Polo_Tri-County_Press-02-11-2022

POLO TRI-COUNTY PRESS VOLUME 163 NO. 48 • SERVING THE POLO AREA SINCE 1857

Friday, February 11, 2022 • $1.00

NEWS

IN THE WORKS Mandate Relaxed

School districts have relaxed the mask mandate for students. / 8

SPORTS

Sectional Qualifiers

Four Marcos wrestlers are moving on to the Princeton Sectional. / 11

Exelon Split Constellation now

operates the Byron nuclear power plant in Ogle County. / 3

Alexa Zoellner/Shaw Media

James Reynolds walks through one of several vaults in the Barber bank building in downtown Polo. The physical vault, built in the main lobby, is worth around $500,000. Reynolds and his wife, Cynthia, recently purchased the building and plan to restore and preserve it. Story on page 4.

One section • 20 pages

INDEX Betty’s Column ........ 6 Classifieds ........ 18-20 Colbert Column ..... 10

Library News ............ 8 Oregon Police..........15 Otto’s Column .......... 6

DEATHS Published every Friday

by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media

Sherry Kay Lester, Page 15

Property Transfers..16 Sheriff Activity........17 Sports................. 10-15

POLO TRI-COUNTY PRESS LOCAL NEWS POLO TRI-COUNTY PRESS TRI-COUNTY PRESS

Tri-County Press / oglecountynews.com • Friday, Feb 11, 2022

TRI-COUNTY BEAT

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Copyright 2021

Kochsmeier is Ward 1’s new alderperson

BY ALEXA ZOELLNER

azoellner@shawmedia.com The city of Polo’s Ward 1 has a new alderperson.

Mayor Doug Knapp swore in Joey Kochsmeier at the start of the Polo City Council’s Feb. 7 meeting after other council members approved the appointment. The appointment ends at the next election, which is scheduled for April 2023.

“I was honored that the mayor called and asked if I would be interested in the position,” Kochsmeier said Tuesday.

The 34-year-old replaces D.J. Sanders, who resigned at the end of January because of new work commitments that conflicted with his city council duties.

Alderperson Tommy Bardell is the other Ward 1 representative.

“I’ve been very active in the community since I was a kid,” Kochsmeier said when asked why he was interested in

serving on the council. “I saw this as an opportunity to not only give back to the community, but to help shape the future of the city.”

In September, he was selected as the Polo Chamber of Commerce’s 2021 Volunteer of the Year for his work with the Town and Country Days Committee, the Polo Little League, Crossroads Church and Easter activities at the Polo nursing home.

Kochsmeier said he feels qualified to be an alderperson based on his experience in business management, leadership skills and communication skills.

“Overall, I think I’m a good problem-solver,” he said.

As an alderperson, he’d love to see more investment in the city parks, Kochsmeier said.

“Having young kids, that definitely peaks my interest,” he said. “Other than that, it will be a learning experience.”

Alexa Zoellner/Shaw Media

Polo Mayor Doug Knapp (left) swears in Joey Kochsmeier as one of the city’s Ward 1 alderpersons during the Polo City Council’s Feb. 7 meeting.

SPECIAL EVENT Student council blood drive Feb. 22

The Polo High School Student Council will sponsor a blood drive Tuesday, Feb. 22 from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the high school gym at 100 S. Union Ave. in Polo.

The Student Council will also be holding a bake sale fundraiser throughout the blood drive in the

gym. The Polo High School Student Council is encouraging community members to join them in donating blood as a part of your regularly scheduled routine appointments.

In addition to saving lives, the Red Cross matches PCHS donations with scholarship funds distributed to our students so your donation has double the positive impact in our community and

beyond.

Donors may call 946-3314 or go to the American Red Cross website to make an appointment. Walk in donors are also welcome.

The Red Cross is experiencing the worst blood shortage in over a decade.

Please consider joining our local students in making a difference.

years as she was my home economics teacher in high school. We shared a lovely conversation over a wonderful meal.

Our tradition of men’s and women’s breakfast groups has been postponed for this month with the hopes of starting the regular meetings again next month. Plans for expanding our services again are in place and will be happening in the near future.

My son, Matt, has received an update on his next station. He will be leaving Hawaii, but not until this summer. Thankfully, he will be much closer to home, joining a squadron in North Carolina.

For this past Christmas, one of my students gifted me with a squishy stress ball.

It’s blue and filled with soft beads that have a unique feel. It sits next to my computer where I work in the evenings. Surprisingly, it gets quite a bit of use.

I find myself playing with the toy while I am answering questions on the phone or when I need a short break from typing.

Sometimes, I find myself reaching for it when my stress levels are rising.

Recently, I had a phone call with a dear friend. She is going through an incredible

amount of stress. I don’t think my little stress ball will help this time. She lives several states away and all I can offer her are funny stories to distract her and extra prayers for comfort.

When we are overwhelmed by life’s circumstances, we are not alone. We have each other to lean on. Our Father is here with us. We hear Him in the listening and compassionate ear of a friend. We feel Him in the warm hug of a family member.

He is even in the sweet gift of a stress ball from a child. When we see and feel love, we know God is near. I am grateful for the many friends and family that surround me each day and for a Father that stays with us.

I hope to see you next week in our little church in the country. We are excited to see a few new faces each week and hope that you will join us soon. Join us for a time of worship and praise. Our family welcomes you and your family.

PINE CREEK NEWS

By KAREN MERLAK The year is rolling along as we start another month. For some, the winter moves along slowly and for others, time goes by too quickly. No matter how we see it, we have God by our side. For His constant presence, we are forever grateful.

This morning for church, we were greeted by Don and Vicki Hay. Our pianist Bev Kearns provided beautiful music for our service. Pastor Suzanne Hall Stout shared her message for the morning. We will continue to meet in person and online.

This past Tuesday evening, I hosted our regular meeting of our PEO Chapter DW. My co-hostess for the evening was Vicki Hay. We held the meeting in our fellowship hall at our church.

The group was small which allowed for tours of our church building. Joining us from Pine Creek were Vicki Hay, Maggie Henning, Betty Hare, and Lisa Coffman.

Vicki and I handed out Valentine treats for our sisters to take home.

On Saturday morning, I picked up Betty Ebert and we went out for breakfast. Betty and I have known each other for many

• Karen Merlak lives in Polo and is a member of the Pine Creek Christian Church.

LOCAL NEWS

Other prizes available; Detective Kevin Most’s wife, Amber, has stage 4 cancer

By ALEXA ZOELLNER

azoellner@shawmedia.com Kevin Most struggled for words to describe what the community support his family has received over the last few weeks means.

“It’s just unbelievable the amount of support people have been giving,” said Most, whose wife, Amber, recently was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.

The Oregon couple have a 7-year-old daughter, Addi.

The Ogle County Sheriff’s Office, where Most is a detective, has sold around 2,000 raffle tickets as part of a fundraiser for the Most family. Winners will be drawn March 1.

“As an agency, we wanted to support one of our members and families that’s obviously going through a very difficult time,” Sheriff Brian VanVickle said. “We have health insurance, but there’s certainly going to be out-of-pocket costs to get Amber healthy. Our goal is to raise awareness

of that and let them focus on Amber getting healthy.”

Among the prizes are three guns — a Glock 19, 9mm; a IWI Zion-15 Rifle, 5.56 caliber; and a Weatherby 12 gauge shotgun.

Winners of the guns are subject to federal firearms licensing standards and must have a firearm owner’s identification card, VanVickle said. That process will be done by the local firearms dealer providing the guns, he said, adding that the sheriff’s office won’t have anything to do with that.

Part of the cost of the guns will be donated, and part will be covered by raffle ticket sales, VanVickle said.

Lindsey Hagerman, owner of Carry On Range in Rock Falls, helped out selling raffle tickets on Feb. 5 with an associated fundraiser at her Dixon-based business, Freedom Motor Sports of Illinois.

“I’d seen that they were doing a gun raffle, and just with our community that we have there, everyone loves a good gun raffle, so I thought, ‘Why not bring it to Dixon to our new business?’” she said. “The range is closed right now for construction anyway. “[It’s] just a way to help out our brothers in blue,” Hagerman added.

“We’re family-based, so we’re also community-based.”

The fundraiser at Freedom Motor

Sports ran from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. By 12:45, about 100 people had come through and most of the 50 raffle tickets on hand had been sold, Hagerman said.

“It’s not just Ogle County, but outside Ogle County,” Most said. “It’s just crazy the amount of support we’ve been getting. A lot of that is the hard work everyone has been doing.”

Most said he and his family are taking it day-by-day.

“There’s no way you can say the amount of thank-yous that are needed,” he said.

As of Tuesday, the other prizes include: Headon’s: ribeyes, New York strips, ground chuck and brats; Turf RX: four-step lawn treatment; Calhoun Plumbing: Pro100 water softener system, including installation; Patchwork Inn Bed & Breakfast in Oregon: one-night stay.

Raffle tickets are $20 and are available for sale at the sheriff’s office administrative building, located at 202 S. First St., in Oregon. If you are unable to make it to the administrative building, contact the sheriff’s office through Facebook, VanVickle said.

How raffle winners will be announced or notified still is being determined, he said.

Photo supplied

Ogle County Sheriff’s Detective Kevin Most is pictured here with this wife, Amber, and daughter, Addi. Amber was recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and the sheriff’s department is holding a raffle to help the family.

BUSINESS NEWS

Plant under new company after split from Exelon

By RACHEL RODGERS

rrodgers@shawmedia.com

Earleen Hinton/Shaw Media

Steam comes out of the Byron nuclear power plant’s cooling towers located between Oregon and Byron on German Church Road.

Exelon Generation completed its separation into two companies last week, putting its nuclear fleet, including the Byron Nuclear Plant, under newly formed Constellation.

Constellation now operates the carbon-free energy production side of Exelon as a standalone, publicly traded company, and Exelon serves as the transmission and distribution utility.

“The future health and prosperity of our nation is inextricably linked to our success in eliminating carbon pollution, and our entire focus will be on helping our customers and communities achieve that goal,” Constellation CEO Joseph Dominguez said in a news release.

“Our clean generation fleet and leading customer-facing platform are the foundation on which we will sustain and grow our business. Today

begins an exciting transition for our company and employees as we affirm our mission to accelerate the transition to a carbon-free future and advance economic progress and equity in the communities we serve.”

Its generation fleet of nuclear, hydro, wind and solar facilities powers more than 20 million homes and businesses and provides more than 32,400 megawatts of capacity and annual output that is nearly 90% carbon-free.

The company’s climate goals are to achieve 95% carbon-free electricity by 2030, 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040 and 100% reduction of operations-driven emissions by 2040.

