Serving Ogle County since 1851
OREGON Republican Reporter
Forreston-Polo Rolls Headed to State Forreston-Polo ends Oregon’s baseball season with a 7-0 win at the regional. B1
Members of the Hawk track team qualify for the state meet. B1
May 28, 2015 Volume 165, Number 24 - $1.00
Slated to be Razed The county will demolish the former Jackass restaurant building this year. A10
Residents fed up with odors from sewer plant By Chris Johnson cxjohnson@oglecountynews.com A lingering stench on the south side of town has residents fuming. “There is an unbearable stench coming from the sewage plant on a regular basis,” Gerald Sepesy read from a petition. “It has been increasing in intensity over the past few years and has culminated this spring in an overwhelming stench of sewage. We expect the problem to be resolved. We request the
city investigate to find a solution.” Sepesy, a resident of S. Third Street, presented the city council Tuesday night with a petition on behalf of 154 citizens to request that the city control the odors coming from the sewer plant. “This prevents us from sitting in our yards or leaving our windows open,” he said. “We come home at night and we have a house that smells like a sewer plant. We shouldn’t have to plan Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and other summer holidays around the direction
of the wind.” Sepesy has lived on the south side of Oregon for 52 years and said the smell has been increasing over the past few years. “Because of the (sewer plant) renovations we did not complain, but it does not look like the plant works,” he said. “I have been to other communities and the consensus is Oregon’s plant does not work.” A working plant should not have that strong of an odor, he said. “Is the plant overworked? Is too much
sewage coming into Oregon?,” said Sepesy. “Mt. Morris has a state of the art system. We would like to know about solutions. Do something so we can enjoy our yards and evenings. We are looking forward to relief.” The residents believe there may be outside sewage being brought into the city plant for treatment, said Sepesy. “I am sorry,” said Oregon Mayor Ken Williams. “You deserve to have a quality Turn to A2
Rebuild benefit is Saturday
Class of 2015 urged to keep on learning By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecountynews.com Oregon High School’s Class of 2015 heard a familiar theme Sunday afternoon when commencement speaker Seth McCanse encouraged them to make learning foremost in their lives. “It’s not about making the perfect choices,” said McCanse, a 1995 OHS graduate. “It’s about learning.” McCanse’s remarks echoed the district’s mission statement to “Educate students to be lifelong learners who are productive, responsible citizens.” McCanse urged the class of 104 to face the future unafraid. “Mistakes are the power tools for the future,” he said. “Have the courage to keep taking chances.” McCanse drew a laugh from the crowd when he recounted that in planning his talk he thought back to the speech given at his own graduation two decades ago. “I don’t remember a word of it,” he admitted. Then, he said, he tried to think about what he had wanted from a graduation speech back then. “Well, for one thing, I wanted it to be short,” McCanse said, bringing more laughter from the audience. Valedictorian Benjamin Baldwin encouraged his classmates to embrace the changes that will inevitably occur in their lives. “Change is everywhere,” he said. “Every change is an opportunity for personal growth.” He pointed out that not all change is good and is, in fact, sometimes a loss. Baldwin said the death of classmate Trevor Cox during his freshman year was a loss he still feels. “Trevor was a true friend,” he said. Baldwin recommended connecting with others, showing loved ones that you care, and being kind. He gave a special “shout-out” to his twin Harry just for “being my brother all these years” and also for helping him hone his graduation speech. Besides being the top senior academically at OHS, Turn to A10
Grubsteakers was destroyed by April 9 EF4 tornado By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecountymews.com A benefit is planned this Saturday to help rebuild a landmark restaurant destroyed last month by an EF4 tornado. The Rebuild Grubsteaker’s Restaurant Fundraiser Benefit will be held Saturday, May 30 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Courtney Tucker, Emily Nelson, Jenny Cahill and her niece Talia Nolasco pose for a 16060 E. Lindenwood Rd., Lindenphoto after graduation ceremonies at the Oregon High School May 24 Photo by Randy wood. Owner Ava Mirtoska said Tuesday Stukenberg that she is thankful to everyone who is working to organize the event. “I’m very grateful to have so many people working to put this thing together and help me out,” she said. “The restaurant was there for 100 years. I don’t want the story to end with the tornado. I want the story to go on, and Grubsteaker’s to be back.” The well-known restaurant, located at the intersection of Ill 64 and 251, was demolished by the tornado that swept through eastern Ogle County around suppertime on April 9. Mirtoska was recognized by the Ogle County Board two weeks after the storm for her actions that night when she saw the storm approaching and quickly ushered her customers and employees into a storm cellar. About a dozen people rode out the
At left, OHS Valedictorian Benjamin Baldwin speaks the OHS commencement while at right, Salutatorian Erika Waldsmith delivers her address. Photos by Randy Stukenberg.
Turn to A10
Veterans honored at ceremony Tuttle says buy a flag for a veteran’s grave By Doug Oleson Correspondent Do you want to honor a veteran? That was one of the questions John Tuttle, commander and chaplain of American Legion Post 97, asked the standing room only crowd inside Oregon VFW Post 8739 during the annual Memorial Day observance Monday morning. “Then buy a flag and place Oregon American Legion Commander and Chaplain it on their grave,” he said. Numerous flags of all John Tuttle holds up photos of his comrades in Vietnam sizes and shapes were on during his speech Monday. Photo by Doug Oleson
In This Week’s Edition...
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B8-B14 College News, A4 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B5
display throughout Oregon, as well as the county and the nation, as the country, in the words of VFW Commander Lee Ossman, “reflected and remembered those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country.” According to Tuttle, a Vietnam veteran who was the main speaker at the event which had to be held inside because of the rain, 163 Ogle County citizens have been killed in battle, including 108 in World War II, nine in Korea, 22 in Vietnam and three in the Gulf Wars. One of those was Jerry Wayne Wickam, Leaf River, who was killed in January of 1968 in Vietnam while valiantly saving the rest of his platoon pinned down
Library News, A8 Marriage Licenses, A4 Public Voice, A8 Property Transfers, B7
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, A12, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B4
under heavy fire. His actions earned the then 25-year old the Congressional Medal of Honor, one of only two known recipients in Ogle County, the other from World War I. Wickam is buried in Lightsville Cemetery near Leaf River. Besides buying a brick for the new veterans memorial in front of the courthouse, Tuttle encouraged living World War II veterans to take advantage of the free Honor Flights to Washington D.C. to see the memorial in their honor. Although the ceremony honors all veterans, a special emphasis this year was on World War II
veterans because its the 70th anniversary of when the war ended. In one of the most touching moments of the 45-minute program, Tuttle held up a black and white picture of the men he served with in Vietnam, as well as the medals his father earned in the service before him. “It’s kind of a way to remember why we do what we do,” he said. Joshua Lehrke, Oregon, who is currently in the National Guard, said Memorial Day was a way for him to “remember those who have passed on before me that I never knew.” He said it was also a good way to honor those who are Turn to A2
Deaths, B3 Robert A. Gigous, Nancy J. Kaczmarzyk, Paul S. Kaminski, Darrell D. Rothermel
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