ORR_11272014

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Serving Ogle County since 1851

OREGON Republican Reporter

Second Place

Thanksgiving

The Oregon Lady Hawks earned second place at the annual Tip-Off Tournament. B1

November 27, 2014 Volume 164, Number 50 - $1.00

Tow Fund Plans

Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the holiday and spend time with friends and family.

Ogle County Sheriff Elect Brian VanVickle has plans to clean up the tow fund. A7

Oregon hosts event Nov. 29 By Vinde Wells Editor

The annual arrival of Santa Claus, seasonal music, taste-tempting treats, and Christmas giveaways will highlight the 28th Candlelight Walk on Saturday, Nov. 29 as Oregon officially kicks off the holidays. The downtown will glow with holiday lights as businesses roll out the red carpet to welcome shoppers of all ages. “I’m very excited about the joint effort from individuals, organizations, and businesses to upgrade the look of our downtown for the Christmas season,” said Debbie Dickson, executive secretary of the Oregon Chamber of Commerce. She said the City of Oregon and its Street Department, Merlin’s Greenhouse & Flowers, the Oregon Park District, the Chamber, the Candlelight Walk Committee, and a host of volunteers have worked together to plan for a festive setting for a variety of activities throughout the event. “Candlelight Walk promises to be a fun evening for the whole family,” Dickson said. The evening begins when Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive at the Oregon Coliseum by Oregon firetruck at 4 p.m. to light the Christmas tree. They will stay on the scene on the lower level of the Coliseum to hear kids’ Christmas wishes. Other family activities on the lower level include the Winter Quarter Carnival and balloon artist Brett Belique. The Gingerbread Kitchen and Pizza Hut in the downstairs will serve a

variety of food. On the main level of the Coliseum, the Holiday Gift Fair will offer dozens of booths and tables featuring home-based specialties and local entrepreneurs to help with creative Christmas shopping. Entertainment from music to drama to dance will be offered throughout the evening at the Coliseum. Franklin Street will between Fourth Street (Ill. 2) and Third Street will be closed to traffic and transformed into Candy Cane Lane for the evening. A walk down Candy Cane Lane will take visitors on their way to see Santa’s reindeer at First National Bank and shop at Conover Square. More food will be offered on Candy Cane Lane as well. Businesses throughout the city will extend their hours for shoppers to find holiday bargains, gifts, and refreshments. Conover Square will host live entertainment, refreshments and plenty of holiday décor. Shoppers can also sign up to win prizes and a $250 shopping spree in the Red Bow Give-A-Way. Register at participating businesses, which will display the large red Candlelight Walk Bow. Shoppers can also get involved in the Hysterical Holiday Hunt. Collect clues from designated Red Bow sponsor locations and answer the questions for a chance to win the grand prize package of two tickets to “Scrooge The Comedy” at the White Pines Inn Theatre, dinner at LaVigna, and an overnight

A worker with Diversified Construction Services, Melrose Park, stands in the shadow of the Black Hawk Statue on Nov. 21 as his crew puts scaffolding up around the 103-year-old artwork. Photo by Chris Johnson

Scaffolding up for Black Hawk By Vinde Wells Editor

A early snowstorm Monday put a halt to plans to get the Black Hawk Statue under wraps and protected from the winter weather. After months of waiting for state approval of a contract for restoration work to begin on the 103-year-old statue, a crew finally began erecting a scaffold at the site on Friday, Turn to A2 Dec. 21 with plans to finish on Monday. However, a persistent rain turned quickly to sleet and then snow by 9 a.m. Monday, delaying the rest of the work to protect the 50-foot concrete statue that stands on a high bluff overlooking the

Officials will be sworn in Dec. 1 By Vinde Wells Editor Newly-elected Ogle County officials will take the oath of office and begin their new terms on Monday, Dec. 1. Sheriff Brian VanVickle, State’s Attorney Eric Morrow, Clerk Rebecca Huntley, and Treasurer John Coffman, who were elected Nov. 4, will be sworn in by Judges Robert Hanson and John B. Roe in the morning. Hanson will administer the oath of office to eight county board members that evening at a special county board meeting at 5:30 p.m. at the courthouse. Newly elected board members are J. Nick Bolin, Holcomb, for District 1, Patricia Nordman, Oregon, for District 2, Bobbie Colbert, Rochelle, for District 3, Bruce W.

