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DIXON DEFEATS INDIAN CREEK IN 10 INNINGS SOFTBALL, B1
Have a devil of a time with leftover eggs FOOD, A9-10
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Wednesday, March 23, 2016
SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
DIXON | CITY COUNCIL
Airport study cleared for takeoff City hopes to turn airport’s lack of fortunes around with possible improvements BY RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5529 @rj_rodgers
DIXON – Aiming to find a solution to offset a $100,000 financial hole at Dixon Municipal Airport, the City Council
agreed Monday to move forward with a feasibility study. During the regular council meeting, City Manager Cole O’Donnell proposed that the city seek an outside firm to evaluate the airport’s operations and make recommendations on how to
improve the facility in order to generate more revenue. “We think that this would be a good idea to take a look at,” he said “Presently, we spend about $100,000 [annually] at the airport more than what we bring in in revenue.”
EDUCATION
In 2015, the airport’s expenditures totaled about $135,000, and revenue totaled about $42,000, mostly in rental income, finance director Paula Meyer said. AIRPORT CONTINUED ON A4
DOWNTOWN DIXON
A clinical trial run
Room for growth
Whether it’s finding a calling or finding a career, WACC students explore their options
River Street will close again for farmers market; business owners’ concerns addressed BY RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5529 @rj_rodgers
ABOVE: Students in the Allied Health class at Whiteside Area Career Center work on projects in class Friday afternoon. BELOW: Allied health instructor Julia Berhow helps Forreston High School junior Bailey Johnson.
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BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 @CHeimerman_SVM
STERLING – During the first semester of allied health at the Whiteside Area Career Center, Erie High School senior Kelli Mitchell learned medical terminology. Through her clinicals, she learned she was well-versed in a nonacademic term vital to her dream job of ER nurse: intestinal fortitude. Mitchell, 18, is getting her EMS-B license while interning with the Erie Fire Department, and recently assisted on a fatal call. She knew the victim, and she had to help calm the persons’ family members, who wanted to see the deceased – but the coroner had not yet arrived. “Of course I felt sorry for them, but I didn’t freak out – which is a good thing,” she said during Friday’s class. “I realized the death didn’t faze me. I thought it would before I got there, but I handled it totally fine, and my clinical instructor was very impressed.”
Photos by Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com
DIXON – Come summer, the weekly Dixon City Market will have more wiggle room to expand its offerings. The City Council has agreed to close River Street between Hennepin and Peoria avenues from around 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, from June 1 through Aug. 3, to accommodate the market, which will be open from 4 to 7 p.m. At Monday’s council meeting, Dixon Main Street My main board member Jerconcern is, I just emy Englund predon’t want to see sented information anyone get hurt on how the market has fared the past down there, and 2 years and why it would be a very organizers would upsetting thing prefer River Street for something as be closed for the great as our marevent. “The purpose of ket to disappear. our events is to Jeremy Englund, provide entertainDixon Main Street ment through our board member community and bring about potential growth by generating exposure and bringing in tourism to help with the businesses downtown,” Englund said. In 2014, River Street was closed for the market, but it created some difficulties for business owners. Last year, the event was confined to a parking lot area, but Englund said what he noticed when he worked the market last year “was a lot of the public and the marketgoers would still stand in the street, and I felt that was a safety issue,” Englund said. “My main concern is, I just don’t want to see anyone get hurt down there, and it would be a very upsetting thing for something as great as our market to disappear.”
TRIALS CONTINUED ON A5
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MARKET CONTINUED ON A4
QUEEN OF HEARTS
The queen commands quite a large and loyal audience People from near and far come for a fundraiser that’s raising money, spirits, and even VFW membership BY RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5529 @rj_rodgers
DIXON – Valley Fenzel has been on a 43-week hunt for the elusive queen of hearts.
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TODAY’S EDITION: 28 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 164 ISSUE 229
Approaching her 44th week, the 61-year-old Dixon resident has been buying tickets for the Dixon VFW’s Queen of Hearts fundraiser since it began back in April. “I come out here because I
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like to support the vets,” she said. “All of this is great for the VFW; they can use their portion to really fix the place up, and that helps everyone.” Fenzel, along with thousands of other fellow queen hunters,
ABBY ................... A8 BUSINESS ......... A13 COMICS ............. A12
CROSSWORD....B14 FOOD ..............A9-10 LIFESTYLE ........... A8
are looking to land a jackpot that has reached $301,510 so far. The pot is now 600 times larger than it was for the first drawing, which totaled about $500. “Who in this town couldn’t
LOTTERY ............. A2 OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6
use a few extra bucks in their pocket?” she said. “Everyone around here has had a hard time, and this could make a big difference.” FUNDRAISER CONTINUED ON A5
Today’s weather High 49. Low 39. More on A3.
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