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Faith Christian LEE COUNTY REPUBLICANS coach keeps busy HONOR REAGAN LEGACY LOCAL, A3
SPORTS, B1
WEEKEND ENTERPRISE | GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE
Food for thought: More help available WIC provides food, education, health care, but only if families attend appointments, classes BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 CHeimerman_SVM
Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@saukvalley.com
Karina Dunbar, 24, of Rock Falls holds her 8-month-old son, Izaac, at the White side County Health Department in Rock Falls. Dunbar has taken advantage of the federally funded Women, Infants and Children program since she had her first son, 4-year-old Xavier, and cherishes how it’s instilled a healthy diet for her family. “The WIC program has meant a lot to me in getting healthy nutrition for my oldest son,” Dunbar said. “It helps, because they have no choice but to eat the healthy stuff.”
ROCK FALLS – It’s hard to believe, but hundreds of Sauk Valley residents are turning down free food and education. In 2007, the federal Women, Infants and Children program was funded to provide education, health care and food vouchers to 1,707 families in Whiteside County, and nearly all of them took advantage.
Today, 1,466 families could be served by WIC, but only 73 percent of them, about 1,070, are enrolled. Why is that? It might be some of the requirements to maintain the benefits, coordinators say. For example, among other things, participants have to take nutrition classes and agree to bring the kids in for checkups – all provided free as part of the program – before they get their food vouchers.
WEEKEND FEATURE | STERLING
DIXON
Trial date finally set for Fassler
Matt Miatke stands behind his wife, Charity, who holds a photo of exchange student Adrian Stidsen, a 16-yearold who’s living alone in Denmark following the death of his mother, Kiyo, on May 13, 2016. The Miatkes, flanked by their children Isaiah (front left), 10, Gabryel (front right), 9, Ethan (back right), 14, and Swiss exchange student Luis Blunschi (back left), are seeking a local lawyer willing to help them bring Adrian “home.” (Alex T. Paschal/ apaschal@ saukvalley.com)
Will be tried for the 2011 death of stepson BY ASHLEY CADY acady@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5521 @ashleycady_svm
BRING ADRIAN HOME Sterling family seeks to adopt their foreignexchange student now orphaned in Denmark
BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 CHeimerman_SVM
STERLING – It took all of a week for Adrian Stidsen to start calling Charity Miatke “Mom.” Adrian, a 16-year-old from Denmark, was the Miatkes’ fourth exchange student. They’re hosting their fifth, Sterling High School sophomore Luis Blunschi of Switzerland, and are working on finding a sixth. The things Adrian and the Miatkes went through, though, were unique.
Mostly cloudy
VOLUME 9 ISSUE 23 36 Pages
HELP continued on A104
Today: 35/26 For the forecast, see Page A11
Business
A Dixon business owner’s plan to increase traffic is coming together. See Page C1
Now the Miatkes are Adrian’s only family, and they are doing everything they can to bring the boy, now orphaned and alone in Copenhagen, back home. “We knew that adoption would be a long process, but I really would like to be adopted by them,” Adrian said. “That’s because I love them. It’s my family. I know it’s not my blood-related family, but it’s grown to be my family.” The Miatkes are desperately seeking a local lawyer willing to take on the complicated adoption case. HOME continued on A94
Community National Catholic Schools Week meant lots of extra activities at area parochial schools. The SVM Photo Team captured the action. See Page C12
DIXON – The trial of a Dixon woman accused of injuring her 7-year-old stepson and eventually causing his death is set for Oct. 23, almost 7 years after the boy was injured. Three weeks have been set aside for the trial of Tiffany Tiffany Fassler Fassler, 41. She is accused of kick- Faces two counts of firsting Colton Fassler degree murder on Dec. 30, 2010, causing him to hit his head on a bathroom vanity and resulting in severe brain damage that prosecutors say led to his death 11 months later. Fassler is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, each of which carries 20 to 60 years in prison, and four counts of aggravated battery to a child, which carries 6 to 30 years. Because the boy was not killed outright, the case involves myriad complicated medical issues and an “astronomical” amount of medical records that had to be reviewed by experts on both sides, and that has slowed the process, Lee County State’s Attorney Matthew Klahn and his predecessor, Anna-Sacco Miller, have said. Fassler remains free on $200,000 bond. FASSLER continued on A44
Index Births................. C5
Lottery............... A2
Business............ C1
Markets........... A11
Classified........... B7
Obituaries.......... A4
Comics.............. A8
Opinion.............. A6
Community...... C12
Scoreboard....... B4
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