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Rock Falls, Sterling WHERE YOU CAN GO TO in a Shootout GET OUTLOCAL, OF THE COLD A2 GIRLS BASKETBALL, B1
DIXON | RONALD REAGAN BOYHOOD HOME
WEEKEND ENTERPRISE | SOCIAL SERVICES
Repairing Reagan’s residence
hal/ x T. Pasc tion by Ale valley.com a tr s lu Il sauk Photo apaschal@
Photos by Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Pat Gorman, executive director of the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home in Dixon, points Friday to ongoing work being done to the home’s back porch. A fundraising campaign has begun to raise money to repair a long list of problems that have developed at the city’s main tourist attraction over the past 30 years.
Boyhood home seeks donations for overdue maintenance BY RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5529 @rj_rodgers
DIXON – The Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home is nowhere near as polished and put-together as it appears in postcards, an issue its staff is striving to remedy. The 40th president moved to the two-story home at 816 S. Hennepin Ave. in 1920 when he was 9, sparking his love for the city that he hailed as “a
place to come back to.” The historic landmark with a cedar-tiled roof and painted wooden siding sees an average of 8,000 to 10,000 visitors each year, from all 50 states and more than 2 dozen countries. Three decades of deferred maintenance has created a pile of problems, though, that its new executive director is focused on repairing. When Pat Gorman, also president of the Lee County Historical and Genea-
logical Society, took leadership of the facility in July, he inherited a long list of items that need fixing at the home and visitors center next door at 810 S. Hennepin Ave. Most of the work needed is to the exterior, which is the first thing visitors and community members see. “You never get a second chance at making a first impression,” Gorman said. REAGAN continued on A34
STATE BUDGET | LOCAL IMPACT
No MAP grants this spring at Sauk No funding in stopgap bill, which expires Dec. 31 BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 CHeimerman_SVM
DIXON – Students can cross a state grant for the spring semester off their holiday wish lists: Officials are advising them not to expect Monetary Assistance Program grants next semester.
Rain/snow
VOLUME 9 ISSUE 16 36 Pages
Today: 24/-8 For the forecast, see Page A11
“At this point, I’ve erred on the side of caution and advised and directed students to not count on that money,” said Jennifer Schultz, director of financial assistance at Sauk Valley Community College. “If it comes through, it’s a perk you shouldn’t have planned on. I’d hate to set them up for false hope.” For the third straight semester, MAP grants, which help financially strapped students pay tuition and other expenses, will not be immediately available. The stopgap budget
Business
The Asterisk Boutique offers a variety of styles and local artists’ work. See Page C1
signed June 30 by Gov. Bruce Rauner did not include MAP funding for the 2016-17 school year, and Sauk will not fund them in the hopes of being reimbursed. It did that in fall 2015, providing about $60,000 for 468 eligible students, but simply hasn’t had the money to do so again. The school also was able to reimburse students for this spring’s grants, using stopgap funding. GRANTS continued on A24
Community The nights are filled with light as the Christmas holiday fast approaches. Take a look at local displays through SVM’s lenses. See Page C12
Federal law puts ‘lock’ on local workshops Those serving developmentally disabled denied guidance on interpreting conflicting sections BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 CHeimerman_SVM
STERLING – Several workers with developmental disabilities showed up at Self Help Enterprises for their shift Sept. 26, but weren’t allowed to punch the clock. Inside The sheltered workshop n Even the – a place that employs interpretations people with disabilities of the law can separately from others change, A10 – has taken a guarded approach to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, federal legislation that took effect July 22. With a goal of getting youths with disabilities into the best jobs possible, the new law actually has left those 10 accustomed to having a place to be and a purpose in life with neither. Dozens more won’t get to try their hand in a workshop until assessment deems such a work atmosphere appropriate. Under the act, in order to continue working for agencies allowed to pay subminimum wage, people 24 and younger with disabilities who weren’t hired before July 22 must go through training, counseling and transition services to determine whether they should be working elsewhere in the community, rather than at such workshops. WORKSHOPS continued on A94
Index Births................. C5
Lottery............... A2
Business............ C1
Markets........... A11
Classified........... B7
Obituaries.......... A4
Comics.............. A8
Opinion.............. A6
Community...... C12
Scoreboard....... B5
Crossword Saturday............ B8
Scrapbook........ C3
Crossword Sunday.............. C8
Support groups... C5
Dave Ramsey.... C1
Weather........... A11
Dear Abby......... C6
Wheels............ B12
Sports............... B1 Travel............... C10