Goals also are to secure 80-year extensions for its nuclear plants, “subject to market and policy support,” Chief Generation Officer Bryan Hanson said.

See BYRON PLANT, Page 5

OGLE COUNTY NEWS Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, Feb 11, 2022

Sheriff’s office holding gun raffle to benefit family

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Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, Feb 11, 2022

OGLE COUNTY NEWS

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BUSINESS NEWS

Couple taking on preservation, restoration of bank Reynoldses purchase historic building from First State Bank; future use to be determined

By ALEXA ZOELLNER

azoellner@shawmedia.com POLO – Constructed in the early 1900s, the “new” Barber building housed one bank or another for most of its existence. But for some time, the structure at the southwest corner of Mason Street and Franklin Avenue in Polo has sat empty.

It shouldn’t, said James and Cynthia Reynolds.

The historic building with “gorgeous architecture” offers too many possibilities, according to the Polo couple who recently bought it.

“There’s a lot of potential ideas and thoughts for this building, but most of it’s all about bringing back to the downtown something other than an empty shell of a building,” James said.

Prospective outcomes range from city hall to a coffee shop to retail space – or any combination, Cynthia said.

“It’s a cool building, period, regardless of what we’re doing with it,” she said.

The Reynoldses purchased the Barber building from First State Bank Shannon-Polo-Lake Carroll – one of the banks previously housed there – with plans to preserve and restore the structure.

They’re doing the same with the old Polo Theater, which they purchased in February 2021.

Selling wasn’t something the bank’s previous owners planned, Cynthia said.

“They’re like, ‘No, we’ve never considered selling it,’ because the president of the bank, her dad loved this building. He bought it and he never wanted it [sold],” Cynthia said. “But we spoke a few times and she’s like, ‘Well, you know, if we’re going to sell it to anybody, we want to sell it to you guys.’

“We would go through it and be like, ‘This could be done and this could be done and look at this’ and we would just talk about the history and the features and the details in here,” she continued. “I think we would feed on each other’s excitement, so that helped.”

There were some stipulations to the sale, including that the Reynoldses not allow the building to be used as a bank, Cynthia said. They hadn’t planned to do so, so promising that was no problem.

Preservation is made easier by the fact that they have not only old photographs, but original blueprints, renderings and sketches to examine, she said. Those things give them “an idea of what we’re doing or where we can go,” Cynthia said.

“You have to be in the building for a little while before you know the direction you want to take,” she added. “You have to get familiar with it. You can’t just come in and start ripping things up.”

A project the Reynoldses know they’re going to go through with is making a dropbox on Franklin Avenue into a flag drop.

Both Cynthia and James are U.S. Army veterans and current members of the American Legion Post No. 83. James also belongs to the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

“During our meetings, we’ve been talking about where in the town can we do a flag drop for flags that

Photo supplied

The Barber building in downtown Polo was constructed in the early 1900s and housed one bank or another for most of its existence. James and Cynthia Reynolds, of Polo, recently purchased the historic structure and plan to preserve and restore it.

Alexa Zoellner/Shaw Media

At left, James Reynolds shows how a flag drop will work in downtown Polo. The flag drop location is the Barber bank building at 101 W. Mason St. on the side along Franklin Avenue. At right, Cynthia and James Reynolds show how American flags dropped off are safely deposited inside the building. Both Cynthia and James are veterans. need to be retired,” James said. “So the plan is to get an a-frame out here that says, ‘Flag Drop,’ they can put their flags in here [the old post office mail deposit box]. We’ll just collect them periodically, work with the Boy Scouts and do the proper ceremony.

“A lot of people don’t realize the proper ceremony is to actually burn the flag, but there’s a ceremony,” he said.

They also know that one of the first projects will be to make the building compliant with the Ameri-

cans with Disabilities Act, Cynthia said.

Currently, accessing the upper floor of the building requires going outside and entering a separate door. The opening that used to connect the main lobby to the vestibule with the stairs and elevator was walled up.

That wall needs to be removed so the upstairs is ADA accessible, Cynthia said.

See HISTORIC BANK, Page 5

• HISTORIC BANK

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Continued from Page 4

• BYRON PLANT

Continued from Page 3 The timeline of expected license extension projects start this year with the Clinton and Nine Mile Point plants, followed next year by Dresden and Ginna, with Fitzpatrick and Calvert Cliffs in 2026, Quad Cities in 2027, La Salle and Limerick in 2030 and Byron, Braidwood and another license in Clinton in 2034.

In August 2020, Exelon announced

Cynthia Reynolds points to an original sketch of an addition to the Barber bank building in downtown Polo.

its plans to close both the Byron and Dresden plants in September 2021, citing revenue shortfalls of hundreds of millions of dollars because of declining energy prices and market rules that allow fossil fuel plants to underbid clean resources.

The General Assembly passed legislation last year paying a $694 million bailout for Exelon to keep the plants open.

The Byron plant has 717 regular employees, providing $97.5 million in payroll, and Dresden has 804 employ-

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ees and provides $104 million in local payroll.

“In addition to our leadership in clean energy, Constellation will remain a strong supporter of its communities through workforce development programs, philanthropy, volunteerism and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, while maintaining the highest standards of corporate governance,” according to the release.

In connection with the separation, Exelon shareholders received one share of Constellation common stock

for every three shares of Exelon common stock held at the close of business on Jan. 20, the record date for the distribution.

Headquartered in Baltimore, Constellation will be a Fortune 200 company and operates in 48 states, Canada and the U.K., employing around 13,000 people.

Constellation is the nation’s largest producer of carbon-free energy to millions of residential, public sector and business customers, including threefourths of Fortune 100 companies.

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OGLE COUNTY NEWS Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, Feb 11, 2022

The other potential starting point is knocking out an exterior wall along Franklin Avenue, which took the place of large window that went all the way to the floor, she said.

Because the sidewalk outside is even with the bottom of the window, that would be their ADA entrance.

“There is a lot to do, but you can envision certain things. This would be an amazing restaurant or bar area,” Cynthia said of the lobby.

The vault with safety deposit boxes even could be turned into a wine cellar, she said. The alcohol and liquor could be displayed in the windows.

“There’s so much potential, whatever you decide to do,” she said.

Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, Feb 11, 2022

OGLE COUNTY NEWS

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LOCAL HISTORY

Hot chocolate and the Olympics, the perfect winter sport

I

mixed up another batch of my homemade hot chocolate mix and settled in for the Olympics. I remember how I always had the hot chocolate mix on hand at the museum and whoever stopped by had a cup of hot chocolate.

John Carrillo loved that warm drink and they stopped by often for a good visit.

Then John and Gail started going to Texas in the winter, the virus came, and we were closed. I was not even mixing up any hot chocolate mix and we were confined to our homes, which seems to go on forever.

This Christmas when we gathered again as a family, I got out the recipe and starting mixing. Beth loves it and Natalie does, too, so I made some for them.

I was sipping on eggnog, which I dilute with milk and enjoy throughout

POLO HISTORY Betty Obendorf the holiday season. But soon after New Year’s Day, the eggnog season is over much to my dismay although Bruce did fine me some at Trader’s Joes in Chicago for a while.

Lamers still makes the best eggnog around and they are a family owned dairy in Appleton, Wisconsin. I wish eggnog was in season as long as snow is on the ground.

I do make a very good eggnog that I cook on the stove, cool in a bed of ice, and later mix with real whipping cream. The family loves it at holiday time – even the little kids! It is, how-

ever, too rich for my system and I stick to Lamers diluted.

When my eggnog ran out I decided to start on my hot chocolate mix, which was left over from our gathering at Christmas. My system enjoys it with Ritz crackers or a slice of rye bread and I was ready last night to sip along as I watched the Olympics.

I loved the figure skating and the little 15-year-old gal from Russia who wowed the people. She will be the next rising star in her beautiful glittering outfits. One mother even made all of her daughter’s outfits. I remember one time even hemming a slippery fabric for Krista’s wedding and the struggle I had.

I also enjoyed watching a group of young girls snow boarding. They encouraged each other, gave hugs when they fell, and literally fell all over them when they were successful.

It did not make any difference what country they were from.

Later when they interviewed one of them, she said, “We have all gotten to be good friends and we are there for each other.”

This is what the Olympics should be about. I feel badly when they miscue and their hopes are shattered in one little second. It is difficult for all to be winners even though all of those people there are the best in their individual sport.

I enjoyed the opening when all the countries came into the arena. I loved seeing what all of them were wearing as they represented their country in such a festive mood while I sipped my hot chocolate.

• Betty Obendorf is a retired teacher and a volunteer for the Polo Historical Society.

Nachusa Grasslands is a diverse site, with bison

By OTTO DICK

I

n 1986, Nachusa offered the best opportunity in the state to restore a large and diverse grassland. Now more than 3,800 acres are protected at Nachusa Grasslands through acquisition or conservation easements.

Volunteers have donated more than 200,000 hours of labor to the restoration and management of Nachusa Grasslands.

The staff and volunteers conduct controlled burns, monitor wildlife, stop the spread of harmful non-native species and harvest thousands of pounds of seed every year. The seed is used for future plantings and restorations.

In October 2014, bison were brought to the Nachusa Grasslands. They came from three preserves owned by the Nature Conservancy located in South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois.

At Nachusa they roam on 1,500 acres of fenced in prairie. They can be viewed from outside the fenced in areas at the Visitors Center or public roads. When viewing the herd, visitors should pull off the road and turn on their hazard flashers. According to their brochure, bison or buffalo are acceptable names.

Bison calves weigh about 40 to 60 pounds. Adult bison can weigh as much as 1,800 to 2,000 pounds and can stand 6 feet high at their shoulders and be 11 feet long. An annual roundup allows a veterinarian to examine each animal, vaccinate it and embed a

Photos supplied by Otto Dick

ABOVE LEFT: This calf and mother were photographed in the North Range on the north side of the tunnel located under Stone Barn Road.

ABOVE RIGHT: The calf’s mother was on the south side of Stone Barn Road. He seemed afraid to walk down the gravel slope to the tunnel. microchip in one of the bison’s ears.

The visitor center and Nachusa staff and maintenance facilities are located on Lowden Road south of Flagg Road.

When Marilyn and I go this route to Dixon we usually spot bison about one out of every five trips.

The bison can roam over 1,500 acres, so they will often not be visible from roadsides.

A tunnel exists for the bison to pass from the North Bison Range to the South Bison Range. The two ranges are separated by Stone Barn Road.

A short distance north of the tunnel under Stone Barn Road, Marilyn and I

observed a calf obtaining milk from his mother. A short time later the mother walked through the tunnel to the south range leaving the calf alone on the north side of the tunnel by himself.

