Library News

MT. MORRIS LIBRARY

Curbside Pickup, Inter Library Loans

Curbside pickup is during the hours of 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday. Starting Sept. 5 we will again be open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hours are subject to change based on demand and public health. We will notify of all changes as they come. Inter-library loans are available.

Mt. Morris patrons can place holds through the catalog or by calling or emailing. Update your contact information if needed. Library staff is quarantining all returned items for a period of time. Recently returned materials may remain on your account longer than usual. When checked in, library staff will backdate materials.

No overdue fines will be charged. New library cards: patrons can call or email the library to renew or receive new library cards. Contact the library at 815- 734-4927 or mmlib@mtmorris-il.org

Browsing by Appointment

We are now taking appointments for people to come into the library to choose books. Be aware that there are rules and limits. Contact the library to make an appointment. Please follow the guidelines.

You will be required to wear a mask and use hand sanitizer upon entering the building. Children will not be allowed in the library unaccompanied. Consideration will be given to special circumstances, but you must contact the library to discuss that with staff. We ask that patrons make their selections in a timely manner. Loitering is discouraged.

Computer Use by Appointment We are allowing patrons to use the computers by appointment. If you would

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if you need one.

We have two computers available for patron use that are over 6 feet away from each other and cleaned between uses. There is a one hour time limit for the use of either computer. If you’d like to make sure there is a computer available, please call 815-946-2713 to reserve a computer. You can also fax, copy and print as needed.

Library Closed for Labor Day

Polo Library will be closed Monday, Sept. 7. We will still be open Sept. 5 and 8. like to reserve a computer please call the library. Please follow the guidelines for computer users.

Only one person per computer. Please do not bring children with you. Masks must be worn in the library. You will be asked to use hand sanitizer when you enter the building before getting on the computer. You are here for the computer use only. You will not be allowed to stay all day. You are allowed one hour unless approved by the director for job training, job search, or class work.

Honor JoLynn Ward

At the end of the school year, a number of long-time employees retired. At the end of a normal year, there would have been parties and recognition ceremonies, but 2020 is not a normal year. JoLynn Ward has been an instructional aide with the Oregon School district for a long time.

She was in Mt. Morris at the elementary school until the fire, and went with her students to Oregon. In the time I have known her, she has been an instructional aide for the English Language Learners. For the library, she has been a Trustee for a long time, helped when the new addition was being built, and is currently our board secretary.

Mrs. Ward, as the children know her, has spent her time recently making masks for people in the community, including library staff. We want to honor her in her retirement, and for her good works. A fund has been established in her name. We will be purchasing library materials in her honor. If you would like to join us in thanking her for her service to the children of the district and her work in the community, you may send a donation with the notation that it is in her honor.

Coffee with a Cop, 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9, weather permitting Library Pavilion - Join us for an outdoor, socially distant Coffee with a Cop. If the weather is questionable, please call 815- 946-2713 before leaving home to check on the status of this program. 2020 Outdoor Concert Series, 6 p.m. Sept. 12, Polo Library Pavilion

We’ll be wrapping up our 2020 Outdoor Concert Series with Lyle Grobe and the Rhythm Ramblers, playing classic country music.

Bring a chair or blanket to sit on. You’re welcome to bring a picnic to eat while you enjoy the music.

There is plenty of room to practice safe social distancing.

Are you struggling to pay your rent due to COVID-19?

Applications will be accepted August 24th through September 4th

To be eligible:

Your household income before March 1, 2020 was within the allowable limits. You, or an adult member of your household, suffered a loss of income due to COVID-19. You missed a mortgage on or after March 1, 2020

Don’t wait, apply today at: ema.ihda.org Any questions, call: (Local) 312.883.2720 (Toll Free) 888.252.1119

$15,000 Programa de Asistencia Emergencia Hipotecaria (EMA)

¿Está luchando con su habilidad de hacer sus pagos hipotecarious causado por COVID-19?

Aplicaciones serán aceptado desde 24 de agosto hasta el 4 de septiembre.

Ser eligible:

Si su ingreso familiar antes de 1 de marzo 2020 fue dentro de los limites admisibles. Si Ud. o un miembro adulto de su hogar sufrió una pérdida de ingreso causado por COVID-19. Si Ud. no pudo pagar su cuenta hipotecaria desde el 1 de marzo 2020.

No espere, aplique hoy día: ema.ihda.org Si tuviera preguntas, favor de llamar: (Local) 312.883.2720 (llamada gratuita) 888.252.1119

CRIME WATCH Impersonator accused of possessing child porn

Leaf River man is also charged with disseminating porn

BY KATHLEEN A. SCHULTZ Shaw Media

FREEPORT – Nationally known Abraham Lincoln impersonator George Buss of Freeport is facing felony charges of possessing child pornography video and patronizing a prostitute.

