Your source for community news and sports 7 days a week.
DUKES READY TO ROLL AT STATE BOWLING, B1
LOCAL ENTERTAINMENT, A8, A11-12
TELEGRAPH
Thursday, January 30, 2014
SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
DIXON SCHOOLS
Tentative agreement reached But district, union must still approve contract BY MATT MENCARINI mmencarini@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 529
DIXON – According to Dixon Public Schools Superintendent Michael Juenger, after nearly 19 months of negotiations, there’s a
second tentative contract agreement between the school district and the Dixon Educational Support Personnel Association. The two sides met for about 5 hours Tuesday to finalize the language of the 4-year con-
tract, which includes the 201213 and the current school year. The contract expires after the 2015-16 school year. The contract must now be ratified by the union members, who are teachers aides, and
approved by the school board during its next meeting. In August, the two sides reached a tentative agreement, but it wasn’t ratified by the union. AGREEMENT CONTINUED ON A4
DIXON | CONSIDINE VISITS ST. ANNE CATHOLIC SCHOOL
Michael Juenger
Mindy Donoho
ILLINOIS | STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS
Mixed reviews for Quinn Local lawmakers weigh in on speech BY DAVID GIULIANI dgiuliani@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 525
Photos by Michael Krabbenhoeft
Byron native Sean Considine (left), who won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens last year, eats lunch with St. Anne Catholic School students Wednesday in Dixon. Considine urged the youngsters to surround themselves with “winners.”
Superfood for thought Super Bowl champ: Maybe I can give these kids a boost BY MATT MENCARINI mmencarini@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 529
DIXON – Sean Considine, just days before the first anniversary of his final game in the National Football League, ate lunch Wednesday with students at St. Anne Catholic School. He even cleared his place at the table after eating. Considine, 31, retired from the NFL after he played in Super Bowl XLVII. He recently had a house built for himself, his wife and five children in Byron, where he grew up, so he could live close to the area he calls home. “It’s just nice to come back and talk to kids in the local communities and share my experiences and talk about some of the things I used to help me build a career in football,” he said. “Maybe I can give these kids a boost they need to chase their dreams.”
QUINN CONTINUED ON A4
ABOVE: Students at St. Anne Catholic School received footballs signed by former NFL player Sean Considine after he spoke to students about his football career and the importance of education. Considine is a Byron High School graduate and earned his marketing degree at the University of Iowa. LEFT: David Swegle, 12, of Dixon, eats lunch after having a football he brought from home signed by Considine. The school invited Considine as part of Catholic Schools Week.
SUPERFOOD CONTINUED ON A2
$1.00
TODAY’S EDITION: 32 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 163 ISSUE 191
A year ago, Gov. Pat Quinn was struggling politically. He faced the specter of two powerful Democratic primary opponents: Attorney General Lisa Madigan and former U.S. Commerce Secretary Bill Daley. At the same time, the Legislature ignored his calls for pension reform. But both Madigan and Daley decided against running, and Quinn got the pension overhaul he wanted. With that backdrop, a more confident Quinn on Senator Mike Jacobs, Wednesday delivD-East Moline ered his annual State of the State address to the Legislature. Quinn spoke about how much the state had improved since he took office 5 years ago. “It was one of his better speeches,” said Sen. Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline, whose district includes Whiteside County. “He has gone a long way in establishing himself as the comeback kid. He took over a state that was in fiscal trouble, and he brought some sanity and planning to the system.”
INDEX
BUSINESS ......... A15 COMICS ............. A14 CROSSWORD....B14
DEAR ABBY ......... A7 LOTTERY ............. A2 OBITUARIES ........ A4
OPINION .............. A6 PLAN!T ................. A8 SPORTS ...............B1
AP
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn delivers the State of the State address to a joint session of the General Assembly in the House chambers at the Illinois State Capitol on Wednesday in Springfield.
Today’s weather High 32. Low 5. More on A3.
Need work? Check out your classifieds, B7.
TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE PAPER, CALL 815-284-2224 OR 800-798-4085