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POLO LIBRARY

Children’s Programs

“Tot Time” Tuesdays - 10 a.m. Ages 0 to 5 yrs, come join Ms. Melanie for a story read, various hands-on play, with a mix of music and art fun for the little ones.

“Maker Monday” - 2nd & 3rd Mondays - Dec. 19, Grades 4th-12th or Ages 9 to 18, 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. “baking a make” in the library kitchen area.

Ongoing programs - “Reading Buddies”, Seniors to Smalls, Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m., Senior Center - buddying up to enjoy reading time together & “Homework Helpers” students helping students with homework tutoring at the library please reach out if either or both interest you!!

For more information or to register call 815-946-2713, call or text 815-677-3586, email melaniew@pololibrary.org, go to the Polo Library website or Facebook page to look for the Google form link.

Publisher Jennifer Heintzelman 815-632-2502 jheintzelman@shawmedia.com

General Manager Earleen Hinton 815-632-2591 ehinton@shawmedia.com

News Alexa Zoellner 815-632-2590 azoellner@shawmedia.com

Advertising Sales Jennifer Heintzelman 815-632-2502 jheintzelman@shawmedia.com

The Tri-County Press, Ogle County News and oglecountynews.com are a division of Shaw Media. Ogle County Newspapers also prints the Mt. Morris Times, Forreston Journal and Oregon Republican Reporter.

The TRI-COUNTY PRESS (USPS No. 638-530) is published weekly by B.F. Shaw Printing Co., Shaw Media. Periodical postage paid at Polo, Illinois. POSTMASTER Send address changes to TRI-COUNTY PRESS, 113 N. Franklin, Polo, IL 61064. Phone 815-732-6166, ext. 2516.

All rights reserved. Copyright 2022

PINE CREEK NEWS

BY KAREN MERLAK

The winds have turned much colder, but our spirits are warm as we get ready to celebrate God’s greatest gift. God’s love and care is so great, it needs to be shared with those around us. For the many blessings we share this season, we are truly thankful.

T h i s m o r n i n g i n c h u r c h , w e w e r e greeted by the Pfundstein family. Pastor Suzanne Hall Stout led the service filled with scripture and music. Brad and Lindsey Ohlwine shared a reading and lit the fourth candle in our Advent wreath.

Throughout the service, Brian Toms and Ellen Rahn read scripture with Pastor Suzanne. The music was provided by a w o m e n ’ s e n s e m b l e i n c l u d i n g P a s t or Suzanne, Vicki Hay, Nancy Hopkins and Elizabeth Eliot.

Our children, Harper and Amelia, also sang “Away in a Manger.” After their song, Fiona joined our group and I shared another children’s message about the Chrismons displayed on our sanctuary Christmas tree.

In the afternoon, our church hosted an afternoon of music provided by Joel Ross. He played and sang for part of the afternoon. After his portion, everyone joined in with singing Christmas carols. After singing, refreshments were serviced and fellowship was enjoyed.

On Saturday morning, I joined a small group of ladies to help with a special project for Christmas Eve. Even after the project was complete, I stayed to visit with our Christmas Star committee that was working in our Fellowship Hall.

Don and Vicki Hay have returned from a trip to Delaware to visit with their son, Mackenzie Hay, his wife, Shea, and their children Reef, Ellis, Pippen, and Remy. While there, they enjoyed visiting basketball practices and spending time with one another.

The Hay family also participated in a few holiday traditions including visiting Santa and Mrs. Claus. It was a special treat to see their granddaughter Ellis perform in the Nutcracker ballet.

After returning to Illinois, they traveled to Naperville to visit with their daughter, Christine Stephens, and her children, Sydn e y , O w e n , a n d A v e r y. S y d n e y h as returned home from the University of Michigan for the holiday break. It was a busy and fun-filled week for the family.

When my children were young, I spent many hours decorating every inch of our house. I always displayed the crafts my mom had made and each year I would make sure my kids had a new ornament to hang on their own tree.

The first few years in my own house I found places for every item. I loved unpacking each box and remembering what each piece means for the holidays. Because of travel and work over the past few holidays, I haven’t displayed many things.

This year, I assembled my tree and added lights and a star. I haven’t gotten much further. At night, I turn on the lights and enjoy how they warm up the room. It really does brighten the space and my spirits.

