Your source for community news and sports 7 days a week.
Depot Days chugs in to Amboy next week
DUKE’S GAME IS ON THE UPSWING GOLF PREVIEW, B1
PAGE A9-12
TELEGRAPH
Thursday, August 18, 2016 n SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
DIXON | SCHOOL PROJECTS
Putting the public in public relations School district seeks volunteers to help spread the word on upcoming referendums BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 CHeimerman_SVM
DIXON – The school district is prohibited by law from using any of its resources to promote a “yes” vote on the referendums to build a new high school, so Superintendent Margo Empen is looking for a few good volunteers to carry the torch. A fundraising committee is in place,
but the district still is seeking folks with passion and a willingness to commit time and expertise in areas such as canvassing and public relations, Empen said. The public relations firm UnicomARC, which has helped the district reach this point, will lead what’s expected to be about a 2-hour training session for volunteers. She is in the process of setting up leaders for committees she plans to start forming late next week,
after the training is complete. “The committees will run the referendum,” Empen said. “The only thing Unicom-ARC will assist us with is providing the ‘do’s and don’ts,’ and then the committees will do the work.” Rod Wright, president of the St. Louisbased firm, said it’s paramount that volunteers understand what they can and cannot do or say, and when. District employees, for example, can advocate for – or against – the refer-
Rural fire tax hike on the radar
The golden touch
Out-of-town residents aren’t paying their fair share, say city officials
Petunia City pooch provides unconditional love and comfort to people near and far
BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
BY RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5529 @rj_rodgers
GOLDEN continued on A74
PUBLIC continued on A54
TWIN CITIES
DIXON
DIXON – Wherever Shiloh goes, she brings with her something simple but greatly needed by others: comfort. Shiloh has consoled thousands of people grieved by tragedy. Those devastated by a tornado, a shooting, a death – they have found her waiting nearby, quiet and calm. The extent of her work is pretty impressive for a 3-year-old. “As a comfort dog, Shiloh’s mission is to provide compassion, comfort and prayer wherever we go,” said Pat Quinn of Dixon, Shiloh’s handler. The well-mannered golden retriever began her training as a service dog with Lutheran Church Charities when she was 8 weeks old.
endum while off the clock, but while punched in, they can’t so much as use a copy machine to produce fliers. As superintendent, Empen technically never is off the clock. She plans many speaking engagements before the Nov. 8 election, but strictly to provide information on the referendum, its background, and how it works. She cannot advocate one way or the other.
Shiloh, a comfort dog, sits at the feet of handler Pat Quinn at Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church in Dixon. She meets with first responders and others who witness tragedy first hand. Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Online extra
Click on this story at saukvalley.com to see a video of Shiloh and her handler, Pat Quinn, from Wednesday’s interview.
Sterling and Rock Falls are asking their rural fire protection boards to consider a tax increase. Both cities have rural fire protection districts with which they contract. The contracts are up, and the cities are asking for more money to keep up with rising costs. With no end to escalating police and fire pensions in sight, budget planners in both cities have zeroed in on the rural fire protection district levy, which is lower than in the rest of the county. Both cities are asking for about 20 percent of total fire costs from the rural components, based on the breakdown of calls. The current levy numbers fall well short of what the cities say is needed to pay for fire costs. “Our total fire costs are $3.5 million a year, and we have the rural portion at $700,000, but we’re only getting $300,000 now,” Sterling City Manager Scott Shumard said. He said about half of the total fire costs are for pensions. He said rural fire takes a bite from other levies as well. RURAL FIRE continued on A54
ROCK FALLS Tiffany Purdy gets her first-year students fired up over chemistry on Wednesday at Rock Falls High School.
Sparking an interest in science A formula for success in the
classroom: Teachers mix in some fun with their lessons BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 CHeimerman_SVM
Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@saukvalley.com
$1.00
TODAY’S EDITION: 24 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 166 ISSUE 77
INDEX
ROCK FALLS – By seventh hour Wednesday, it was pretty stinkin’ hot in Tiffany Purdy’s second-floor chemistry classroom at Rock Falls High School.
ABBY.................... A8 COMICS................B6 CROSSWORD.....B10
LIFESTYLE............ A8 LOTTERY.............. A2 PLAN!T.............A9-12
OBITUARIES......... A4 OPINION............... A6 POLICE................. A2
It wasn’t quite as sweltering as her old physics room around the corner and down the hall, where her husband, Todd, now teaches. But it was warm enough that, in order to keep heads from hitting desks and eyes from glazing over on the first day of school, it would take some magic. Cue the flames – that’s right, flames. Tiffany, 43, lit sanitizer on fire, then sprayed it with different chemicals to produce differentcolored flames. She combined clear fluids and turned them pink, then added another and shook the solution to make it clear again. Then she turned other clear liquids into a viscous, canary-yellow mixture. SCIENCE continued on A24
Today’s weather High 87. Low 67. More on A3.
TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE PAPER, CALL 815-284-2224
Need work? Check out your classifieds, B7.