Polo_Tri-County_Press-12-30-2022

POLO TRI-COUNTY PRESS

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The Tri-County Press,OgleCounty News andoglecountynews.com areadivision of ShawMedia. OgleCountyNewspapersalso printstheMt.Morris Times, ForrestonJournalandOregon Republican Reporter.

TheTRI-COUNTYPRESS (USPS No. 638-530)ispublished weekly by B.F.ShawPrintingCo., ShawMedia. Periodicalpostage paid at Polo,Illinois.

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PACTtoholdauditionsthisweek

PoloAreaCommunityTheatreisholding auditionsfor“JunieBJonestheMusical”on Dec.29from2to7p.m.andDec.30from5to 6p.m.atthePoloTownHall.Rolesareforages 14to35.Thosewantingtoauditionareaskedto prepare16to32barsofasonginthestyleofthe show.CallbackswillbeFriday,Dec.30,at6p.m.

ThemusicalwillbepresentedFeb.24-26and March3-4.Moreinformationisavailableby

POLO LIBR ARY

Children’sPrograms

Storytime Saturday,Jan.710:30a.m.

It’s“snowflake”season,snowbookstoryread andsnowtypeactivitiesmaytakethisstorytime outsidetobringitinsidetoenjoy!!!

“TweenTime”- Thursday,Jan.12-4:30-5:30 p.m.-4ththru8thgrade.

“TotTime”Tuesdays -Tuesdaysat10a.m., resumesJan.10Ages0to5yrs,comejoinMs. Melanieforastoryread,varioushands-onplay, withamixofmusicandartfunforthelittleones.

“MakerMonday”- 2nd&3rdMondays-Jan.9, GradesK-3rdorAges5to8,drop-inanytime between3:30-5p.m. to“create&construct”

Ongoingprograms-“ReadingBuddies”,

PINE CREEK NEWS

ByKARENMERLAK

Thismorning we weregreetedwiththe sunshineand a promise ke pt.Je sus, o ur Savior,wasbornforallofus.Truelove cametoearthas a babybornandlaidin a manger.ItwasahumblestartfortheKing ofallkings.Forthis precious gift, wegive oureternalthankstoGod.

T hi s morninginchurch , wewere greetedbyDonan d VickiHay.Pastor SuzanneHallStoutledthe service forthe small crowd.Duringthesermontime,severalpeoplesharedtheirfavoriteChristmas memoryortradition.

OnSaturdayevening,ourchurchhelda ChristmasEveservice.JudyNettzandher granddaughter , Camero n Jones,litthe AdventcandlesfortheeveningandNancy Hopkinsreadscripturefortheservice.

Wewereblessedwit h specialmusi c fromEric Ellingsen,sonofJames a nd NancyHopkins.Ericsang“OHolyNight” forthespecialservice.Toendtheevening, JamesHopkinsandPastorSuzannepassed thecandlelightforthesingingof“Silen t Night.”

Aftertheservice , everyonewaswelcomedintoFellowshi p Hal l fo r refre s hmentsandvisiting.Thenightwascoldand windy,buteveryonestayedwarminthe gatheringoffriendsandfamily.

JamesandNancyHopkinshoste d severalfamilymembersincludingAmyYoder

contactinginfo@polotheatre.orgor815-4410778.

OnJan.21,PACT’s8thAnnualMasqueradeBall willbeheldatMaxson’srestaurantinOregon from6to11p.m.

Dinner,dancing,rafflesandmoreactivitiesare planned.

“Comeoutforthisfunandamazingnightthat hasbeendubbed‘PromforTheatrePeople!’ PACTofficialssaidinanewsrelease.

SeniorstoSmalls,Wednesdaysat3:30p.m., Formoreinformationortoregistercall 815-946-2713,callortext815-677-3586,email melaniew@pololibrary.org,gotothePoloLibrary websiteorFacebookpagetolookfortheGoogle formlink.

AdultPrograms

DecemberBookClubs

Friday,Jan.13,at1p.m., SeniorCenter - “Three WeeksWithMyBrother”byNicholasSparks. Monday,Jan.23,at1:30p.m., PoloLibrary“TheMidnightLibrary”byMattHaig. Wednesday,Jan.18,at5p.m., PoloLibrary -book&moviediscussionof“TheUltimateGift” and“TheUltimateLife”byJimStovall.

YogawithBecka

Wednesday,Jan.25at6p.m.-Call815-9462713oremaillibrary@pololibrary.orgtoregister. Yogawillnowbeevery4thWednesdayofthe month.

CraftNightw/TiffanyWarrenfromWeathered&Warren Thursday,Jan.19at5p.m.“WoodDiscDecorating”.Registrationwillopen forthisclassonJan.1.

GenealogyAssistance -Areyouinterestedin researchingyourancestorsbutdon’tknowwhere tostart?Doyouhaveastartandneedhelpwith yourresearch?StopbythefirstWednesday5-7 p.m.orthethirdSaturday10a.m.-12p.m.andlet Donnahelpwithyourproject.

andherhusband,Jon,EdieKlein,herhusband,Dave, a ndthe ir daughter,Hanna, andEricEllingsen,andhi s husband, Andrew.Everyoneenjoyedtimewithfamilyovertheholiday.

OnFri da y afternoon,mydaughter Stephanie,andherhusband,João,heard thenews t ha t theirfli gh t toMinneapolis ha d bee n canceledbecaus e ofthewinte r storm.TheystayedhomeinUtahandcelebratedtheholidayontheirownwiththeir dog,Pepper.

Mysons,MattandClint,werecelebratingtogetherinNorth Carolina . Theyha d plannedtheirow n activitiesforth e holiday.EveryonehadalovelyChristmaswith greatfood,giftexchan g esandshared phonecalls.

Thispastweekendedour second quarterforschool an d started ou r Christm as break.Inanticipationofthewinterstorm thatcametoourarea, I headedtothegrocerystoreonThursdaymorning.Iwaspreparedtospendthenextfewdaysathome.

Duringtheendoftheweek, I waspe rfectlycontenttostayinandwatchthe weatherfrominsidemyhome.WhenIwas r eadytoleavefor the ChristmasEveserviceonSaturdaynight,mycarwouldn’t start.

SinceIletthecarsitovertheextremely colddays,thebatteryhaddied Withone phoneca ll tomysuperherobrother,he came tomyrescue,includingpushingmy

caroutofthegaragesothecharging cables wouldreachmycar.

Mycartroubledelayedmeenoughthat I didn’tmakeittotheChristmasEve service asIhad planned.Ispent the eveningdrivingaroundthequietstreetsofPolo,listenin g toChristma s musicandenjoying the manylightdisplays.

While I missedbeingwithmy church familyandfriends,IknewIwasnot alone. IthoughtbackonallthequietdrivesI have madeonChristm as Eve,takinggue sts homeorretrievinggiftsthat werehidden atmymom’shouse.Inevermindeda drive onastar-filledevening.

The re isso mu ch antici p atio n for this onedayofthe ye ar. Mo nths ofpl an ning anddecoratinggointomakingthe perfect Christmas.Allwereallyneedistorememberthatinthequietanddarkofnight , Jesuscametolightupourworldwith love. AndHeisallweneed.

I hopetoseeyounextSundayas we startthenewyearwithourregular church ser vi ce Wecanbefound in personan d onlineonourFacebookpage.Come and joinusforatimeofworshipandpraise and wecenterourselvesandpreparefor the yearahead. I would liketowishyouall a veryHappyandSafeNewYear!

KarenMerlak livesinPoloandis a memberofthePineCreekChristian Church.

PoloLions Member TomSuits didn’t let the bitter cold stop him fromdoing grocer y deliveries on Dec. 21 .

Demolition of former county ja il nears completion

Doorwaybetween jail,oldcourthouse needstobesealedoff

ByALEXAZOELLNER azoellner@shawmedia.com

Demolitionofthe old Ogle County Jail isn’tquite done, but is near completion.

Loca te d at107S.Fifth St . inOr ego n,the old j ai l wa s attach ed to t he south sideofthehistoricOgleCounty Courthouse, abuildinginwhichmany county officialsstillhaveoffices.

“Rightnow,there’sadoorwaythat went intothelowerlevelofthecourthouse fromthejailandit’sstillin place,” CountyEngineerJeremy Ciesiel said.“Weneed toremovethat doo r, remov e the cind er bloc k wal l, and pourareinforcedconcreteplugto seal itoff.”

Frigidtemperatu re s havedelayed that work, he said.Once the weather improves, they’lltakecareofit,Ciesiel said, notinghedoesn’thaveadatefor when theworkwilltakeplace.

“Wehave a smallerfencearound

thatareanowtoprotectit,”hesaid.

OnOct.18,Ogl e CountyBoard membersaccepted a $98,30 0 bid fro m Martin& Co.,ofOregon,to demolis h theoldjail.

Thecostofdemolitionisbeingpaid

English as a Second La ng uage class begins Ja n. 17 in Mt . Morr is

Adultswh o wanttoimprovetheir Eng lish-s pe akingskill sc anjointh e springsessionoftheSaukValleyCommun ityCollegeEnglis h as a Secon d Lang uage(ESL ) beginningTuesday , Jan. 17,hostedbytheEvangelicalFree Church ofMt.Morris.

Classes willmeeton Tuesdays and Wednesdays from9to11a.m.through May 10.

Thefallsession,alsoheldatthe church, wrappedupDec.14.

Sincemid-September,15people fro m Mt.Morris andsurrounding com mu nitiesattende d thetwiceweekly classes.

Thi s wasth e firsttim e theAdult Educati onofficeatSVCChasoffered

thefre e clas sesinMt.Morris,andit was one of the la rgest they have had . Sessio ns alsoar e heldin Dixonand Sterling.

Toenrol l inESL classes,adul t learnersmustbe17yearsofageor olde r an d no t curr e nt ly en ro ll ed in highschool.

Adultswhoare interested in registeringforESLclassesmaycallthe SVCCAdultEducatio n officeat815835-631 0 formor e information.To spea k to a staffmemberinSpanis h, callLauraat815-835-6241.

TheEvangelicalFreeChurchis locatedat102S.SeminaryAve.,Mt. Morris.

fo r usin g Amer ic anRescuePlanAct monies–anexpenditurealsoapproved byboardmembersOct.18. Martincrewsbegantearingdown the 1969 cementblock building Dec.5 usingexcavators.

Debriswa s removedandthebaseme nt no w ha s beenfilled.Oncecompleted,th e sit e willbeus ed fo r add itionalparkingandasgreenspace.

ThenewOgleCountyCorrectional CenteropenedinNovember2020.

INTHECIRCUITCOURT, FIFTEENTHJUDICIALCIRCUIT,OGLECOUNTY,ILLINOISCAUSE 2022TX38:TOTHEFOLLOWINGNAMEDPERSONS(ANDIFDECEASED,TOTHEIRUNKNOWN HEIRSANDDEVISEES),ANDTOTHEILLINOIS ATTORNEYGENERAL,ILLINOISSECRETARYOF STATEVEHICLESERVICES,ILLINOISSECRETARYOFSTATEANDOGLECOUNTYCLERK,OGLE COUNTYTREASURER,OGLECOUNTYSTATE’S ATTORNEY,DITECHFINANCIALLLCMANAGER: GREENTREESERVICINGCORP,DITECHFINANCIALLLCCORPAGENT:CTCORPORATION SYSTEM,ANDTOOCCUPANTSANDUNKNOWNOWNERSAND PARTIESINTERESTEDINTHE PARCELSHEREINAFTERNAMED: ParcelNumberOwners/PartiesInterestedCertNumberStreetOrCommonAddress 24-40-50-094-0REED,TOM 2019-900107139SLILACLOT94 24-40-70-011-0CONWAY SR,JOHNR2019-90017120EMEADOWLANDLOT11

DELINQUENTMOBILEHOMELOCALSERVICES TAXESFORTHEYEAR2020ANDPRIORYEARS, ANDTHATTHEPERIODOFREDEMPTIONFROMSUCHSALEEXPIRESJUNE2,2023. TAKE FURTHERNOTICETHATAPETITIONFORORDERDIRECTINGISSUANCEOF TAXCERTIFICATES OFTITLEHASBEENFILEDINTHEABOVESAIDCAUSEASTOTHEABOVE-NAMEDMOBILE HOMESBYOGLECOUNTY,ASTRUSTEE,ANDTHATONJUNE22,2023 AT 9:00AM[COURTROOM 302],SAIDPETITIONERWILLAPPLYFORANORDERTHATA TAXCERTIFICATEOFTITLEISSUEAS TOEACHABOVESAIDMOBILEHOMENOTREDEEMEDONORBEFOREJUNE2,2023./S/OGLE COUNTYASTRUSTEE,PETITIONER.

