Residents of Polo Rehab & Health Care Center relocated after wing of facility fills with smoke / 6
Swing away
Nine teams square off in ByronFest’s inaugural pickleball tournament / 8
Crime and courts
Man pleads not guilty to shooting 3 deputies in June near Dixon / 11
Earleen Hinton Jan Cox
looks at
large oak tree that was split in her backyard on Second Street in Byron during Monday night’s storm.
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Oregon to have special brush pickup for storm damage Friday, July 19
By EARLEEN HINTON ehinton@shawmedia.com
OREGON – Branches, branches and more branches.
A spat of recent storms that crossed Ogle County over the weekend and Monday has prompted the Oregon Public Works Department to hold a special brush pickup Friday, July 19.
Brush needs to be placed on the terrace by 7 a.m., parallel and as close to the curb as possible. Do not put brush in the street.
Brush piles are not to exceed 4 feet in height, 4 feet in depth, and 12 feet in length, with one foot spacing between piles.
Do not pile brush under low-hanging trees, behind or around utility poles, trees or other obstructions, or on top of water valves. The city will not be held responsible for damage caused to water lines due to piling brush on top of the water valves.
Piles considered yard waste or not stacked properly will not be picked up by the city. Yard waste is collected each Wednesday by Republic, the waste company contracted by the city for trash collection.
And for those living near the Rock River, the National Weather Service has a flood warning in effect until Saturday evening with moderate flooding forecast.
As of Tuesday evening, minor flooding was occurring on the Rock River from its confluence with the Kishwaukee River north of Byron to Castle Rock State Park south of Oregon.
“At 13.5 feet, numerous low-lying structures downstream of
A large branch from a tree fell onto this truck during a storm about 1 a.m. Saturday, July 13, in Oregon. Electrical power was knocked out for area residents for about four hours. More storms came through Ogle County on Monday night.
Byron are flooded. At 15.5 feet, Water threatens lower sections of the water treatment plant property in Byron. Water threatens IL-2 west of Byron,” the NWS alert said.
The maximum river stage for the past 24 hours is 13.6 feet. The river is expected to rise to a crest of 15 feet.
July 31 fundraiser to benefit first graders
SHAW LOCAL NEWS NETWORK contact@shawmedia.com
MT. MORRIS – The Mt. Morris Community Library Foundation is hosting a pie and ice cream social from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, July 31, during the Kable Band concert on the Mt. Morris campus.
All donations will go toward the 9x9x9 Program, the Foundation’s most successful program.
For $18 per child (formerly $9), a first grader will receive one book per month for nine months, i.e., nine books during
the school year. Fall 2024 will begin the fifth year that the Mt. Morris Community Library Foundation has sponsored the 9x9x9 program. They are raising funds to ensure that every first grader in the Oregon school district receives nine books this year.
The Mt. Morris Community Library Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports the Mt. Morris Community Library through funding, by matching every memorial gift given to the library, and by supporting the library’s services and programs.
The Foundation also gives away books to kids who visit Santa during the Mt Morris Christmas on the Square event. Donations are welcome, and anyone can become an annual member of the Foundation for $25 a year or buy a lifetime membership for $100.
Those funds are invested and used to support the library.
More information is available at the Mt. Morris Community Library, the MMCLF page at www.mtmorris-il.org, or by messaging the library on social media.
Construction work on Illinois 64 to start July 24
SHAW LOCAL NEWS NETWORK contact@shawmedia.com
DIXON – Construction on Illinois 64 (Washington Street) in Oregon will begin Wednesday, July 24, weather permitting, the Illinois Department of Transportation announced Monday.
The work zone will be from west of Illi-
CORRECTIONS
nois Street to First Street and include milling, patching and paving the road.
“There will be daily lane closures using flaggers during the $1.1 million project, which is expected to be completed in mid-September,” according to an IDOT news release.
Motorists can expect delays and should allow extra time for trips through the area.
Accuracy is important to the Oregon Republican Reporter. Please call errors to our attention by email at news@oglecountynews.com.
To avoid the work area, when feasible, use of alternate routes should be considered.
Drivers are urged to pay close attention to changed conditions and signs in the work zones, obey the posted speed limits, refrain from using mobile devices and be alert for workers and equipment.
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Earleen Hinton
Monday night storms cause flooding, block roads across the Sauk Valley
Ogle, Carroll counties hit hardest in region
By BRANDON CLARK bclark@shawmedia.com
DIXON – Severe thunderstorms hit parts of the Sauk Valley on Monday, causing flash flooding from the Rock River, blocking roadways and leaving thousands without power, authorities said.
Among the areas hardest hit were Carroll and Ogle counties, where ComEd reported, as of 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, about 68% of its Carroll County customers were without power and 17% of customers in Ogle County, according to the company’s outage map. By 2 p.m. Tuesday, the number of impacted customers was down to 64% in Carroll but up to 20% in Ogle.
Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle said he had to call in six additional personnel and extra dispatchers to deal with the 97 weather-related service calls that poured into his department.
“Our first call came in about 7:19 p.m., and we were dealing with those calls until about midnight,” VanVickle said. “There was extensive damage primarily through the north half of the county, but the most significant damage was observed from Byron down towards Holcomb.”
Damage included utility complaints, obstructed roadways and homes with fallen trees on them. As of Tuesday morning, VanVickle said his department still had 18 open service calls.
Six tornado warnings were issued in Ogle County Monday night, but as of Tuesday afternoon, none had been confirmed in Ogle, Carroll, Whiteside or Lee counties, said Brian Pierce with the National Weather Service’s Quad Cities office.
Monday’s storm was classified by the Storm Prediction Center as a derecho – a broad and persistent windstorm linked to swiftly advancing showers and thunderstorms. It can generate wind speeds comparable to tornadoes, but these winds move uniformly along a straight path.
“It started out as single storms in central Iowa and grew into a line that moved across northern parts of Illinois and went into Indiana and parts of southern Michigan,” Pierce said. “Around Dubuque, we had wind
Our first call came in around 7:19 p.m., and we were dealing with those calls until about midnight. There was extensive damage primarily through the north half of the county, but the most significant damage was observed from Byron down towards Holcomb.”
Brian VanVickle, Ogle County sheriff
speeds pushing 100 mph, and in northern Illinois, west of Rockford, we had reports of winds right around or just over 100 mph.”
National Weather Service teams
were out Tuesday performing storm damage surveys, including at the site of a confirmed tornado that was seen in Davenport, Iowa, moving towards the river, Pierce said.
Whiteside County Sheriff John Booker said his department was lucky the storm left the county relatively unscathed outside of some flooding from the Rock River.
ComEd’s Outage Map showed less than 5% of customers in Whiteside and Lee counties were affected.
The National Water Prediction Service is forecasting minor flooding along parts of the Rock River at Dixon, as it projects water levels to reach 16.7 feet by Wednesday before mostly sunny skies and highs in the 80s fill the rest of the week.
Photos by Earleen Hinton
Byron Police Chief Jeremy Boehle and a city worker survey storm damage Tuesday, July 16, on Colfax and West Second streets in Byron. A strong storm ripped through the town Monday night felling trees, damaging homes, and knocking out electrical service.
ComEd crews were busy Tuesday repairing downed electrical lines and poles in Byron following Monday night’s storm.
Storm rips through Byron area, felling trees and knocking out electrical power
By EARLEEN HINTON ehinton@shawmedia.com
BYRON – Jan Cox was thankful Tuesday that no one was injured when Monday’s storm ripped down her street felling trees and electrical wires.
But seeing her majestic oak tree ripped in half in her backyard made her heart a lot heavier.
“It just breaks my heart,” she said while picking up debris from her home in the 1100 block of W. Second St. as chain saws and generators buzzed throughout the neighborhood. “This is the original farm house and those beautiful trees have been here a long time.”
Jan and her husband, Brad, were in their two-story home when the storm hit about 7:30 p.m. Monday. They heeded multiple storm alerts and headed to the basement.
“We could definitely hear the wind above us,” Jan said. “I heard water running and it turned out to be the rain pelting the basement windows. It was nasty.”
Like many Byron residents, she and Brad were busy cleaning up Mother Nature’s mess Tuesday morning. The big oak tree that graced her back yard and had provided the perfect canopy over her outdoor fireplace, was split in half, crumpled to the ground. The home – more than 100 years old –appeared to weather the storm except for some roof damage and more downed trees in the front lawn.
“We are fortunate we only lost trees,” Jan said. “And our neighbors have been great helping us out.”
Byron Police Chief Jeremy Boehle was also surveying storm damage and working with city workers to determine where to start removing the fallen trees that extended along W. Second Street from Colfax Street past the fire station all the way to the city’s center.
“Second Street appears to have been hit the hardest all the way to downtown,” Boehle said. “There were no injuries reported to me. We still have a lot of people without electricity. I’ve heard that electricity could possibly be restored by Wednesday, but I’ve also heard maybe Friday. We have a lot of extensive damage.”
Some homes were running generators, including Generations at Neighbors, a 131-bed, 24-hour rehabilitation and skilled nursing community, located at 811 W. Second St. “I was told they are bringing in a bigger genera-
tor,” Boehle said.
Boehle said a local tree trimming company had also been contacted to aid city crews clear streets.
Just north of the Cox home, Byron School District workers and some administrators were busy clearing debris from the Joe Parks athletic fields which included the destruction of one dugout on the varsity softball diamond and one team shelter on the soccer field.
Another large oak tree smashed the softball field’s centerfield fence when it crashing down. And a large trampoline from a yard on West Second Street was blown several yards across N. Maple Ave. and onto a chain link backstop on a youth baseball field.
Overturned port-a-potties and twisted team benches could also be seen on the school’s main soccer field. In the center of the field the wooden team shelter was turned upside down and smashed into the grass turf.
While some businesses along West Blackhawk Drive (Illinois 2) had power
restored, other residents and entities, including the Byron Fire Station, were operating on generators as ComEd crews worked to repair utility poles and wires on Tuesday.
Ogle County Emergency Management Director Thomas Richter said six separate tornado warnings were issued across Ogle County earlier on Monday evening.
The storm felled trees and branches
from Leaf River to Monroe Center, knocking out electricity to 5,229 residents across the county. By noon Tuesday, 2,966 customers, or about 16% of ComEd’s customers there, remained without power.
As of 1:30 a.m., ComEd reported 80% of customers in Byron still were without power. By noon Tuesday, that number was down to 28%, or 500 customers.
Photos by Earleen Hinton
Three Byron School District employees work Tuesday, July 16, to remove a large trampoline that blew across North Maple Street and got stuck on the backstop of a youth baseball field in Byron.
