ORR_10092014

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Serving Ogle County since 1851

OREGON Republican Reporter

October 9, 2014 Volume 164, Number 43 - $1.00

Golfers Advance

New Statue

Bison Arrive

Three Oregon golfers advanced to the sectional meet, two were in a play-off. B1

The 10th CAL sculpture still needs additional funding to finish. A2

Bison arrive at The Nature Conservancy’s Nachusa Grasslands. A7

Rochelle man named OCEMA coordinator Thomas Richter to manage Ogle emergencies

Management Agency (OCEMA). Ogle County Board Chairman Kim Gouker announced last week in a press release that he appointed Thomas E. Richter, 58, to the By Vinde Wells post on Oct. 1. Editor Richter will be paid an A Rochelle man has been annual salary of $51,000, appointed the coordinator of more than half of which is the Ogle County Emergency reimbursed by the state.

Richter replaces Candace Humphrey, who stepped down on Aug. 15. Gouker had appointed Richter as interim coordinator on Aug. 29. Richter is a long time resident of Ogle County, and has 26 years of emergency incident related experience throughout the country, and served as part of the incident

management team during the 2008 floods in Quincy. Most recently, he served as the deputy branch director for National Incident Management System (NIMS), training and exercises at MABAS-Illinois (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) and as program manager at the Illinois Fire Service Institute.

Richter said Tuesday that he is pleased to be named OCEMA coordinator. “It’s a privilege for me to serve the citizens and the county board,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the job.” He said the county and its various emergency services agencies are very well prepared for disasters and emergencies, natural or

Mother Nature yields to AOP Superheroes Light rain fails to stop Saturday fun; sun returns for parade day

Turn to A2

Stinging criticism aimed at beekeeper

By Vinde Wells Editor Mother Nature showed off her Jekyll and Hyde personality traits for Oregon’s Autumn on Parade festival last weekend, but Spiderman and his friends didn’t care. The mercury hovered below the 50-degree mark on Saturday with a raw wind and intermittent rain until late afternoon when the sun finally broke through. But that brisk taste of winter-to-come didn’t phase Spiderman, Captain America, or Wonder Woman—stolling entertainers who matched this year’s theme “Autumn of Superheroes”. Spiderman playfully teased kids with silly string while jumping on and off barricades as he worked the crowd around the courthouse square. Zakari and Michael Owens, ages 4 and 7, Leaf River, had a friendly sword battle with the super figure as their grandmother Maggi McCallum, Allenton, Wis., watched while pushing a stroller with a large pumpkin in it. “We are having a blast and we found the best pumpkin here and bought it,” she said. Spiderman then bounced away and jumped on a barricade as Wonder Woman sang and played the guitar to the delight of smaller children.

manmade. “I’m a believer in the three Cs of communication, coordination, and cooperation,” he said. He said the police and fire departments in the county are very cooperative and have good assets to respond to emergencies. Richter said he hopes to develop programs and information to assist residents and businesses in case of a crisis. Gouker said Richter’s experience will be an asset. “It is a real pleasure to have the services of a longtime professional like Tom Richter, to be able to serve

By Vinde Wells Editor

Michael and Zakari Owens, ages 7 and 4, Leaf River, have a friendly battle with Spiderman during Autumn on Parade in Oregon on Saturday. This year’s theme was “Autumn of Superheroes”. Photo by Earleen Hinton

“We’re a buzz, buzz, buzz bumble bee,” she sang as Charlie Collins, Mt. Morris, and Benjamin Ferris, age 3, Roanoke, ran around her in a circle. Johnna and Windy DeClue, Ottawa, and didn’t mind the light rain as they walked by the festival’s court with their dog, Teddy Bear, wrapped inside Windy’s coat. “We’ve been coming here for the last 5-6 years,” Johnna said. “We camp at Lowden State Park. We just love everything. The food is great and everyone is so nice.”

Sunday brought clear skies and warmer temperatures into the upper 50s. “Saturday was a little cold and rainy, but Sunday made up for it,” said festival president Marseyne Snow. “I think it went very well overall. People had a good time.” Bundled in sweatshirts and jackets, the crowd filled the sidewalks all along the Harvest Time Parade route on Sunday afternoon. Shanda Henry, Oregon, was there with her pet iguana Turn to A10

Nanci Dempsey, Dixon, pushes her grandson Easton Benjamin Ferris of Roanoke and Charlie Collins, of Mt. Morris, pretend to be bumble Wright, age 2, Sterling, in his stroller as his mom helps bees as they race around Wonder Woman during the Autumn on Parade festival on balance a mum purchased at the Autumn on Parade Saturday. Photo by Earleen Hinton festival in Oregon on Saturday. Photo by Earleen Hinton

In This Week’s Edition...

Byron Police, B7 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B8-B12 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B6

Library News, A3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B3 Public Voice, A9 Property Transfers, B5

Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B6 Zoning Permits, B6

Two Polo residents had stinging comments about one of their neighbors at Monday night’s city council meeting. Connie Simonnet, 111 N. Barber Ave., and Laurie Church, 107 N. Barber Ave., complained that Mike Scholl, who owes a lot with only a garage between their houses, is keeping honey bees in violation of city ordinances. They said they have both called the police several times when they saw bees on Scholl’s property. Police Chief Dennis Christen said Tuesday that when he has responded to the calls about the bees, he has not found Scholl to be violating the ordinances about beekeeping. Simonnet said Scholl has what he calls a wax melter on a lot he owns between her house and Church’s. She said she believes it’s really a beehive. “I don’t care what he calls it, there’s bees in it,” she said. The neighborhood had no problem with bees, she said, until a few years ago when Scholl bought the lot, which is at 109 N.Barber Ave. He lives across the street at 110 N. Barber Ave. Although city ordinances prohibit beekeeping within the city limits, the council gave Scholl permission last year to have small hives, called nucs, on the property from Sept. 15 through March 15 on a trial basis. Two aldermen, Louise Hall and Cheryl Galor, voted no. Scholl asked for the nucs to raise queens for the larger hives he keeps at various locations outside of the city. He said the queens are fragile when they are hatching and require frequent tending. In March of this year, Scholl asked the council to extend the time he could have Turn to A2

Deaths, B5 Jean M. Messer, Del Miller, Norene J. Scott, Ronald U. Stevens

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


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