Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS November 2, 2017 Volume 51, Number 3 - $1.00
Volleyball Loses
Fall Back
NHS Inductees
The Lady Hawks end their season with a loss to Orion in sectional action. B1
Turn your clocks back one hour to Standard Time at 2 a.m. Sunday.
Fifteen Oregon High School students are inducted into the National Honor Society. A8
County officials propose scaled back budget By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
Mt. Morris Public Library Director Mary Cheatwood and Luann Rosko hold the memorial plaque presented Saturday to the library by the Maggie & Amos Foundation in memory of Maggie and Amos Meyer, who died as a result of a fire just over a year ago. Pictured left to right are: library board members Denise Welsh and Phil Labash; Cheatwood; library board member Diana Stahl; Stephanie White, social worker at the Chana Educational Center; Lynn Kalnins, vice principal at the Chana Educational Center and spokesman for the Maggie & Amos Foundation; Julie Whetsel, cook at the education center, Megan Dettman, teacher at the education center, and Luann and Don Rosko, Maggie’s parents. Photo by Vinde Wells
Ogle County officials are proposing a budget for next year with somewhat scaled back appropriations. Finance & Insurance Committee Chairman Greg Sparrow, of Rochelle, presented the 2018 budget to the rest of the board at a special meeting Monday evening with $39,068,994 in proposed appropriations, $47,862 less than estimated a year ago for the current year. According to the budget document, the county plans to levy $12.6 million in property taxes for the new fiscal year, which begins Dec. 1. The appropriation for the
cash-strapped General Fund is $14.2 million, and Sparrow said currently that fund could be as much as $740,000 in the hole. During a phone conversation Tuesday, he said that the recently enacted hiring freeze could solve some of that deficit, along with borrowing from the Solid Waste Fund. Employees are also being asked not to take wage increases for next year. The county is currently in contact negotiations with the Fraternal Order of Police and the union that represents Probation Department employees. The board is expected to vote on the budget and appropriation at its regular meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 21.
Gift means opportunities for kids Polo man sentenced By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
A memorial gift means more learning opportunities for children at the Mt. Morris Public Library. The Maggie & Amos Foundation officially donated $1,200 to the library Saturday — and more will be coming — in memory of Maggie Meyer, 31, Byron, and her 3-year-old son Amos who died as a result of a house fire a little more than a year ago. Maggie, who grew up in Mt. Morris, was a teacher at the Chana Educational Center. Her co-workers there held fundraisers and formed the foundation. Foundation members, library officials, and Maggie’s parents Don and Luann Rosko, Mt. Morris,
came together for a quiet ceremony at the library Saturday morning. “This is very exciting,” said library director Mary Cheatwood. “We gave them a wish list and they gave us almost everything on it. We couldn’t have afforded all these things otherwise.” She said the money has been used to purchase beanbag chairs, Staxis and Keva building blocks, a marble run, and the makings of a LEGO wall. Lynn Kalnins, vice principal at the education center and a friend of Maggie’s, also brought two iPhones for the library’s Lego Club that will help youngsters operate the club’s Meeperbots. Kalnins explained how the foundation came into being. “After we lost them a year ago, we wanted to find a way to honor them,” she said.
“We miss them greatly. We loved them so much.” The Infinity Run, a 5K run and one mile walk, was held last spring, as well as a children’s carnival, and donations have been made. “Maggie was an inspirational teacher,” Kalnins said. “She liked to make things fun. She liked hands-on projects.” The money raised will also help fund a scholarship in her name and classroom grants. Kalnins said donations continues to come in, and the foundation plans to make the Infinity Run an annual event. “Our plan is to continue to fill the library wish list,” she said. Luann Rosko said both her daughter and grandson enjoyed going to the library. “Amos liked going to the library,” she said. “I brought Maggie here for story hour
when she was a little girl.” Kalnins also presented Cheatwood with a plaque bearing a preschool photo of Amos and a drawing he had made as a student at the Byron Forest Preserve’s preschool. The plaque will be displayed in the library’s children’s section. The drawing includes his name in his own printing. “He had just learned to write his name,” Kalnins said. Investigators have determined that the fire that took Maggie’s and Amos’ lives on Oct. 19, 2016 was arson and their deaths have been ruled homicides. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing. For more information on the foundation go to the Facebook page at themaggie &amosfoundation.
for attempted arson By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
A Polo man pleaded was sentenced recently to seven years in state prison for attempted residential arson. Johnathon Parker, 33, pleaded guilty in Ogle County Court Oct. 20. Under the terms of a plea agreement, Judge Robert Hanson dismissed a charge of aggravated battery. He also sentenced Parker to two years mandatory supervised release after he completes his prison term. The charges stem from an incident on April 2 when Parker tried to set a fire in a home where he was living at 302 E. Mason St., Polo. Polo Police Chief Kurt Cavanaugh said at the time that
an acquaintance of Parker’s called 911 around 1:30 a.m. to report a disturbance at that address. The first police officer on the scene called for the fire department when he smelled an accelerant through an open door and saw a burning TV inside the house. Cavanaugh said an accelerant had been poured on the floors, but did not ignite. Parker had fled the scene by the police arrived but was arrested the next morning at a friend’s home in Polo. Parker has a lengthy criminal history and has served several sentences in state prison since 2001 on charges including mob action, aggravated battery, possession of weapons by a felon, residential burglary, and forgery.
Halloween Scenes
Easton Currier, 4, of Mt. Morris, proves even a ninja appreciates a sweet facial tattoo, courtesy of Rachel Peterson, also of Mt. Morris, Oct. 26 at the Nash Recreation Center Halloween Carnival. At right,astronaut David Wehler picks out a cookie at the By the Book Halloween Costume Party Friday evening at the Mt. Morris Public Library.
In This Week’s Edition...
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B5-B8 Entertainment, A6 Library News, A3
Oregon Police, B4 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B4 Sheriff’s Arrests, B4
Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2, B3 State’s Attorney, B4
Deaths, B5 Myrtle I. Buttel, Joyce M. Horn, Mary Louise Smith, Amos H. Taylor Jr.
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com