Jan Cox carries storm debris to the curb as she and others work Tuesday at her home on Second Street in Byron.
Concerts continue at Mt. Morris’ Jamboree
SHAW LOCAL NEWS NETWORK contact@shawmedia.com
MOUNT MORRIS – Chicago Tribute Anthology is on the bill from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 19.
“CTA brings to life the ‘Golden Age’ of Chicago by meticulously recreating many of the great songs from the band’s first 11 albums,” Jamboree organiser Larry Ubben said. “Members include Tom Anderson, Paul Bata, Terry Geraci, Paul Mabin, Chuck Parrish, Reed Pauley, Dan Peters and John Springbrunn.”
Concessions will be provided by the Mt. Morris Moose Lodge, which will serve chicken strips, french fries, cheese fries, onion rings, cheese curds, pop and water, and the Oregon Lions Club, which will be serving pork chop sandwiches, brats, pop and water.
Just 4 Fun ice cream and Bill’s Famous Lemonade will start serving at 6 p.m.
Ewe and Me Acres will have its fresh produce from 5 to 8 p.m. on the Campus with other craft and plant vendors.
Swingbilly RFD, July 26
A western swing band, Swingbilly RFD returns to the Mt. Morris Jamboree for a two-hour free concert at 7 p.m., Friday, July 26.
“Swingbilly RFD is a Rockford-based group that plays traditional Honky-Tonk and Western Swing music as it was performed in its golden age of the ’40s thru the ’60s,” said Ubben. “The group is comprised of some of the area’s most accomplished musicians, and the instrumentationis the same as it was back in the day…vocals, upright bass, acousticguitar, steel guitar, fiddle and drums.”
The band plays music from Hank Williams Sr. to Bob
Wills to Loretta Lynn to Patsy Cline, Ubben said.
“Their music spans generations and is guaranteed to get your toes a-tappin’ and your face a-smilin,’ ” he said.
Concessions for the evening will be provided by Oregon’s Rock River Center, in partnership with the Ogle County Pork Producers who will be serving pork chop sandwiches, chips, pop and water. Grandpa’s ice cream as well as Bill’s Famous Lemonade stand will be there too, all starting at 6 p.m.
Ewe and Me Acres will have a fresh produce stand with a variety of fruits, vegetables, baked goods, jams, jellies and dog treats on the Campus along with other craft and plant vendors from 5 to 8 p.m.
Retired teachers association to award 3 scholarships
The Ogle-Lee Retired Teachers Association will award three $500 scholarships this year. Two will be from the Ogle-Lee RTA, and one will be the Pamela J. Farris Scholarship.
The requirement for the Ogle-Lee Scholarship is that you are enrolled as a junior or senior majoring in education at an accredited school and that your home is in Ogle or Lee County.
The Pamela J. Farris Scholarship requires that you be enrolled as a junior or senior majoring in elementary or middle school education at Northern Illinois University.
No county restrictions. Applications are available online at ogleleertaonline.weebly.com. Applications are due Aug. 16, to Phil Bratta, 5631 Fairoaks Drive, Davis Junction, IL 61020.
The scholarship winners will be announced Sept. 10. For additional information, call Phil Bratta at 815-520-5312.
– Shaw Local News Network
Earleen Hinton
Howard and the White Boys played at the Jamboree Music Series in Mt. Morris on Friday.
Residents
Polo Rehab & Health Care Center residents are evacuated after storm Monday night
Residents moved to Polo High School gym
By EARLEEN HINTON ehinton@shawmedia.com
POLO – Residents of the Polo Rehab & Health Care Center are comfortable in their temporary digs at Polo High School after being evacuated late Monday night from their rooms after one wing of their facility filled with smoke as a strong storm swept through town.
Late Tuesday afternoon, residents remained at the school with some watching a large video screen projected over the stage, located at the west end of the gym.
Scott McBride, the regional vice president of operations for Tutera Management, said officials were waiting for an update from ComEd.
“We’re still waiting for ComEd to give us an update as to power restoration,” McBride said. “That will determine our next steps. The residents are sheltering in the high school gym. They are happy and well fed.
“The city of Polo and the school have been phenomenal,” he said.
Late Monday evening, Polo Fire Chief Jim Ports said firefighters were responding to a transformer fire at 9:10 p.m. near the nursing home at 703 E. Buffalo St., when smoke was
detected inside the facility.
“As we were here, the west wing started filling up with smoke,” Ports said. “That’s why we had to evacuate.”
At midnight, Ports said it appeared that the smoke was coming from a HVAC unit on the building’s roof.
Nineteen residents of the facility were moved to the gymnasium of the nearby Polo High School as staff worked to relocate them to other facilities.
Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle
and Thomas Richter, the county’s emergency management director, were on scene as residents of the facility were being evacuated.
“The high school is the designated shelter in case of an emergency evacuation like this,” VanVickle said, adding that no one was injured during the incident.
Richter said six separate tornado warnings were issued across Ogle County earlier Monday evening.
As we were here, the west wing started filling up with smoke. That’s why we had to evacuate.”
Jim Ports, Polo fire chief
Most of the warnings were issued when rotation was seen on radar, VanVickle said.
“Some were also prompted by witness rotation, too,” Richter said.
Ports said fire departments from Dixon City, Milledgeville, Mt. Morris, Oregon, and Dixon Rural also responded to the scene with ambulances from Mt. Morris, Milledgeville, Oregon and Forreston assisting in evacuating the residents.
As ambulances moved residents from the center to the school, Polo Rehab staff, along with firefighters and police officers, wheeled empty beds and chairs out the main door of the center and one block north to the school’s main entrance at 100 S. Union Ave.
Some beds were too wide to fit through the main entrance doors and were brought into the gymnasium through the ag shop’s garage door, located on the other side of the school.
Beds and chairs were lined up on the north side of the basketball court as center staff attended to residents.
Earleen Hinton
from Polo Rehab & Health Care Center watch a large video screen Tuesday, July 16, while being temporarily housed in the Polo High School gym. They were evacuated to the school late Monday after a rooftop HVAC unit may have been damaged by a strong storm that passed through the town earlier in the evening.
Earleen Hinton
Firefighters and other first responders moved residents from the Polo Rehab & Health Care Center late Monday, July 15, to Polo High School after a rooftop HVAC unit may have been damaged by a strong storm that passed through the town earlier in the evening.
Day of firsts for two families at Hib Reber car show
By EARLEEN HINTON ehinton@shawmedia.com
BYRON – It was a day of firsts for two families at the 33rd Annual Hib Reber Memorial Car Show on Saturday.
First it was 10-year-old Kinsey Ward of Byron who brought her own ride to the show after tagging along with her dad and his 1985 Camaro to numerous shows.
So, what does a 10-year-old bring to a car show? Her 1998 restored Peg Perego Gaucho Jeep, complete with new paint and plenty of little rubber ducks.
“We totally restored it,” said Kinsey. “We gave it headlights and taillights and we fixed the horn and second gear. It used to be an ugly read and yellow color so I picked out all the new colors.”
The restoration of the 12-volt toy Jeep started two months ago when Kinsey told her dad she wanted to bring it to a show.
“She’s been coming to shows with me and my Camaro,” said Mark. “She picked all the colors and did the painting herself. When I saw the colors she picked I was asked her if she was sure and she said she was and wow, it turned out great.”
Kinsey chose a bright yellowish-green for her Jeep and baby blue seats as an accent color. The restoration took a couple of months, she said, and was delayed when parts failed to arrive.
“We had it for so long and it was so much uglier so I wanted to restore it and make it pretty,” she said proudly.
She topped off the restoration with a selection of little rubber ducks that lined up across the Jeep’s dash.
Two rows to the east, Dave and Shelia Dean of Polo camped out behind their 1961 Pontiac Bonneville Safari station wagon at its first show.
“Dave bought it from a friend. He had been after the car for four years and he kept asking and finally his friend said OK. And he didn’t even ask
me,” Shelia said laughing. “But I knew it would happen eventually.”
Their tan Pontiac that screams 1960s family road trip, spent several years in California which helped preserve its body from the harsh winters of northern Illinois.
“We have all the manuals and books and that’s really cool,” she said. “We think they only made around 3,000 of the Safari editions originally and there are not that many left today.”
The Deans have added metal coolers and picnic baskets as part of the
car’s display.
And the wagon even sports a nifty chrome roof rack. “I can envision a surf board on that,” she said smiling.
Luke Sheely of Adeline was showing his grandfather’s 1955 Ford Thunderbird that he recently restored for his dad, Roger, of Oregon.
The turquoise beauty belonged to Luke’s grandfather who was nicknamed Banty, who lived on Pines Road, near White Pines State Park. “I remember him taking me for rides in his T-Bird through the park,” said Luke. “He bought it new in 1955 at the Bemis Ford dealership in Oregon.”
Luke recalled the time his cousin Patrick was driving the two-seater to his prom in 1985 along Illinois 2 when he came across another vehicle in the ditch and ended up giving the car’s driver a ride to the hospital. “He took the guy to the hospital in this car,” said Luke.
The car was sold to a friend who took it to Florida for a few years before Roger bought it back and Luke began the 8-month restoration.
“I’ve been working on cars since I was 13 years old,” said Luke who took automotive classes at Highland Community College after serving in the Marines from 1989 to 1992.
The T-Bird’s odometer shows 84,000 miles. “My grandpa only drove it some times,” Luke said smiling.
The 2024 show, held during ByronFest, had 213 vehicles participating.
ByronFest hosts inaugural pickleball tournament
By EARLEEN HINTON ehinton@shawmedia.com
BYRON – It wasn’t on grass and it wasn’t in England, but it was the first ever pickleball tournament at ByronFest.
Nine teams squared off at the festival’s inaugural pickleball tournament on Saturday coinciding, coincidentally, with Wimbledon – the oldest tennis tournament in the world.
The Byron Park District and ByronFest hosted this year’s event on the Byron High School’s pickleball courts, just west of the football field. Whitetail Properties was the event sponsor.
“We have teams from Byron, Stillman Valley, Winnebago, Dixon and Dakota,” said Hayden McCammond, a Byron Park District employee and ByronFest volunteer.
While the date coincided with Wimbledon’s women’s finals and the men’s doubles finals, that was the only similarity between the two events. Byron’s tournament was on the “hard court” while the tennis elite knocked the ball
Janssen and Caleb
about on the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s grass courts – the only tennis Grand Slam held on grass.
Pickleball players use a smoothfaced paddle to hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball over a 34-inch net as opposed to tennis players who use rackets and a the iconic felt-covered
rubber ball.
