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SPORTS, B3
DIXON, A3
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Tuesday, February 17, 2015
SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
DIXON | PROPOSED PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
DIXON SCHOOLS
Burke wants cost analysis DHS Proponents say restructuring could save money for city BY MATT MENCARINI mmencarini@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5529 @MattMencarini
Jim Burke Dixon mayor
DIXON – Some Dixon officials are concerned about the cost of a new public works department and want to know the fiscal impact before they proceed.
In an email to City Council members and city staff last week, Mayor Jim Burke said that although the new department – a combination of the water, wastewater, streets and public property departments – looks good on paper, he wants “some in-depth financial analysis” of its long-term impact.
“Since we became financially solvent, we have made some very positive management changes and hired needed employees,” Burke wrote. “However, I have been concerned about personnel creep because of our solvency.” ANALYSIS CONTINUED ON A4
focus of plan, forum Renovate, or seek site for new building?
UP-AND-COMER | CAMERON JACOBS
‘I thought I really had a knack’
BY JERMAINE PIGEE jpigee@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5525 @JPigee84
DIXON – Dixon community members have been asked to attend a forum Monday to discuss a long-range facilities plan for the Dixon School District. With the help of community input over the past few months, school officials have come up with five options regarding the future of the school district. “It boils down to, Do we want to renovate Dixon High School, or look at a new site for the high school?” said Michael Juenger, superintendent of the school district. “All of the options come down to that.” FOCUS CONTINUED ON A4
Be heard Members of the community are invited to give input on the Dixon School District’s longterm facilities plan. The next community forum will begin at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 23 at Washington Elementary School, 703 E. Morgan St. A final forum will be held in March. School officials have not set a date or time for that forum. Visit plandixonschools.info for more information on the facilities plan. Photos by Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Cameron Jacobs, 27, of Eldena looks at film clips of actors he hired to star in his final project for Full Sail University’s online program. The 15-minute movie will feature actors and settings from the area.
Eldena man to film senior thesis, a short film featuring actors from area BY CHRISTI WARREN cwarren@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5521 @SeaWarren
ELDENA – For Cameron Jacobs, film just kind of clicked. The 27-year-old professional wrestler was editing one of his wrestling reels one day during the summer of 2012 when it dawned on him that he was actually pretty OK at it. “I thought I really had a knack, so I looked up film schools, and I found out that Full Sail had an online program,” the Amboy High School graduate said. That was in August 2012. Since then, he has learned the ins and outs of directing, writing scripts, and editing. With his program ending this semester, it’s time for his thesis: a short film he’ll write, shoot, and edit himself to be titled “One Last Day.” The project is modeled on a group of high school friends headed off to college who vow to have
Help wanted Shooting will happen during the first week of March, and Cameron Jacobs is still looking for extras. If you’re interested in appearing, shoot him an email at cameronejacobs@fullsail.edu. To help him fund his project, or check out the trailer, head to indiegogo.com/projects/one-last-day-short-film.
Jacobs wrote the script and color-coded the shot list. Each color designates a certain aspect of the scene that needs to be documented. the best last day of summer ever. Shooting will begin in March, and at the moment, with his actors cast, Jacobs is busy scouting locations and raising funds to finance the extra equipment, costumes, and makeup he’ll need to turn his vision into an actuality. “I’ve been going to family friends’ places and just basi-
cally finding family friends that have cabins or big open places out in the country,” he explained. Jacobs went into pre-production in June and finally got to do a casting call in January. He rented a suite at a hotel in Dixon, where 20 or so people came out. KNACK CONTINUED ON A11
Up-and-comers wanted Do you know of any young people in the area who are doing something fun or unusual with their lives? Who are plotting an interesting future? Who might be on track to save the world, or at least better a piece of it? Let us know. Post a tip on our Facebook page, send us an email at News@saukvalley.com or give News Editor Kathleen Schultz at call at 815-625-3600, ext. 5535.
CONCEALED CARRY
Dealing with law nonissue for agencies Number of permits falls well short of projections BY CHRISTI WARREN cwarren@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5521 @SeaWarren
STERLING – One year after Illinois became the last state in the union to allow its residents to obtain a concealed carry permit, the number issued fell well short of expectations. A total of 1,672 people in Bureau, Carroll, Lee, Ogle, and Whiteside counties have active permits, according to numbers from the Illinois State Police, with the greatest percentage of a county holding permits being Ogle, where 1 percent of the population has one. The smallest percentage of a population with permits is Whiteside County, at 0.6 percent. NONISSUE CONTINUED ON A8
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TODAY’S EDITION: 24 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 163 ISSUE 203
INDEX
ABBY ................... A7 COMICS ............... A9 CROSSWORD....B11
LIFESTYLE ........... A7 LOTTERY ............. A2 NATION/WORLD A12
OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6 POLICE ................ A2
Today’s weather High 12. Low -4. More on A3.
Dixon online Candidates set up websites, A3.
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