He looked very unhappy that his mother left him. We then informed one of the Nachusa volunteers and they reunited the calf with its mother.

According to the Friends of Nachusa Grasslands website, the area that would become the Nachusa Grasslands was first noticed in the 1970s, when prairie enthusiasts Dot and Doug Wade, of Oregon, heard the call of an upland sandpiper and pulled

their car over to have a look.

“They saw heavily grazed pasture, but the plants being grazed were prairie. As they got to know the landscape, they found seeps, springs, sedge meadows, a fen, and oak savannas. The Wades eventually met up with Tim Keller of Sterling, and, together, they pitched the wonders of what is now Nachusa Grasslands. During the same decade, the ecologists of the Illinois Natural Area Inventory carefully described and mapped several of those same remnants,” the website said.

• Otto Dick is a retired teacher and has researched Ogle County history for several years.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

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Card shower to mark Forreston native’s centennial celebration Flossie Murray of Forreston will mark her 100th birthday on Thursday, March 3.

She loves receiving letters and cards and any kind of mail and she loves chocolate and talking on the phone.

Please help Flossie celebrate this milestone by flooding her with at least 100 cards. Cards can be sent to 308 Maple Ave., Forreston, IL 61030.

Flossie Murray will celebrate her 100th birthday on March 3.

Birthday card shower for Alice Grimes

NEWS BRIEF

Ogle County Republicans to meet

The Ogle County Republican central committee will hold its monthly meeting on Feb. 22 at the Ogle County Courthouse in the

MARRIAGE LICENSES

The following marriage applications were filed in Ogle County in January.

Jan. 4 Mackenzie Lenay Hardesty and Shyanna Necole Mills, both of Mt. Morris.

Jan. 6 Lance Michael Powell, of Holcomb, Illinois, and Rachelle Rebecca Smith, of Kings.

Jan. 7 Matthew Scott Leather and Maryann Kay Tucker, both of Oregon.

Jan. 12 Philip Low Salstrom III, of Oregon, and Melissa Ann Shaffer, of Bluff City, Tennessee.

A 70th birthday card shower is being planned for Alice Grimes.

Alice was born Feb. 26, 1952. She’s the daughter of the late George and Faye Hadley. She is married to Charles Grimes, and they have one daughter Amy (Jeff) Maxey Alice was a teacher’s assistant at Polo Preschool for 27 years.

Please send your birthday wishes to Alice Grimes, 501 W. Fulton, Polo, IL 61064.

Recreating the studio sounds of Led Zeppelin in an awe inspiring live performance

Ogle County Board room at 6:30 p.m. The room is located on the third floor of the historic courthouse. Several candidates will be attending the meeting.

Jan. 14 Matthew David Wool and Karlee Marie Ludwig, both of Freeport.

Jan. 19 Bradley John Clemens, of Sterling, Illinois, and Lindsay Krystyne Hoyle, of Dixon.

Jan. 25 Shane Thomas McCoy and Amanda Marie Grafer, both of Genoa.

Jan. 27 Michael Dale Schlenbecker and Victoria Marie Boggus, both of Rochelle.

Thomas Richard Dees Jr., of Aurora, and Lori Lynn Gould, of Belvidere.

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Alice Grimes

FEBRUARY 23 7:30 pm

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OGLE COUNTY NEWS Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, Feb 11, 2022

Flossie Murray to mark 100 years on March 3

Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, Feb 11, 2022

OGLE COUNTY NEWS

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SCHOOL NEWS

Mask mandates relaxed following judge’s order Sangamon judge voids mask, vaccine or testing requirements in schools; Ogle County districts not parties in lawsuit

By ALEXA ZOELLNER

azoellner@shawmedia.com OREGON – As of Tuesday, Polo, Oregon and Forrestville Valley students weren’t required to wear masks in school.

Masking still is recommended in schools, Superintendents Sheri Smith, Tom Mahoney and Kelly Mandrell wrote in letters to their respective district’s families on Feb. 6. A federal mandate means masks still are required on all district transportation, including buses.

The districts made the change following a Feb. 4 ruling by Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow, which voided Gov. JB Pritzker’s rules mandating masking and that school staff be vaccinated or regularly tested for COVID-19.

Pritzker’s attorney filed an appeal on Feb. 7.

“Based on the clarity of the Sangamon County

Alexa Zoellner/Shaw Media

Jorden Sasscer, of Forreston, speaks to the Forrestville Valley Board of Education on Aug. 11. Sasscer urged board members not to comply with Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Aug. 4 universal mask mandate for schools.

Judge, unless modified by the Appellate Court, we believe that our District is not currently able to enforce the masking and exclusion requirements,” wrote Mandrell, the Polo school district superintendent.

The local school districts were not parties in the lawsuit, but in her ruling, Grischow noted that “nonnamed Plaintiffs and School Districts throughout this State may govern themselves accordingly.”

Mahoney, the Oregon superintendent, wrote that the district’s legal representatives said Grischow’s ruling renders Pritzker’s executive orders and rules from the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education “unenforceable against every school district in the state.”

Smith, Mahoney and Mandrell noted in their letters that this case is ongoing, and an appellate court could place Grischow’s ruling on hold in the coming days, putting Pritzker’s rules back in effect.

The appellate court plans to consider the case on an expedited timeline, and a decision is expected by Feb. 17, Mandrell wrote in her letter.

“As we have learned throughout the past two years, we have various personal opinions and feelings related to this pandemic,” Smith wrote. “Our goal is to move forward with the least disruption to our educational process. We acknowledge covid has impacted families in various ways and as a result, families may respond to mitigation strategies differently. Please practice kindness and empathy as you encounter differences.”

POLO LIBRARY Special Procedures - Masks are required in the library for everyone over the age of two. Polo Library’s programs and services are for everyone. If you require an access service to fully participate or have any questions about accessibility, please contact Ellen Finfrock at 815-946-2713.

is taught by Clementine Studio. Our instructor comes from Dixon; if no one registers the class will be cancelled. Register at the Circulation Desk or call 815-946-2713.

Children’s Programs - Join Ms. Melanie for “Puppy Love” on Saturday, Feb. 12, noon to 2:30 p.m. when you can read aloud to some doggy friends from the LCC Comfort Dog Ministry Team. To reserve a time with a doggy friend send an email to melaniew@pololibrary.org or call 815-946-2713.

Library Services - Tax season is upon us and forms and instructions have arrived. If you need a form other than 1040 library staff will be happy to print it for you at no cost. If we print multiple forms for you a donation is appreciated. Public computers are available for doing your own taxes but keep in mind you will need a current email address to file online.

Converting VHS to DVD - With VHS and other videotape formats disappearing fast now is the perfect time to preserve your videos and other important memories. This new service will allow us to convert your videotapes to DVD for you. For $5 per tape library staff will convert your memories to a more manageable format. Tapes may be dropped off during regular library hours.

Adult Programs - February book discussion opportunities: Friday, Feb. 11 at 1:30 p.m. we’ll meet to discuss Kristin Hannah’s The Four Winds.

Book 2 Movie group will meet at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 16 to talk about the book and movie “Twelve Years a Slave”

by Solomon Northup.

Afternoon Book Club will meet on Monday, Feb. 28 at 1:30 p.m. and discuss Brit Bennett’s “The Vanishing Half.”

These programs are open to anyone who is interested, no registration required. Stop in to pick up a copy and join us!

Genealogy Assistance - Are you interested in researching

Saturday Storytime - Feb. 26 at 10:30 a.m.- live read and Winter Reading Program Wrap-Up Party. Play board games and win prizes for participating and playing along. your ancestors but don’t know where to start? Do you have a start and need help with your research? Stop by the first Wednesday 5 to 7 p.m. or the third Saturday 10 a.m. to noon and let Donna help with your project. Polo Library is now a FamilySearch Affiliate Library which allows access to more digital records when you’re researching at the library.

Jigsaw Puzzle Swap - Are you bored with the same old puzzles you have at home? Bring your gently used puzzles to the library and leave with new-to-you puzzles. Each puzzle to swap must: be primarily at least 500 pieces, be complete, no missing pieces; be placed in a zip-lock bag within its container; include an image of the completed puzzle - picture on box, poster or photo. Please bring donated puzzles to the circulation desk. Don’t have a puzzle to swap? Come pick one out and swap it back when you’ve finished with it. Jigsaw Puzzle Swap is located in the display cabinet in the Congress Street foyer.

Yoga at the Library - Monday, Feb. 14 at 6 p.m. This class

Black History Month - Stop in to see our book displays of some historical, memorable, and famous people. Read about their remarkable journeys and the significant impact they have made in our world.

New books The Horsewoman by James Patterson Find Me by Alafair Burke - Ellie Hatcher series, book 6 The Final Case by David Guterson One Step Too Far by Lisa Gardner - Frankie Elkin, book 2 Lightning in a Mirror by Jayne Ann Krentz - Fogge Lake, book 3 The Good Son by Jacquelyn Mitchard Violeta by Isabel Allende The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf Quicksilver by Dean Koontz A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw The Dickens Boy by Thomas Keneally The Investigator by John Sandford - Letty Davenport, book 1 The Wish by Nicholas Sparks

COMMUNITY

The January meeting of the 100 Women Who Care of Ogle County was held at the Rock River Center in Oregon. Presentations were given by Kris Gilbert of the Ogle County Historical Society and Gail Tuttle of the Habitat for Humanity of Ogle County.

Both presentations were informative and both organizations are very deserving of the IMPACT AWARD. However, after the votes were counted later during the meeting, the Habitat for Humanity of Ogle County was the winner. The Ogle County Historical Society is still eligible for this award at future meetings.

Habitat for Humanity of Ogle County is an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. They serve those in need of decent affordable housing in Ogle County. They do not give away free homes. Each chosen family must be from Ogle County, provide proof of employment, and not have outstanding debt.

They apply for a mortgage much like a conventional mortgage. If chosen by the family selection committee, and approved by the board, then they are required to provide 200 hours of

sweat equity per adult living in the family. They will also need to take a class and pass a test on financial management of owning a home.

They currently have homeowners in Polo, Mt. Morris, Byron, Oregon and Rochelle.

In 2022 they will build their 14 th

LIVE THEATER

Auditions set for Performing Arts Guild’s one-act play Auditions will be held Feb. 15, 16 and 17 for The Performing Arts Guild’s upcoming performance of the award-winning comedy, The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong.

The comedy will be performed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 13-15 and May 20-22 at the Pinecrest Grove Theatre.

A play is about a fictitious Cornley University Drama Society that has received a substantial bequest and is putting on a performance of The Murder at Haversham Manor – a 1920s murder mystery play.

