Serving the Polo Area Since 1857
POLO Impersonators Mark Twain and Will Rogers will take the stage in Mt. Morris on July 5. A6
Tri-County Press July 3, 2014 Volume 156, Number 41 - $1.00
Pie Contest
DUI Conviction
Sweet prizes are up for grabs during a July 5 Pie Baking Contest. A3
A Chana man received a 3-year jail sentence for a wreck with a Rochelle school bus. B2
Storm caused
damage June 30 By Vinde Wells Editor Brigette Peterson, Oregon, was chatting with her sister in the kitchen Monday night when part of an oak tree crashed through the ceiling. A severe storm packing high winds, torrential rain, and small hail swept through town just before 9 p.m. bringing down trees and power lines and leaving most of the city without electricity for more than 12 hours. The storm uprooted a massive oak tree behind Peterson’s house at 410 N. Sixth St., and brought it crashing down on her grill and house. About two feet of one of its branches protruded through the ceiling
above her kitchen sink. Peterson and her two children, ages 6 and 8, were in the kitchen when it happened along with her sister and niece and nephew. “We were actually in that room when it happened,� Peterson said Tuesday morning. “The sound was unbelievable. I’ve never heard anything like it. It sounded like every window in the house was shattering a once. “And then we had water pouring into the house everywhere, from the light fixtures, the ceiling, everywhere,� she said. The main thing, she said, was that no one was hurt. “I’m so thankful we were all fine, not a scratch,� said A home at 7255 West Pines Road, Polo was damaged when this tree snapped during a storm June 30. Photo by Turn to B1 Earleen Hinton
Accidents on I-39 increased with current construction By Chris Johnson Reporter Take increased traffic, add construction zones with a dash of distracted drivers, and you have a recipe for accidents. A construction zone that began in June on I-39 between Ill. 64 and Ill. 72 has apparently contributed
to accidents on this stretch of interstate. “There are a couple of attributes on I-39 in the area,� said Sergeant Mike Kuehl, Illinois State Police (ISP) District 1. “There have been increased accidents over the past two years. Some of this increase has occurred with a lot of commercial vehicles on the roadway. The
construction has increased the visibility of the accidents.� The ISP has been increasing patrols on I-39 to try and reduce the accidents on the road. “We had a detail out there Monday and Tuesday (June 23-24) targeting commercial vehicles so they comply with all safety rules,� he said. “Increasing our visibility on
the road is one way to address the increased traffic.� The interstate is the busiest road in Ogle County and sees 32,000 vehicles per day, according to statistics from the Illinois Department of Transportation. Of this total, 12,500 are commercial trucks. Compare that with the Ronald Reagan Memorial
Former pastor receives probation By Chris Johnson Reporter
months probation and has all the normal conditions of probation.� Conditions include no alcohol, no drugs, and no contact with the victim. The charge of sexually molesting the child was dismissed per the plea agreement. “Babler will receive sex offender counseling and he will need to register as a violent offender against youth,� said Versluys. The aggravated battery is a
Tollway (I-88) on the southern edge of the county that only sees 16,300 vehicles per day. Blackhawk Drive (Ill. 2) in Byron has 13,000 vehicles per day and Fourth Street (Ill. 2) in Oregon has 9,700 vehicles per day. “Interstate 39 is congested. Traffic has increased on the road,� said Kuehl. “There has been a tremendous amount of commercial traffic on the roadway and IDOT has helped with funding to increase patrols on the road. We are trying to educate the
Class 3 felony. “He can not be in a position of authority with children,� A former minister pleaded said Versluys. guilty June 30 to the Following the court aggravated battery of a child. appearance, Babler reported Charles Babler, 65, Mt. to the probation department. Morris, was originally The case stemmed from charged with sexually an investigation into a single molesting an 11-year-old incident that took place in child. early 2011. By Vinde Wells “He pled guilty to a A jury trial was originally Editor different charge Monday,� set for June 17 before Charles Babler said Ogle County Assistant Babler’s attorney David Tess Babler was formerly the Oregon’s new ambulance States Attorney Joshua asked for a date for a plea campus pastor at Crossroads service had been in business Versluys. “He received 18 agreement. Community Church, Polo. only about 20 minutes Tuesday morning when its first call came in. The crew from ATS Medical Services, Loves Park, responded along with Oregon firefighters around 8:20 a.m. to a small, quickly extinguished fire at Oregon Rehabilitation and Healthcare. A few minutes earlier Oregon Fire Chief Don Heller announced that ATS and fire protection district officials have signed a 10-month contract for ambulance service in the fire protection district. “We entered into a shortterm 10-month contract for ambulance service until our referendum,� Heller said. The move came just two weeks after the Oregon Ambulance Service, a notfor-profit corporation, closed Swimming instructor Matthew Handel supervises as Leah Calderon and Avery Morain get a lesson at the its doors June 17 for financial Polo pool on June 27. The city-owned pool is now open and will be offering swimming lessons again July reasons, leaving Oregon 7-11. Call 815-946-3406 for details. Photos by Earleen Hinton area residents without an ambulance service.
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B2
Turn to A2
Ambulance will service Oregon
Staying Cool at the Polo Pool
In This Week’s Edition...
public to comply with all traffic laws.� Some of the increases could be related to construction on other Chicago interstates and motorists avoiding Chicago when traveling. Add construction to the mix and the road has been dangerous at times. Accidents over a two week span in one eight-mile stretch of the interstate include: one on June 13; two on June 16 including a fatal; one on June 17; one on June 18; one on
Marriage Licenses, A4 Polo Police, A2 Public Voice, A8 Property Transfers, B5
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B1 State’s Attorney, B3
Calls have been handled in the meantime by neighboring fire departments’ ambulance services. “We are taxing out our neighboring ambulance services,� Heller said. “We’re running them to death.� The ATS ambulance and a full-time crew will be based at the Oregon Fire Station and answer calls from there. “When a medical call comes in and they [Ogle County 911 telecommicators] tone out Oregon Fire, we will respond,� said Andy Schultz, ATS CEO and owner. The Oregon Fire Protection District is one of very few fire districts without a taxsupported ambulance service. Heller said fire district officials will place a referendum to tax for an ambulance service on the ballot either in November of this year or next April. “We hope that everyone supports us and votes yes for an ambulance service,� he said. “Otherwise we will have no ambulance.� State law does not allow the fire district to provide Turn to A2
Deaths, B5 Mary Jean Gipe, Harmine W. Scheffner, Roger E. Schultz
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