Your source for community news and sports 7 days a week.
DUKES WIN A BATTLE ROYAL, AND WARRIORS WALLOP KAYS MLK TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP, B1
TELEGRAPH
Monday, January 18, 2016
SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
ILLINOIS
Police recordings: Just for their record, or ours? Chicago police shooting spurs debate over when to release camera footage SPRINGFIELD (AP) – The yearlong delay before the release of a video showing a white Chicago police officer fatally shooting a black teenager has Illinois lawmakers facing the same question before many states: As officers’ dashboards and body cameras capture more
police encounters with the public, how much access to the videos should there be under open records laws? It’s a challenge for government officials who have to weigh the public’s increasing appetite to monitor how police officers do their job with law enforcement’s desire to protect the privacy of victims shown in videos and the integrity of pending investigations. In Illinois, some legislators want a judge to be the first stop in determining whether a video involving police use of
force should be released to the public, removing the power from law-enforcement agencies to make that determination on their own. “We’re saying ‘Go to the judge to issue a protective order.’ Otherwise it should be released under the normal [open records] guidelines,” said Rep. Art Turner, a Chicago Democrat who introduced the proposal last month with the intent of restoring “public confidence in the process and the way these police shootings are handled.”
The bill was spurred by the killing of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in October 2014, which was captured by a Chicago police cruiser’s dashcam, but the video wasn’t made public until November – and only after a judge’s order. Officer Jason Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder the day of the video’s release. Already, Turner’s bill has bipartisan support from 16 lawmakers who have signed on as co-sponsors. RECORDINGS CONTINUED ON A4
Q&A
MILITARY | AMERICAN LEGION
‘‘
When I first joined 21 years ago, we had dances every Saturday night and the place was always full, but this year we had 20 people at our Halloween party.
’’ Thinning ranks Don Koehler Rock Falls American Legion commander
Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@saukvalley.com
A national vice commander’s mission brought him to Rock Falls, where he sounded the call for reinforcements
Kate Askegaard of Dixon is a 35-year-old world traveler-turned-proud-Dixonite who uses dots and dashes to help create breathtaking pieces that bring the second and third dimension together.
Morse code masterpieces ‘A Breakthrough’ artist in Dixon is making a name for herself, a dot and a dash at a time BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 @CHeimerman_SVM
Photos by Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
American Legion National Vice Commander David Gough spoke at a breakfast Saturday morning at Post 902 in Rock Falls. It was one stop on his whirlwind 2,000-mile membership caravan tour to help the veterans organization boost membership. BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
ROCK FALLS – Army veteran David Gough was discharged 48 years ago, but now finds himself on another tour of duty. Gough, of Darlington, Wisconsin, was elected one of five national American Legion vice commanders in September. As a national officer, one of his responsibilities is to boost the organiza-
tion’s declining membership. On Saturday morning, his mission brought him to Rock Falls, where he stopped at Rock Falls Post 902 – one stop in a whirlwind 2,000-mile membership caravan tour. “I have one more stop in Rockford, and that will be my 19th in 10 days,” Gough said. While Gough appeared a bit road-weary, he said it has been a productive trip. LEGION CONTINUED ON A4
More military news
The search for 12 Marines who are missing after two helicopters crashed entered is third day Sunday: A9 Pentagon plays taps for military bands and entertainment shows: A9
Visit Post 902
The Rock Falls American Legion Post 902 meets at 7 p.m. on the first Monday of each month at the legion hall, 712 Fourth Ave. Call Commander Don Koehler at 815-626-3862, or stop by the hall for membership information. Legion social activities, such as dances, bingo, and holiday events, are open to the public. Post hours are updated on its Facebook page.
DIXON – It’s literally the little things for Kate Askegaard. Hundreds of thousands of little things. Dots, to be exact. And they’ve made her kind of a big deal. The 35-year-old world traveler-turned-proudDixonite uses dots and dashes to create breathtaking pieces – two of them world-famous, believe it or not. Then Kate Ristau, she arrived in Petunia City via Park Ridge in October 2007 and married Brad Askegaard in August 2008. An electrician, he marvels at her passion for hands-on work such as construction and pouring metals. He said she’s helped his pragmatic mind color outside the lines a bit. “At first, I didn’t realize just how much of an artist she was,” he said. “I’ve grown a lot, in terms of appreciating art. It’s been a neat experience. Usually, I’ve always stuck in my lane where I go.” And while their 7-year-old son, Collin, still has a lot of growing to do – literally, anyway – artistically, he’s already following in Mom’s footsteps with his own creative flair. Last week, Kate took a few minutes to talk about her work, her muses, what it’s like to be a well-fed artist, and how she earned the nickname “Dot Girl.” “A Breakthrough” is a gorgeous piece. Tell me about it. She’s made with all little tiny dots with my pen. Her hair is dashes, but she’s all just little dots. It’s all ink. You’ve got to be kidding me. How long did it take? This whole piece took me about a year. The background is an ink wash. Everything you see here, I designed and built: The frame I built. Her hands and her foot are sculpted and cast. ASKEGAARD CONTINUED ON A5
$1.00
TODAY’S EDITION: 20 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 164 ISSUE 182
INDEX
ABBY ................... A7 BUSINESS ......... A10 COMICS ............... A8
CROSSWORD......B9 LIFESTYLE ........... A7 LOTTERY ............. A2
OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6 POLICE ................ A2
Today’s weather High 6. Low -5. More on A3.
TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE PAPER, CALL 815-284-2224
Need work? Check out your classifieds, B6.