Serving the Polo Area Since 1857
POLO
Tri-County Press August 4, 2016 Volume 158, Number 46 - $1.00
Deed Scam
AMO Tour
Butterflies Rule
County Clerk Laura Cook warns property owners about a possible deed scam. A8
Ramblers and Ambassadors drove through Ogle County. B1
Butterflies were the stars at the Elkhorn Preserve July 30. B1
Polo alderman charged with theft and forgery By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty .news.com A Polo city alderman has been charged with theft and forgery connected to incidents that occurred between two and four years ago when he was employed by a local business. David Ackeberg, 38, turned himself in at the Ogle County Jail Monday after Illinois State Police issued a
warrant for his arrest on the felony charges. He was released after posting 10 percent of his $10,000 bond. According to court records, Ackeberg is accused of theft between $500 and $10,000 and forging documents when he was employed as a salesman by Birkey’s Farm Store, Polo. The charges, both Class 3 felonies, stem from offenses committed between October
Ackeberg is accused of theft between $500 and $10,000 and forging documents when he was employed as a salesman by Birkey’s Farm Store, Polo. — of 2012 and February of 2014. Ackeberg was indicted by an Ogle County Grand Jury on July 27 and is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 26. According to the bill of indictment, he knowingly told Birkey’s officials that
he sold customers equipment for prices greater than actually agreed upon and then falsified documents to support that. The inflated prices were used to calculate his sales commissions. Ackeberg submitted
a letter to the Polo City Council Monday, resigning from his alderman post, but did not attend the council meeting Monday evening. He was served as an alderman in Ward 2 from 2009 to 2011, and in Ward 1 since 2013. His current term expires next April. The council did not act on Ackeberg’s resignation because it did not arrive in time to be placed on the meeting agenda.
David Ackeberg
City will make an offer to buy storage building By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com City departments will soon have more storage space for their equipment. The Polo City Council unanimously approved making an offer Monday evening to purchase the property at 113 E. Colden St. from Michael and Kent Dearborn for $47,500. Alderman Randy Schoon said the front of the heated building will be used for storing Water & Sewer Department equipment and the rear will be used for Street Department equipment. “We have some equipment that cannot be left outside in RG Hough, age 11, talks about some of the equipment on his Hazard View Farms 4-H the winter,” he said. In June of 2015, the project as he waits to check in for judging on Saturday. Photo by Earleen Hinton council discussed buying the building from thenowner Richard Hahn, who subsequently sold it to the Dearborns. In another matter, Police Chief Dennis Christen reported that police officers By Earleen Hinton Dubbed “My Dresser eyes, a nose, and a smile have completed training in ehinton@oglecounty Makeover”, the project took topped off with growing how to administer Narcan, news.com grass was the Chia pet while a drug that can counteract just six weeks to complete. “We had this old dresser in a cardboard egg carton was Sarah Elliott could not my dad’s workshop. I didn’t cut and painted to resemble help but smile as she walked think it would turn out as flowers. into the Ogle County 4-H good as it did,” she told judge Hazard View Farm was Exhibit Building on Saturday Tiffany West. “I grew really the name RG Hough, age By Vinde Wells brandishing her wooden attached to it so I am going to 11, gave to his farm safety vwells@oglecounty Viking shield. diorama. keep it.” news.com “I watch the History “He called it that because Ethan Bocker, another Leaf Channel’s Vikings and my River Soaring Eagle, walked it has all kinds of a hazards,” With antique tractors, a ancestors were Vikings so I his rocket entry into the said his mom, Lynnette. queen pageant, and good made this shield,” said the building with the help of his The project included a family fun, the 163rd Ogle 18-year-old member of the family. farm scene complete with County Fair is underway. Leaf River Soaring Eagles “He hasn’t shot it off yet, buildings, equipment, trees, “We want everyone to 4-H Club. “I like to dress up because we thought he might and human figures. come out and have a good for Renaissance Faires so lose it,” said his dad Eric with “I made the trees from time,” said fair board this will now be part of my a chuckle. sedum we had in our garden,” president Harlan Holm. costume.” Grand Detour Greens Club the Carefree 4-H member The 2016 Ogle County