Buss, 63, who has been portraying Honest Abe for more than three decades at events in the region as well as nationwide, has been under investigation since February.

He was arrested Aug. 28 by Freeport police and is being held in Stephenson County Jail on $200,000 bond, Freeport police said in a news release.

Tyler Dotson, 22, of Leaf River also was arrested in the investigation and is charged with two counts of disseminating child pornography

George A. Buss

video and prostitution.

He also is being held on $200,000 bond.

Buss has performed as Lincoln for 34 years across the country, including yearly at the reading of the Gettysburg Address at Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania and once before at the Nation

George Buss in his Abraham Lincoln attire.

al Archives.

Buss and Stephen Douglas reenactor Tim Connors were to hold their annual portrayal of the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debate last Saturday in Freeport.

That the event was planned online this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tyler A. Dotson

“The crimes George Buss stands accused of are heinous. I denounce him in the strongest of terms,” state Rep. Andrew Chesney, R-Freeport, said in a news release.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. May their voices be heard and may justice be quickly served.”

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NEW BUSINESS Permit recommended for Better Place Forests

Memorial forest to sell trees to place cremated remains; 50 acres proposed for first site in the midwest

BY JEFF HELFRICH jhelfrich@oglecountynews.com

Ogle County may soon have a non traditional resting place near one of its most popular state parks.

The county regional planning commission recommended a special use permit at its Aug. 20 meeting for Better Place Forests, a business that plans to purchase just over 50 acres of forest along the eastern banks of the Rock River for a conservation memorial forest, where customers can purchase a tree dedication for the exclusive right to rest cremains there.

The land is located at 1950 N. River Road, just north of the Lorado Taft Field Campus located in Lowden State Park.

In June, Better Place Forests presented their concept to the Ogle County Planning & Zoning Department for their review. Staff advised that a Conservation Memorial Forest is a unique enough land use to warrant the County’s Special Use Permit procedure and BPF may operate on site with such a permit.

BPF’s request for a Special Use Permit received an unanimous recommendation for approval from the Ogle County Regional Planning Commission on Aug. 20. A hearing before the Ogle County Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled in September, with a final decision by the County Board to follow.

The recommendation came with a condition that the property’s current tax rate won’t be lowered under BPF’s ownership.

“At Better Place Forests, our mission is to inspire everyone to leave a meaningful legacy for the planet and the people we love,” Chief Real Estate Officer Mark Kehke said in an email. “Our company has built America’s first conservation memorial forest, a sustainable alternative to cemeteries for those who choose cremation.”

Better Place Forests has two sites in California and one in Arizona. The site in Oregon would be its first in the midwest. The site was chosen due to wanting to preserve the land and its importance to the river’s ecological corridor, Kehke said.

BPF is currently under contract to purchase the property and is working through land use approvals necessary to operate on site. If the business is able to move forward in Oregon, there will only be “minor site improvements,” Kehke said.

“These will include the renovation of the existing home for use as a visitor center, a small parking area, and restrooms,” Kehke said. “We intend to use design concepts and materials that are native to the Oregon area in order to enhance the beauty of, and cause minimal disruption to, the natural forest. It is our commitment to protect this oak forest along Illinois’ Rock River.”

Kehke said in a recent survey BPF found that

ABOVE: The proposed site for the Better Place Forests is located along the Rock River, north of Lowden State Park, along River Road. BELOW LEFT: Better Place Forests opened its third memorial forest just north of Flagstaff, Arizona. The site includes views of open meadows and ancient groves of quaking aspens. BELOW RIGHT: This is the visitor

center located in Better Place Forest’s Mendocino Coast in Point Arena, California.

cremation has become more popular than a traditional burial for nearly half of Americans. Over 60 percent of respondents expressed interest in an alternative burial option offered through cremation.

Kehke called BPF’s price point “approachable” and said that its average package is less than half the cost of a traditional burial. Gia DeBartolo, a BPF representative said at the regional planning meeting that a memorial tree would cost from $5,000 to $10,000.

As far as the economic impact of the business, Better Place Forests plans to hire a staff of local forest stewards and arborists.

“Additionally, we expect to spend millions of dollars on facility construction and ongoing forest maintenance with local contractors,” Kehke said. “This project will provide ongoing work in forestry and land management over decades to come while further protecting the forest along the Rock River corridor which provides critical ecosystem services.”

Kehke hopes to receive a permit to operate in early 2021. If that happens, the first “milestone” would be to open the forest for online tours. That has become important due to the pandemic, which could cause delays in opening the forest for in-person visits.