The script was written by the fictitious Susie H. K. Brideswell. During the performance, a play within a play,

Photo supplied

The January meeting of the 100 Women Who Care of Ogle County was held at the Rock River Center in Oregon.

a plethora of disasters befall the cast, including doors sticking, props falling from the walls, and floors collapsing. Cast members are seen misplacing props, forgetting lines, etc.

Auditions will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 15, 16 and 17 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Pinecrest Grove library, 500 Evergreen Lane, Mt. Morris. The cast consists of six male and two female roles.

Materials will be provided at the audition, so come early to review the readings.

For information about auditions, contact director Dave Sheely at 719740-6162.

home in Rochelle. The money from 100 Women Who Care will be used to bring the utilities to the property.

“There are currently 36 members of 100 Women Who Care of Ogle County, and, of course, our goal is to reach 100 members as soon as possible. Each member donates $100 to the winning

charity so when we reach 100 members, the winning charity will receive $10,000,” member Deanna Forrest said in a press release.

For more information about 100 Women Who Care, email Forrest at forrestdede5@gmail.com or Linda Graber at lingraber204@comcast.net

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The Area’s Premier Senior Living Facility 2170 W. Navajo Dr., Freeport • 815-297-9902 www.LibertyVillageofFreeport.com

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OGLE COUNTY NEWS Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, Feb 11, 2022

100 Women Who Care make another donation

9

Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, Feb 11, 2022

OGLE COUNTY NEWS

10 GIRLS BASKETBALL Postseason pairings for girls basketball CLASS 2A Oregon Regional - Saturday, Feb. 12 • No. 10 Oregon at No. 9 Riverdale, time 3 p.m.

• No. 11 Erie-Prophetstown at No. 6 Alleman, 1 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 14 • No. 1 WInnebago vs. Oregon-Riverdale winner, 6 p.m.

• No. 4 Rock Falls vs. EP-Alleman winner, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 17 • Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.

Winner advances to Johnsburg Sectional, vs. Somonauk Regional winner, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22

Rockford Lutheran Regional - Saturday, Feb. 12 • No. 8 West Carroll at No. 7 Rockford Christian, time TBA • No. 12 North Boone at No. 5 Rockford Lutheran, time TBA Tuesday, Feb. 15 • No. 2 Byron vs. West Carroll-Rockford Christian winner, 6 p.m.

• No. 3 Stillman Valley vs. North Boone-Lutheran winner, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 17 • Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.

Winner advances to Johnsburg Sectional, vs. Woodstock Marian Regional winner, 6 p.m. Feb. 22

CLASS 1A Eastland Regional - Saturday, Feb. 12 • No. 12 Milledgeville at No. 11 Fulton, 1 p.m.

• No. 13 Newman at No. 7 Eastland, 2 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 14 • No. 1 Galena vs. Milledgeville-Fulton winner, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 15 • No. 4 Morrison vs. Newman-Eastland winner, 7 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 17 • Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.

Winner advances to Forreston Sectional, vs. Durand Regional winner, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22

Tuesday, Feb. 15 • No. 1 Pecatonica vs. AFC-AH winner, 6 p.m.

• No. 4 Indian Creek vs. Hiawatha-Polo winner, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 17 • Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.

Winner advances to Forreston Sectional, vs. Stockton Regional winner, 6 p.m. Feb. 22

• Visit IHSA.org to watch for updates on game times for Saturday, Feb. 12 games

Durand Regional - Saturday, Feb. 12 • No. 9 South Beloit at No. 8 Durand, time TBA • No. 12 Rockford Christian Life at No. 3 Amboy, time TBA • No. 11 Forreston at No. 6 Dakota, time TBA Tuesday, Feb. 15 • No. 2 Aquin vs. South Beloit-Durand winner, 6 p.m.

• Amboy-Christian Life winner vs. Dakota-Forreston winner, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 17 • Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.

Winner advances to Forreston Sectional, vs. Eastland Regional winner, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22

Indian Creek Regional - Saturday, Feb. 12 • No. 10 AFC at No. 7 Alden-Hebron, time TBA • No. 13 Hiawatha at No. 5 Polo, 5 p.m.

Earleen Hinton/Shaw Media

Polo’s Lindee Poper gets ready to put up a shot as Forreston’s Keeli Larson defends during Feb. 2 action in Polo.

SPORTS COLUMN

Weekend proved interesting for high school sports

I

t was an interesting weekend of sports, highlighted by the Dixon wrestling regional and a brilliant 6-game series bowled by Ava Wight of Oregon at the regional.

Dixon came into the wrestling regional ranked first, but it was LenaWinslow/Stockton prevailing. Until someone knocks L-W/Stockton or Dakota off their perch as the best 1A programs year-in and year-out, let’s stop ranking anyone above them.

The win at the regi onal puts Le-Win/Stockton in the team duals and they will be the prohibitive favorite to win their third title in five years.

By the way, the last 1A state champ was Dakota, which also had won four in row starting in 2013 before Le-Win won it.

However, before completely singing the praises of Dakota and Le-Win/ Stockton, allow me to share what a former coach and seasoned observer said of the local wrestling scene.

This individual commented to me that small-school wrestling is nowhere near as strong as it used to be. I can’t dispute that claim.

It is much easier to advance to state as an individual or a team now than it used to be from say, the 1990s to the mid 2000s.

GUEST VIEW Andy Colbert Nonetheless, with this regional being the toughest in the 1A, it was a solid performance by Oregon and Polo with four sectional qualifiers each.

Things heat up even more at Princeton, site of this weekend sectional. It used to be either Oregon or Byron hosted the individual sectional, spoiling us Ogle County mat fans.

Oh, well, a trip to Princeton is a chance to see the Red Covered Bridge, one of the few left in the state.

Ava Wight heads into the Belvidere Sectional with the top score of any bowler competing there. She rolled a 1313 at the regional, a score that ranks among the top 10 in all of Illinois.

In an extremely tight battle for the first place at the regional, Oregon was right in it until the last game, settling for fourth place.

Even closer were the top three teams (Dixon, Marengo, Sycamore) separated by only four pins. The top four schools advance to the Belvidere

Sectional, where NIC-10 powerhouses await.

On Friday, I took in the North Boone-Oregon boys basketball game, thinking it would be Oregon’s lone chance to win a conference game, as N.B. came in without a win also.

The Hawks led 39-32 in the third quarter before allowing the visitors to score at will on fast-break points off turnovers. At least they played hard in the 66-51 loss.

While we’re at, how about the energetic student section and pep band doing their all for the Hawk 2-14 squad? It was an impressive showing at the Blackhawk Center.

The day before, the Oregon girls (7-22) traveled to North Boone and won their first conference game of the year against the Vikings. They make the long trip to Port Byron on Saturday for a regional play-in game against Riverdale on Saturday.

Of the three schools this paper covers, the Polo girls had the best year and will host a regional game on Saturday against 1-win Kirkland Hiawatha. The Marcos were .500 and had a winning record in the conference, being competitive against league leaders Amboy and Eastland.

For the boys, 23-2 Fulton is running

away with the NUIC South and Rockford Lutheran is doing the same in the BNC with an unbeaten conference slate.

Out of curiosity, I made my way to Polo on Monday to see the No. 1 ranked team in 1A, Scales Mound. As expected, the Hornets had their way with Polo in all facets of the game.

What’s neat is everyone grew up in Scales Mound and have been playing together since third grade. Scales Mound’s 16-year coach Erik Kudronowicz told me that the biggest intangible of the squad is their work ethic.

Athletically, they didn’t look like anything special, though they had decent size with four starters ranging from 6-2 to 6-4. What stood out most is how well they executed, passed the ball and played defense.

Everyone knew where everyone else was, truly throwback basketball when team played reigned supreme.

Here’s hoping they can get by No. 3-ranked Fulton at the sectional and be another 1986 Ohio (enrollment 60) at the state tourney.

• Andy Colbert, an avid runner, has been a sports writer for Shaw Media and has covered high school sports in Ogle County for more than 30 years.

SPORTS

By RANDY HOLLAND

Earleen Hinton/Shaw Media

Oregon’s Gabe Eckerd wrestles Dixon’s Owen Brooks in the 160-pound third-place match at the Class 1A Dixon Regional on Feb. 5 to advance to the Princeton Sectional.

pound third-place mat, but he lost backpoints in the second and third periods to lose 13-7 and finish fourth.

He stopped a roll and pinned at 3:51 in his first match, got pinned in a turk by the eventual runner-up in the semifinal. In the consolation semifinal, Bauer scored a takedown to the back in a cradle at 1:46 The strength of the tournament was evident in the wrestlebacks. Griffin Marlatt at 120 and Evan Flaharty at 285 both pinned in their opener and lost in the semifinal, Marlatt by a fall and Flaharty 5-4. Both were pinned in the wrestleback semifinal. Ethan Mowry, 126, Dalton McCammon, 152, Ethan George, 170, Landen Elder, 182 Andrew Young, 195, and Seth Rote, 220, were all pinned in their openers.

Mowry and Young exited in the consolation semifinal. George made it to the third round, Rote to the second round, and McCammon and Elder were stopped in the first round. All six were pinned in their last match.

Top ranked as a team, Dixon was no match for second-ranked LenaWinslow-Stockton. The Pantherhawks had the regional team title wrapped up before the final round started.

With 202 points, Lena advanced 10 including four championships and two second places. Dixon had 157 points and sent five to the next level.

The Dukes had two champs, two seconds, and had six wrestlers finish fourth. Dakota, with 146 points, advanced four champions, a second and a third place.

Fourth-place Stillman advancesdsix, including two champions. Oregon was fifth with 103 points. Polo was sixth and sent four to Princeton including one champion.

Photo by Sarah Young

Oregon’s Preston LeBay wrestles at the 1A Dixon Regional on Feb. 5. LeBay won this match to finish first and advance to the Princeton Sectional.

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Led by 113-pound champion Preston LeBay, four Hawk wrestlers advanced from the extremely tough Dixon Regional on Feb. 5.

Lane Halverson pinned twice in the first periods to reach the championship mat where he was pinned in a half nelson by fourth-ranked TJ Silva of Dakota to finish second at 132.

Also taking second was Seth Stevens who reached the 138-pound firstplace match with a 9-4 decision and a first-period pin. He lost 12-8 to topranked Maddux Blakely of Dakota in the final.

Wrestling at 160, Gabe Eckerd won 6-1 to reach the semifinal where he lost a 14-4 major decision to third-ranked Marey Robey of Lena-Winslow-Stockton. In consolation, Eckerd won the semifinal 5-0, then defeated his firstround opponent again, this time 5-2 to advance with third place.