FORFURTHERINFORMATIONCONTACTTHECOUNTYCLERK ADDRESS:105S.5THSTSTE104,OREGON,IL61061 TELEPHONE:(815)732-1110 December30,2022,January6,13,2023

EarleenHinton/ShawMedia

Demolition ofthe old Ogle County Jailin downtown Oregon is nearlycomplete. A door thatconnected the jail to the historic Ogle County Cour thouse viaa basement pathway (seenhere by thewhite door) has yet to be sealed.The pathway was used to take prisoners to the cour thouse for hearings before the new Ogle County Judicial Center was constructed

INTHECIRCUITCOURT, FIFTEENTHJUDICIALCIRCUIT,OGLECOUNTY,ILLINOISCAUSENO.2022TX37:TOTHEFOLLOWINGNAMEDPERSONS(ANDIFDECEASED,TO THEIRUNKNOWNHEIRSANDDEVISEES),ANDTOTHESTATEOFILLINOIS,ANDTOALLINTERESTEDDEPARTMENTSANDAGENCIESTHEREOF,INCLUDINGAMONG OTHERSILLINOISDEPTOFEMPLOYMENTSECURITY,ILLINOISPUBLICAIDCONSULTANT,ILLINOISDEPARTMENTOFHUMANSERVICES,ILLINOISDEPARTMENTOF REVENUE,ILLINOIS ATTORNEYGENERAL,STATEOFILLINOISDEPTOFHEALTHCARE& FAMILYSERVICES(PUBLICAID)GENERALCOUNSELANDOGLECOUNTYCLERK, OGLECOUNTYTREASURER,OGLECOUNTYSTATES ATTORNEY,CITYOFOREGON,COMMONWEALTHEDISONCO,LOSTLAKEUTILITYDISTRICT,UNITEDLOSTLAKE PROPERTYOWNERS,ANDTOOCCUPANTS,UNKNOWNOWNERSAND PARTIESINTERESTEDINTHE PARCELSHEREINAFTERNAMED:

ParcelNumberOwners/PartiesInterested

CertNumber StreetOrCommonAddress 14-16-176-007 WARNKEN,EDL 2019-00013 404 W. BUFFALOST. 14-16-176-007CITYOFPOLOCITYCLERK 2019-00013 404 W. BUFFALOST. 14-16-176-007 TAXLIENINVESTMENTS 2019-00013 404 W. BUFFALOST. 25-23-286-004WICKE,MARIAN 2019-00041 224E.DEPOTST. 25-23-286-004REALTAXDEVELOPERS LTDRA:NICOLEHATCH 2019-00041 224E.DEPOTST. 25-23-286-004VILLAGEOFCRESTON 2019-00041 224E.DEPOTST. 25-23-286-004WICKE,BURTONA 2019-00041 224E.DEPOTST. 25-23-286-004ROBB,REBECCA 2019-00041 224E.DEPOTST. 24-25-280-013SHOOK,DONALDR 2019-00095 212 AVENUEH 24-25-280-013SHOOK,JANETE 2019-00095 212 AVENUEH 24-25-280-013SHOOK,DONALD 2019-00095 212 AVENUEH 24-25-280-013RUTLEDGE,RANDY 2019-00095 212 AVENUEH 24-25-280-013RUTLEDGE,LINDA 2019-00095 212 AVENUEH 24-28-102-012INMAN,CASSANDRAMTRUSTEE

THEELLENEINMANIRREVOCTRUST 2019-00102 11052E.LINCOLNLN. 24-28-102-012REALTAXDEVELOPERS LTDRA:NICOLEHATCH 2019-00102 11052E.LINCOLNLN. 24-28-102-012 TAXLIENINVESTMENTS 2019-00102 11052E.LINCOLNLN. 02-28-381-006SCHANDELMEIER,DALEW 2019-00108 402 W. WHITEOAKRD. 02-28-381-006SCHANDELMEIER,RHONDAL 2019-00108 402 W. WHITEOAKRD. 02-28-381-006VILLAGEOFFORRESTON 2019-00108 402 W. WHITEOAKRD. 02-28-381-006 TAXLIENINVESTMENTS 2019-00108 402 W. WHITEOAKRD. 02-26-100-002SCHANDELMEIER,DALEW 2019-00152 8950N.COLUMBINERD. 02-26-100-002SCHANDELMEIER,RHONDAL 2019-00152 8950N. COLUMBINERD. 12-19-476-014BEACH,BRENDAK 2019-00156 WENDORFRD. 12-19-476-014BEACH,DAVIDR 2019-00156 WENDORFRD.

12-19-476-014FIRSTNATIONALBANK&TRUSTCOMPANY 2019-00156 WENDORFRD. 12-19-476-014CENTRALBANKILLINOIS 2019-00156 WENDORFRD.

15-09-300-002GEORGE,BETHWHITEPINESLODGE 2019-00200 6712 W PINESRD. 09-11-176-006SNYDER,HARRYE 2019-00219 PARKDR. 11-27-213-003PCOHOMESLLCMGR:JACOBJPETRY 2019-00238 1035NORTHWESTERN AVE. 22-07-126-004HARRIS,WILLIAMJ 2019-00240 S.ROCKNATIONRD. 22-07-126-004BLAKESLEE,BETHA 2019-00240 S.ROCKNATIONRD. 22-08-105-020TERRY, JAMESP 2019-00242 SLIPPERYROCKDR. 22-08-204-007 WAGENKNECHT,JAMES 2019-00245 MISSISSIPPIDR. 22-08-204-007WILLIAMS,ROBBIEL 2019-00245 MISSISSIPPIDR. 22-08-427-001SMK1LLCMGR:SCOTTLODOR 2019-00251 PORTAGELN.&MISSISSIPPIDR. 22-08-427-002SMK1LLCMGR:SCOTTLODOR 2019-00252 PORTAGELN. 22-08-427-003SMK1LLCMGR:SCOTTLODOR 2019-00253 PORTAGELN.&MIAMIDR. 22-08-427-016RICHMOND,FONZIE 2019-00255 MIAMIDR. 22-08-427-017RICHMOND,FONZIE 2019-00256 MIAMIDR. 22-08-427-017NEWLANDINGPOAMGR:BARBWIESE 2019-00256 MIAMIDR. 22-08-428-003KACIN,GEORGEB 2019-00257 PORTAGELN.&CUYAHOGADR. 22-08-429-010LAWSON,CHARLES 2019-00258 VERMILLIONLN. 22-08-477-010RASMUSSEN,GRACETRUSTEERASMUSSEN,GRACE 2019-00261 IRONCT. 22-09-103-005WILCOX,MATTHEW 2019-00262 TIMBERTRAILDR. 22-09-103-005WILCOX,DUSTIN 2019-00262 TIMBERTRAILDR. 22-09-103-005 PALENEER,TRISHA 2019-00262 TIMBERTRAILDR. 22-09-103-005KITSON,WILFORDR 2019-00262 TIMBERTRAILDR. 22-09-103-014MILLER,MARCR 2019-00263 WHITEPINEDR. 22-09-327-007TURNER,MINETTE 2019-00265 HICKORYLN. 22-09-352-008NORTHERNILLINOISPROPERTYLLC 2019-00266 PARKDR.&CUYAHOGADR. 20-11-463-001SPAINE,ROSELIE 2019-00268 802S.CENTRALST.

TAKENOTICETHATTHEABOVESAID PARCELSWERESOLDONNOVEMBER4,2020,FORGENERAL TAXESFORTHEYEAR2019ANDPRIORYEARS,ANDTHATTHEPERIODOF

REDEMPTIONFROMSUCHSALEEXPIRESJUNE2,2023.

Squa d rear-ended during blizzard cond it ions

Firefightersrespondedtotwo accidentsduringwhiteout

ByEARLEENHINTON andALEXAZOELLNER

AnOgleCountySheriff’sdeputy sufferedminor injurieswhen hissquadwasstruck frombehind as blizzardconditionsspreadacross northernIllinois deeming manysecondaryroads“impassable.”

Saturday m orning , theOgleCountySheriff’s Office postedonitsFacebookpage a commentand pictures oftheDec.23crash,whichoccurredatIllinois Route26andPrairieDellRoadinnorthwestern Ogle County.

“Thankfully,ourdeputywa s inanSU V and walked awaywithminorinjuries…afterbeingrearend ed by a truckyesterda y afternoon,”thepos t rea ds.“Thismorning,deputie s continuetoreport drifting and whiteoutconditionsinopen areas For everyone’s safety,slowdownifyouhavetogoout.”

Athirdvehicle–asmallerSUV–wasbehindthe pic kuptruckandrear-endedth e truck,Forresto n Fire ProtectionDistrictChiefBobMeyerssaid.Forrestonfire wasamongtheagenciesthat responded to thecrash.

Altogether,thereweresevenpeopleinthethree vehicles, Meyerssaid.Sixofthemweretransported to a hospitalwithminorinjuries,andonesigneda refusal tobetreated,hesaid.

“Rightinthatarea,itwasjus ta to t alwhiteou t and that’s what caused itall,”Meyerssaid.“There wer e eventimeswherewewere200fee t fro m our firetruc ksandyoucouldn’thardlyseethem.You really hadtolookattimeswhenyou’dgetabiggust of wind.”

Aroundthesametime, a secondmulti-vehicle crash occurredonRoute26atHaldaneRoadbetween Pol o andForreston.Th e PoloFireProtectio n District wasamongemergencyresponders.

“Itoldtheguystoslowwaydowngoingout there, ” Pol o FireChiefJi m Portssaid.“Isaid,‘We don’t wanttocauseanymoreaccidentsandwedon’t want togetintoanyaccidentsbecauseofthewhiteout conditions.’”

Ontheirwaytothecrash,therewere s tretche s “where youcouldn’tseeanythingontheroad,”he said.

Bythetimetheyarrived,respondersfromthe state hadthesceneblockedoffwitharoadgraderat one endand a truckattheother, Portssaid. A Polo truck wasaddedtothelineup,hesaid.

Thelargevehicleshelpedprotec t thepeople invol vedinthecrashandth e firstresponder s by forci ngotherdriverstoslowdownasthey approached thescene,Portssaid.

“Iwoul d lik e tothan k allth e fir e agenciesthat also responded.Wehadtwomulti-vehicleaccidents at thesametimeandtheworkingrelationshipwith those agencieshelpedmakesurethateverybodywas safe,” OgleCountySheriffBrianVanVickl e said. “PoloandForrestondepartmentsnotonlyassisted with theinjured,butalsohelpeddiverttrafficduring that time.”

HethankedallfireandEMSdepartment s that responded tocallsthroughoutthestorm.

“Ifyouseeemergencyvehicles,trytoavoidthem and trytostay clearofit,”Ports cautioneddrivers. “I f yougobyanaccidentscene,goreal , realslow

becausewe’vegotpeopleoutthereworking.”

HeandMeyersbot h urgedpeopl e tonottrave l unlessit’sabsolutelynecessarywhentheweatheris likeitwasovertheweekend.

LateFridayafternoon, th e sheriff’soffice urged motorist s nottoattemptdrivingoncountyand townshiproadsbecauseofthehighwindsandblowingsnow.

Countyandtownshipsnowplow s worked throughoutthedaytotrytocleardrift s onrural roads.ThoseplowssuspendedeffortslateFriday andresumedtheireffortsearlySaturdaymorning.

Meyersalsoadvise d driverstodressappropriatelyforweatherandtokeepemergencykitsintheir vehiclesin case theygetstranded. Itemsto storein yourcarincludeextrablankets,coats,gloves,warm bootsand,ifpossible,water.

TheCarrollCountySheriff’sOfficealsourged motoriststostayof f allsecondaryroadsuntilthe stormpassed.

