Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS November 27, 2014 Volume 47, Number 39 - $1.00
Second Place
Thanksgiving
The Oregon Lady Hawks earned second place at the annual Tip-Off Tournament. B1
Tow Fund Plans
Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the holiday and spend time with friends and family.
Ogle County Sheriff Elect Brian VanVickle has plans to clean up the tow fund. A7
Elected officials will be sworn in By Vinde Wells Editor Newly-elected Ogle County officials will take the oath of office and begin their new terms on Monday, Dec. 1. Sheriff Brian VanVickle, State’s Attorney Eric Morrow, Clerk Rebecca Huntley, and Treasurer John Coffman, who were elected Nov. 4, will be sworn in by Judges Robert Hanson and John B. Roe in the morning. Hanson will administer the oath of office to eight county board members that evening at a special county board meeting at 5:30 p.m. at the courthouse. Newly elected board members are J. Nick Bolin, Holcomb, for District 1, Patricia Nordman, Oregon, for District 2, Bobbie Colbert, Rochelle, for District 3, Bruce
W. McKinney, Rochelle, for District 4, Daniel Janes, Stillman Valley, for District 5, Lee Meyers, Byron, for District 6, Rich Gronewold, Forreston, for District 7, and Lyle Hopkins, Polo, in District 8. Once the new board members are in office, the county board will elect a county board chairman and vice chairman. County board chairman Kim Gouker gave a certificate of appreciation for service Nov. 18 to retiring county board member Kim Kirkolis, Davis Junction, who did not run for re-election. Gouker also had certificates for retiring Sheriff Michael Jeff Warren hands Dora Ubben a glass of juice made from the aronia berries he grows at BerryView Farm northwest Harn and State’s Attorney of Mt. Morris. Warren gave a presentation Nov. 23 at the Mt. Morris Public Library about the berries and their health Mike Rock, neither of whom benefits and offered his audience juice, cookies, and other products made from the berries. Photo by Vinde Wells attended the meeting. Both were defeated in the March primary election. By Vinde Wells into first sleet and then slushy winds. you go,” he said. “Drifting Editor snow in time for Monday Ogle County Engineer is going to continue to be a morning’s commute to work. Curtis Cook said county problem. The north-south A mild, wet weekend turned By 10 a.m. the calls to 911 plows were on the job by roads are going to be subject into heavy blowing snow in were coming thick and fast 9 a.m. clearing snow and to drifting this evening.” short order Monday morning, for vehicles that had slipped spreading salt and chips. County deputies reported slickening roadways and off roadways throughout the He said Monday afternoon white-out conditions in some sending vehicles into the county due to the early winter that they would remain on the areas as they responded to Dickson said. ditch. storm. job until all county roadways non-stop calls from motorists The evening begins when Falling temperatures The snow picked-up by were cleared. in difficulty due to the icy Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive turned the rain that persisted mid-morning and persisted “The snow seems to be roads. at the Oregon Coliseum by all day Saturday and Sunday all day, driven by brisk west heavier the farther north Turn to A2 Oregon firetruck at 4 p.m. to light the Christmas tree. They will stay on the scene on the lower level of the Coliseum to hear kids’ By Vinde Wells to keep off snow and ice, and leaving on Friday. He said he is eager to begin Christmas wishes. Editor then to wrap the scaffolding He said they planned to the restoration project. Other family activities on in protective mesh. assess what else was needed “I have worked on Taft the lower level include the A early snowstorm He said the scaffolding will before coming back on sculptures before, including Winter Quarter Carnival and Monday put a halt to plans be anchored to large concrete Monday. the Fountain of Time,” he balloon artist Brett Belique. Dajnowski has worked said. The Gingerbread Kitchen to get the Black Hawk Statue weights to give it stability. “This is a very windy site,” for a decade as a sculpture The Friends of the Black and Pizza Hut in the under wraps and protected he said. conservator for the Chicago Hawk Statue, headed up by downstairs will serve a from the winter weather. After months of waiting for Dajnowski and his crew Park District and the Art Frank and Cherron Rausa, variety of food. On the main level of the state approval of a contract got the scaffolding up before Institute of Chicago. Turn to A2 Coliseum, the Holiday Gift for restoration work to begin Fair will offer dozens of on the 103-year-old statue, a booths and tables featuring crew finally began erecting a home-based specialties and scaffold at the site on Friday, local entrepreneurs to help Dec. 21 with plans to finish with creative Christmas on Monday. However, a persistent rain shopping. Entertainment from music turned quickly to sleet and to drama to dance will be then snow by 9 a.m. Monday, offered throughout the delaying the rest of the work to protect the 50-foot evening at the Coliseum. Franklin Street will concrete statue that stands on between Fourth Street (Ill. a high bluff overlooking the 2) and Third Street will Rock River at Lowden State be closed to traffic and Park, near Oregon. Dr. Andrzej Dajnowski, transformed into Candy Cane the conservator for the Lane for the evening. A walk down Candy Cane project, said Friday that he Turn to A2 had received a contract for the work from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), and planned to sign it and return it for final approval. Created by sculptor Lorado Taft in 1910 as a tribute to all Native Americans, the statue Other agenda items include draws thousands of visitors discussions of the 2015 tax each year. It was unveiled levy, employee Christmas and dedicated in 1911. gifts and vacation rollovers, The effects of time and and a closed session to weather have caused parts of discuss personnel. the statue to crumble and fall Due to early deadlines for off. the Thanksgiving holiday, Dajnowski said Friday that coverage of the meeting will the plan was to first put up appear in the Dec. 4 Mt. the scaffolding around the Diversified Construction Services, Melrose Park, was putting scaffolding up around Morris Times. statue, then put a roof over it Black Hawk Statue Friday morning. Photo by Chris Johnson
Aronia Presentation
Blowing snow blinded motorists
Candlelight Walk will be in Oregon By Vinde Wells Editor The annual arrival of Santa Claus, seasonal music, taste-tempting treats, and Christmas giveaways will highlight the 28th Candlelight Walk on Saturday, Nov. 29 as Oregon officially kicks off the holidays. The downtown will glow with holiday lights as businesses roll out the red carpet to welcome shoppers of all ages. “I’m very excited about the joint effort from individuals, organizations, and businesses to upgrade the look of our downtown for the Christmas season,” said Debbie Dickson, executive secretary of the Oregon Chamber of Commerce. She said the City of Oregon and its Street Department, Merlin’s Greenhouse & Flowers, the Oregon Park District, the Chamber, the Candlelight Walk Committee, and a host of volunteers have worked together to plan for a festive setting for a variety of activities throughout the event. “Candlelight Walk promises to be a fun evening for the whole family,”
Scaffolding erected at Black Hawk
Garbage hours are on village agenda Seasonal garbage hours were on the agenda for the Nov. 25 Mt. Morris Village Board meeting. The board was expected to discuss and possibly approve an ordinance that would allow residents to put their garbage on the curb earlier than 6 p.m. the night before collection during the winter months.
In This Week’s Edition...
Agriculture, A7 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B10-B16 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B9
Library News, A3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Public Voice, A10 Property Transfers, B7 Sheriff’s Arrests, B6
Service News, A4 Social News, A4 Sports, A14, B1, B2, B3 State’s Attorney, B9 Weather A3
Deaths, B5, B6 Norma Buchanon, Lillian M. McCanse, Darlene A Snyder
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com