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OREGON Republican Reporter Penny Carnival
State Bound The Byron girls basketball team punched their ticket to the state finals. B1
Recycling Day The monthly electronics recycling day will be held in Oregon on Friday. A7
Ogle County 4-H Clubs are hard at work preparing for the carnival. A6
Afternoon fire destroys garage
“Things will either get worse, or we can make them better. Staying the same is not an option; that’s not how the world works.” – Mayor Ken Williams
By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
TIF district hearing held Residents were able to voice their opinions By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecountynews.com A public hearing at the Oregon Coliseum last week was a last chance for the public to voice their concerns on Oregon’s proposed TIF district. Questions from the audience of approximately 40 people were fielded Feb. 14 by Mayor Ken Williams and Herbert Klein, an attorney with Jacob & Klein law firm. The tax Increment finance (TIF) district, proposed to include the northern downtown area along
February 23, 2017 Volume 167, Number 11 - $1.00
Mayor Ken Williams and Herb Klein field questions during the TIF Public Hearing. Photo by Zach Arbogast
Washington Street, the northeastern Settlers Ridge subdivision, the riverfront, and the southern neighborhoods along Pines Road, is an initiative to combat several areas Oregon is seeing a decline, Klein said. Over the last 10 years, Oregon has seen nearly an 8.5 percent drop in population and 20 percent drop in retail sales, he said. which means less money for businesses and less sales tax for the taxing bodies. With the TIF fund collecting increases in equalized assessed values, it can then be spent on public
projects such as infrastructure improvements, construction, and loan reimbursements, and private projects including restaurants, hotels, or construction of new homes. Some questions included: • If taxes need to be raised, will they be raised even higher due to losing out on money from residents in the TIF? According to Klein, Oregon’s TIF includes a comparatively small number of properties. In cases such as this, with the school and park districts
An east wind aided firefighters from four area departments late Monday afternoon as they battled a garage fire in Oregon. Oregon Fire Chief Mike Knoup said the wind blew the flames away from the houses on each side of the garage at the home of Jeff Parsons at 204 N. Fifth St., across the street from Oregon Super Valu. “It was fully involved when we got here,” Knoup said. “Flames were showing
from the back [west] side.” The detached garage was completely destroyed in the blaze which was reported at 4:10 p.m. No cause or origin had yet been determined, Knoup said at the scene. Firefighters from the Mt. Morris, Byron, and Stillman Valley Fire Departments assisted Oregon at the scene. Knoup said no one was home when the fire was discovered, but Parsons’ son had just left to go to a nearby restaurant, and returned as soon as he saw the fire. He removed two boats from the garage before they were damaged.
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County building needs new roof By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Cost estimates for putting a new roof on a countyowned building in Rochelle came in less than anticipated, but the work needs to be done sooner than expected. The Ogle County Board approved a bid Tuesday evening for $160,530 from McDermaid Roofing & Insulating Co., Rockford, to replace the roof on the building purchased from Rochelle Community Hospital Foundation late in 2015. Scott A. Goehring, a representative of the Garland Company, Inc., based in
Jail Meetings
The Ogle County Board is hosting public meetings about the proposed jail project. A meeting in Oregon will be held on Thursday, March 9. at 7 p.m. at the Oregon Coliseum, 124 N. Fourth St. Cleveland, Ohio, said the project was originally estimated at $200,000 to $240,000. He told the board that he found damage that could cause leaks when he inspected the roof on the former Rochelle Clinic building at 510 Lincoln Highway. Goehring recommended replacing the roof before remodeling the inside and
installing new furnishings and equipment. The Garland Company supplies roofing materials and provides design and engineering services. The county board purchased the building, which was originally a bank, for $190,000 with the plan of locating the emergency operations center (EOC) there, along with local offices for the Ogle County Health
and Probation Departments and the Ogle County Emergency Management Agency Director. McDermaid’s was the lowest of three bids submitted. Freeport Industrial Roofing bid the project at $220,255, and Sterling Commercial Roofing, Inc. bid it at $240,246. Board member Lee Meyers, Byron, questioned the need for the roof now. “I thought last year when we bought this, the roof was good for five years,” he said. Board member Don Griffin, Oregon, said that “it doesn’t make sense” to renovate the inside if the roof leaks.
Oregon athlete makes wrestling debut By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecounty news.com After more than a year of training, Oregon-grown Bailey Bright’s dreams moved forward as he made his Funky Munky Wrestling singles debut Feb. 10. Instead of shooting for the stars right off the bat, Bright was more grounded - literally; after being sent to his room when he was eight years old, he turned the TV to World Wrestling Entertainment and caught the end of a John Cena match.
Bailey Bright is escorted by his father Lonny Bright and mother Lisa Walker during the Oregon Hawks Football 2015 senior night. At right, Bright stands in the ring after competing in his first match. Photos supplied.
In This Week’s Edition...
He was hooked from that point, and started looking deeper into the business. He discovered the Sterling-based Funky Munky Wrestling near the tail-end of 2015, and quickly got involved with the company, helping setup and teardown with sets. It wasn’t long before Funky Munky owner Pat Gerlach, who is known as local wrestling star Bobby Houston, asked Bright if he’d be interested in training. “About four months after getting on with them [Funky Munky], Bobby asked me if I wanted to b r i n g s o m e workout g e a r and start training,” Bright said. “My first session was in January of last year, and we hit it hard from the get-go.”
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B5-B10 College News, A4 Entertainment, A6
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Library News, A6 Marriage Licenses, A4 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B4
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B3
A fire late Monday afternoon destroyed the garage at the home of Jeff Parsons at 204 N. Fifth St., Oregon. Parsons’ son was able to get two boats out of the garage before they were damaged. Photo by Vinde Wells
From a barn to wedding venue Couple transforms Leaf River barn By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Their daughter’s wedding inspired a Leaf River couple to turn their century-old dairy barn into an event venue. Brad and Carla Miller, both retired teachers, have transformed their huge barn and grounds into The Barn on the Hill, the perfect place for weddings, rehearsals, showers, class reunions, and anniversary and birthday parties. They have even hosted a high school prom. The Millers moved to their home at 7 E. Ill. 72, between Leaf River and Byron, 25 years ago when their three daughters were youngsters. The barn was used for storage until three years ago when their daughter Hannah decided she wanted to be married there. “The barn was heaped with stuff, and Hannah said she wanted her wedding in the barn,” Carla said with a smile. Brad got to work with a skid loader and cleared out the barn. Hannah’s wedding went so well that they decided to offer the barn and scenic surrounding 7.5 acres to other brides.
“It just took off from there,” Carla said. “This is actually our second year.” Already they have seven weddings booked for this year. Besides cleaning out the “stuff ” in the barn, the Millers put in a large concrete patio that wraps around two sides of the barn, adjusted the four original sliding barn doors to easily open up, did electrical work, and added landscaping. Tall pines trees, large shade trees, a lush lawn, and welltended flower beds make an ideal backdrop for outdoor receptions and photo shoots. Inside the barn, the sliding doors open to let in natural light, and thousands of tiny white lights strung from the beams create a comfortable, yet elegant, setting for up to 250 people. Carla said the enjoyable part is meeting the brides and helping them plan the wedding they have dreamed of. “That’s the part I love is working with the brides and their families and trying to make it perfect for them,” she said. “I have had the most wonderful brides to work with. You get so attached to them like they’re your own kids.” Turn to A2
Deaths, B4 Lucille T. Eichhorst, Karl G. Klipping, Joan Pattermann, Clarence L. Sneek, Merle P. Wiltfang
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com