Serving the Polo Area Since 1857
POLO Happy Thanksgiving!
Solid Season Ahead The Marcos are shooting for another 20-win basketball season. B1
Tri-County Press November 26, 2015 Volume 158, Number 10 - $1.00
VOP Awards Banquet emcee Tom Wadsworth takes home the Volunteer of the Year Award. A7
Polo workers create leaf machine for city truck By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecountynews.com With the season’s first snowstorm just hours away, Polo Street Department Supervisor Kendall Kyker was scrambling Friday morning to get snow blades mounted on all three plow trucks. The trouble was, one of those trucks was still set up to vacuum leaves, and calls kept coming in from residents who wanted the results of their last minute raking picked up pronto — before the snowstorm. You could say Kyker and his fellow city employees had only themselves to blame for the dilemma — the leaf vacuuming machine they all had a hand in designing is much appreciated by local residents. “The town is really, really happy with this thing,” Kyker said with a grin. “I saw only five people burning leaves this year.” The machine picks up leaves efficiently and effectively, takes only one person to operate, and was created at a relatively low cost. When the city’s old leaf vacuum could no longer be repaired, Kyker said, they tried using the street sweeper to gather up leaves but that simply didn’t work. A new vacuum was deemed to be Turn to A2
First winter storm left piles of snow By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecountynews.com Mother Nature kicked off the winter season early and decisively, dumping six to 10 inches of heavy snow on Ogle County over the weekend. Flakes began to fly Friday afternoon but most of that melted due to warm air and ground temperatures. The white stuff began to accumulate in the early evening and by 8 p.m. the storm was getting down to business. The snow fell steadily throughout the night and continued through Saturday afternoon, reducing visibility and turning roads slushy and slippery. In a Facebook post Saturday morning, Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle advised residents to stay at home. “In case you haven’t looked outside, it is still snowing and the roadways are snow-covered,” VanVickle posted at 9:45 a.m. “So pour yourself a cup of coffee and stay safely inside.” The sheriff’s department implemented winter weather operations from 9 p.m. Friday through 9 p.m. Saturday. Lt. Greg Kunce, who heads up patrol operations for the sheriff’s department, said that over the two days, deputies responded to 19 traffic accidents and 49 cars in ditches, most of them on Saturday morning when the conditions worsened. “Fortunately we had no serious accidents, just property damage and cars in ditches,” he said. He said motorists may not have anticipated the deteriorating road conditions as the storm picked up steam. “It started off slow Friday Turn to A2
Above left, Polo city employees Tim Rockwood, Mike Mumford, Cale Fry, and Kendall Kyker stand by the leaf vacuum machine they all helped to design and fabricate. Missing from the photo is Tim Merrell. Above right is the truck in action.
Sixteen graduate from EMT training By Chris Johnson cxjohnson@oglecounty news.com A new class of EMTs will soon be serving residents of Ogle and Lee Counties. Sixteen people from Oregon, Mt. Morris, Stillman Valley, Polo, Ashton, and the Dixon Rural Fire Departments completed a rigorous class to become EMTs. “Their training was extremely rigorous,” said instructor Dana Carr, EMS educator from Mercy Rockford. “They had 180 plus hours of training where they had to pass written tests and skills tests. They also participated in simulated accidents.” All that is left is for them to become certified is to pass a national exam in December. Being certified is not the
end of classroom training. “The Illinois Department of Public Health requires continual really education,” said Carr. “Nationally they need to re-certify every two years and the state recertifies every four years.” Everyone in the course has had some prior medical training as first responders. This will be the first time that they are directly in charge of a person’s care at the scene. When responding to medical emergencies these new EMTs will not be alone. Dr. John Pakiela, is with Mercy Rockford’s MD-1 program. “This program allows EMTs to request the assistance of the MD-1 vehicle for additional support at the scene,” said Pakiela. “We can respond to the scene Polo EMT Colton Youngren was presented his certificate of completion by
Dr. John Pakiela, left, Mercy Rockford’s MD-1 program, and instructor Dana
Turn to B2 Carr, EMS educator from Mercy Rockford. Photo by Chris Johnson
Officials pleased by renewal of license By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Local officials say they are pleased that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved Byron Generating Station’s license renewal application for an additional 20 years. Ogle County Board Chairman Kim Gouker, Byron, said that he is happy, but not surprised by the decision. “It’s something that’s been expected for a long time,” Gouker said Nov. 20. “Exelon has been a very large taxpayer in the area and a large employer. I think it’s a positive sign that they’re going to be allowed to continue.” Byron Mayor Chris Millard also voiced his appreciation for the decision which was announced by the NRC Nov. 19. “The community has benefitted from our partnership with Exelon Generation and the license renewal for Byron Station is a positive for the entire region,” Millard said. “Many people rely on the economic activity the station’s large employee base brings to the area, and we hope the facility continues to operate for another generation of northern Illinois residents.” The approval is the culmination of a rigorous, multi-year process that licenses Byron Station to operate until 2044 for Unit 1 and 2046 for Unit 2. “Nuclear energy is an essential part of
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Chamber Chatter, A8 Church Bells, A5 Classifieds, B6-B12 Entertainment, A6 Marriage Licenses, A4
the energy mix in Illinois and is needed for the state to comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power plan to reduce carbon emissions,” said Byron Station Site Vice President Mark Kanavos. “The NRC’s approval of the license renewal demonstrates that Byron Station has met all the criteria to provide around-the-clock reliable, carbon-free energy until at least the middle of the century.” Exelon Generation paid more than $16 million in real estate taxes this year for Byron Station to 11 the affected taxing bodies, which include Ogle County, Rockvale Township, Byron School District, Oregon Park District, Oregon School District, Byron Museum District, Byron Fire Protection District, Byron Public Library District, Byron Forest Preserve District, Rock Valley College, and Kishwaukee Community College. Byron Station supports approximately 5,100 direct and secondary jobs in Illinois, and the facility contributes $1.7 billion to the state’s economy annually. While license renewal provides Byron Station the opportunity to operate for decades to come, it does not guarantee the plant will stay in business that long. The facility continues to face economic challenges due to distorted markets that don’t properly recognize and value all Exelon’s Byron Station is located on German Church Road between Oregon and Byron. Photo by Earleen carbon-free energy sources equally. Turn to A2 Hinton
Library News, A8 Pine Creek News, A3 Public Voice, A8 Property Transfers, B3 Sheriff’s Arrests, B6
Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B3 Weather, A3
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com
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