17 minute read
Library News
MT. MO RRIS BE AT oglecountynews.com ShawLocal.com OFFICE 113-115 Peoria Ave. Dixon, IL 61021 815-732-6166, ext. 2592 2 MT. MORRIS TIMES MT. MORRIS TIMES Mobile food pantr y in town Jan. 26
SUBSCRIPTIONS
$39 in Ogle County, and $52 outside Ogle County. Single-copy price is $1 To subscribe, make a payment or discuss your delivery, call 815-732-6166, ext. 2518, from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday-Friday or send an email to subscriptions@ oglecountynews.com. You also can subscribe online by going to oglecountynews.com and clicking on Subscribe.Mt. Morris Times / ShawLocal.com • Friday, January 20, 2023
CLASSIFIED SALES classified@shawlocal.com
HELP WANTED employment@shawlocal.com
LEGAL NOTICES sauklegals@shawlocal.com
OBITUARIES saukobits@shawlocal.com Deadline for obituaries is 2 p.m. Tuesday for Friday’s edition
SEND NEWS news@oglecountynews.com
Publisher Jennifer Heintzelman 815-632-2502 jheintzelman@shawmedia.com
General Manager Earleen Hinton 815-632-2591 ehinton@shawmedia.com
News Alexa Zoellner 815-632-2590 azoellner@shawmedia.com
Advertising Sales Jennifer Heintzelman 815-632-2502 jheintzelman@shawmedia.com
Mt. Morris Times, Ogle County News and oglecountynews.com are a division of Shaw Media. Ogle County Newspapers also prints the Mt. Morris Times, Oregon Republican Reporter and Polo’s Tri-County Press.
The MT. MORRIS TIMES (USPS No. 365-440) is published weekly by B.F. Shaw Printing Co., Shaw Media. Periodical postage paid at Mt. Morris, Illinois. POSTMASTER Send address changes to MT. MORRIS TIMES, P.O. Box 8, Oregon, IL 61061. Phone 815-732-6166, ext. 2516.
SPECIAL EVENT
Antiques, collectible market in Mt. Morris on Feb. 4
The annual February Finds Antiques and collectible market will be held Saturday, Feb. 4, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Mt. Morris Moose Lodge 1551 Family Center, 485 East Hitt St.
Admission is $3 a person, with children younger than 12 admitted for free.
Twenty-plus dealers will be featuring vintage items, retro decor, primitives, glassware, pottery, artwork, old toys, local advertising, furniture, baseball cards, fishing lures, linens, jewelry, military items, vintage political, local maple syrup, and much more.
Bobbi’s Country Catering will have baked goods available for sale.
The Moose Lodge will have food and drinks available for purchase starting with breakfast burritos in the morning and lunch items through the day.
MT. MORRIS LIBRARY
Story Time
Bring your little ones by for a great story time! We will be reading books all about PENGUINS and then children will be making a craft this Wednesday, Jan. 25. Story time is every Wednesday at 11:15 a.m., bring your little ones to enjoy stories and a craft at the Mount Morris Library!
Adult Book Club
The January book is “Have You Seen Luis Valez?” by Cathrine Ryan Hyde. Everyone is welcome to join this book club group! Copies of the book are available at the library. This group will meet in-person on Monday, Jan. 30 at the library.
Cookbook Club
Join us as we explore The Cookbook Club! Wonderful recipes combined with friendship creates something both beautiful and delicious! Stop by to choose your recipe from this month’s book, “Eat at Home Tonight” by Tiffany King, then bring the dish to pass at our next meeting! Join us on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. at The Senior Center for another exciting meal!
Ink with a Friend: Card Making at the Library
Join us in February to make some lovely home-made cards to send to family and friends. We will be offering a card-making class from local crafter, Liz Gullett. Liz has already been working with the Oregon Public Library and her classes are quite the success! We want to offer her lovely workshops to our Mount Morris patrons also. She will be here on Thursday, Feb. 9 from 5-7 p.m.! You will get all the materials to make two beautiful cards to take home. Stop by to see the samples, fees are by donation. Registration is limited so call the library or stop by to save your spot before Feb. 3.
Lego Club
Our next Lego night is Thursday, Feb. 16, from 6 – 6:45 p.m. Bring a friend and build some fun with Lego bricks! All children and parents are invited every third Thursday of the month. Children under 8 need to bring a parent with them.
Memorial Gifts
Give a Christmas gift that lasts, brings joy to many, and doubles in value. Your memorial gift to the library is matched by the Mt. Morris Library Foundation, doubling your generosity! Many thanks to all who gave memorial gifts in 2022.
