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Tri-County Press October 19, 2017 Volume 159, Number 43 - $1.00
Training Day An Oregon Staff Sergeant is training in Kuwait for a halfmarathon. A7
Police still working on murders Mother and son were killed in 2016 after fire was set in home By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecountynews.com Ogle County Sheriff’s detectives are still working to determine who set the fire that killed a young Byron mother and her three-year-old son on Oct. 19, 2016. Margaret “Maggie” Meyer, 31, was found dead on a couch on the first floor of her burning home at 2020 N. Silverthorn Drive on that crisp fall morning, and her son Amos was
pronounced dead a short time later at Rockford Memorial Hospital. “It’s still an active investigation,” Sheriff Brian VanVickle said Monday. “We review it on a regular basis and evidence is still being processed.” VanVickle and lead detective Lt. Brian Ketter released very few details about the case even a year later because of the ongoing investigation. VanVickle said he is confident the case will be solved. “I think we definitely will come to a resolution for the family,” he said. The fire was reported around 6:40 a.m. by Meyer’s ex-husband, Duane C. Meyer, 35, of Stillman Valley, who told officials he was there to pick up his son. The couple had been divorced about a
month earlier. When firefighters arrived, smoke alarms were sounding, the house was filled with heavy smoke, and Duane Meyer and a Byron police officer were on the lawn performing CPR on Amos, who had been in an upstairs bedroom. Amos and his father were taken to Rockford Memorial Hospital, where the little boy was pronounced dead. An autopsy at the Winnebago County Coroner’s office showed he died of smoke inhalation. VanVickle and Ketter declined to reveal the cause of Maggie’s death, although they said a pathologist has determined that. They also would not say how the fire Turn to A3
Maggie and Amos Meyer
Council delays work at park By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Budget concerns led the Polo City Council to delay an electrical upgrade at Westside Park until sometime in the next fiscal year. Aldermen approved a bid for $27,472 from Engel Electric Co., Sterling, to replace the electrical control panel at Keator Park this fall.
Members of the Patriot Guard Riders all stood with a flag in hand to honor Lance Corporal Alec E. Catherwood, who died at age 19 on Oct. 10, 2014 serving with the Marines in Afghanistan. A ceremony was held Monday afternoon designating the portion of Ill. 72 from the south side of the bridge in Byron to the DeKalb County line as “Lance Cpl. Alec E. Catherwood Memorial Road.” Photo by Zach Arbogast
Highway section dedicated in remembrance of Byron marine By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecounty news.com A fallen marine from Byron can now lead and guide people for years onward, thanks to a highway dedication in his name. A section of Ill. 72 from the south side of the bridge in Byron, to the Ogle/DeKalb County line, was dedicated Monday afternoon as the “Lance Corporal Alec E. Catherwood Memorial Road.” The dedication took place in a small parking lot north of River Road, just west of the intersection of Ill. 72 and North German Church Road. Catherwood died Oct. 14, 2010, in combat while serving the U.S. Marines in Afghanistan. The 19-year-old was part of the marines 3/5 Darkhorse Unit. He earned several service awards, including the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Korean Defense Service Medal. He graduated from Byron High School in 2009. State Sen. Tim Bivins (R-Dixon) served as a master of ceremonies for the presentation. He, along with State
Gretchen and Kirk Catherwood stand under the sign dedicated to their son. Photo by Zach Arbogast.
Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon), State Rep. Brian Stewart (R-Freeport), and Byron Mayor Tom Palmgren, praised Catherwood. Pastor Randy Snyder, who is the Byron Fire Department’s Chaplain and pastor
In This Week’s Edition...
Chamber Chatter, A3 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B8 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4
of Cornerstone Family Church in Byron, gave the benediction. “As lawmakers, as citizens of Illinois, and as fellow Americans, we pay tribute to brave young soldiers like Alec Catherwood who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in the service to their country,” Bivins said. “We cannot take away your pain, nor can we even truly understand it, but we can honor your son and make sure everyone knows his name.” A replica of the sign being posted at the memorial road was given to Alec’s parents Kirk and Gretchen Catherwood. They currently live in Springville, Tennessee, but lived in Byron until 2012. The Patriot Guard Riders were also in attendance, surrounding the ceremony with American flags, and escorted the Catherwoods to the official hanging of the road sign. The Catherwoods expressed deep gratitude to all who attended the ceremony, and who spoke kind words for their son. “My son can die twice; the day he actually died, and the moment people stop saying his name,” said Kirk. “I can’t express how much this means to me, that he’ll now be recognized, by name, for generations.”
Library News, A8 Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B4 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B3
Reading Matters, A7 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2
Similar work was planned for next spring at Westside Park until alderman Randy Schoon raised concerns about how far park funds will stretch, especially in light of some unexpected repairs at the city pool. Alderman Justin Grobe, who is the chairman of the Parks Committee, said the work at Keator Park is more pressing than what needs to Turn to A3
Board hires firm for study By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com The hiring freeze recently enacted by the Ogle County Board paved the way Tuesday evening for approval of a staffing needs study. The board voted 17-7 to spend up to $27,500 to hire Sikich LLP, of Naperville, to determine how many employees the county needs in several of its departments and how many it can afford. Finance Committee Chairman Greg Sparrow, of Rochelle, recommended the move as a follow-up to implementing a hiring freeze at its Sept. 19 meeting. Board member Lee Meyers, of Byron, was opposed to spending the money for an outside firm to do the study. “Our department heads know their staffing needs,” he said. “If they don’t know, they shouldn’t be department heads.” Board member Ron Colson, of Mt. Morris, asked why certain departments — Animal Control, Solid Waste, the Health Department, and the Highway Department — were excluded from the study. Sparrow said only the departments whose budgets come from the cash-strapped General Fund will be studied. He told the board last month that the General Fund is facing a projected deficit of $854,000
next year unless it takes steps to reduce expenses and bolster revenues. The hiring freeze went into effect immediately. Sparrow said 25 to 40 percent of county employees will be eligible for retirement in the next couple of years, and not refilling those positions will save the county a substantial amount of money. The county employs more than 200 people. Sparrow also recommended freezing wages, but no decision has been made on that. The new fiscal year begins Dec. 1. A budget hearing is set for Oct. 30. Fees Increased In a related matter, the board hiked two county fees in an effort to increase revenue for the coming year. They increased the circuit clerk’s document storage fee and clerk’s automation fee from $10 to $25 Board member Pat Saunders voted no to both increases. She said Judge Robert Hanson voiced his opposition at a Finance Committee meeting. Sparrow said the other four counties in the 15th Judicial Circuit are already charging the $25 fees. “The circuit clerk [Kim Stahl] endorses it,” he said. “We’re looking for ways to raise revenue. This is one of them.”
Deaths, B4 Louise Hartle, H. Fern Sellers, Donna M. White
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com