LeBay, a freshman, pinned his way to the title, a half nelson at 1:27 in the quarterfinal and a scrape at 1:28 in the semifinal. In the championship against Jacob Renkes of Dixon, LeBay got the first takedown and rode tough through the first period before he scraped into a half nelson at 2:49.

Halverson went out front with a headlock in 46 seconds in his opener and fought through a throw into a headlock at 1:39 to pin Jacob Ross of Byron in the semifinal. In the championship, Halverson lost four takedowns in the first period and a two-point nearfall in the second before he was turned.

Stevens had a takedown to the back in the first and escaped and countered for a takedown late to ice the 9-4 win over honorable mention and eventual third-place winner Zack White of Lena in his opener. In the semifinal, he went out the back for a takedown into a stack at 1:41. Stevens gave Blakely all he could handle in the championship, nearly putting the Dakota wrestler on his back three times, and was tied with 25 seconds left, but he gave up a takedown at the buzzer to lose a heartbreaker.

Eckerd had takedowns in the first and second periods and escapes in the second and third to take his opening round win. He kept it close against Robey early but lost two-point tilts in the second and third periods to drop to the wrestleback semifinal.

A heel pick in the first and a reverse out the back advanced Eckerd to the third-place match where he had takedowns in the first two periods and held on after he lost a takedown in the third.

Anthony Bauer reached the 145-

To request your FREE copy, simply call us at (815) 632-2566 or email your requests and address to: knull@saukvalley.com

OGLE COUNTY NEWS Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, Feb 11, 2022

Four Hawk grapplers advance to Princeton Sectional

11

Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, Feb 11, 2022

OGLE COUNTY NEWS

12 SPORTS

Four Marco wrestlers advance to Princeton Sectional

By RANDY HOLLAND

Led by 285-pound champion Daniel Engel, four Marco wrestlers advanced from the extremely tough Dixon Regional on Feb. 5.

Wyatt Doty pinned twice to reach the championship mat where he was reversed and pinned in a half nelson by top ranked Phoenix Blakely of Dakota to finish second at 126.

Also taking second was Wyatt Queckboerner who reached the 182 pound first place mat with a pin and a 5-1 decision. He lost 3-1 to fourth ranked Mannix Faworski of Winnebago in the final.

Wrestling at 152, Braydon Altherr lost 4-1 in the quarterfinal and got a bye to the consolation semifinal where he pinned Jason Bowers of Dakota at 3:58. In the third place match Altherr pinned at 3:37 to advance.

Engel pinned his way to the title.

After a first round bye, he hit a takedown to the back in a half nelson at 1:54 in the quarterfinal and led 5-4 when he reversed Mike Haas of Lena to his back and pinned him at the final buzzer in the semifinal. In the championship against Sean DeVries of Dixon, Engel scored a takedown in a half nelson at 1:22.

Doty pinned in 26 seconds in his opener and put in a half nelson at 2:59 to pin Chris Sitter of Dixon in the semifinal. In the championship, Doty lost a reverse in the second and was turned with a half nelson at 4:42 Queckboerner trailed 3-2 in the third when he hit a hip toss to pin Conner Vincent of Lena at 5:37 in his opener. In the semifinal, he came from behind with a takedown to the back and two points to win 5-1. Queckboerner gave Faworski a match in the championship but never recovered

Earleen Hinton/Shaw Media

Polo’s Wyatt Queckboerner wrestles Mannix Faworski of Winnebago in the 182-pound championship match at the 1A Dixon Regional on Feb. 5. Queckboerner lost this match but finished second to advance to the Princeton Sectional. from losing the first takedown as he went down by two points.

Altherr lost a reverse and a penalty point in the third to end his chances against Jayce Kastner of Dixon to drop his opener.

He got byes to the wrestleback semifinal where he came from behind and rolled through a granby and went out front for the fall at 3:58. He met Kastner again in the third place match, this time scoring backpoints with a half nelson and a tilt before he pinned with a half at 3:37.

The strength of the tournament was evident in the wrestlebacks. Blake Diehl at 220, pinned in his first match

Photo by Scott Ide

Polo’s Daniel Engel (top) tries to turn Dixon’s Shaun DeVries during their 285-pound title bout Saturday at the 1A Dixon Regional. Engel won by pin in 1:22.

then lost by a fall in the quarterfinal.

Wayde Reimer lost his opener by a 17-1 technical fall at 4:00. Both pinned in their first consolation match but were pinned and eliminated in the next round.

Wyatt Meiners at 120, Lucas Nelson at 132, Clay Davis at 138, Ayden Book at 160, and Maddux Hayden were all pinned in their opener.

Hayden pinned in his second match and was pinned in his third. The others all were pinned in their second match.

Top ranked as a team, Dixon was no match for second ranked LenaWinslow-Stockton. The Pantherhawks

had the regional team title wrapped up before the final round started. With 202 points, Lena advanced ten including four championships and two second places. Dixon had 157 points and sends five to the next level.

The Dukes had two champs, two seconds, and had six wrestlers finish fourth. Dakota, with 146 points, advances four champions, a second and a third place.

Fourth place Stillman advances six, including two champions. Oregon was fifth with 103 points and sends four to Princeton including one champion.

Polo was sixth with 90 points, sixteen ahead of Byron.

SPORTS ROUNDUP Girls basketball Polo 41, AFC 34: The Marcos outpaced the Raiders 24-16 in the second half to secure an NUIC South win.

Lindee Poper had 18 points, 12 rebounds and two assists to lead Polo, while Kadence Sheaffer added nine points, six rebounds and two assists, and Natalie Nelson pitched in eight points and three assists.

Taylor Jahn scored 22 points for AFC, while Alexis Schwarz added seven points.

Eastland 46, Forreston 38: The Cougars used a balanced scoring attack to defeat the Cardinals in an NUIC South game in Lanark.

Chloe Sweitzer led the way for Eastland with 10 points to go with three rebounds and two assists, while Quinc Haverland, Addie Burkholder and Delana Erbsen added seven points apiece.

Forreston was led by Brooke Boettner’s 12 points, five steals, three assists and two blocks. Rylee Broshous scored seven points for the Cardinals, while Jenna Greenfield added six points and four rebounds. Hailey Greenfield and Alaina Miller finished with five points apiece, and Hailey Greenfield chipped in two steals.

Forreston 51, AFC 17: The Cardinals outscored the Raiders 13-4 in the second quarter, 13-5 in the third, and 16-2 in the fourth to pull away for an NUIC South win at home.

Taylor Jahn’s eight points paced AFC. Jenna Greenfield had 12 points, five rebounds, five steals, three assists and a block for Forreston, while Hailey Greenfield added eight points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Brooke Boettner finished with seven points and three assists, Rylee Broshous had seven points and four assists, and Letrese Buisker scored six points.

Oregon 55, North Boone 51: The Hawks picked up their first Big Northern win of the season, outscoring the Vikings 22-18 in the fourth quarter after the teams were tied at 33 through three periods.

Mariah Drake led a balanced effort with 18 points, and Hadley Lutz hit four 3-pointers and scored 17 points for Oregon (7-20, 1-8 BNC). Liz Mois added 12 points for the Hawks, who trailed 11-10 after the first quarter and led 20-18 at halftime.

Abigael Haacker poured in a game-high 21 points for North Boone (5-18, 0-9).

Forreston 52, AFC 44: The Cardinals rallied from a 20-10 halftime deficit to pick up an NUIC South win in Ashton, outscoring the Raiders 23-10 in the fourth quarter.

See SPORTS ROUNDUP, Page 13

13

• SPORTS ROUNDUP

Jenna Greenfield scored 14 points, Brooke Boettner had 12 points, 11 rebounds and four steals, and Hailey Greenfield added 10 points for Forreston. Rylee Broshous went 8-for-12 from the free-throw line to account for all of her points, and she also had six rebounds and five assists.

Tatum Stroh and Taylor Jahn both finished with 14 points to lead AFC, and Grey Contreras scored nine.

Byron 56, Oregon 31: The Hawks fell behind 31-17 by halftime, then were outscored 15-3 in the third quarter as the rival Tigers won a Big Northern Conference game at the Blackhawk Center.

Mariah Drake led Oregon (6-20, 0-8 BNC) with 11 points. Mya Engelkes scored six, and Hadley Lutz and Liz Mois both finished with five points. Ava Hackman scored four for the Hawks.

Ava Kultgen’s 14 points paced Byron (21-4, 7-1), with Macy Stoddard scoring 10, and Izzie McKinely adding eight. Anika Roush and Ella Grundstrom chipped in seven points apiece.

Kewanee 45, Oregon 41: The Hawks built a 22-15 halftime lead, but the Boilermakers rallied in the second half for a come-frombehind win.

Hadley Lutz and Mya Engelkes paced Oregon with 13 and 10 points, respectively.

Mya Dearing led Kewanee with 15 points.

Boys basketball Milledgeville 41, Polo 38: The Missiles went on a 13-0 fourth-quarter run to erase a 16-point deficit, then Bryce Aude hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 23 seconds left to sink the Marcos in an NUIC South rivalry game in Polo.

Kieren Harris led Milledgeville with 12 points, and Connor Nye scored nine. Eric Ebersole added eight, and Aude finished with six for the Missiles, who trailed 11-6 after the opening quarter, 17-12 by halftime, and 29-20 heading into the fourth.

Brock Soltow’s 13 points paced Polo, with Cooper Blake scoring 10, and Carter Merdian adding eight.

Forreston 57, Amboy 46: The Cardinals trailed 20-19 at halftime before bouncing back in the second half to top the host Clippers in an NUIC South contest.

Connor Simpson’s 17 points paced Amboy, which trailed 11-6 after the opening quarter before rallying to take the lead into the locker room at the break. Tucker Lindenmeyer had 13 points, and Brennan Blaine added 12.

Owen Greenfield hit three 3-pointers and scored 17 points, and Tommy Appel finished with 15 for Forreston. Cole Becker had a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds.

North Boone 66, Oregon 51: The Vikings

Earleen Hinton/Shaw Media

ABOVE: Oregon’s Miley Smith reaches for a loose ball during Feb. 4 action against North Boone. BELOW LEFT: Forreston’s Jenna Greenfield and Polo’s Kadence Sheaffer chase down a loose ball during Feb. 2 action in Polo. BELOW RIGHT: Forreston’s Hailey Greenfield drives to the basket as Polo’s Maddi Jones defends.

went on a 24-12 fourth-quarter run to close out a Big Northern win over the Hawks at the Blackhawk Center.

Oregon was led by Noah Johnson with 18 points, Ryan Harkness with 12 points, and Evan James with 10 points.

Amro Shammakh led North Boone with a game-high 20 points.

