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COMETS, PANTHERS SET TO CLASH PREP FOOTBALL, B1
LOCAL ENTERTAINMENT, A9-10
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Thursday, October 9, 2014
SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
ROCK FALLS | 3RD WARD ALDERMAN’S RACE
Kleckler will challenge Hand Sauk Valley Landlord Association president wants rematch BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5570
ROCK FALLS – Sauk Valley Landlord Association President Rod Kleckler said he plans to run for a 3rd Ward aldermanic seat in the April election.
Kleckler, 59, has lived in Rock Falls since 1977. He owns CarSkaden Brake & Bearing Service in Sterling. Kleckler will challenge incumbent Dave Hand, who has taken out paperwork to run for another term.
Kleckler lost to Hand by only one vote 4 years ago. He took out paperwork to run 2 years ago, but then decided not to run. While Kleckler said many factors pushed him to run again, he cited the state of local politics as a big driver.
“The council has lost touch with what the general population wants,” he said. “It’s not necessarily all the council’s fault. People become disgusted and just say you can’t fight city hall.” ALDERMAN CONTINUED ON A2
Rod Kleckler
Dave Hand
EDUCATION | TEACHER EVALUATIONS
SAUK VALLEY SYMPOSIUM | ‘FIXING ILLINOIS’
One conversation at a time
Reviews to hinge on student growth 3 districts must adopt new standard; scores put RFHS in group BY JERMAINE PIGEE jpigee@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5525
Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
James D. Nowlan, co-author of “Fixing Illinois: Politics and Policy in the Prairie State,” addresses the audience at a symposium Wednesday night at Sauk Valley Community College. Sauk Valley Media held the symposium to discuss the book.
Event keys on addressing state’s problems, offering solutions BY MATT MENCARINI mmencarini@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5529
DIXON – Ideas for fixing Illinois were flowing Wednesday night at Sauk Valley Community College, in the hope of starting and continuing conversation. Those ideas included year-round school districts, consolidating units of government and changing the tax system. They are among the 98
ideas listed in the book “Fixing Illinois: Politics and Policy in the Prairie State.” The book and its authors, James D. Nowlan and J. Thomas Johnson, were the focus of the Sauk Valley Symposium, which was a joint presentation by the Sauk Valley Media Editorial Board and Sauk Valley Community College. “This is 98 proposals. We can come up with another 98,” Johnson said in
his opening remarks. “But [unless] you put something in writing and say, ‘This is an idea – a proposal,’ then you can’t get a reaction. You can’t get that dialogue going about whether it’s a good idea or a bad idea, or whether it can be improved upon.” Both authors have been involved with various levels of state government. CONVERSATION CONTINUED ON A5
ROCK FALLS – Teacher evaluations will be tied to student growth in three area school systems beginning next school year. Rock Falls High School is ranked in the lowest 20 percent of school districts in the state, based on Prairie State Achievement Exam results. Because of that, the school district must, by Sept. 1, phase in a new teacher evaluation system that includes student growth measures. The mandate is a requirement of Illinois Senate Bill 7, also known as the Performance Evaluation Reform Act. Bob Sondgeroth, superintendent of the Whiteside Regional Office of Education, said the state used standardized test scores from 2011, 2012 and 2013 to determine which schools fell into the lowest-performing 20th percentile. REVIEWS CONTINUED ON A4
STERLING | REMEMBERING DR. BALLARD
Building a file for ‘the country doctor’ Daughter, granddaughter looking for remembrances of popular physician BY ANGEL SIERRA asierra@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5695
STERLING – The warm, caring personality of Dr. LaMonte “Monte” Ballard was well known to the people he cared for in Sterling and Rock Falls for more than 40 years. On the 10-year anniversary of his death, which will be June 26 next year, his daughter and granddaughter hope to memorialize stories of the late doctor in a book.
$1.00
TODAY’S EDITION: 28 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 163 ISSUE 113
“People stop me, and have a story to tell me about him,” daughter Kathy Ballard said in an interview at her Sterling home Wednesday. She hopes stories of his life and work will come pouring out. Born just south of Thunder Basin National Grassland in Douglas, Wyoming, on July 16, 1934, Ballard grew up “dirt poor,” his daughter said. DOCTOR CONTINUED ON A7
INDEX
BUSINESS ........... A8 COMICS ............. A11 CROSSWORD....B11
Share your memories If you want to contribute to the Ballard family book of memories, begin your letter with “Dear Dr. Ballard” and send it to P.O. Box 1385, Sterling, IL 61081. The book still is in the planning phase, but Kathy and Ali would like to have a good set of letters collected by Christmas.
DEAR ABBY ......... A8 LOTTERY ............. A2 OBITUARIES ........ A4
OPINION .............. A6 PLAN!T ................. A9 SPORTS ...............B1
Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Today’s weather High 60. Low 37. More on A3.
Sterling doctor LaMonte Ballard’s daughter, Kathy, is asking former patients and friends to submit letters about their memories of the good doctor, who, among other things, delivered more than 5,000 babies.
Car Care
Tips on winterizing your vehicle, A12.
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