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POLO
Tri-County Press May 11, 2017 Volume 159, Number 22 - $1.00
Tough competition
Class of 2017
WWII at Stronghold
The boys track team was eighth against strong opponents at the McCormick Invitational. B1
Seniors from 5 Ogle County Schools are ready to graduate. Inside
Stronghold Retreat and Conference Center is hosting a WWII re-enactment May 20-21. A6
Committee postpones vote on dog kennel By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com The decision to allow a DeKalb County dog breeder to expand her kennel into Ogle County has been delayed for a month. The Ogle County Planning & Zoning Committee postponed making a decision Tuesday morning until
members have the chance to read the transcripts from the April 27 Zoning Board of Appeals hearing on a special use request from Christie Hardt, owner of B&C Kennel, Clare, and her husband Robert DeCosta. That means the final decision cannot come from the county board until at least its June 20 meeting. Hardt and DeCosta
“I would like to read the transcript before we vote on this,” — Wayne Reising, Oregon Planning & Zoning Committee Member have requested the special use permit to operate a commercial dog kennel on property they own at 14189 E. Dutch Rd., northeast of Kings.
The site is zoned for agricultural use, and the request asks for a special use permit to allow dog breeding, import and sale of puppies, dog grooming, and
dog obedience training at the kennel. Zoning Administrator Mike Reibel told the Planning & Zoning Committee that the transcript from the five and one-half hours long ZBA hearing is not yet completed and will not be available until the end of the week. He estimated that the transcript will be 200 pages long.
Committee member Lyle Hopkins then made a motion to postpone making a recommendation on the matter until the transcript is available. However, committee member Tom Smith, Kings, objected. “We don’t review the transcripts on anything else,” Turn to A3
Country deli is a place to call home By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecounty news.com
Eighth-graders from Aplington Middle School in Polo learn about computer science Thursday afternoon while touring the WACC facility in Sterling. The Whiteside Area Career Center opened its doors to more than 1,100 eighth-graders from 23 area schools to be shown what the center offers in education and training for future career paths. Photo by Alex Paschal
Building towards the future Sauk Valley Media More than 1,100 eighthgraders from 23 area schools flooded into the Whiteside Area Career Center last week and were pointed in a dozen different directions of potential career paths. Jerry Winger, student services coordinator at WACC, said the number of schools participating in the tours, which were held May 3-5, has grown from 15 to 23 during the past seven years, allowing the center to reach out to more and more prospective students. “They are getting exposure to all of our careers and much-needed skills they are going to use for the rest of their lives,” Winger said. The tour guides were center students who volunteered out of a pool of about 630 high schoolers from throughout the area, most of whom were in the eighth-graders’ shoes just a few years ago. “They’re proud of what they’re doing, and they’re sharing that pride with others,” Winger said. “It takes the whole building
to put this together, and we couldn’t be more appreciative of their efforts.” Emily Dawson, a Milledgeville High School senior studying criminal justice at the center, on Wednesday led one of the 14 groups of students from David L. Rahn Junior High School in Mt. Morris. It’s beneficial to gauge the students’ interests early on, to help them find what career direction is best, Dawson said. “It’s not just about how great these programs can be for their future; it’s about all the people they’ll meet, too,” she said. “It’s important to let them know how important it is to be around other people in a different element.” Andrew Wolfe, an eighth-grader at Rahn, said that, from the “drug deal gone bad” crime scene to body armor and self defense offerings, the criminal justice booths were the highlight of the tour. He was able to walk a tape line under the influence of “drunk goggles” fairly well – until he nearly toppled over.
In This Week’s Edition...
A Leaf River deli on the corner of Main and Second street serves up sandwiches, history, and home comfort. After moving to Leaf River in 2013, Greg Regole saw the community didn’t have the convenient place to stop, get a bite to eat, and pick up a few necessities that he’d been wanting. “I asked around - about 50 people - if they thought opening up a little coffee shop with breakfast and lunch would be a good idea,” said Regole. “Every person said it was a great idea.” Four months and a few renovations later, Country Deli opened Jan. 30 at 122 N. Main St. Currently, the eatery serves classic deli cold sandwiches, with your choice of cheese and vegetable toppings. Chips, cold drinks, coffee, and ice cream bars are also available. Specials are served every day of the week, as well — meatball sandwiches on Monday and Friday, tacos on Tuesdays and Thursday, and Italian beef on Wednesday
and Saturday. Country Deli also maintains a breakfast staple it served in the first few months: biscuits and gravy. “Our breakfast traffic wasn’t bringing in a lot of business, so we changed our hours,” said Regole. “However, we kept the biscuits and gravy because they’re a popular item.” Alongside prepared lunch and dinner items, the deli sells items for the public’s convenience, such as gallons of milk, with Regole intending to sell bread, cheese, and other home staples. “We’re also in the works of selling our meat by the pound,” he said. Regole says the food and decor are all part of a theme he wanted to bring to Leaf River: “A place to call home.” “I want people to feel comfortable coming in here, getting some food, and enjoying themselves,” he said. “I want this place to feel like a comforting country home.” Country Deli is open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. until 6 p.m., and is fully handicapped accessible.
Filming on location: LOMC, Stronghold By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecounty news.com
In the Criminal Justice labs, Nate Strong has Forreston’s Jaxon Shuey attempt to walk a straight line wearing a pair of intoxication simulation goggles. Photo by Zach Arbogast
“It was pretty fun,” he said. “The criminal justice was great, but I also liked the child care and the health care and the cars and some of the others.” Joey Bardell from Aplington Middle School in Polo said Thursday that he enjoyed the Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities class, in which students build
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 Entertainment, A6 Marriage Licenses, A4
and operate their own businesses. Molly Salins, Forreston Junior High student, was impressed by the Early Childhood Education program. “I’ve always thought teaching younger children would be a great career, and the WACC tour showed me the program was what I’m Turn to A2
Pine Creek News, A3 Polo Police, A3 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B3
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, A10, B1, B2 Weather, A3
Two independent filmmakers have chosen Oregon locations for their film productions. Two independent films are being shot at the Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Center, 1834 Ill. 2, and Stronghold Castle, 1922 Ill. 2 North. The LOMC will be the location for Robb Chase’s “The Flickering Light,” a story about a young man possessed by a past murderer who regrets his past. The two must fight another, evil spirit, before it completely overtakes a young girl’s father. The movie is an original script from Chase, based on his novels.
Chase, based out of Genoa City, Wisconsin, said LOMC is the perfect place for his film, being shot May 16 through June 10. He could not give an exact date when the film will be ready for release. “There’s lodging for us to stay in, they cook on-site, and the acres upon acres of field and trees is a great location,” said Chase. “The community as a whole has been very supportive of us.” Russ Senti, LOMC Executive Director, is excited that a film is coming to their retreat - which, he says, hasn’t happened in the 12 years he’s been there. “What pleased me the most is that he employs youth for his production, and we’re all about supporting the youth Turn to A8
Deaths, B4 Helen M. Boyden, Domenick J. Castaldo, Rick L. Hagemann, Charles R. Hufford, Janet D. Kliebe, Steven E. Rucker, David L. Waack
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com