Serving Ogle County since 1851
OREGON Republican Reporter
January 9, 2014 Volume 164, Number 4 - $1.00
Hall of Fame
Tree Pick-up
Funding Cut
Retired Oregon track coach Doug Engle will be inducted into coaches Hall of Fame. A10
Local FFA members will pick up Christmas trees Jan. 11. B4
An unexpected state funding cut means area school districts must dig deeper to pay bill. A2
Extra time off after -20 temps cover area By Vinde Wells Editor Students in schools across Ogle County got their Christmas break extended on both ends thanks to the quirks of the weather. Vacation started a day early when an ice storm led to classes being called off on Dec. 20, which was supposed to be the last day of school before the holidays. Then bitter arctic cold with strong winds swept in Sunday night, breaking 20-year-old records and closing schools Monday and Tuesday, which would have the first days back for students. Ogle County Sheriff Michael Harn said the mercury had dipped to
37 Degree Plunge What a difference 36 hours makes. On Saturday morning temperatures in Oregon at the Rock River Center sign were perfect for a beach when compared to the -12 degree temperature the Oregon Fire Protection District sign showed on Monday morning. The cold temperatures and drifting snow led to numerous school closings in the county. Photos by Chris Johnson
The extreme subzero temperatures have left some county snowplows in the shop just when they’re needed on the roads. Ogle County Engineer Curtis Cook said the extreme weather has caused some trucks to malfunction. “Right now the temperatures are causing havoc,� said Cook Monday morning. “Over the last 24 hours we have had trucks freeze up.� The malfunctions are due to the blowing fine snow and the extreme cold and wind. This has left 3 or 4 of the county snowplow fleet on
Tom Mahoney Oregon Superintendent -20 degrees at his home in Forreston by Monday morning. The winds were estimated at 25 to 35 miles per hour. “With the wind that put the wind chill at -49,� Harn said. Tuesday morning was only slightly better the temperature at -13 degrees and somewhat diminished winds. “It’s a safety issue. We can’t have kids outside in weather like this,� Oregon Superintendent Tom Mahoney said Monday, after
canceling classes for the second day. School wasn’t the only thing closed. Ogle County government offices and the judicial center was closed both days, and the Oregon City Hall was shuttered on Monday. The Polo City Council and Forreston Village Board canceled their Monday night meetings and rescheduled them. Mahoney said the district Turn to A2
Police searching for a man who is on the run
Extreme temperatures cause some breakdowns By Chris Johnson Reporter
“It’s a safety issue. We can’t have kids outside in weather like this,� —
“Right now the temperatures are causing havoc,� — Curtis Cook Ogle County Engineer the sidelines to deal with the drifting snow on county roads. “I think this morning alone I have had 3 or 4 of the 13 trucks down,� said Cook. “Their filter systems have frozen up.� This was just one issue the trucks were having when the temperature outside was nearing 20 below with wind chills of 40 below. “It has been an uphill battle,� said Cook. “Our guys are working hard to keep the
An Ogle County Highway Department truck drives into Oregon Saturday morning during a light snowfall. The highway department has faced numerous breakdowns due to the extreme cold temperatures that blanketed the area Monday and Tuesday. Photo by Chris Johnson
In This Week’s Edition...
trucks running and the roads open.� Steady winds of 15-20 miles per hour and gusts over 30 have contributed to the drifting on the road. Fortunately, the winds have been from different directions over the past few days, Cook said. “Every road in the county has experienced drifting however it is not horrible because the drifts are lower because of the wind direction changes.� He said if the wind was all out of one direction then the drifting would have been high enough that only heavy equipment would have been able to clear the roads. With the shift in winds there was drifting but each drift was smaller than they could have been. Any drifted roads that the county snowplows are unable to clear during routine routes will be addressed when the wind speed lowers. When the winds finally die down and the temperature rises, Cook said a front end loader will be utilized to help clear the edges of the roads and push the drifts back.
Church Bells, A5 Classifieds, B5-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4
Ogle County Sheriff’s Police are searching for a Davis Junction man who is on the run. Sheriff Michael Harn and the sheriff’s department are seeking help from the public in locating Terry D. Maxwell, 56, who is wanted in connection with a residential burglary and armed violence that occurred shortly before 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve near Davis Junction. Deputies responded to a home in the 15,000 block of East Ill. 72 for a reported residential burglary in progress after a male subject was found inside the home. The suspect, who was later identified as Maxwell, threatened the victim with a metal bar, fled the location,
and led Ogle County Sheriff’s Deputies on a high speed pursuit. The pursuit ended as the suspect entered Winnebago County while driving a maroon 1999 Dodge Concord that was recovered several days later by Ogle County detectives in the area of East State Street and Madison Street, Rockford. Detectives have obtained a $500,000 warrant for Maxwell, who was last know to be driving a white 1997 four-door Chevrolet Malibu with Illinois registration R998548. Maxwell was released from the Illinois Department of Corrections in September of 2013 and is currently out on parole for residential
Terry D. Maxwell
burglary. Anyone having information in locating Maxwell can contact Rockford Area Crime Stoppers at 815-963-7867 or Ogle-Lee Crime Stoppers at 888-228-4488. Crime Stoppers offers a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to Maxwell’s arrest.
Banjos were made in Oregon Editor’s note: Paul Salstrom is a history professor at St. Mary-of-theWoods College near Terre Haute, Ind.Editor’s note: Paul Salstrom is a history professor at St. Mary-of-theWoods College near Terre Haute, Ind. By Paul Salstrom While searching recently for something on google. com, I impulsively clicked on something else that said “Salstrom banjos.� That led to a website called “Banjo Hangout.� As a result, I learned a lot more about Salstrom banjos than I used to know. I learned that, over the years, many postings at Banjo Hangout had called Salstrom banjos unique and had asked how they came about. No one knew much — just that they first appeared in the early 1960s and then in the mid-1960s were bought Phil Salstrom III, Oregon, plays a Salstrom banjo, out by Fender Electric continuing a long-standing family tradition. Photo by Turn to B1 Chris Johnson
Library News, A3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Public Voice, A9 Property Transfers, B4
Sheriff’s Arrests, B4 Social News, A4 Sports, B1 State Police, B2
Deaths, B2 Willis M. Collman, Joseph Draugelis, Karen M. Martin, Alan R. Steele, Kenneth E. Tornow
0UBLISHED EVERY 4HURSDAY BY /GLE #OUNTY .EWSPAPERS A DIVISION OF 3HAW -EDIA s WWW OGLECOUNTYNEWS COM