Serving Ogle County since 1851
OREGON Republican Reporter
June 29, 2018 Volume 168, Number 29 - $1.00
New Football Coach
Farm History
Pound the Pavement
Forreston and Rochelle will have new head football coaches this season. B2
Take a look back at farms and families in Century of Farming. Special Section
The Lois Nelson Memorial Walk and Fun Run is Wednesday, July 4 in Mt. Morris. A6
Plans, paperwork progress for Taft statue repairs By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecountynews.com Plans are being completed and the paperwork is in progress for restoration work to finally begin on the Black Hawk statue. State Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) said Tuesday that he has been in touch with other Illinois agencies and officials ever since the state budget
was approved almost a month ago. The budget included the longawaited release of a $350,000 grant, from the Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, earmarked for the repairs to the deteriorating concrete landmark. Demmer said he has been working closely with the IDNR ever since the budget was approved.
“Everything seems to be in place ready to go for the grant,” he said. “Work is going on behind the scenes to be sure the paperwork is complete and the forms are filled out. It’s going well. We haven’t run into any problems.” The grant was approved in 2009, but was never paid due to he state’s ongoing budget woes. Demmer said IDNR officials
informed him last week that they are working with the concrete mixtures necessary to repair the cracks in the crumbling statue and rebuild areas the chunks that have fallen off. The money should be released sometime after the state’s new fiscal year begins on July 1. Demmer said he does not yet have a date for the work on the statue to begin, but hopes to have that information by
June 2 when he comes to Oregon to present the approved budget resolution to members of the Oregon Together Black Hawk Restoration Team. “Hopefully we will have a little bit more of an update then,” he said. The protective tarps were removed from the statue on June 1, revealing that it had deteriorated in the 18 months it had been covered by the black plastic.
Renovations are approved 4-1 for Oregon City Hall Barnes casts the lone no vote By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecounty news.com
Tough Runners Leah Watters, age 15, of Oregon, and Randy Morris, age 53, of Mt. Morris, navigate a muddy area while running the KB Tough Run 5K on June 23 at White Pines Ranch. A story and more photos are on B1. Photo by Earleen Hinton
Oregon City Hall has some changes coming on the horizon, allowing for more storage, work stations, and compliance with state law. The Oregon City Council voted 4-1 Tuesday night in favor of accepting a plan for city hall renovations presented by Mayor Ken Williams. The plan utilizes the room behind the current council chambers, filling it with a meeting table and four work stations; one for each commissioner. It also puts in a mayor’s office, turns ambulance bays on the northeastern side into additional office space for the police, and makes room for additional storage in various parts of the building. Williams said the police department needs extra room and the council needs spaces to conduct more meetings, as they’ve been getting busier. “The only office we have is the council chambers, and as we get busier - and we have been getting busier, with things going on - we run out of space to hold meetings and do
things,” said Williams. Commissioner Jim Barnes argued that the proposed plan wastes funds and space, suggesting that the four workstations reduce space to have seating for the general public. “You’re going to have a meeting room back there, so I’m sure sometime during those meetings, you’re going to have people - general public - come in as the audience,” said Barnes. “With those workstations there, you have no place to put chairs.” Barnes also said the workstations were unnecessary because only Commissioner Terry Schuster comes in to work, where as the rest usually do their work at home, and the council table would suffice for that amount of use. “I do my work at home. I see no reason to come down here for an hour or two,” said Barnes. “And, if you’re only coming for an hour or two, why do you need a whole workstation back there?” Williams cited that state law requires city hall to have office space for each council member, as well as the Mayor, and while they do not currently have that, the workstations would satisfy that requirement for the commissioners. Williams added that, Turn to A2
Girls learn to appreciate themselves at 4-day camp By Jessie Kern jkern@saukvalley.com With the success of the first Strong Girls 2 Women day camp, organizers are planning for a second fourday journey of self-exploration and celebration of girls’ power, and they want to build on the strengths of this year’s camp to make next year’s even better. Strong Girls 2 Women was a four-day camp at Trinity Lutheran Church, 308 E. Brayton Road, for girls going into fourth through sixth grades. Held for two hours each day from June 18 through 21, the camp gave girls the opportunity to explore their inner and outer
strength, uniqueness, self-love and growth, and help them on their journey from adolescents to adults. The camp was led by Adrienne Stafford with help from several high school students. Each day focused on different topics with speakers, crafts and games, all connected to a daily topic. “There are a variety of really great girls camps all over, and I thought we needed one here in town,” said Josh Ehrler, Trinity’s pastor. Congregation members had tossed around the camp idea for three or four years before turning their talk into action and starting the camp. Ehrler and Stafford already
In This Week’s Edition...
are thinking about how to build on the success of this year’s camp. “I already have things up my sleeve for next year,” Stafford said. On Day One, the girls talked about strength and took part in outdoor Olympics-style games and other activities, including a tug-of-war and games with pool noodles. The next day: focusing on the unique qualities that make each girl special. Cassidy Krup, 9, of Oregon, said she learned to always be herself, because “you are you.” “It’s good,” she said. “I like it because there’s a lot of activities.” Arianna Chapa, 9, of Mt. Morris, said she learned to
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B7-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B5
celebrate the different things that make her special, such as riding horses. She said she also learned “to be nice and kind and treat others how you want to be treated and to love myself – to thank God for making me.” When the girls talked about their uniqueness, they focused on how everyone is special just the way they are, which set up the topic of conversation for Day Three of the camp: selflove. “Sometimes unique can make us sad because of our differences. Sometimes we get made fun of and picked on,” Stafford said. “But we need Bethany Reed, 9, of Oregon works on a self portrait June to hold our heads up high and 20 at the “Strong Girls 2 Women” camp. Photo by Alex T. Turn to A2 Paschal, Sauk Valley Media
Library News, A8 Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B3 Public Voice, A9
Property Transfers, B4 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Sports, B2 State’s Attorney, B3
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Deaths, B5 Stephen J. Gecan Mary E. Hoernecke