Players in Byron competed for first, second and third place medals as opposed to the cash payouts and subsequent endorsements doled out across the pond in London.
And instead of strawberries and cream, a Wimbledon staple, plain old
water and any shade they could find fueled the Byron participants as temperatures hit the mid 90s.
But on the heels of Barbora Krejcikova beating Jasmine Paolini for the women’s Wimbledon title, Krissy and Steve Speece, of Winnebago, were locked in a battle for third place with Byron’s Dylan Springer and Jarrett Ross.
Krissy, a teacher at Rochelle Middle School, played tennis in high school and college, but has now migrated those skills to pickleball.
“I didn’t hear about pickleball until about a year ago and now I am totally addicted,” she said. “I used to love tennis, but now it’s all pickleball for me. It’s a smarter choice for me at my age now.”
Krissy and Steve brought home the third place medals while Phil Janssen and Caleb Young of Dakota took top honors after a tight match with Rich and Candy VanWambeke of Machesney Park.
“We had a great time,” Janssen said after the championship match.
Earleen Hinton
Phil
Young of Dakota receive their first-place medals from Hayden McCammond at ByronFest’s inaugural pickleball tournament Saturday in Byron.
Earleen Hinton
Kinsey Ward, 10, of Byron, talks to a Hib Reber Memorial Car Show committee member about her 1998 Gaucho Jeep that she entered in the show Saturday during ByronFest.
A great evening ‘traveling’ the Underground Railroad
It was a great evening July 10 as we once more traveled the Underground Railroad with a special program at the Polo Senior Center.
Kevin, from California, and Kathryn and Larry, from Minnesota, came just for the evening. They are descendants of some of the abolitionists. Zachary Bishop of Aurora University and several historians from other towns were there, as well.
We mastered technology with information on the screen, and people were watching from all across the United States. That blew my mind. Kevin Smoot, who had hooked all that up later, could tell me how many had watched or at least had tapped into it for a period of time.
Krista, my daughter from Wisconsin, was watching and she liked the question, “How do you know they were abolitionists?” Linda handled the question beautifully by answering, “It was written in their obituaries.” After they were dead, it could be told what they did. It was not a popular subject and yet people had given up wonderful jobs to travel to places to help run the Underground Railroad.
The Delaware Colony group that came from Delaware County in New York came just for that reason and they were the first to arrive in 1836. They knew exactly why they were here. They were on a mission and they became a part of history. Others soon followed.
J. W. Clinton, our newspaper man for 35 years, had cut out and saved many articles on the Underground Railroad. He pasted them into a scrapbook, and one never knew when you were going to come across an article with just a bit more of information.
One such article I did not even use but had in my notebook. This was written by Hattie Frisbee More
LOCAL NEWS BRIEF
The Serenity Shed to host ornament designing class July 30 in Oregon
OREGON – The Serenity Shed will host a design-your-own ornament class from 1 to 2 p.m. July 30. The class is intended for children ages 5 and older. Participants can design ornaments on canvas. Ornament outlines and materials will be provided. Proceeds
POLO HISTORY
for the Ogle County Press and had been placed in the newspaper March 5, 1881. It was the story of early Buffalo Grove and what it looked like years ago.
She wrote about the schoolhouse and what it was used for. “For this is where we used to assemble for church worship – for school – for lectures on politics and science— magic-lantern exhibitions and singing school.”
Hattie went on to write about the people who came to church every Sunday and one an aged patriarch who was there summer and winter (“the colored brother near the door is his guest, for that old time railroad, now fallen into disuse, ran past his door).”
Hattie continued to say, “We did not notice the entrance of a second “colored brother,” who came in just behind him. Those two are on their way to Canada, trains do not run regularly, but they are safe here.”
Just a little snippet in the story of Buffalo Grove and the Underground Railroad.
Later, when they picked the earliest school in Ogle County, they selected one over in the eastern part of the county because that building was only used as a school. The people here were not too happy because we had the earliest school but the building in Buffalo Grove was used for other things.
We are still researching where all the abolitionists lived because they moved around from property to property. It is still an interesting story.
• Betty Obendorf is a retired teacher and volunteer for the Polo Historical Society.
Village of Carthage was located in Taylor Township
Taylor Township is one of the six half-townships in Ogle County. It is located north of the Ogle-Lee county line approximately three miles and east from the Rock River approximately six miles.
Presently at this time there are no cities or towns, no industrial plants, no schools, no railroads, no stores and no filling stations.
Flagg Road, the main eastwest road in the township, was known first as the State Route. It was used by stage coaches that traveled the Chicago, Grand deTour, Clinton run.
The township was named after James Taylor. James was born in North Carolina in 1809.
The village of Carthage, located in Taylor Township on the State Road, was laid out by Levi Churchill in 1848. Carthage was founded to serve the stage coach traffic and served the families of Taylor Township area to avoid the long drive to Franklin Grove and Oregon. Several businesses sprung up in Carthage.
During its existence, six blacksmiths worked at their trade. Wagon maker Dick Capes ran his business for several years. At one time there was a hotel, tinner making coffee pots, a small winery, and a village physician. The livery stable was used as a stage stop. Stage coach horses were changed there and replaced with rested horses. Farmers brought their milk to the creamery in Carthage.
OBITUARIES
WALTER LEE HARTLE
Born: December 27, 1936
Died: July 4, 2024
Carthage also had a Post Office and a red school house was built in 1853.
Dexter Stocking, a Mexican War Veteran, drilled men for the Civil War at the school house. Today three modern homes and a large metal machine shed occupy what was once Carthage.
In the southwest corner of Taylor Township is an area that has long been called Lost Nation. The origin of the name is unknown however; there are several versions of the origin of the name.
At one time there were four school districts in the township. Hoosier School was named after some early settlers from Indiana, Teal Corners School No. 80 named after an old settler, Carthage No. 80 located in the village of Carthage and Riverside No. 297 situated near the Rock River.
Today Taylor Township students attend the Oregon Community School District No. 220, Dixon Unit School District 170 and Ashton, Franklin Center district 275.
Henry Fruit was born in Carthage, Taylor Township. He was a railroad fireman and engineer on the Burlington Railroad for 47½ years.
For several years he and his brother George sponsored a steam power show each fall. They had three steam engines, a steam roller, a steam shovel and a threshing separator.
• Otto Dick is a retired teacher and has researched Ogle County history for several years.
from the class will benefit Serenity Home and Hospice.
The class costs $10 per child. Due to limited space, registration is required to attend.
Registration is due Friday, July 26. To register, call Cathy or Dana at 815-7322499.
The Serenity Shed is at 113 N. Third St. in Oregon. Shaw Local News Network
Walter Lee Hartle, 87, of Peoria, Arizona, died on July 4th, 2024. Wally was born December 27th, 1936, in Oregon, Illinois, the son of A. Earl Hartle and L. Mae (McKee) Hartle. He graduated from Forreston High School in 1954. He served 2 years in the United States Army. Wally spent much of
his adult life in and around Peoria, Arizona, where he lived at the time of his death. While living in Peoria, Wally enjoyed fishing, golfing and hunting.
He is survived by his children, Debbie Nagy, Linda Magnafici and Doug (Sherry) Hartle, several grandchildren, his brothers, Herman Hartle, Dale (Juanita) Hartle, DeWayne (Carol) Hartle and sister, Arlene (Tom) Riggs, as well as many nieces, nephews, brother-in-law, Jack Dohse, and several stepchildren, including Dawn Rosenbalm. Wally was preceded in death by his parents, an infant sister, Lois; sister, Mary Dohse and sister-in-law, Gloria Hartle.
A memorial service will be held at 10:00 am, July 21, at the American Legion in Peoria, Arizona. His urn will be interred at the National Cemetery of Arizona.
Otto Dick
OGLE COUNTY HISTORY
Hiram Stanford
Betty Obendorf
Man pleads not guilty to attempted murder of 3 deputies
June shooting in Lost Lake
By PAYTON FELIX pfelix@shawmedia.com and EARLEEN HINTON ehinton@shawmedia.com
OREGON – A rural Dixon man pleaded not guilty July 10 to the attempted murder of three police officers during a June 12 shooting incident in his Lost Lake home.
Jonathon Gounaris, 32, through his attorney, Ogle County Public Defender William Gibbs, pleaded not guilty to four counts of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, three counts of aggravated battery and two counts of possession of a firearm without a firearm owner’s identification card.
Gounaris is charged with shooting three members of the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Response Team after a three-hour standoff when police tried to enter his home in the 400 block of Wild Rice Lane in Lost Lake, a rural subdivision east of Dixon commonly referred to as Lost Nation.
was shot in the face and taken by air ambulance to OSF Medical Center in Rockford, where he underwent surgery. He was released from the hospital June 14.
Sgt. Tad
Dominski of the Oregon Police Department was shot in the arm, and Tyler Carls of the Rochelle Fire Department was shot in the torso during the afternoon incident. They were treated at KSB Hospital in Dixon and released later that evening.
The ERT is made up of individuals from agencies including the sheriff’s office, Oregon and Byron police departments, and SWAT medics from the Rochelle Fire Department.
Gounaris also was shot during the gunfire exchange and was taken to KSB Hospital in Dixon, where he was treated before being booked into the Winnebago County Jail in Rockford on June 18.
On Wednesday, Gounaris appeared in court before Judge John Redington wearing handcuffs, leg irons and dressed in a yellow jumpsuit issued to inmates.
custody in order to receive mental health treatment.
Gibbs told Redington that based on a mental health evaluation done at KSB Hospital in June, the evaluating doctors expressed a desire to place Gounaris in an inpatient treatment center. However, as he is currently in police custody, he is unable to be moved.
State’s Attorney Mike Rock and Assistant State’s Attorney Heather Kruse asked that Gounaris remain in custody at the Winnebago County Jail based on their previous arguments during hearings June 20 and 26 that Gounaris is a specific threat to law enforcement officers, as well as anyone else in the community, and should not be released under any conditions.
Redington denied the request for release but set another hearing for 1:30 p.m. July 22. He also scheduled Gounaris’ next pretrial conference for 1:30 p.m. Aug. 26. Those hearings will be held in front of Judge John “Ben” Roe.
“I think [Gounaris] should be present at all court appearances,” Redington said.
Gibbs asserted that one of those subpoenas presented by the state is in relation to Gounaris’ mental health records from KSB and requested that the judge hold those records. Redington agreed to Gibbs’ request and signed the remaining six subpoenas. The six signed subpoenas now become a court order to provide documents or testimony regarding information requested, which will be presented during the next pretrial hearing Aug. 26.