OnSaturday,thedepartmentpostedthismessage: “Crewsare workinghard this morning toget theroadsopen.Atthistime,itisstillrecommended toavo id seconda ry roads....Weareworkin g on removingabandonedvehiclesfromtheroads.”

Fifty-eightweather-relatedcallsforservicecame inFridayand67vehicleswerestuckintheroadways,accordingtothepost Thepostsaid26people weretransportedtosafety,fourpeoplesleptintheir vehiclesandeightpeoplesleptatafiredepartment.

Officialsalsoshareda mapofwhereabandoned vehicleswerestranded.

“Hopefullythewindwillendsoon Besafeout there!”thepostsaid.

OgleCountySheriff’sDepartment

An Ogle County Sherif f’s deput ysuffered minor injuries af ter his squad wasrear-ended by a pickup truck during thewinter storm. First responders bat tled whiteout conditions during thewinter storm.

EarleenHinton/ShawMedia

The Ogle County Highway Department’s road grader, equippedwithasnowplow, headseast on Pine s Road between Polo and Oregon af ter working to clear roads in we stern Ogle County High winds andblowingsnow made some county and township roads impassable prompting of ficials to strongly advise motorist s not to venture out duringthe winter storm warning.

LOCALHISTORY

La st week ’s winter stor m changed many travel plans

Ourfamilywaslucky,atleast thos e whower e flying,that theirplansdidnotchange. Theyhadmadeplanstoflyearlyinthe weeksothe y al r ead y ha d reache d theirdestinationforChristmas.

Lily,however,gotstrandedin Michiganwithcar troubleandbythe timeitwasfixed , th e weathe r had changed.Onecouldnotbeontheroad. SheisstillwaitinganditisChristmas Day.

MyhouseisverysecureandIrarely canhearwhatisgoingonoutside. Thatwasnotthecase wit h the E agl e Pointhouseandmanytimeswefelt theroofwasgoingwiththestrong countr y winds Bu t intownthathas beenadifferentstoryuntilthisweek.

Thewindblew,thehousewascold, andIhuddledunderwarmblankets.I thought of allthe peo plewho did not have a sturdyhomean d th e animals outinthewinterwind.

Atsomepoint I reali zed thatI had

POLOHISTORY

Betty Obendorf

thedraperiesinthelivingroomclosed thinkingitwouldbewarmerbutthey trappe d theheatofmybaseboar d heating.So I threwbackthecurtains andtheall-purpose room warmedup. Thatbecamethewarmestroominthe house.

I satandenjoyedthedecorations outsideatotherhomes.Ilovethecommunitytreefrommyfrontwindow and I watchedDVDsofpastChristmases.Lori andDanielhadput those togetherwhenwewereshutinbythe COVID -1 9 pandemic . Thatseemsso long a gobutKennethwaswithme whenwewatchedallthose.

COVID-1 9 conti nu esan dI foun d

thatoutoverThanksgivingwhen I wassosick.Ionlygetoutnowwithall th e badroadsan d sidewalkswhe n familycanbetheretotakeme.Thatis why onChristma sE ve d ay w he n Bruc e calledan d said th eywouldbe overtotake metochurch, I wasvery pleased.

IhadthoughtIwouldnotbegoing.I was pl eas ed to see B r uce , Robin and BethfromBoston.

WhenwewalkedinandIlookedat al l thelovelypoinsettias, I realize dI hadnotorderedoneinmemoryofthe family.HavingCOVID-19changes one’sroutineandone’smindisnoton theusual.Thechurc h lookedlovely andthecandleligh t servic e isalways impressive .I wa s soglad to beth er e withfamilyan d thechurc h wa s full Sonic e tohavesomanythereinthe coldweather.

ThemusicwaslovelyandBeth’s “O,HolyNight”wassoverybeautiful. I remembe r th e manytimeswhen

Beth and I didthatnumberas a duet andthatseemssolongago.NowIcannotsingthehighnotesasIage.SoI sit backandenjoylisteningtoothers.

Itwasnicetoseefamiliesthere and watchthesmallerchildrenaswe light th e candlesweallhol d soverycarefully.Whata nice service. I thank my familyfordrivingovertotakeme.

Ourfamilywillsoonbegatheri ng hereinPoloatmyhome.Theslus h punc h isreadyandtheeggnogwil l nee d tohavethewhippingcrea m all whippedup.

Eventheyoungerkidsenjoy the eggno g. I thinkitis allthat l us ci ous whippedcream.

Wewillsingtogetherandenjoy the MCAHNYgamemysisterput together manyyearsago.Itisnowafamilytradition.

•BettyObendorfisaretired teacher andavolunteerforthePolo Historical Society.

Bett yMar y El len Crof t born on the Crof t fa rm in 1926

ByOTTODICK

At th e intersectionofLeaf RiverandWestGroveRoads istheCroftFarm.Tothe westofthisintersectionislocatedthe SilverCreekCemeteryandatonetime asmallvillagecalledTrotTown.

A wonde rful ba rnst and s toda y builtin1867 Atthi s farm,Betty’ s father,MiltonLewisCroft,supervised CCCworkers buildingconcretespillways.Thecornerpostsonthisfarm areconstructedofconcrete.

Milton’ s son , RobertElde n Croft, marriedOgleCountySheriffJim White’sdaughte r, Nancy,an d hi s grandson,JohnCroft,married,Karna, the da ughter of Dr .W oo d.J im Wh it e andDr.WoodbothlivedinOregon.

BettyMaryEllenCroftwasbornon theCroftfarmNov.23,1926,andlived anamazinglife.Hermother,Eva WeltyCroft,di ed in192 8 when Betty was1½yearsold.Shewasraisedwith hergrandparentsJohnD.andAddie CroftinLeafRiver.

HergrandparentJohnD.,diedthe yea r beforeshegradu ated fro m high schoolinLeafRiver Betty graduated

valedictorianatLeafRiverHigh Schoolin1944.Shewasawardedan OgleCountyScho larshi p tothe UniversityofIllinois.

Aftergrad ua tion,shean d he r grandmotherCroftmovedtoUrbana wheresheearnedherbachelor’s degreeinLati n. Sh e thenwentonto earntwoadvanceddegrees.Betty workedfor theuniversity the next22 yearsretiringasafullprofessor.

AfterretirementfromtheUofIshe accepted a po sition as technical adviserforNorthwestMissouriState Universit y inMaryville , Missouri Duringher12yearsatMSUshewasan adviserforthenewlibrary buil din g anddirectorofthelibrary.

Follo wi nghe r careeratMS U sh e movedbacktoOgleCountywhereshe wasknownas a tourismadvocatefor thecit y ofOregon.Shesponsored a numberofbrochuresofourrichheritage.

Bettylovedbooksandthearts, especiallyTaft’sEternalIndianStatue. (laterakaBlackHawk) Shesaid s he readtwobookseachweekandwanted toincreasethistothree.

ManyofusobservedBettystanding

Those Were the Days program is Saturday, Dec. 31 , at Oregon Depot

TheOregonDepotMuseumwillhosta“Those WeretheDays”postChristmaspartyonSaturday, Dec.31,from10a.m.tonoon.

nearBlackHaw k St atueexplaining thehistoryof Taftandhisstatue and raisingmone y forBlackhaw k rest oration.

She also workedonmany projects, includingestablishingtheLeafRiver HistoricalMuseum,workin g atthe Ric e Cemeteryandworkinginth e

“Wewillhaverefreshments,afewsweetsand maybeafewstoriestoshare,includingdetailsof theOttoDick“Honeymoon”!Youwon’twantto missthisgathering,”saidChrisMartin,oneofthe organizers.

“WelookforwardtoseeingyouonSaturdayto

OregonGenealogy Departmentat the Library.Shealsospenttimeat the informationboothlocatedinOregon. MoreonBettyCroftnextweek.

OttoDickis a retiredteacher and hasresearchedOgleCounty history forseveralyears.

welcometheNewYear!”

“ThoseWeretheDays”programsareheldatthe OregonDepot,401CollinsSt.

Formoreinformationabouttheprograms,call Martinat815-742-8471.

ImagesprovidedbyOtto Dick

LE FT: Bett yCrof t (right) andher grandmother are pictured here af ter Betty graduatedfrom the University of Illinois . ABOVE: The Crof t barn was built in 1867 and is located southof Leaf River. Betty was born at this farm .

Brethren Newsline of fers more infor mat ion on Pinecrest sa le to Allure Healthca re Serv ices

Editor’snote:This articleisbeing reprintedwithpermission fromthe ChurchoftheBrethren Newsline.We thoughtthiswouldbeinterestingto our readersbecauseofPinecrest’sand theBrethrenChurch’slongtime presence inMt.Morris.

ByCHERYLBRUMBAUGH-CAYFORD

PinecrestCommunity,aretirement communit y andnursingcarefacility in Mt.Morris,hasbeensoldtotheforprofit AllureHealthcareServices.The sale wasfinalizedonFriday,Dec.2.

Founde d bytheChurchofthe Bre threnin1893 , Pinecres t is a community ofsome 150residentsinthree le velsofcare:independentliving, nursing careandmemorycare.About 80 ar e innursingcar e an d me mo ry care, withtherestinindependent living. Pinecrestwasaffiliate d withthe ch urch’sIllinoisandWi sc on sinDistrict andwasamemberoftheFellowship ofBrethrenHomes.

Tha t churc h relationshiphas ended.

“Theboardofdirectorsandleaders of Pi ne cres t gr ie veth e lossofmore thana centurylong connectiontothe Church of the Br ethren, ”a Pinecres t relea sesaid “Ourrichhistor y with the ChurchoftheBrethrenhasbee n wov enthroughever y da y ofourservice toPinecrestresidentsandour gre atercommunity.Thi s connection wi llbe a bedrockforcommittedstaff as theycontinu e toserv e residents with thenewowners. Weareforever grateful totheChurchoftheBrethren and itsmembersfor129yearsofsuppo rtofPinecres t ’sministryto seniors.”

Anunsustainable financialsituation

“Pinecresthas beenlosing$150,000 or moreeachmonthduringthelast two y ears,whichha s cause d usto burn throughcashat a ratethat alertedtheboard and managementto the needtoact,”saidFerolLabash, Pinecrest CEO.

LowMedicaidreimbursementrates in Ill in oisto p thefactorscreating Pinecr est’sunsustainabl e financial situation They“havebeeninsufficient tocoverthecostofcarefor Pinecrest residentsfordecades,” according totherelease.

“Medicaidreimbursementis the pr imar y sourceofpaymentforthe ma jorit y ofpeople,57percentinIllinois , whoresideinnursinghomes long term,”Labashsaid.However,the sta te’ s Medi ca idreim bu rsemen t for nursing homecarehasbeenoneofthe lowestinthenationandIllinois “his-

toricallytookmonthstoapprove applicants,som e timesaslongas a yearormore , andtypicallypaid month s inarrears . Frequentl y th e stateowedthreetosixmonthsofreimbursementandonoccasionitfellto eightmonthsbehindonpayments.”

AtPinecrest,“Medicaidreimbursementwaslessthanhalfofthecostof providingcareforresi de n ts.Thedifferenceinreimbursementandcostof carewascoveredbyprivatepayrates, otherareasofoperatio n anddonations,”Labashsaid.

WhenCOVID-19hit,thealreadydifficul t financialsituatio n worsened. TherewereaddedexpensesforPPE equipment,COVIDtesting,cleaning supplies,medica l wa steremovaland hazardpay.

“Thelossesexperiencedduetothe Medicaidsystemlef t noma rginsto helpPinecrestthroughthefinancial challengesofthepandemic,”Labash said.“Revenuefellsignificantly duringthefirst yearofthepandemic asadmissionswerehaltedinthenursing hom e and memorycareand individualsbecamehesitanttomoveinto independentliving.”

Duringthefirstyearofthepandemic,governmen t fundinghelpe d keepPine cr es t afloat Howev er , th e addedexpensesfromthepandemic continuedbutthegovernmentfunding didnot.

Andthentherewerestaffingshortages.

In a nursin g carefacility , staffing shortagesresultin a lowerresident

census.Whe n the re arenotenough employeestoprovidecaretoresidents, bedsthat becomeavailablecannotbe filled,andapplicationsfromnewresidentscannotbeaccepted.Thecommunitylosesyetmorerevenue.