In another week, we will celebrate the birth of Jesus, the light of the world. He came to shine in all the darkest places. His love for every person shines brightly. His light warms those who are willing to receive it.

We can shine for Jesus. Each act of kindness brings a light and love to others. Our words of love for each other grow into light that won’t be diminished. When we share His love, we bring even more of His light to the dark.

I hope to see you on Christmas Eve for our annual service at 7 p.m. We will have our regular church service on Sunday morning at 10 a.m. Come and celebrate the birth of our Savior. I wish you a very Merry Christmas! FAR LEFT: Members of the Polo Lions Club held their Christmas dinner on Dec. 3 at the Polo Fire Station. LEFT: Wrestlers who volunteered at the Polo Lions’ Christmas dinner were Zandra Vock, Lynorah Hansen, Ethan Albee, Zakk Albee, Ryder Wilema, Aspen Mon and Zayden Imel.

Photos by Jeff Short

Adult Programs -

Yoga with Becka Wednesday, Dec. 28 at 6 p.m. - Call 815-946-2713 or email library@ pololibrary.org to register. Yoga will now be every 4th Wednesday of the month.

Genealogy Assistance - Are you interested in researching 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 5-7 p.m. or the third Saturday 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and let Donna help with your project. The Polo Library is now a FamilySearch Affiliate Library which allows access to more digital records when you’re researching at the library.

Online Catalog - Did you start a series and can’t find the next book? Are you wanting to watch a specific movie? If we don’t have what you’re looking for at Polo Library, visit our online catalog to search other libraries and have it delivered right to Polo Library for pick up! Visit pololibrary. org and click on “Books/Media” and “Your Account” to access the online catalog.

Special Procedures - Masks are optional for staff and visitors to the library. If you require an access service to fully participate in a program or have any questions about accessibility, please contact Marie Monaco at 815-946-2713.

By EARLEEN HINTON ehinton@shawmedia.com

Cold winter temperatures and biting wind failed to deter volunteers from placing wreaths on the graves of veterans at Daysville Cemetery southeast of O r e g o n a s p a r t o f t h e n a t i o n w i d e Wreaths Across America

The Saturday afternoon event was coordinated by the Rochelle Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution with help from Oregon VFW Post 8 7 3 9 . T h e w r e a t h s w e r e p r o v i d ed through donations.

Laurie Perry, regent of the Rochelle Chapter of the DAR, spoke briefly about the Wreaths Across America program noting that Saturday’s event was part of a national effort to honor local veterans by placing wreaths at their graves.

“All wreaths are sponsored by donation – as is the entire program: trucks, drivers’ time, fuel, everything,” she said.

Ceremonial wreaths were first placed in honor of all of the military services including the U.S. Coast Guard, Merchant Marines and POW/MIAs. Twenty-five volunteers then spread out across the cemetery to place wreaths at each veterans’ grave that already had been marked with U.S. flags.

According to Saturday’s program, 204 veterans are buried at the Daysville Cemetery, located five miles southeast of Oregon on Daysville Road.

Ceremonies also were held at Woodlawn Cemetery in Creston and St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Rochelle. Girls Scouts from Troop 2189 gave the Pledge of Allegiance to open Saturday’s event.

Wreaths Across America Day, held annually in December, also includes a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, in addition to other locations in all 50 states.

According to the Wreaths Across America website: “We understand we have Veterans Day in the fall and Memorial Day in the spring, but our service members sacrifice their time and safety every single day of the year to preserve our freedoms. In many homes, there is an empty seat for one who is serving or one who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. There is no better time to express our appreciation than during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. We hope you will join us at any of our more than 3,400 participating locations to show our veterans and their families that we will not forget. We will never forget.”

For additional information or to donate, visit wreathsacrossamerica. org.

Earleen Hinton/Shaw Media ABOVE: Bill and Stephanie Nelson of Oregon lay wreaths on veterans’ graves at Daysville Cemetery on Dec. 17 during the Wreaths Across America project. Bill was laying a wreath on the grave of Virgil Reed, who fought in the Civil War.

