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Wednesday, April 22, 2015
SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
EDUCATION | COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Sauk seals deal for president Hellmich coming from vice president post at Kentucky college BY JERMAINE PIGEE jpigee@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5525 @JPigee84
David Hellmich
DIXON – David Hellmich will become the sixth president of Sauk Valley Community College. Hellmich, who has spent the past
nine years as vice president of academics at Bluegrass Community and Technical College in Lexington, Kentucky, has agreed to a contract, the college announced Tuesday afternoon. The board will vote on the contract during a meeting Monday.
Hellmich will succeed George Mihel, who will retire in July after 10 years as president. “I’m thrilled and honored to be named the new president,” Hellmich said by phone Tuesday afternoon. In his current role at Bluegrass
CTC, Hellmich leads 300 full-time and 500 adjunct faculty members. While there, he’s been instrumental in developing relationships with the University of Kentucky and Toyota Manufacturing. HELLMICH CONTINUED ON A4
DIXON
BRIDGE DONS A COAT ON A CHILLY DAY
Jefferson welcomes new family member Thorpe named school’s principal BY JERMAINE PIGEE jpigee@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5525 @JPigee84
Photos by Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
ABOVE: Clayton Conrady adds a fresh coat of paint to the Hennepin Canal bridge on East Second Street in Rock Falls on Tuesday. Conrady was working with the Firehouse of God Ministries in Sterling in its efforts to clean up and beautify the Twin Cities. RIGHT: One side of a former railroad bridge that crosses the canal has been painted by volunteers with the Firehouse of God Ministries, as the other side awaits a new coat. The bridge is part of a bike path that runs along an old rail line in Rock Falls.
DIXON – Crystal Thorpe of Dixon will no longer have to travel 100 miles round trip each day to be principal of a school. Her new job will be in her own backyard. Thorpe, 40, has been named the new principal at Jefferson Elementary School in Dixon. Thorpe has been Crystal principal at Dakota Thorpe Elementary School for the past 6 years. She also taught at Washington Elementary School in Sterling for 8 years. Thorpe will replace Dan Rick, who will become the Dixon district’s assistant superintendent next year. Her first day on the job will be July 31. “I’m extremely honored and blessed that this opportunity presented itself,” Thorpe said. “We will work to give students the best possible education.” During her time in Dakota, Thorpe said, she considered her co-workers as family and she said she hopes to create that same environment in Dixon. THORPE CONTINUED ON A4
TWIN CITIES
Bridge repairs rescheduled Work pushed from April 27 to May 4 BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
Repair work on the Avenue G bridges between Sterling and Rock Falls has been backed up about a week, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.
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TODAY’S EDITION: 24 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 163 ISSUE 249
Across the state
IDOT launches a road trip for roadwork. Story: A2 “We’ll be doing both the north and south bridges, and the south bridge will be closed first,” said John Wegmeyer, IDOT’s project implementation manager. Electronic signage at the bridge had said it would be closed on April 27, but the closure date for the south bridge is
INDEX
now May 4, Wegmeyer said. While the south side will be closed to motorists for about a month, the sidewalk area will be kept open for access to Lawrence Park. When work on the south bridge is completed, crews will switch to the other side. The north bridge will be closed for about a month, and those sidewalks also will remain open.
ABBY ................... A8 BUSINESS ....A11-12 COMICS ...............B6
REPAIRS CONTINUED ON A2
CROSSWORD....B11 LIFESTYLE ........... A8 LOTTERY ............. A2
Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Repair work on the south side of the Avenue G has been pushed back a week, from April 27 to May 4.
OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6 POLICE ................ A2
Today’s weather High 53. Low 26. More on A3.
Need work? Check out your classifieds, B7.
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