“Historically , Pinecrestem pl oyed approximately185staff,”Labashsaid. “Wecurrentlyemploy155.Hiring dietary,nursesandCNAsbecame nearlyimpossibleduring thepasttwo years.Pinecrest cannotcompete with th e wagestha t ar e bein g offeredby staffingagencies.Wehave11less nursesthanwehadduringnormal staffing,andmanagementhasfilledin shiftsindietaryformonths.”

Averydifficultdecision

Onceitwa s determinedthefinancialsitu ationwasunsustainable, Pinecrest’sboardfacedaverydifficult decision:whethertoclosethefacility, forcing residents toseekother places tolive,orseekapurchaserthatwould maintainthefacilityandcont inu e to providecaretotheresidents.

Theboardandmanagementbegan theprocess oflookingfor a pa r tne r approximate ly a yea r and a halfago, Labashsaid.“Initially,a partnership waspursuedwithanotherfaith-based, not-for-profit organization.Thatorganizationdidananalysisbuteventually decidedanaffiliationwastooriskyto itscurrentoperations.”

They tu rnedtoZiegl er , aninve stmentbankthatsp eci alizesinhealth careandseniorlivingcommunit ie s. “Zieglerattempte d tofind a not-forprofi t partnerforPinecrest,”Labash.

said.“Unfortunately,duetothemarketco n ditions,not-for-profitorganizationswerenotinacquisitionmode Zieglerthen turne d to a selectgroup offor-profitowner/operatorsthat haveth e bestreputationsforcarein thefor-profitsideofthebusiness Fou r ofthosecompaniestoured Pinecres t an d offerswerereceive d fromtwo.”

Bothcompanieswhogaveoffer s werevettedbythePinecrestboard andmanagemen t throughpresentationsan d interviews,researchwith Medicare,contactstopeoplewhohad experiencewiththem , andunannouncedvisitstofacilities theyown.

Inselectingthepurchaser , the b oard set thepr i oritie s “of maintaining a retirementcommunityinMt. Morris,honoringitscommitmentto prov id e qual itycarean d me etits finan ci alcommitm en tstoPi ne crest residents,providingcontinued employmentforstaffandmeetingobligationstovendors,”thereleasesaid.

AllureHealthcareService s was chosenforbeing “committedtoqualitycareforitsresidentsandtocreating a familyatmosphereamon g its staff,”thereleasesaid.Thecompanyis justafewyearsold,andalreadyowns nineotherfacilitiesinIllinoisinadditiontoPinecrest.

“Wewillnotrealize a profitfrom thesaleofthehome,”Labashsaid. “T hi s isanassetsaleandPinecres t willberesponsibleforpayingoffbank bonds,ordebt,withtheproceeds;payin g th e ne w owne r foraccruedvacation,sicktime,etc.,forstaffsothat benefitsarenotlost;providingan al lowancetoth e buyer f ordeferred maintenance;andfinallymeetingvendorobligations.Iftherewereanyproceedleft,thebylawscallforthattobe giventotheChurchoftheBrethren.”

Grievingtheloss

“Wearegrievingthe loss of our ChurchoftheBrethrenconnection,” Labashsaid.“Whilewemaynolonger officiallybeconnectedtothechurch, somanyof us arefollow ers ofChrist and willcontinueinhisserviceaswe careforourresidents.”

PinecresthadmaintaineditsaffiliationwithIllinoisandWisconsinDi strictthroughboardmembership. Priortothesale,Pinecr e stbylaws requiredthatamajorityofitsboardbe membersofthechurch,andthatth e districtconferenceapprovethei r appointments.

Howeve r, thedistrictdidno t ow n thehome.Own er shipofretiremen t co mmunitiesoftenisseparatedfrom

EarleenHinton/ShawMedia

Pinecre st Communit y, now owned by Allure Healthcare Services, is located on Bray ton Street and M cKendrie Avenue in Mt. Morris .

Federa lg ra nt stof undproject sinDixon,Mt. Morr is

ByRACHELRODGERS rrodgers@shawmedia.com

TheSenateapprovedanappropriation sb il lt hatinclude sf undingfo r project sinD ixon,Mt.Morri sa nd MountCarroll.

U.S.Se n at o rsDick D urbi na nd TammyDuckworthannouncedsecuring m orethan $ 18 2m illi on t hro ug h congressionallydirectedspendingfor Illin oi sp roject si nt hefisca l2 023 OmnibusAppropriationsAct.

InDixon,thatwillmean$210,000to gotowa rd renova ti on sa tt heDi x on PublicLibraryin a$600,000project to fixupbasementspacean dc onvertit into alargerareaforprograms,meetings andotherevents.

Th e1 ,700-square-foo tp rojec ta rea includes alargeroom, asmall nearby roomand ab athroom withtermite damageandasbestos.

Wor kw illinclud ea sbes to sa batement,removingleadpaintinthebathroomandre p ai rin gt ermitedamage. Thedeterioratedwoodenfloor will be replacedwithpouredconcrete,an d newductworkwillbeinstalled.

LEDlighti ng willbeinst alled throughout,and adropceilingwillbe installedinmostofthearea.Thebathroomwillbemadecompliantwiththe

Americanswith Di sabiliti es Act, and therewillbe ab ab y-changingtable. Water -d amage dp las t er wi llbe repairedandnewcarpetinginstalled. Adividingwallwillberemovedtoprovidebetteraccessbetweentwospaces.

“Thisappropriationspackage makessignificantinvestmentsin t he fu tu reof Illinois,”Durbinsaidin a newsrelease.“The useof Congressiona l ly -d ir ectedspendingprovide s members ofCongress,whoknowtheir statesanddistrictsbetterthanfederal agencypersonnelinWashington,with theabilityto directfederalfundingto priorityprojectsintheircommunities. Thismuch-neededfederalfundingwill hel p l ocalities i nI llinoi sl aunc h importan ti nf rastructur ep ro jects, improveaccesstohealthcare,advance environmentalconservation, strengthencommunit yv iolence p reventioninitiatives,supportourrural communiti es toensur et hey h av e accesstotheresourcestheyneed and muchmore.”

TheMt.MorrisFireProtectionDistrictwillbe get ting$1m illion to providefundingforthedesign,engineeringandsiteworkfortheconstruction of anewfirestationinMt.Morris.The exis t in gf irestationhasnotbeen updatedsincethe1920s.

Anar tist ’s renderingshowstheproposednew Mt. Morris Fire Station, which would replace thevillage’s centur y- old, unsafe and inef ficientf irehouse.E stimatedcostfor thenew building is $4.5 million

“Ourstateandournationarestrongerwhenweinvestinou rc om mu nitiesandfamilies –andthat’swhatthis bipartisanfundi n ga greeme nt does, ” Duc kwo rt hs aid.“I’msoproud Iw as abletohelpsecurecriticalsupportfor projects a llacro ssourst at etoh el p cleanupourwater,improveour state’sinfrastructure,expan dh ealth careaccess ,c reatejobsan dt ackle environmentalinjusticeissues facing communitiesacrossIllinois.”

•PINECREST

Continuedfrom Page7

ELLENSUEGIBSONTODD DEWOLFE

“Athingofbeauty is ajoyforever;It’s lovelinessincreases; itwillneverpassinto nothingness.”-John Keats TakemyhandJesus said, Iwillleadthe way.QuietlyEllenfollowedhertrustedfriend onTuesday,December20,2022.

Anenchantedlifesheledwithherknight inshiningarmor,Robert.Herroadwarrior partnersharedthejoyofcamping,kiteflying, andhemadeallherdreamscometrue.

TheloveofDurangobroughtmanyyearsof naturetoher.Handinhandtheydelighted intheirdaughtersAprilandAngie’ssuccessesinlife.Theirdaughters’marriedbliss broughtlaughterfromGrandchildrenSamuel Hermanstorfer,Joshua(Savannah)HermanstorferandAmandaSandersonwhoprovided endlesssmilesandwarmhugs.Lifeseen through agrandchild’seyesispurepleasure. WeeklyTuesday 2cents keptthefamilyclose

andhelpedrecordtheeventsoflife. With agratefulheartforallwhoshareda momentinEllen’slife;shewishescontinued happinessandshares asmiletobepassed forward.RememberEllen’sjoyofChristmas, Snow,andFlowers.Whileherlifejourneywas challengingattimes;faithanddetermination gaveherthepositivejivestocontinueon. SurvivingareherlovinghusbandRobertDeWolfe,DaughtersApril(Dennis)Sanderson, andAngela(RickPackard)Hermanstorfer, SiblingsGayle RPembertonStodgel,PamelaL NelsonLarrison(Steve),Gloria JCraig(Cliff), andWilliam FTodd(Joy),Sisters-in-lawMary JoyceLee(Robert)andSandraGriffinTodd andnumerousniecesandnephews.

EllenwaswelcomedtoHeavenbyher daughterSusanMichelle,siblingsPatricia JToddCappel,Thomas CToddandparents Harold(Red)andFlorenceMcDanielGibson Todd.

Privateserviceswillbeheldat alaterdate. MemorialscanbemadetoJeffersonEMS, 351 ERacineSt.Jefferson,Wisconsin53549 orMt.MorrisFireFoundation,15E.Center Street.Mt.Morris,Illinois61054

Visitwww.schneidermichaelisfuneralhome. comtoleave acondolenceforthefamily.

thec hurch“toprotectthedenominationfromfinancialliabilityrelatedto th eo per atio no ft hereti re mentcommunity,”Labashsaid.

Therewasverbalassurancefrom AllurethatchaplainRodneyCaldwell, wh oa lsopastorsMount M or ris Church oftheBrethren,willcontinue aschaplain ,a mongassurances that mostemployees w illbekepton. Already, af ewpositionshavebeen ende d, an do thers are e xp ec te dtob e “repositionedintoothe rr olesinthe organization,”shesaid.“Atthispoint, Allureseemscommittedtominimizing joblossasmuchaspossible.

“Theonereallypositivetomeisthe continuatio nofP in ecrest’soriginal missiontotakecareofthepoor,” Labashsaid.Thereisanassurance that afor-profitwillbeabletocontinue careforresidentsonMedicaid.

ItiscounterintuitivethatMedicaid ismoreadvantageou sf or af or- profit th an an onprofit,butLabashsaid for-profit sh avetheresourcestofill bedswi t hM edicaidresidents .Int he state’ sm ostrecen tr evampingofits progra m, Il linoiscreatedvariables thatmeanper-day,per-residentMedicaidreimbursementsvarywidelyfor differentfacilities.Nonprofitsareat a

STEAM HubCreation,Mount Carroll

TheUniversityofIllinoisBoard of Trustees ,inp artn e rs hi pw ith t he WestCarr ol lS cho ol District,wi ll receive$438,000todevelo pa STEAM Hub.

Th eS TE AM Hubproject would includecompute r s,digitalan d3 -D printer s, sew ing machinesand art supplie sf orcl assroominstr uction an dafter-school learning.

sharpdisadvantagebecausethey do nothavetheresourcestohirethestaff andsetupthesystemsneededtodo the chartingthatisrequired.

“Pinecres th asn’ th adthestaf ft o charteverythingthatcapturesallthe Medicaiddocumentationthatyou get paidfor,”Labashsaid.Allure,asa forprof itcomp any wit hm or er esou rce s, willbe abletogetsignificantlyhigher Medicaidreimbursements.

“It’ sar ea ll yb rokensystem, ” Labashsaid,andshefearsitwill force manymorefaith-basednonprofit facilitiestosellorclose.

“Thegenerosity ofdonorshad kept usgoing,”shesaid. “ For decades, Pinecrestsurvivedondonors.”

Wha tw illha p pentoPinecrest ’s GoodSamaritanFund,andotherdonations?

Labashreport e dt ha tt hefin ancial situationwassuchth at al ld on ations wereusedimmediatelyforreside nt care .T he Goo dS amarita nF un dw as notheldseparatelyfromthe operating budget.

“It’s anemotionaltime .T his has bee nam inistr ytom e,”Labas hs aid “It’sheartbreakingtolosethat.It was ahardchoice.Wedidn’twanttosee an emptybuild in gw it ho urreside nts wit hnop lace t og o.Butthe level o f carewillcontinuebecause i t’sth e sameteamwhowillbeworkinghere.”

