Library News

2 MT. MORRIS TIMES MT. MORRIS TIMES MO RRIS BE AT oglecountynews.com ShawLocal.com OFFICE 113-115 Peoria Ave. MT. Dixon, IL 61021

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Mt. Morris Times / oglecountynews.com • Friday, Dec 31, 2021 $39 in Ogle County, and $52 outside Ogle County. Singlecopy price is $1 To subscribe, make a payment or discuss your delivery, call 1-866-979-1053 Monday-Friday or send an e-mail to subscriptions@ oglecountynews.com. You also can subscribe online by going to oglecountynews.com and clicking on Subscribe. CLASSIFIED SALES 815-220-6942 apicco@shawmedia.com OBITUARIES 815-632-2534 phartman@shawmedia.com Deadline for obituaries is 2 p.m. Tuesday for Friday’s edition BY ALEXA ZOELLNER azoellner@shawmedia.com OREGON – A 15-year-old Oregon High S c h o o l s t u d e n t w a s h o s p i t a l i z e d f o r COVID-19-related pneumonia on Christmas Day. Tyler Russell was taken to the hospital on Dec. 25, where doctors stabilized him before transferring him to the children’s hospital in Peoria, according to a post on GoFundMe made by Tammy Russell, his aunt.

“The doctors are treating him aggressively with fluids, antibiotics, and are planning to do the infusion,” Tammy Russell wrote. “Right now they are trying to keep his O2 stats up.”

The GoFundMe is to benefit Tyler and his father, Christopher Russell, who “has been with him and will be at his bedside the whole time Tyler is in the hospi tal,” Tammy Russell wrote. Donations will help cover her brother’s lost income and the soon-to-arrive medical bills, she wrote.

Tyler, who has Down syndrome and a compromised immune system, is a fighter and it’s something everyone who knows him knows, Tammy Russell wrote.

“He was upset that he was going to miss Christmas and couldn’t open his Christmas presents,” she wrote. “We promised

LOCAL NEWS

Freshman hospitalized w ith COV ID-19 pneumonia Tyler Russell, 15, transferred him that the Christmas tree will stay up and the presents underneath. Once he is to children’s hospital in able to come home, we will then celebrate

Peoria; aunt hosting Christmas with him and the rest of the family. GoFundMe for medical costs Tyler is a “typical kid” who enjoys playing Xbox, watching animated movies and WWE, playing his guitar and singing, Tammy Russell wrote. Tyler also participates in the Special Olympics through Ogle County, Tammy Russell wrote. “Christmas is known for miracles and I know that Tyler will beat this,” she wrote. “No donation is too small or little and will be greatly appreciated.” To donate, visit https://gofund.me/7bcbc675. As of Tuesday evening, $6,480 had been raised by 57 donations.

NEWS BRIEF Oregon Woman’s Club played Santa for clients of Ogle County Hope

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

Members of the Oregon Woman’s Club delivered Christmas gifts for the “Adopt a Family” program of Ogle County Hope on Dec. 13.

The program serves families across Ogle County. The women of OWC were assigned to particular families for whom they purchased gifts, ensuring that these families would have a Christmas that they would not have had otherwise. Gifts included clothing, personal items, toys, books, games and more.

Ogle County Hope is one of the many community service organizations that OWC helps support. These include the Oregon Historical Society, Lifeline, Friends of the Library, Rock River Center, Village of Progress, Winning Wheels, VFW Post 8739, Nachusa Grasslands and Serenity Home and Hospice. Members of the Oregon Woman’s Club, Jan Steward (second from left), Sandi Chasm (center) and Johanna Hahne (second from right) present gifts for client families to the staff of Ogle County Hope.

Advertising Sales Patty Bridgeman 815-632-2555 pbridgeman@ shawmedia.com

Mt. Morris Times, Ogle County News and oglecountynews.com are a division of Shaw Media. Ogle County Newspapers also prints the Mt. MorrisTimes , OregonRepublicanReporter, and Polo’s Tri-CountyPress .

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.

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MT. MORRIS LIBRARY

Masks required

We are requiring everyone over the age of two to wear masks in the library. We understand how everyone feels, but we ask for your understanding and cooperation. Thank you!

Curbside service is available!

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.

Storytime

Storytime is on Wednesdays at 11:15 a.m. Donna Wells is our guest reader, and we will have a fun craft to do. All preschool children are welcome.

Adult Book Club

The January book is “The Oysterville Sewing Circle” by Susan Wiggs. Copies are available at the library. This group will meet in person at the library at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 24.

Display case showings

The display cases will be changing! Watch for more information or stop by to check them out in person. We are always looking for people who are willing to share a collection or artwork in our display cases. If you are interested, please let us know.

