Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS September 1, 2016 Volume 49, Number 27- $1.00
Fourth Place
Memorial Walk
Special Delivery
The Hawks soccer team finished fourth in a tournament they hosted Aug. 26-27. B1
An annual memorial walk raises money for Special Olympics. A9
Forreston EMTs deliver their very first baby — three weeks early. A3
Village okays agreement with state’s attorney By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
Victor Zaderej of Happy Leaf LED explains how plants grow during an open house for the new greenhouse at Oregon High School on Saturday. Photo by Earleen Hinton
OHS greenhouse runs off-the-grid By Christopher Heimerman cheimerman@saukvalley.com What if you could harvest fresh, organic lettuce from your basement in the dead of winter? The seed for such a possibility might be sprouting behind the bus barn at Oregon High School. That’s where you’ll find the off-the-grid greenhouse that soon will be in operation. As you turn the corner, the 432-square-foot building looks relatively unassuming, but as you reach its southfacing side, you see solar panels that, along with the Earth itself, provide all the energy necessary to grow plants inside, year-round – under Happy Leaf LED lights created right here in Oregon. “This is where the research is going to be coming from,” OHS ag teacher Josh Nelson said. “Is this the final stage? Of course not. This is the process beginning. The vision is to one day be able to have something on a smaller scale for you and me to grow our own vegetables and herbs in the middle of winter, without taking up humongous space and energy costs.” The growth possibilities are multifaceted. Nelson said the research will be student-driven. Students in environmental sciences, vocational ag classes, the plant and soil science course – a dual-credit course with Highland Community College – ag business, and intro to ag all will Kale grows hydroponically in a Mason jar at the new OHS greenhouse. Photo by Earleen Hinton get involved. Math students could chip in to track the efficiency of the mason jars to 5-gallon buckets, starting the second week two 500-plus-pound, German-made triple-pane windows of September. “We don’t need that soil to grow plants,” Nelson said. alongside the solar panels. “We’ll hopefully be decreasing any biological problems Once data is harvested and ready to go public, the English department could write papers and news releases to spread in the soil. We’re making sure it would be a cleaner environment for residential use. We don’t have to worry the word. “It could expand throughout the entire high school, by about any pesticides or insecticides. It’s going to be the time all is said and done,” Nelson said. “This is a tool completely organic, and we’ll be able to grow it to that max that will put every single department in this high school to efficiency.” They’ll grow myriad vegetables, from “bigger, riper, use.” Plants will be grown hydroponically in vessels from Turn to A10
An agreement between Mt. Morris and Ogle County officials is expected to put some teeth into village ordinances. The village board approved an intergovernmental agency agreement with the county Aug. 23 that authorizes the Ogle County State’s Attorney Eric Morrow’s office to prosecute persons who violate village ordinances. “You’ve got a hammer now,” said village attorney Robert LeSage, of the law firm of Ward, Murray, Pace & Johnson in Dixon. “I think you do a few of these and people are going to get the message.” The county board approved the agreement Aug. 16. The agreement is part of a crackdown on residents who continue to violate village codes, especially those pertaining to the upkeep of their property. Under the terms of the oneyear agreement, Mt. Morris will pay the county $75 per case, and the state’s attorney can reject any case. Ideally, LeSage said, the fine levied in each case will cover the state’s attorney’s fee.
“You’ve got a hammer now. I think you do a few of these and people are going to get the message.” — Robert LeSage Village Attorney LeSage said his firm will continue to prosecute more complicated cases. “They can’t do that for $75,” he said. At a recent meeting, LeSage suggested that the village board pursue an agreement with state’s attorney as a cost-saving measure. LeSage said that while his law firm would be willing to prosecute village cases, because of the distance from his office to Ogle County court, the attorneys’ fees would be high. In similar situations, he said, villages and cities in other counties have reached such agreements with the state’s attorney and saved some money. LeSage said he is recommending similar agreements to other communities he represents. Mt. Morris village officials have recently been seeking Turn to A3
Board sets Sept. 1 to honor police By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com In light of the recent attacks against police officers in the nation, the Ogle County Board proclaimed Sept. 1 as Honor and Respect All Law Enforcement Officers Day. The board unanimously approved and then all 24 of them signed a resolution Aug. 16 setting aside the day.
“…the Ogle County Board shows their support and appreciation for the dedicated service of the men and women who serve, or have served, with the police departments in each of the cities, villages, and towns of our county, with the Ogle County Sheriff ’s Office, and with all law enforcement agencies across Illinois, and throughout the United States of America,” the resolution read.
Drug court offers second chance for local resident By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Nathan Stinnett is quick to say that without Ogle County Drug Court his future would not be bright. “I’d probably be dead or out of money until I was dead,” said the 33-year-old Davis Junction resident. Instead, Stinnett took the opportunity offered by the Ogle County court system and successfully kicked his long-standing abuse of prescription painkillers. Stinnett now volunteers his
“I’d probably be dead or out of money until I was dead,” — Nathan Stinnett Davis Junction time to help others headed down that path. “Drug Court is a second chance at life,” he said. “If you want it you take it, if you don’t you won’t.” The decision to get into the program and stay the course was clear to him. “It was so easy for me because I wanted to be clean,” Stinnett said.“I had
In This Week’s Edition...
tried to get clean by myself, but it just doesn’t happen.” A June graduate of the 18-month program, he mentors Drug Court participants and volunteers at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for residents of Focus House, a countyowned youth shelter-care Ogle County Drug Court graduate Nathan Stinnett, Davis Junction, second from left, is now volunteering to help others gain success in the program. Members of the Drug facility operated by the Turn to B3 Court team pictured, from left to right are: Judge John B. Roe, Drug Court Coordinator
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4
Brooke Plachno, and State’s Attorney Eric Morrow. Photo by Vinde Wells
Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, A10 Property Transfers, B3 Reading Matters, A8
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B5
Deaths, B5 Norman H. Collins, Stirling K. DeArvil, Mary Fletcher, Marvella R. Kober
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com