ImageprovidedbyRob Hough IV

County engineer ‘t ips hat’ to snow plow dr ivers Driversfacelonghours,

arenotstate-markedroads,Ciesiel said.ExamplesincludePinesRoad, whichconnectsOregonandPolo,and FlaggRoad,whichconnectsRochelle andLeeCounty.

ByALEXAZOELLNER azoellner@shawmedia.com

Withmorethan270milesofroadto cl ear , theOgl e CountyHighwa y Department maintenanceteamhad the irhandsfullwit h thesnowstorm last week.

“Itwasareallyuniquestorminmy mind,” CountyEnginee r Jeremy Ciesiel said.“Wegotasmallamountof snow, butincertainareas–especially in thewestpartofthecounty–wehad snowdrifts over 5 feethigh,even though wegot2inchesofsnow.”

Hesaidconditionsinthecountry whe rethe re arefe werstru ct ur es to block thewindare“oftenquitedifferent thanwhattheyareinthecities , especially whenwehavewindsthe way they w ereblowing o verthi s storm.”

The Ogle CountyHig hw ay Depa rtment h asjurisdictionover,andis responsible for,roadways thatgenerall y co nnectpopulationcentersbut

They don’tclear thestate-marked roads,hesaid.Townshiproadsare smallercountry roadsand are maintainedbytownshiproadcommissioners.

Whentheroadsthecountyis responsibleforare added up,there’s 270centerlin e mile s worth,which equatestoabout550lanemiles, Ciesie l said.Centerlinemilesdon’ t counttheindividuallanes,justthe lengt h fro m Poin tA toPointB,he said.

Theroadsaredividedinto10plow routes , eachaveraging27miles , Ciesielsaid.

“Theyareallmaintainedwit h equalattention,”hesaid.

Th e 14membersofth e maint enanc e te am eac h worke d atleast 12 hoursonDec 22,23and24,hesaid Onlytheforeman workedonChristmasDay,drivingaroundtocheckthe statusoftheroads,Ciesielsaid.

“Thankfully,wit h thewinddying down, staffwereabletoenjoyatleast

SeePLOWS, Page11

EarleenHinton/ShawMedia

An Ogle County snowplow heads south on Illinois 2 af ter working to clear roads across the county on Friday, Dec. 23 High winds and blowingsnow made some county and township roads impassable, prompting of ficials to strongly advisemotorists not toventure out during thewinter stormwarning.

WarrantyDeeds

NE WS Dec.16-22

FrankW.ZimmermantoElizabethM. WagnerandIriaK.Pico,9640N.GirlScout Road,Byron,$185,000.

NathanA.WaughtoLonnieD.andDebraK. Waugh,215S.HickorySt.,StillmanValley, $117,500.

RichardE.andNancyVolandtoDouglasB. andVickieD.Jones,716KaskaskiaDr.,Dixon, $10,000.

NancyD.DoctortoTellusDemetraLLC, oneParcelonLowellParkRoad,Dixon, $633,520.

MargaretFairtoAlyssaA.Nelson,427E. FourthSt.,Byron,$159,900.

SpenderL.andKarenA.HaydentoTZ HuberInc.,oneparcelonCurrencyCourt, Rochelle,$262,000.

DavidW.andJohnF.SafandatoCharlesH. Payne,oneparcelinMonroeTownship, $280,000.

ThomasR.andLoriJ.BrowntoMichaelE. andLacindaS.BungerIrrevocableTrust, MichaelE.Bunger,trustee,oneparcelin Oregon-NashuaTownship,$109,733.

DanLuepkestoMichaelE.andLacindaS. BungerIrrevocableTrust,MichaelE.Bunger, trustee,oneparcelinOregon-Nashua Township,$103,692.

RichardR.andDorisJ,KennaytoAaron Smith,1024WhitePineDrive,Dixonandone

parcelinTaylorTownship,$600,000.

ThelateCharlesW.andPhyllisJ.Dilbeckby heirstoKennethA.andMelissaK.Dilbeck, 600S.FourthSt.,Oregon,$90,000.

DanielS.DuartetoCollinGreenfieldJr., 15917W.HarperRoadwithoneotherparcel inForreston,$29,650.

CharlesandBreannaP.While,also Hoffman,toMichaelL.Jones,301Barbara St.,Mt.Morris,$129,000.

RobertThomasandNancyLindaTutento BrandieL.McLain,309W.LincolnSt.,Mt. Morris,$88,500.

KatieandBrettHollewelltoCorydonRay SprattandKatherineD.Rundall,208S. JacksonAve.,Polo,$135,000.

BrianJ.RosstoLindseyBroadway,507S. FirstAve.,Forreston,$36,000.

KathyS.AurandtoTerrenceM.VanArkel, oneparcelonSouthParkDrive,Byron, $3,400.

RobertSaultoBreannaP.andCharlesC. WhileII,295W.MargaretFullerRoad, Oregon,$189,900.

JuniperMortgageTRA,WilmingtonSavings FundSocietyFSB,trustee,toSecretaryof HousingandUrbanDevelopment,1885N. DaysvilleRoad,Oregon,$125,780.

NicoloandKimberlyVeneziatoVictoria Porter,621CranbrookLane,Mt.Morris, $180,000.

DylanBlackburntoChanceE.Doaneand

AnnieM.Bettenhausen,212and214 MinnesotaDrive,Dixon,$1,000.

MoringDisposalInc.toAlliedWaste TransportationInc.,fiveparcelsinForreston Township,$749,369.

SorensenRockRiverPropertyLLCtoSue Frances ElstonandJohnDaleRogner,6214S. LostNationRoadandtwootherparcelsin Dixon,$355,000.

AbbigailR.andMichaelA.Schneidermanto BenjaminP.Stake,11366N.stateRoute26, Forreston,$220,000.

MitchellW.andKimberlyLynnMontgomerytoChesterandPaulaMarszalek,1504 WestgateCourt,Rochelle,$439,900.

MonteL.EnochtoMontyL.Enochand147 RochelleLLC,147and161E.SecondAve., RochelleandtwoparcelsinFlaggTownship, $1,425,000.

QuitClaimDeed

KableNewsCo.Inc.andKableProduct

ZONING CERTIFICATES

ThefollowingOgleCountyzoning certificateswereissuedforNovember/ ConnieVanDrew;EaglePoint Township;Section36;residential accessorybuilding.

RyanCheeseman;MarionTownship; Section27;residentialaccessory buildingandopen,unencloseddeckon existingpool.

AllanWooden;BuffaloTownship; Section23;privatewindturbine.

GraphicArtsExpress;Oregon-Nashua Township;Section2;additionto existingcoldstoragebuilding; $55,539.

MarkOvermyer;RockvaleTownship; Section15;roofsovertwoexisting decks.

ErinBrigham;ByronTownship; Section20;residentialaccessory building.

Phase1Consulting;Monroe Township;Section5;upgradesto existingtelecommunicationsfacility; $15,000.

MichaelandJulieGlendenning; MarionTownship;Section21; residentialaccessorybuilding.

LarryPalmer;MonroeTownship; Section19;residentialaccessory building.

MichaelBivins;RockvaleTownship; Section11;placementofRV.

IconicEnergy/Nelson;Byron Township;Section12;private ground-mountedsolararray.

BonnieandJamesHarder;Monroe Township;Section8;specialuse:small ruralbusiness.

LegacySolar/Cruz;LincolnTownship; Section34;privateground-mounted solararray.

NexampSolar;LeafRiverTownship; Section25;specialuse:commercial solargarden.

MastecNetworkSolutions;Byron Township;Section2;upgradesto existingtelecommunicationsfacility; $15,000.

JimMudra;RockvaleTownship; Section2;residentialaccessory building.

ArrowConstruction/Creek;Marion Township;Section24;single-family dwelling;$245,000.

WestBranchChurchoftheBrethren;

LincolnTownship;Section14; maintenancebuilding.

AlbertReinford;TaylorTownship; Section9;residentialaccessory building.

LegacySolar/McCulloch;WhiteRock Township;Section17;private ground-mountedsolararray.

LegacySolar/Schimetz;Marion Township;Section4;private ground-mountedsolararray.

LegacySolar/Ramierez;WhiteRock Township;Section1;private ground-mountedsolararray.

JonLudwig;LincolnTownship; Section2;grainbin.

MatthewBearrows;Monroe Township;Section35;agricultural building.

Overmyer;RockvaleTownship; Section15;roofoverexistingdecks.

NicorGas;ByronTownship;Section 15;replacingnaturalgaspipeline.

NicorGas;ByronTownship;Section 13;replacingnaturalgaspipeline. NicorGas;ByronTownship;Section 24;replacingnaturalgaspipeline.

ServicesInc.toMt.MorrisEconomic DevelopmentCorp.,16S.WesleyAve.,Mt. Morris,$0.

Trusteesdeeds

LudewigTrust92,HarlanP.Ludewig, trustee,toMakaylaE.andBrittanC.Devries, 15016W.WhiteOakRoad,Forreston, $2,000,000.

CharlesL.andBrendaS.SmithTrust2013, CharlesL.andBrendaS.Smith,trustee,to ArnoldD.andMarilynA.Diehl,711N.Division Ave.,Polo,$105,900.

CoilsFamilyIrrevocableTrust,TeresaJ. Adams,trustee,toPatriciaRomo,821N. MainSt.,Rochelle,$110,400.

LFCandEHCTrust298,DonnaL.Weber andEverettE.ColbertJr.,trustees,toBrian S. Colbert,threeparcelsinByronTownship, $0. C.A.CliffeTrust101,CatherineA.Cliffe, trustee,toJTSEquipmentLLC,409Linda Ave.,Rochelle,$0.

ExecutorsDeeds

EstateofthelateJohnArthurBarteltby executortoRonaldJ.Bartelt,302SCongress Ave.,Polo,$75,000.

EstateofthelateConnieK.Riveraby executortoChristineSalazar,6721S.Joanne Ave.,Rochelle,$90,000.

Source:OgleCountyRecorder’s Office

OGLE COUNTY SHERIFF ACTIVITY

OgleCountySheriffBrianVanVicklereportsthefollowing activity.

Dec.21

WilliamUpton,50,ofByron,wasarrestedforaggravated domesticbatteryanddomesticbatteryandAmberDodson, 29,ofStillmanValley,werearrestedfordomesticbattery afterdeputiesrespondedtothe4000blockofeastIllinois Route72ataround12:51a.m.foradomesticdisturbance. UptonandDodsonweretransportedtotheOgleCountyJail andheldpendingcourtappearances.

Dec.22

JohnGelander,40,ofRockford,wasarrestedfordriving whileundertheinfluenceofalcoholafteratrafficstopin the7000blockofNorthLimestoneRoadataround9:10 p.m.Gelanderalsowascitedforoperatinganuninsured motorvehicleanddrivingonthewrongsideoftheroad.He wastransportedtotheOgleCountyJailandheldinlieuof bond.

Dec.23

Ataround3:03p.m.,deputiesandthePoloFireProtection DistrictandEMSrespondedtothe3200blockofnorth IllinoisRoute26inresponsetoatwo-vehiclecrashwith injuries.AninvestigationshowedthatTiffanyDales,33,of Forreston,wasdrivingaDodgevansouthonRoute26when sherear-endedaFordtruckdrivenbyKennethLudewig,58,

• PLOWS

Continuedfrom Page9

Christmas,” hesaid.

Dependingonroadconditions,staff work 12to16hours a day,starting at 3: 30a.m.,Ciesie l sa id They’l l wor k “until wefeeltheroadsareindecent enough shape”oruntil5:30or6:30p.m.

“Wedotrytomakesurewelimit the irhour s onth er oads,”hesaid whe n aske d abou t employeesafety. “I deally , ifweca nk eepit at eight hours,that’dbegreat. But conditions don’t allowustodothat.”

Drivin g insevereweathe r ismentallytaxingandstressful,Ciesielsaid. Staffareencouragedtodriveslow, makesurethey’restayingalertandto getoutofthetruckwhentheyhave a chancetotake a brea k andstretch their legs. A 30-minutelunchbreakis required,regardlessofroad conditions,hesaid.