Wednesday marks the third time that an Ogle County judge denied a defense request to release Gounaris from jail.
On June 20, Gounaris made his first court appearance for a detention hearing, where a judge decides whether a defendant can be released from custody based on information presented by prosecutors and defense attorneys.
Assistant State’s Attorney Matthew Leisten argued that Gounaris should remain in custody.
Leisten said the sheriff’s office received a call the morning of June 12 from Gounaris’ mother, who was crying and told police that her son had made suicidal and homicidal comments and had access to two guns.
Ogle County Deputy Lt. Jason Ketter
Gibbs entered the not-guilty plea and jury demand for Gounaris and again asked that his client be released from
Kruse presented Redington with seven subpoenas that the state would like to bring in front of Roe. Subpoenas are how attorneys gather evidence or witness testimony that is presented at a hearing.
The mother told police that her son had barricaded himself in the home and threatened to kill himself or anyone else who tried to talk to him.
Lee Co. Fair & 4-H Show
County Fair Speedway & Barrel Train Rides Daily
T HU, JULY 25
• Noon - Gate Opens to Public
• 1pm - Jr. Show Rabbit Judging
• 2pm - Goat Judging
• 2:30pm - Cat Judging
• 4 -9pm - Midway Open
• 4:30pm - Bingo
• 5:30pm - Starlight Dance Studio
• 5-7pm - Pork Chop Dinner by Lee Co. Pork Producers
Tentative trial date set for man accused of killing ex-wife,
By EARLEEN HINTON ehinton@shawmedia.com
OREGON – A jury trial for a Stillman Valley man accused of killing his ex-wife and their 3-year-old son in 2016 has been tentatively set for February.
But his attorney plans to argue in August that his client should be released from custody before the trial begins.
Duane Meyer, 42, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated arson and one count of concealment of a homicidal death in connection with the Oct. 19, 2016, Byron house fire in which Margaret “Maggie” (Rosko) Meyer, 31, was found dead. The couple’s son, 3-year-old Amos Meyer, also was home at the time of the fire and later died.
Meyer and his attorney, Christopher DeRango of Rockford, appeared before Judge John “Ben” Roe July 10 with Ogle County State’s Attorney Mike Rock and his assistant Matthew Leisten.
“We are in a position to set a trial
date,” DeRango told Roe. “And we will also file our intention for a pretrial release.”
DeRango asked for a January date for the trial to begin, but Roe set aside the month of February because of scheduling conflicts.
“My expectation is the trial will take two to three weeks,” DeRango said. “There are an enormous amount of witnesses.”
“I think that would be a good estimate, including jury selection,” Leisten said.
In previous hearings, attorneys have said that numerous cellphone records and data also will be part of the evidence presented.
DeRango said he plans to file a motion asking the court to reconsider releasing Meyer from custody before the tentative trial start date Feb. 3. Roe set that hearing for 10 a.m. Aug. 1.
Meyer has been held in the Ogle County Correctional Center since Oct. 9, 2019, with his bond initially set at $10 million.
DeRango said he also was considering a change of venue survey and
likely would make a motion for that in the near future. A change of venue would mean moving the trial to a new location other than Ogle County. A defense motion stating the reasons for the move first would have to be filed and then argued before the court.
In June, Roe denied DeRango’s request for more details on what a state witness has to say about phone records that could be used at trial.
DeRango sought additional disclosure, including a written summary of testimony that he believes prosecutors intend to use from FBI analyst Joseph Raschke, who analyzed cellphone data before the fire.
DeRango told Roe at a May hearing that slides in PowerPoint presentations given to the defense were too general and needed to be more specific. And he argued that Raschke had not provided a written report on his findings.
DeRango said there were “thousands of pages of discovery” and it was “impossible” to know what the state’s expert would say about the slides. Leisten countered that Raschke’s slides should be sufficient for the defense, arguing that Raschke’s slides were in his report and that he was not required to provide “some type of narrative for the defense.”
Leisten said Raschke will testify about Meyer’s cellphone data and how it relates to cell towers in the area. He said case law only mandates that prosecutors provide a “gist” of what an expert will testify to at trial. He said DeRango would have the opportunity to cross-examine Raschke during the trial.
Roe agreed and denied the defense motion in his June 18 written order. In November 2022, Roe ruled that Duane Meyer’s cellphone records would be allowed as evidence at the trial.
At a September 2022 hearing, Leisten said Raschke was a member of the FBI’s cellular analyst support team and had “plotted the estimated locations” of Meyer’s cellphone using methods that he had employed in hundreds of cases.
Such analytical evidence has been allowed in state and federal courts for more than a decade, and Raschke has testified multiple times as an expert in cell-site analysis despite defense objections, Leisten said.
Maggie (Rosko) Meyer was a teacher at the Chana Education Center at the time of her death. She filed for divorce in 2014, and court records show that the divorce was finalized in September 2016.
Finest
Gate Entrance Open
7:00 am – 10:00 pm
4-H & Jr. Dairy Goat Milk Production Milk-Out
Building D (sheep barn) 7:30 am
4-H Horses on Grounds 7:30 am
4-H Swine Show
Building A (swine barn) 8:00 am
4-H Horse Show Horse Arena 8:30 am
4-H Rabbit Show
Building B (rabbit barn) 9:00 am
Exhibit Building Open
Exhibit Building 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
4-H & Jr. Dairy Show
Building C (beef barn) 1:00 am
Goat & Sheep Weigh-In 3:00 pm– 4:00 pm
4-H Children’s Farm Near Main Gate Entrance 3:00 pm – 9:00 pm
4-H Beef Show
Building C (beef barn) 4:00 pm
Antique Tractor Parade Perimeter of Grounds 5:00 pm
4-H State Fair Orientation Exhibit Building 5:00 pm
Commercial Tent Open Near Fair Office
5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Carnival Rides Open Midway 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
4-H Bucket Calf Check-In
4-H Bucket Calf Judging Building C (beef barn) 6:30 pm approx..
4-H Master Showmanship Contest Building C, D, A (swine, sheep, & beef barn) 7:00 pm
Jr.
Photo taken by Earleen Hinton/ Shaw Media
GRANDSTAND EVENTS
ILLINI SATE PULLERS
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
Stock & Tractor Pulls Show Time = 6:30 pm
Thursday, August 1, 2024
Truck & Tractor Pulls Show Time = 6:30 pm
BIG HAT RODEO
Friday August 2, 2024
Show Time - 7:00 pm
ROBBO’S EXTREME DERBY PROMOTIONS”
Harlan Holm Derby Show
Saturday, August 3, 2024 Show Time = 6:30 pm
Come early to watch the Kids Power Wheel Derby.
Live Entertainment on the Ogle County Stage 7:00 – 10:30 pm
Thursday = Sheez-It
Cover Band from Rochelle, IL –60’s, 70’s & 80’s classic rock, folk & a bit of country music.
Friday = Killer B’s
Cover Band from Rochelle, IL –60’s, 70’s & 80’s classic rock, folk & a bit of country music.
Saturday = Rout 38
Country Rock band from Dixon, IL that has played Country Thunder & opened for some top country singers.
Photo taken by Earleen Hinton / Shaw Media
Trial delayed for Oregon mom accused of killing son
By EARLEEN HINTON ehinton@shawmedia.com
OREGON – A jury trial for an Oregon mother accused of suffocating her 7-year-old son in 2021 has been removed from the court calendar after a motion made by prosecutors that argues recent rulings made by an Ogle County judge limiting evidence that they want to present to jurors has “impaired” their ability to proceed with first-degree murder charges.
Sarah Safranek, 37, the mother of Nathaniel Burton, is accused of killing him in the family’s Oregon home in February 2021. She is charged with five counts of first-degree murder and one count of aggravated battery. She was arrested April 21, 2021, was indicted May 4, 2021, and pleaded not guilty May 6, 2021.
Ogle County State’s Attorney Mike Rock filed the appeal July 10, nine days after Judge John Redington ruled on several motions in limine filed by the defense and prosecutors. Motions in limine determine whether certain evidence may be presented to the jury. They are commonly
entered and argued before a trial begins, allowing evidentiary questions to be decided by the judge. Motions in limine in the Safranek case have been sealed and are not viewable to the public.
In June, Redington listened to testi-
mony and arguments regarding the motions and, after reviewing case law, limited the state’s ability to enter all internet searches and journal entries they say Safranek made. He also limited hearsay statements prosecutors said others made in regard to domestic violence directed toward Nathaniel.
On Wednesday, Redington removed Safranek’s scheduled jury trial date over the objection of her attorney, Ogle County Public Defender Kathleen Isley. No upcoming court date has been set, pending the appeal process.
During a June 28 hearing, Assistant State’s Attorney Matthew Leisten argued that several internet searches were discovered on Safranek’s phone. He said some of the searches asked questions about parents having thoughts of killing their children.
He said the searches were “very important” to the case and showed that she was “planning on killing Nathaniel.”
But Isley argued that the searches should not be allowed because there was no direct evidence that Safranek made the searches herself.
Isley said that there were other people inside the house who had access to
Nathaniel Burton
Earleen Hinton file photo
Sarah Safranek is escorted into an Ogle County courtroom by two deputies for a pretrial motion hearing June 28 in Oregon.
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Harvey T. Cooley, 36, of Mississippi, was arrested on charges of driving while license suspended and possession of cannabis/improper container as a driver after deputies performed a motorist assist in the 3000 block of north Illinois Route 2 at around 8:23 a.m. A passenger, Alexandra M. Johnson, 32, of Robbins, was arrested for possession of a firearm without a FOID. Cooley and Johnson were taken to the Ogle County Jail, released on notices to appear and given future court dates.
Aaron Brown, 31, of Rochelle, was arrested on a charge of aggravated domestic battery after deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance in the 7000 block of South Lilac Lane, Rochelle, at around 5:03 p.m. Brown was located in DeKalb and arrested with the assistance of the DeKalb Police Department. He was taken to the Ogle County Jail and held pending a court appearance.
July 9
Fitina Lazaro, 36, of Rockford, was arrested on a charge of driving without a valid license after a traffic stop in the 8000 block of north Illinois Route 251 at 12:24 a.m. Lazaro also was cited for inoperable
taillight. Lazaro was released on a notice to appear.
Juan P. Anguiano, 44, of Clinton, Iowa, was arrested on a charge of driving with no valid driver’s license after a traffic stop on Straddle Creek Road just west of North Brookville Road in Carroll County for an equipment violation in the 15000 block of West White Eagle Road in Ogle County at 11:11 a.m. Anguiano also was cited for no muffler. Anguiano was released from the scene on a notice to appear and given a future court date.
