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Decision made on emergency days DIXON PUBLIC SCHOOLS, A3
READY TO FLY THE COOP? NOT JUST YET... SKYHAWKS BASEBALL, B1
TELEGRAPH Thursday, April 10, 2014
SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
OGLE COUNTY | SPENDING IN THE SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT
Harn’s handling of money unclear County treasurer: $3,754 cash refund ‘totally inappropriate’ BY DAVID GIULIANI dgiuliani@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5525
OREGON – The Oregon Park District issued a $5,000 check to the Ogle County Sheriff’s Department last September, as part of an agreement for the department to provide
“reactive patrol support,” among other policing services. That money was never deposited. A year earlier, the department had received another $5,000 check, made out to Ogle County Sheriff Michael
Harn. That money was deposited, according to public records the park district released to Sauk Valley Media more than 2 weeks ago. Where that money was deposited, however, is unclear. On March 28, the Sheriff’s Department decided to void
the undeposited check and return the money that was unspent from the first $5,000 payment. That refund amounted to $3,754, according to the park district, which Sheriff Harn paid in cash. UNCLEAR CONTINUED ON A3
Michael Harn Ogle County Sheriff
John Coffman Ogle County Treasurer
LEE COUNTY
NEWMAN, COMMUNITY TO PRESENT ‘PASSION’ PLAY
Is your community calling? Volunteers needed for many roles; program provides free training BY KATHLEEN A. SCHULTZ kschultz@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5535
Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@saukvalley.com
Actors go through dress rehearsal of “The Mystery of the Passion of Christ” Tuesday evening. The play is being presented by Newman Central Catholic High School and volunteers from the area. Show dates will be at 7 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday and 5 p.m. Friday, April 18 at the Centennial Auditorium at Sterling High School.
STERLING
Two drivers hurt in two-vehicle accident Both taken to CGH Medical Center BY CHRISTI WARREN cwarren@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5521
STERLING – Two people were treated at the hospital Wednesday after being involved in a car accident just before noon in downtown Sterling. Police say that Natasha A. Schillaci, 28, of Lyndon was driving west on Sixth Street when she ran a stop sign at the Locust Street intersection. A car driven by Arthur G. Barnhart III, 73, of Rock Falls, who was headed north on Locust, struck her car on the driver’s side. Schillaci had to be removed from her car by Sterling and Rock Falls fire crews, and both she and Barnhart were taken to CGH Medical Center for treatment of injuries. Shillacii was ticketed on a charge of disobeying a stop sign. Neither hers nor Barnhart’s condition was available Wednesday afternoon.
$1.00
TODAY’S EDITION: 28 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 163 ISSUE 241
DIXON – That tornado that leveled the town of Washington could just as easily have hit Amboy. Or Dixon. Or Franklin Grove. What if those had been your friends and neighbors who lost everything? Who would help them dig out, find shelter, provide comfort? Remember the 2009 swine flu outbreak? What if the virus comes back, turns deadly? Who would help get hundreds, or even thousands, of people vaccinated in a short time? How do you organize hundreds of people needed to fill sandbags when a 500-year flood hits? Who makes sure you even have enough sandbags? Trained volunteers, that’s who. And that’s where you come in. The newly formed Lee County Volunteer Corps is looking for recruits. It will have its first meeting April 24 in the Dixon Public Safety Building. (As added incentive, dinner from a local Italian restaurant will be provided.) Mike Therriault, 63, of Amboy, plans to become a volunteer corps member for a variety of reasons (none of them the free food). One, he’s the former head of Amboy’s Emergency Services and Disaster Agency. He’s had all kinds of useful training, from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Homeland Security, among other agencies, and he doesn’t want to waste it. COMMUNITY CONTINUED ON A4
To Lend a Hand
Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@saukvalley.com
Emergency personnel move a driver injured in an accident at the intersection of Sixth and Locust streets Wednesday afternoon in Sterling. The two-vehicle accident sent two people to the hospital, and their conditions were unavailable Wednesday evening.
INDEX
BUSINESS ......... A13 COMICS ...............B4 CROSSWORD....B12
DEAR ABBY ......... A8 LOTTERY ............. A2 OBITUARIES ........ A4
OPINION .............. A6 PLAN!T ................. A9 SPORTS ...............B1
The first meeting of the Lee County Volunteers Corps will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. April 24 in the Dixon Public Safety Building, 220 S. Hennepin Ave. To RSVP (which is required), for an application or for more information, contact Tim Trader, Lee County Health Department’s environmental health director, at ttrader@lchd.com or 815-284-3371.
Today’s weather High 65. Low 33. More on A3.
Need work? Check out your classifieds, B7.
TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE PAPER, CALL 815-284-2224 OR 800-798-4085