“Itipmyhat tothembecausethey do a fantasticjobatwha t the y do,” Ciesielsaid.

Driving near snow plows

“It’snever a goodideatotrytopass a

snowplow,”Ciesielsaid.“Alwaysstay back behindthem.They are spreading material,whichincludesrock salt.” Whencrossing a snowplow – pass-

ingitgoing inthe opposite direction –slowdowntoreduce thechance ofany mate ri al d ama gi ngyourvehic le , he said

• SHERIFF

Continuedfrom Page 10

of Polo.DalesandLudewigbothwere transported tothehospitalforminorinjuries. Dales wascitedforfailuretoreducespeed.

Dec.24

AlanaFredricks,19,ofMt.Morris,was arrested fordrivingonasuspendeddriver’s license afterdeputiesconductedamotorist assist at10:20p.m.inthe3000blockof west IllinoisRoute64.Fredrickswas released onasignatureI-Bond.

Dec.25

StephanieM.Proietti,42,ofRoscoe,was arrested fordrivingwhileundertheinfluence of alcohol,aggravateddrivingunderthe influence ofalcoholwhilelicensesuspended/ revoked anddrivingwhilelicensesuspended after deputiesstoppedProiettiaton

Interstate39milemarker106.Deputies stoppedProiettiafterrespondingtoadriving complaintonI-39milemarker111at12:03 a.m.Proiettialsowascitedforimproperlane usageandoperatinganuninsuredmotor vehicle.ProiettiwastransportedtotheOgle CountyJailandheldpendingacourt appearance.

WilliamParkinson,60,ofOregon,was arrestedfordrivingwhileundertheinfluence ofalcoholafteratrafficstopinthe11000 blockofnorthIllinoisRoute2ataround6:49 p.m.Parkinsonalsowascitedforillegal transportationofalcohol,improperlane usage,operatinganuninsuredmotorvehicle andnovaliddriver’slicense.Hewas transportedtotheOgleCountyJailandheld inlieuofbond.

Subjectsarepresumedinnocentuntil provedguiltyinacourtoflaw.

EarleenHinton/ShawMedia

High winds and blowingsnowmadedriving conditions dangerous Dec 23, prompting of ficials to strongly advise motorist s not to venture outduring thewinter storm warning.

Soltow shou lders load for Polo’s runto semifina ls

ByTYREYNOLDS treynolds@shawmedia.com

ThePoloMarcosstartedthe2022 season withapairofall-staterunning backs returningtothebackfieldanda lot ofquestionmarksattheotherpositions.

Theyende d theseasonwithone main ball-carrier and a lot ofmomentum headingintonextfall.

Theconstan t throughitallwa s ju niorBrockSoltow,who e xcelled whi lesharin g theloadwit h Avery Grenoble fortheregular season,then shouldered theloadinaruntotheIllinois 8-ManFootballAssociationsemifinals afterGrenoblewaslosttoaknee injury thenightbeforethefirst-round playoff game.

ThenumbersSoltowputupwere staggering: 246rushes,2,407yardsand 39 touchdowns,themostintheareain all threecategories.Evenwhenyou brea k thosenumber s down , it’s equally impressive:9.8yardspercarry andatouchdown every6.3carries,he ave raged200.6 yar ds an d 3. 25t ouchdown s pergameastheMarco s went 9-3 andcame wi thinsixsecond s of a thir d straightI8FAstatetitle-game berth.

He wastops inthe areainrushing by 30carries,800yardsandfivetouchdowns, andnowhas3,895yardsinhis career. Healsohad79tackles–including 49solo – withseventacklesfor los s, tw o sa c ksan dse ve n interceptions fromhisoutsidelinebackerspot to ear n I8F A all-statehonorsfo r the second straightseason.

Butitwashisgrowthonbothsides of theball , bot h as a playerand a leader, thatheshowedduring a position changeandbeingthemaintarget for opposingdefensesthatalsohelped him ea rn2022SaukVall ey Media Player oftheYearhonors. •••

Thebeginningoftheseasonwas ful l ofuncerta i nt y fortheMarcos. Bringing back a pairof1,400-yard rusher s inGrenobleandSoltowis a luxury mostteamsdon’thave,butputtin g them b ehindaninex pe rienced, untested offensivelinewasabigquestion mark.

Butastheseason wore on,the line made hugestrides,andSoltowwasthe one whobenefitedfromitthemost.

“I t wasawesomewatchingusall grow togetherasateam,intheweight room, onthepracticefield,everything, with theoffensiveline,allofustalking together,”Soltowsaid.“Communication wasthebiggestthingwee k by week withus.Wewerehavingtroubles th ef irstweek,an dwe justkept not talkingonthelineanditmessedus

up. After westartedfiguringitout, it lookedprettygoodforallofus.”

Aftera2-2start–withlossestoarea rival s Amboy-LaMoille-Ohioan d Milledgeville– thingsturnedaround, anditwas a change informationthat seemedtosparkit.

Afterstrugglingtomovetheballin Week4againsttheMissiles,Polocame outintheWildcatformationinthesecondhalf,withSoltowtakingthedirect shotgu n snapfro m thece nter and eitherkeepingthebal l or handingit offtoGrenoble.Itallowedquarterback Cayden Webste rtoa ctasanextra

blocker,andput theball inthehands ofthetwomostexperiencedplayerson everyplay.

“Iwa sa littl e nervou s whe n we startedthatformation , becausewe reallydidn’t practiceit a lotuntil the weekafte r tha t game.Athalftime, theysaidweweregoingtoswitchit andtryitoutandIwasabitnervous,” Soltowsaid. “Butwhen I gotonto the field,mynerve s justwentaway .I knewwehad to play ho w we alw ay s played,soIlikeditalot,andenjoyedit –andthatwasourmainoffensestartingthenextweek.”

Af ter leading the area in rushing at tempts, yards and touchdowns , and leading Polo to theIllinois 8- Man Football Association semifinals for the third straight season, junior running back turnedquarterback

Brock Soltow has beenchosen as the 2022 Sauk Valley MediaFootball Player ofthe Year

Itwasalsotheweek where,aftera toughlossinagametheMarcosledat halftim e, Soltow had hisfirst ink ling thatthistea m migh t ha vesometh ing specialinthemtherestoftheseason.

“IthoughtafterWeek4,thatMilledgevillegame,whenwehadtheleadat halftimean d the n we justlostitall rightawayafterhalf, I knewwewere al l goingtobepissed offabouttha t gamebecause that’sour biggestrival andweallwantedtogoinanddestroy them,butthatdidn’thappen,”hesaid. “Thenthatnextweek,allofourmindsetsweretomakeupfo r that.Inthe weigh t room,thepractice f ield,we didn’tcareaboutanythingelse;itwas footballnomatterwhat,and I knew afterthat weekwehad a goodchance ofgoingtostateagain.”

C oac h TedAlsto n als o pointedto theMilledgevillelossastheturnin g pointforPolo.Thecoachingstaffmade Soltow’smovetoquarterbackpermanent , puttin g Webster in moreof a halfbackposition,andthenstartedto seetheimprovementastheguysinthe trenchesgainedexperience–andconfidence.

HepointedtoSoltow’sgrowthinhis newposition overthenextfewweeks – hethrewfor202yard s andfour touchdownsontheseason–asmirroringtherestoftheteam.

“Atthebeginningoftheyear,we wer e st ruggling a littl e bit Wejust didn’ t havemuc h continuityoffe nsively,andBrockwasstrugglingalittlebit,Averywasstruggling a little bi t, we we reallkindofstruggling a littlebit,”Alstonsaid. “But when we

EarleenHinton/ShawMedia

Polo’s Brock Soltow knocks a pass away from Orangeville’s Kyle Kloepping during their game this past season In addition to his of fensive production, Soltow wasakey defender for the Marcos.

AlexT.Paschal–apaschal@shawmedia.com

Boys basketball: Newman takes third at Forreston tournament; Byron takes first AfterlosingtoByron53-50inthesemifinalsoftheForreston HolidayTournamentonMondayevening,theNewmanComets bouncedbacktodefeatLena-Winslow46-37inthethird-place game.

Thefinalroundsofthetournamentwerepostponedfrom ThursdayandFridaybecauseofthewinterstormthathitthe arealatelastweek.

Inthethird-placegame,Newmanturneda19-15halftime deficitintoa34-28leadafterthreequarterswitha19-9surge inthethird,thenclosedthegamewitha12-9scoringedgein thefinalperiod.LucasSimpsonscored11ofhisgame-high19 pointsinthesecondhalf,whileAydenBatten,GabePadillaand NolanBrittaddedeightpointseach;BattenandPadillabothhit apairof3-pointers.

ByronoutscoredtheComets23-20inthesecondhalftopull outthesemifinalvictoryaftertheteamsweretied30-30at halftime.Simpsonpouredin23pointsforNewman,andBritt scored17.

JackHiveleyhad20pointstopacetheTigers,andRyan Tuckeradded19.

ByrondefeatedPecatonica83-71inthechampionshipgame. RyanTuckerscored27pointsfollowedbyJackHiveleywith17 andRileyKeslerwith13.

Consolationchampionship

Milledgeville47,RiverRidge45: Trailing22-7afterthefirst quarterand29-13athalftime,theMissilespulledoffanother

See ROUNDUP, Page15

EarleenHinton/Shaw Media Newman’sIsaiah Williams (1 2) and Kenny Boesen (25)bat tle Byron’sJack Hiveley (1 3) and Kye Aken (5) during Monday action at the Forreston Holiday Tournament. Byron defeated Pecatonica in thechampionship game laterthat evening.

comeback attheForrestontournament, outscoring theWildcats18-11inthethird quarter and16-5inthefourthtorallyand claim theconsolationtitle.

KacenJohnsonscored10ofhis team-high 16pointsinthefourthquarter for Milledgeville,andConnorNyescored all ninepointsafterhalftime.Karter Livengood scoredsix,andColten Hendrick addedfivefortheMissiles.

JackKetelsenscored17pointstolead River Ridge.

Milledgeville55,Eastland54: The Milledgeville boysbasketballteambuilta first-quarter lead,thenheldoffan Eastland rallyinthesecondhalftopickup a 55-54wininaconsolationsemifinal Wednesday nightattheForrestonHoliday Tournament.

TheMissilesbuilta35-19leadby

halftime,thenKacenJohnsonscored12 ofhisteam’s15pointsinthefourth quarteraftertheCougarshadcuttheir deficitto40-37headingintothefourth.

Johnsonfinishedwithagame-high25 points,whileBryceAudeandConnorNye addedeightpointsapieceforMilledgeville,whichwillplayintheconsolation championshipagainstRiverRidgeat6:30 p.m.Monday.

EastlandwasledbyTrevorJanssen’s21 points,whileParkerKrogmanandPeyton Spearsadded12pointseach.

RiverRidge52,Forreston38: The CardinalsplayedtheWildcatstoa four-pointhalftimedeficit,butwere outscored22-12inthesecondhalfina consolationsemifinallossattheirown tournament.

ForrestonwasledbyNikolasValenzuela with21points.OwenGreenfieldscored sevenpoints,andBrockSmithchippedin fivepointsfortheCardinals.

LeadingRiverRidgewereGeorgeWinter with19pointsandDylanDiehlwith11 points.

Polo54,Aquin42: TheMarcosbuilta four-pointhalftimelead,thenpulledaway fromtheBulldogswitha29-21second-halfscoringrunattheForreston HolidayTournament.

BrockSoltowpacedPolowith16points, NolanHahnscored12points,andJohn Mummertadded10points.BradyWolber scoredsevenpoints,andCarsonJones chippedinsixpointsfortheMarcos.

AdamAwenderscored17pointstolead Aquin.

Stockton40,Oregon30: TheHawks led9-5afterthefirstquarter,butthe Blackhawksralliedforatwo-point halftimelead,thensealedtheForreston HolidayTournamentwinwitha13-8 fourth-quarterrun.

See ROUNDUP, Page 17

SPORTS COLUMN

Winter weather wipes out hoops tour nament plans

Forthethir d ye ar in ar ow , it wasnoForrestonbask et ball tournamentforme.The Thursday/Fridayportion I plannedto see waswipedoutbyweatherandMonday’s reschedule foundmeoutofstate. May be nextyearfor th e 62n d annual edition.

