Serving Ogle County since 1851
OREGON Republican Reporter
September 21, 2017 Volume 167, Number 41 - $1.00
Volleyball Win
AOP Festival
Scenic Bike Ride
The Hawks varsity volleyball team beats Mendota in three games. B1
Read all about Oregon’s upcoming Autumn on Parade festival. Insert
The second annual Tour of Scenic Ogle County will raise funds for VOP. B3
Red ink prompts a hiring freeze By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
Mary Salstrom, an Oregon native, was busy painting a portion of the prairie at the Nachusa Grasslands during Autumn on the Prairie on Saturday. Photo by Earleen Hinton
Bison big draw at prairie event Weather was perfect at the Grasslands By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com The weather was perfect and the prairie was in full fall dress, but the bison stole the show again on Saturday at the annual Autumn on the Prairie at Nachusa Grasslands southeast of Oregon on South Lowden Road. Of the nearly 1,000 people who attended the event, 870 took advantage of the wagon rides that took them into the prairie to see the bison herd, under bright blue skies with the temperature in the high 80s. “Lots of people went on the tours,” Bill Kleiman, restoration project director at the Grasslands said. “We had five wagons going.” Turn to A7
Indivisible hopes to educate, inspire Group calls for citizens to be politically active By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
Visitors to Autumn on the Prairie could ride on hayracks out on the prairie to see the bison herd. Photo by Earleen Hinton
Church celebrates first responders By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecounty news.com An Oregon-based church group hosted its second
A looming deficit has prompted the Ogle County Board to unanimously adopt a hiring freeze. Finance Committee Chairman Greg Sparrow, of Rochelle, told the board Tuesday evening that the county is facing a projected shortfall of $750,000 to $1 million in the General Fund unless it takes steps to reduce expenses and bolster revenues. He also recommended freezing wages, and said that will be part of upcoming contract negotiations with the Fraternal Order of Police and other unions that represent some county employees. He said the Finance Committee has already rejected salary increases requests for the new fiscal year that begins Dec. 1 from departments with non-union employees. Sparrow said that treasurer John Coffman had to borrow from other solvent county funds to pay the bills coming from the General Fund before property tax revenue payments came in. Once the tax payments were
received the interfund loans were repaid. The hiring freeze will go into effect immediately, he said, and comes at a good time because several county employees will become eligible for retirement over the next four years. The alternative would have been eliminating the jobs of an estimated 25-30 employees, Sparrow said. “It made sense to do it through attrition,” he said. The county employs more than 200 people. Sparrow also recommended hiring a consultant to do a staff needs study and determine which jobs are essential. “We really need to take a hard long look at our staff,” he said. According to the new hiring freeze policy, when an employee leaves, that position must remain open and unfilled for three months while the department head evaluates the need for it. If the department head believes the position is critical, he or she can file a request to fill it with the Personnel & Salary Committee, which will then make a recommendation to the Finance Committee for its decision.
annual celebration of first responders Saturday, and had some help from the community in making it bigger than before. Gathering Place Church,
Dustie Chapa and her daughter, Emmie, both of Mt. Morris, get a hot dog from Josh Wells, a volunteer with Gathering Place Church. Photo by Zach Arbogast
In This Week’s Edition...
which meets at the Oregon Coliseum, put on a First Responders Family Appreciation Event at Stronghold Camp and Retreat Center, honoring what they refer to as the unsung heroes of the community. “Not all heroes wear capes,” read the promotional flier for the event, but Gathering Place said those heroes deserve chili dogs, dessert, and a day of fun with their families. Hot dogs and several different types of chili, along with chips, cold drinks, and fresh-baked cookies, were served free of charge to hungry families. “It’s a great time here, and a great cause,” said Gary Black, of Oregon, a Gathering Place member. His wife, Pamela, baked the cookies for the dessert table.
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B5-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B3
A group of Oregon and Mt. Morris residents took to the streets recently to show their displeasure over the election of U.S. President Donald Trump. Members of Indivisible stood at the intersection of Ill. 64 and McKendrie Avenue on Sept. 8 holding signs promoting tolerance and truth in government and urging citizens to vote. One of the organizers, Mary Francis, of Mt. Morris, said forming the group was a product of frustration over Trump’s election and support
for the January Women’s Marches in Washington DC and other large cities. “I was inspired by the Women’s March and the people who attended,” she said. “I felt like I should be doing something instead of sitting around and complaining.” The local Indivisible group started meeting last February and is part of a nationwide progressive movement that was initiated after Trump’s election. “There’s lots of Indivisible groups all over northern Illinois,” Francis said. The group decided not to affiliate with any political party, but hopes to educate and motivate citizens to take an active part in the political process. “It’s sometimes difficult in Ogle County to talk about Turn to A2
Just outside of the seating area, B & D Inflatables, of Mt. Morris, supplied a blowup tiki slide, bouncy-house, and obstacle course for the kids, while boards were set up for playing a round of bags nearby. Outside the front entrance, Firehouse Ministries of God, of Sterling, gave rides around Stronghold Castle atop one of their fire engines. The drivers cab was occupied by Clayton Conrady and Rey Martinez, of Rock Falls and Sterling, respectively, while Andrea Tribly, also of Rock Falls, kept families buckled and safe in the topside seating. Conrady said he’s been touched over the years by how much the simple gesture Maja Shoemaker, of Oregon, Chris Kolling, of Mt. Morris, of driving families around on and Becky McCanse, of Oregon, hold signs giving
Library News, A3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Public Voice, A4 Property Transfers, B3
information about Indivisible Friday evening in Mt.
Turn to A2 Morris. Photo by Vinde Wells
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B3
Deaths, B4 Margaret J. Bauling, Harold E. Brooks, Frances K. Duro, John G. Griffin, Jerry L. Witmer
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com