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POLO
Tri-County Press November 30, 2017 Volume 159, Number 31 - $1.00
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Marcos win fifth Thanksgiving Tournament in last six years with win over AFC. B1
Earth Angels is seeking toys and donations for families in need. A7
Tickets are on sale now for the Oregon Rotary Club’s Angel Ball on Dec. 2. A6
Christmas celebration comes to town Council grants
loan for grocery store start-up By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
Holiday cheer was in the air at the Polo Senior Center on Saturday morning. Above, 6-year-old Jayden Schauff, of Polo, has a serious discussion with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Below, left: Theodore Merdian, 6, of Polo, concentrates on writing a letter to Santa with a little coaching from his mother Heather. His 2-year-old sister Analice was more interested in her candy cane. Below, right: Kason Allen, 9, of Polo, Christmas shops for his family with the help of Santa’s elf Ginger Haan. Photos by Vinde Wells
The Polo City Council did its part last week to bring a grocery store back to town after almost a decade without one. The council approved making a loan to Tushar Patel, of Lanark, to help him purchase and improve the former Polo Super Valu, more recently Polo Food Center, building at 205 S. Division Ave. Patel is in the process of buying the building from Ahmad Farraj, who had plans that did not materialize to open a grocery store there more than a year ago. The loan is in the form of a self-cancelling note. Under the terms, the city will loan Patel the $30,000
from its General Fund, with the stipulations that the grocery store opens by an unspecified date in 2018, and remains in continuous operation until at least Dec. 31, 2020. The opening date depends on when the sale of the building is final. If Patel fails to comply with the terms, he must repay the entire amount. However, if he fulfills the requirements, the debt will be cancelled on Dec. 31, 2020. The city has been without a grocery store since 2008 when then owner Yong Shim closed it. Paul and Terri Koenck owned and operated by Polo Super Valu for many years prior to that. They sold the store to Shim in 2007. He changed the name to Polo Food Center, and it closed several months later.
Jail design contract approved by county By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Plans to build a new county jail in the 100 block of South Sixth Street in Oregon moved ahead last week when the county board approved a contract with Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum, Inc. for the design. The board voted 20-1 on Nov. 21 to hire HOK for the architectural and engineering design of a 70,000 square-
foot jail facility with a connecting link from the new facility to the existing county judicial center at a cost not to exceed 1.67 million. County board chairman Kim Gouker, of Byron, said the exact cost has not yet been determined. Board member Lee Meyers, of Byron, cast the only no vote. Board members Ron Colson, of Mt. Morris, Rich Gronewold, Turn to A3
Fires claim seven lives throughout Ogle County By Kathleen A. Schultz kschultz@saukvalley.com Seven Ogle County residents have lost their lives in two house fires within two weeks. Two adults and four children – all members of the same family – died in a house fire at 204 N. Miami Drive in Lost Nation shortly after midnight on Nov. 21. Timothy Shaw, 39, and his wife Melissa, 37, and their children, Ethan, 17, LeAnne, 15, Hailey, 12, and Dylan, 11, died in the fire. Lost Nation is on the Ogle-Lee county line. Leaf River firefighter Greg Wood, 19, died Nov. 10 in a fire that destroyed his family’s home at 209 W. Second St., Leaf River. His father, Marcus Wood, 43, and brother, Travis, 16, were also seriously injured in the blaze and were hospitalized. His mother, Nicole, was treated and released. Both fires remain under
investigation, Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle said Monday. According to the sheriff’s department, Ethan Shaw called 911 shortly after midnight, reporting there was smoke in the basement and he was trapped. When firefighters arrived, the house was fully engulfed. Autopsies determined that all of the victims died of smoke inhalation, according to Ogle County Coroner Louis Finch. One of the bodies was found on the second floor, four were found on the first floor, and one was located in the basement. Dixon Public Schools Superintendent Margo Empen said the four children all attended Dixon schools – two attended Dixon High, one Reagan Middle, and one Madison Elementary. “We are extremely saddened by the loss of members of our Dixon public school family. We
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have counselors at buildings providing support to students and staff,” Empen said. The sheriff’s department, state fire marshal and the Illinois State Police Crime Scene Unit are investigating. Authorities haven’t found anything suspicious about the fire, VanVickle told The Associated Press last week. It took firefighters 17 minutes from the time the call was made to make it to the scene, and by the time they arrived, the two-story home, which had an attached garage, was fully involved, Dixon Rural Fire Capt. Isaac Dimmig said. Dixon City, Franklin Grove, Sterling, Polo, Ashton, Oregon, and Mt. Morris fire departments also responded. Visitation for the family will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Dec. 5 at the Elks Lodge, 1279 Franklin Grove Rd. Dixon,, with the funeral at 11 a.m. the next day at the lodge. Burial, with military honors for Tim, will follow
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B5-B8 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B3
Firefighters make their way through the charred remains of a fatal fire at 204 Miami Drive in Lost Nation on Nov. 21. Photo by Alex T. Paschal
at Oakwood Cemetery in Dixon, she said. In lieu of flowers, a memorial will be established through Preston-Schilling Funeral Home to help defray expenses. An autopsy determined that Wood also died from smoke inhalation. Funeral services for him were held on Saturday, and firefighters from all over
Library News, A2 Marriage Licenses, A4 Public Voice, A4 Property Transfers, B3
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B4
northern Illinois and as far away as Iowa came to pay their respects. His father, the deputy chief of the Leaf River’s volunteer fire department, and brother, a cadet firefighter, have been released from Rockford hospitals. The cause of that fire, which occurred around 12:30 a.m., has not been determined. Investigators
have said it is not suspicious. Mt. Morris, Oregon, Polo, German Valley, Forreston, Byron, Stillman Valley, Monroe Center, New Milford, Blackhawk, Shannon, Pecatonica, Win-Bur-Sew, Freeport Rural, and Dixon Rural Fire Departments also responded to the fire. Vinde Wells contributed to this story.
Deaths, B4 Carl L. Belha, Donald J. Finn, Lloyd K. Miller, Virgil J. Swalve
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com