Your source for community news and sports 7 days a week.
SVM ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Couple sentenced Update on for child’s death crash victims TENNESSEE, A2
SPORTS, B3
LEE COUNTY, A3
TELEGRAPH
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
DIXON | CRUNDWELL PENSIONS
Defense: City no longer in need Mayor writes judge to object to ex-comptroller getting funds BY MATT MENCARINI mmencarini@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5529
DIXON – The fate of pensions earned by former city Comptroller Rita Crundwell could hinge on whether the city has been made
whole – monetarily speaking – after her theft of nearly $54 million. Crundwell’s attorney, Ruth Robinson, filed a motion in federal court last week to argue that the city had recovered nearly all of its losses.
That’s part of the reason, she asserted, that her client should not have her retirement funds seized by the government and put toward restitution to the city. “Here the restitution as ordered by the court was for the purpose
of compensating the victims of the defendant’s fraud, the city of Dixon,” Robinson wrote. “To that end, that purpose has been achieved.”
DIXON SCHOOLS | SAFETY PROTOCOL
ILLINOIS | AG DEPARTMENT
COLOMA TOWNSHIP
Parents get to know ALICE
Rauner wants farmer at helm
An open meetings violation? Township seems to have broken law, attorney says BY DAVID GIULIANI For Sauk Valley Media
‘We need our farmers to be competitive’ CHICAGO (AP) – Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner said Monday he strongly prefers to have a farmer take over the Illinois Department of Agriculture, and that he wouldn’t impose sales taxes that would put Illinois’ farmers at a disadvantage compared with those in other states. Speaking to a meeting of the Illinois Farm Bureau in Chicago, the Winnetka Republican said farmers have helped Illinois weather tough economic times and that the state needs an agriculture sector that’s “booming.” “We need our farmers to be competitive,” he said. The issue of who should lead the state’s Agriculture Department arose sevBruce eral times during Rauner Rauner’s camGov.-elect paign against concedes he Democratic Gov. won’t be Pat Quinn this “Mr. Popularity year. for a while” as he tries to rectify R a u n e r t o o k state’s financial shots at Agriculture Directroubles tor Bob Flider, whom Quinn appointed to the post after Flider lost a 2010 re-election bid to the Illinois House. Flider, who didn’t have farming experience, then voted for a Quinn-backed 67 percent income-tax increase after earlier opposing it. Rauner said he has several farmers on his transition team, and he urged Monday’s crowd to recommend people for top state jobs who have expertise and experience in the industry.
Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Dixon Police Sgt. Mike Wolfley leads a presentation Monday at Dixon High on ALICE, a program that addresses protocol in the event of an armed intruder at school.
District implementing intruder response plan BY JERMAINE PIGEE jpigee@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5525
DIXON – Benjamin Franklin once said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” With the help of the Dixon Police Department, officials in the Dixon School District have been preparing themselves in case an armed intruder enters one of their buildings. The school district is in the process of implementing ALICE, which stands for Alert Lockdown Information Counter and
Evacuate. The acronym represents the procedures faculty and students should follow to deal with an armed intruder. About 15 parents were at Dixon High School on Monday night to learn about ALICE. In a standard lockdown procedure, teachers typically are instructed to clear students from hallways, lock classroom doors, turn off the lights, and tell everyone to keep quiet while staying near the back of the room. ALICE CONTINUED ON A3
FARMER CONTINUED ON A4
$1.00
TODAY’S EDITION: 24 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 163 ISSUE 155
Rita Crundwell
CRUNDWELL CONTINUED ON A4
INDEX
ABBY ................... A7 BUSINESS ......... A12 COMICS ............... A9
CROSSWORD....B12 LIFESTYLE ........... A7 LOTTERY ............. A2
OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6 POLICE ................ A2
ROCK FALLS – Coloma Township’s board of trustees closed its doors last month to discuss the accounting firm that has been working on the township’s audit for 18 months. But it’s unclear how the board could legally have met privately about Wipfli, a Milwaukee-based accounting firm with an office in Sterling. “You’re allowed to do that when you’re talking about an open contract,” said David Blanton, who was appointed Coloma supervisor in July after longtime Supervisor Debra Burke resigned. The board plans to meet again Wednesday in closed session under the contract exception, Blanton said. He declined to specify which contract. “I can’t tell you what I’m going to discuss,” Blanton said. Under the state Open Meetings Act, the only exceptions for contracts are for the sale or purchase of securities, natural gas or electricity. Esther Seitz, an attorney for the Illinois Press Association, which advocates for open government, said she doesn’t know of an exception to the Open Meetings Act that would apply to discussions about an auditing firm. “The public body has a burden to show why they are using an exemption,” she said. “None apply here. It seems to me it was a violation of the Open Meetings Act.” Blanton couldn’t be reached for a follow-up interview. COLOMA CONTINUED ON A2
‘‘’’ I can’t tell you what I’m going to discuss.
David Blanton, Coloma Township supervisor, on the board’s meeting Wednesday, which it plans to hold behind closed doors.
Today’s weather High 37. Low 22. More on A3.
Need work? Check out your classifieds, B7.
TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE PAPER, CALL 815-284-2224 OR 800-798-4085