Jessie Thornton, 33, of Dakota, was arrested on outstanding warrants from Ogle County (failure to appear possession of controlled substance), Stephenson County (failure to appear domestic battery) and Rockford Police Department (failure to appear driving while under the influence of alcohol) after deputies responded to the 7000 block of East Flagg Road at 5:03 p.m. He was taken to the Ogle County Jail and held in lieu of bond.
Pamela Guzman, 40, of Byron, was arrested on an Ogle County warrant for failure to appear after deputies responded to the 100 block of Merchant Street about 10:20 p.m. Guzman was taken to the Ogle County Jail and held in lieu of bond.
Courtney Nielsen, 24, of Sterling, was
Now Available
arrested for aggravated fleeing to elude a peace officer and driving while under the influence of alcohol. At around 11:43 p.m., deputies located a vehicle traveling in the oncoming lane of travel, just south of the intersection of Freeport and Milledgeville roads. Deputies attempted to stop the vehicle, which fled northbound at a high rate of speed. The vehicle finally came to a stop near the intersection of Illinois Route 26 and Prairie Dell Road. She also was cited for speeding, improper lane usage and disobeying a stop sign. Nielsen was taken to the Ogle County Jail and released on a notice to appear.
July 10
Estevan Munoz, 23, of Rochelle, was arrested on an outstanding Ogle County warrant for reckless driving at about 8:50 a.m. There was no bond set on the warrant; he appeared in court at 1 p.m. Munoz was released on a recognizance bond and given a court date of 9 a.m. Sept. 9.
Tiffany R. Rabish, 39, of Stillman Valley, was arrested on two Ogle County warrants after deputies responded to the 200 block of West Roosevelt Street in Stillman Valley at about 10:55 p.m. She was wanted a warrant for failure to appear for a traffic offense and a warrant for a probation
violation. Fabish was taken to the Ogle County Jail and held in lieu of bond.
Tamara Matthews, 56, of Overland Park, Kansas, was arrested on a charge of driving while license revoked and possession of a controlled substance (Schedule IV pills) Class 4 felony after a traffic stop in the 11000 block of North Kennedy Hill Road at around 11:21 p.m. She also was cited for operating an uninsured vehicle. Matthews was taken to the Ogle County Jail, released on a notice to appear and given a future court date.
July 12
Bailey Miller, 24, of Leaf River, was arrested on a charge of driving while under the influence of alcohol after deputies responded to a one-vehicle crash in the 1900 block of West Lightsville Road at about 12:50 a.m. An investigation showed Miller was driving a Ford Focus west in the 1000 block of West Lightsville Road when she struck a deer in the roadway and overturned at least once in the north ditch. Miller was checked at the scene by Leaf River EMS and released on a refusal. She was taken to the Ogle County Jail, released on a notice to appear and given a future court date.
See SHERIFF, page 23
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the devices.
Allowing the internet searches as evidence at trial would be prejudicial to Safranek, Isley argued, adding that prosecutors had not specified on which devices the searches occurred, and some of the searches were made many months before the boy’s death. Isley argued that said someone else may have used Safranek’s Google account to make the searches.
Leisten countered that the defense could cross-examine any witness at the trial who testifies about the searches.
Redington agreed July 1 to allow the state to offer some of the internet searches as evidence while denying others.
In his ruling, Redington allowed an Aug. 5, 2020, search titled “I’ve had thoughts about killing my kid. Thoughts of killing my children – anyone else have them?”
Another, made Nov. 1, 2020, asked, “What is it called when a parent is obsessed with the thought of killing their child?”
Redington also allowed Feb. 17, 2021, searches of, “How much does cremation of a child cost?” and “How long does an investigation take after a child passes away.”
Redington reserved ruling on some of the other motions made by both the prosecution and defense.
Those hearings followed a June 17 hearing during which four prosecution witnesses testified that Nathaniel, before his death, told them that he was being abused by his mother. Defense attorneys countered that the statements were hearsay and should not be allowed as evidence.
Isley argued that the witnesses’ testimonies were inconsistent, lacked crucial specifics as to when and how the
alleged incidents happened, and should not be taken at face value.
She argued that some of those statements were hearsay, and allowing them in would affect Safranek’s due process –a legal term that refers to fair treatment for a defendant as their case moves through the court system. Hearsay statements refer to information received from witnesses that cannot be substantiated through cross-examination.
In that decision, Redington said statements made to two Dixon residents with whom Nathaniel had stayed would be allowed as evidence in the trial, including his claims that his mom tried drowning him when he was taking a bath and had tried to choke him in two other incidents.
Nathaniel was a first-grade student at Oregon Elementary School. He was found unresponsive and not breathing at 2:30 a.m. Feb. 17, 2021, in his bed at home in the 400 block of South 10th Street. He was pronounced dead later that day at KSB Hospital in Dixon.
According to records obtained by Shaw Local News Network in a Freedom of Information Act request, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services visited the house about a dozen times over two years, following up on five reports of suspected abuse and neglect. Each time, DCFS closed the case after finding no indications of parental wrongdoing. Nathaniel was 4 when the allegations first surfaced.
Redington ruled in November 2022 that Safranek was fit to stand trial after reviewing a mental health evaluation requested by the defense. Redington agreed with attorneys June 28 to exclude Safranek’s mental health records from being entered at the trial.
On Wednesday, Redington denied Isley’s request to release Safranek from custody pending her trial and remanded her back to the Ogle County Correctional Center, where she has been held since her arrest in April 2021.
Michael J. Allen, 29, Polo, was arrested on charges of aggravated domestic battery and two counts of battery after deputies responded to a domestic battery in progress involving multiple people in the 12000 block of West Haldane Road at around 12:10 a.m. Allen was taken to the Ogle County Jail and held pending a court appearance. Polo police assisted. At 3:36 p.m., deputies responded to the 11400 block of East Flagg Road regarding a house trailer that had been overturned as a result of a fast-moving storm. The trailer’s occupant was treated by Rochelle Fire Department personnel at the scene for minor injuries. Rochelle Fire Department and Flagg Center Fire Protection District personnel assisted.
Christian Stanbery, 22, of Creston, was arrested on charges of driving while under the influence of alcohol and driving while license suspended after deputies responded to the area of 100 East Cedarholm Street in Creston for a report of a pedestrian being struck by a passing vehicle at 10:04 p.m. Stanbery was taken to the Ogle County Jail and additionally arrested for aggravated driving while under the influence. He also was cited for expired registration and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. Stanbery was released on a notice to appear and given a court date of 9 a.m. Aug. 7. The pedestrian had minor injuries and refused EMS treatment.
family farm going involves not just a ton of hard work, but also learning the importance of being able to do one simple thing. Listen.
Ted Jacobs has done a lot of listening during his decades on his family farm. He’s heard stories handed down and lessons passed along from those who tilled the soil before him and turned the land into a livelihood, and they’ve all helped him as he’s played his part in the 94-year history of Jacobs Farm.
All told, Jacobs, 62, owns and farms about 1,900 acres of land on properties in Rock Falls and Sterling, growing Pioneer and Wyffels commercial corn, Syngenta seed corn and soybeans. The hub of it sits on the flat and somewhat sandy lands seven miles south of Rock Falls, where the original family home from the 1930s still stands (though
• See JACOBS on next page
By Cody Cutter | Sauk Valley Media
that may change; Ted said he plans on taking down the house at some point). Sitting alongside that piece of family history are more modern signs of the times — newer buildings that house modern machines and implements, towering silos, and equipment that keeps up with the demands of today’s farm operation, helping ensure that the Jacobs legacy will be around for another 94 years.
The world of agriculture is always changing — techniques and technology evolve, markets shift, rules and regulations change — but what ages gracefully on the farm are the stories passed down from generation to generation, threads that become family ties, woven together to create a rich tapestry of tales told and lessons learned on the family farm.
Among all those memories are two that come to mind when Ted looks back on his life on the farm — one of which involved his father setting him straight.
“When I started planting corn, when I actually started running the planter, I was riding with my dad when I was 14, 15 or 16 years old, and I kind of made a smart aleck comment to him,” Jacobs said. “I said, ‘That’s all the straighter you can plant?’ We would usually kid one another back and forth. But this time he stopped the tractor and started walking. I said, ‘What are you doing?’ He said, ‘You think you can plant better and straighter, go ahead.’ I’ve been planting ever since.”
And he’s been getting better ever since, too.
“I guess you have to be careful about what you say, unless you might be doing it yourself. I got back to the end and he goes, ‘That’s all the straighter you can plant?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I get it.’ It took a long time and a lot of years to get better. It was not straight as an arrow, but it wasn’t crooked, either. I just made the comment, and he fixed me.”
Reaching even further back, Ted remembers other things he learned growing up on the farm. One of his earliest memories was when he was 5 years old, raking hay. It was fun, Ted recalls — for about 20 minutes; then it became work. Another time, he had to take the lead milking cows one day as a fifth-grader when his father had to tend to Ted’s ill grandmother. There was a lot to take in
at a young age, but the experience earned and the lessons learned helped Ted when the time came for him to teach the next generation of Jacobs.
He’s taken what father and farm taught him and turned it into his own way of teaching, helping guide his own son as he and Tim tend to the operation — and it didn’t take
long for Tim to feel comfortable in the driver’s seat.
Tim’s first time taking charge in a tractor went a little differently than Ted’s first solo run on the corn planter.
“The very first time he got in the tractor, and I showed him how to do it, I left and told him to holler if he had any questions,” Ted said. “I didn’t
hear from him all day, so I called him and asked him how things were going. I said, ‘Did you get done?’ He goes, ‘Yeah, I got it moved over to the next field.’ ‘Did you change everything over?’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘You didn’t have any problem?’ ‘No.’ I said, ‘Well, I haven’t heard from you.’ He said, ‘Well, you said to call if I had problems, and I don’t have any problems.’
• See JACOBS on next page
• JACOBS from previous page
“I said, ‘Do you know how to make an AB line and everything?’ He said, ‘Yeah, you showed me.’ I showed him one time. He picked up on that pretty good.”
All those lesson passed down from fathers to sons have paid off. Ted and Tim recently cranked out some of their best corn and bean crops.
Ted represents the third generation of the farm, and Tim the fourth. Ted’s grandparents, Ernest and Rose Jacobs, bought the farm in 1930 and moved into the house a couple of years later. Kenneth, 96, recently moved into an assisted living facility, and Ted’s mother, Julia, died in 2014. Tim’s children, Jack and Noah, are regular visitors to the farm when he and his father working.
