Your source for community news and sports 7 days a week.
DIXON WINS BIG NORTHERN BATTLE
Rise and dine for a healthy start
BOYS BASKETBALL, B1
FOOD, A9-10
TELEGRAPH
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
LEE COUNTY | TRAILS
He wants UTVs to hit the trail Dixon man hopes Polo will waive fees to help grease the wheels for trail program BY VINDE WELLS vwells@shawmedia.com Shaw Media
POLO – A Dixon man has asked the Polo City Council to waive its permit fees for utility task vehicles as part of a program to develop a trail system throughout northern Illinois. Mark Imfeld said the Dixon Park District Board recently approved a pilot program for golf carts and similar vehicles on the Joe Stengel Trail from Woosung to Judson Road, just
south of Polo. A park district permit to ride the trail will cost $100 when the program gets underway in May, money that will pay for signage and maintenance. Imfeld wants Polo to waive its permit requirement and $25 fee for people who ride the trail into town. The riders will buy gas and visit restaurants, so “we’re bringing economic value to town,” he said. He’s also asking the council to allow the UTVs
on city streets, to get from the trail to such businesses. The pilot program will run from May through September, and the trail will be open for UTVs from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. It’s now open only to walkers, bicyclists, horseback riders, and snowmobilers. The goal is to connect the trail with neighboring villages and cities, and eventually link to multiuse trails in Wisconsin, Imfeld said.
A Dixon man is hoping the Polo City Council will help put the wheels in motion on a plan to draw more traffic to the Joe Stengel Trail, seen at left. Shaw Media
TRAILS CONTINUED ON A5
CITY COUNCIL
DIXON
Dixon raises its standards City joins other counties in adopting regional building code
St. Anne School sixth-grader Sarah Tunink prepares a string to thread through a bead Tuesday afternoon while making a rosary necklace at the school.
Stringing their praises
BY JERMAINE PIGEE jpigee@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5525 @JPigee84
DIXON – After 12 years, the city has updated its outdated building codes. The council voted Monday to adopt the Northwest Illinois Regional Building Code, effective immediately. The codes govern commercial and residential buildings and fire safety protocol, among other things. Dixon will work under the same set of standards when building homes or businesses as other regional munici-
palities and counties that have adopted the unified building code. Permits and other paperwork requirements also will be the same throughout the region. Building official Paul Shiras and Fire Chief Tim Shipman have spent the last year meeting with officials from Lee, Ogle, Whiteside and Winnebago counties to create the unified code. Joining the group were architects, commercial and residential builders, trades unions and real estate agents. STANDARDS CONTINUED ON A4
DIXON
Lots of Crundwell property still left Electronic gavel came down, but nearly 200 lots went unsold Photos by Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com BY JERMAINE PIGEE jpigee@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5525 @JPigee84
DIXON – You can lead a bidder to the auction, but you can’t make them bid – but that doesn’t mean the U.S. Marshals Service is giving up on trying. The third – and what was to be the last – auction of Rita Crundwell’s personal property ended Tuesday and raised slightly more than $26,000 – but only a little more than half the 375 lots sold. Jason Wojdylo, chief inspector of the U.S. Marshals
St. Anne School religion teacher Mary Beth Oswalt helps sixth-grader Rebecca Riley make a rosary bead necklace Tuesday afternoon at the school in Dixon. As part of National Catholic Schools Week, students are making necklaces that will be distributed to Heritage Square, Liberty Court, and the Lee County Nursing Home. National Catholic Schools Week is an annual celebration of Catholic education, and the theme for this year’s event is “Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service.” Go to ncea.org/ our-services/catholic-schools-week for more information on the event.
$1.00
TODAY’S EDITION: 24 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 164 ISSUE 194
INDEX
ABBY ................... A8 BUSINESS ......... A12 COMICS ...............B6
CROSSWORD....B12 FOOD ..............A9-10 LIFESTYLE ........... A8
LOTTERY ............. A2 OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6
Service Asset Forfeiture Division, refuses to throw in the towel. A fourth auction will take place within the Rita next 30 Crundwell days, he said. “I anticipate there will be at least one more auction where we will be lowering the opening bids,” Wojdylo said. CRUNDWELL CONTINUED ON A5
Today’s weather High 37. Low 17. More on A3.
TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE PAPER, CALL 815-284-2224
Need work? Check out your classifieds, B7.