Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS November 9, 2017 Volume 51, Number 4 - $1.00
Running at State
Honor Flight
Emergency Permits
Two Hawk runners competed in the state cross country finals on Saturday. B1
Local veterans made an Honor Flight to Washington DC Nov. 1. A4
Rauner declares harvest emergency; grain trucks can haul extra weight. B3
Slain officer had local ties By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com The 30-year-old Rockford police officer who died early Sunday after a scuffle with another man during a traffic stop had ties to Mt. Morris. Jaimie Cox’s grandparents, the late Don and Joyce Cox, were Mt. Morris residents, and his father Jim grew up in town and graduated from Mt. Morris High School in 1977. Mt. Morris Police Chief Jason White said Jaimie also lived in town for a few months while attending training for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police, where he worked before joining the Rockford Police Department in 2016. Blackhawk Model Railroad Club member Clint Strouse, of Oregon, carefully sets a train car in place on the main “He was a very nice young set-up at the club headquarters at Conover Square. Photo by Vinde Wells man,” White said. “It’s an unfortunate incident all the way around.” According to the Rockford Register Star, Rockford police said Cox made a traffic By Vinde Wells stop on a pick-up truck near vwells@oglecountynews.com East State Street and Dawn Avenue shortly after 1 a.m. Three members of a local model railon Nov. 5. roading club readily admit they’re still Police believe that little boys at heart when it comes to during the traffic stop, Cox trains. scuffled with the driver “The best toy a kid could get in the Eddie Patterson, 49, became early 1950s was a Lionel train,” said entangled with the truck and Dick Byrd, 72, of Oregon. opened fire with his sidearm. Clint Strouse, 78, of Oregon, and Bill The truck struck a tree Cummings, 68, of DeKalb, agreed, and approximately two blocks the three reminisced about their first from where Cox made the train sets as youngsters. traffic stop. Byrd maintains a large train layout in Cox radioed for assistance his basement and spends hours running during the incident. it. Cox was transported by “When I’m down there it’s 1950 again ambulance to OSF Saint and everything is good,” he said with a Anthony Medical Center grin. The three are members of Oregon’s Blackhawk Model Railroad Club president Bill Cummings, of DeKalb, grins where he was pronounced Blackhawk Model Railroad Club, which as a train rolls out of a mountain tunnel and past the carnival on the main dead. Patterson also died. Turn to A3 set-up. Photo by Vinde Wells
Model railroaders still boys at heart
Jaimie Cox
After an autopsy on Monday, the Winnebago County Coroner said Cox died from blunt force trauma and ruled his death a homicide. An autopsy also revealed that Patterson suffered a gunshot wound which is listed as his cause of death. He also suffered blunt force trauma in the incident. Authorities say the plates on Patterson’s truck did not match the truck, which may have been the reason Cox pulled Patterson over. An investigation is ongoing by Rockford Police and the Winnebago-Boone County Integrity Task Force. Cox graduated from Hononegah High School and had served in the U.S. Army National Guard. Visitation for Cox will be held on Friday, Nov. 10 from 3 to 9 p.m. at First Free Evangelical Church, 2223 N. Mulford Rd., Rockford, with the law enforcement walkthrough scheduled for 6 p.m. The police funeral service will be held on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 10 a.m. at the church. A procession will follow immediately after the service.
Couple realizes dream with downtown restaurant By Jerry Stauffer Mt. Morris EDC When Sam Ismaili brought his young family to the United States from Albania, he and his wife Vicki sought the cornucopia of opportunities to which countless immigrants before them have aspired. In an effort to realize their dreams, they recently opened their own restaurant in downtown Mt. Morris. Seeking the quiet, slower pace and safety of small town and midwestern living, the couple first settled in Hanover. Sam’s passion, since early childhood, was cooking, and he quickly found employment as the chef of Charlie’s Place restaurant in Hanover, where the family lived for nearly five years. Seeking even greater opportunities, Sam moved his family to Yorkville, where he worked for several years as chef at the Silver Dollar
restaurant. However,it wasn’t long before Sam’s brother, a restaurateur in Anamosa, Iowa, encouraged Sam to seek a restaurant of his own to purchase and operate. Thus began a search throughout northwest Illinois for restaurant property. With the assistance of an area restaurant owner, Sam and Vicki located a property in Mt. Morris in which to launch their own restaurant business. That property, now known as the Campus Café, is at 101 S. Wesley Ave. in downtown Mt. Morris, across from the campus band shell. Sam and Vicki acquired the property on Dec. 22, 2016 and began the process of renovation. Among the appeals of safety, small town living and ambience, Sam and Vicki and their twin children, daughter Kike (“Key Kay”) and son Bini (“Beanie”), enjoy the
In This Week’s Edition...
convenience and security of living in their own apartment above the restaurant. Both excellent student at David L. Rahn Junior High, Kike and Bini also assist their parents in the operation of the restaurant. After several months of acquiring restaurant equipment, furniture, and fixtures, and refurbishing the interior of their property, the Ismailis opened their doors for business on July 5. Finishing touches on the Campus Café included accent painting and a colorful awning. Shortly after this facelift, a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony was held on the morning of Oct. 28. At that event, coffee and cake was offered to all customers, and a drawing for a 32-inch, flat panel TV was held. Quoting her father, Kiki said his goal is “...No complaints and good food!”
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B5-B8 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B3 Library News, A3
The all new Campus Cafe in downtown Mt. Morris celebrated its grand opening Oct. 28 with the Mt. Morris Economic Corp., village officials, staff and friends doing a ribbon cutting in the morning. Pictured from left to right are: Doug Aken, Rob Urish, Howie Herman, Paula Diehl, Mike Fay, Jerry Stauffer, Joy Nielsen, Bev Jones, Bini Ismaili, Nathan Artz, Kike Ismaili, and business owners Sam and Vicki Ismaili. Photo supplied
Marriage Licenses, A4 Mt. Morris Police. A3 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B3 Senior Center News, A3
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports,B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B4
Deaths, B4 Judy S. Kitzmiller, Russell J. Statler
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com