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Meet the 2015 SVM All-Area Team PREP BASEBALL, B1
FINDING A HERO IN FRANKLIN GROVE THE PEOPLE’S VOICE, A3
WEEKEND ENTERPRISE | STERLING DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT
Prosperity and preservation John Brady, owner of Urban Outlet Inc. Boutique at 311 First Ave. in Sterling, is expanding his business interests on the block and working with local contractor Scott Hibbard to restore the building next door. The work is part of a growing movement in downtown Sterling to bring older, distressed properties to life.
Brady energizes First Avenue with renovations BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
STERLING – In business, time is money, but many entrepreneurs are realizing that historic preservation also unlocks value. Business building projects are often done at a frenetic pace, and corners are cut to preserve the bottom line. But a movement is growing in the downtown based on the belief that making money and embracing history are not mutally exclusive notions. Contractor Scott Hibbard has defied naysayers and brought several buildings
considered to be lost causes back to life. In the past 3 years alone, he has increased the property values of 22 of his downtown units from $110,000 to nearly $1 million. Hibbard, who often works with architect Al McCloud on his meticulous restoration projects, spent several years returning the Dr. Moses Royer home to its former splendor. McCloud now has an office in the Royer home. “People don’t realize how important it can be to fix these distressed properties and bring them back onto the tax rolls,” he said. Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
PRESERVATION CONTINUED ON A10
PREPARING FOR DISASTER IN SAUK VALLEY
MIDDLE SCHOOLS
‘That’s how we learn’
Disciplinary events up in Dixon, down in Sterling
Disaster drill tests local emergency crews, CGH
BY JERMAINE PIGEE jpigee@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5525 @JPigee84
DIXON – More suspensions were handed out this school year than last year at Reagan Middle School in Dixon. Students also were sent to the office more often, according to a discipline report compiled by school officials. The Dixon students’ peers at Challand Middle School in Sterling, however, faced fewer disciplinary actions in the past year than in 2013-14. “These are our numbers and we have to own it,” said Matt Magnafici, assistant principal at Reagan. Disciplinary actions had been declining at the Dixon school since it started tracking during the 2010-11 year.
BY ANGEL SIERRA asierra@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5695 @_angelsierra
ROCK FALLS – In a bucolic setting south of town Friday morning, the sun is radiant, a soft breeze ripples through corn stalks, and there is a faint smell of fertilizer. All is calm, until an electronic tone breaks the silence. “Bring up the next rig?” a voice over radio crackles. “When you send them, they’ll pull up to the scene,” instructs Bill Milby, deputy chief of the Twin City Joint Fire Command. From the back of a sport utility vehicle, Milby’s nearly three decades of experience are on display. He’s confident, his voice steady and his demeanor cool. Around him are emergency vehicles, some parked nose to tail, lining the edge of a field near Polo and Grennan roads south of Rock Falls – the planned epicenter of a disaster drill where a chaotic dance of rescue personnel takes center stage. The exact timing of the event had been kept a secret to keep the drill as close to reality as possible. In the simulation, Monsanto field workers were accidentally sprayed by a dusting plane carrying pesticide. A call for help was received at 9 a.m., says Milby, who was at the scene within 8 minutes.
DISCIPLINARY CONTINUED ON A4
DIY HOME DEBUTS Photos by Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
A Monsanto employee rinses his face and eyes during a drill Friday morning to test the responses of local emergency agencies and CGH Medical Center in Sterling. In the simulation, Monsanto employees working in a field were accidentally sprayed by a dusting plane carrying pesticide. Several local fire and rescue departments responded to the scene, near Polo and Grennan roads south of Rock Falls. TOP: A firefighter tests a hose Friday morning at the drill site. Officials decided not to spray down the victims as they would during an actual hazmat situation because of the wind and cool temperatures Friday morning.
DRILL CONTINUED ON A5
Online extras Go to saukvalley.com to see videos and a photo slideshow by Alex T. Paschal and Philip Marruffo from Friday’s emergency drill.
Partly cloudy
VOLUME 7 ISSUE 42 44 Pages
With multiple victims in varying stages of distress, EMT and fire personnel work to figure out the best courses of care.
Today: 86/67 For the forecast, see Page A12
Business
Antiques at a Clinton shop are just itching to be repurposed. See Page C1
Community Leftover images from the spring sports season fill today’s Community page. Check out the “Best of the Rest” inside. See Page C12
Make Dad proud!
In her DIY Home feature debut, SVM correspondent Ashley Poskin has a do-it-yourself gift idea for Father’s Day: Yard Yahtzee. Page A9
Index Births................ C5
Lottery .............. A2
Business........... C1
Markets .......... A12
Classified .......... D1
Obituaries ......... A4
Comics ............. B8
Opinion............. A6
Community ..... C12
Scoreboard .... B12
Crossword Saturday ........... D5
Scrapbook ....... C3
Crossword Sunday ............. C8
Support groups .. C5
Dave Ramsey ... C1
Weather.......... A12
Dear Abby ........ C6
Wheels ............. D8
Sports .............. B1 Travel .............. C10