Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS
May 24, 2018 Volume 51, Number 32 - $1.00
Bound for State
Tourism Guide
Memorial Day
Several Hawk track athletes are headed to Charleston for the boys state meet. B1
Scenic Ogle County has a lot to offer this summer and fall. Insert
The American Legion will hold a service to remember on May 28. A3
Area schools and police make security a priority By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Last week’s shooting at Dixon High School has put the focus on security measures at local school districts. The Oregon School District has reached out to state Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon), about finding a source of revenue for a resource officer, Superintendent Thomas Mahoney said. “It would cost us about
$50,000 to $70,000 annually to hire a full-time officer,” Mahoney said. “If we were flush with money, we would move on it immediately.” “It’s going to be a point of discussion in the next month’s board meeting, but we are underfunded by about $4.5 million per year,” he said. Like most Illinois school districts, Oregon has seen a significant decrease in mandated state funding in recent years due to the state’s budget woes.
One solution might be to use money from a one-percent county sales tax levy, Mahoney said, which Ogle County does not have at the moment. Voters rejected a referendum in April of 2013 to implement a county-wide sales tax to aid the schools. Polo Police Chief Kurt Cavanaugh told the city council Monday night that School Superintendent Chris Rademacher has been working with the police department for several years to be prepared in
case of an active shooter. “We have good communications with the schools,” he said. “I think we are well-prepared.” He said drills have been held in the buildings. Forrestville Valley Superintendent Sheri Smith could not be reached for comment on security measures in that district. Visitors in all three districts cannot enter the buildings without being “buzzed in.” Security cameras are located
at the entrances and the doors are locked until school personnel inside release the lock allowing the visitor to enter. A Dixon High School senior, Matthew Milby Jr., 19, was charged in Lee County Court Friday with three felonies involving aggravated discharge of a firearm, the first two for firing at school resource officer Mark Dallas and gym teacher Andrew McKay – who threw the gym foyer doors shut and told the seniors to run
when the shooting began – and the third for firing a gun in a school building. Investigators have declined to say who, if anyone, was Milby’s target, citing the ongoing investigation. All are Class X felonies, the most serious that can be levied in Illinois. The first two are punishable by a mandatory 10 to 46 years in prison, the third by 6 to 30 years. Each charge also comes Turn to A3
School board hires new OHS principal By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
Daniel Cary, of Freeport, helps three-year-old Amethyst Blaser, also of Freeport run the old-fashioned corn sheller Saturday at AJ’s Garden Tractor Jamboree. Photo by Vinde Wells
Jamboree draws record crowd By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Saturday morning’s cloudy, cool weather made a 180-degree turn mid-morning to lend warm sunshine to the ninth annual AJ’s Garden Tractor Jamboree. A record crowd and close to a record number of garden tractors made the day a success for its hosts Andy and Lisa Hinrichs and their son AJ, at their home west of Oregon on Columbian Road just off Pines Road. “We had 400 to 450 people that’s the most ever,” Lisa said. “The weather was a big help. It was cold and damp early but then about 10 o’clock the sun came out. It turned out to be a really nice day.” Rows and rows of garden tractors - more than 300 in all - drew a lot of attention from the crowd. Mike Waack and Tom Keller, both of Muscatine, Iowa, were visiting with Bill Brackemyer, of Morrison, about his dad’s 1965 Simplicity Broadmoor
Deluxe. Keller said they are regulars at the jamboree. “We’re collectors. We try to get her every year if we can,” he said. Waack said the event has grown significantly over the years. “The first year we came it was just a few tractors. Now look,” he said, gesturing to the long lines of garden tractors of all brands and colors. The Simplicity wasn’t the only garden tractor Brackemyer was showing; he also brought two newer ones of his own. “I’ve got two that are worth something and one that means something,” he said with a grin. The Simplicity was purchased by his grandfather and great-grandfather 53 years ago and still works. “I actually have an oldfashioned eight millimeter movie of my great-grandpa taking it out of the truck with a grin on his face,” he said. “It’s been cutting grass all this time.”
In This Week’s Edition...
A Freeport native is the new principal at Oregon High School. The school board hired Dr. Heidi Deininger Monday evening to replace current OHS Principal Andrew Nelson, who is returning to the classroom after five years as principal. Nelson will teach eighth grade English at DL Rahn Junior High this fall. Superintendent Tom Mahoney said he is pleased with the board’s action. “Dr. Deininger brings an impressive skill set, working with a diverse student population and helping them become successful,” he said. “We welcome these skills and any innovation that she brings with her to our district.” Deininger is currently a special education administrator for Rockford Public Schools. She has previously served as Executive director of College & Career Readiness for Rockford Public Schools, principal at Roosevelt High School in Rockford, assistant principal at Belvidere High School and in administration
Heidi Deininger
for the Winnebago County Special Education Cooperative. She was named 2015 Golden Apple Principal of the Year for northern Illinois. “I love being an educator,” Deininger said in her statement to school officials. “I believe that we have the ability to impact every life, every day. I know students bring many beliefs, challenges and strengths to school. Our job, as educators, is to know them, encourage them and inspire them to be the very best they can be and somehow leave their mark on their world.” Deininger has three children and enjoys running, reading, working at her family’s business, and watching her children participate in sports.
County officials get 7.5 % raises By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Mike Waack and Tom Keller, both of Muscatine, Iowa, visit with Bill Brackemyer, of Morrison, about one of the garden
Brackemyer has the original paperwork for the purchase of the mower, which has been repaired a couple of times over the years. He rebuilt it in 2012, he said, getting the needed parts from eBay. Lisa Hinrichs said the usual events were held — the tractor parade, plowing demonstrations, the poker run, and the slow tractor race, where the last tractor across the finish line wins — along
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B7-B10 College News, A4 Entertainment, A6
with some new events. This year AJ planted Indian corn using a one-row planter pulled by a garden tractor. Kids’ activities, like corn shelling, was moved to a brand new barn, which also houses the family’s flock of chickens. The annual auction to benefit the Blackhawk Crossings 4-H Club featured tractor-themed hand-made quilts and even a rhubarb cake.
Library News, A3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B4 Pine Creek News, A3
Three elected officials in Ogle County will get a 7.5 percent pay increase over the next four years. The county board approved pay hikes May 15 for the county clerk, treasurer, and sheriff with only a couple of members casting no votes. One of the dissenters was Pat Saunders, of Polo, who said she would prefer to set a flat amount, rather than a percentage, for the increase. “I’m opposed to the percentage because it makes the gap larger between elected officials and everyone else,” she said. “These get to be substantial raises - over
Property Transfers, B3 Sheriff’s Arrests, B4 Social News, A4 Sports, A9, A10, B1, B2
four years it’s $6,000 [for each]. I’m going to vote no.” The salaries will increase by 1.5 percent in 2019 and 2020, by 2 percent in 2021, and another 2.5 percent in 2022. That means the clerk’s and treasurer’s annual salaries will increase from the current $80,765 to $81,977 in 2019, $83,207 in 2020, $84,871 in 2021, and $86,993 in 2022. The sheriff’s pay will increase from the present $88,842 to $90,175 next year, $91,528 in 2020, $93,359 in 2021, and $95,693 in 2022. According to state statute, the salaries for elected officials must be set at least 180 days before the beginning of their terms. The raises take effect on Dec. 1.
Deaths, B5 Darlene V. Bauer, William L. Boland Sr., Todd A. Burwitz, Johnny B. Crumley, Glenn V. Green, Richard T. Hazelton
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com