McKinney, Rochelle, for District 4, Daniel Janes, Stillman Valley, for District 5, Lee Meyers, Byron, for District 6, Rich Gronewold, Forreston, for District 7, and Lyle Hopkins, Polo, in District 8. Once the new board members are in office, the county board will elect a county board chairman and vice chairman. County board chairman Kim Gouker gave a certificate of appreciation for service Nov. 18 to retiring county board member Kim Kirkolis, Davis Junction, who did not run for re-election. Gouker also had certificates for retiring Sheriff Michael Harn and State’s Attorney Mike Rock, neither of whom attended the meeting. Both were defeated in the March primary election.

In This Week’s Edition...

Rock River at Lowden State Park, near Oregon. Dr. Andrzej Dajnowski, the conservator for the project, said Friday that he had received a contract for the work from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), and planned to sign it and return it for final approval. Created by sculptor Lorado Taft in 1910 as a tribute to all Native Americans, the statue draws thousands of visitors each year. It was unveiled and dedicated in 1911. The effects of time and weather have caused parts of the statue to crumble and fall off. Dajnowski said Friday that the plan was to first put up

the scaffolding around the statue, then put a roof over it to keep off snow and ice, and then to wrap the scaffolding in protective mesh. He said the scaffolding will be anchored to large concrete weights to give it stability. “This is a very windy site,” he said. Dajnowski and his crew got the scaffolding up before leaving on Friday. He said they planned to assess what else was needed before coming back on Monday. Dajnowski has worked for a decade as a sculpture conservator for the Chicago Park District and the Art Institute of Chicago. He said he is eager to begin

the restoration project. “I have worked on Taft sculptures before, including the Fountain of Time,” he said. The Friends of the Black Hawk Statue, headed up by Frank and Cherron Rausa, Sterling, began working more than five years ago to secure a plan and the funds to have the statue repaired. Experts from Thornton Tomasetti, Chicago, an architectural firm that provides engineering design, investigation, and analysis services to clients worldwide, examined the statue and have submitted a plan for its repair. The Illinois Department Turn to A2

Heavy snow made county roads slick By Vinde Wells Editor A mild, wet weekend turned into heavy blowing snow in short order Monday morning, slickening roadways and sending vehicles into the ditch. Falling temperatures turned the rain that persisted all day Saturday and Sunday into first sleet and then slushy snow in time for Monday morning’s commute to work. By 10 a.m. the calls to 911 were coming thick and fast for vehicles that had slipped off roadways throughout the county due to the early winter storm. The snow picked-up by mid-morning and persisted all day, driven by brisk west winds. Ogle County Engineer

Agriculture, A7 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B10-B16 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B9

A plow clears snow and ice from the roadway Monday afternoon at Lowden State Park, north of Oregon. Photo by Earleen Hinton

Curtis Cook said county plows were on the job by 9 a.m. clearing snow and spreading salt and chips. He said Monday afternoon that they would remain on the job until all county roadways

Library News, A3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Public Voice, A10 Property Transfers, B7 Sheriff’s Arrests, B6

Service News, A4 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2, B3 State’s Attorney, B9

were cleared. “The snow seems to be heavier the farther north you go,” he said. “Drifting is going to continue to be a problem. The north-south roads are going to be subject to drifting

this evening.” County deputies reported white-out conditions in some areas as they responded to non-stop calls from motorists in difficulty due to the icy roads.

Deaths, B5, B6 Norma Buchanon, Lillian M. McCanse, Darlene A Snyder

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


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