Eastland 34, Polo 32: The Cougars used a 15-8 scoring edge in the third quarter to erase a 15-13 halftime deficit, and the

Marcos’ fourth-quarter comeback attempt fell short in an NUIC South game in Polo.

Trevor Janssen had eight points, and Jaxson Sturtevant and Gavin Sigel scored six points each for Eastland.

Brock Soltow scored a game-high 11 points for Polo, and Tyler Merdian added seven.

Forreston 40, Pearl City 30: Cole Becker recorded a double-double for the third game in a row with 10 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Cardinals past the Wolves at the

Aquin Shootout in Freeport.

Tommy Appel and Owen Greenfield added six points each for Forreston.

Belvidere 46, Oregon 23: The Hawks fell behind 26-10 at halftime and never recovered against the Bucs at the Blackhawk Center.

Isaac Nelson (6 points) and Avery Lewis (5 points) led the way for Oregon.

Atillio Goston scored 10 points to lead Belvedere.

OGLE COUNTY NEWS Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, Feb 11, 2022

Continued from Page 12

Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, Feb 11, 2022

OGLE COUNTY NEWS

14 SPORTS

Hawk bowlers on a roll as season enters tournament

Oregon’s girls bowling team is on a roll as they enter the sectional level of state tournament play this Saturday.

Led by individual winner Ava Wight, Oregon bowled a 5,110 on Saturday at the DeKalb Regional to claim the fourth and final team spot and advance to the Belvidere Sectional at Don Carter Lanes in Rockford on Feb. 12.

Wight was the individual champion, rolling a six-game series of 1,313.

She rolled games of 200, 194 and 257 in the morning, then followed that up with games of 221, 203 and 238 in the afternoon.

Oregon’s Mackenzie Alford joined Wight in the top 10. Alford’s 1,135 series was good enough for seventh place, and she closed her morning session with a 255 game.

Oregon’s Paige Beauchem (907), Kendra Ehrler (895) and Trinity Hultquist (860) placed 27th, 28th and 29th.

Led by Tianna Bryson, the Duchesses won the regional championship defeating Marengo by a mere one pin to claim the title.

Dixon rolled a 5,197, with Marengo right behind at 5,196. Sycamore was

another three pins back at 5,193 Dixon’s Tianna Bryson was second with a 1,237, and had the game of the day with a career-high 287 in the second game of the morning session. She opened the game with 10 straight strikes, and shattered her previous personal best of 264.

“It was very, very exciting. I will tell you, it’s a lot of pressure to try and keep calm. I’m just thankful I got to bowl that high,” she said. “I knew right away [on the 11th roll] that it was a couple of boards in so it wasn’t going to drag. It was in that oil and it was just going to go straight. But I thought, ‘You know what, that’s a good game for me.’”

As the strikes piled up for Bryson, other competitors, coaches and spectators started to take notice. Dixon coach Larry LaCoursiere, for one, wished that everybody would’ve just kept going about their business.

“Everybody wanted to stop, and I hate when they do that. It happens in the men’s leagues, too; everybody stops and wants to watch. I mean, they

See REGIONAL, Page 15

Earleen Hinton/Shaw Media

Oregon’s MacKenzie Alford celebrates with her teammates after throwing a strike and rolling a 255 in the third game at the IHSA bowling regional in DeKalb on Feb. 5.

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• REGIONAL

just threw 10 or 11 balls with the same noise; don’t change anything,” he said.

“But that’s what they all do, and that’s OK. I’m really happy for her.”

Dixon’s Grace DeBord took 10th with an 1,108; her high game was a 200 to open the afternoon session.

LaCoursiere was happy to see his team perform so well at the perfect time.

“It is exciting to see them all come together at the right time,” he said.

“The time to peak is definitely during the state series.”

Also for the Duchesses, Leslie Pettorini was 19th with a 992, and Abby Tate (939) and Autumn Swift (921) finished 23rd and 24th.

Conference champs: Oregon High School’s girls bowling team won their 8th consecutive Northern Illinois Bowling Conference Championship with a 2804-2439 win over Rockford Lutheran

15

Earleen Hinton/Shaw Media

Dixon’s Tianna Bryson celebrates her 287 game with her teammates at the IHSA bowling regional in DeKalb on Feb. 5.

OREGON POLICE Oregon Police Chief Shawn Melville reports the following police activity.

Feb. 1 Walker J. Tilton, 17, of Dixon, was issued a traffic citation at 10:19 p.m. for speeding, 42 mph in a 30 mph zone. This violation occurred in the 600 block of North Fourth Street.

Feb. 3

James C.K. Rothenbach, 31, of Mt. Morris, was issued a citation at 6:38 p.m. for operating a vehicle with an expired registration. This violation occurred in the 600 block of North Fourth Street.

Mejia was charged for improper cannabis container as a driver and issued citations for driving while license suspended and operating a vehicle with a suspended

registration. Mejia was transported to the Ogle County Jail. These violations occurred in the 100 block of South Fourth Street.

See OREGON POLICE, Page 16

Feb. 4 Ashley M. Mejia, 30, of Harmon, was arrested at 6:28 p.m. on an outstanding Rock Island County warrant for failure to appear.

OBITUARY SHERRY KAY LESTER Born: March 23, 1949 Died: January 17, 2022

Sherry Kay was born in Corning, AR on March 23, 1949 to Wilburn and Ethel Chappell. Kay, who loved to be called “Nana” by her grandchildren, departed her loving family on January 17, 2022.

Kay was married to the love of her life, Jerry Lester, on August 17th, 1967 in Corning, AR. She was preceded by her husband, Jerry Lester; parents, Wilburn and Ethel Chappell; grandparents, William and Julia Dobbins; and brother and sisters in-law, Melvin Byes, Earl Marr, Walter and Jesse Scott, Bill and Pat Byes, Lee Lester, Bo Hubbard and James and Carol Lester.

Kay was mother to Dawn Reints (Keith), Yvonnie Smits and Julie Howard (Brian). She raised her children with love and devotion

in Stillman Valley, IL with her husband, Jerry Lester. Kay was primarily a homemaker who loved tending her family. Her hobbies included gardening, fishing, hunting, crafting and traveling. She was a Girl Scout leader for many years.

She is survived by her grandchildren, Jerica Howlett, Jesse Smits (Teea), Michael Crawford, Samantha Taylor (Billy), Tiffany Smits, and Steven Howard; and great-grandchildren, Riley Miller, Shelby Howlett, Olivia Taylor, Lucy Smits and Emily McGuire.

Aside from the children and grandchildren she doted on, Kay is survived by her brother, Jerry Chappell (Pauline); and brother and sisters-in-law, Marylyn Marr, Juanita Byes, Peggy Lester, Dee and Joann Lester, Yulanda Hubbard and many nieces and nephews A celebration of life service will be held at Finch Funeral Home, 405 E Hitt St., Mt. Morris, IL 61054 on February 12th with visitation at 2 pm, followed by the service at 3 pm. There will be food and fellowship at 4: p.m. at the Moose Lodge 101 Moose Dr., Mt Morris, IL 61054

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OGLE COUNTY NEWS Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, Feb 11, 2022

Continued from Page 14

at Town & Country Lanes, Mt Morris.

The win raised Oregon’s record to 11-4 on the season. The Lady Hawks were led by Ava Wight with a 633 series (215,223,195). Wight was followed by Mackenzie Alford 523 series, Trinity Hultquist 463 series, Paige Beauchem 459 series, Kendra Ehrler 451 series and Kylie Krug 275 series.

The team also won their regular match season with a 2937-2463 win over Mendota at Town & Country Lanes, Mt Morris.

The win raised Oregon’s final season record to 12-4. The 3-game team series was a season high for Oregon and included a pair of season high individual series Mackenzie Alford 606 series and Trinity Hultquist 480 series.

The Lady Hawks were led by Ava Wight with a 617 series (192,187,238).

Wight was followed by Alford Hultquist, Paige Beauchem 465 series, Kendra Ehrler 444 series and Kylie Krug 325 series.

Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, Feb 11, 2022

OGLE COUNTY NEWS

16

• OREGON POLICE

Continued from Page 15

Holley, 22, of Mt. Morris. Cheever was issued a citation for failure to yield at a yield intersection.

At 7:51 p.m., police responded to a two-vehicle traffic crash at the intersection of Clay and Third Streets involving a 2004 Pontiac driven by Bradly A. Cheever, 18, of Oregon, and a 2001 Subaru driven by Izak A.

Feb. 5 At 12:08 a.m., police responded to a one-vehicle traffic crash in the area of Seventh and Gale Streets, resulting in the arrest of Shannon A. Bauser, 40, of Rockford

for driving while under the influence of alcohol.

Bauser was also issued a citation for leaving the scene of an accident with property damage. Bauser was transported to the Ogle County Jail.

Randy W. Reinhold, 29, of Oregon, was arrested at 8:37 a.m. on an outstanding Lee County warrant for failure to appear.

Reinhold was transported to the Ogle County Jail.

Feb. 6 Terry L. Cullen, 44, of Polo, was issued a citation at 2:45 p.m. for operating a vehicle with an expired registration. This violation occurred in the 100 block of South Second Street.

PROPERTY TRANSFERS Jan. 28-Feb. 3 Warranty Deeds Keith and Marguerite Pontnack to Brian and Kelly Osborne, 631 N. 14th St., Rochelle, $147,000.

Lea K. and Michael R. Jaborek to Cody Whitehead and Michael Hummermeier, 502-506 Birch St., Forreston, $181,000.

Alec W. and Vicki R. Lay to William J. Schneider, 1127 Santa Fe Ave., Davis Junction, $216,000.

Donald L. Aldrich to Dennell A. and James H. Pluymert Jr., 8662 N. Riverview Drive, Byron, $185,000.

David A. and Angela M. Montgomery to Daniel and Jasmine Macdonald, 8253 E. Berry View Drive, Byron, $300,000.

Haywell LLC Dj Storage to State Of IL Dept.

Transportation, 13785 E. State Route 72,

Davis Junction, $100.

Haywell LLC Westwood to Bradley A. Dyer and Shannon L. Satti, one parcel in Flagg Township, $36,000.

Douglas W. and Brenda K. Poker to Birgilio Ramirez and Ana Victoria Arroyo, 410 Wild Rice Lane, Dixon, $1,000.

Elizabeth S. Turner, also Darrow, to LKBL Properties LLC, 108 W. Front St., Mt. Morris, $56,500.

Michael and Brent Bunger to Joseph, Wendy and Matthew Stevens, one parcel in Pine Rock Township, $120,000.

Jeff and Chelsea Miller to Nathan Theisen, 425 E. Hill St., Mt. Morris, $102,500.