Display Case Showings
Stop in to see our new display for January! It is a wonderful winter display revealing some of Margaret Dannhorn’s collection of snow globes. Stop by to enjoy the enchantment of the gorgeous snowy scenes! We are always looking for collectors or artists who are willing to share their treasures in our display cases. If you are interested, please call, 815-734-4927.
Explore More Illinois Welcomes The Discovery Center Museum!
Explore More Illinois, RAILS’ online cultural and recreational pass program for Illinois libraries, spotlights attraction, Discovery Center Museum in Rockford! Discovery Center Museum is a hands-on children’s science museum with more than 300 exciting interactive exhibits spread throughout 23,000 square feet on two floors.
All exhibits relate to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math). Exhibit galleries focus on the human body, forms of electricity, the science of sports, space travel, simple machines, communication, agriculture, color and light, and math. Out in the museum’s backyard, visitors can explore our Rock River Discovery Park, a 15,000 square foot multi-level science park featuring a dinosaur dig pit, maze, water play area and a Secret Garden.
The Discovery Center Museum is offering Up to Two Free Admissions with Two Paid Admissions. Explore More Illinois users can access and reserve passes from any of our attractions on their participating library’s website.
Explore More Illinois is easy to use with your library card. Visit the library’s website to browse attractions. You can find the information on our website, www.mtmorris-il.org under the resources page.
Rock River Center
The Rock River Center has a representative in our library the second Thursday of every month. Services provided by Rock River Center are designed to enable older and disabled persons to remain independent, thereby avoiding costly long-term care. No appointment necessary but, if you want to make an appointment with the Rock River Center you may call 815-732-3252.
Adult Programming
We are trying to get back into the swing of offering monthly programs for adults. We would love to hear from you. Do evenings or weekends work better? Do you have any program ideas? Do you have a program you would like to share? Contact Mary Cheatwood at the library through email at mmlib@mtmorris-il.org or call 815-7344927.
Curbside Service
We want to remind everyone that you still have the option of having your materials delivered to your vehicle. If you have holds waiting for you, call us to tell us you are on your way, and we will bring them out to your vehicle when you arrive. Call us if you need more information.
Additional Services
We make copies (25¢ per black and white page). We fax ($2 for the first page and 50¢ each additional page). We can scan a document and send it to email ($2 per document). You can use a computer without a library card for $1. Resume software is available on our computers. Come visit us and let us help you!
Loaves & Fish Food Pantry, alongside Northern Illinois Food Bank, will be hosting a Mobile Food Pantry on Thursday, Jan. 26, from 10 to 11:30 a.m.
The truck will be located at Mt. Morris Moose Family Center, 101 Moose Drive, Mt. Morris.
Food is distributed on a first-come, firstserved basis, while supplies last.
Food is free to neighbors in need; no ID, proof of address or income is required.
Loaves & Fish Food Pantry is located on the lower level of the Mt. Morris Church of the Brethren, 409 W. Brayton Road, and is open on the first and third Thursdays from 3:30 to 6 p.m. and second and fourth Mondays from 2 to 4:30 p.m.
Anyone experiencing food insecurity is eligible to receive food. You do not need to have a referral, and no proof of income is required. For additional information, call 815-613-8776 and leave a message.
Sen. Duckworth comments on why she supported $1M grant
By ALEXA ZOELLNER azoellner@shawmedia.com
The Mt. Morris Fire Protection District’s effort to secure funds for a new home base still has a ways to go.
A b o u t $ 1 . 1 3 m i l l i o n h a s b e en secured for construction of a new fire s t a t i o n t h r o u g h f u n d r a i s i n g a n d g r a n t s , b u t t h a t ’ s o n l y one-quarter of the estimated cost.
“I’ll estimate our total project will cost $4 million to $4.5 million,” said Scott Diehl, Fire Distri ct Board of Trustees p r e s i d e n t . “ W e ’ r e t a l k i ng maybe two years till we get this thing done; that’s an estimate, too.”
T h e e x i s t i n g s t a t i o n i s nearly 100 years old and features low ceilings and narrow overhead doors, is constructed with porous brick and doesn’t have space for outdoor work. The building originally was a car dealership and farm implement service station.
A site for the new station hasn’t yet been finalized, but they’re working on it, Diehl said. He declined to comment on specific locations, citing ongoing negotiations.