Actually,Ishouldprobablybepaying closerattentiontogirlsbasketball, as thatiswheretheareastrengthis.In the 2Arankings,StillmanValley, Byron andWinnebagowereinthetop 10 oftheAPstatepoll.

Notonlythat,butDixon(3A)started theyear at12-0,Rockford Christianis vastly improvedandRockford Lutheran andRockFallsareperennial mains tays,makingtheBigNorthern co nferenc e absolutelybr uta l tonavigate.

Inthe1Agirlspoll,Galenafromthe NUI C isNo.1.Wit h somanygood female athletesoptingoutofbasketball forclubvolleyball,itisrefreshing to se ea vol le yb al l powersuchas Gal en a hav e girl s tha t participat e in both sports.

Orangeville, with anenrollment of 107, is No.10 andhas a core group of younger kid s. Inthepastfourstate tou rneys,theNUI C ha s had at eam make theFinalFourdownstate.

Speakingofsmallschools,the“feel good” storyoflastyear,ScalesMound and itsstatethird-placefinish,isback in theboys1Apollwith a newcast of player s.Thoughtheygraduated a once-in- a-lifetimeseniorclass,this school of70apparentlyhasenoughtal-

enttomakeanotherpostseasonrun.

Bo ys basketballistheonlystandalon e sportattheschool.Anequally succe ss fulgirlsprogramco-op s with RiverRidge.

Whenbasketballhaslonebilling , thatiswhatalltheboysintowngrow upwantingtoexcelin.Andthecommunityof436(up16percentfrom2010) offersupbig-timesupport.

ScalesMoundisoffthebeatenpath, butmaymeritawinterroadtriptosee a game andcheckthe “scene”out At thetimeIamwritingthis,itsonlyloss hasbeentoPecatonica,whocontinue toriseinhardcourtprominence.

Overall,ther e isn’tonedominan t boysteamintheNUIClikethereisfor thegirlsinGalena.

IntheBNCboysrace, it’sallabout tw o Rockfor d schools,Luthe ran and Christian.Lutheran’srecordisdeceiving inthatitplays3A/4A non conf erencefoes.

Lutheranlostitsbestprospect a coupleofyearsago,ayoungmanwho isathisthirdschoolinasmanyyears. Still,theCrusadershavetobeconsidered a contender in 2Afora state trophy.

Ontowrestling.

Afterfourstateplacersin2019,Oregonha s bee n in a rebuildingphase WinningtheStillmanValleytourneya couple ofweeksagoshows thatprogressisbeingmade.

Tied150-apiecewithStillmangoing intothefinalround,theHawkssurged aheadtowinbya179-172margin,with 285-pounderEvanFlahartyclosingthe

GUEST VIEW

Andy Colbert

meetoutwitha15-secondpintoclinch thetitle.

Thenex t day,formercoachMark Galetoldmethematchthatimpressed hi m mostwasforfifthplaceat113 po un ds.That’swher e Jackso n Messengerovercame a 14- 1 defici t topi n hi s opponen t andgivehisteaman emotionalboost.

“You could see itin hiseyes,”Gale said.“Hewasn’tgoingtoquit.”

Perhap s thatstirredupmemori e s oftheglorydaysofHawk s wrestling when winningmatcheslikethatwere commonplace , asOregonseemedto have a mentaladvantageoverother teams.

OnedisadvantageOregondoes haveiscompetin g inthetoughest1A regional inthestate, withthe likes of Dakota,Di xo n, Le na-Winslo wa nd Stillman.

Inatestamenttothis,Oregonfailed toadvanceanyoneou t ofthe 2020 regional,somethingconsidered unfathomable.Lastyear,Orego n got backontrackandevensentacoupleof wrestlersdownstate.

Fo r thosewantin g tose ea mini statemeetwithouttravelingtoChampaign,swin g byPoloonFeb .4 tosee individualsfromthesestrongmatpro-

gramsgoat eachotherinthe1A regional.

Topreturnin g stat e place r inthe county isJackSeacris t of Stillman, whotooksecondat152.CanSeacrist make it state champ No. 23 for the Cardinals?

In2A,Rochelleals o bring s back a run ner-up inXavie r Villalobos ,a 5-foot-4,120-poundsophomorewho al so hadthre e interceptionsinth e Hubs’overtime playof f winove r Dixon.Villalobosispartof a strong nucl eu s ofyoungwrestler s forthe state-rankedHubs.

Amisnomeristhatonemustbebig toplayfootball.Mentaltoughnessand desir e tohi t peopl e aretheonl y prerequisites.

Goodwrestlersusuallymake good footballplayers.Goodbasketballplayersnotnecessarilyso.

TheIHSAannounc ed thatIlli no is StateUniversitygotthebidtohostthe footballchampionships.That’sthe rightdecision.

Theatmospheretherewillbemuch bett er tha n th e cavernou s Memorial Stadiu m at U of I andalsoatHuskie StadiuminDeKalb.Besides,ISUis where the playoffs beganinthe 1970s andalways had a goodreputationfor hostingthembeforeChampaignand DeKalbdidit.

•AndyColbert,anavidrunner,has beena sports writer for Shaw Media and has coveredhighschoolsportsin OgleCountyformorethan30years.

EarleenHinton/ShawMedia Byron’s Braylon Kilduf f brings down areboundduring Monday action against Sterling Newman at the Forreston Holiday Tournament.

moved himthere … it was the Milledgevillegamethatwekindofrealizedit wasthewaytogo.Thecoachesonthe wayhomesaid , ‘Ithink t hisisthe directionwehavetogopermanently.’ Fromthere,hejustkeptgettingalittle betteratiteachweek Hissuccess coinci de d with t heimprovem en t up front and ondefense,soitkind of all justjelledtogether,whichwasnice.”

•••

Aswithmostoffe nsi ve backs, So ltowcan’t gi vehiste a mmate s enough creditforhissuccess.Whethertalking abouthisrunningmateGrenoble,or theoffensivelinethatgrewinleaps andboundsthisseason,heknowshow muc h of a tea m gamehe’ s playin g everyweek.

Earl y intheseason,Grenobl e wa s oneofthereasonswhySoltowwas gainingsomanyyards.Withdefenses keying on theseniorwho s pecialized onrunninginside, Soltow was ableto findsomespaceontheoutside.

“Ihad a sensetha t theywereall goingtokeyonAverybecauseofhow goodhewaslastyear.Theywantedto stopthemiddlerunbecaus e that’s whatwedidreallywelllastyear with Avery,” Soltowsaid “Thisyear, they startedoutkeyingonAveryandwe gottheoutsideruns,andthenwe addedourH-rightsweepanditstarted gettin g us outside and allowed us to mak e cutstoope n fiel d Thelin e was alwaystheretobeonthebackcuts, andwewereperfect.”

Thetwoareascloseas a running backtandemcanbe,andthatrelationshipisabigreasonwhybothcheeron theother’ssu c cessmorethantheir own.

“Itwasgreatbeingbacktherewith him.Ihadablastwithhimbackthere lastyearandthisyear,”Soltowsaid,a sentiment G renoble echoed. “Meand himhav ea goodconnectiontogether everyday. We’re always talkingabout football,nomatterwhat:howtheseaso n wentlas t year,ho w theseason wentthisyear.It’salwaysfuntobe wit h himonthe fi eld, inpractice , in school.”

Bothbackswereeffusiveintheir prais e ofthegu ys upfro nt , and the improvementofthatunitweekto week. A partoftheoffensethat was a worryatthestartoftheseasonturned intoamajorconfidence-boosterbythe end.

“Th at linewa s hug e forus. Whe n welostLoganNelsontoakneeinjury, Igotalittleworried.ButwehadJacob Monac oj umpupin a bigspotforus, andhecameinclutchandwas a big helptous,” Solto w said.“E v er y bod y els e– WaylonHarris,AlexAlbano , NathanYinglingandLandenBrooks–wealldidn’tknowhowweweregoing tobeatthestartoftheseason , and whenweallstartedclickingtogether,

thatO-linewasperfectoneverything. Iwouldn’tbegettingtherushingyards atallwithoutthem.”

Alstonalsomarveledatthestrides histeam wasmakingeachgame,and notjustinthetrenches.Withbigshoes tofillfrom a strongseniorclassin 2021 , sever alplaye rs gr ew intothos e rolesandmadethemtheirown.

After hitti ngth e 40-poi nt ma rk twiceintheirfirstfourgames,the Marcos scored 44 or moreinseven of theirfinaleightgames,andreached the 60-p ointmar k inth eir fi n alth r ee reg ular-seasonga m es.On the othe r side,thedefenseonlygaveupmore than30pointsthreetimesoverthelast eightgames,leadingtothelate-season surge.

“FromWeek1totheendoftheseason , wewer ea completel y different team – notjustoffensivelyupfront, buteverywhere. I sawgrowth froma hugenumberofkidswhojustmatured andgrewintoreall y goodfoo tb all players,confidence-wise,”Alstonsaid. “Theyhadtheability,itwasjustmore ofaconfidenceandskillthingthatwe wer e abl e tose e grow.Brockkin d of mirroredthat,anditwaskindofneat toseehowsomanyofthemkindofjust grewtogetherlikethat.”

•••

Ever y teamfacesadversity,andit hittheMarcosatthemos t inopportun e time:the n ightbefor e th e pla yoffs.

Inthe finalfiveminutes ofthelast walkthroughatpracticeOct.27onthe eveofthefirst-roundplayof f gam e againstHiawatha,Grenoblesuffereda kneeinjury.

Notknowin g ho w severeitwas, Alstonknewtheteamcould gooneof twoways : rallyaroundthei r falle n

EarleenHinton/ShawMedia

But i t wa s in e vitable t ha t Soltow wouldhave to carry moreoftheload. Inthreeplayoffgames,hehad102carries for746yardsand14touchdowns, runningforatleast220yardsand four TDsinallthreegames.

Withthatcamealotof punishment fromopposingdefenses,buthis coach trulyad miredSoltow’sabilityto get backupaftereveryhardhit.

“Therewerealotoftimeswhere he wasprettybeatup,especiallyin those thre e gamesinth e play of fswhen he carrie d th e bal la to n– andhenev er complained,”Alstonsaid.“He just limpedhiswaybacktothehuddle, and thenwhenhe’dgettheballonthe next play,he’dbenormalagain.Itwas kind ofamazing thewayhewasableto do that.He’satoughkid.”

•••

Afterstorybookendingstothe last twoplayof f runs,thisseason’sfin ale wasthestuffofnightmares.Aftertaking a 48-44with42secondstoplay in theI8FAsemifinals,theMarcos’ hopes for a thirdstraightstatetitle-gam e berthweredashedwhenWest Central seniorstarKaiden Drost e scored as timeexpired.

teamleaderorfallapartwithouthim. Solto w wasoneofthereason s th e Marcosdidtheformer.

“WetalkedaboutitFriday[Oct.28] righ t befor e thegame.Mr.Alston cameuptousandsaid,‘Let’splaythis game forAvery. It’sourtimetoshine forhim.Let’smakeabigrunforhim,’” Soltowrecalled.“WereallyfeltterribleforhimonthatThursdaywhenhe wentdown, but weallfeltgoodgoing intothatgameplayingforhim.Wedid not want tolosethat gam e… and we dideverythingwecoulddotomake surewedidn’t.”

Atthetime,theteam’sfocuswasto keepwinninguntilGrenoblecould return.Butwhenitbecameobvious thattheinjurywas serious enough to requireseason-endingsurge ry , the two-pronged ru shingattackturned intomoreofasoloact.

AndSoltowwastheperfectguyfor thejob.

“WhenAverywentdown,Ithinkhe kin d ofrealize d tha t hewasgoingto havetobealittlebitbetterandtakeon moreresponsibilityandbemoreof a leaderoutthere,andhewasabletodo that,”Alstonsaid.

Forhispart,Solto w saidhedidn’t feelanyaddedpressuretopickupthe slack.Heknewtheguyssteppingin forGrenbole–mainlyDeloFernandez andNoahDewey – wereready forthe challenge.

