Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS July 7, 2016 Volume 49, Number 19 - $1.00
Wiggly Wag
Gambling Costs
Get your dog and plan on coming to the Wiggly Wag & Walk on July 13. A9
Why the insatiable desire to win big? A8
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At the Band Shell The Jimmys return to the Jamboree stage July 8, and the Kable Band will perform July 13. A2
Great weather lends success to LFR festival By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Perfect weather added to the success of the 53rd Let Freedom Ring festival in Mt. Morris. “It was a good festival,” said LFR Committee member Jan Hough. “Our events were well attended, and it was gorgeous weather.” A mix of sun and clouds, temperatures in the 70s, and low humidity were ideal conditions for the three-day festival. A fireworks display capped off the event and drew a large crowd on Monday evening. “The fireworks were terrific,” Hough said. In fact, the only apparent glitch came during the ringing of the Illinois Official State Freedom Bell on Kable Square Monday afternoon. As LFR Queen Sydne Robinson, her court, and the festival crowd were midway through the traditional 13 peals of the bell, the clasp attaching the rope broke. As the bell continued to ring far more than once of each to the nation’s original 13 colonies, sound technician Jerry Stauffer made the best of it. “Let Freedom Ring,” he proclaimed with a chuckle. During the Patriotic Program preceding the bell-ringing, speaker Stan Ballard paid tribute to the community’s veterans. He read the citation presented to Doug Wean,
a U.S. Navy Medical Corpsman, with his Silver Star for valor in battle during the Vietnam War. Wean, a Mt. Morris native, is a sought-after speaker at veterans’ occasions. “I read this citation to you because on the 4th of July we celebrate our freedoms,” Ballard said. “But we need to remember the people who have fought for those freedoms. Some of them didn’t come home.” Robinson was crowned the 2016 LFR Queen on June 29 just before the patriotic concert by the Kable Concert Band. Robinson and her Royal Court, Princess Sarah Palmer, Anastasia Gordon, and Lani Morris, reigned over the festival, riding in the Grand Parade, and participating in other festival events. All four girls will be high school seniors in the fall. Morris was the winner of the queen pageant essay contest and read her essay on the festival theme “An Old-Fashioned 4th of July” during the Patriotic Program. “In my family we have always celebrated the 4th of July by spending time together and making memories that will last a lifetime,” she said. Hayden Armbruster and Cora Dietrich were named Little Mister and Miss Firecracker just before the queen coronation.
Turn to A3 and B1 for more Let Freedom Ring photos.
Board wants to repeal zoning decision By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com After a lengthy discussion June 28, the Mt. Morris Village Board took action to repeal a recently approved zoning text amendment and to take legal action against a resident who violated the zoning code. The board authorized attorney Rob LeSage to prepare a petition to repeal a Above, Hayden Armbruster and Cora Dietrich were named Little Mister and Miss text amendment approved in Firecracker June 29. Below, Cub Scout Immanuel Arellano, 9, Mt. Morris, salutes the May that created a conditional flag Monday during the National Anthem at the beginning of the Let Freedom Ring use to allow row crops to be planted inside the village Patriotic Program. limits on parcels of 10 acres or more and zoned R-1 and R-2. Like other zoning issues, the petition will first be considered by the Planning Commission before coming back to the village board for a final vote. The board also authorized LeSage to take legal action against Larry Wilson for planting corn on five acres he owns near Katie’s Way on the east side of the village. Village President Dan Elsasser said planting farm crops on a plot that small in an area zoned for residential use is a violation of the village zoning code. In a related matter, the board upheld the Planning Commission’s decision to deny Dan Luepkes’ request to plant corn on the 13 acres he owns near Katie’s Way because he planted the crop before getting permission. Several residents of Katie’s Turn to A3
Rochelle building offers ample space for offices By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com An Ogle County official says the county board’s decision last fall to buy a building in Rochelle is turning out to be a good one. “It’s a win-win for everyone involved,” said county board chairman Kim Gouker, Byron. The former bank building turned Rochelle Clinic, at 510 Lincoln Highway in downtown Rochelle, already serves as the county’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and the office of Ogle County Emergency Management Agency Coordinator Tom Richter. With a little remodeling, it will also house offices for the Ogle County Health Department and Ogle County Probation Department. Gouker said the new location will be more
convenient for the clients served by both departments. “It will be within walking distance for some of them,” he said. “They won’t have to try to find a ride.” In addition to the main offices it Oregon, currently the health department rents space on the south side of Rochelle, and probation rents offices north of the downtown. Rent for both amounts to almost $50,000 per year, Gouker said, a cost that will disappear. The county had been renting the spacious basement for its EOC when Rochelle Community Hospital put the building on the market late last summer. Because the hospital almost doubled in size by building a new wing, the downtown clinic space was no longer needed. After discussion and negotiations, the county
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board bought the building and its two large parking lots for $180,000 in October. Owning the building ensures that the county won’t need to relocate the EOC. The main floor of the building will undergo remodeling later this year, Gouker said, to create offices for the Probation Department. Because it housed a medical clinic, getting it ready for the health department won’t be as extensive. “It’s almost turn-key,” Gouker said. The building already has eight examination rooms, complete with sinks, cupboards, and some equipment. The clinic left its eight examination tables behind as part of the deal. The University of Illinois Ogle County Board Chairman Kim Gouker points out a spot on the architect’s drawing clinic will share the space, of remodeling planned for the main floor of the former Rochelle Clinic in downtown Turn to A2 Rochelle. The county recently purchased the building. Photo by Vinde Wells
Church Bells, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B5
Marriage Licenses, A4 Library News, A3 Public Voice, A9 Property Transfers, B4
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B2 State’s Attorney, B3
Deaths, B4 Violet L. Borneman, Raymond R. Peugh, Ina E. Shank, Norma R. Stukenberg
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com