Serving Ogle County since 1851
OREGON Republican Reporter
July 14, 2016 Volume 166, Number 31 - $1.00
Vintage Game
Art Gallery
Drum & Bugle
The Ganymedes took on Aurora Sunday afternoon in Oregon. B1
An art gallery will open in Mt. Morris on July 15. A3
A band from South Carolina rehearsed at OHS last weekend. A10
Conservator applicants meet with IDNR officials State grant money still not released for restoration project By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecountynews.com Another step was taken in the right direction this week for the restoration of the Black Hawk statue. Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) officials and engineer Amy Lamb Woods met Tuesday morning with two applicants for conservator on the project to repair the iconic monument. The group met at Lowden State Park near Oregon where the 105-year-old statue stands on a high bluff overlooking the Rock River. State Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) said Tuesday that he had spoken with IDNR officials, who told him they have narrowed their search for a new conservator to two candidates and were meeting with them to discuss the project. Woods confirmed Tuesday morning that she was attending the meetings as
well. Previous conservator Dr. Andrzej Dajnowski from Conservation of Sculpture & Objects Studio, Forest Park, declined to sign a new contract with the IDNR for this year due to a conflict with Lamb Woods over how to proceed with the repairs. Created by sculptor Lorado Taft in 1910 as a tribute to Native Americans, the 50-foot statue draws thousands of visitors each year. It was unveiled and dedicated in 1911. Black Hawk, as it is commonly called, has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2009. The effects of time and weather have caused parts of the statue to crumble and fall off. The repair project ground to a halt earlier this year because of state budget woes and the conflict between Lamb Woods and Dajnowski. Demmer assured a group of Oregon residents at a Chamber of Commerce Lunch ’n’ Learn June 21 that he would work with the IDNR to get the project underway again. “I’ll definitely be a strong advocate for Black Hawk,” he said then. Part of the lunch discussion focused
on funds raised to repair the statue. The Friends of the Black Hawk Statue, an organization formed approximately seven years ago to develop a plan and raise the funds to have the statue repaired, has raised most of the estimated $900,000 needed. All but $350,000 came from private donations that are being kept in a fund with the Illinois Conservation Foundation, which supports IDNR programs. The rest is a $350,000 grant to the IDNR from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). The DCEO grant must be spent before the private donations can be tapped. The grant money can’t be released until the General Assembly passes budget legislation allowing it, which Demmer said still hasn’t happened. “Money for the grant was not included in the stop-gap budget [passed June 30],” Demmer said. “We mainly focused on keeping agencies open.” He said grants will be considered in future budget action. “Hopefully, that will happen in the next round — hopefully,” he said. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Clerk looking for election judges Staff at Lowden State Park put up orange plastic construction fence and these signs around the Blackhawk Statue after chain link fence and scaffolding around the 105-year-old statue was removed in June. Photo by Earleen Hinton
Nine candidates want to be associate judge The judges in the 15th Judicial Circuit are seeking comments about the nine individuals who have applied for an associate judge vacancy. The 15th Judicial Circuit is comprised of Ogle, Lee, Carroll, Jo Daviess, and Stephenson Counties. Those applying for the vacancy, which will be effective with the retirement of Ogle County Associate Judge Kathleen Kauffmann on Sept. 30, include Constance L. Augsburger, Maria N. Berger, Brandi L. Chudoba, Clayton L. Lindsey, Deborah S. Maas, Ruth E. Robinson, Michael G. Rock, Michael T. Suits, and Ann E. Switzer. Persons with knowledge of
the candidates are invited to comment about any of them. Comments should be in writing and sent to: Hon. Ronald M. Jacobson, Chief Judge, 106 S. Fifth St., Suite 306A, Oregon IL 61061. All comments should be received no later than Friday, July 29. Anonymous comments will not be considered. In Illinois, circuit judges are elected by voters, and associate judges are chosen by the circuit judges. The 15th Judicial Circuit has eight circuit judges and eight associate judges, two of each in Ogle, Lee, and Stephenson Counties, and one of each in Carroll and Jo Daviess Counties.
By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Ogle County Clerk Laura J. Cook is looking for some help on Election Day. In the last several weeks, she has addressed city councils and village boards all over the county seeking individuals to serve as election judges. Cook said last Friday that judges are often in short supply for the March primary elections and April consolidated elections. “A lot of our election judges are snow birds,” she said. “So for the spring elections we are short.” Being an election judge involves overseeing the procedures at the county’s 32 polling places whenever an election is held. Each of the 52 precincts has its own judges, although several precincts may use the same polling place. They have to be there at 5 a.m. to set things up, stay all day, and then deliver the ballots and voting machines
to the courthouse in Oregon after the polls close at 7 p.m. “It’s a long day,” Cook said. “It’s not a very glamorous job, but it’s an important job.” “The election judges who operate the polling places are a very important part of the electoral process,” she said. “These persons are the only contact the county clerk’s office has with the general public during voting hours, and they’re responsible for administrating the actual voting procedures in each precinct. Without them it would be impossible to conduct an election.” According to the county clerk’s website, the duties of election judges include: • Arrive at 5 a.m. to set up election equipment in the polling place, • Open the polling place promptly at 6 a.m., • Ensure that every person qualified to vote is permitted to vote, • Give assistance to voters with disabilities, • Be responsible for the proper and lawful conduct of the election in the polling
Laura Cook
place, • Give instructions in the method of voting when requested by a voter, • Maintain order in the polling place throughout the day, • Be responsible for all election materials, • Close the polls at 7 p.m. promptly following procedures, • Tally the vote after the polls are closed, • Return required election equipment at the end of Election Day.
The qualifications for an election judge are be a U.S. citizen; be a registered voter in the county; be of good repute and character; be able to speak, read, and write English; be of good understanding and capable; not be a candidate for any office in the election and not be an elected committeeman. Election judges are required to declare their political party so they can be assigned accordingly. Cook said election judges are encouraged to take the training offered for the task. Judge of Election School will be held in late September of early October in time for the Nov. 8 general election. Election judges are not expected to serve without compensation, Cook said, and are paid $100 per election, and $125 if they attended a Judge of Election School. For more information on how to become an election judge call the county clerk’s office at 815-732-1110 or email elections@oglecounty. org.
New bank building planned By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
Construction is expected to begin in the next few weeks on Harvard State Bank’s new building at Washington and Sixth Streets in Oregon. Photo by Earleen Hinton
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Construction on a new bank building in Oregon is expected to begin in the near future. Roger Lehmann, chairman of the board at Harvard State Bank, said the bank is currently in the process of getting bids for its new building at the northeast corner of Washington (Ill. 64) and Sixth Streets, just west of the post office. “We hope to start [construction] in July or August,” he said. “We’re anxious to get the roof on it before winter.”
Oregon Police, A7 Library News, A6 Marriage Licenses, A4 Property Transfers, B4 Public Voice, A7
Lehmann said he hopes to move into the new facility in the spring. The new building will replace both the main bank at the corner of Washington and Fourth Streets (Ill. 2) and the drive-through facility a block to the west. A one-story red brick structure with a basement is planned with ample parking and a drive through window. “We want something that will complement the surrounding buildings, like the courthouse,” Lehmann said. “We think it will be good for our customers and the community. It will give them easier access. We’re glad
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to be in Oregon.” The bank purchased the property for the new building last fall from the Oregon Public Library District. The library board had planned to build a new library at the site but after two failed referendums for the project, trustees instead decided to renovate their current building on Jefferson Street. That project is nearly completed. The current building, which will be sold, has housed the bank for decades. Formerly named Rock River Bank, it was taken over by Harvard State Bank in July of 2009.
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