David G. and Marsha W. Kaczmarek to Nepthali and Pamela Ellorando, 7100 N. Pecatonica Road, Byron, $460,000.

Kurtis P. Porter to Brian S. and Jodi L.

Horner, 111 S. Division Ave., Polo, $30,000.

Quit Claim Deed Joseph L. and Wendy S. Stevens to Matthew J. Stevens, one parcel in Pine Rock Township, $0.

Trustees Deeds Janet E. Stahlheber Trust, Carl R. Stahlheber, trustee, to Pamela Stangley, 1122 Tilton Park Drive, Rochelle, $200,000.

Donald Dean Johnson Irreversible Standby

Trust 0828013 and Melva Jean Johnson Irreversible Standby Trust 0828014, Christine L. Cox Sickle, trustee, and Melva and Dean Johnson Trust 1001, Bruce T. Johnson and Christine L. Ware, trustees, to Karly Josephine May, 709 S. Eighth St., Oregon, $132,500.

Joanne P. Hamer Trust 97, Paula S. Kastning, trustee, to Brian K. and Lori S. Smith, one parcel on Lemke Drive, Byron, $35,000.

Barbara E. Heal Trust 102, Barbara E. Heal, trustee, to Carey D. Kidd, 320 S. Prairie St., Creston, $0.

Executors Deed Estate of the late Stephen P. Berg by executor to Gabriel Rees, 507 N. All Saints Drive, Byron, $135,000.

Source: Ogle County Recorder’s Office

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CRIME WATCH

FATAL ACCIDENT

By KATHLEEN A. SCHULTZ kschultz@shawmedia.com

A 23-year-old Polo man has pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of possession of child pornography.

Tristan C. Smith originally was charged with three counts; that information was amended Jan. 26, when he entered his plea.

Smith faces 3 to 7 years on each count.

He has also hired Rockford attorney Aaron C. Buscemi of DeRango & Caine and requested a jury trial, Ogle County Court records show.

He was freed on a $250,000 recognizance bond and has a pretrial hearing March 30.

Smith was arrested after a search of

his home in the 600 block of Mason Street that was conducted in the wake of a multiagency investigation, State Police said in a news release.

Evidence supporting the charges and five weapons were Tristan C. Smith seized, the release said.

No details were provided on either.

The ISP Division of Criminal Investigation, District 1 Troopers, Homeland Security, Dixon Police Department, Ogle County Sheriff’s Office, and Polo Police Department, conducted the search, the release said.

A Tinley Park man was killed Feb. 1 when his vehicle was rearended by a semi-truck and trailer on Interstate 88 near Rochelle.

According to the Illinois State Police.

Anthony Moody, 71, Tinley Park, was travelling west on I88 at approximately 8:40 p.m. when he slowed, for unknown reasons, and stopped on the roadway and

was struck by the Freightliner, driven by Frank Hightower, 53, of Rockford.

Moody was transported by ambulance to an area hospital where he was pronounced deceased, police said in a press release.

Hightower did not report any injuries.

All westbound lanes were closed near milepost 81 during the investigation.

Lanes were reopened at 11:50 p.m.

STATE POLICE Monthly activity for January

assisted 139 motorists, and conducted 79 commercial motor vehicle inspections,19 of which were placed out-of-service for safety reasons.

There was one arrest for driving while under the influence.

District 1, which encompasses Carroll, Lee, Ogle, and Whiteside counties, investigated no fatal traffic crashes in January.

also was cited for illegal transportation of alcohol. Sarot was transported to the Ogle County Jail and held in lieu of bond.

Vincent Digiovanni, 27, of Byron, was arrested at 8:40 p.m. for improper cannabis container as a driver after deputies responded to a single-vehicle crash in the 1000 block of North Daysville Road. Upon arrival, deputies made contact with Digiovanni, the driver and sole occupant, and learned he was northbound when he entered the east ditch before striking a tree.

Digiovanni was uninjured in the crash. He also was cited for driving too fast for conditions and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. Digiovanni was released at the scene on an I-Bond and given a future court date.

Tim Guldan, 57, of Hancock, Wisconsin, was arrested at 10:43 p.m. for driving while license suspended after a traffic stop at Interstate 39 near mile marker 99. Guldan also was cited for operating an uninsured motor vehicle and improper lighting. Guldan was released on scene on an I-Bond and given a return court date.

Feb. 6 At 9:26 p.m., deputies were dispatched to a head-on collision involving two vehicles on Illinois Route 26, north of North Baileyville Road. An investigation showed a 2014 Dodge Journey, driven by Rachael E. Wisner, 31, of Forreston, was driving southbound on Route

26 when Wisner crossed the center line, swiping a northbound 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan driven by Ronald L. Baker, 80, of Freeport. Baker was transported by Polo EMS to FHN Memorial Hospital in Freeport for treatment of minor injuries. Wisner was cited for improper land usage and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. The Forreston Fire Department and Polo EMS assisted on scene.

Feb. 7 Derrick E. Perkins, 39, of Prophetstown, was arrested at 3:14 p.m. for driving while license suspended and on a Whiteside County warrant following a traffic stop at 6th Ave and N. 8th St., in Rochelle. He was also cited for no front registration, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, and expired registration. Perkins was transported to Ogle County Jail.

Feb. 8 At 12:30 a.m.. deputies were dispatched to a car burglary in progress in Leaf River. A short time later deputies stopped a suspicious vehicle in the area and later arrested the two occupants for criminal trespass to a motor vehicle: Brody Stone, 22, of Oregon and Trei Sanders, 27, also of Oregon.

Stone was also arrested for violation of an order of protection and cited for not having a valid driver’s license and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.

Sanders was also cited for illegal transportation of alcohol. Both Stone and Sanders were being held in lieu of bond at the Ogle County Jail.

Illinois State Police District 1 Troopers issued 182 citations, 255 written warnings, and made seven criminal arrests during the month of January.

Speeding accounted for 108 citations.

There were 16 arrests for no valid driver’s license or driving while license suspended/revoked.

Troopers investigated 14 traffic crashes,

OGLE COUNTY SHERIFF Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle reports the following activity.

Jan. 31 Antwon Woodson, 29, of Polo, was arrested at 9:11 p.m. for driving while license suspended a traffic stop in the 6000 block of South Unity Road. Woodson also was cited for speeding, expired registration and improper lighting. He was released on an I-Bond with a return court date.

Richard Nelson, 44, of Mt. Morris, was arrested at 9:38 p.m. for driving while license suspended after deputies responded to a motorist assist at the intersection of Illinois Route 72 and Pecatonica Road. Nelson was released at the scene on an I-Bond and given a future court date.

Feb. 1 Deshontee Dixon, 25, of Coal City, was arrested at 10:33 p.m. for driving while license suspended after A traffic stop on Interstate 39 mile marker 102. Dixon also was cited for having illegal window tint and an equipment violation. Dixon was given an I-Bond with a return court date for next month and was released on scene.

Feb. 2 At approximately 7:30 a.m., deputies responded to a two-vehicle crash near the intersection of Illinois Route 64 and Rocky Hollow Road. An investigation showed that Isabel Tapia-Flores, 33, of Mt. Morris, was traveling eastbound on Route 64 when she lost control of her vehicle and began sliding sideways. Tapia-Flores’ Ford Explorer collided with the front end of a Jeep Liberty

occupied by four juveniles. Tapia-Flores and two of the juveniles were transported to KSB Hospital in Dixon where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Tapia-Flores later was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid and accident.

Feb. 3 Albert Stevenson, 61, of Rockford, was arrested at 9:14 p.m. for driving while under the influence of alcohol, aggravated DUI and driving while license revoked following a traffic stop at Illinois Route 251 and Holcomb Road. Stevenson also was cited for illegal transportation of alcohol, speeding and improper land usage. Stevenson was transported to the Ogle County Jail and held without bond.

Feb. 5 Jermaine Canada, 24, of Freeport, was arrested at 1:16 p.m. for driving while license suspended a traffic stop near the intersection of Illinois Route 72 and Mt. Morris Road. Canada also was cited for operating an insured motor vehicle and expired registration. He a was released on an I-Bond and will appear in court at a later date.

Daniel Sarot, 44, of Lombard, was arrested at 1:47 p.m. for driving while under the influence of alcohol after deputies were dispatched to the Castle Rock Boat Launch, located at 3100 Illinois Route 2, for a welfare check on a male subject slumped over the steering wheel of a parked vehicle. Sarot

17 OGLE COUNTY NEWS Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, Feb 11, 2022

Polo man pleads not guilty to 10 counts of child porn

Man killed in I88 accident

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Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, Feb 11, 2022

OGLE COUNTY NEWS

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Come in person or send resume to: 3201 West Lefevre Rd, Sterling, IL 61081.

Call us at: (815) 625-7063

CASA 15th Judicial Circuit (Lee/ Carroll/Ogle Counties) is seeking volunteers in the Ogle County area to advocate for children in the Ogle County court system involved in abuse and neglect cases.

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REAL ESTATE

REAL ESTATE

REAL ESTATE

REAL ESTATE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 15TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OGLE COUNTY, OREGON, ILLINOIS U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO BANK OF AMERICA NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO LASALLE BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR GSAMP TRUST 2007-HE2, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-HE2 PLAINTIFF, -vsSheila J. Tracy; DEFENDANTS NO. 20 CH 50 NOTICE OF SHERIFF'S SALE Public Notice is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment entered in the above entitled matter on April 16, 2021; Brian R VanVickle, Sheriff, Ogle County Public Safety Complex, 202 South 1st Street, Oregon, IL 61061, will on March 11, 2022 at 10:00 AM, at Sheriff's Office, 202 South First Street, Oregon IL 61061, sell to the highest bidder for ten percent (10%) at the time of sale and the balance within twenty-four (24) hours, the following described premises situated in Ogle County, Illinois.

Said sale shall be subject to general taxes, special assessments or special taxes levied against said real estate and any prior liens or 1st Mortgages. The subject property is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title or recourse to Plaintiff and in "AS IS" condition.

Upon the sale being held and the purchaser tendering said bid in certified funds, a receipt of Sale will be issued and/or a Certificate of Sale as required, which will entitle the purchaser to a deed upon confirmation of said sale by the Court.

Commonly known as 206 East Chicago Avenue, Davis Junction, IL 61020 Permanent Index No.: 11-23-156-004 Improvements: Single Family Residential The property will NOT be open for inspection prior to the sale and Plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property.

