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HE’S PINNED A LOT OF HOPES ON THE MAT DIXON WRESTLING, B1

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Thursday, February 11, 2016

SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851

SENIOR CARE | WHITESIDE & CARROLL COUNTIES

Lifescape throws a lifeline Agency will offer senior services that were the casualty of budget battle BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier

A Rockford-based nonprofit agency will provide services for seniors that Lutheran Social Services recently announced it

no longer would offer in the area. The Illinois Department on Aging said Lifescape Community Services Inc., the largest nonprofit senior services provider in northwest Illinois, is putting together plans to add Whiteside and Carroll counties to its service area. Lifescape already has a presence in Lee County, providing meals for seniors at sites in Dixon, Amboy, and Paw Paw. LSSI had provided case management services for 2,393 elderly clients, and adult protective services for 320 seniors

through its Sterling office. Lifescape will take over contracts for those services through the community care program, which helps seniors live independently longer, and protective services that are set up to prevent elder abuse and do crisis intervention. “The state approached us about assuming those two contracts, and we have worked with LSSI a lot and have a good relationship with them,” said Mike Hughes, Lifescape CEO and executive director.

Hughes said LSSI has until Feb. 29 to phase out the programs it will no longer offer in the area, and Lifescape’s contracts begin March 1. “Things have happened very quickly, so we’re still trying to work out all of the details,” Hughes said. Hughes has been in the CEO’s office only since Jan. 1, taking over from Carolyn Green, who retired after 21 years with the agency. Hughes was promoted from chief operating officer at Lifescape. LIFESCAPE CONTINUED ON A4

DIXON

SAUK VALLEY

City turns a negative into a positive Elimination of seasonal position pulls general fund out of deficit BY JERMAINE PIGEE jpigee@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5525 @JPigee84

Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com

Motivational speaker Tim Ryan speaks to local law enforcement Wednesday morning about his struggles with addiction.

From an agent of

chaos to an agent of change A man in recovery brings another tool – education – to local law enforcement to help put out the wildfire that’s become the Sauk Valley’s opiate problem

BY ANGEL SIERRA asierra@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5695 @_angelsierra

STERLING – The founder of a Napervillebased drug intervention group brought an arsenal of powerful testimony Wednesday to a group of nearly 40 local law enforcement personnel at City Hall. Tim Ryan, 47, was a successful businessman. He earned six figures a year, had a wife, four kids, and a comfortable home in suburban Chicago. That was before the alcohol and drugs. “Drinking and drugging” caused his life to crumble, he said, and eventually led to stints in prison, a divorce, and the devastating death of his 20-year-old son, who overdosed on heroin 3 years after first trying it with his father. “We were chaos agents,” Ryan recalled. He now lives a sober life, free from drugs, including those prescribed for surgery; he has three crushed discs in his back, but he pushes through the pain without pills, he said. Ryan leads A Man In Recovery, a nonprofit organization that specializes in educating caregivers, friends, family – anyone looking to be more effective in drug prevention and intervention. The group connects addicts with resources needed for recovery.

DIXON – On Monday, City Council members were told there’d be a $27,000 deficit in the general fund for the 2016-17 budget year. By Wednesday, that deficit was gone – along with a position in the city’s street department. During Wednesday’s budget meeting, the council learned that preliminary figures that had the general fund in the red are now in the black, after a seasonal position was eliminated from the street department’s budget. That brings the general fund balance back into positive territory, by $2,207. Although the budget is far from approved – the city’s deadline is May 1 for that – officials decided to act sooner rather than later to get the fund back in balance. Shifting from streets to information highways, the council heard about another personnel matter – this time, adding a position. Allen Philhower, head of the information technology department, said he hopes to bring in a full-time IT person. Currently, Philhower handles all the city’s IT needs himself. BUDGET CONTINUED ON A4

INSIDE

Figures of speech Sometimes, a student really has to think outside the crayon box. Find out how some Sterling High students do it. Page A3

AGENT CONTINUED ON A5

Do you need help? Safe Passages, PRISM, We Care ... Addicts in the fight of their life don’t have to be in the battle alone – help is out there. Turn to Page A5 to find out where.

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TODAY’S EDITION: 24 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 164 ISSUE 200

INDEX

ABBY ................... A8 BUSINESS ........... A7 COMICS ...............B6

CROSSWORD....B11 LIFESTYLE ........... A8 LOTTERY ............. A2

OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6 PLAN!T ............A9-12

Today’s weather High 21. Low 9. More on A3.

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