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Wednesday, December 2, 2015
SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
DIXON
Bids bring in just under $125,000 so far Third round of Crundwell auctions pulls in $71,959; fourth planned for 2016 BY BRENDEN WEST bwest@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5529 @BWest_SVM
DIXON – It might be just a drop in the horse bucket, but the third auction of Rita Crundwell’s belongings has pushed the total of money recovered from Dixon’s former comptroller past the sixfigure mark. The auctions of Crundwell’s belongings have netted the government
$124,959 so far, and there’s more to come. Most of that money came from the second of two online auctions of Crundwell’s assets. Bidding closed on that auction around 4:40 p.m. Tuesday and racked up $71,959. With 3,645 total bids placed by 303 different bidders, it outdrew the previous online auction by more than a thousand bids. “What we generated in these most recent auctions pales in comparison to what Rita Crundwell stole,” said Jason Wojdylo, chief inspector for the U.S. Marshals Service, but “any money we can return to the city of Dixon is always a good thing.” That money adds to a sealed bid auc-
tion of Crundwell’s trophy collection that netted $5,560, and to the $46,873 collected from the first online auction, which closed on Nov. 3. The first auction, held from Oct. 20 to Nov. 3, sold primarRita ily Crundwell’s horse Crundwell show memorabilia. The second auction, which ran from Nov. 17 to Tuesday, sold her belt buckles and art collection, among other odds and ends. Wojdylo said the second auction drew more bidders and 1,400 more bids. One
of the reasons for that, he said, is that the auction didn’t revolve around clothing, so bidders didn’t have to worry about fitting into their winnings. He admitted recovering funds from Crundwell’s ill-gotten gains has been a long process. Crundwell was arrested in April 2012, having stole more than $53.7 million from taxpayers as Dixon comptroller. Wojdylo said that since then, the government has been chasing leads to recover anything of monetary value. The auctions conclude a process that started with court approval a year ago and culminated in a summer-long hunt in several states for Crundwell’s assets. AUCTIONS CONTINUED ON A5
DIXON
ROCK FALLS| CITY COUNCIL
Mannequins report for duty
Hotel hit with delay Lead contractor drops a ‘bomb’ on city, but project still moving forward BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
Photos by Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Al Wikoff, a Veterans Memorial Park Committee member, carries a mannequin dressed as an Army nurse on Tuesday to the ambulance at Veterans Memorial Park in Dixon. The mannequins – a male and female – were purchased by the committee to add a bit more realism to the park’s military display. The mannequin is modeled after Janis Nark of Colorado, the 2014 Vietnow Veteran of the Year, who served in Vietnam during the 1960s. Nark, who was a Lt. Col., donated her uniform after being contacted by former Vietnow President and Veteran Park Board member Rich Sanders.
ROCK FALLS – The lead contractor for the riverfront hotel project dropped a bomb on the Rock Falls Hotel Group, and the fallout could linger into the middle of next year, but that doesn’t mean the inn is on the outs. Mayor Bill Wescott learned last week that Fitchburg, Wisconsin-based Landgraf Construction was ceasing operations and would be unable to finish the Holiday Inn Express & Suites on East Second Street. That forced the developers of the riverfront hotel project to request a third amendment to its redevelopment agreement with the city. Neil Densmore, representing
Next meeting The Rock Falls City Council next meets at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 15, at City Hall, 603 W. 10th St. The agendas will be posted at rockfalls61071. com and at City Hall. Call 815-622-1100 for more information. the Rock Falls Hotel Group, spoke at Tuesday’s Rock Falls City Council meeting. He said the exit of the lead construction team was unexpected. “Landgraf dropped a bomb on us Nov. 19 when they told us they were closing for business, but that’s water under the dam and we’re moving on,” Densmore said. HOTEL CONTINUED ON A5
Doors to city’s future open wider Resolutions move land deals forward BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
Mike Cecchetti takes a male mannequin to the ambulance. The committee has yet to decide who to base the mannequin on.
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ROCK FALLS – City leaders took a step through the doors of Rock Falls’ future Tuesday when they approved resolutions that will moved a pair of land acquisitions forward. Resolutions detailing the financing of two recent city land acquisitions near the state Route 40 and I-88 exchange were approved by the Rock Falls City Council. TODAY’S EDITION: 24 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 164 ISSUE 151
INDEX
ABBY ................... A8 BUSINESS ......... A11 COMICS ...............B6
CROSSWORD....B12 FOOD ..............A9-10 LIFESTYLE ........... A8
LOTTERY ............. A2 OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6
One of the resolutions was for the purchase of 30 acres of land from local farmer Wayne Schmitt. The council approved the deal on Sept. 1, which includes an option to buy an additional 25 acres at the site. The purchase price for the Schmitt property was $1.35 million, but after the city gave Schmitt 45 acres of industrial park farmland on McNeil Road, the price was reduced to $995,000.
Today’s weather High 36. Low 25. More on A3.
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LAND CONTINUED ON A5
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