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Previewing Sterling, HOLIDAY FESTIVITIES Newman seasons BEGIN IN TWIN CITIES LOCAL, A3 BOYS BASKETBALL, B1
WEEKEND ENTERPRISE | HOMELESSNESS IN THE SAUK VALLEY
Heat turned up on Sterling PADS Agencies meet to discuss homeless, Safe Passage BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
STERLING – While the board of Twin Cities PADS decided in September against keeping the shelter open year-round, out-
side pressure for them to do so is growing. Representatives from law enforcement, court services, and several social services agencies that work with the homeless met Wednesday at the Sterling Coliseum to voice their concerns about what they perceive to be a growing need for emergency shelter in White side and Lee counties. Twin Cities PADS is open from Oct. 1 through May 1, while the 16-bed Dixon PADS shelter is
open all year. The Dixon shelter is also open all day, while people housed in the Sterling shelter must leave at 7 a.m. and wait until 7 p.m. to return. Firehouse of God also takes in the homeless, but it can handle only 10 people, and only men are accepted. The Dixon shelter and Firehouse of God say they are full on a regular basis, and more help is needed from Twin Cities PADS. Twin Cities PADS has looked at year-round operations before, but the issue was resur-
rected this spring when Rock Falls Police Chief Tammy Nelson was discussing Safe Passage accommodations with Brian Tribley of Firehouse of God Ministries in Sterling. At Wednesday’s meeting, the conversation was initially focused on the Safe Passage Initiative. The innovative program uses partnerships between law enforcement and treatment agencies to battle drug addiction by removing the threat of legal repercussions.
THE PEOPLE’S VOICE | NAOMI CHAMBERLAIN OF STERLING
Safe Passage launched in Lee County on Sept. 1, 2015, and in Whiteside County on March 1. Several organizations that deal with addiction in Lee and White s ide counties believe there is a need for a sober living house. Nelson and Tribley, both heavily involved in Safe Passage, believe a halfway house is needed to bridge the transition to inpatient treatment or from rehab to everyday life. PADS continued on A54
‘Pajama Diaries’ now open to SV Weekend readers Beginning with today’s edition, “The Pajama Diaries” has been added to the Sunday Comics lineup in SV Weekend. It replaces “Rose Is Rose.” The change was made by the syndicated service that provides the Sunday Comics publication to Sauk Valley Media. “Rose Is Rose” will continue to be published on the daily comics page in the Telegraph and Daily Gazette.
LEE COUNTY
Budget tightens with drop in landfill revenue BY RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5529 @rj_rodgers
Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Challand Middle School seventh-grader Naomi Chamberlain, 12, reads the poem she wrote and read at her school’s Veterans Day assembly Nov. 10. Her pastor, Jack Smith, was one of many in attendance who were deeply moved – so moved that he asked her to read it at Sunday morning’s service at First Baptist Church in Sterling.
‘Why Thank a Veteran?’ Seventh-grader has the answer christopher HEIMERMAN Heimerman is the Enterprise Projects Editor at Sauk Valley Media. He can be reached at cheimerman@ saukvalley. com or 815-625-3600, ext. 5523.
Challand student’s poem draws standing ovations from veterans, peers
A
ge 12 can be quite the time of discovery. Challand Middle School seventh-grader Naomi Chamberlain has found out a lot about herself over the past 10 days. In reading her thoughtprovoking, sometimes heartwrenching poem to a crowd that included dozens of veterans at her school’s Veterans
Partly cloudy
VOLUME 9 ISSUE 12 36 Pages
Today: 41/22 For the forecast, see Page A11
Day assembly Nov. 10, she learned she can, in fact, command a crowd. “I was very nervous,” she said. “I was just trying to get through the poem as fast as I could once I was up there.” “We didn’t see any of that,” Bill Eberly said. “She just got up there, took the microphone and did her thing.” Eberly, like the Chamber-
Business
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lains, is a member of First Baptist Church in Sterling. He and his wife, Carol, support Naomi by attending as many of her events as they can. They were also at Challand to support their pastor, the Rev. Jack Smith, an 80-year-old Marine Corps veteran. PEOPLE’S VOICE continued on A94
Community The Sauk Valley football season came to a sudden end last weekend. The SVM photo team reviews the joys and sorrows of the playoffs. See Page C12
DIXON — Decreased landfill revenue has forced Lee County government to tighten its belt, but the uncertainty of state funding could present a bigger risk to its budget. The Lee County Board approved a $24 million fiscal year 2017 budget earlier this week and anticipates generating about $250,000 less in fees from the landfill, owned by Phoenix-based Republic Services. Finance Committee Chairman Arlan McClain said the county expects to receive slightly less than $850,000 this year, and next year’s projected revenue is $600,000. BUDGET continued on A24
Letters to Santa Did you email us a letter to Santa before Thursday, Nov. 17? If so, a glitch in our email system might have prevented us from receiving it. Please call 815-625-3600, or 815-2842222, ext. 5530, by Tuesday to confirm receipt so we can include your letter in our Letters to Santa section next month.
Index Births................. C5
Lottery............... A2
Business............ C1
Markets........... A11
Classified........... B7
Obituaries.......... A4
Comics.............. A8
Opinion.............. A6
Community...... C12
Scoreboard....... B6
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