Orr 2017 05 11

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Serving Ogle County since 1851

OREGON Republican Reporter

May 11, 2017 Volume 167, Number 22 - $1.00

Close Win

Class of 2017

WWII at Stronghold

The Lady Hawks slip past Rock Falls May 4 for a 6-5 victory. B1

Seniors from 5 Ogle County Schools are ready to graduate. Inside

Stronghold Retreat and Conference Center is hosting a WWII re-eneactment May 20-21. A6

Committee postpones vote on dog kennel PAZ members are waiting to read transcripts from 5-hour meeting By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com

Above, Conner Young, pictured at right, walks with a group of supporters during his 22-mile walk around the city of Oregon on May 6. Below right, he wears the Mission 22 flag across his shoulders as he walks. Young, a 16-year-old student from Oregon High School, was disturbed at the suicide rate of veterans suffering Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and walked one mile for each veteran that commits suicide daily due to struggles with PTSD. Photos by Earleen Hinton

Walking to end PTSD

OHS sophomore raises funds and awareness By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecounty news.com

An Oregon High School sophomore marched around the city Saturday morning in honor and recognition of veterans who battle Post Traumatic Stress Disorder every day. In January, Conner Young pledged his support to Mission 22, an organization that raises funds and awareness to help get veterans treatment for PTSD before they become part of a grim statistic. The statistic, taken from the Department of Veterans Affairs 2012 suicide data report, says 22 veterans commit suicide every day due to struggle with PTSD. Emboldened by the information, Young dedicated his Open Program project to Mission 22, resolving to raise at

least $3,000 for the group and walk 22 miles around Oregon - one mile for each veteran who takes their own life daily. The morning of May 6, Young made good on his goal: he raised $3,700 to date, and completed his 22mile march in six hours, 45 minutes. “We still have people donating in the upcoming days, even after the walk,” said Young. How was Young feeling as he lined up at the Fallen Soldiers Memorial on the lawn of the old courthouse? “I’m cold,” he said jokingly as his mother, Delene, helped him attach his Mission 22: Join the Mission to End Veteran Suicide across his shoulders. It was a chilly 43 degrees at Young’s start time and rain had rumbled in not even an hour beforehand. However, it remained a beautiful, sunny Saturday as Young walked on city streets, accompanied at times with other people supporting his effort.

The decision to allow a DeKalb County dog breeder to expand her kennel into Ogle County has been delayed for a month. The Ogle County Planning & Zoning Committee postponed making a decision Tuesday morning until Ogle County Board member members have the chance and White Rock Township to read the transcripts Supervisor Tom Smith asks a from the April 27 Zoning question at the ZBA hearing Board of Appeals hearing on April 27. Photo by Earleen on a special use request Hinton from Christie Hardt, owner of B&C Kennel, Clare, and her husband Robert DeCosta. That means the final decision cannot come from the county board until at least its June 20 meeting. Hardt and DeCosta have requested the special use permit to operate a commercial dog kennel on property they own at 14189 E. Dutch Rd., northeast of Kings. The site is zoned for agricultural use, and the request asks for a special use permit to allow dog breeding, import and sale of puppies, dog grooming, and dog obedience training at the kennel. Zoning Administrator Mike Reibel told the Planning & Zoning Committee that the transcript from the five and onehalf hours long ZBA hearing is not yet completed and will not be available until the end of the week. He estimated that the transcript will be 200 pages long. Turn to A2

Bailey Nelson leading library mural project By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecountynews.com

Those interested in still donating to the cause can do so through Young’s fundraising page: mission22.networkforgood.

com/projects (search for Conner Young), or by bringing donations to the Oregon High School’s main office.

The Oregon Public Library’s children section will be adorned with a mural designed by an Oregon High School sophomore and painted by several students. Starting in late 2015, the public library underwent a $400,000 renovation to make it more handicapped-accessible, solve some space issues, and move the children’s section into the basement. The transition was finished early this year, and the new children’s section is now getting a piece of art completed by the community, spearheaded by an OHS sophomore in the Open Program. Bailey Nelson, 16, designed the mural. Titled “The Tree of Knowledge,” the piece depicts an open book sprouting a giant red tree. Within the tree are happy people enjoying activities Turn to A8

Filming on location: Oregon By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecountynews.com Two independent filmmakers have chosen Oregon locations for their film productions. Two independent films are being shot at the Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Center, 1834 Ill. 2, and Stronghold Castle, 1922 Ill. 2 North. The LOMC will be the location for Robb Chase’s “The Flickering Light,” a story about a young man possessed by a past murderer who regrets his past. The two must fight another, evil spirit, before it com-

pletely overtakes a young girl’s father. The movie is an original script from Chase, based on his novels. Chase, based out of Genoa City, Wisconsin, said LOMC is the perfect place for his film, being shot May 16 through June 10. He could not give an exact date when the film will be ready for release. “There’s lodging for us to stay in, they cook on-site, and the acres upon acres of field and trees is a great location,” said Chase. “The community as a whole has been very supportive of us.”

In This Week’s Edition...

Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 Entertainment, A6 Library News, A3

Russ Senti, LOMC Executive Director, is excited that a film is coming to their retreat - which, he says, hasn’t happened in the 12 years he’s been there. “What pleased me the most is that he employs youth for his production, and we’re all about supporting the youth here,” said Senti. According to Senti, some youth groups from Chicago and Peoria will be coming through for a visit during filming weeks, and he thinks it would be a great experience to see Turn to A2

Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, A10 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B3

“The Flickering Light” writer and director Robb Chase talked about his project at a fundraising tent outside Oregon Snyder’s Pharmacy & Ace Hardware in Oregon on May 6. Photo by Zach Arbogast

Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2

Deaths, B4 Helen M. Boyden, Domenick J. Castaldo, Rick L. Hagemann, Charles R. Hufford, Janet D. Kliebe, Steven E. Rucker, David L. Waack

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


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