Serving Ogle County since 1851
OREGON Republican Reporter
Triple Play Fun
Oregon’s City Wide Garage Sales are June 9-10. A9
Mother Nature helped make this year’s Triple Play event extra special. B1
June 8, 2017 Volume 167, Number 27 - $1.00
Co-Op a Success A co-op between the Forrestville and Polo school districts has success on the track. B2
Two restaurants close their doors Building owner says one will reopen soon By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Two well-established Oregon restaurants have closed in the last two weeks. The owners of Pizza Hut, 404 E. Washington St., have decided it’s time to retire, and the restaurant closed for good on May 28. A few blocks up the street at 509 W. Washington St., China Buffet is also shuttered, and a sign on the door says that’s because of the Ogle County Health Department. Dave Burke, 63, one of three Pizza Hut partners, was at the restaurant Monday afternoon getting things in order to rent or sell the building. “I miss it already,” he said. “It wasn’t a financial thing — it was a retirement thing.” His partners Don Morin and Marvin Day and he are looking to retire. “We’re all retirement age,” Burke said. “It’s just time.”
New Chana School Roof Above, Caleb Foster, a worker for Kloepping Construction, Chana, cuts material for the roof of one of the school’s replica outhouses on June 2. The outhouse roofs match the new fiberglass roof recently put on the historic school. Photo by Earleen Hinton At right, workers tear off the old wooden shingles earlier in the week. Photo by Ray Gruber
This sign was posted on the doors of the Oregon Pizza Hut last week. Photo by Earleen Hinton
They opened the restaurant in 1995 or 96, he said. “It’s for rent or sale. We have a lot of people interested,” he said. Riley Jacobsen, Rockford, the owner of the building where China Buffet is located, said the restaurant will reopen, but under new management. He confirmed that the restaurant was closed down by the health department. “I think Oregon needs a Chinese restaurant,” he said. “A new tenant will be taking over that space in the near future. A major renovation will be taking place first.”
Area loses businessman, pet advocate By Ashley Cady acady@saukvalley.com Sauk Valley dogs and cats lost their best friend last week. Longtime business owner Mark Knie, 63, Polo, died May 30 after a long illness, said his wife, Laura. Knie was the second generation to operate Knie Appliance and TV Inc., which was founded in Polo in 1946, and also has a location in Sterling. He retired a few years go, and his brother David now
runs the family business. Mark also was president of the Granny Rose Animal Shelter board, on which he served for more than 30 years. “Everyone is still rather in shock,” said Judy Lohse, 66, of Franklin Grove, the shelter manager. “It was always very important to him that there be a safe place for animals to stay before they could find a new home,” Lohse said, adding that most of Knie’s own pets were adopted from the shelter. “He’s always been very big
into educating the public in responsible pet care.” Knie also spearheaded the drive to fund and build the $1 million Granny Rose K-9 Enrichment Center, the creation of which had been a dream of his for many years. The 13,500-square-foot center, which opened last year, is a showplace sanctioned by American Kennel Club and offers space to train all breeds of dog, with classes from obedience to dog psychology. Longtime shelter volunteer Rudy Rutherford, 55, Dixon, worked with Knie for eight
years. “Gosh, you couldn’t get a better guy,” Rutherford said, adding that Knie was easy to work with and had a big heart. Tammy Merdian, 52, Polo, a Polo Chamber of Commerce board member, knew Knie for more than 30 years and worked with the appliance store through the Scholl Insurance Agency. His volunteer work was priceless. His loss “is going to be hard to overcome.” Polo Family Funeral Home is handling arrangements.
Local performers at Fest June 17
who can’t afford it. Speaking of accomplishments, each year has outdone the previous drive. In 2015, 221 shoes were
gathered. Within a year, DLR raised almost 55 times the previous total with 1,211 shoes. This year, they broke their goal again with 1,262 shoes.
A variety of local and regional performers will take the stage at Oregon’s inaugural Rockin’ River Fest on Saturday, June 17. This one day festival on the downtown Oregon riverfront is being co-produced by the Oregon Chamber of Commerce and Oregon Together. The River’s Edge Stage, sponsored by Ukulele Station America, kicks of the festival entertainment line-up with
performances by local dancers and musicians from 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. The River’s Edge Stage schedule includes: 10 a.m. – The Rock River Center’s “Boot Scootin’ Seniors” - Line Dancing 11 a.m. - “Rock River Strummers” – Ukulele Songs 12 p.m. – John Lindhorst, Ukulele Station America Original Guitar and Ukulele Songs Turn to A2
Junior high students collect shoes for the poor By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecounty news.com What if your old and unworn clothes and shoes, rarely-used bikes, or everyday household items could make a difference in someone’s life? Would you throw them away, or see them off to a new home? The answer that David L. Rahn Jr. High students gave was a resounding “we’re here to help!” Created by Rwanda Genocide survivor Providence Rubingisa, Stuff for the Poor is a collective drive that started in suburban Illinois and focuses on sending unused or unwanted items to Uganda and Haiti.
This is a Yearly Drive
In the wake of the success rush, Carrie O’Neil wants to remind the community that the shoe collection is a yearly drive, and shoes people wish to replace or otherwise no longer want can be donated. Shoes can be any size or type, and in any condition. They can be taken to the drop-off box at the main office, at David L. Rahn Jr. High, 105 W. Brayton Rd., Mt. Morris. Items are then sold in those countries, where the money is used to pay for tuition, textbook fees, room and board, and uniform costs for orphans to attend school. Carrie O’Neil, girls’ physical education teacher, spearheads the drive at DLR. According to O’Neil, her homeroom students collect and count the shoes before passing them on to
In This Week’s Edition...
Library News, A3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B3 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B4
“The day we met the goal was a day to never forget,” said O’Neil. Carrie O’Neil and her David L. Rahn students sit with Providence Rubingisa atop a mountain of shoes that will go toward helping the poor in Uganda. From left to right, standing are: Carrie O’Neil, Isaac Brooks, Ashley Diehl; sitting, Jenae Bothe, Jesse Suter, Abigail Virgil, Raylene Richardson, Shyanne Hanson, Providence Rubingisa, Isaac Nelson, Jackson Werren, Weston Hughes, Gavin Gallagher. Not pictured is Brady Shwartz, who also was involved in the project. Photo Supplied.
Rubingisa. “This project is one of the first items we talk about in my homeroom, and typically, students jump right in and want to help,” said O’Neil. “This service project helps students feel a sense of accomplishment and giving.” Leave it to students to recognize how important it is to get education to those
Business Brief, A4 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4
That’s a lot of feet the DLR students have covered.
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B2 State’s Attorney, B4
Deaths, B5 Carroll Gene Coffman, Kathrine M. & William L. Incontro Sr., Mark Knie, Robert S. Law, R. Dean Macklin, Betty J. Reagan
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com