Made from a table top member Connor Ross, age said. “It’s hard to say how Fair Queen Pageant kicked purchased at Menards, the 17, looked far from home long it took me to finish. I off the fair on opening night 15-pound shield included when he chose to do a detailed started in January/February Wednesday, Aug. 3. rune writing as a tribute to display on Namibia, a country and worked on it when I The pageant included the Elliott’s ancestors. could. The biggest hazard is in Southwest Africa. Little Miss and Mister Ogle Connecting interest with “I thought it was an the guy caught in the grain County Fair contests, the enterprise was a common underrated country and kind wagon.” Young Miss and Junior Miss theme on Saturday as 4-H kids of unique,” said Ross. The 4-H fair is held in contests. brought their 4-H projects to Meanwhile, Katlyn Miller, conjunction with the Ogle The fair runs through the fairgrounds to be judged age 6, a Circle M Club County Fair which runs Sunday, Aug. 7 at the and then displayed at the fair, member, quietly positioned Aug. 3-7 at the Ogle County fairgrounds on Lime Kiln which opens this week. her two projects, egg carton Fairgrounds located west of Road, just north of Ill. 64 a Taylor Yordy, age 13, took flowers and a homemade Oregon on Limekiln Road. mile west of Oregon. Large a dilapidated dresser and Chia pet, on a table with the 4-H projects can be seen signs on Ill. 64 point the way. transformed it into a bench help of her grandmother Deb in the exhibit buildings The $8 admission fee that she entered in the interior Daleiden. located in the center of the includes unlimited carnival design category. A small flower pot with fairgrounds. rides.
Creative 4-H projects are entered into the 2016 fair
The Polo City Council voted Monday evening to make an offer to purchase this building at 113 E. Colden Avenue from Kent and Mike Dearborn for $47,500. City officials plan to use the building for storing equipment. Photo by Vinde Wells
an overdose of heroin and other opioid drugs, both prescription and illegal. “It can reverse the effects of heroin and possibly save someone’s life,” Christen said. State law now requires police officers to carry Narcan, he said. The council also discussed stepping up its police car replacement schedule. Alderman Troy Boothe said currently the squad cars are replaced after eight years. With four cars, that means
one is replaced every two years. However, he said, they are wearing out sooner than that. One car, he said, is only six years old but already has required multiple repairs. Christen said the car, although it has only 50,000 miles on it, has had problems with the air-conditioning, cooling fan, fuel pump, and electrical system. “Sitting and idling is hard on cars,” Schoon said. Boothe said the car needs to be replaced this year.
163rd Ogle County Fair is on
In This Week’s Edition...
Church Bells, A5 Classifieds, B5-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4
Marriage Licenses, A4 Polo Police, A2 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B4
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B1 State’s Attorney, B3
As always, Ogle County 4-H Clubs will have exhibits of all kinds of projects on display for the public and for judging. Holm urged the public to come out and see their work. “We’re there for the 4-H Clubs. It’s important to support the kids, ” he said. “They work very hard on their projects. It’s amazing all the things they can do. For those who have livestock projects, it’s a year-round commitment.” New to this year’s fair are Welde’s Big Bear Expedition and Kids Bucks, both free shows. “The bear show has five or six trained black bears,” Holm said. “It’s both educational and entertaining.” At the Kids Bucks Show, youngsters get a chance to grab play money from a machine and then buy prizes, he said. Also new is a bags
tournament on Saturday, Aug. 6. The food fare has expanded this year to include cheese curds at the Cheese Factory booth and Mexican cuisine. Also on hand will be perennial favorites like Cliff’s Donuts, the Leaf River Grange, the Ogle County Beef Association, and the Ogle County Pork Producers (Saturday only). Other free shows included the Brian Holt Magic Show from 3 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 5 and 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 6, the Pegasus Open Horse Show at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 7, and various musical groups. The grand stand shows will be traditional, Holm said. The Riverbend Antique Tractor Pull is Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Deaths, B4 Brenda G. Fauster Richard C. Folk
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com
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