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Music in the key of she

ADJUSTMENTS: A STAPLE OF WARRIOR’S STRATEGY

PLAN!T, A9-11

SOFTBALL SPOTLIGHT, B1

TELEGRAPH Thursday, April 21, 2016

SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851

DIXON | AIRPORT STUDY

Earning its wings City wants to make airport profitable, more self-sufficient BY RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5529 @rj_rodgers

DIXON – Profits haven’t exactly soared at the city’s airport, but officials aren’t ready to give up on it yet. They’re mov-

ing ahead with a study to determine the best course of action and whether there’s more money to be made, they’re prioritizing repair projects, and they’re moving ahead with a plan to save nearly $40,000 on management. Wednesday, the Municipal Airport

Board met with city staff to discuss a management transition and feasibility study that would assess the facility’s operations and provide recommendations to expand economic development. AIRPORT CONTINUED ON A4

DIVING RIGHT IN TO THEIR SCHOOLWORK IN DIXON

ROCK FALLS

All Inn good time With delays out of the way, hotel nails down opening date BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier

ROCK FALLS – Nearly 2 years to the day from the announcement of plans for a new riverfront hotel, the Holiday Inn Express & Suites will open its doors to patrons. Neil Densmore, representing the Rock Falls Hotel Group, said Wednesday the hotel will open May 5. The date has been confirmed by InterContinental Hotels Group, the Holiday Inn parent company. On May 6, 2014, the city revealed plans for the 68-room hotel at 301 E. Second St., touting it as the anchor project for riverfront redevelopment. The most recent amendment to the redevelopment agreement between the city and Rock Falls Hotel Group called for the project to be completed by May 15, but the developers had expected things to wrap up sooner. HOTEL CONTINUED ON A5

STERLING Photos by Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com

ABOVE: Dawn Moore, an instructor at the Dixon YMCA, leads a Dixon High School total body fitness P.E. class through a water workout Wednesday afternoon. Health and P.E. teacher Allison Fox brought the class over from the school to work out in the pool. Due to PARCC testing at the school, and thanks to the YMCA, the class was able to have a block of time during the day to utilize the pool. RIGHT: Fox said all the girls who participated in the water aerobics session gave her a “thumbs up” on the class.

City pushing to wrap up project this year

SAUK VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Alumni revisit a time in their life Mementoes and missives reignite memories for former students SVCC student council members Katie Williams (left) and Aida Juarez, both of Sterling, look at photos Wednesday that were pulled from a time capsule sealed in 1991.

BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 @CHeimerman_SVM

DIXON – Pam Miller doesn’t remember writing herself a letter 25 years ago, but her college flame-turnedhubby, Shane, does. Go figure: The Lee County Sheriff’s Department detective sergeant has a memory like a steel trap. Pam Miller, 43, was one of several Sauk Valley Community College alumni reunited with letters to themselves during the unsealing of a 25-year-old time capsule Wednesday in the east mall. She tried to read it right away, but decided she’d better wait until she could do so in private. MEMORIES CONTINUED ON A2

$1.00

TODAY’S EDITION: 24 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 164 ISSUE 250

INDEX

A long route to trails BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier

STERLING – Delays and rising costs have forced the Sterling Park District to look at wrapping up its grant-funded schools trail project this year. The city received two grants, in 2009 and 2012, totaling $527,200 from the federal Safe Routes to School program. The plan was to build a trail from the corner of Sixth Avenue and Lynn Boulevard to Franklin Elementary School. The second phase would extend from Lynn Boulevard to Challand Middle School. The program is administered through the Illinois Department of Transportation, which handles the bidding process. Everything from road projects to easement issues have delayed the project. Splitting up the project even posed possible problems with the grant because this year’s work wouldn’t have ended at a school.

Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com

ABBY ................... A8 BUSINESS ........... A7 COMICS ...............B6

CROSSWORD....B10 LIFESTYLE ........... A8 LOTTERY ............. A2

OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6 PLAN!T ............A9-11

TRAILS CONTINUED ON A4

Today’s weather High 67. Low 49. More on A3.

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