ORR_01222015

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Serving Ogle County since 1851

OREGON Republican Reporter

January 22, 2015 Volume 165, Number 6 - $1.00

Sectional Bound

Tax Tips

Starved Rock

Hawk bowler Joe Miranda earned a Sectional following the Jan. 17 Regional. B1

A state agency has released several tax tips for Illinois residents. A7

An Oregon couple are the new concessionaires at the Starved Rock Lodge. B3

Board accepts Petrizzo’s resignation Tuesday Says he had a conflict with the board chairman By Vinde Wells Editor Differences with the county board chairman Kim Gouker are what an Ogle County Board member says led him to step down from his post only halfway

through his term. The county board accepted the resignation Tuesday of Richard Petrizzo, 77, Davis Junction, who was elected to a four-year term in November of 2012. The board also recognized him for his years of service on the board. In his resignation letter, Petrizzo said, “After a critical review of my service to the county, it is my personal belief that I have achieved

all that I can without compromising my standards and my own ethical values.” In a longer statement released Tuesday afternoon, Petrizzo filled in more of the reasons for his departure. “I resigned from the board because increasingly, the chairman and I grew further apart in our individual perspectives on the role of the chairman and board members,” Petrizzo said in his statement.

The main complaint Petrizzo laid out is that he believes Gouker micromanages the board and its committees. “I have felt that his style, as a chairman, leaves no room for major input from board members, and he has had a majority on every committee to support his agenda,” the statement read. “In addition, he spends too much time on the various committees of the board and attending

Cermak edges Humphrey for 2015 OES spelling title

Tax change impacts Byron School District

By Vinde Wells Editor

By Vinde Wells Editor

Oregon Elementary School spelling bee winner Lydia Cermak, left, and runner-up McAuley Humphrey are all smiles Jan. 14 after their back-andforth match. Both are sixth graders. Photo by Vinde Wells

and McAuley correctly spelled rosemary, it looked like the win would go to McAuley. However, to be named champion, McAuley had to correctly spell two words in a row. An error on totalitarian, put Lydia back in the running. The next two rounds saw both girls frustrated by misses. Then Lydia got aquarium right and McAuley missed globular. The suspense heightened when Lydia then missed transcutaneous.

Quick to recover she got equine right, while McAuley slipped up on deceive. A correct spelling of permeate gave Lydia the win and a trip to the Regional Spelling Bee on Feb. 19 at Dixon High School. McAuley will be the back-up and will participate in the regional bee if Lydia is unable to. The winner of the regional bee will earn a trip to Washington D.C. to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Goal halfway met for new statue By Vinde Wells Editor Fundraising efforts to renovate the Ogle County Veterans Memorial are a little more than half-way to

others to assume the work of the board and participate in these activities,” the statement continued. “It is interesting to note that with the new board election, of which I did not seek election, he has now pulled back from most chairmanships as I had recommended but still sits on many committees… A leader should work to bring out the best in others in service to Turn to A2

Exelon’s Byron plants value set at $482 million

Battle to the Bell School buses were already lining up to take students home from Oregon Elementary School Jan. 14 while two determined sixth graders were battling out an exciting finish to the annual spelling bee. “We might have to hold the buses,” whispered a teacher to a colleague as the clock ticked closer and closer to the 3:11 dismissal time. Literally just before the bell, Lydia Cermak correctly spelled permeate to finally triumph over classmate McAuley Humphrey after several championship rounds. Twenty-eight students in grades 4, 5, and 6 took turns spelling in the bee. Only Lydia and McAuley were left after six rounds, and then the competition became “spell-binding.” Lydia correctly spelled optional and McAuley countered with rapture. Lydia spelled hatchery and McAuley nailed janitor. When Lydia stumbled on abstinence

many other meetings in the county and elsewhere. While some of this is appropriate, most of it takes away from time he could be doing the work of the chairman in his office or at home, as most others do.” Petrizzo said he believes Gouker should take a step back and delegate some responsibilities. “He should pull back from all of this involvement and encourage and/or assign

the goal. Lee Ossman, commander of the Oregon VFW, said last week that $45,000 has been raised of the $80,000 needed for a bronze statue to be cast and installed at the memorial

