ORR_12172015

Page 1

Serving Ogle County since 1851

OREGON Republican Reporter

December 17, 2015 Volume 166, Number 1 - $1.00

Bowlers Win

Soccer Coming

Cousin Rescued

The Hawk bowling teams roll to two wins at the LaSalle-Peru tournament. B1

The Oregon School Board agrees to have a girls soccer program. B1

Forreston 11-year-old rescues his cousin using skills he learned in a safety class. A9

Expert says Ogle County Jail is overcrowded By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com The Ogle County Board got an update Tuesday evening on what a jail needs assessment has determined. Jeff Goodale, Director of Justice at HOK, a Chicago architectural and planning

firm, told the board that the jail is frequently over capacity because the number of arrests is trending upward. “Overall [the need for] beds are going up,” he said. Currently the county needs space for at least 143 prisoners, he said, and the capacity is just 108.

The average daily population at the jail ranges from the low 90s to 123. Goodale said the outdated design of the jail, built in the late 1960s, makes it difficult for corrections officers to manage the inmates, especially when they are overcrowded. Currently the jail staff is

“spread thin,” he said. In October, the county board approved spending a maximum of $10,000 for Goodale to do the jail needs assessment. Goodale said Tuesday that he hopes to finish the study in February, and by then will have narrowed down possible sites and the cost.

His study will takes current as well as future needs into account. “We’re looking 50 years out,” he said. With an eye to 2065, Goodale said he is starting at a 250-bed facility. He said the county needs to provide more space for female prisoners and

prisoners with mental health needs. Goodale said he will also study the feasibility of allowing space to house juveniles in the county jail, instead of transporting them to a facility such as the Mary Davis Home in Galesburg. Turn to B2

Sixth grader giving back with coat drive By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecountynews.com A Byron sixth grader has organized a coat drive and fundraiser to repay a domestic violence shelter that helped her. Victoria Kuzlik hopes to collect at least 500 coats and other winter gear, as well as $4,500 for HOPE of Ogle County, a domestic violence shelter with office in Oregon and Rochelle. “My dad and I were victims of domestic violence,” said 11-yearold Victoria. “One place [HOPE] helped us out a lot, and I just wanted to give back.” She said they also received help from the YWCA in Sterling. Victoria’s father, Bob Kuzlik, said her daughter came to him with the idea of a coat drive recently after thinking about the outgrown coats no longer in use at their Victoria Kuzlik home. Officials at Victoria’s school liked the idea and allowed her to get started there. The plan grew and now encompasses local businesses that are also collection points for coats and winter gear. Victoria’s original goal was to collect 300 coats, but has been going so well that she bumped it up to 500. “We just got six more coats today,” she said Monday afternoon. Kuzlik said that when Victoria talked with HOPE officials and learned that the shelter is facing cuts due to a lack of state funding, she decided to do a bit more. “Tori decided to add a goal of $4,500 on top of the coats,” he said. HOPE director Ruth Carter said Victoria’s efforts will be a big help to the agency and its clients. “We are very excited about the work she is doing,” Carter said. “It will enable more of our clients to have winter coats for their children.” Turn to A2

Christmas Concert Above, sixth grader Ethan George sports his crazy Christmas hat while singing Dec. 10 during the annual fifth and sixth grade band and choir Christmas Concert. At right, fifth grader Grace Tomlinson plays her French horn. Photos by Chris Johnson

Force behind Star Wars fans engagement, wedding Couple’s reception held at private Star Wars Museum By Chris Johnson cxjohnson@oglecounty news.com When science fiction movies are discussed, two franchises come to mind — Star Trek and Star Wars. For a couple with Stillman Valley roots, a passion for Star Wars was the force behind their initial meeting and eventual marriage. Tom and Cathy (Tomczak) Schaefer met during the annual Chicago Comicon (a convention for comic book, TV, and movie buffs) in 2007 after mutual friends had invited them to a dinner. It was not until a few months later that Tom learned that Cathy was interested in getting to know him. They went out on a date and have been inseparable ever since. Once they were talking about marriage, Tom decided on a unique proposal that brought their “fandoms” to center stage. Tom worked with his friend Mike Bollow to have actor John Barrowman assist with the proposal during Fantasticon in Milwaukee.

In This Week’s Edition...

Barrowman played Captain Jack Harkness in the “Doctor Who” series and the spinoff series “Torchwood.” The couple are also fans of the “Doctor Who” and “Torchwood” series. During a panel Barrowman was holding Oct. 25, 2014, he invited Cathy on stage and talked to her for a while before asking Tom to join them on stage. Tom, who was wearing a Mayor of Star Wars Town suit, got down on one knee and proposed. Cathy, who was wearing a Star Wars dress, accepted. A year later the couple was married Oct. 9, 2015 in Petaluma, California during a small ceremony. The couple walked down the aisle after getting married to the ceremonial theme from the end of a “New Hope.” “We joked about walking down the aisle to the Imperial March,” said Tom. A reception was held at Rancho Obi Wan, which is a privately owned Star Wars Museum in Petaluma, California. It is run by Steve Sansweet who has the world’s largest Star Wars collection. Sansweet was the officiant at the ceremony. Turn to A4

Church Bells, A5 Classifieds, B7-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B6 Marriage Licenses, A4

Tom and Cathy Schaefer pose, with a Darth Vader gesture, in front of Darth Vader masks and other Star Wars memorabilia at Rancho Obi Wan in Petaluma, California. Photo provided.

Oregon Library, A7 Oregon Police, B6 Public Voice, A8 Property Transfers, B3

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

Deaths, B5 Clara M. Brown, Arnold H. Collman, Frances L. Murray, Rogene E. Taylor

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


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
ORR_12172015 by Shaw Media - Issuu