The judgment amount was $78,696.90. Prospective purchasers are admonished to check the court file and title records to verify this information. IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701 (C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. For Bid Amount contact: Sale Clerk LOGS Legal Group LLP 2121 Waukegan Road, Suite 301 Bannockburn, IL 60015 ILNOTICES@logs.com (847) 291-1717 U.S. Bank National Association, as Successor in Interest to Bank of America National Association, Successor by Merger to LaSalle Bank National Association, as Trustee for GSAMP Trust 2007-HE2, Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2007-HE2 One of Plaintiff's Attorneys LOGS Legal Group LLP Attorney for Plaintiff 2121 Waukegan Road, Suite 301 Bannockburn, IL 60015 (847) 291-1717 ILNOTICES@logs.com Randal S. Berg (6277119) Michael N. Burke (6291435) Christopher A. Cieniawa (6187452) Joseph M. Herbas (6277645) Michael Kalkowski (6185654) Laura J. Anderson (6224385) Mallory Snyderman (6306039) Thomas Belczak (6193705) THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT IF YOUR PERSONAL LIABILITY FOR THIS DEBT HAS BEEN EXTINGUISHED BY A DISCHARGE IN BANKRUPTCY OR BY AN ORDER GRANTING IN REM RELIEF FROM STAY, THIS NOTICE IS PROVIDED SOLELY TO FORECLOSE THE MORTGAGE REMAINING ON YOUR PROPERTY AND IS NOT AN ATTEMPT TO COLLECT THE DISCHARGED PERSONAL OBLIGATION. 8190-920759 February 11, 18, 25, 2022 920759

LEGAL NOTICES

(815) 562-8754 Tel (815) 562-3412 Fax lawyers@tesscrull law.com Jan. 28 & Feb. 4, 11, 2022 STATE OF ILLINOIS IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT COUNTY OF OGLE In re the Estate of: ELDON E. ENGEL, Deceased.

2022 PR 3 CLAIM NOTICE Notice is given of the death of ELDON E. ENGEL. Letters of Office were issued on January 24, 2022, MARCIA L. to DEWEY, as Independent Executor, whose attorney is M. Thomas Suits, of the Law Offices of M. THOMAS SUITS, P.C., 114 West Mason Street, Polo, Illinois 61064.

Claims against the estate may be filed within six (6) months from the date of first or publication, within three (3) months from the date of mailing or delivery of Notice to creditors, if mailing or delivery is required by Section 5/18-3 of the Illinois Probate Act, 1975, as amended, whichever date is later.

Any claim not filed by the requisite date stated above shall be barred.

Claims against the estate may be filed in the Office of the Circuit Clerk, Ogle County Judicial Center, 106 South 5th Street, Oregon, IL 61061or with the estate legal representative, or both.

Copies of a claim filed with the clerk must be mailed or delivered to the representative and to the attorney within 10 days after it has been filed.

By: MARCIA L. DEWEY

LEGAL NOTICES Independent Executor Law Offices of M. THOMAS SUITS, P.C. 114 West Mason Street Polo, IL 61064 (815) 946-2276 tom@suitslegal. com February 4, 11, 18, 2022 STATE OF ILLINOIS IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 15TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT COUNTY OF OGLE PROBATE DIVISION In the Matter of the Estate of ROSEMARY WALKER-BUTLER, Deceased.

No. 2022-PR-5 CLAIM NOTICE Notice is given of the death of ROSEMARY WALKER-BUTLER. Letters of Office were issued on February 1, 2022 to MATTHEW BORDEN, as Independent Executor whose attorneys are WILLIAMS McCARTHY LLP, 120 W. State St., P.O. Box 219, Rockford, IL 61105.

The estate will be administered without court supervision, unless under Section 28-4 of the Probate Act (755 ILCS 5/28-4) any interested person terminates independent administration at any time by mailing or delivering a petition to terminate to the Clerk.

Claims against the estate may be filed in the office of the Clerk of the Court, Ogle County Courthouse, 105 S. 5th Street, Oregon, IL 61061 or with the representative, or both, on or before August 11, 2022, or within 3 months from the date of mailing or delivery of notice creditors, if to mailing or delivery is required by S

LEGAL NOTICES eq by Section 18-3 of the Probate Act, whichever date is later. Any claim not filed by the requisite date stated above is barred.

Copies of a claim filed with the Clerk must be mailed or delivered to the representative and to the attorney within 10 days after it has been filed.

MATTHEW BORDEN Independent Executor February 11, 18, 25, 2022 ASSUMED NAME PUBLICATION NOTICE Public Notice is hereby given that on January 24, 2022, a certificate was filed in the Ogle County Clerk's Office setting forth the names and post office address of all of the persons owning, conducting and transacting the business known as: Culvey Creations 6944 N Summit Dr. Byron, IL 61010 Dated: January 24, 2022 Laura J. Cook, Ogle County Clerk February 4, 11, 18, 2022 ASSUMED NAME PUBLICATION NOTICE Public Notice is hereby given that on February 7, 2022, a certificate was filed in the Ogle County Clerk's Office setting forth the names and post office address of all of the persons owning, conducting and transacting the business known as: Gateway Big Box Resale LLC 104 W Mason Street Polo, IL 61064 Dated: February 7, 2022 Laura J. Cook, Ogle County Clerk February 11, 18, 25, 2022

LEGAL NOTICES ASSUMED NAME PUBLICATION NOTICE Public Notice is hereby given that on February 7, 2022, a certificate was filed in the Ogle County Clerk's Office setting forth the names and post office address of all of the persons owning, conducting and transacting the business known as: Kim's Gateway Antique LLC 108 W Mason Street Polo, IL 61064 Dated: February 7, 2022 Laura J. Cook, Ogle County Clerk February 11, 18, 25, 2022 ASSUMED NAME PUBLICATION NOTICE Public Notice is hereby given that on January 28, 2022, a certificate was filed in the Ogle County Clerk's Office setting forth the names and post office address of all of the persons owning, conducting and transacting the business known as: Mama Bear Cleaning Service 118 Primrose Lane Davis Jct., IL 61020 Dated: January 28, 2022 Laura J. Cook, Ogle County Clerk February 4, 11, 18, 2022

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 15TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OGLE COUNTY, OREGON, ILLINOIS U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO BANK OF AMERICA NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO LASALLE BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR GSAMP TRUST 2007-HE2, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-HE2 PLAINTIFF, -vsSheila J. Tracy; DEFENDANTS NO. 20 CH 50 NOTICE OF SHERIFF'S SALE Public Notice is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment entered in the above entitled matter on April 16, 2021; Brian R VanVickle, Sheriff, Ogle County Public Safety Complex, 202 South 1st Street, Oregon, IL 61061, will on March 11, 2022 at 10:00 AM, at Sheriff's Office, 202 South First Street, Oregon IL 61061, sell to the highest bidder for ten percent (10%) at the time of sale and the balance within twenty-four (24) hours, the following described premises situated in Ogle County, Illinois.

Said sale shall be subject to general taxes, special assessments or special taxes levied against said real estate and any prior liens or 1st Mortgages. The subject property is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title or recourse to Plaintiff and in "AS IS" condition.

Upon the sale being held and the purchaser tendering said bid in certified funds, a receipt of Sale will be issued and/or a Certificate of Sale as required, which will entitle the purchaser to a deed upon confirmation of said sale by the Court.

Said property is legally described as follows: LOT 2 IN BLOCK 7 IN THE TOWN OF DAVIS JUNCTION, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF RECORDED IN BOOK A OF PLATS, PAGE 170 AS DOCUMENT NO. 65505, IN OGLE COUNTY, ILLINOIS; SITUATED IN THE COUNTY OF OGLE AND THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. Commonly known as 206 East Chicago Avenue, Davis Junction, IL 61020 Permanent Index No.: 11-23-156-004 Improvements: Single Family Residential The property will NOT be open for inspection prior to the sale and Plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property.

The judgment amount was $78,696.90. Prospective purchasers are admonished to check the court file and title records to verify this information. IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701 (C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. For Bid Amount contact: Sale Clerk LOGS Legal Group LLP 2121 Waukegan Road, Suite 301 Bannockburn, IL 60015 ILNOTICES@logs.com (847) 291-1717 U.S. Bank National Association, as Successor in Interest to Bank of America National Association, Successor by Merger to LaSalle Bank National Association, as Trustee for GSAMP Trust 2007-HE2, Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2007-HE2 One of Plaintiff's Attorneys LOGS Legal Group LLP Attorney for Plaintiff 2121 Waukegan Road, Suite 301 Bannockburn, IL 60015 (847) 291-1717 ILNOTICES@logs.com Randal S. Berg (6277119) Michael N. Burke (6291435) Christopher A. Cieniawa (6187452) Joseph M. Herbas (6277645) Michael Kalkowski (6185654) Laura J. Anderson (6224385) Mallory Snyderman (6306039) Thomas Belczak (6193705) THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT IF YOUR PERSONAL LIABILITY FOR THIS DEBT HAS BEEN EXTINGUISHED BY A DISCHARGE IN BANKRUPTCY OR BY AN ORDER GRANTING IN REM RELIEF FROM STAY, THIS NOTICE IS PROVIDED SOLELY TO FORECLOSE THE MORTGAGE REMAINING ON YOUR PROPERTY AND IS NOT AN ATTEMPT TO COLLECT THE DISCHARGED PERSONAL OBLIGATION. 8190-920759 February 11, 18, 25, 2022 920759

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19 OGLE COUNTY NEWS Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, Feb 11, 2022

STATE OF ILLINOIS IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT COUNTY OF OGLE IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF: GLENWOOD M. CRULL Deceased.

Case No. 2021 P 98 CLAIM NOTICE Notice is given of the death of GLENWOOD M. CRULL, of Mount Morris, Ogle County, Illinois. Letters of Office were issued on December 2, 2021 to DAVID J. CRULL, whose address is 2579 Ranger Island Road, Denver, NC 28037, Lincoln County, North Carolina, and GREGORY M. CRULL, whose address is 8697 Hilltop Drive, Byron, IL 61010, and whose attorney is DAVID D. TESS of TESS, CRULL & ARNQUIST, LLC, P.O. Box 68, Rochelle, Ogle County, Illinois 61068.

Claims against the Estate may be filed in the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of the Ogle County Courthouse, Oregon, Illinois 61068, or with the representative, or both, within six (6) months from the date of the first publication of this claim notice and any claim not filed within that period is barred. Copies of a claim filed with the Clerk must be mailed or delivered to the representative and to the Attorney within ten (10) days after it has been filed.

Prepared by: TESS, CRULL & ARNQUIST, LLC P.O. Box 68 Rochelle, IL 61068 (815) 562-8754 Tel

LEGAL NOTICES

Ogle County Newspapers / oglecountynews.com • Friday, Feb 11, 2022

OGLE COUNTY NEWS

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