Serving Ogle County since 1851
OREGON Republican Reporter
January 15, 2015 Volume 165, Number 5 - $1.00
Wrestling Tourney
Getting Fit
Tickling the Ivories
The Oregon and Polo wrestling teams compete Jan. 10 at Polo Invite. B1
Find out how to get healthy and fit and stay that way. A8, A9
Dueling Pianos will perform Feb. 7 at the Byron Forest Preserve. A6
Report says lawmakers can help nuke plants Suggests nuclear plants don’t emit greenhouse gases By Vinde Wells Editor The Oregon Fire Department responded to a Jeep fire on Oregon Trail Road Jan. 9. Photos by Earleen Hinton
Jeep catches fire after getting stuck By Vinde Wells Editor No one was injured Jan. 9 when a Jeep burst into flames after getting stuck in a snow drift at a rural Oregon residence. Oregon Fire Lt. Chad Bergstrom said the Jeep got stuck in the snow shortly before 3 p.m. while going up the driveway to Joe Bauer’s residence at 1226 W. Oregon Trail Rd., approximately a mile west of Oregon. While vehicle’s occupants were attempting to get the
vehicle out of the snowdrift, they noticed smoke coming from it and got out, he said. By the time firefighters arrived on the scene a few minutes later the Jeep was in flames. “The vehicle was fully engulfed when we arrived,” Bergstrom said. Bergstrom said he did not know the name of the driver and other occupants of the vehicle, but said they were relatives of Bauer. He said deep snow and 30 mph winds made fighting the fire difficult.
A report released by several state agencies last week said Illinois lawmakers can prevent Exelon Corporation from closing nuclear plants by adopting policies that penalize competitors that emit carbon dioxide, including coal-fired power plants, according to the Associated Press. After Exelon officials said early last year that they might close at least three of its Illinois nuclear plants, including the Byron Generating Station, the Illinois House adopted a resolution in May that asked four state agencies to study the impact and what could be done. Sponsors of House Resolution 1146 included Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) and Brian Stewart (R-Freeport).
Chana couple has KSB’s first baby of 2015 By Christi Warren Sauk Valley Media
the nurses told them their daughter, who was born Jan. 2, was KSB Hospital’s Lynn and Matt Kalnins first of 2015. were pretty surprised when “They just kind of said,
‘Oh, by the way, you’re the first one,’” Lynn said. “We were the only ones in there at the time, but as soon as we delivered, within half an
hour there was another baby born, and then as the night continued, there were two more born, so it was kind of a domino effect.” Caroline Marie Kalnins, all 8 pounds, 2 ounces of her, was born at 10:16 that Friday morning. “It’s kind of funny. I mean, it’s something that we can always kind of talk about,” Lynn said. “Our other daughter was born before the Fourth of July, so we kind of joked that our daughters like to be born around holidays.” Four-year-old Abigail, born July 3, also was delivered at KSB. “We didn’t find out the gender for either pregnancy, Matt and Lynn Kalnins, along with their 4-year-old daughter, Abigail, welcome the so it made the moment even more exciting to know newest addition to the family, Caroline, on Jan. 2 at KSB Hospital in Dixon.
Rauner stops in at Byron restaurant during tour By Jermaine Pigee Sauk Valley Media Days before he was set to take office, Republican Gov.elect Bruce Rauner paid a visit to Byron Jan. 9 to show some gratitude to the people who put him in office. “I’m ready to go to work for you and we are here to say thank you,” Rauner said as he stood alongside Lt. Governorelect Evelyn Sanguinetti. “We are here because we want this to be the greatest
state and the greatest nation on earth. We want Illinois to be the most passionate and most competitive state in America.” Rauner spent about 30 minutes last Friday morning at the Swedish Pancake House in Byron as part of his 2-day Ready to Work Tour. In addition to Byron, Rauner was also scheduled to visit Chillicothe, Casey, Grayville, Benton, Maryville, Quincy, Moline, and Moweaqua.
In This Week’s Edition...
Rauner didn’t plan to stop in any of the state’s major media markets, including Chicago and Springfield. Rauner ousted Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn in the November election. Rauner is a venture capitalist from Winnetka who will assume his first public office when he is sworn in on Monday. Rauner also told reporters he was disappointed with the Legislature’s
Business Briefs, A9 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B7-B12 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B3
Turn to A6
The 269-page report prepared by the Illinois Commerce Commission, the Illinois Power Agency, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, and Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity was released Jan. 7. The report suggests the state could favor Exelon because its nuclear plants generate electricity without emitting greenhouse gases, according to the Associated Press article. The report said that closing the Byron plant would result in the loss of the jobs of the 880 workers employed there, plus another 1,776 jobs across the state due to “the indirect impacts of lost employee spending in the local economy as well as purchases the plant makes within the state.” Exelon identified its Illinois nuclear plants at Byron, Clinton, and the Quad Cities as unprofitable and atrisk for closing. Its other three plants, Braidwood, considered Byron’s “twin,” LaSalle County, and Dresden were not on the at-risk list. The Byron plant, on North German Church Road five miles south of Byron, has traditionally received high marks for efficiency and safety during inspections by federal and state regulatory agencies. Turn to A2
that we had a little girl to join our family,” she said. “Our daughter was hoping for a sister the whole time because she’s in love with the movie ‘Frozen’ and wanted a sister just like Elsa.” The Kalnins live outside Chana in Ogle County, and both Lynn and Matt work in Ogle County. Lynn is assistant principal at Chana Education Center, and Matt is a police officer By Vinde Wells with the Oregon Police Editor Department. The parents, both 32, For the third consecutive were married in 2007 and year, Exelon Corporation will celebrate their eighth officials have appealed the anniversary on Sept. 1. assessment for the Byron Generating Station. “Like I said, it was just The Ogle County Board such a surprise,” Lynn said. of Review (BOR) was “We’ve had quite a year!” scheduled to hear the appeal Jan. 14. In the appeal, company officials have set the plant’s value at $212.6 million, less than half of the $509 million set by Ogle County Supervisor of Assessments Jim Harrison. The appeal is for the generating station’s 2014 assessment, which affects taxes payable in 2015. Exelon also appealed its 2012 and 2013 assessments. The BOR upheld both the 2012 assessment of $499 million and the 2013 assessment of $509 million. Exelon has appeals for both those years pending After making a few remarks, Bruce Rauner works his before the Illinois Property way around the Swedish Pancake House in Byron Jan. Tax Appeal Board. 9. Photo by Alex Paschal, Sauk Valley Media Turn to A2
Library News, A7 Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, A2 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B6
Sheriff’s Arrests, B6 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B6
Exelon appeals assessment
Deaths, B5 Donald E. Asp, C. Lowell Edwards, Elizabeth Frantz, Bernice M. Hitchcock, Wilda E. Lundin, Karl L. Myers
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