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Monday, February 9, 2015
SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
DIXON | GOVERNOR VISITS
Rauner talks change at stopover Meets, greets public at Loveland Community House BY CHRISTI WARREN cwarren@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5521 @SeaWarren
DIXON – Gov. Bruce Rauner made a pit stop Saturday morning at Loveland Community House in Dixon to shake hands, take pictures, and give a condensed version of last week’s State of the State address. “It’s great to back in Lee County, and great to be back
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in Dixon,” Rauner said to the crowd of about 100 people after being introduced by state Sen. Tim Bivins, R-Dixon. The governor addressed his plans, though without specifics, to “turn around Illinois.” “My number one priority is to get Illinois’ economy booming,” he said. “You know it’s been struggling. Our jobs have been leaving. We’re losing jobs to Wisconsin. We’re losing jobs to Indiana. We’re losing jobs to
Iowa, Texas, Tennessee. ... As governor, I want to help you recruit those companies to come here. “This part of the state has every reason to thrive: infrastructure, the intermodal, the opportunity for transportation, the opportunity for networking from Chicago and all around the Midwest. There’s a huge opportunity for growth here.” CHANGE CONTINUED ON A3
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Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@saukvalley.com
This part of the state has every reason to thrive. ... There’s a huge opportunity for growth here. Gov. Bruce Rauner speaks Saturday afternoon at Loveland ComIllinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, on northwestern Illinois
munity House in Dixon. Rauner was making his way across the state after last week’s State of the State address.
SCOUTS HONOR PINEWOOD DERBY PASTIME IN DIXON
NEWS ANALYSIS | LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Fewer bodies needed? Governor lauds DuPage County’s consolidation plan BY NICK SWEDBERG The Associated Press
Photos by Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Setting his car just right, Brady Potter takes care to ensure arrow-straight alignment at the start of the Cub Scout Pack 85 pinewood derby race Saturday at Bethel Church in Dixon. A silent auction of gift baskets and other items was held to raise money for the pack.
SPRINGFIELD – A “zombie” sanitary district was discovered, with no apparent purpose. A defunct fire district operated almost entirely on paper, having to contract with a nearby department for services. Those were local units of government that DuPage County officials moved to eliminate as part of an initiative they project will save taxpayers more than $100 million over the next 20 years. Advocates say it’s a model for how other Illinois counties can cut costs through consolidating government too. GOVERNMENT CONTINUED ON A5
AWARD-WORTHY?
The top two winners in each class, plus the best of show winners, are moving on to compete in Pecatonica. RIGHT: Several dozen racers competed. The largest of the group was the siblings class, a special circuit for brothers and sisters of scouts.
A guacamole request created quite a stir last week. SVM reporter Christi Warren made a batch. Get the recipe at planitsaukvalley.com to see if it’s worth the fuss. Speaking of musicians, check out Grammys coverage on A2.
FAR RIGHT: Boy Scout Jared Hetrick carefully places his car on the track.
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TODAY’S EDITION: 20 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 163 ISSUE 197
INDEX
ABBY ................... A9 COMICS ............... A8 CROSSWORD......B9
LIFESTYLE ........... A7 LOTTERY ............. A2 NATION/WORLD A10
OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6 POLICE ................ A2
Today’s weather High 27. Low 13. More on A3.
Need work? Check out your classifieds, B6.
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