Serving the Polo Area Since 1857
POLO
Tri-County Press April 14, 2016 Volume 158, Number 30 - $1.00
Fourth Place
Drug Take Back
Two Car Chases
The Polo-Forreston boys track team finished fourth at the Gebhardt-Worley Invitational. B1
Safely return all unwanted medications on April 30. A6
Officers responded to a pair of car chases over the past week in Ogle County. A7
Council tables street request for the second time By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com A controversial street closing request was tabled for the second time by the Polo City Council April 4. After Alderman Jim Busser’s motion to vacate East North Street and split it between adjoining property owners Kenneth Linton and Jim Ports died for lack of a
second, the council decided to study the matter further. The request was also tabled for further study on March 21. Linton and Ports asked then that council vacate an undeveloped 60x170 section of the street that lies between their properties off North Prairie Avenue. Ports said he has maintained it for decades and would like to put up another
building on his property. Currently, he said, there’s not enough room, but with the addition of half the street the space would be sufficient. 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 mainly undeveloped land to the east of Ports and Linton. Haenitsch said the parcels are land-locked and will remain so without the street remaining there. Alderman Randy Schoon April 4 that vacating the street under the circumstances would set an undesirable precedent. “I think the best thing to do is to do nothing,” he said.
“It’s only going to create a controversy.” Busser disagreed. “The Ports family has been taking care of this property for the last 50 years,” he said. “No one has ever wanted it. I don’t see the city ever putting a street back there.” Attorney Tom Suits said the best way to access Haenitsch’s and Schmidt’s properties, if there were
further development, is on this section of East North Street. Haenitsch said he has access as long as the street isn’t vacated and split. Schmidt’s only access, however, is through his own commercial property or through Haenitsch’s property. Schmidt said he may want Turn to A2
Community remembered EF4 tornado anniversary By Chris Johnson cxjohnson@oglecounty news.com
Capen and his wife Lilly were not home when the storm leveled their home. “We were in Rockford with family while it happened,” he said. “We received a call to let us know the house was gone. The couple lived in the home for 46 years and in an instant it was gone. However, the memories they have of the home were spared. “I thank God that we recovered 85 percent of what money can’t buy,” said Capen. “Volunteers found old photo albums and other items. A refrigerator can be
replaced.” Some of his wife’s instruments were also recovered, but the owner Residents impacted by of a riding lawnmower that last year’s tornado turned dropped on the property was out Saturday to remember not identified. the day, the recovery efforts, Knowing memories are and to thank everyone who important to the family, helped out. Capen and his daughter Homeowner Reuben started a scrapbook of the Capen was one of the tornado cleanup. residents directly impacted This scrapbook contained by the storm. photos of the home before His home on Fowler the storm and had a day by Road by the Cherry Hill day account through the subdivision northwest of rebuilding of the home. Rochelle was destroyed He brought it to the by the April 9, 2015 EF4 community event at Rochelle tornado. Township High School April 9 to share his story of the tornado. “My brother helped out with the rebuilding,” said Capen. “He works at Anderson Plumbing and Heating in Rochelle. With his help and all the volunteers we were able to clear everything from the property.” Less than a week after the storm, plans to build a new home on the property were underway. Capen credits all the volunteers for the quick recovery. “We built the home on a different part of the property which allowed us to get moved in only 40 days after Eighteen-month-old Greta Johnson, Rochelle, cautiously the storm,” he said. “Without approaches comfort dog Flex April 9 at the Rochelle the volunteers we would not Township High School. The comfort dogs were popular have gotten the property
Rueben Capen holds a scrapbook of photos from damage last year’s tornado did to his property. He brought the scrapbook to the tornado anniversary event at the Rochelle Township High School April 9. Photo by Chris Johnson
Polo HS Yearbook earns award
The Polo High School yearbook program has been named a 2015 Jostens’ National Yearbook Program of Excellence, for the first time in the school’s history. The program recognizes engaging yearbooks that reflect a broad representation of the student body while helping students develop Turn to A2 21st century skills such as communication,
with the kids during the tornado anniversary event. Photo by Chris Johnson
collaboration, and information and communication technologies literacy. The Polo award winning yearbook program is led under the direction of Jamie Harmon, Polo High School yearbook adviser. “Each rear the students collaboratively come up with a clever theme for the book. That theme is run throughout
the book, cleverly tying the book and school activities. The kids had to meet many goals to achieve this award. Dedication and creativeness are two of qualities these yearbookies strive towards,” Harmon said. “Our theme for the book was technology, the cover identical to that of an Ipad. We believed it would almost Turn to A2
New book details art legacy By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com An Oregon woman who set out in 2013 to make a list of art works ended up writing a detailed history of art in her community and its impact. “The goal was to do a catalog of the art in the gallery [at the Oregon Public Library],” said Beth Simeone. “That’s all it was supposed to be.” Once she started her research for the library on the art works and artists, though, it soon became apparent the project could not stop there. “I soon realized the story was far more,” Simeone said. “The initial catalog grew into a broader survey
of art and its influence in this community.” The result of 3 years of painstaking research is “The Art of Oregon,” a 180-page book filled with information and colorful illustrations, reaching back to Margaret Fuller’s visit to Oregon in 1843 to the formation of the Eagle’s Nest Art Colony in 1892 to the creation of the iconic Black Hawk Statue in 1910-11. Photographs for the book were taken by Bob Logsdon, and the design was done by Colleen Logsdon. “It’s about telling the story that’s in this town,” Simeone said. “It’s right in front of us, and it’s authentic.” Simeone’s research has revealed information either
In This Week’s Edition...
unknown or long forgotten about Oregon’s artistic legacy and the artists themselves. One section of the book focuses on John Prasuhn, the young German sculptor and engineer who built the Black Hawk statue envisioned by sculptor Lorado Taft. Included are letters Prasuhn wrote to his brother and sister in 1946 while he was making repairs on the statue. The more Simeone uncovered, the more she became concerned that the history easily could be lost for good. “Soon it became clear that the art story of Oregon was much broader than the 1918 Eagle’s Nest Art Collection Turn to A2
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 College News, A4 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4
Members of the Polo High School yearbook staff display a banner recognizing the yearbook in the Josten’s National Program of Excellence for 2015. Pictured left to right in the front row are Lindsey Coleman and Faith Porter. Back row: Jamie Harmon(advisor), Lani Bergstrom, Sammi Bushman, Kaleigh Powell, Kellen Kyker, Allie Schick, and Kinnedy Poff. Photo supplied
Marriage Licenses, A4 Polo Police, A3 Public Voice, A8 Property Transfers, B5 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3
Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B3 Zoning, B4 Weather, A3
Deaths, B4 Georgeanne F. Donegan, Margaret J. Reichenbach, James E. Samsel
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com