“We’ve got a couple locations in mind,” he said. “I’m trying to get it done as soon as possible, but I don’t have it done yet.”
The Mt. Morris Fire Foundation, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is shooting to raise $2 million through donations and fundraisers. Fire District trustees and staff are working to secure $2 million to $2.5 mill i o n i n g r a n t s , a n d h a ve hired a specialist to help them seek and obtain such funding. Fire Foundation fundraising The foundation has raised “just a hair over $89,000” so far, Foundation Board President Susan Scott Druschel said. “ I d o t h i n k w e ’ v e d o n e well,” Scott Druschel said. “We’ve got a long way to go, but everything starts with one small step.”
The Mt. Morris High School alumni Facebook group is running a Mounders legacy donation challenge to see which graduating class can raise the most money, she said. The challenge kicked off Jan. 3 and will run through March with a class being highlighted each week.
“The One Mounder and Mt. Morris High School symbol is still visible every day – it’s on every Mt. Morris
fire engine,” Scott Druschel said. “The legacy remains.” She encouraged anyone interested in making a legacy donation to also Sen. Tammy Duckworth contact classmates and let them know about the fundraiser. “It takes a lot to get to $2 million,” Scott Druschel said. “I’m really proud of the community. They’ve done an
Photo provided The Mt. Morris Fire Protection District is seeking to construct a new fire station. Their current one, pictured here, was built in 1924 and is too small to offer a safe environment from which to serve the community, Fire Chief Rob Hough IV said.
See FIRE STATION, Page 4
Temporary r umble str ips not holding up well at L owell Park, Pines Road intersection
Permanent rumble strips to be added later this year as part of paving project
By ALEXA ZOELLNER azoellner@shawmedia.com
Roughly 60% of the temporary rumble strips on Lowell Park Road at its intersection with Pines Road remain.
“The temporary rumble strips are holding up as well as anticipated, which isn’t very well,” County Engineer Jeremy Ciesiel said following the Jan. 17 Ogle County Board meeting. “You can still feel them. They’ll still g r a b y o u r a t t e nt io n a s y o u c o me through, but the snowplows did tear them up as we were thinking they would.”
T e m p o r a r y r u m b l e s t r i p s w e r e installed at the end of July 2022 in hopes of alerting northbound and southbound motorists on Lowell Park Road that they are to stop at the intersection, which is located in rural Polo. Motorists on Pines Road do not have a stop sign.
See COUNTY BOARD, Page 7
Earleen Hinton/Shaw Media Temporary rumble strips were placed on Lowell Park Road leading to the intersection with Pines Road last year. The Ogle County Highway Department put the strips in place hoping to alert northbound and southbound motorists driving on Lowell Park Road that they are to stop at the intersection. Motorists on Pines Road do not have to stop at the intersection.
• FIRE STATION
Continued from Page 3
excellent job. It’s not where we need to be, but they’re supporting us.”
Fire District grant applications
O n J u n e 2 1 , 2 0 2 2 , O g l e C o u n t y Board members approved the Fire District’s application for a $42,500 econ o m ic d e v e l o p m en t g r a n t . T h o s e funds are coming from the county’s American Rescue Plan Act allocation.
“We can put that toward site assessment and purchasing real estate,” Diehl said.
The Fire District is working on a loan application to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Program for the full project cost, but first must secure a location for the n e w f i r e s t a t i o n , D i e h l s a i d . T h e USDA’s Rural Development Program supplies loans for capital projects, he said.
“It’s our cheapest interest rate,” Diehl said. “That’s why we’re going that direction. There’s just an awful lot of paperwork involved. The loan application is 50 to 60 pages.”
They might or might not receive the full amount they request, he said. It will depend on how their loan application is analyzed.
The majority of the money secured so far is coming from the federal government’s fiscal 2023 budget.
The federal government allocated $1 million to the Fire District for design, engineering and site work of the new fire station in its fiscal 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Act, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden on Dec. 29, 2022.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth submitted the project for inclusion in the federal budget as congressionally directed spending. She said the project earned her support for several reasons.
“The fire station, it’s been 100 years without any updates, so these updates are critically needed,” Duckworth said. “I put my priority on this, gave this to the leadership and said, ‘When the Omnibus passes, this is a top priority for me. Of all the things I’m asking for, this is one of my very top priorities.’”
That the project went up against similar projects across the country and was able to secure the full funding requested said a lot about the Fire District’s need, she said.
“The fact that they have continued to operate and meet the needs of the community despite having a fire station that is essentially obsolete by any modern standards” is remarkable, Duckworth said. “They’re performing and stepping up to the plate and continuing to do the work instead of just walking away from it.”
