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COLLARDS MAKE KALE TURN GREEN WITH ENVY
Dixon takes down Byron, 8-0
FOOD, A9, A11
BOYS SOCCER, B1
TELEGRAPH
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
LEE COUNTY | ADMINISTRATOR JOB
Interviews off to a strong start Chairman: 2 of 4 people interviewed were ‘very strong’ BY BRENDEN WEST bwest@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5529 @BWest_SVM
DIXON – There’s traction in Lee County’s search for a
county administrator. County officials interviewed four candidates Tuesday. They’ll meet with a fifth Thursday and select two or three candidates for second interviews in the next 3 weeks. Before next month’s meeting, Oct. 20, the hiring committee will recommend a hire. County Board Chairman Rick Ketchum said that he hopes to
More personnel news
A rare pair of promotions adds two new sergeants to Lee County Sheriff’s force. A5
see an administrator hired by this winter. Whoever it is will play a vital role in county operations moving forward. “We need a full-time person here to run the day-today stuff,” Ketchum said after
Tuesday’s regular Lee County Board meeting. The board voted unanimously to hold over an ordinance officially creating the new position. “It’s hard to put [the benefits] into a dollar amount. Hopefully, he or she will be able to attract more business, bring more revenue to the county.” The board voted to hire an administrator in mid-July citing,
among other things, a desire to have long-term planning and streamlined operations. While the ordinance published in Tuesday’s meeting agenda stated that the administrator will be responsible for “the proper administration of county policies,” more specific duties outlined for the position include: ADMINISTRATOR CONTINUED ON A5
STERLING
DIXON
Brothers will go the extra mile
Building’s days are numbered City hopes to turn ‘eyesore’ into usable outdoor space
Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@saukvalley.com
The city hopes to see the old Sterling Standard building at 13 E. Fourth St. torn down by the end of the year and replaced with open space to help spur more outdoor activities in that part of the downtown. BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
STERLING – It might not be easy, but the city hopes to demolish the former Sterling Standard building before year’s end. The property at 13 E. Fourth St. was acquired by the city through abandonment proceedings after the previous owner failed to pay the taxes for several years and the two-story
building fell into further disrepair. Ultimately, it was deemed cost-prohibitive for investors to bring the building, which is full of history – and asbestos – back to life. “This building has been an eyesore for a number of years, but it will take six figures to get rid of it because of asbestos abatement and other issues,” City Manager Scott Shumard said. BUILDING CONTINUED ON A2
WHITESIDE COUNTY
Siblings head for the hills for kidney disease BY BRENDEN WEST bwest@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5529 @BWest_SVM
DIXON – The North Carolina terrain will be far more hilly and treacherous than the trails in the Dixon Park District. But for Ben Nagy, the thought of biking across
the Tar Heel State is less daunting when it’s for a worthy cause. Last year, Nagy saw his older brother, Jacob, take part in the Tour DaVita in Oregon state. He said he knew he had to get on board for this year’s 250-mile ride in North Carolina. BIKE RIDE CONTINUED ON A5
Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Ben Nagy of Dixon will team up with his brother, Jake, to ride across North Carolina in support of kidney disease awareness, during the Tour DaVita later this month.
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TODAY’S EDITION: 24 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 164 ISSUE 97
INDEX
ABBY ................... A8 BUSINESS ......... A12 COMICS ...............B6
CROSSWORD....B12 FOOD ...........A9, A11 LIFESTYLE ........... A8
Taking on more to spend less? Board member floats idea of county taking over townships’ duties BY JERMAINE PIGEE jpigee@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5525 @JPigee84
MORRISON – Whiteside County Board member Shane Celestino wants to take a closer look at the county taking over township duties. “Everyone is feeling the
LOTTERY ............. A2 OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6
financial stresses in our state right now,” Celestino said at Tuesday night’s board meeting. “With the structure of township government, I was wondering if we could we streamline the services? Maybe we could consolidate a couple of the smaller townships.” TOWNSHIPS CONTINUED ON A5
Today’s weather High 85. Low 63. More on A3.
Need work? Check out your classifieds, B7.
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