Grandkids, Ted said, can make a big difference during a rough day.
“They love riding in the tractor and the combine,” he said. “They like coming over and coming to the shop and riding the toys around. I try to give them a big area to play with. The combine’s their favorite. I like when they come and ride, it’s always a fun time. Sometimes your day ain’t going the best, and then the grandkids show up and it turns out to be a good day.”
Cattle were a part of the first twothirds of the farm’s history, but when Ted took over in 1993 — recovering from a broken leg at the time — they got out of the cattle business. That’s not to say beef doesn’t play an important role the farm, though — and in the community, too.
Jacobs also enjoys giving back to the community, and his biggest contribution is hosting an annual event, the Sauk Valley Area Chamber of Commerce’s Steak Fry in the County, which raises money to help future generations of farmers.
The event, on Aug. 1, is in its 39th year and is a fundraiser for the Sauk Valley Area Chamber of Commerce’s agribusiness scholarships, awarded by the Chamber’s agribusiness committee to high-schoolers within the service area of Whiteside Area Career Center in Sterling (which encompasses parts of Bureau, Carroll, Lee, Ogle and Whiteside counties). Several one-year scholarships are awarded, including $1,500 to students attending an accredited four-year college or university, $750 to students attending
Jacobs Farms, located between Rock Falls and Tampico, has been family owned since 1930, and today is operated by Ted Jacobs and his son Tim Jacobs. Much has changed at the farm since the 1930s when Ernest and Rose Jacobs first settled on it. Only the two-story white house (at left in the photo at top) remains. All else has been razed and rebuilt.
Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon, and $750 for students attending other two-year colleges.
Kris Noble, former executive director of the Sauk Valley chamber, enjoyed having the Jacobs’ host the event, and seeing more than 400 people come together inside the family’s 90-by-150-foot garage for an evening of sizzling steak, delicious cake and friendship on the farm.
“This event brings together the ag community to celebrate and to acknowledge the importance of agriculture in the Sauk Valley,” Noble said. “Ted and Jill Jacobs’ willingness to host this event and welcome over 400 ag supporters is a tremendous example of their generosity and belief in supporting the local ag community. They are really kind people who have been willing to work with this committee to make sure the Steak Fry event runs smoothly. We are truly grateful for their support.”
The farm has hosted the event nearly every year since 2018 (not held in 2020 due to Covid), and it’s seen an uptick in attendees in recent years. All Ted has to do is get his garage prepared for it, and the Chamber does the rest.
“Everybody at the Chamber is great to work with and are great people,” Ted said. “They do a real nice job, they’re very professional. I enjoy having it. It makes me clean up my shop a little bit, and you get a lot of people together and you see a lot of people you haven’t seen since the year before. It gets you together to where you visit and kind of find out what the other half of the world is doing.”
As Jacobs approaches an age where most people would think about retirement, he’s thinking about the family farm’s future instead. He’s been at the helm for more than 30 years, and like his crops, he’s still growing. The changing world of agriculture always offers him new lessons to learn and new technology to tackle, and he’s not ready to hand over the keys to the tractor just yet, he said.
“I’ve enjoyed farming, and I still do,” Jacobs said. “I still like doing it. I get people that ask me when I’m going to retire, but why would I want to retire? I like doing what I’m doing. Why wouldn’t you? You look around here, why wouldn’t you?
“If my health holds, I’ll stay at it.”
While there’s much to learn on the farm, for Jacobs, the key to making it all work is simple: Keep your head up no matter what happens. That drive and determination has gone a long way in keeping the farm in the family as it nears its centennial status.
“I always try to stay positive,” Jacobs said. “There can be gloom and doom at times, but you don’t let that get you down. You got to keep a positive attitude and do the things that you can do to make it right, and then the rest of it’s going to happen.”
Cody Cutter can be reached at 815-632-2532 or ccutter@shawmedia. com.
The 39th Steak Fry in the Country will be at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, at Ted Jacobs Farm, 6700 Hickory Hills Road, south of Rock Falls. The event allows the community to gather and celebrate agriculture in the Sauk Valley and raise funds for agriculture scholarships and other educational activities, such as Ag in the Classroom, Whiteside County 4H and FFA programs. Desserts made by members of the organizing committee will be auctioned.
The 2023-24 scholarship recipients who will be recognized are Dana Merriman, Marisa Folkers, Sean Fitzpatrick, Emma Dinges, Emma Stabler, Jace Urish, Katelyn Stoller, Katie Shafer, Landon Whelchel, Brieann Spoerlein, Lane Near, Molly Ziegler, Troy Anderson, Owen Farral and Wyatt Wessell.
Tickets are $25 and at saukvalleyareachamber.com/events, by calling 815-625-2400, or at the Sauk Valley Area Chamber of Commerce, 211 Locust St., Sterling. Tickets are limited; deadline to register is July 26.
More info: Email Kris Noble at knoble@saukvalleyareachamber.com or call the number above for more information about the event. Go to saukvalleyareachamber.com/scholarships to learn more about the Chamber’s agriculture scholarships.
Ted Jacobs is a thirdgeneration farmer on the family farm his grandparents started in 1930. “I get people that ask me when I’m going to retire, but why would I want to retire?” he said
Warranty deeds
Franklin D. Noffsinger, deceased by heirs, to Geraldine H. Noffsinger, 228 N. Franklin St., Byron, $0.
Lois M. Barnhart to Keith Phillip Budden, 209 N. Campbell Ave., Polo, $105,000.
Maribeth K. Hilliard to Talbert Properties LLC, 629 Mill Ridge Road, Byron, $142,500.
Juan Gabriel Milan and Eloisa Milan to Sergio Magallon Vargas and Emery Taylor Shanens, 815 N. Second St., Rochelle, $177,500.
Basith M. Osmani and Jana I. Osmani to Graham and Jessica Isaacson, 10167 E. Deer Creek Lane, Rochelle, $540,000.
Alyscia Settles and Jeremy Etes to Daniel Anthony Graves and Keryn A. Martin, 8259 S. Main St., Grand Detour, $180,000.
Raymond J. Newton and Valerie D. Newton to Kelsi K. Eyster and Jonathan D. Lewis, 324 Northknoll Dr., Rochelle, $260,000.
Alvin L. Winstead and Kimberly K. Winstead to Shawn M. Pattison and Haylee E. Pattison, 306 S. Walnut St., Stillman Valley, $199,500.
Richard F. Pelka to Raymond D. Smith, 609 N. 14th St., Rochelle, $60,000.
Patrick J. Gilmour and Nancy S. Gilmour to Ted Gesin, 103 S. Wesley Ave., Mt. Morris, $70,000.
Gregoria Feliciana Ramos to Magdalena R. Navejas, 414 Wayne Road, Rochelle, $150,000.
Joan H. Culley to David and Marjorie Dixon, 8328 S. Delaware Road, Dixon, $225,000.
Randolph G. Rundle to Darcilyn E. Teafoe, 115 W. Merchant St., Byron, $116,500.
Jeffrey W. Mizner and Carrie B. Mizner to Maria Lucia Pulida Rojas, Brenda Jullisa Meraz Pulido, Rolando Meraz Pulido and Julio Rolando Meraz Luna, 345 Misty Meadow Lane, Davis Junction, $296,000.
Jaime M. Wrasse, Joseph R. Dyal and Donna M. Dyal to Nicholas and Kristen Sapoznik, 2008 Southfield Lane, Byron, $222,000.
Michelle R. Gilmore, deceased by heirs, and Jerome Johnson, deceased by heirs, to Darrell and Paula Gilbert, 309 Errett Road, Rochelle, $66,000.
Daniel L. Bengston and Teresa B. Schoenhardt to Capital HG LLC, 1749 E. Water Road, Byron, $259,000.
Tim and Jennifer Boehle to Thomas L. Christensen and Kila K. Christensen, 2874 E. Orchid Lane, Oregon, $492,000.
Irving Joe Drought and Donna L. Drought to Andres Saucedo Herrera Jr. and Nicole Elizabeth Isham, 1420 Highland Dr., Rochelle, $242,000.
Benjamin P. Donovan to Cole J. Henert and Sandra Henert, 1214 Union Dr., Davis Junction, $298,000.
Quit claim deeds
Nathan W. Reinhold and Callie Reinhold to Nathan W. Reinhold, 7845 S. Tampam Dr., Dixon, and one parcel in Taylor Township, $0.
Lawrence Taber to Ashley Evans, 3553 S. Brookville Road, Polo, $0.
John Dohert to Linda L. Kish, 501 Slippery Rock Dr., Dixon, $0. Trustee deeds
Marilyn K. Nelson, trustee, Marcia Sue Flessner, trustee, Marlys A. Carpenter, trustee, Marian Schnulle Trust and Edward A. Schnulle Trust to Lenny A. Grobe, 2039 N. Valentine Road, Polo, $10,260.
Nena Morrison, trustee, and Morrison Trust 1 to Kevin C. Kemper, 109 Janet Ave., Rochelle, $155,000.
Robert L. Rhoads, trustee, Caryl J. Rhoads, trustee, and Robert and Caryl Rhoads Trust 101 to Derek and Gabrielle Troha, 4799 Center Road, Rochelle, $230,000.
Joyce C. Salter, trustee, and Joyce C. Salter Revocable Living Trust to Dakota M. Heiman, 410 E. Wayne St., Polo, $102,000.
Stephen W. Liezert, trustee, Stephen W. Liezert Trust, Eileen M. Liezert, trustee,
and Eileen M. Liezert Trust to Harry P. Charnock and Roxanne M. Charnock, 704 Woolf Court, Rochelle, $165,000.
Daniel A. Schmidt, trustee, and Schmidt Family Trust to Richard S. Schuler and Lonna J. Schuler, one parcel on Oregon Trail Road in Polo and one parcel in Pine Creek Township, $100,000.
David A. Wiener, trustee, and Morris Wiener Trust to John Venton Donaldson III, 705 S. Sixth St., Oregon, $137,000.
Timothy N. Greenfield, trustee, Catherine A. Greenfield, trustee, and T&C Trust 921 to Bruce L. Hiscox, trustee, Brenda C. Hiscox, trustee, and Hiscox Family Living Trust, 2745 S. Brooks Island Road, Oregon, $0.
Sheriff’s deeds
Ogle County Sheriff and Kelly Sue Butler to Hub Shuttle Inc., 106 E. Splendor Court, Stillman Valley, $148,501.
Deeds in trust
John E. Pierce and Staci F. Pierce to John E. Pierce, trustee, Staci F. Pierce, trustee, and Teams JS Trust 424, 4238 Armour Road, Stillman Valley, $0.
