Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS August 3, 2017 Volume 50, Number 42 - $1.00
Tumbling Along
It’s Fair Time!
At the Band Shell
A Mt. Morris youth has success in his newfound sport — tumbling. B1
The Ogle Fair starts this week with plenty of family fun. A2
Shindig brings 1960s music to the Aug. 4 Mt. Morris Jamboree. A8
911 Hero
VOP and rehab center reopen after flash flood
Little girl is recognized for calling for help
By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecounty news.com
Community-minded volunteers are making all the difference to a local agency A five-year-old honoree that is trying to return to at Oregon’s National Night normal after major flooding Out proves that heroes can almost two weeks ago. come in any size. “I really appreciate the On June 28 at impact the volunteers and approximately 5:44 p.m., community have made,” Brion one day before her fifth Brooks, executive director birthday, little Jaylee of the Village of Progress Armstrong successfully in Oregon, said on Tuesday. got emergency responders “Without them it would take to her mother in need. us a lot longer to get this done.” Jaylee was at home in The “this” he was referring Adeline with her siblings, to is tearing out drywall, two-year-old Ashton and insulation, and carpets, three-month-old Brantley, Ogle County 911 Board Chairman Richard Mott and 911 Coordinator Sandy Beitel give checking over equipment, and when mother Christina Jaylee Armstrong a certificate and medal for being named a 911 Hero during National cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. O’Brien suffered a seizure Night Out on Tuesday. Photo by Earleen Hinton A foot of water was inside and fell unconscious. the facility that provides Quick to act, Jaylee services and programs for knew just what to do: developmentally disabled she called 911, reaching adults after 6-8 inches of rain telecommunicator Jennifer fell in a few hours July 21-22. Hoffman, who talked Brooks said three-fourths Jaylee through giving her of the 28,000 square-foot the color of the house and building just off Pines Road finding the home address was damaged. The water on a piece of mail. ruined not only drywall and “She did great!” said carpets, but also furniture, Hoffman. “Honestly, the equipment, and the products biggest impression she left consumers make for various on me was how ‘momma contractors. proud’ I was; I just wanted Only two small portions to find her and take her out of the building were spared for ice cream!” the worst of it, and those are When responders already being utilized to get arrived, O’Brien was back up and running, he said. conscious again, and Jaylee As of Monday, a workshop was feeding Brantley. re-opened for production and For her quick response a few consumers returned to and calm handling of work in one of the areas that the situation, Jaylee was Ashton Lantz, age 10, of Mt. Morris, sits behind the wheel of the Ogle County Sheriff’s wasn’t badly flooded. recognized as an official Department’s armored rescue vehicle as James Arnold, age 15, also of Mt. Morris, “All the floors have been 911 hero. stands up inside the vehicle during National Night Out on the Ogle County Courthouse cleaned, the carpet has been torn out, and the equipment Turn to B2 Square Tuesday night. Photo by Earleen Hinton
has been taken out to be sanitized,” Brooks said. “We hope within a few days time we can be back in operations and fulfilling our mission.” During the last week, VOP staff members have gone to Oregon’s two residential facilities to provide services for consumers there. “We went to them instead of them coming to us,” Brooks said. Getting completely back to normal will take time, however. The kitchen had to be gutted and will be totally remodeled. The offices were also on the casualty list. “It may be a month until we are back in our administrative offices,” Brooks said. VOP carries flood insurance, and Brooks said a portion of the loss will be covered. Two blocks to the east, residents of the Oregon Living & Rehabilitation Center, 811 S. 10th St., were able to return July 26 after the flooding forced them to evacuate four days earlier. “Our residents and staff were very happy to be back home,” said Jen Stark, Director of Communications for Momentum Healthcare, which owns the facility. “It was only from Saturday until Wednesday, but it felt like forever for our residents.” With the water from the torrential overnight rain rising around the facility Stark said the evacuation was begun about 6 a.m. on July 22. “Activities are resuming and we’re back to life as usual,” Stark said Tuesday.
Projects diverse, ingenious at fair Junked items are turned into artworks By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Garage sales and scrap piles proved to be a treasure trove for an Oregon teen creating a project for the Junior Open Show at the Ogle County Fair. Johnathan Prose, 18, was all checked in at the exhibit building at the fairgrounds Saturday, waiting for a judge to take a look at his hawk sculpture made from discarded metal tools, parts, and pieces. The hawk, with its wings spread wide, has a propane tank for a body and the cap from an oxygen tank for a head. The wings are hand saw
blades, with pieces of metal shelf dividers and lawn mower blades for feathers. The exhaust pipe legs end in talons made from garden cultivators. Leaf rakes form the tail feathers, and its eyes are parts of a small wrench. “I got the materials at garage sales and scrap piles at my grandma’s house,” he said. “I usually start with an idea and then I dig through the scrap and find the parts I want to use.” Prose said he had already made owls and turtles, and when he graduated from Oregon High School this year he decided to create the Hawk mascot. “I wanted to make something that represented that,” said Prose, who plans to attend Kishwaukee College, Malta, this fall to Christi Swanson, center, has some fun with Ronnie Snodgrass, left, and Fran Reigle, right, as they prepare barbecue study engineering. in the Leaf River Grange building on Saturday in preparation for this week’s Ogle County Fair. The Grange serves The hawk took about 10 sandwiches in addition to roasted corn, pie, ice cream, and beverages. Photo by Earleen Hinton Turn to A10
In This Week’s Edition...
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4 Library News, A9
Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police,B3 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B4 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3
Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B4 Weather, A3
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com
Death, B5 Robert C. Schmidt