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DUKES DEAL OUT Jazz up that DEFEAT IN OPENER brown-bag lunch VOLLEYBALL, B1
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Wednesday, August 31, 2016 n SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
MORRISON
KIDS & DRUGS
High signs
City pulls request for tax hike
Mock bedroom in Amboy was a real eye-opener for parents looking for clues of substance abuse in kids
Chief concerned about department’s needs as city reworks resolution BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
Photos by Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com
Adults search a mock bedroom Tuesday in Amboy for the 30 different signs of substance abuse in kids. The informational meeting by Project LEAD was designed to help parents learn about and help prevent substance abuse by their child. It also helped parents recognize some of the warning signs that their child might be abusing drugs. BY RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5529 @rj_rodgers
AMBOY – The presence of candles and deodorizers in a teenager’s room might be used to mask the ripeness of a pile of dirty laundry, but also could indicate a much larger issue. An excess of items as common as odor eliminators could be a sign of substance abuse. About a dozen community members sifted through a teenager’s mock bedroom Tuesday looking for warning signs of alcohol or drug abuse. Some were easier to spot than others. SIGNS continued on A54
Some signs of substance abuse in the mock bedroom were easier to spot than others, like suspicious websites; others, such as common items like candles and canned air, weren’t so obvious.
MORRISON – City residents will get a reprieve from a possible tax hike for police protection that was to go on the November ballot. The City Council approved the plan to increase the police tax levy at its Aug. 15 meeting – in time to get the question on the ballot before the Aug. 22 deadline. City officials, however, had a change of heart, and at a special meeting Monday, the council approved a resolution to officially withdraw the request for the levy increase. Wednesday is the last day to be able to withdraw a referendum from the ballot. Officials said the increase has been needed for several years to close the gap between the police budget and revenue generated by the police levy. State law caps the Everett police levy at .075 perPannier cent, which is where the Morrison mayor: city is, but municipali“We were asking ties can go up to .60 perconstituents to cent if voters give their put a lot of faith in permission through a this council and referendum. future councils.” This year’s police department budget is $506,000, and at last year’s land valuations, the police levy brought in only $39,850. The city must rely on the general fund to make up the difference. City officials had said the amount of the increase would depend on what the equalized assessed valuation numbers were in a given year. But after more discussion and feedback from residents, concerns grew over putting the maximum amount in the referendum. “The way it was put to us originally was that we needed to put .60 percent on the referendum, but at the max, it would double what some people are paying for that tax,” Mayor Everett Pannier said. INCREASE continued on A74
STERLING HIGH SCHOOL
He’s a natural resource Former Warrior and homegrown Sterling cop is happy to be back in the halls of his alma matter, helping students BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 CHeimerman_SVM
STERLING – If the Bryce Harper haircut doesn’t make Clay Hadley relatable and approachable for kids at Sterling High School, maybe his palpable Golden Warrior pride will do the trick. A member of the high school’s Class of 2009, Hadley, 25, is the new school resource officer. Through his junior year, his Sterling Police
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Department colleague, Lt. Jeff Mohr, was the school’s liaison officer, followed by Mike Henry during Hadley’s senior year. “I didn’t have a whole lot of interaction with them, and I figured the less interaction, the better,” he said, smiling, somewhat tonguein-cheek. “My biggest goal is that when kids see me, they feel like they can talk to me, and they think I’m approachable. I want to be a resource for these kids, not standoffish and militaristic.” RESOURCE continued on A74 ABBY.................... A8 BUSINESS.......... A12 COMICS................B7
CROSSWORD.....B12 LIFESTYLE............ A8 LOTTERY.............. A2
Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Sterling High School graduate Clay Hadley is patrolling the halls he so recently walked as a student. The 25-year-old Sterling native and Class of 2009 member is the new school resource officer.
OBITUARIES......... A4 OPINION............... A6 POLICE................. A2
Today’s weather High 80. Low 55. More on A3.
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