the number of ticks. “It seems like the ticks are not as bad as they used to be,� said Crowe. “The burning may have kept their numbers down.� Sections of the Nachusa Grasslands are burned regularly. “Heinkle is burned every second or third year,� said Crowe. “We do
Deaths, B3 Ruby J. Rowland
Turn to A10