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POLO
Tri-County Press October 6, 2016 Volume 159, Number 3 - $1.00
Sectional Qualifiers
Wellness Fair
Fall Festival
Two Marco golfers advance out of Tuesday’s regional match . B1
The Wellness & Resource Fair for adults is on Oct. 7. A6
The John Deere Historic Site will hold its first Fall Festival on Oct. 8. A6
Sold out: Polo’s ongoing garage sale is over By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Ordinance enforcement efforts have solved complaints about an ongoing garage sale on the south side of Polo. Police Chief Dennis Christen told the city council Monday that Richard Jeter, 901 S. Division Ave. (Ill. 26) has cleaned up items from his yard and removed abandoned
vehicles. “He’s in compliance,” Christen said. Aldermen had received numerous complaints from unhappy citizens about the ongoing yard sale, apparent salvaging of components from appliances, as well as the abandoned vehicles and open burning on the property. Christen had issued Jeter notices to abate for an abandoned vehicle and the salvaging operations.
A notice to abate is issued to a citizen who is violating a city ordinance before legal action is taken. The citizen has seven days to comply with the ordinance. Jeter also received a letter from Paul Cooney, Solid Waste Management Specialist, after he (Cooney) and Ogle County Solid Waste Management Department Director Steve Rypkema visited the property in response to complaints
about the salvaging operation and open burning. The letter advised Jeter of what they had observed and how scrapping and disposal of certain items are regulated by law. in a related matter, Polo resident Marv Bushman again voiced safety concerns about two pick-up trucks parked in front of 903 S. Division Ave. He told the council two weeks ago that the trucks block visibility
for drivers at the intersection of West Dement Street and South Division Avenue. Bushman said one of the trucks was pulled ahead slightly but otherwise they haven’t been moved in quite some time, which may violate city ordinances. He also complained about an apparently abandoned car on Provost Street, which he said is partially blocking an alley.
Defendants ask court to dismiss zoning lawsuit By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
Jim and Deb Busser, Polo, look over the snowmen for sale Saturday at an Autumn of Parade booth on Jefferson Street. Photo by Vinde Wells
Perfect temperatures for fall festival By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com The right elements came together last weekend for another successful Autumn on Parade festival in Oregon. Festival goers had fun, the vendors did well, and even the weather cooperated. “It turned out very well,” said Marseyne Snow, AOP Committee President. “We had a lot of positive comments and everyone seemed to have a good time. People liked the booths and the parade especially. They also liked watching the donut-eating contest.” The rain predicted for Saturday was only an occasional light mist and
“We had a lot of positive comments and everyone seemed to have a good time. People liked the booths and the parade especially,” — Marseyne Snow AOP Committee President peeks of sunshine broke through the clouds from time to time. Clouds prevailed on Sunday, too, but the temperature stayed in the perfect range — mid 60s — for both days. The turnout for the festival was large both Saturday and Sunday, Snow said. “I don’t have numbers yet, but several people commented that they didn’t know when they had seen so
many people in town,” she said. The volunteers who helped out were key to the festival’s success, Snow said. “We had more volunteers this year and that was great,” she said. “We couldn’t have done it without them.” Down on the Food Court Saturday morning, Glen Weatherwax, Sterling, picked up an early lunch of gyros for himself and his wife at the Forreston Sheep
Association’s stand. “We come every year,” he said with a grin. “This is the only place my wife eats.” By late morning, the crowd thronged the streets around the courthouse square to visit the 190 Farmers Market booths. Mary Jo Dilbeck, Leaf River, was helping customers at the cookie stand she and her sister Linda Borneman set up every year in front of the courthouse. Borneman said the sales picked up steadily as the crowd grew. Cookie customers Joan Lanning and Cindy Brink, both of Sycamore, said they come to the festival every year. Turn to A2
Four of the defendants in a civil case over zoning have asked an Ogle County judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought against them by their neighbors. Attorneys for Mike and Colleen Stukenberg, Forreston, and STKE LLC, a company owned by the Steve and Kevin Moring, also of Forreston, filed a motion Sept. 22 to “strike and dismiss” the lawsuit brought against them by Walter Paul and his daughter and sonin-law Linette and Curtis DeHaven, all of Forreston. Paul and the DeHavens are also suing the county. Judge Robert Hanson set another hearing for Nov. 29. The lawsuit stems from the county board’s decision in May to grant a special use permit requested by Mike Stukenberg and the Morings to allow a Class 2 Motor Carrier Facility on property zoned for agricultural use. The property, at 11123 W. Ill. 72 just east of Forreston, was owned by the Stukenbergs and recently purchased by STKE LLC. Paul and other nearby property owners, including the DeHavens, objected because of environmental issues. The lawsuit, filed July 21 by Paul’s attorney Dan Fishburn, Freeport, asks the court to reverse the board’s decision and to issue a temporary and permanent
injunction to stop the development of the property for the special use. The lawsuit states that the special use applicants failed to meet the standards set forth in the county zoning ordinance because a Class 2 Motor Carrier Facility does not allow for storage of garbage dumpsters or the maintenance of garbage trucks on the property. The document further states that having the facility there is detrimental to property values in the neighborhood, as well as to the “public health, safety, morals, comfort, and general welfare” of nearby property owners. The lawsuit states that the property does not have adequate ingress and egress for truck traffic, nor adequate drainage. The motion to dismiss says that Paul and the DeHavens failed to show adequate evidence to back their complaints. At hearings held last spring about the request, Paul and his neighbors voiced concern about contamination from the garbage trucks and dumpsters stored on the property. They were concerned that wells and aquifers, as well as the streams, could be contaminated by garbage as well as motor oil. The groundwater is just below the surface in that area and a creek is nearby. The creek feeds into the Leaf River, a tributary of the Rock River.
Armstrong enjoys reconnecting with his old friends By Chris Johnson cxjohnson@oglecounty news.com It did not take long for farm reporter Max Armstrong to reconnect with old friends when he visited Oregon for Autumn on Parade. He was talking with Remmer Schuetz, Ashton, about a tractor show, a magazine, and farming on Sunday afternoon. “Coming to Oregon you get to meet friends and talk about the crops,” said
Armstrong. “I have known so many of the local farmers and we meet throughout the year. Today I had the chance to reconnect.” Armstrong hosts “This Week in AgriBusiness” with his friend and fellow farm broadcaster Orion Samuelson. Armstrong said the fields locally are wet in places, but not as bad as other portions of the Midwest. “The forecast presented during the program was for a wet and slow harvest and
In This Week’s Edition...
it looks like that is the case this year,” said Armstrong. “It rained by the foot in parts of Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin and that rain is going to make it difficult for farmers to complete the harvest. I think we will re-air the forecast.” Armstrong was riding his 1953 Farmall Super M in the parade and waved at fans. While he owns Farmall’s, Armstrong enjoys all tractors. “It is nice when you go to a Agricultural broadcaster Max Armstrong poses for a photo with Leona and Carl Nelshow and see all the colors on son, Mt. Morris, before the Harvest Time Parade on Sunday. Behind the trio is Armstrong’s antique Farmall tractor that he rode in the parade. Photo by Stan Eden the field,” he said.
Church News A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4 Library News, A8
Marriage Licenses, A4 Pine Creek News, A3 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B4 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3
Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B4 Weather, A3
Deaths, B5 Helen E. DeWall, Dale R. Drexler, Howard W. Fox, Dennis S. Johnson, James C. Smith
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com