Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS June 8, 2017 Volume 50, Number 34 - $1.00
LFR Fundraiser
At the Band Shell
Oregon’s City Wide Garage Sales are June 9-10. A9
Don’t be surprised to see flocks of pink flamingos showing up in Mt. Morris yards. A2
Pablo & the Rhythmix make their debut June 9 and the Kable Band performs June 14. A2
Porchfest is just first of many Encore! events
Weekend offers music, art show, and art classes
By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecountynews.com Porchfest this Saturday is just one of several upcoming community
events aimed at developing Mt. Morris into a cultural arts destination. Encore! Mt. Morris, formed a little more than a year ago to promote arts in the community, is sponsoring the first of its kind event on Saturday, June 10. Encore! members Jeff Bold and Molly Baker said the event will feature almost 20 different bands
who will play on about 20 different porches throughout the village from 1 to 5 p.m. Residents have volunteered their porches to be used as bandstands for an afternoon of free entertainment for the public. “Basically we have a porch for each band,” Bold said. “They go on individual porches for about an hour each with time allowed in
between for the listeners to get to the next session.” The porches are well-distributed throughout from Main Street to Brayton Road and Mulberry Avenue to Ogle Avenue, he said, with the intention of getting participants familiar with their neighbors and to meet new people. “We hope people will park their cars and walk from one porch
to the next if possible,” Baker said. “Biking in between is also encouraged.” A list of porches and bands and a schedule and map can be found at EncorePorchfest.info. Porchfest will be topped off with a free concert featuring Grass Attack at 7 p.m. at the downtown Turn to A3
Polo teen charged with armed robbery A Polo teen was charged last week with armed robbery in connection with a robbery at Casey’s General Store, Polo. Polo police arrested Ricky J. Rippy, 18, around 8:30 a.m. May 31 at his home in the 500 block of East Buffalo Street and charged him with armed robbery, a Class X felony carrying a sentence of 6 to 30 years in prison. Rippy is accused of being one of the two masked white males who robbed Casey’s employees at gunpoint in the early morning hours of May 21. “Charges are pending against a second individual, and the incident is still under investigation,” Polo Police
Local performers at Rockin’ River Fest
Touch-A-Truck Arianna and Gabriella Chapas, ages 8 and 5, Mt. Morris, check out a Mt. Morris fire truck during the Oregon Park District’s Triple Play event at Oregon Park West on June 2. More photos from the event appear on page B1. Photo by Earleen Hinton
Area loses businessman, pet advocate By Ashley Cady acady@saukvalley.com Sauk Valley dogs and cats lost their best friend last week. Longtime business owner Mark Knie, 63, Polo, died May 30 after a long illness, said his wife, Laura. Knie was the second generation to operate Knie
Chief Kurt Cavanaugh said. The two individuals — wearing bandanas and hoodies, and one of whom was brandishing a handgun – took an undisclosed amount of cash from Casey’s and fled on foot. No one was injured. Rippy is being held in the Ogle County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bond. He appeared in court June 2. The Ogle County Sheriff’s Department, Ogle County State’s Attorney’s office, and Illinois State Police assisted in the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Polo police at 815-946-3912 or Ogle County Crime Stoppers at 888-228-4488.
Appliance and TV Inc., which was founded in Polo in 1946, and also has a location in Sterling. He retired a few years go, and his brother David now runs the family business. Mark also was president of the Granny Rose Animal Shelter board, on which he served for more than 30 years. “Everyone is still rather in
shock,” said Judy Lohse, 66, of Franklin Grove, the shelter manager. “It was always very important to him that there be a safe place for animals to stay before they could find a new home,” Lohse said, adding that most of Knie’s own pets were adopted from the shelter. “He’s always been very big
into educating the public in responsible pet care.” Knie also spearheaded the drive to fund and build the $1 million Granny Rose K-9 Enrichment Center, the creation of which had been a dream of his for many years. The 13,500-squarefoot center, which opened Turn to A3
A variety of local and regional performers will take the stage at Oregon’s inaugural Rockin’ River Fest on Saturday, June 17. This one day festival on the downtown Oregon riverfront is being co-produced by the Oregon Chamber of Commerce and Oregon Together. The River’s Edge Stage, sponsored by Ukulele Station America, kicks of the festival entertainment line-up with performances by local dancers and musicians from 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. The River’s Edge Stage schedule includes: 10 a.m. – The Rock River
Center’s “Boot Scootin’ Seniors” - Line Dancing 11 a.m. - “Rock River Strummers” – Ukulele Songs 12 p.m. – John Lindhorst, Ukulele Station America Original Guitar and Ukulele Songs 12:30 p.m. – “Bad Columbus” (Patrick Shea and Max Drago) – Ukulele and Guitar 1 p.m. – Josh Hendrickson – Guitar and Vocals 1:30 p.m. – Mary Ley & Chris Kolling, Aireloom Music Studio – Guitar and River Songs 2 p.m. – Mary Ley, Turn to A3
Junior high students collect shoes for the poor By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecounty news.com What if your old and unworn clothes and shoes, rarely-used bikes, or everyday household items could make a difference in someone’s life? Would you throw them away, or see them off to a new home? The answer that David L. Rahn Jr. High students gave was a resounding “we’re here to help!” Created by Rwanda Genocide survivor Providence Rubingisa, Stuff for the Poor is a collective drive that started in suburban Illinois and focuses on sending unused or unwanted items to Uganda and Haiti.
This is a Yearly Drive
In the wake of the success rush, Carrie O’Neil wants to remind the community that the shoe collection is a yearly drive, and shoes people wish to replace or otherwise no longer want can be donated. Shoes can be any size or type, and in any condition. They can be taken to the drop-off box at the main office, at David L. Rahn Jr. High, 105 W. Brayton Rd., Mt. Morris. Items are then sold in those countries, where the money is used to pay for tuition, textbook fees, room and board, and uniform costs for orphans to attend school. Carrie O’Neil, girls’ physical education teacher, spearheads the drive at DLR. According to O’Neil, her homeroom students collect and count the shoes before passing them on to
In This Week’s Edition...
who can’t afford it. Speaking of accomplishments, each year has outdone the previous drive. In 2015, 221 shoes were
gathered. Within a year, DLR raised almost 55 times the previous total with 1,211 shoes. This year, they broke their goal again with 1,262 shoes.
Library News, A3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B3 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B4
“The day we met the goal was a day to never forget,” said O’Neil. Carrie O’Neil and her David L. Rahn students sit with Providence Rubingisa atop a mountain of shoes that will go toward helping the poor in Uganda. From left to right, standing are: Carrie O’Neil, Isaac Brooks, Ashley Diehl; sitting, Jenae Bothe, Jesse Suter, Abigail Virgil, Raylene Richardson, Shyanne Hanson, Providence Rubingisa, Isaac Nelson, Jackson Werren, Weston Hughes, Gavin Gallagher. Not pictured is Brady Shwartz, who also was involved in the project. Photo Supplied.
Rubingisa. “This project is one of the first items we talk about in my homeroom, and typically, students jump right in and want to help,” said O’Neil. “This service project helps students feel a sense of accomplishment and giving.” Leave it to students to recognize how important it is to get education to those
Business Brief, A4 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4
That’s a lot of feet the DLR students have covered.
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B2 State’s Attorney, B4
Deaths, B5 Carroll Gene Coffman, Kathrine M. & William L. Incontro Sr., Mark Knie, Robert S. Law, R. Dean Macklin, Betty J. Reagan
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com