ORR_09252014

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Serving Ogle County since 1851

OREGON Republican Reporter

First Place

September 25, 2014 Volume 164, Number 41 - $1.00

Snow White

The Oregon Hawk golf team won the Salley Wessels Invitational on Sept. 20. B1

Returning Home

PACT will perform Snow White with some surprises Sept. 26-28. A13

A Navy officer from Polo was greeted with a surprise homecoming parade Sept. 22. A11

Residents ask questions about ambulance service Voters to decide on funding service in April By Vinde Wells Editor The half dozen people who attended the Oregon Fire Protection District Board meeting last week asked lots of questions about the ambulance service, both now

and in the future. Oregon residents Bonnie Bergstrom asked board members Sept. 17 why they aren’t yet using the building and two ambulances recently donated to the fire district by Jim and Betty Ferris, co-managers of the Oregon Ambulance Service, Inc., a private not-for-profit business which closed its doors June 17. Bergstrom also asked where Medicare and

Medicaid payments are going now that ambulance calls in the community are being handled by ATS Medical Services, a private ambulance service based in Loves Park. “The people of Oregon deserve answers,� said Bergstrom, whose son Chad Bergstrom is the coordinator of the Oregon Fire District’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Jim Barnes, also an Oregon resident, said he had heard

the same questions from several people. “Why isn’t ATS using our ambulance now instead of theirs? Wouldn’t it be cheaper?� he asked. Barnes said he has also heard the fire district isn’t planning to use the building or ambulances donated by the Ferrises. Fire trustee Brian Stuart said the building and ambulances are not yet being used because they don’t meet

legal requirements. “We’re trying to fulfill legal requirements,� he said. The ambulances have been examined by a mechanic and also an inspector from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), he said. Needed repairs will cost at least $12,000 “to get them road-worthy,� he said. “We very grateful to Jim and Betty for what they gave us, but free is not always free.� He said the board is

weighing whether the ambulances should be repaired. One is more than 10 years old and has more than 140,000 miles on it. The board is also looking into renting or buying ambulances if the proposed referendum for an ambulance service is approved by voters in April, he said. Stuart explained that the fire district did not officially Turn to A2

Council appoints Bob Rees Pat Wiesner is resigning Oct. 1

National Anthem Day at OES Above, Oregon Elementary School students sing a patriotic song and wave American flags during National Anthem Day on Sept. 19. At bottom left, Mt. Morris and Oregon Fire Departments team up to hang an American flag between their ladder trucks. At bottom right, Bree Point, and Jennea Boothe wave American flags during the event. Photos by Chris Johnson

By Chris Johnson Reporter A man who had formerly served on the Oregon City Council for nine years has been appointed to fill a vacancy on the board. Bob Rees was appointed Tuesday night as the commissioner of public property effective Oct. 1. Patrick Wiesner notified the council he was resigning. “Pat took employment with a company and I received a letter of resignation,� said Mayor Tom Stone. “Pat has done a great job and was worried about the department. Pat recommended you for the position.� Rees was the public property commissioner before he lost a reelection bid in the 2011 election . “We have confidence in you,� said Stone. “Thank you,� said Rees. “I will be back for six months.� Rees said he currently does not have plans to file a nominating petition for the spring election.

Autumn on the Prairie offered a trip back in time By Chris Johnson Reporter Walking through lush prairie grasses and winding though a savanna was like a trip back in time. There were no cars, roads or power lines visible when exploring portions of East Heinkle Hill Saturday morning at Nachusa Grasslands during Autumn on the Prairie. Thousands of acres of prairie land are being restored at the grasslands to recreate what the Midwest had in the 1800s. Volunteers have been seeding, planting, clearing, and burning the land to destroy invasive species and return the prairie to all its glory. Mike Crowe, Lindenwood, has been with Nachusa Grasslands for 26 years. “I was one of the first groups of stewards,� he said. “Today you are going to visit

East Heinkle Hill. This is an 18-year-old prairie.� Crowe was leading a dozen people on a tour of this secluded part of the grasslands. “It was a sandy corn field,� he said. “Now there is tall Indian grass in the field.� Another grass that was thriving was big blue stem, commonly called turkey foot. A third grass that had patches in the prairie is cordgrass, spartina. “This grass is good for thatched roofs but on the prairie it is also used for burning,� Crowe said. These was only some of the hundreds of plant species that make up the prairie. As the group walked across the land he would pause at several of the plants. While talking about the White Indigo plant. “This is a legume and has deep roots,� said Crowe. “This allows the plant to grow on this sandy soil.�

In This Week’s Edition...

Crowe went on to talk about how several of the weeds and invasive species have trouble growing in the area because of the drier topsoil. When the prairie is burned, the native plants have the ability to regrow where the invasive species have limited abilities to survive. Seeding after the controlled burns ensures the prairie is restored. One advantage of the burning seems to be a decrease in the number of ticks. “It seems like the ticks are not as bad as they used to be,� said Crowe. “The burning may have kept their numbers down.� Sections of the Nachusa Grasslands are burned regularly. “Heinkle is burned every second or third year,� said Crowe. “We do

Byron Police, B5 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B8-B14 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4

Turn to A10 Mike Crowe, Lindenwood, leads a group through the prairie and savanna during a tour

of East Heinkel Hill Saturday morning at Nachusa Grasslands. Photo by Chris Johnson

Library News, A3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, A11 Public Voice, A8 Property Transfers, B4

Sheriff’s Arrests, A11 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B7

0UBLISHED EVERY 4HURSDAY BY /GLE #OUNTY .EWSPAPERS A DIVISION OF 3HAW -EDIA s WWW OGLECOUNTYNEWS COM

Death, B3 Ruby J. Rowland


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