Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS August 4, 2016 Volume 49, Number 23 - $1.00
Deed Scam
AMO Tour
At the Band Shell
County Clerk Laura Cook warns property owners about a possible deed scam. A3
Ramblers and Ambassadors drove through Ogle County. B1
The season winds down with the Lizzi Neal Band and East Band Commanders. A2
163rd Ogle County Fair promises good family fun By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com With antique tractors, a queen pageant, and good family fun, the 163rd Ogle County Fair is underway. “We want everyone to come out and have a good time,” said fair board
president Harlan Holm. The 2016 Ogle County Fair Queen Pageant kicked off the fair on opening night Wednesday, Aug. 3. The pageant included the Little Miss and Mister Ogle County Fair contests, the Young Miss and Junior Miss contests. The fair runs through
Sunday, Aug. 7 at the fairgrounds on Lime Kiln Road, just north of Ill. 64 a mile west of Oregon. Large signs on Ill. 64 point the way. The $8 admission fee includes unlimited carnival rides. As always, Ogle County 4-H Clubs will have exhibits of all kinds of projects on
display for the public and for judging. Holm urged the public to come out and see their work. “We’re there for the 4-H Clubs. It’s important to support the kids, ” he said. “They work very hard on their projects. It’s amazing all the things they can do. For those who have livestock
projects, it’s a year-round commitment.” New to this year’s fair are Welde’s Big Bear Expedition and Kids Bucks, both free shows. “The bear show has five or six trained black bears,” Holm said. “It’s both educational and entertaining.” At the Kids Bucks Show,
youngsters get a chance to grab play money from a machine and then buy prizes, he said. Also new is a bags tournament on Saturday, Aug. 6. The food fare has expanded this year to include cheese curds at the Cheese Turn to A3
Interest and enterprise meet with 4-H projects Local youths show off skills at fair By Earleen Hinton ehinton@oglecounty news.com
RG Hough, age 11, talks about some of the equipment on his Hazard View Farms 4-H project as he waits to check in for judging on Saturday. Photo by Earleen Hinton
Sarah Elliott could not help but smile as she walked into the Ogle County 4-H Exhibit Building on Saturday brandishing her wooden Viking shield. “I watch the History Channel’s Vikings and my ancestors were Vikings so I made this shield,” said the 18-year-old member of the Leaf River Soaring Eagles 4-H Club. “I like to dress up for Renaissance Faires so this will now be part of my costume.” Made from a table top purchased at Menards, the 15-pound shield included rune writing as a tribute to Elliott’s ancestors. Connecting interest with
Project PLAY vote is Aug. 8
enterprise was a common theme on Saturday as 4-H kids brought their 4-H projects to the fairgrounds to be judged and then displayed at the fair, which opens this week. Taylor Yordy, age 13, took a dilapidated dresser and transformed it into a bench that she entered in the interior design category. Dubbed “My Dresser Makeover”, the project took just six weeks to complete. “We had this old dresser in my dad’s workshop. I didn’t think it would turn out as good as it did,” she told judge Tiffany West. “I grew really attached to it so I am going to keep it.” Ethan Bocker, another Leaf River Soaring Eagle, walked his rocket entry into the building with the help of his family. “He hasn’t shot it off yet, because we thought he might Turn to A8
Polo alderman charged with theft, forgery By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
A Polo city alderman has been charged with theft and forgery connected to incidents that occurred between The Oregon School Board two and four years ago when will vote on the ultimate he was employed by a local fate Monday of Project business. PLAY (Play Leads to Active David Ackeberg, 38, Youth), the large playground Project PLAY was constructed by community volunteers in October 1989. The turned himself in at the Ogle complex located just outside playground is located behind the Oregon Elementary School. Photo by Earleen Hinton County Jail Monday after IlOregon Elementary School. linois State Police issued a The unique playground twisting walkways will be “I’ve had only one call and One of the items on the board’s Aug. 8 special demolished before school that was a request to reclaim was built by volunteers in warrant for his arrest on the felony charges. some of the wood for a 1989. meeting agenda is “motion starts for safety reasons. He was released after postA committee, chaired “We’ve had an increase camp in Dixon for inner city to condemn Project PLAY by Nancy Ryder and Deb ing 10 percent of his $10,000 as it is no longer useful for in kids getting injuries youth,” he said. on Project PLAY, mostly He suggested holding a Wuebben, spent months bond. school purposes.” According to court records, decommissioning before the raising the needed $45,000 splinters,” he said. “There’s So far only one person Ackeberg is accused of theft and planning the playground demolition begins. no way to maintain it and has weighed in about the between $500 and $10,000 with the help of the Leathers “I want to be respectful of guarantee no injuries.” impending demolition of the and forging documents when Mahoney asked for input the community,” Mahoney Company that designed it. playground. Hundreds of volunteers he was employed as a salesSuperintendent Tom from the community about said. “But I’m up against Mahoney announced last what they want to replace a timeline — school starts turned out at the school man by Birkey’s Farm Store, grounds on Oct. 11-15, 1989 Polo. Aug. 16.” week that the 27-year- Project PLAY. The charges, both Class 3 He said demolition will for a five-day build to put it He said Monday that only old all-wood playground felonies, stem from offenses all together. begin next week. one person has called him. with its castles and committed between October of 2012 and February of 2014. Ackeberg was indicted by By Vinde Wells planned expansion. Owned by Al Millhouse, current facility, as well as vwells@oglecounty Village trustee Phil the business is a Class 2 more equipment and 15 to an Ogle County Grand Jury on July 27 and is scheduled news.com Labash recommended July weapons manufacturer and 20 jobs. 26 that the village board does machine work. The business lies in TIF to appear in court Aug. 26. According to the bill of inA Mt. Morris business offer incentives totaling Labash said the $125,000 (tax increment financing) dictment, he knowingly told may be offered financial $6,300 to Rat Worx, Inc., to $150,000 expansion will Turn to A3 Birkey’s officials that he sold incentives to help with a 112 E. Hitt St. add 3,500 square feet to the
Financial incentives for Rat Worx discussed
In This Week’s Edition...
Church Bells, A5 Classifieds, B5-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4
Library News, A3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B4
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B1 State’s Attorney, B3
David Ackeberg
customers equipment for prices greater than actually agreed upon and then falsified documents to support that. The inflated prices were used to calculate his sales commissions. Ackeberg submitted a letter to the Polo City Council Monday, resigning from his alderman post, but did not attend the council meeting Monday evening. He was served as an alderman in Ward 2 from 2009 to 2011, and in Ward 1 since 2013. His current term expires next April. The council did not act on Ackeberg’s resignation because it did not arrive in time to be placed on the meeting agenda.
Deaths, B4 Brenda G. Fauster Richard C. Folk
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com