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POLO
Tri-County Press July 13, 2017 Volume 159, Number 31 - $1.00
NUIC Football
Butterfly Release
Historic Home
Changes have become the norm for the NUIC football schedules. B1
Butterflies are released in memory of loved ones. A10
The Aplington Home has been named to the National Register of Historic Places. A3
Rail spur key to Polo’s economic development By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com A rail spur to a Polo grain terminal could be one of the keys to the community’s economic growth. Greg Cross, representing the Polo Economic Development Corp., told the Polo City Council July 3 that the two-mile spur from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad to the Bocker Ruff grain terminal could entice other industries to locate nearby.
Cross invited the council to join forces with Ogle County and other local municipalities to promote economic development. He asked the council to consider spending $200 to $400 per month to join in an economic development services contract with Hopkins-Manheim Solutions, Inc. The county board hired the firm June 20 to map a plan for the county and its municipalities at a maximum Turn to A3
Man charged with battery of a child Jeff Donaldson, left, shows Marine veteran James Poggi some of the features in the 1999 Ford E-150 handicap van. The van belonged to Donaldson’s late mother, Betty, and was donated to the Poggi family to help ease the financial burden of replacing their family vehicle, currently out of commission. Photo by Zach Arbogast
Veteran receives generous donation By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecountynews.com A wounded veteran went to Polo for dinner on Sunday, but ended up with a large donation benefiting himself and his family. United States Marine Corps Lance Corporal James Poggi, Somonauk, got a call last week from some friends with the Dogs of War Marine Veteran Motorcycle Club about coming to Chesty P’s, 104 E. Mason St., for some dinner and a get-together. Unbeknownst to Poggi, however, friends had secretly arranged for a handicap van to be waiting for him, donated by brothers Jeff and Patrick Donaldson, Polo. Due to injuries suffered in 2010 while helping land a malfunctioning V-22 Osprey helicopter in Afghanistan, Poggi developed spinal meningitis, rendering his left foot
useless. The lower part of his left leg was amputated May 2, making everyday living and working a great challenge. Word of mouth and the love of friends, however, would come together to bring the family a timely boon. During U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant General Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller’s birthday celebration on June 24, the third such annual event hosted at Chesty P’s, Paul “Tango” Bowker supplied fliers in support of a veteran’s fundraiser and bike show coming up Aug. 19 in Belvidere. The fliers outlined hardships the Poggi family was suffering: their home was not accommodating to his mobility, requiring it to be sold, and the family vehicle was currently broken down. One of the men who read the flier was Polo Street Superintendent
Kendall Kyker, who was no stranger to the sacrifice service brings; his stepson, USMC Staff Sergeant Justus Bartelt, was killed in Afghanistan on July 16, 2010. “I haven’t served myself, but my stepson did, and they all mean the world to me,” said Kyker. “If there’s any way I can help a Marine, I will.” Kyker immediately approached Bowker with a request: “Do you have time to take a three-block ride?” he asked, and the two made their way to Jeff Donaldson’s home. Donaldson’s mother, Betty, owned a red 1999 Ford E-150 van, with motorized tri-folding power lift, a wheelchair-accessible driving console, reduced-effort steering, and other handicap-friendly amenities, which she used to go to and from work at the Village of Progress, 710 S. 13th St., Oregon. Turn to A2
A Polo man is in jail, charged with aggravated battery of a month and onehalf-old baby. Ian C. Green, 23, was charged with aggravated battery of a child, a Class X felony. The Ogle County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that Green was arrested June 7 after deputies, along with Dixon police, responded to KSB Hospital, Dixon, where the infant was being treated for a broken arm. Further investigation indicated the child had eight broken bones in various stages of healing, and that the injuries had been received at a Polo residence, according to the news release. Green appeared Saturday in court where his bond was set at $200,000.
Ian C. Green
At a court appearance Monday afternoon, Ogle County Judge Robert Hanson set a hearing for Friday afternoon. Green’s bond remains at $200,000 and he remains in Ogle County Jail.
Couple and dog rescued from flash flood Car swept off ford at White Pines State Park By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com An Indiana couple and their dog were rescued from a flash flood last week at the White Pines State Park. Firefighters rescued Jim and Susan Inding, in their 60s, and their small dog from their car after it was swept off the first ford by floodwaters that rose rapidly in the Pine Creek July 5. Polo Fire Chief Tony Karrow said the Indings were camping at the park and left for a while. While they were gone, a cloudburst dumped heavy
rain in the area bringing local streams up and out of their banks. Upon their return around 7 p.m. the Indings found the water high but decided to drive through it anyway to get back to the campground. “We got two inches of rain in about 20 minutes,” Karrow said. “It just poured. The ford was probably two and a half feet deep when they tried to cross it. The water was coming through there at a pretty good clip.” He said firefighters got Susan Inding and dog out of the car first, and then extricated Jim. Karrow praised the efforts of all the emergency crews who responded to the scene, especially Dixon Rural and Polo firefighters who did the actual rescue. “Everyone worked together as a team,” he said.
In This Week’s Edition...
Firefighters work on getting a passenger car out of Pine Creek after it was swept across the first ford at White Pines State Park. Photo by Earleen Hinton
“I’m really proud of them.” Also helping at the scene were the Mt. Morris Fire Department, Ogle County Sheriff ’s Department, and Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Business Briefs, B5 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 College News, A4 Entertainment, A6
Conservation Police. Karrow had a word of caution about driving through floodwaters. “When you’re told to avoid flooded roadways, take it seriously,” he said.
Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B3 Property Transfers, B3 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4
Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B4 Weather, A3 Zoning, B5
Butterfly Release After being set free at the Serenity Hospice & Home’s Memorial Butterfly Release, the painted lady butterflies found flowers, trees, and grassy areas to perch. A story appears on A10. Photo by Zach Arbogast
Deaths, B4 Charles R. Downer, Patricia C. Martin, Janene W. Meives, Gladys L. Osborne
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com