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New national rules could affect local prep pitchers SPORTS, B1
FORMER MAYOR CLEARED IN COURT AMBOY, A2 STERLING TOWNSHIP
WEEKEND FEATURE | CAMP DIXON
Convicted thief was on payroll
‘Freedom Time’
Supervisor, board won’t speak to reasons for her hire
Inner-city students find fun, respite from violence at camp BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 CHeimerman_SVM
D
ozens of kids from one of Chicago’s most violent neighborhoods took refuge in rural Dixon this week. They camped out for the first time. Had their first s’mores. Relaxed. “They’re laughing, and their guard is down,” said Hector Corona, a 51-year-old commodities trader and Realtor who lives in Chicago but has owned a massive, breathtaking property on Dixon Road since 2005. This week, it became Camp Dixon for students from William H. Brown Public School in Chicago’s West side. Parent/volunteer Latrice Hudson, 45, got to see her first sunset in 2 years, and it offered some peace in the wake of losing her son, Reginald Jackson, to gun violence when he was 22. “It’s tough, and I remember the night that I lost him,” she said. “I walked all night. I walked the heels off my shoes. That was the only time I remember seeing the sunrise. I hadn’t seen it in 2 years until I got here. “I found some peace. I really did. I thought God had forgotten about me, but this brought me back. It reminded me how peaceful life can be.” Thanks to several Sauk Valley sponsors and the elbow grease and generosity of Corona’s neighbors, the camp offered basketball, soccer, volleyball, an inflatable obstacle course for dodgeball and water balloon fights and much more.
Inside
Hector Corona wants to host bigger camps – and more of them. Four other inner-city schools have asked to give their students a reprieve from the omnipresent threat of violence in the streets of Chicago. Page A10
Online extra Click on this story to watch video of kids having fun and learning at Camp Dixon.
Photos by Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
ABOVE: Campers bounce and flip on one of four trampolines rented for Camp Dixon this week. Dozens of students from William H. Brown Public School in Chicago’s West side attended the camp. They played basketball, soccer, volleyball, and dodgeball, and had water balloon fights, among other activities. TOP: Riyia Boyd (left), 11, checks out a new friend Micah Wilson, 9, found while enjoying time at Camp Dixon. BELOW: Retired State Police officer Todd Macklin speaks to the group of students and answers their questions Thursday at Camp Dixon. The camp offered a refuge for student from Chicago’s most violent neighborhoods. The campers had tough questions for Macklin regarding the treatment of African-Americans by police.
CAMP continued on A114
BY KATHLEEN A. SCHULTZ kschultz@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5535 @KathleenSchul10
STERLING – Sterling Township, which last month reported the theft of an unspecified amount of money from its youth club, hired a twice-convicted felon Inside and put her in charge of n Township the club’s finances. Carly Robinson, 27, supervisor in was hired part-time by website posting: the township in August, “We do promote was given a full-time giving a second post April 1, and her chance., A3 last day was June 20. At the time she left, her title was administrative assistant for the Center for Youth. That’s the building at 312 E. Fourth St. that houses Giving Power to Adolescents, a township-sponsored and -supervised youth group with members from Sterling, Rock Falls and other area towns. Township Supervisor Matt Howze has declined to say why Robinson no longer is with the agency, if he knew of her criminal history prior to hiring her, or if a background check was done prior to her hire. PAYROLL continued on A34
INSIDE STORY
He’s with Hillary Hillary Clinton named Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine as her vice presidential running mate Friday. Page A5
ROCK FALLS
Tobacco-free campaign targets Coloma Park District BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
ROCK FALLS – A tobacco-free campaign has blown into the Coloma Township Park District. Judy Randall, a certified tobacco treatment specialist, is spearheading the effort, assisted by members of the Rock Falls High School National Honor Society. Randall’s services were used to lead a similar campaign at the Chicago Park District, which in 2014 resulted in the board’s adoption of a smoke-free ordinance for parks and beaches The intiative includes electronic cigarettes and marijuana. TOBACCO continued on A44
Passing storms
VOLUME 8 ISSUE 47 40 Pages
Today: 91/74 For the forecast, see Page A13
Business
Wander on over to The Gypsy’s Wanderlust Boutique in Clinton, Iowa. See Page C1
Community What’s all that jazz going on at the Grandon Civic Center in Sterling? Take a look! See Page C12
Index Births................. C5
Lottery............... A2
Business............ C1
Markets........... A13
Classified........... B8
Obituaries.......... A4
Comics............ A12
Opinion.............. A6
Community...... C12
Scoreboard....... B4
Crossword Saturday.......... B13
Scrapbook........ C3
Crossword Sunday.............. C8
Support groups... C5
Dave Ramsey.... C1
Weather........... A13
Dear Abby......... C6
Wheels............ B14
Sports............... B1 Travel............... C10