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Wednesday, October 9, 2013
SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
RIVERFRONT COMMISSION
Focus will change in merger Group will shift to long-term planning BY DEREK BARICHELLO dbarichello@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 526
DIXON – The Riverfront Commission will still exist, even if it is merged with Dixon Main Street. Day-to-day operations of Heritage Crossing, however, will no longer be their business, said Chairman Larry Reed at Tuesday’s meeting.
The commission will instead focus on future projects and development of the entire Riverfront, Reed said. Instead of regular monthly meetings, the commission could meet quarterly too, he said. Reed spoke to the commission Tuesday about a recent recommendation made by Police Chief Danny Langloss, who headed the Economic/ Community Development Task Force. That recommendation called for a merger of the Riverfront
OREGON
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That could come when a city administrator is hired. A final Everything is candidate could be chosen by on hold until an the end of next week. administrator “Talking to [Police Chief is brought on Danny] Langloss [special assistant to the City Council], everyboard. thing is on hold until an adminRiverfront Commission istrator is brought on board,” Chairman Larry Reed Reed said. “The administrator is going to be in charge of coordinating everything.” Under this arrangement, Main Commission and Main Street. Street would be responsible for Both groups have said in the all aspects of the rental of Heripast they would be in favor of tage Crossing. Also, the executive director of consolidation.
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MERGER CONTINUED ON A2
CRIME | DRUG INVESTIGATION
FIRE SAFETY LESSONS
Ex-clerk: Oxygen tank got me fired
Heritage Crossing, a post held by Kay Miller, would be eliminated. Josh Albrecht, executive director at Main Street, would be in charge of managing and scheduling events there. John Groshans, maintenance director of Heritage Crossing, would remain as an employee of Main Street and retain his regular duties. The city would be responsible for making a plan to take over maintenance of Heritage Crossing within the next year.
Wiretaps assisted in sting Drug buyers are ‘on the periphery’
Woman says rights violated; employer won’t comment
BY DAVID GIULIANI dgiuliani@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 525
BY DAVID GIULIANI dgiuliani@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 525
OREGON – Donna Colvin had no bad evaluations in the 4 years she worked for Paddle Wheel Inn in Oregon, but the hotel fired her after she informed the manager that she would have to start using an oxygen tank, according to a federal lawsuit. Colvin, 51, filed the lawsuit last week, claiming the hotel violated the Americans With Disabilities Act, a federal law that requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to disabled workers. The inn’s general manager declined to comment Tuesday. Colvin is asking for back pay with interest and compensatory and punitive damages. On Nov. 15, 2011, Colvin, the overnight desk clerk, told the inn’s general manager, Jethny Grimes, that she would need to use oxygen at work, the lawsuit said. In response, Grimes said Colvin, an Oregon resident, could not work the front desk while using oxygen, the suit said. A day later, Colvin’s daughter, Sarah Palomarez, sent a text message asking whether Colvin’s shift would be covered. Shortly after, Grimes responded with a text: “Yes, I have your mom’s shift covered. She is not able to work while on oxygen.” Later that day, Grimes handed Palomarez a letter to give to Colvin. The letter officially terminated Colvin’s employment for not working her scheduled shifts and for being physically unable to do required work, the suit said.
Photos by Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
ABOVE: Dixon Fire Department Captain Mark Callison discusses kitchen fires with Kellie Glenn’s thirdgrade class Tuesday at Lincoln Elementary School in Dixon. The fire department will take all Dixon third-graders through the exercise in observance of Fire Safety Week. LEFT: Lincoln Elementary School thirdgrader Ivan Jacobson leads classmates out of the Dixon Fire Department’s fire safety trailer, under the direction of the firefighters. The trailer provides an interactive platform for teaching kids about fire safety.
STERLING – Wiretaps were a big help in the drug investigation that led to the arrests of 14 suspects over the summer, an official says. “This was a much more involved case than usual,” said Todd Shaver of the Blackhawk Area Task Force, which is a group of area police agencies that cooperate in drug inquiries. “This case involved the normal things such as surveillance and wiretaps. It also involved wiretaps. “It spun off into investigations in other jurisdictions,” said Shaver, a state police master sergeant based in Sterling. The charges against the 14 suspects were filed in Whiteside County Court. In 2011, police got judicial approval of wiretaps, Shaver said. Most of the suspects were charged with dealing marijuana or cocaine in 2012, but weren’t arrested until last summer. “Wiretaps make for very fruitful cases, but they take a long time,” he said. “[The suspects] weren’t big fish, but they’ve been around doing this for a while.” The case resulted in information that led to suspects in other areas, including the suburbs, he said. During the investigation, officers happened upon people buying drugs, but not selling them. “They were on the periphery,” Shaver said. “We weren’t too concerned about them.” Of the 14 suspects, all but one were charged with dealing drugs.
FIRED CONTINUED ON A2
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TODAY’S EDITION: 28 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 163 ISSUE 113
WIRETAPS CONTINUED ON A2
INDEX
BUSINESS ......... A13 COMICS ............. A12 CROSSWORD....B13
DEAR ABBY ......... A8 LIFESTYLE ........... A8 LOTTERY ............. A2
OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6 SPORTS ...............B1
Today’s weather High 74. Low 45. More on A3.
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