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PLAYERS GARNER ALL-STATE HONORS
Panel charting future of canal
PREP BASKETBALL, B1
ROCK FALLS, A12
TELEGRAPH Friday, March 14, 2014
SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
LEE COUNTY | DIXON MURDER CASE
Previous convictions at issue Ruling expected on whether they’ll be admitted BY CHRISTI WARREN cwarren@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 521
DIXON – The defense attorney for a former Amboy man accused of murder argued Thursday in favor of barring some previous convictions from being admitted as evidence.
control when he’s intoxicated. As the death of Daniels happened while Welling was intoxicated, she thinks the convictions are relevant. One of the convictions is for a DUI offense, but the second, and the one Sacco-Miller sees as being more relevant to the matter at hand, is a December 2008 misdemeanor battery that Welling was convicted of in DeKalb County.
Matthew W. Welling, 33, accused of killing Delmar Daniels in his home during July 2012, is charged with firstdegree murder in the incident. Lee County State’s Attorney Anna SaccoMiller said that she intends to use the two past convictions as evidence that Welling has a penchant for losing
According to Sacco-Miller, who was citing court documents, Welling was involved in a fight while intoxicated during which he punched one man in the chest and choked another so severely that a third man was unable to tell whether the choked man was dead or alive. The man Welling choked was, apparently, later revived. CONVICTIONS CONTINUED ON A5
Matthew W. Welling
ELECTION 2014 | LEE COUNTY SHERIFF
Photos by Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Sheriff John Varga (above) will face off against Dixon police officer and retired state police lieutenant John Simonton (right) for the Lee County Republican sheriff nomination Tuesday in the Republican primary.
John Varga ignited by ‘spark’ BY CHRISTI WARREN cwarren@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 521
Lee County Sheriff John Varga’s first exposure to the sheriff’s department came at an early age. As a boy in Dixon, Varga grew up around his father’s auto body shop and wrecker service. By the time he was in seventh grade, he was helping his dad on wrecker calls. He recalls that while on those calls, he first took an interest in the sheriff’s department. “That was kind of the spark,” he said. “I was fortunate enough to have people who were decent enough to show me some things and show me how things were done, law-enforcement-
TOP5 Your Weekend
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Go off to see ‘The Wizard’
AMBOY – Amboy High School presents “The Wizard of Oz” this weekend at the school. Performances will be at 7 p.m. today and Saturday, followed by a 2 p.m. matinee Sunday. Call the high school at 815-857-3632 for more information.
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TODAY’S EDITION: 28 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 163 ISSUE 222
John Simonton: A promise to improve
More Coverage In SV Weekend An examination of how the budget and department expenditures evolved during Varga’s two terms. wise, and that’s how the interest got started, at least.” By the time Varga was 16, he was taking calls on his own and helping deputies in any way he could, which usually meant directing traffic. “Back in the day, it was one of those things; everybody just helped, and that was part of it,” he said. “They’d say, ‘Go down there and stop traffic.’ And, you know, ‘OK.’ But then also try not to get run over at the same time.”
A look at trends in crime over the past 8 years. On A7 Fourteen letters to the editor endorse candidates.
BY CHRISTI WARREN cwarren@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 521
It’s been 31 years since Varga was that 16-year-old helping at the scene of car accidents, but now he’s the one in charge. Varga is again running for the office of Lee County sheriff, seeking a third consecutive term. Opposing him in Tuesday’s Republican primary election is John Simonton, a Dixon police officer and retired Illinois State Police commander.
John Simonton always knew he wanted to work in law enforcement, but it wasn’t until recently that he decided to run for sheriff. Simonton, 53, was born in Streator, but grew up in Mendota, where one of two younger brothers still lives. His dad worked at a telephone company, and his mom was a bookkeeper at a grocery store. It was a nor-
VARGA CONTINUED ON A5
2 Whitney Houston tribute fundraiser
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DIXON – Money raised during a Whitney Houston tribute show by Jazmine at 7 p.m. today will go toward the costs for statues in Dixon of John Dixon and Ronald Reagan. The show is in the Dixon High School Auditorium, 300 Lincoln Statue Drive. Dancers from Centerstage in Dixon will perform. Tickets are $25 at the door.
DIXON – A Project GenNex teen concert will be from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. today at Rosbrook Studio, 107 S. Peoria Ave. The Defeated Royals, Dare I Dream, Love Party, Surviving Sunday, and Ali Settles and Jake Woods will play. Sow Bellys will be vending. Admission is free, though freewill donations to help Project GenNex will be accepted.
INDEX
BUSINESS ......... A14 CHURCH.............. A8 COMICS ...............B4
Project GenNex show at Rosbrook
CROSSWORD....B12 DEAR ABBY ....... A10 LIFESTYLE ........... A9
mal, middle-class upbringing, he says. The boys played sports. He loved football, in particular, and later on in life was the head coach of Dixon High School’s football team during the senior season of his son Aaron. “I miss those days,” says Simonton, who is facing Sheriff John Varga in Tuesday’s Republican primary election. SIMONTON CONTINUED ON A4
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
5 Talents showcased in Dixon
DIXON – The annual Rock River Valley Shamrock Club’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Party will be Saturday in downtown Dixon. The parade begins from Dixon High School at 3 p.m. The party will follow at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 506 W. Third St. There will be a corned beef dinner, a 50/50 raffle and silent auctions. Reilly, an Irish band from Milwaukee, plays at 5 p.m.
DIXON – The Sauk Valley Youth Showcase will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at The Next Picture Show, 113 W. First St. Student musicians and vocalists from junior high to college from the area will be performing. Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, and $3 for children 12 and under. Refreshments will be served. The show is being sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Dixon.
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LOTTERY ............. A2 OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION ........A6, A7
Today’s weather High 55. Low 27. More on A3.
Need work? Check out your classifieds, B7.
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