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Rockets senior STERLING, EASTLAND makes run at title MAKE BIDS FOR STATE VOLLEYBALL PREVIEWS, B1 STATE CROSS COUNTRY, B1
CARROLL COUNTY COURT | LANARK MURDER CASE
Life in prison for wife’s killer Hake to judge before sentencing: I ask for no mercy, I don’t deserve it Morgan Hake Freeport man was sentenced Friday for killing Suzanne Hake in December in Lanark
BY PHILLIP HARTMAN phartman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5525 @phartman19
MOUNT CARROLL – A Freeport man convicted of first-degree murder in the death of his wife asked Friday that he be remembered for more than her slaying before being sentenced to life in prison. Morgan D. Hake, 50, was found guilty Sept. 23 of fatally shooting Suzanne Hake three times during
an argument at their other home in Lanark on Dec. 5. “Your Honor, I ask for no mercy, I don’t deserve it. I’m not a killer, but I killed her,” Hake said. “I don’t want to go down, ‘Who’s Morgan Hake? He’s a murderer.’ There’s so much more than that,” he said. Hake said he killed his wife in the heat of the moment, too fast to comprehend what was happening. Mary Lu Johnson, Suzanne’s mother, addressed Morgan’s testimony
at trial, when he said she was on Adderall and attacked him first. “Our Suzy would never have done the vile things she was accused of. That was just a trumped-up story by a coward,” Johnson said. Johnson also read a statement from Alix Birkner, Suzanne’s eldest daughter. “My husband and I were living in Tennessee, and my mother was planning to move there to help care for a grandbaby. If I am to be honest,
2016 ELECTION | LEE COUNTY REFERENDUMS
Beyond Dixon High
my mental and physical well-being are not healthy enough to bring a child into this world because of this incident,” Birkner wrote. “My mother’s only fault was loving a man who cared for himself more than anyone else, including his wife and two daughters. In the end, my mother was deprived of her life because she would not live in the way Morgan Hake wanted her to.” HAKE continued on A24
2016 ELECTION | STATE HOUSE
Plenty of attention, cash given to 71st race But while money talks, candidates speak with SVM about the issues BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
Illustration by Lucas Pauley/lpauley@saukvalley.com
Multiple school districts await outcome of tax referendum BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 CHeimerman_SVM
though, and it affects all Lee County residents: Will they support a 1 percent sales tax bump, money from which will be used solely for work on schools?
DIXON – It’s easy to get caught up in what Tuesday’s election means to residents in the Dixon school district. They face a big-ticket question: Should they build a new Dixon High School and make improvements to the district’s other schools. which will cost $80.6 million and take 20 years to pay for? There’s another referendum question,
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VOLUME 9 ISSUE 10 36 Pages
Today: 68/43 For the forecast, see Page A11
If both referendums pass, the sales tax hike will lessen the property tax blow district residents will face. It also will help mend and upgrade dilapidated buildings in the Amboy and Ashton-Franklin Center districts, which are projected to receive an extra $274,050
Business
Ewers Garage owner Todd Ewers treats his customers’ cars with care. See Page C1
Online extra Go to saukvalley.com and click on Timeline: Dixon High School Referendum From the Beginning to read all of our coverage of the issue. and $213,592 a year, respectively. “The question always comes up: ‘How long is the junior high going to last in the Amboy school district?’” said Jeff Thake, who’s been superintendent for 11 years. REFERENDUM continued on A44
Community A deranged rabbit joined pirates, queens, voodoo dolls and baseball stars for Halloween festivities in Dixon. An SVM photo page shares the fun. See Page C12
The race in the 71st District is one of several Illinois House battles to draw national attention and plenty of cash. State Rep. Mike Smiddy, D-Hillsdale, faces Savanna Mayor Tony McCombie as he tries for a third U.S. Rep. term in Springfield. Mike Smiddy The Republicans need to pick up only one seat to break the Democrats’ supermajority in the Illinois House. The GOP and Gov. Bruce Rauner have Tony rallied his deep- McCombie pocketed, pro-business troops in a big push to break the Democrats’ hold in the Legislature. The GOP needs to net four seats to bust the supermajority in the Senate. The 71st District is one of several targeted by Republicans, and more than $3 million has been poured into the race. 71ST continued on A54
Inside story Republican Patrick Harlan faces an uphill battle in his attempt to unseat U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos in the 17th District. Page A3
Index Births................. C5
Lottery............... A2
Business............ C1
Markets........... A11
Classified........... B7
Obituaries.......... A4
Comics.............. B6
Opinion.............. A6
Community...... C12
Scoreboard....... B5
Crossword Saturday............ B9
Scrapbook........ C3
Crossword Sunday.............. C8
Support groups... C5
Dave Ramsey.... C1
Weather........... A11
Dear Abby......... C6
Wheels............ B12
Sports............... B1 Travel............... C10