Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS November 30, 2017 Volume 51, Number 7 - $1.00
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Angel Ball
The Hawks only lose one game in their annual Thanksgiving Tournament. B1
Earth Angels is seeking toys and donations for families in need. A7
Tickets are on sale now for the Oregon Rotary Club’s Angel Ball on Dec. 2. A6
Christmas on the Village Square begins with Santa North Pole visitors will be busy in Mt. Morris this Saturday, Dec. 2 at Christmas on the Village Square. Santa Claus will visit Pinecrest in the afternoon, and later in the day, the Mt. Morris Fire Department will bring him to the Village Square to light the campus Christmas trees. In the morning at the Mt. Morris Senior Center, Santa’s elves will help children write letters to Santa. Mrs. Santa Claus will read Christmas stories to children at the Mt. Morris
Public Library in the early afternoon. More of Santa’s helpers will welcome families to the lighting of the campus trees in the late afternoon at sunset. Many local organizations and churches will celebrate the Christmas season with a variety of holiday events, exhibits, and parties on Saturday, and with a Christmas cantata complete with choir and orchestra on Sunday afternoon. Turn to A2
Holiday art show opens on Dec. 2 Old Sandstone Gallery of Mt. Morris, 122 Wesley Ave., will host the Encore! Mt. Morris holiday art show beginning on Saturday, Dec. 2 from 3 to 7 p.m. This year’s focus is wood, with unique wood carvings, turnings, and objects, all handmade. Many have been created by local artists. The show includes a mix of holiday-themed objects and other artistic pieces made from wood, as well. The show will open on Saturday with special lighting and holiday décor, indoors and out. Cookies, punch and cider will be served and Aireloom Music Studio will provide harp music from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Frank Lay of Rock River Carvers will present a wood
Christmas Time at the Pines Above, Morris Trenholm, of Byron, holds a small tree branch as he and his parents Amanda and Kyle shop for their Christmas tree at the White Pines Resort on Nov. 25. At right, horse drawn wagon rides were one of the attractions at the Resort during the weekend. Photos by Earleen Hinton
craving demonstration from 3 to 5 p.m. The show will also be open on Sunday, Dec. 3 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. and again from 5 to 7 p.m., before and after the community Christmas cantata at Trinity Lutheran Church. The show continues on Saturday, Dec. 9 and Sunday, Dec. 10 from 3 to 7 p.m. The Rock River Carvers will present a wood carving demonstration on Dec. 9 from 3 to 5 p.m. Encore! Mt. Morris is composed of volunteers committed to developing Mt. Morris into a unique, thriving rural and cultural arts destination in northwest Illinois. Volunteers and donations are welcome. Learn more at EncoreMtMorris.com; also on Facebook.
Two house fires claim seven lives By Kathleen A. Schultz kschultz@saukvalley.com Seven Ogle County residents have lost their lives in two house fires within two weeks. Two adults and four children – all members of the same family – died in a house fire at 204 N. Miami Drive in Lost Nation shortly after midnight on Nov. 21. Timothy Shaw, 39, and his wife Melissa, 37, and their children, Ethen, 17, LeAnne, 15, Hailey, 12, and Dylan, 11, died in the fire. Lost Nation is on the Ogle-Lee county line. Leaf River firefighter Greg Wood, 19, died Nov. 10 in a fire that destroyed his family’s home at 209 W. Second St., Leaf River. His father, Marcus Wood, 43, and brother, Travis, 16, were also seriously injured in the blaze and were hospitalized. His mother, Nicole, was treated and released. Both fires remain under
investigation, Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle said Monday. According to the sheriff’s department, Ethan Shaw called 911 shortly after midnight, reporting there was smoke in the basement and he was trapped. When firefighters arrived, the house was fully engulfed. Autopsies determined that all of the victims died of smoke inhalation, according to Ogle County Coroner Louis Finch. One of the bodies was found on the second floor, four were found on the first floor, and one was located in the basement. Dixon Public Schools Superintendent Margo Empen said the four children all attended Dixon schools – two attended Dixon High, one Reagan Middle, and one Madison Elementary. “We are extremely saddened by the loss of members of our Dixon public school family. We have counselors at buildings providing support to students
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and staff,” Empen said. The sheriff’s department, state fire marshal and the Illinois State Police Crime Scene Unit are investigating. Authorities haven’t found anything suspicious about the fire, VanVickle told The Associated Press last week. It took firefighters 17 minutes from the time the call was made to make it to the scene, and by the time they arrived, the two-story home, which had an attached garage, was fully involved, Dixon Rural Fire Capt. Isaac Dimmig said. Dixon City, Franklin Grove, Sterling, Polo, Ashton, Oregon, and Mt. Morris fire departments also responded. Visitation for the family will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Dec. 5 at the Elks Lodge, 1279 Franklin Grove Rd. Dixon,, with the funeral at 11 a.m. the next day at the lodge. Burial, with military honors for Tim, will follow at Oakwood Cemetery in Dixon,
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B5-B8 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B3
she said. In lieu of flowers, a memorial will be established through Preston-Schilling Funeral Home to help defray expenses. An autopsy determined that Wood also died from smoke inhalation. Funeral services for him were held on Saturday, and firefighters from all over northern Illinois and as far away as Iowa came to pay their respects. His father, the deputy chief of the Leaf River’s volunteer fire department, and brother, a cadet firefighter, have been released from Rockford hospitals. The cause of that fire, which occurred around 12:30 a.m., has not been determined. Investigators have said it is not suspicious. Fifteen area fire departments also responded to the fire. Investigators work at the scene of a fire at 204 Miami 21. Photo by Alex T.
Vinde Wells contributed to Drive in Lost Nation on Nov. this story. Paschal, Sauk Valley Media
Marriage Licenses, A4 Public Voice, A4 Property Transfers, B3 Senior Center News, A3
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B4
Deaths, B4 Carl L. Belha, Donald J. Finn, Lloyd K. Miller, Virgil J. Swalve
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com