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HOSTAGE STANDOFF ENDS WITHOUT INJURY
Oregon, Rock Falls wrap up in 5 innings
ROCK FALLS, A2
BASEBALL, B1
TELEGRAPH Friday, April 22, 2016
SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
ILLINOIS | BUDGET
SAUK VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Error is up close and personal
A institute of higher burning College partners with group to help preserve and enhance neighboring prairie’s diversity
Local taxing districts are on the hook for state’s error, including one school district that now owes nearly $435,000 BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN AND PAM EGGEMEIER news@saukvalley.com
An error by the Illinois Department of Revenue means hundreds of local taxing districts that received disbursements from a personal property tax replacement fund in 2014 and 2015 must repay an estimated $168 million to the state. In Lee, Whiteside, Ogle, Carroll and Bureau counties, the total is more than $3.3 million. Of the 390 Sauk Valley entities hit by the error, none was hit harder than the Erie School District, which was told it owes the state about $435,000. Superintendent Bradley Cox didn’t exactly fall out of his chair when the state notified 6,500
BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 @CHeimerman_SVM
Students won’t soon forget father’s powerful message – and that’s just what he hopes for BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 @CHeimerman_SVM
OREGON – Students sobbed, and the door to the gym at Oregon High School revolved, as teachers left and returned with more boxes of tissues, and even toilet paper when the tissues ran out. Before the fifth-graders through freshmen absorbed the
ABOVE: Rachel Brunner uses a drip torch to set the perimeter of the prairie plot to the east of Sauk Valley Community College ablaze during a controlled burn Wednesday afternoon.
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Car show Sunday in Sterling
STERLING – Registration for a car, truck, tractor and bike show will be open from 9 a.m. to noon Sunday at Sterling Moose Family Center, 2601 E. Lincolnway. The cost is $15 to enter; awards will be presented at 3:30 p.m. There also will be food, raffles, a 50-50 raffle and a live auction. Call 815-625-4150 or 815441-4072 for more information.
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Christopher Heimerman/cheimerman@saukvalley.com
Final spring fling in Dixon
DIXON – Dixon Church of the Brethren’s 25th annual and final spring garden bazaar will be from 7 a.m. to noon Saturday at the church, 215 North Court St. Buttermilk pancakes, sausage, and beverages will be served from 7 to 11 a.m. for $5 for adults and $2.50 for children younger than 12. Perennial plants, trees, and garden decor will be sold, as well as homemade items, needlework, old cookbooks and bake sale items. The site is wheelchair-accessible.
INDEX
ERROR CONTINUED ON A11
Taking an emotional stand against bullying
BURNING CONTINUED ON A4
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taxing districts that they’d been paid too much. Cox’s staff had already noticed that the district’s April reimbursement of the personal property-tax replacement was lighter than usual. “At that point, there’d been no notification from the department of revenue; we were just doing our due diligence,” Cox said. “They didn’t call and say this is coming. Your payments are going to decrease. Nothing. You had to figure it out on your own.”
OREGON
DIXON – Little did David Hellmich know what awaited him when he got behind the Friends of the Prairie Group during his first year as president at Sauk Valley Community College. The Online extra education. The finanClick on this story at cial savings. The opportunity to saukvalley.com to watch the controlled rake fire. burn conducted by The group partners Friends of the Prairie with Natural Area Guardians, and he got and Natural Area Guardto help out March 18, ians on Wednesday when the members afternoon at Sauk Valley Community College. administered a controlled burn to the plot north of the school building. Wednesday, they were at it again, sandwiching a burn of the prairie east of the building between rainstorms.
Your Weekend
Inside
Turn to Page A5 to see how taxing districts in the Sauk Valley are affected.
Art show, craft and vendor market
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OREGON – The Eagle’s Nest Art Group will present its free annual spring membership art show from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and again April 30 and May 1, at the gallery at Conover Square, 201 N. Third St. More than 50 members’ works will be on hand, and some will be sold to raise money for Conover Square repairs. Conover Square’s shops also will be open during show hours, as will a special local crafts and vendor market, which is being held this weekend only.
ABBY ................... A8 BUSINESS ......... A11 COMICS ...............B6
CROSSWORD....B11 LIFESTYLE ........A7-8 LOTTERY ............. A2
‘Steel Magnolias’ will pop up in Polo
POLO – Polo Area Community Theatre’s last production of the season, “Steel Magnolias,” runs at 7 p.m. today and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Polo Town Hall, 117 N. Franklin. Tickets are $7 in advance or $9 at the door for adults; $7 for seniors; and $5 for ages 12 and younger, although the play has adult themes and is not recommended for younger children. Tickets are available at polotheatre.org; Polo Sub Stop, 109 W. Mason St.; Polo Public Library, 302 W. Mason St.; and First State Bank, 211 S. Division Ave., and at the door.
OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6 POLICE ................ A2
intense antibullying message from Kirk Smalley of the activist group Stand for the Silent, their administrators warned their parents. Letters were sent with a form that could be filled out to excuse their child. Not one parent asked that their child be excused. “I was so proud of all our parents,” said Ann Tilton, principal of Oregon Elementary School. BULLYING CONTINUED ON A10
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Kids will star at Sauk child fair
DIXON – “A Day at the Movies” is the theme of the 32nd annual Child Fair set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Sauk Valley Community College, 173 state Route 2. Kids can attend dressed up as their favorite movie character and walk the red carpet. Activities include a petting zoo, caricaturist, a bounce house and inflatable obstacle course, barrel rides, car seat safety checks, emergency vehicles and more. Admission is free. Some activities will have a fee. Caricature fees will be donated to Florissa to support autism awareness.
Today’s weather High 63. Low 34. More on A3.
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