Explore More Illinois

Explore More Illinois is a cultural pass program that provides discounts at museums, visual and performing arts centers, park districts and more around the state. Use Explore More Illinois to find fun and educational places to go on a free afternoon or for a little getaway. 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 resource 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 is 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.

Additional services offered

We make copies (25 cents per black and white page). We fax ($2 for the first page and 50 cents for 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!

COUNT Y NEWS

ICC approves crossing improvements near Polo

A railroad crossing east of Polo will be getting a major facelift next year.

The Illinois Commerce Commission has approved a stipulated agreement to improve safety at the North Union Road railroad crossing.

Under the agreement, BNSF Railway Company will install new automatic flashing light signals, gates with bells which are controlled by constant warning time circuitry and equipped with an event recorder and a remote monitoring system.

The total estimated cost of materials for the crossing upgrades is $223,364.

The ICC staff recommends that the Grade Crossing Protection Fund be used to pay 95% of the total cost, not to exceed $212,193.

All work is to be completed within 12 months of the order date.

“These upgrades are needed and will greatly improve safety at this location. This is good news for the community and anyone who utilizes the crossing. The allocation of Grade Crossing Protection Funds enables important rail safety projects such as this to advance,” ICC Commissioner Michael Carrigan said.

In 1955, the state passed legislation creating the GCPF. Since then, Illinois has strengthened its commitment to public highway-rail safety by increasing funding toward projects such as the closure and consolidation of existing public crossings, installation of new warning systems, highway approach improvements, upgrades to existing warning devices and interconnection to nearby traffic signals, construction/reconstruction of grade separation structures and the construction of pedestrian grade separations.

The commission administers the GCPF, which is funded by motor fuel tax money designated for rail safety improvements.

The General Assembly appropriates $42 million annually for the GCPF.

Earleen Hinton/Shaw Media The railroad crossing on Union Road, east of Polo, is slated to be upgraded next year. The crossing currently has lights, but no stop arms.

REGIONAL NEWS

Road rage shooting spurs civ il suit; man awarded $850,000

BY KATHLEEN A. SCHULTZ kschultz@shawmedia.com

DIXON – Two men charged with attempted murder in an apparent road rage case are being sued by the Dixon man who said they shot at his vehicle, hitting it four times.

Kennedy L. Jackson Jr., 27, of Hele n a , A r k a n s a s , a n d C o u r t n e y D . Gaines, 26, of Memphis, Tennessee, w e r e c h a r g e d S e p t . 3 , 2 0 1 9 , w i th attempted murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm and indicted Sept. 20 in Lee County Court on those same charges.

The two men were employees of Inmate Services Corp., a West Memphis, Arkansas, interstate inmate transport company, when investigators say they shot at a Dodge Caravan driven by David L. Brockman.

Lee County Circuit Court Judge Douglas Lee, presiding over the civil suit, found the company liable in the shooting on Nov. 17, 2020, and on Dec. 29, 2020, ordered it to pay Brockman $850,000 – $50,000 for counseling and the rest for emotional damages.

It was a default judgment, meaning the company failed to respond to the finding of liability, or to come to court the day the judgment was rendered.

President Randy Cagle Jr. is named in the court record as representing the company. He could not be reached for comment.

The suit still is pending against Gaines and Jackson, the only other defendants in the case.

Dixon attorneys Paul and Tom Whitcombe are representing Brockman.

According to the suit:

On Aug. 19, 2019, Jackson was driving and Gaines was the front-seat passenger in a white Inmate Service van transporting at least two inmates in the westbound left lane of Interstate 88. The van’s bright lights were on.

Brockman, who was driving his Caravan westbound in the left lane, moved to the right lane, in front of the transport van, “to get their attention.”

The transport van switched lanes and pulled up next to Brockman, who rolled down his passenger window and yelled to Jackson and Gaines to “turn down your (expletive) brights.”

“Concerned that the security of the inmates they were transporting was being threatened, defendant Jackson produced a firearm from under the driver’s seat. Defendant Gaines told defendant Jackson to ‘scare the (expletive) out of him.’”

Jackson fired multiple shots at Brockman’s van; four rounds hit it, one passing through a case of water bottles behind Brockman’s seat, the suit says.

The shooting happened just before the Dixon toll booth. Jackson got off at the Dixon exit and pulled into the Road Ranger on Route 26, while Brockman followed at a distance and pulled into the Pizza Hut parking lot across the street and called 911.

Brockman’s dash cam recorded the entire incident.

While Brockman was waiting for state police to arrive, Jackson and