ABOVE: Don Stevens and his daughter, Anne, helped place wreath on veterans’ graves at Daysville Cemetery. LEFT: Devyn, 12, of Oregon places a wreath on a veteran’s grave. RIGHT: John Tuttle of Oregon, a Vietnam War veteran, salutes after laying a wreath in honor of POWs and MIAs.

Fee previously was $25 per machine

By ALEXA ZOELLNER azoellner@shawmedia.com

Ogle County upped its annual video gaming terminal fee to $150 during its Dec. 20 board meeting.

Ogle County Board members voted 17-4 to raise the fee, effective May 1, 2022. Board Chairperson John Finfrock and board members Dan Miller, Joseph Simms and Stan Asp voted no.

“It was passed at committee a while b a c k , b u t n e v e r c a m e b e f o r e t h e board,” Finfrock said.

The Ogle County Liquor Control Commission recommended the $150 fee during its April 19 meeting.

The fee previously was $25 per terminal. A state law passed Dec. 17, 2021, allows the county to raise the fee to no more than $250 per machine per year.

The new fee set by the county board applies only to establishments under the jurisdiction of Ogle County. The f e e c o v e r s a f i s c a l y e a r o f M a y 1 through April 30.

ARPA economic grants OK’d

C o u n t y b o a r d m e m b e r s a l s o approved the following economic development grants, which are funded from American Rescue Plan Act dollars received by the county:

The village of Forreston received $17,375 for a LED sign and HVAC upgrades to a new village hall building.

The Byron Fire Protection District got $23,000 for extrication equipment.

EMS-Emergency Operations Center was given $5,000 to cover lost revenue.

Old jail demolition update

Demolition of the old county jail is “moving along very nicely,” said Don Griffin, Ogle County Board member and Long Range Planning chairperson. The building has been completely removed, along with underground materials, and the space is being filled in.

“We hope to have that finished up at the end of the week,” Griffin said.

The Ogle County Board approved a bid of $98,000 to raze the building on Oct. 18 after receiving a total of eight bids for the project.

The cost of demolition will be paid for using American Rescue Plan Act monies; that expenditure also was approved by board members Oct. 18.

The jail was located at 107 S. Fifth St., just south of the historic Ogle County Courthouse that was built in 1891. The courthouse still houses several county offices. The new Ogle County Correctional Center, located west of the Ogle County Judicial Center, opened in November 2020.

The judicial center, located in the 100 block of South Fifth Street west of the courthouse, houses courtrooms and county offices affiliated with the court system.

The current plan for the site is to add one row of parking stalls and sidewalks on the east side of the existing parking lot and leave the rest as green space.

Earleen Hinton/Shaw Media A Martin & Co. truck unloads gravel as workers fill in the basement of the old Ogle County Jail on Tuesday. Demolition of the 1969 jail started Dec. 5.

Sheriff: ‘Dr ive merry, bright and sober’ this holiday season

The Ogle County Sheriff’s Office is partnering with the Illinois Department of Transportation to remind motorists about the dangers of impaired driving.

From Dec. 16 through Jan. 2, law enforcement across Illinois will step up enforcement efforts with a high visibility “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” and “Drive High. Get a DUI” traffic safety campaign.

“We want everyone in our communities to enjoy the holidays without worrying about the dangers of impaired drivers,” Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle said in a news release. “During the campaign, you can expect to see extra safety patrols. We will show zero tolerance for alcohol- and drug-impaired driving to help ensure everyone makes it to and from their holiday festivities safely.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, in 2020, a total of 11,654 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver.

On average, more than 10,000 people were killed each year from 2016 to 2020, with one person killed in an alcohol-related crash every 45 minutes in 2020.

Before the holiday fun begins, make a plan for a sober ride home and remember these tips:

Designate a sober driver or make a plan to use public transportation or a ride-sharing service to get home safely.

If you see an impaired driver on the road, pull over and contact the Sheriff’s Office.

Have a friend who is about to drive impaired? Take the keys away and make arrangements to get them home safely. They’ll thank you later.

Always buckle up!

The holiday enforcement campaign is administered by IDOT with federal highway safety funds managed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, VanVickle said. Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle

SUBSCRIBE TODAY • Oregon Republican Reporter • Mt. Morris Times • Tri-County Press • Forreston Journal Only $39 a year for subscribers living in Ogle County! Call 815-632-2520 to subscribe!