A project’s fiscal responsibility is very important to her, Duckworth said.
“I’m not going to throw money if this Fire Protection District had not gotten their ducks in a row and had an actual plan, knew what they needed to do, knew exactly what they needed to fund, was willing to come up and do the fundraising themselves,” Duckworth said. “If they didn’t have all of that in a row, no matter what the need was, I wasn’t going to fund it.”
Diehl said that if the USDA Rural D e v e l op m e n t l o a n a p p l i c a t i o n i s approved, the $1 million will flow directly there and come off the Fire District’s loan balance.
“The biggest thing is we can’t put so much money into the project that we can’t operate as a Fire District,” Diehl said. “We have to fund our ambulance and fire.”
— Senator Duckworth
Card shower planned for Ila Mae Sieberns’ 90th birthday
The family of Ila Mae Sieberns of Oregon is holding a card shower in honor of her 90th birthday on Feb. 3.
Ila was born in 1933, the daughter of Howard and Eva Rogers, of Ohio, Illinois. Her family includes her late husband, Ken Sieberns, who passed away in April 2020 after 70 years of marriage; her late daughter Susan, who passed away in August 2020, and husband Hilo Hanson, of Plano; daughter Sharon and husband Brent Stanford, of Homewood; grandson Sean of Denver, Colorado and granddaughter Maddi and husband Jonah Buckels of Homewood.
Cards of congratulations will reach her at The Meadows, 510 N. State St., Apt. 202, Franklin Grove, IL, 61031.
Ila Mae Sieberns Ila Mae Sieberns was born in 1933.
Pat Bronkema to mark 85 years on Jan. 24 with card shower
A card shower is planned to celebrate the 85th birthday of Pat Bronkema on Jan. 24.
Cards and well wishes can be sent to: 204 W. Logan St., Forreston, IL 61030.
“Happy 85th birthday to a very special mother. Love you,” your daughters Deb Brady and Dawn Wood. Pat Bronkema
A lumni games are Saturday, Jan. 21, at Forreston High School
Forreston High School’s girls and boys basketball teams will be holding alumni games on Saturday, Jan. 21, in the high school gym.
The event will begin at 3 p.m. with the women’s game followed by a co-ed game at 3:30 and the men at 3:45.
The number of alumni participating will determine game matchups. Twenty-minute games will be played with decades playing against each other based on alumni’s graduating year falling on an even or odd year.
Band, Cheer and Dance also will be hosting their alumni night at that time.
Contact Kristin Crase (cheer) at kcrase@fvdistrict221.org, or Hanna Kasten (dance) at hkasten@fvdistrict221.org.
Band members can contact Travis Cunningham at tcunningham@fvdistrict221.org.
Participants are asked to bring a white and a red T-shirt for the games. Shirts also will be available for purchase.
All participating alumni, including past coaches and their immediate family, will be admitted free to the game.
The high school boys basketball game versus Oregon High School will follow the alumni games starting at 5:30 p.m., with the JV contest followed by the varsity game around 7 p.m.
Anyone interested in attending and/or playing in the alumni game can contact Jake Groom at jgroom@ fvdistrict221.org. with your name and graduating year.
We ask for a $10 donation the day of the game to cover the costs.
Liberty Village i s d e d i c a t e d t o Simply the Finest
Elegant Retirement Apartments
• Month to Month Rental • No Endowment Fees • All Utilities Except Telephone • Weekly Housekeeping • Buffet Dining
LIBERTY ESTATES
Now Accepting Residents
Alzheimer/Dementia Unit
• Safety, Security & Dignity • Nutritional Management • Activity Based Program • Individualized Stimulating Activities • Individual Staff, trained and experienced Management • Respite and Hospice Care
GARDEN COURT
Nursing Center
• Skilled Nursing • Rehabilitation of the
Older Adult • Geriatric Nutritional
Management • Respite and Hospice
Care
in retirement lifestyles. Liberty Village offers a neighborhood village concept and strives for the highest of quality throughout the campus. Liberty Village
of Freeport
Assisted Living Center
• Spacious Suites • Privacy and Independence • Weekly Housekeeping • Restaurant Style Dining • Recreation & Social Events
HAWTHORNE INN
Single Family Villas or
Duplex Villas
• 2 Bedroom/2 Bath • Now Available for Purchase • Ground Maintenance • Call System • Beautiful Setting
LIBERTY VILLAS