“Notreall y, becau se I knew I had Del o an d Noa h backtherewithme , andeverytimetheysteppedinforus, theywouldhaveagoodrunandmake plays,”Soltowsaid.“Evenwhenwe passedoutofit, it would beperfect.It wasgre at with t heminthebackfield hel pi ngmeou t, an d ourO-lin e wa s reallyclickingbythen.”

Theheartbreakingfinishtook its tollonthePol o players , an dn ob ody tookitharde r thanSoltow.He was despondentan d intearsforquit e a while afterthe game,especiallywhen heembraced a wheelchai r-bound Grenobleafterreceivingplent y of hugsfromWestCentralplayersin the handshakeline.

“Ittookme a fewdaystostop feeling sic ka bou t it,”Soltowsaid.“Tha t Monday ,I didn’ t gotoschool; I was prettyupset.Itookadayoffto refocus, and I knewsomeoftheotherplayers did,andsomeofusgottogetherto try tofeel betterandgetridofthat game fromourheadsandmoveonto the nextthing.We’vegot nextyear,but I feltbadforthose seniorsbecause it’s theirlastyear,tha t wastheirlas t game,andthatwasitforthem.Itwas a reallytoughending.”

Butitwasthecamaraderieof the teammatesthathelpedchangetheattitude from griefand paintoanger and resolve.Soltowsaidthat a little time hasgivenhimperspectiveonjust how wellPolowasplayingattheendof the season, and thatwillserveasmotivationinpreparationfornextseason.

“Thatlossreallyshowedalotto us, and howfarwe’d come,” Soltowsaid. “Toloseonthatscoreonthelast play, itsucked – butafter a coupleofdays, everybodycametogethe r andsaid , ‘Thi s isgoingtobetheplaythat we remembergoingint o nex t season. ’ We’reallgoingtobethinkingabout it fromnowuntilthestart of nextseason,everydaywhilewe’re getting read y fornextyear.We’regoin g to remembe r thatandkee p building up and getting better andbetter,because thatplaywilldriveus Wewantto go backandgetthat[state championship] ringnextyear.”

Polo’s Brock Soltow avoids O rangeville defenders during theirgame this past season in Polo

Oregon wrestlers boost season record to 11-1

ByRANDYHOLLAND

TheHawkswrestlersrantheirseason recordto11-1withdominantvictories overAmboy69-9 andByron54-22 on Dec.20attheBlackhawkCenter.

Amboy had a small te am andgave up s evenforf e its.St a rt ingwithEvan Flahartyand Owen Wynntaking free passes, theClipperswereina12-0hole to start, and PrestonLaBay, Seth Stevens,Gabe Eckerd, LandynWindham and SethRotealsoaddedsixforthe Hawks.

Onthemat,JacksonMessengerwas on his back t wicein a 9- 0 majo rd ecision lossat113.At120,ColtonFlaharty scored a takedownin a half nelsonat 1:09.

Inthe132-poundmatch,Ethan Mowry gotroughedupinan18-1technical falllossasthefinalbuzzer sou nded.Lan e Halversonreversed into ahalfnelsonat2:52.

At152,GrantStenderworkedoffhis takedown intoahalfnelsontopinin53 second s.At160,AnthonyBauer escaped afterlosingalatereversaland took a 5-3win.Fromthereitwasfor -

feits upto220whereJonathanAlaniz scoredatakedowninacradlein18secondstofinishthemeet.

Starting at10 6a gain st th eT igers, Wynnwrest le d tou gh in a 9-1majo r decisionlossandMessengertookaforfeitat113.

ColtonFlaharty wa s turnedin a halfnelsonat1:32.Byronhad a brief lead,bu t itwa s erasedwhenLeBay tookahalfnelsonoverthefrontat1:12 andMowryand Halverson took a forfeits.

Stevensled5-0whenhescrapedfor a pinat3:24.Stende r had a toug h matchagains t 10th-ra nke dCa rs en Behn,givinguptwotakedownsand a reverseina9-3loss.

Bauertook a forfeitat160andEckerdhadbackpointson a takedown beforehestoppe da sta nd upan d hookedupahalfnelsonat1:32.

At182, Wi ndha m losttwota k edownsinahard-fought6-3loss.At195, Rotewasturned with a chicken wing at1:33,andAlanizworkedthescrape at1:02inthe220poundmatch.

Themeet e ndedwit ha fo rf ei t to EvanFlahartyat285.

• ROUNDUP

Continuedfrom Page15

JordanCroegaertledOregonwithnine points,whileJacobVegliandoaddedseven points.

RyleySchultzandSpencerLukeled Stocktonwith20and12points.

EastlandHolidayTournament

ForrestonfallstwiceinLanark: The Cardinalslost63-36toGalenaand84-35to PecatonicaonDay1attheEastland tournament.

Forrestonfellbehind17-5inthefirst quarterand42-16byhalftimeagainst Galena.NikolasValenzuela’s12pointspaced

theCardinals,whileConnorGlasgowhad21 andStudtmannadded15forthePirates.

Pecgrabbeda31-10leadthroughthefirst quarter,thenstretcheditto58-23by halftime,andForrestonneverrecovered. Valenzuelahad11points,andBrendanGreenfieldandPaytonEncheffbothaddedeightfor theCardinals,whileMasonPetersonscored 21topacePec.

Boysswimming

Byron4thinRockford: TheTigerSharks finishedfourthatthe14-teamBoylanBash, ledbyGageHelfrich’sfirst-placeoverall finishamongfreshmen.

KadePolitschfinishedfourthoverallfor freshmen,andTysonPolitschaddeda sixth-placefinishamongseniorsforByron.

EarleenHinton/ShawMedia

Oregon’s Preston LeBay and Polo’s Jaidynn M cK inney wrestleina Dec. 2 bout at the Blackhawk Center

ns, who died on Novemb er 22,2022,aresi-

dent of Mount Morris, IL, andresiding at 206 SunsetLane.

2.Letters of Office we re issued on December 8,2022 to Jill E. White, asIndepe nd ent Administ rator, whose address is 8529 OlympiaDrive, Byron, IL 61010.S he is thelegal representative of the estate

3. The attorney for the esta te is Jeffrey A. Bivens, 4855E. St at e St., Rockford, IL 61108.

4. Claims against the estate may be filed on or before June25,2023 that datebeing at le astsix (6) months from the date of first publication, or

p wi thin three (3) months from the date of ma iling or delivery of Notice to creditors;ifmailing or del iveryis required bySection 18-3 of the Illinois Probate Act, 1975 as amended, wh ichever date is la ter. Any claim not filed bythe requisite dat estated aboveshall be barre d.

5.Claims against the estate may be filed with the Clerk of theCircuit Court,106 S. Fifth St., Ste. 300, Oregon, IL 61061 or withthe estat elegalre presentative, orboth.

6. Copies of claims filed withthe Ogle County CircuitClerk's Offic e must be mailed ordelivered to the estate legal representative and to her attorney wit hin te n

y days afterfiling.

7 TheEstatewill be ad ministered without courtsupervisionunless an int erestedpa rty terminate sind ependent re presentation by filing a p etition to te rmina te under Article XX5/28-4 oft he Prob ate Act(755 ILCS5/28-4).

JillE.White, Inde pendent Ad ministrato r Jeffrey A. Bivens Attorney for theEstate 4855E. Stat e St. Rockford,IL61108 (815)399-2299 je ffreyabivens @netscape.net

Dec. 23,30,2022, Jan.6,2023

IN THECIRCUIT COURTOFTHE 15THJUDICIAL CIRCUIT OGLE COUNTY, IL LINOIS

In the Matter of: DOUG LAS E. STRAWS ER, Deceased No.2022-PR-71

CLAIM NOTICE

Noticeis given of the death of DOUGLAS E. STRAWSER of Oregon, Illinois. Le tters of Office we reissued on December8,2022 to KA THRYN HO FFMA N, asIndepe nd entExecutor whose attorne ys are WILLIAMS McCA RTHYLLP,120 W. State St., P.O. Box219, Rockford, IL 61105.

The estate willbe administered without cour tsupervision, unlessund er S ection28-4 of th e Prob ate Act(755 ILCS5/28-4)any int erested pe rs on terminate s independent ad ministratio n at any time

y by mailing or de liveringa pet ition to terminate tothe Clerk. Claims agai nstt he estate may befiled in th e office of theClerk of the Court, OgleCounty Courthouse,106 S. 5th St re et ,#300, Oregon, IL 61061 or withthere presentative, or both, on or before June 16,2023, or within 3 months from the date of ma iling or delivery of noti ce to creditors,ifmailing or del iveryis required bySection 18-3 of the Prob ate Ac t, wh ichever date is la ter. Any claim not filed by therequisite dat estated aboveis ba rred. Copies of a claim filed with the Clerk must be mailed or delivered to the re presenta tivea nd tothe at torney

y wi thin10 days after it has be en filed.

KathrynHoffman Inde pendent Executor

D ec. 16,23,30, 2022

IN THECIRCUIT COURTOFTHE FIFTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT

OGLE

WEBSITE REDESIGN BIDREQUEST

COUNTY, IL LINOIS

Est ate of: PETERL. REED, Deceased No.2022 PR 73

CLAIM NOTICE

Notice is given of the death of PETERL. REED. Le tte rs of Office we re issued to DONALDL. REED, 3154N. River Rd., Oregon, Illinois 61061, as Representative, whose a ttorneys are WARD, MURRAY, PACE& JOHNSON, P.C.,202E. 5th Street, Sterling, Illinois61081. Claims against the estate may be filed in th e office of theClerk of Court, Ogle County Courthouse,106 S. 5thSt., Oregon, Illinois61061, or with the Re presentative, or both, onor beforeJune30,2023, and any claimnot filed within th at periodis ba rred. Copies of a claim filed with the Clerk must be mailed or delivered to the Representative and tothe attorney wi thin ten(10) da ys after it has been filed.

Dated: Decemb er 21,2022

Dona ld L. Reed, Re prese ntative Amanda J.Baron ARDC 6320306

WARD, MURRAY , PACE& JOHNSON, P.C. Attorney for Est ate 202E. 5th St reet P.O.Box400 Sterling, IL 61081 P: 815.625.8200 baron@wmpj.com

Dec 30,2022,Jan 6, 13, 2023

The United Lost La ke Prope rty Owners Association isse eking bids from qualified contractors who are currently in the b usiness of website development andsupport. Bid sp ecification packets can be picked up at theULLPOA office locate d at 903 Missouri Dr iv e, Dixon, IL 61021 on Tuesday - Fr id ay from 9 AM -3 PM.

Or you ca nrequest to haveit emaile d to you by calling 815-652-4491 or email ullpoa@gric s.net All bids must be received by Lost Lake PO A no la ter than 3PM on Tu es day, January 31s t, 2023

TheULLPOA will jud ge all bids without bias butreserves theright to acce pt or reject any and/or all bids andwill acce pt the bid determined to be in the best interest of the community.

Dec .22,30, 2022

PUBL ICATION NOTICE

(Change in As sumed Name Certificate)

PublicNotice is he reby give n that on December 22, 2022,asupplement al cert ificate ofowne rship of b usiness wa s file d in the OgleCounty Cle rk's Office se tting forththe na me s and post officeaddress of all of the persons owning, conduc ting and transacting the business known as: Under Pressure Th erapeuti c Massage 107S Franklin Ave Polo, IL 61064 Date d: Dece mber 22, 2022

LauraJ.Cook, OgleCountyClerk Dec. 30, 2022

The Blukel1959 Land Trustfarmislocatedapproximately 5 miles southeastofGranville, Illinoisor12milessouthwest of Peru,Illinois. The propertyisfurtherdescribed asbeinglocatedinSection35, T32-R1W, Granville Township, Putnam County, IL. The realestate containsa totalof 40 taxableacres, willbe soldin 1 tractand represents highlyproductiveClass A soil.

Farmersand investors, besure tocheckoutthis Putnam County, Illinois,ClassA farmwith a 144.7PI.

BLUKEL1959LANDTRUST

RepresentingAttorney: DouglasJ.Schweickert SchwieckertLawGroup,LLC|(815)830-4080 2101Marquette Road| Peru,IL61354

AuctionManager: KevinHaas(309)264-7767

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