Program ‘will help communities streamline policies, implement best practices’ to prepare for influx of electric vehicles

By ALEXA ZOELLNER azoellner@shawmedia.com

Polo is participating in an initiative to help local governments prepare to meet a growing demand for electric vehicles and EV charging infrastructure.

The city is one of 16 members of the EV Readiness Program’s inaugural cohort. The program, which was launched earlier this year by the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus and ComEd, “will help communities streamline policies and implement best practices for safe and effective regional transportation electrification,” according to a news release on MayorsCaucus. org.

“We’d like to set the standard for the little towns,” Polo Alderperson Beth Sundman told fellow city council members during their Dec. 5 meeting. “We want to be a leader in an area and show everybody else that this can be done in a town this size.”

Municipalities in the cohort range in population from Polo’s 2,291 to Chicago’s 2,746,388.

According to the 2020 census, Polo, Deer Park, University Park, Hampshire and Glencoe each have fewer than 9,000 residents; Richton Park’s population is 12,775. Geneva, Darien, Maywood, Hanover Park, Carol Stream, Oak Park and Skokie each have between 21,000 and 68,000 residents. Aurora’s population is 180,542 and Kane County’s is 516,522.

“They [Chicago’s representatives] made a comment about being the elephant in the room,” said Sundman, referencing an in-person meeting of the cohort she and City Clerk Sydney Bartelt attended. “So when it came around to us, I was like, ‘Well if they’re the elephant, we’re the mouse in the room because this is what we’re dealing with.’”

Bartelt applied for the program on behalf of Polo.

There are 17 goals related to preparation that Polo is supposed to accomplish within the next six months, Sundman said. She noted that it might take longer than that, but once the goals are met, the city will receive a plaque declaring its EV Ready Bronze designation.

Beyond the 17 Bronze designation goals, there are goals that will earn a municipality Silver or Gold designation, according to the news release.

“My concern was scalability and them being able to help us do this even on a smaller scaled area,” Sundman said. “But I’m excited because I really think that if we can get even one of these stations somewhere in town and get on these databases for people who have EV cars who need to charge while they’re in transport [we’ll draw people into Polo].”

If someone is driving an EV from Monroe to Dixon and their battery needs to charge, having Polo as an option to stop and charge benefits the city, she said.

“They may pull in here, plug in, and they’ve got to hang for half an hour,” Sundman noted. “Meanwhile, they can walk to Shell, walk to the market, walk downtown, go look at a tree. We kind of hold them hostage while they are charging, which gives them a chance to see what we can offer.

“If they can go downtown and they can see the restaurants and they can see options and they can see stores and they can see the stuff here, then that might encourage them to come back,” she continued. “So that was my personal hope for that.”

According to the Illinois Secretary of State’s website, there were 35,504 EVs in the state and 53 EVs in Ogle County as of Nov. 15, 2021. As of Nov. 15 of this year, there are 55,333 EVs in Illinois and 77 in Ogle County. These totals do not include hybrid vehicles.

The state’s records of EVs per county go back to November 2017; at that point there were 8,031 EVs in the state and three in Ogle County.

Lee Count y looking to increase speed limit on Lowell Park Road

By RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@shawmedia.com

The Lee County Board will be voting next week on reverting the speed limit on a portion of Lowell Park Road back to 55 mph.

In October 2020, the board approved changing the speed limit from 55 mph to 45 mph from Timber Creek Road to Pilgrim Road following safety concerns from residents.

Pilgrim Road marks where Lee County ends and Ogle County begins.

Lee County Board members wanted to reevaluate the speed zone, and the Lee County Highway Department conducted a speed study for Lowell Park Road from Penrose to Pilgrim roads in July.

The study found that 88% of drivers were violating the limit. The average for about 85% of drivers was 59 mph, and the prevailing speed was around 56 mph.

Prevailing speed is determined to reflect what a majority of the drivers will drive at what they judge to be safe and proper.

The board will vote on a resolution saying that “an increase in the posted speed limit on Lowell Park Road from Timber Creek Road to Pilgrim Road is reasonable and necessary for the safety of the motoring public.” The 45-mph speed limit on Lowell Park Road begins at Pilgrim Road once the road enters Lee County.