Serving the Polo Area Since 1857
POLO
Tri-County Press March 24, 2016 Volume 158, Number 27 - $1.00
Season Begins
Special Insert
Sculpture Installed
The Polo-Forreston Lady Marcos track team is gearing up for the spring season. B1
New businesses open while others mark milestones. C1-C20
The tenth and final Community Arts Legacy sculpture was installed in Oregon. B2
Residents disagree over vacating North Street By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecountynews. com Residents faced off Monday night at the Polo City Council meeting over an unused street. Kenneth Linton, 301 N. Prairie Ave., and Jim Ports, who owns Bill’s Excavating at 404 N. Prairie Ave., asked
the council to vacate the 60 x 170 foot section of North Street that lies between their properties. The street is platted on the city map but has never been improved. The request asked that it be split equally between Linton and Ports, who agreed to assume responsibility for it. “I’ve maintained it for 50
years,” Ports said. Linton said the street right-of-way is within 14 feet of his house. However, neighboring property owners Shannon Haenitsch and Charlie Schmidt objected. They each own large parcels of land to the east of Ports and Linton. Haenitsch said the parcels
are land-locked and will remain so without the street remaining there. “If the street goes in the property could be accessed,” he said. Haenitsch’s and Schmidt’s parcels are undeveloped except for a self-storage building on the eastern-most parcel owned by Schmidt. That parcel can be reached
by a private drive. The council tabled the matter for further study. Mayor Doug Knapp said more research is needed to determine whether or not the street might be needed for an easement for sewer or water lines at some future time. In another matter, the council approved changing the minimum age of utility
Turn to A2
Former banker pleads guilty to embezzlement
Huntley runs last election By Chris Johnson cxjohnson@oglecounty news.com After the polls closed there was a small calm before the storm, and it was not the heavy rain passing through Ogle County March 15. Ogle County Clerk Rebecca Huntley was overseeing her final election and her staff was in the courthouse basement waiting for ballot boxes to be returned. Once the first box arrived, there would be no breaks for election workers because this would be the busiest two hours. At 7:48 p.m, the first box arrived. “Lafayette Township,” Beth Lancaste, an election judge from Ashton said as she carried the box into the courthouse. “Seventy-five voters turned out. That is 65 percent.” “That’s awesome,” Huntley said. “You must have been running out of ballots.” With the first percent reporting were 51 more to arrive before the night was through. The precincts are in 34 buildings throughout the county. Huntley said she thinks having fewer voting locations throughout the county is a trend for the future. Voting centers are the way to go because it is hard to get election judges,” she said. “I plan on being an election judge.” Each voting machine needs to be calibrated to ensure the accuracy with counting the paper ballots. Huntley said each machine has a stack of ballots that needs to be run through it and the results are verified. At that point the machine can be sent to the precincts. This process is time consuming but needs to be completed with every election. Once the candidates are approved for the ballot no changes are made, not even for candidates that drop out
task vehicles (UTVs) operators from 21 to 18 within the village limits. The changes will bring the city’s ordinance in line with Illinois Department of Natural Resources rules that set the minimum age of UTV drivers at 18. A request earlier last
By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
Election judge Heather Mowry, Chana, Ogle County Clerk Rebecca Huntley, and Lafyette Township precinct judges Beth Lancaste, Ashton, and Dorris Kennay, Ashton, deliver the first box of ballots to the Ogle County Courthouse March 15. Photo by Chris Johnson
of the race, which is why presidential candidates remained on the ballot during the primary. What made the election night more stressful than normal was two election workers were unable to work. Deputy Clerks Tiffany O’Brien and Laura Cook were candidates in the election and were legally prevented from assisting last week. “Candidates can not do anything relating to the election at the clerk’s office,” said Huntley. “They both did a tremendous amount of work on election nights in the past.” Overall the election counting went well and by 10 p.m. all the votes were counted and the election was finished. The computer counting makes it easier to report the results, but legally the paper ballots are still important. Following the election, state law requires the paper ballots be saved for two years, Huntley said. The only thing left for Huntley when she left the
In This Week’s Edition...
A Polo woman pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to embezzling $59,560.88 from First State Bank Shannon-Polo. Kayla C. Bergstrom, 46, entered her plea before U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Kapala in federal court in Rockford. Sentencing is set for June 28 at 9 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Philip G. Reinhard. Bergstrom faces a maximum sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release of up to five years following imprisonment, and a fine of up to $1 million. According to the plea agreement, Bergstrom, who was first vice-president of First State Bank, had the highest security level assigned in the bank’s software program which controlled all customer bank accounts, the bank’s
Kayla Bergstrom
general ledger accounts, adding new accounts, and the maintenance of all bank accounts. According to a press release from Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Bergstrom’s responsibilities included reconciling all of the bank’s correspondent accounts including the bank’s correspondent account with US Bank. “Bergstrom stated in the plea agreement that between Feb. 23, 2010 and Feb. 3, 2014, she embezzled a total Turn to A3
Cook sworn in as county clerk By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
Deputy Clerk Linda Walter opens the early voting machines to collect the results of the election March 15. Photo by Chris Johnson
courthouse March 15 was to certify the election and attend a retirement party. “Yesterday was bittersweet, but we had a great election and everything went well,” she
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B5-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4
said during the March 16 party. “It feels wonderful to leave on a good foot. I have no doubt I am leaving it in capable hands.” Cook received the Turn to A3
Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B3 Polo Police, A2 Property Transfers, B4
Congratulations and hugs were abundant last Friday afternoon when Laura Cook was sworn in as Ogle County Clerk & Recorder. About 30 county officials, family members, and friends crowded into Memorial Hall on the third floor of the Ogle County Courthouse March 18 to watch Cook take the oath of office from Judge John B. (Ben) Roe. One of those attending the brief ceremony was retiring county clerk Rebecca Huntley. Last Friday was her last day on the job. “Thanks, Becky, for being such a great role model,” Cook said, her voice breaking with emotion. “I’ve got big shoes to fill.” “You’re going to do a great job,” Huntley replied. Cook, 50, who has served
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B1 State’s Attorney, B3
as chief deputy clerk since 1998, won the Republican Party nomination in the March 15 primary election for to fill the remaining two years of Huntley’s four-year term. She received 5,341 votes to defeat deputy clerk Tiffany O’Brien who earned 4,600 votes and Jeff Hallock, a retired banker, who gained 699 votes. In the wake of her victory, on March 16 the Ogle County Board appointed Cook to fill Huntley’s post until after the Nov. 8 general election. So far, Cook is running unopposed for the post in the fall election. Huntley, 55, who has served in the post for 18 years, announced her resignation last August. The county board also recognized Huntley March 16 for her decades of service Turn to A3
Deaths No obituaries were reported this week
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com