Warranty deeds in trust
Ted N. Gesin to Ted N. Gesin, trustee, and Ted N. Gesin Living Trust, 1786 W. Illinois Route 64, Oregon, $0.
–Source:OgleCountyRecorder’sOffice
CLASSIFIED
POLICE OFFICER
The City of Polo is now accepting applications for the position of Certified Police Officer
For more infor mation email polopd@po lo il gov or check our website at https: // www .poloil.g ov/ o/po lo/page/ empl oy ment-o ppo rtunities
'Lints Estate Auction'
SA TURDAY, JULY 20th - 10: 00 A .M.
485 N. Day sville Rd., Oregon, IL 61061
Large, Onsite Live Auction! Featuring Antiques & Collectibles; Primitives; Coins-Silve r-Jewelry; Furniture; Harman Kar do n & Bose Stereo Equip.; Speakers; Goal Zero Solar Power Sets; Pelican Transport & Travel Cases; Electronics & Flat Screen TVs; Appliances; E-Cells AWD New Electric Bikes; CampingRecr eational-Survival Gear; Modern Furnishings; Ladders; Tools & Shop Equip.; New Hybrid Dual Fuel 8500 Generator; Lawn & Garden; Many Other Newer Items
Greg & Swan Hachmeister, Auctioneers Pecatonia, IL 815-239-1436
www.hacksauction.com
I.A.F.L. #44.000128
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 15TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OGLE COUNTY, OREGON, I LLINOIS NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE LLC. PLAINTIF F,
-vs-
Dave A Borgmann a/k/a Dave Borgmann; Julie A. Borgmann
Julie Borgmann; DEFENDANTS
NO. 23 FC 78
NOTICE OF SHE RIFF'S
SALE
Pub lic Notice is hereby given that pur suant to a Judgment entered in the above entitled matter on February 9, 2024;
Brian R VanVickle, Sheriff, Ogle County Public Safety Complex, 202 South 1st Street, Oregon, IL 61061, will on August 16, 2024 at 10:00 AM, at Sheriff's Office, 202 South First Street, Oregon IL 61061, sel l to the highest bidder for ten per cent (10%) at the time of sale and the balance within twent y-four (24) hours , the following desc ribed premises situated in Ogle County, Illinois.
Said sal e shall be subject to general taxes, special assessments or special taxes levied against said real estate and any prior liens or 1st Mortgages The subject property is offered for sale without any representation as to qua lity or quantity of title or rec ourse to Plaintiff and in "AS IS" condition.
Upon the sale being held and the purchaser tendering s aid bid in certified funds, a receipt of Sale will be issued and/or a Certificate of Sale as required, which will entitle the purchaser to a deed upon confirmation of said sale by the Court.
Commonly known as 106 West S econd Street, Leaf Riv er, IL 61047
Permanent Index No.: 03-26-128-004 and 03-36-128-005
Improvement s: Single Family
Residential
The property will NOT be open for inspe ction prior to the sale and Plaintiff makes no repres entation as to the condition of the property.
The judgment amount was $68,716.38. Prospective purchasers are admonished to check the court file and title records to verify this information IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701 (C) OF THE ILLI NOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.
For Bid Amount contact:
Sale Clerk
LOGS Legal Group LLP 2121 Waukegan Road , Suite 301 Bannockburn, IL 60015
ILNOTICES@logs.com (847) 291-1717
Nationstar Mortgage LLC.
One of Plaintiff's Attorneys LOGS Legal Group LLP
Attorney for Plaintiff 2121 Waukegan Road , Suite 301 Bannockburn, IL 60015 (847) 291-1717
ILNOTICES@logs.com Randa l S Berg (6277119)
Michael N. Burke (6291435)
Christopher A. Cieniawa (6187452)
Laura J. Ande rs on (6224385) Mallory Snyderman (6306039) Thomas Belcz ak (6193705) Debra Miller (6205477) Amy Aronson (6206512)
THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURP OSE. PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT IF YOUR PERSONAL LIABILITY FOR THIS DEBT HAS BEEN EXTINGUIS HE D BY A DISCHARGE IN BANKRUPTCY OR BY AN ORDER GRANTING IN REM RELIEF FROM STAY, THIS NOTICE IS PROVIDED SOLELY TO FORECLOSE THE MORTGAGE REMAINING ON YOUR PROPERTY AND IS NOT AN ATTEMPT TO COLLECT THE DISCHARGED PERSONAL OBLIGATION
July 19, 26, 2024 August 2, 20 24 944508
a/k/a
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 15TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT COUNTY OF OGLE - OREGON , ILLINOIS LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC
Pla intiff,
vs.
UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LE GATEES OF REX CORSON, DECE ASED; DARREN CORSON; DAVID CORSON; DARIK CORSON; ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE; AMIR MOHABBAT, SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE ESTATE OF REX CORSON, DECEASED; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS
Defendants,
22 FC 55 NOTICE OF SALE
PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of For eclosure entered in the above entitled cause the Sheriff of Ogle County will on Fri day, August 9, 2024, at the hour of 10:00 a.m in the Sheriff's office, 202 S 1st Street, Oregon, IL 61061, sell to the highest bidder for cash, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I .N. 24-25-329-020.
Commonly known as 357 PHYLLIS AVE, ROCHELLE, IL 61068.
The improvement on the prope rty consists of a single family residence If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act.
Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance within 24 hours, by certified funds. No refunds. The prope rty will NOT be open for inspection
For informati on call Mr Chad Lewis at Pla intiff's Attorney, Roberts on, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partne rs, PLLC, 13010 Morris Road, Alpharetta, Georgia 30004. (708) 668-4410 ext. 52109. 22 -032762 SHERIFF XOME I3247202
July 5, 12, 19, 2024
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT COUNTY OF OGLE, STATE OF ILLINOIS PENNYMAC LOAN SERVICES, LLC, Pla intiff(s), vs. STEVEN BLOMBERG, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Defendant(s)
Case No. 24 FC 9 NOTICE OF SHE RIFF'S SALE OF REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment heretofore entered by the said Court in the above entitled cause , the She riff of Ogle County, Illinois, will on August 9, 2024, at the hour of 10:00 AM, at the OG LE PUBLIC SAFETY COMPLEX, 202 S 1ST STREET, OREGON, IL 61061, sell at public auction to the highest and best bidder for cash, all and singular, the following desc ribed premises and real estate in the said Judgment mention ed, situate d in the County of Ogle, State of Illinois, or so much thereof as shall be sufficient to satisfy said Judgment, to wit: Common Address: 913 N. 15TH ST., ROC HELLE, IL 61068
P.I .N. 24-23-276-007
Con tact th e Law Office of IRA T. NEVEL, LLC, 175 North Franklin, Suite 201, Chicago, Illinois 60606, (312) 357-1125, for further infor mation
The terms of the sale are: Ten percent (10% ) due by cash or certified funds at the time of the sale and balance is due within 24 hours of the sale Th e subject property is subject to real estat e taxes, special assessments or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in "as is" condition. The sale is further subject to confir mation by the Court. The prop erty is improved by a Single Family Residence, together with all buildings and impr ovements thereon, and the tenements, hereditaments and appurtenants thereunto belonging and will not be available for inspection prior to sale If this prope rty is a condomi nium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, othe r than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments and the legal fee s required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4) . If this prope rty is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at th e foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).
LAW OFFICES OF IRA T. NEVEL, LLC
Attorney for Plaintiff
Ira T. Nevel - ARDC #6185808
Timothy R. Yueill - ARDC #6192172
Greg Elsnic - ARDC #6242847
Aaron N evel - ARDC #6322724
Andrew Chu - ARDC #6 285924
175 North Frankli n St. Suite 201 Chicago, Illinois 60606
(312) 357-1125
Pleadings@nevellaw.com
SL # 24-00123
administered with-
July 5, 12, 19, 2024 944051
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OGL E COUNTY, ILLINOIS IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF DOROTHY G. COFFMAN, Deceased 2024 PR 37 NOTICE OF CLAIM
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NOTICE OF PUBLI C HEARING BEF ORE THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS VILLAGE OF MT. MORRIS, ILLINOIS ON VARIANCE APPLICATION FROM DAMON AND JOYCE LEWIS
08-27-409-010 (the “Parcel”). Pursuant to said Application, the Applicant is requesting a variance from the Village's set-back provisions under Village Code sections 104-3 C. and 10-4-3 D. for purposes of reconstruction of an existing back patio, reconstruction of an existing driveway, and construction of new garage at its former location on the Parcel
Notice is given of the death of Dorothy G Coffman, who died on October 19, 2023. Letters of Office were issued on June 28, 2024 to James Coffman as Independent Executor, whose address is 7270 S Glen Rd, Polo, IL 61064 and wh ose attorney is Kelly Flessner of Ehrmann Gehlbach Badger & Considine, LLC, 114 E Everett St., Suite 300, Dixon, Illinois 61021. The estate will be administered without cour t supervision unless under Chapter 755 ILCS 5/28-4 of the probate act, any interested person terminate s independent administration at any time by mailing or delivering a petition to terminate to the Circuit Clerk of the Ogle County Court. Claims against the estate may be filed in the office of the Clerk, or with the representative , or both with in six months from the date of the first publica tion, no later than January 12, 2025 and any claim not fi led within that period is barred.
out cour t supervision unless under Chapter 755 ILCS 5/28-4 of the probate act, any interested person terminate s independent administration at any time by mailing or delivering a petition to terminate to the Circuit Clerk of the Ogle County Court Claims against the estate may be filed in the office of the Clerk, or with the representative , or both with in six months from the date of the first publica tion, no later than January 12, 2025 and any claim not fi led within that period is barred.
Copies of a claim filed wit h the clerk must be mailed or delivered to the representative and to the attorney wi thin ten days after i t has been filed.
Kelly L. Flessner
Kelly L. Flessner Attorney for Executor Prepared by:
Kelly L. Flessner Ehrmann Gehlbach Badger & Considine, LLC
114 E. E verett St., Suite 300 Dixon, IL 61021 815-288-4949 flessner@egbclaw. com
July 12, 19, 26, 2024
Notice is hereby given that a public hearing will be held by the Village of Mt. Morris Zoning Board of Appeals on August 5, 2024, at 7:00 p.m., in Village Hall, 105 W Lincoln Street, Mt. Morris, Illinois, for the purpose of considering and hearing testimony wi th r espect to a Variance Application from Damon and Joyce Lewis (collectively, the “Applicant”) with respect to certa in real estate locat ed at 104 S Mulberry St , Mt. Morris, Illinois, and identified as parcel number 08-27-409-010 (the “Parcel”). Pursuant to said Application, the Applicant is requesting a variance from the Village's set-back provisions under Village Code sections 104-3 C. and 10-4-3 D. for purposes of reconstruction of an existing back patio, reconstruction of an existing driveway, and construction of new garage at its former location on the Parcel All interested parties are invited to attend the public hearing and will be given an opportunity to be heard.