The bronze statue above is similar to the one Jeff Adams is casting at inBronze Foundry, Mt. Morris, for the Ogle County Veterans Memorial on the Ogle County Courthouse lawn. Adams also created this statue. Photo supplied

In This Week’s Edition...

located at the north end of the Ogle County Courthouse lawn. The memorial honors veterans who have given their lives for their country From World War II to the present. Another memorial on the courthouse lawn honors veterans who died in previous wars. The statue depicts a young soldier, rifle and helmet in hand, on his knees at the grave of a comrade. It is being cast at inBronze Foundry, Mt. Morris, and is expected to be ready for its first viewing in May. “The memorial is in progress,” Ossman said Jan. 13. Individuals, businesses, and organizations, including the Oregon American Legion, have come through with donations and support for various fundraisers already held, which have included dinners and raffles. “It’s been great the

Business Briefs, B6 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B7-B12 College News, A4 Entertainment, A6

A Byron school official voiced concern last week when the Ogle County Board of Review (BOR) reduced the assessment of the Byron Generating Station last week by $27 million. “Obviously we’re disappointed. Obviously this will have an impact on the school district’s revenue,” said Byron School Board President Doug Floski. “We’ll have to assess what that impact is and how we’re going to have to address it. We’ll try to do it without putting an additional burden on our other taxpayers.” The Byron School District receives the largest share of the real estate taxes from the nuclear plant. Last year that amount was just over $19 million. At an appeal hearing Jan. 14, the three-member BOR unanimously set the plant’s assessment at $482.4 million, reducing the $509.4 million assessment set last fall by Supervisor of Assessments Jim Harrison. Plant owner Exelon Nuclear appealed that assessment, claiming the plant’s value should be set

“We’ll have to assess what that impact is and how we’re going to have to address it. We’ll try to do it without putting an additional burden on our other taxpayers.” — Doug Floski Byron School Board President at $212.6 million, just 44 percent of the BOR’s number. The 2014 assessment is the basis for real estate taxes paid in 2015. After hearing an appeal from Exelon’s attorney Terry Moritz and a rebuttal from Byron School District attorney Stuart Whitt, BOR members asked Harrison how he arrived at his assessment. Harrison said he left it unchanged from the year before because Exelon has appealed that assessment to the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB). PTAB has not yet set a date for the appeal. The 2013 assessment was based on the assessments of other Illinois nuclear generating stations owned by Exelon. The BOR upheld last year’s assessment, as well as the 2012 assessment of $499 Turn to A8

support we’ve got from the community,” Ossman said. Because the memorial honors veterans from all over the county, Ossman said the fundraising efforts are now being extended veterans’ organizations throughout the area, as well as others who wish to help. An ongoing fundraiser is the sale of pavers which will be placed at the memorial in honor of individual veterans. Anyone who has served in the military or knows someone who has can honor the veteran by purchasing a paver. The paver purchased will be engraved with the veteran’s name. Pavers can be 4x8 inches at a cost of $75 or 8x8 inches at a cost of $90. Paver ordering forms can be obtained by contacting the Oregon VFW Post 8739 at veteransvfw@hotmail.com. Ossman said another major fundraiser is being planned Exelon’s Byron Generating Station is located on German for later this year. Church Road between Oregon and Byron. File photo

Fines, B3 Library News, A3 Marriage License, A4 Oregon Police, B4 Public Voice, A8

Property Transfers, B5 Sheriff’s Arrests, B4 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B5

Deaths, B3 Amanda A. McAlonan, Roger F. Camplain, Mary J. Moser

Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com


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