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Morrison’s Zed Koch races to top in BMX
A LOOK AT THE TALENT IN SUNDAY SHOWCASE COMMUNITY, C12
SPORTS, B1
PENSIONS | IMPACT ON TAXPAYERS
‘Critical’ risks locally City budgets feel pressure; expect property tax increases, group says BY DAVID GIULIANI dgiuliani@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 525
Pension funds for city retirees in Dixon and Sterling are greatly underfunded, which is the case in many towns in Illinois, according to a new report. Most of the report’s data, though, comes from 2012. In Dixon’s case, that makes a big difference. Its situation has improved a lot since then, a city official says. The Illinois Policy Institute, a conservative think tank based in Chicago, looked at the numbers for 114 cities with popu-
lations of more than 15,000 in Illinois – a group that includes Dixon and Sterling, but not Rock Falls. Both Dixon and Sterling scored 51 out of 100 on the institute’s scale, with 100 being ideal. A city that scores less than 59 is at “critical risk” of property tax hikes, cuts to core services, reductions to pension benefits, or all of those measures, the think tank says. In 2003, Dixon’s score was 79, while Sterling’s was 43, according to the institute. Sterling was the only city to see its situation improve. RISKS CONTINUED ON A10
The impacts of pension costs How Sauk Valley cities are faring in handling pension costs: Dixon 2012 score (out of 100): 51 2003 score: 79 Annual taxpayer contribution: $181 Unfunded liability per household: $1,919 Sterling 2012 score (out of 100): 51 2003 score: 43 Annual taxpayer contribution: $205 Unfunded liability per household: $2,650 Source: Illinois Policy Institute
EDUCATION | WHITESIDE AREA CAREER CENTER
2014 ELECTION | REFERENDUMS
Sales tax back on ballot Whiteside, Carroll schools hope for boost in facilities funds BY KATHLEEN A. SCHULTZ kschultz@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 535
It’s deja vu all over again. Voters in Whiteside and Carroll counties will be asked Tuesday whether they want a 1 percent sales tax to be imposed for schools to use for facilities maintenance, upgrades and construction. Supporters say the money is needed to offset declining state aid and to reduce property taxes; opponents aren’t happy with the idea of another tax being levied in tough economic times. In Whiteside County, the tax would bring a projected $4.3 million a year to be divided among 10 school districts. If passed in Carroll County, $1.1 million would go to three districts. SALES TAX CONTINUED ON A4
2014 ELECTION | LEE COUNTY SHERIFF
Policing the budget a key task of job BY CHRISTI WARREN cwarren@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 521
Photos by Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Dana Fellows, Whiteside Area Career Center’s data and cyber security instructor, works with student Jacob Lemmert to show how easy it is to “hack” unprotected sites with just a simple Google search.
‘Hard to protect yourself on the Internet’ Career center teaches data and information security BY MATT MENCARINI mmencarini@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 529
DIXON – Jacob Lemmert needed less than 2 minutes to find email log-in and password information for the president, vice president and other officials at a university in India. All it took was a Google search and three clicks for Hannah Borgman to find her way to the private studio webcam for a Georgia radio station. It wouldn’t take much more for Lem-
Partly cloudy
VOLUME 6 ISSUE 29 44 Pages
Today: 44/19 For the forecast, see Page A11
mert or Borgman to take the information or access they now had and do something malicious. But they didn’t. That wasn’t their intention. They were sitting in the back of a classroom at the Whiteside Area Career Center in Sterling. They, along with about a dozen other students in Dana Fellows’ Computer Technology I and II classes, sat in front of dual monitors and showed how easy it was to find unsecured networks and information. INTERNET CONTINUED ON A2
Cold a headache
Heating is a big challenge for managers of multi-story sites this winter. See Page C1
Data and cyber security class members Logan Musyl (left) and Drew Welch, both of Sterling High School, communicate during a class at the Whiteside Area Career Center.
On and off the court In basketball and life, Tom Izzo seeks success for his players Also inside USA Weekend: Advice on supplements The power of relationships Stay in step
Since Lee County Sheriff John Varga came into office, his budget has pretty much remained the same, Inside always hoverHow have ing around $3 million a year. crime stats Currently, he’s changed?, A9 allotted $3.1 million, which is intended to fund everything from his officers’ paychecks to automobile repair to medical expenses for inmates to postage stamps. His ability to stay inside that budget, while still providing comprehensive public safety for Lee County, is one of the reasons that so many Lee County Board members have publicly backed him. Just in the past 2 weeks, numerous members have written letters to the editor in support of Varga, largely based on his handling of the budget. While challenger John Simonton’s ability to handle a budget might be new to the Lee County Board, it’s not a task he’s unfamiliar with. BUDGET CONTINUED ON A10
Index Births................ C6 Markets .......... A12 Business........... C1 Nation ............ A11 Classified .......... D1 Obituaries ......... A4 Comics ............. B6 Opinion............. A6 Community ..... C12 Scoreboard .... B12 Scrapbook ....... C3 Crossword Saturday ........... D7 Sports .............. B1 Support groups .. C5 Crossword Sunday ............. C8 Travel .............. C10 Dear Abby ........ C5 Weather.......... A11 Lottery .............. A2 Wheels ............. D8