Your source for community news and sports 7 days a week.
Dill: An herb worth remembering
SVM ATHLETES OFSPORTS, THE WEEK B3
FOOD, A9-10
TELEGRAPH
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
DIXON | GALENA BRIDGE PROJECT
It’s water under the bridge Council members – save one – say contractor has cleaned up its act BY BRENDEN WEST bwest@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5529 @BWest_SVM
DIXON – Despite some debate, the council left the Galena Avenue bridge rail
painting project alone during Tuesday night’s meeting. Questions about the low bidder – Bill’s Painting & Tuckpointing, of Mount Prospect – surfaced in the week’s following the council’s Aug. 17
approval of the bid. For one council member, concerns were compounded when the business delayed paperwork on the project. That prompted Mayor Li Arellano Jr. to place an item on the council agenda
to “possibly reconsider” the bid award. At the time the agenda was published on Friday, city officials hadn’t received answers to all their the questions about the contractor. But during Tuesday’s meeting,
the mayor said the city has performed its due diligence, checking, and rechecking, the bidder’s references. Every question that surfaced, he said, was answered. CONTRACTOR CONTINUED ON A5
STERLING
HARMON
City finally comes to a better understanding
Taming the tank
Council clarifies long-standing agreement; Razing an ‘eyesore’ also on the agenda created a need for both parties to revisit the language. “This doesn’t change anything from the original agreement, STERLING – The city solidified it just simplifies language that a long-standing development was hard to understand,” City agreement with Sterling Today Manager Scott Shumard said. The original bond issuance made nearly 23 years ago, and also turned over the deed to an for the downtown redevelop“eyesore” downtown that will, ment project was $4.66 million, if all goes as planned, meet the which was retired in April 2013. The agreement calls wrecking ball before for the city to receive the end of the year. Inside $852,500 for expenses The council TuesSterling City that came from the day approved a city’s infrastructure m e m o r a n d u m o f Council gives and general funds. understanding to CGH Medical “Most of the city’s clarify the TIF rede- Center more flexcosts came from velopment agree- ibility for projects. property acquisiment entered into Page A5 tions and demoliOct. 29, 1992, for tions,” Shumard work on the Library Plaza and said. “There were also some County Market area. Included in the original TIF new infrastructure costs, and agreement were provisions we took out some old tanks.” Once the bonds were paid, for how the project expenses would be reimbursed when the Sterling Today was entitled to recoup certain development TIF bonds were retired. The length of time that had costs associated with the origipassed since the original pact nal development of the Library had been drawn up, and the Plaza project. complexity of the agreement COUNCIL CONTINUED ON A5 BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
Photos by Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
ABOVE: Firefighters move in to cool a propane tank Tuesday night during a fire training exercise in Harmon. Firefighters from Amboy, Harmon and Wyanet took part in the training and special apparatus was brought in to simulate a propane tank fire. Lt. Christina Wethington of Harmon organized the training for area departments. RIGHT: The goal of fighting a propane tank fire is to keep it cool to avoid explosion. Go to saukvalley.com for more photos of Tuesday’s training.
STERLING
They’re looking for a match made in heaven Family harnesses the power of the internet – and car windows – to find an angel with a kidney BY CHRISTI WARREN cwarren@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5521 @SeaWarren
STERLING – Three years ago this month, Marty Rodriguez, 57, was diagnosed with kidney disease. Since then, with the support of her family, she has been going through the roller-coaster ride that diseases can bring to families: the bad days, the good days. The 3-hour dialysis sessions multiple times a week. The clogged arteries. The surgeries to open them up again.
$1.00
TODAY’S EDITION: 24 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 164 ISSUE 92
And the anxiety as they wait, wait, wait, patiently wait until they find a willing kidney donor. Marty, of Sterling, is on a donor list. But her daughters, Desirae Ramirez, 32, and Brittain Rodriguez, 34, both of Sterling, have taken the matter into their own hands, creating a crowd-sourcing campaign, of sorts. They’ve set up a Facebook page: Searching for an Angel. They have a GoFundMe: Helping My Mom Find a Kidney. Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
KIDNEY CONTINUED ON A4
INDEX
ABBY ................... A8 BUSINESS ......... A12 COMICS ...............B6
CROSSWORD....B11 LIFESTYLE ........... A8 LOTTERY ............. A2
FOOD ..............A9-10 OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6
Marty Rodriguez (second from right) is looking for a kidney, and her family is doing its best to help find one. Her daughters, Brittain Rodriguez (standing) and Deisrae Ramirez, seen here with Desirae’s daughter, Sophia, 2, are using social media, pleas written on their vehicles, word of mouth – anything and everything they can think of to get the word out and find a donor.
Today’s weather High 78. Low 54. More on A3.
Need work? Check out your classifieds, B7.
TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE PAPER, CALL 815-284-2224 OR 800-798-4085