All interested parties are invited to attend the public hearing and will be given an opportunity to be heard.
Any inquiries may be made to the Village Clerk's office located at Village Hall Monday through Fr iday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. A copy of said Application is on file in the Village Clerk's office By order of the Zoning Board of Appeals of the Village of Mt Morris, Illinois.
Brooke Duffy, Village Clerk Mt. Morris, Illinois
July 19, 2024
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Ogle County Classified 833-584-NEWS
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 15TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT COUNTY OF OGLE - OREGON , ILLINOIS LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC Pla intiff, vs. UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LE GATEES OF REX CORSON, DECE ASED; DARREN CORSON; DAVID CORSON; DARIK CORSON; ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE; AMIR MOHABBAT, SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE ESTATE OF REX CORSON, DECEASED; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS Defendants, 22 FC 55 NOTICE OF SALE
PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of For eclosure entered in the above entitled cause the Sheriff of Ogle County will on Fri day, August 9, 2024, at the hour of 10:00 a.m in the Sheriff's office, 202 S 1st Street, Oregon, IL 61061, sell to the highest bidder for cash, the following described mortgaged real estate:
Copies of a claim filed wit h the clerk must be mailed or delivered to the representative and to the attorney wi thin ten days after i t has been filed.
Kelly L. Flessner
Kelly L. Flessner Attorney for Executor
Prepared by:
Any inquiries may be made to the Village Clerk's office located at Village Hall Monday through Fr iday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. A copy of said Application is on file in the Village Clerk's office By order of the Zoning Board of Appeals of the Village of Mt Morris, Illinois.
LOT NINE (9) IN BLOCK ONE (1) IN EARL CLEVELAND SUBDIVISION NO. 3 IN THE CITY OF ROC HELLE, OGLE COUNTY, ILLINOIS; BEING A SUBDIVISION OF PART OF THE NORTHEAS T QUARTE R (1/4) OF THE SOUTHWEST QUARTER (1/4) OF SECTION 25 AND PART OF THE NORTHWEST QUARTER (1/4) OF THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER (1/4) OF SECTIO N 25 IN TOWNSHIP 40 NORTH, RANGE 1 EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPA L MERIDIAN, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF RECORDED IN BOOK H OF PLATS ON PAGE 80A IN THE RECORDER'S OFFICE OF OGLE COUNTY, ILLINOIS; SITUATE D IN THE TOWNSHIP OF FLAGG, THE C OUNTY OF OGLE AND STATE OF ILLINOIS P.I .N. 24-25-329-020. Commonly known as 357 PHYLLIS AVE, ROCHELLE, IL 61068. The improvement on the prope rty consists of a single family residence If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance within 24 hours, by certified funds. No refunds. The prope rty will NOT be open for inspection For informati on call Mr Chad Lewis at Pla intiff's Attorney, Roberts on, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partne rs, PLLC, 13010 Morris Road, Alpharetta, Georgia 30004. (708) 668-4410 ext. 52109. 22 -032762 SHERIFF XOME
I3247202
Kelly L. Flessner Ehrmann Gehlbach Badger & Considine, LLC 114 E. E verett St., Suite 300 Dixon, IL 61021 815-288-4949 flessner@egbclaw. com
July 12, 19, 26, 2024
Brooke Duffy, Village Clerk Mt. Morris, Illinois
July 19, 2024
July 5, 12, 19, 2024
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT COUNTY OF OGLE, STATE OF ILLINOIS
PENNYMAC LOAN SERVICES, LLC, Pla intiff(s), vs. STEVEN BLOMBERG, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Defendant(s)
Case No. 24 FC 9
NOTICE OF SHE RIFF'S SALE OF REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment heretofore entered by the said Court in the above entitled cause , the She riff of Ogle County, Illinois, will on August 9, 2024, at the hour of 10:00 AM, at the OG LE PUBLIC SAFETY COMPLEX, 202 S 1ST STREET, OREGON, IL 61061, sell at public auction to the highest and best bidder for cash, all and singular, the following desc ribed premises and real estate in the said Judgment mention ed, situate d in the County of Ogle, State of Illinois, or so much thereof as shall be sufficient to satisfy said Judgment, to wit: LOT SEVEN (7) AND THE NORTHERLY 5 FEET OF LOT EIGHT (8) IN BLOCK TWO (2) AS DESI GNATED UPON THE PLAT OF BLOCK 2 AND BLOCK 3 OF JOHN W. TILTON'S 10TH ADDITION TO THE CITY OF ROCHELLE, BEING A SUBD IVISION OF PART OF LOT 8, AND ALL OF LOT 9 OF STOCKING'S SIXTH ADDITION AND PART OF THE NORTHEAST QUARTER (1/4) OF SECTION 23, TOWNSHIP 40 NORTH, RANGE 1 EAST OF THE THIRD PRINC IPAL MERIDIAN, THE PLAT OF WHICH SUBDIVISION IS RECORDED IN BOOK "H" OF PLATS ON PAGE 61 IN THE RECORDER'S OFFICE OF OGLE COUNTY, ILLINOIS; SITUATED IN THE COUNTY OF OGLE AND STATE OF ILLINOIS
Common Address: 913 N. 15TH ST., ROC HELLE, IL 61068
P.I .N. 24-23-276-007
Con tact th e Law Office of IRA T. NEVEL, LLC, 175 North Franklin, Suite 201, Chicago, Illinois 60606, (312) 357-1125, for further infor mation
The terms of the sale are: Ten percent (10% ) due by cash or certified funds at the time of the sale and balance is due within 24 hours of the sale Th e subject property is subject to real estate taxes, special assessments or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in "as is" condition. The sale is further subject to confir mation by the Court.
The prop erty is improved by a Single Family Residence, together with all buildings and impr ovements thereon, and the tenements, hereditaments and appurtenants thereunto belonging and will not be available for inspection prior to sale.
If this prope rty is a condomi nium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, othe r than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments and the legal fee s required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4) . If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at th e foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).
LAW OFFICES OF IRA T. NEVEL, LLC
Attorney for Plaintiff
Ira T. Nevel - ARDC #6185808
Timothy R. Yueill - ARDC #6192172
Greg Elsnic - ARDC #6242847
Aaron N evel - ARDC #6322724
Andrew Chu - ARDC #6 285924 175 North Frankli n St. Suite 201 Chicago, Illinois 60606 (312) 357-1125 Pleadings@nevellaw.com SL # 24-00123 8190-944051
July 5, 12, 19, 2024 944051
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 15TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OGLE COUNTY, OREGON, I LLINOIS NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE LLC.
PLAINTIF F, -vsDave A Borgmann a/k/a Dave Borgmann; Julie A. Borgmann a/k/a Julie Borgmann; DEFENDANTS
NO. 23 FC 78
NOTICE OF SHE RIFF'S SALE
Pub lic Notice is hereby given that pur suant to a Judgment entered in the above entitled matter on February 9, 2024; Brian R VanVickle, Sheriff, Ogle County Public Safety Complex, 202 South 1st Street, Oregon, IL 61061, will on August 16, 2024 at 10:00 AM, at Sheriff's Office, 202 South First Street, Oregon IL 61061, sel l to the highest bidder for ten per cent (10%) at the time of sale and the balance within twent y-four (24) hours , the following desc ribed premises situated in Ogle County, Illinois.
Said sal e shall be subject to general taxes, special assessments or special taxes levied against said real estate and any prior liens or 1st Mortgages The subject property is offered for sale without any representation as to qua lity or quantity of title or rec ourse to Plaintiff and in "AS IS" condition.
Upon the sale being held and the purchaser tendering s aid bid in certified funds, a receipt of Sale will be issued and/or a Certificate of Sale as required, which will entitle the purchaser to a deed upon confirmation of said sale by the Court.
Said propert y is legally described as follows:
LOT TEN (10) IN BLOCK FOUR (4) IN THE VI LLAGE OF LEAF RIVER, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF RECORDED IN BOOK "B" OF PLATS, PAGE 2 IN THE RECORDER'S OFFICE OF OGLE COUNTY, ILLINOIS; SITUATE D IN THE TOWNSHIP OF LEAF RIVER, COUNTY OF OGLE AND STATE OF ILLINOIS
Commonly known as 106 West S econd Street, Leaf Riv er, IL 61047
Permanent Index No.: 03-26-128-004 and 03-36-128-005
Improvement s: Single Family
Residential
The property will NOT be open for inspection prior to the sale and Plaintiff makes no repres entation as to the condition of the property.
The judgment amount was $68,716.38. Prospective purchasers are admonished to check the court file and title records to verify this information IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701 (C) OF THE ILLI NOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.
For Bid Amount contact:
Sale Clerk LOGS Legal Group LLP 2121 Waukegan Road , Suite 301 Bannockburn, IL 60015
ILNOTICES@logs.com (847) 291-1717
Nationstar Mortgage LLC. One of Plaintiff's Attorneys LOGS Legal Group LLP
Attorney for Plaintiff 2121 Waukegan Road , Suite 301 Bannockburn, IL 60015 (847) 291-1717
ILNOTICES@logs.com Randa l S Berg (6277119)
Michael N. Burke (6291435) Christopher A. Cieniawa (6187452)
Laura J. Ande rs on (6224385) Mallory Snyderman (6306039) Thomas Belcz ak (6193705) Debra Miller (6205477) Amy Aronson (6206512)
THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURP OSE. PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT IF YOUR PERSONAL LIABILITY FOR THIS DEBT HAS BE EN EXTINGUIS HE D BY A DISCHARGE IN BANKRUPTCY OR BY AN ORDER GRANTING IN REM RELIEF FROM STAY, THIS NOTICE IS PROVIDED SOLELY TO FORECLOSE THE MORTGAGE REMAINING ON YOUR PROPERTY AND IS NOT AN ATTEMPT TO COLLECT THE DISCHARGED PERSO NAL OBLIGA TION 8190-944508
July 19, 26, 2024 August 2, 2024 944508
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Erie Home’s metal roofing system is designed to provide the ultimate defense against everything from hurricane-force winds to hail while also boosting energy efficiency and curb appeal. It’s not only the best protection you can get for your home, but it’s also designed to last a lifetime.
