W eekend SV
Saukvalley.com
Your source for news and sports 7 days a week
Serving Lee, Whiteside, Carroll, Ogle and Bureau counties Saturday&Sunday, February 15-16, 2014 $2.00
Duchesses, others eyeing regional title
LOCALS ENJOY SVM BRIDALPHOTOS, FAIR C12 AT SVCC
GIRLS BASKETBALL, B1
NORTHLAND MALL
ROCK FALLS
Water flows again
Sports store shuffle Dunham’s opening in summer; Hibbett’s closed Thursday BY KATHLEEN A. SCHULTZ kschultz@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 535
Photos by Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@saukvalley.com
Jim Behren of Behren’s Blumen Stuff prepares floral arrangements Friday afternoon in Rock Falls. Behren’s Valentine’s Day rush was not totally affected with the water shut-off in Rock Falls Thursday evening and Friday morning. Behren’s had most of their vases pre-filled with water and flowers in cool spot to keep them fresh. To read more about how businesses handled the situation, go to A9.
190,000 gallons of raw sewage removed from pump station BY MATT MENCARINI mmencarini@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 529
ROCK FALLS – Water service in Rock Falls was shut off for 18 hours before it was restored Friday morning, but things still are not back to normal. Mayor Bill Wescott said the water was turned on at 9:30 a.m. Friday for showering and cooking, and flushing toilets. But a boil order is in effect until at least Sunday morning, so the water remains undrinkable. The water restoration pro-
Rock Falls Mayor Bill Wescott speaks during a news conference Friday morning. Wescott said the water was turned on at 9:30 a.m. Friday for showering and cooking, and flushing toilets. But a boil order is in effect until at least Sunday morning, so the water remains undrinkable. cess went just as planned, Wescott said Friday afternoon. The city had received more donations of bottled water, which will be handed out beginning at 7 a.m. today
at water distribution centers. Because of expected snowfall, distribution will end at noon – if the supply isn’t gone before then. Portable toilets will be kept
at the distribution centers as well, Wescott said. Those sites are at Rock Falls High School, Rock Falls Middle School, Thome Elementary School, and the Rock Falls Community Building. Water distribution centers opened at 7 a.m. Friday and closed at 8 p.m., the mayor said. Water samples will be collected at 20 locations throughout the city so they can be tested at a Dixon facility. The results of those tests are expected back by 9 a.m. Sunday, Wescott said, at which time a boil order could be lifted. A failed control panel at the 12th Avenue pump station was blamed for a sewage backup Thursday afternoon, Wescott said, and water to the entire city had to be shut off around 3:30 p.m. WATER CONTINUED ON A8
STERLING – Big changes are afoot at Northland Mall. Hibbett Sporting Goods closed its doors for good at the end of business Thursday. Dunham’s Sports, a national sporting goods chain, plans to move into a 35,000-square-foot space in late summer or early fall, according to a news release from J. Herzog & Sons Inc., the Denver-based company that owns the mall. That release did not mention Hibbett’s closure, or Dunham’s by name. However, Dunham’s has posted an ad on Monster.com to seek managers “for our soon-to-open Sterling location.” “Look who’s coming to Sterling, IL,” the ad says under the Dunham’s logo. On Friday, mall manager Karyn Brouilette would not say Hibbett had closed, or confirm Dunham’s is moving in. She referred all questions to Herzog, whose spokeswoman did not return calls or an email seeking comment. Hibbett corporate Friday would confirm only that the Sterling store is closed; information on why or on how many people lost their jobs was not available. Hibbett opened a store in the Walmart Supercenter plaza in Dixon in September. Dunham’s, based in Troy, Mich., characterizes itself as “one of the largest full-line sporting goods chains in the U.S.” SHUFFLE CONTINUED ON A5
CRIME | 1983 MURDER CASE
First-degree murder suspect back in Arkansas Man released on relatively low bond BY DAVID GIULIANI dgiuliani@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 525
DIXON – Steven Watts, 56, is accused of first-degree murder in the 1983 death of Gary D. Dawson of Peoria, whose body was found in Lee County. Watts has yet to go to trial;
in fact, the murder defendant who was arrested a year ago is no longer behind bars. He was released in September on a $100,000 bond, unusually low for a murder charge. Now, he is two states away – near Berryville, Ark., more than 550 miles from Dixon. “He’s at the same place where he was arrested,” Lee County State’s Attorney Anna SaccoMiller said in a telephone inter-
Snow likely
VOLUME 6 ISSUE 25 44 Pages
Today: 21/11 For the forecast, see Page A11
view this week. What’s going on? Sacco-Miller, the county’s top prosecutor, is saying little about the case. It has always Steven been sealed. Watts It’s not even listed in the county’s online judicial records.
Business notebook
Penny Lane offers antiques and collectibles, and newer goods in Dixon. See Page C1
Authorities say Dawson died of blunt-force trauma to the head, and that his battered body was found in a hog pen in rural Franklin Grove on Aug. 28, 1983. At the time, officials said that Dawson had been beaten in Peoria County, but they didn’t know where he actually died. It’s not clear why his body was taken to Franklin Grove. Last year, Lee County Sheriff
Heart health Six simple strategies to safeguard your heart Also inside USA Weekend: Whole wheat penne recipe Kevin Bacon on parenthood Fish benefits
John Varga said all the players in the case had drug connections. And Sacco-Miller said then that two other suspects in the case were believed to be in the general area, which includes Peoria. Watts, who was arrested last February in Arkansas, was released Sept. 27 from the Lee County Jail, according to the jail. ARKANSAS CONTINUED ON A5
Index Births................ C5 Markets .......... A12 Business........... C1 Nation ............ A11 Classified .......... D1 Obituaries ......... A4 Comics ............. B8 Opinion............. A6 Community ..... C12 Scoreboard .... B12 Scrapbook ....... C3 Crossword Saturday ........... D6 Sports .............. B1 Support groups .. C5 Crossword Sunday ............. C8 Travel .............. C10 Dear Abby ........ C6 Weather.......... A11 Lottery .............. A2 Wheels ............. D8