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Tri-County Press July 27, 2017 Volume 159, Number 33 - $1.00
OHS Welding Lab
2017 Fair Tab
Nite Out
Oregon High School unveils its new welding lab with an eye on the future. A9
Read all about the upcoming Ogle County Fair! Insert
The Ogle County Sheriff’s Department will hold National Nite Out Aug. 1. A6
Residents want rain to go away More than 6 inches of rain left sections of the county flooded By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
This photo was taken at the entrance to White Pines State Park on Pines Road. Pine Creek overflowed across the highway forcing it closure until the water receded. Photo by Jerry Stauffer
Ogle County declared a disaster area After unprecedented flooding in northwest Illinois, Gov. Bruce Rauner issued a state disaster proclamation on Monday for Carroll, Henry, Jo Davies, Lee, Ogle, Rock Island, Stephenson and Whiteside counties where the Rock and Bruce Pecatonica Rauner rivers are expected to swell to record and near-record levels this week. Rauner issued the proclamation while in Milan, where he visited flood support operations at an Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) yard. According to a press release issued by Rauner’s office, the disaster proclamation will ensure continued state support to communities as they fight floodwaters brought on by
Denny Arjes, facility manager for the Village of Progress, works on cleaning the floor in one the building’s after flash floodwaters rushed through the facility on Friday night and Saturday. Photo by Earleen Hinton
recent heavy rains and begin the recovery process. “We’re working closely with officials in these counties to determine their needs and quickly deploy flood fighting resources,” Rauner said. “This proclamation will ensure that we can continue to provide whatever assistance is needed to protect residents and critical infrastructure.”
Rauner said the state of Illinois has already provided 175,000 sandbags to communities in northwestern Illinois to protect critical infrastructure, including the Byron waste water treatment facility in Ogle County and Dixon High School in Lee County. In addition, more than 500,000 sandbags have been prepositioned at three IDOT
yards in the region to ensure quick deployment for future requests. The State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) in Springfield has been operating continuously since July 14 for flash and river flooding in parts of Lake, McHenry, Kane and Cook counties and is also coordinating state support to northwestern Illinois. The SEOC is staffed with liaisons from several state agencies and other partners with personnel and resources that can be deployed to assist affected communities. Illinois Emergency Management Agency Director James K. Joseph said the SEOC will remain activated for as long as necessary to support local flood response and recovery efforts. For updates on the current situation, visit the Ready Illinois website at www. ready.illinois.gov.
Torrential overnight rain forced the emergency evacuation early Saturday morning of the nearly 60 residents of Oregon Living & Rehabilitation Center. Storms that began around 6:30 p.m. Friday and continued all night dumped 6 to 8 inches of rain on Ogle County. By 6 a.m. the floodwaters were edging ever closer to the healthcare facility at 811 S. 10th Street, Oregon. “With the floodwater rising we realized we needed to evacuate,” said Jen Stark, Director of Communications for Momentum Healthcare, which owns the facility. With the help of the Oregon Fire Department and other local agencies, the residents were taken first to the fire station and then to three other area healthcare facilities. “They were taken to the fire station for triage, some by ambulance, some by our own vehicles, and some by Village of Progress vans, and some by school buses,” she said. From there they were transported to healthcare facilities at Franklin Grove, Amboy, and Shabbona, all of which are owned by Momentum. Stark said Monday that officials would determine sometime later in the day when residents will be able to return.
The building sustained no damage, she said, because the water didn’t get inside. The situation was a case of training paying off. “We train once a year for a full evacuation,” Stark said. “Our staff handled it very well. They all worked together with our sister facilities. Everyone got transferred safely and securely. We couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.” She said she appreciated the cooperation from other community agencies. “Village of Progress was there for us despite their own flooding,” she said. “We are so grateful to be part of such a generous community.” A few blocks away the Village of Progress staff had answered the call for their buses equipped with wheelchair lifts only to find their own building flooded. Village Executive Director Brion Brooks said Monday that a foot of water was inside 80 percent of their building, ruining drywall, furniture, and the products clients make for contractors. Oregon Fire Chief Mike Knoup said the evacuation was the major call the fire department received as a result of the storms, but certainly not the only one. “On Friday night we were out for several auto alarms and wires down,” he said. He is currently working with the Red Cross and Ogle County Emergency Management Agency to use the fire station as a Turn to A3
Rain only slightly slowed down Hometown Days By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecounty news.com Torrential rains on Friday and sticky, humid heat on Saturday couldn’t stop families from having fun at Forreston’s Hometown Days. Hometown Days kicked off July 21 with a fun run and 5k at Warnken Park, “The Sandlot” movie at Veteran’s Memorial Park, and food served by Relay For Life, bingo, and Karaoke in the downtown area. However, friendly fun wasn’t the only thing that greeted families that evening; dark clouds joined the party, and brought overwhelming rain with them. Storms carrying through into the early morning hours left Memorial Park damp and muggy, but the
show still went on. “Unfortunately it shortened the bingo time and the Relay for Life food stand, but we were able to complete the 5K,” said Jane Koeller, Hometown Days committee member. “However, if it was going to rain one day, that was when it needed to be.” Saturday’s 3 on 3 basketball tournament carried on inside the Forreston High School gymnasium, and vendors, the Bouncy House and obstacle course, and petting zoos still settled themselves in for the long haul. “We’ve been up since 2 a.m. bailing out the basement,” said Forreston Village Clerk Courtney Warren, who was selling aronia berry products with her husband, Tod. “We thought about staying home, but we decided we
In This Week’s Edition...
couldn’t miss this.” The humidity didn’t stop a couple of crowd favorites from returning, either: the Pie and Spaghetti Eating Contests, respectively. Christina Hatlak, owner of Christina’s Bakery, 25 Church St., German Valley, showed up with several of her berry and apple pies, ready to be scarfed down in gruesome fashion. Two divisions were formed: one for children 16 and under, and another for 17 and above. Forreston kids Cayden Shelton, Joel Ludwig, Madyson Carpenter, and Henry Warren all showed up to see who could get the dirtiest and the fullest, but Ludwig ended up taking home the $25 prize and the pride of knowing he ate the most pastry. The adults were up next, but Kevin Green ran away with it, cleaning his entire
Chamber Chatter, A8 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4
pan before Kim Brown and Nick Kavala could come close. “I’ve never done an eating contest before, but this was a lot of fun and I’m glad I did it,” said Green. Crowds were on the short side this year for the early day, but picked up later on — presumably, after storm-related cleanup was complete. “Mother Nature plays a huge part in the crowds and unfortunately there were a lot of people dealing with things of far greater importance than Hometown Days,” said Koeller. “However, the pork chop dinner, Sunset Strip on Saturday night, the community church service, and the community pancake breakfast were all well attended. It is always nice to see the community gather together and celebrate their hometown.”
Library News, A8 Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B3 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B4
McKeon McClain comes barreling out of the inflatable obstacle course, one of the busier attractions at Forreston Hometown Days. Photo by Zach Arbogast
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B2 State’s Attorney, B3 Weather, A2
Deaths, B5 Donna J. Pearson, Neil K. Minnis, Glenn Rowe, Ed Spratt
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com