Serving Ogle County since 1851
OREGON Republican Reporter
Regional Schedule Schedules for the baseball and softball Class 2A regionals have been announced. B1
May 14, 2015 Volume 165, Number 22 - $1.00
Graduates
Pheasants Released
Take a look at the Class of 2015 in this special section. C1-C10
Oregon sixth graders assisted in the release of 45 pheasant chicks Tuesday afternoon. B3
Grant will pay for portion of library elevator By Vinde Wells Editor
Several police vehicles chase the 2015 Porsche, driven by Daniel Swisher, Peoria, as it travels west on Ill. 64 after first heading east on the state highway on May 6. Photo by Earleen Hinton
No charges yet from high-speed chase Police say driver of Porsche was trying to hit cars By Vinde Wells Editor Minimizing the danger to the public was paramount for area police officers when a Peoria man tried to hit oncoming traffic during a high-speed chase that ended safely on the Ill. 64 bridge in Oregon last Wednesday afternoon. Felony charges are pending for Daniel H. Swisher, 40, Peoria, the driver of a 2015 Porsche that hit several Ogle County Sheriff’s vehicles after he fled from police at Castle Rock State Park. Deputies continued the pursuit because of Swisher’s behavior, Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle said. “His erratic driving and his
Two Ogle County deputies examine the Porsche after it was stopped in the eastbound lane of Ill. 64 in Oregon following a high-speed chase on May 6. Photo by Earleen Hinton
willful intention to try to hit other vehicles were why we took that action,” VanVickle said. Ogle County State’s Attorney Eric Morrow said he will decide by the end of the week whether or not charges will be filed against
Swisher. He said he would meet with Ogle County deputies May 13 to go over their reports about the chase and Swisher’s capture. “We expect to make a decision in the next couple of days,” Morrow said.
He said Swisher remains hospitalized. He was taken by Oregon ambulance to KSB Hospital, Dixon, for evaluation after the chase ended and was later transferred to another medical facility. Turn to A11
A $50,000 state grant will help with the cost of making the Oregon Public Library handicapped accessible. Illinois Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White announced Monday that the library is one of 17 in the state to win grants totaling more than $700,000. Oregon Library Director Andrew Dettmer said the Live and Learn Construction grant will go toward installing an elevator at the library to bring it into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). “It will give us a step-free entrance to the building. That’s been a big problem for us,” Dettmer said. “This grant money will help with the costs of installing a ground-level entrance into the building, an elevator that will allow patrons access to all three floors of the building and create handicapped accessible restrooms.” Plans call for building a small addition just for the elevator onto the northwest corner of the library at the intersection of Third and Jefferson Streets. “It’s a matching grant so we will put the same amount with it,” Dettmer said. The elevator will cost approximately $100,000. Besides the elevator and
handicapped accessible restrooms, another part of meeting ADA standards will be lowering the book stacks and increasing the space between them, he said. Dettmer wrote the grant application in November and presented it to the board from White’s office several weeks later. “They liked the plan and they know we need it,” he said. “We’ve been battling the ADA issue for a long time. Accessibility has been an issue for our library and patrons for decades, and these renovations will make it easier for everyone to take advantage of the services the library provides.” The building is a Carnegie library, built in 1908 with money donated by Pittsburg businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The ADA projects are part of a bigger plan to make renovations to the library and address at least some of the space issues the library has dealt with over the years. Renovations will include completely remodeling the basement and moving the children’s room there. Children’s activities are currently held in the third floor art gallery. The change will allow the Turn to A2
Downtown streetlight work could begin in two weeks $657,000 project includes new sidewalks, curbs By Chris Johnson Reporter
Pheasants Released Oregon sixth grader Whitney Kirk gets ready to take a pheasant chick from John Barnhart, natural resources director for the Oregon Park District, during their release on Tuesday. See the story and more photos on page B3. Photo by Earleen Hinton
In This Week’s Edition...
Birth, A4 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B8-B12 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B7
New street lighting will soon be illuminating downtown Oregon after several weeks of darkness. Officials met Tuesday afternoon to discuss a $657,000 project to replace the sidewalks, curbs, gutters, and streetlights along Fourth Street (Ill. 2) between Franklin Street and Jefferson Street. The city received an Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP) grant in 2013 to cover $525,000 (80 percent) of the project. Work is tentatively scheduled to begin on May 26 but may be delayed a week to allow city workers to complete an analysis of water service curb stops to businesses in downtown. Oregon water and sewer employee Jeff Pennington said the city should address
Guest Column, A9 Marriage Licenses, A4 Library News, A3 Oregon Police, B6 Public Voice, A9
any water issues with meters, and curb stops while the sidewalk is ripped up. He asked if the city should cover the cost of water service changes because this is a city project. “I think we should take care of it,” said Public Property Commissioner Jim Barnes, Money to pay for these improvements will be paid from the one percent sales tax the city has for capitol improvement. This cost is not part of the original project, and is being paid for from a different fund. “It can be used,” said mayor Ken Williams. “We will work with the business owners. We don’t want to tear up the sidewalks a year from now.” Getting the plumber hired for the work could delay the project start date. However, Rod Hiser from Alliance Contractors, Woodstock, said he would rather have a delay to the start of the project than during the project. “We want to be organized and efficient,” Hiser said. Work is expected to take
Property Transfers, B6 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B1-B2 State’s Attorney, B3
two to three weeks per quadrant. Work will begin on the northeast quadrant by the old Bemis building and then continue south on the east side of the street. The west side of the road will then be completed. Nineteen new streetlights will be ordered for the project and installed when they arrive. Hiser said the downtown will be dark until the new lights are delivered. The time to receive decorative lights is approximately 10 weeks. City engineer Corey Buck is reviewing the street light specifications for final approval so they can be ordered. Parking in the work zone during construction will be restricted based on the work being done each day. When the sidewalks are removed in front of businesses, access will continue for as long as possible before concrete is poured. Businesses may have limited access from Fourth Street when the concrete is poured and set. Turn to A2
Deaths, B5 Lyman F. Erickson, Marian E. Gray, Albert E. Snapp, Dr. William Snook, Joan K. Speck, Wallace G. Steed
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com