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Thursday, September 22, 2016 n SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
DIXON | NEW FACES IN THE GOVERNMENT
Public works has a new director Weter picked from among 14 candidates, will start new job next month BY RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5529 @rj_rodgers
DIXON – The city has hired a new public works director, and he plans to start next month. Terry Weter, who held the same position in Gila Bend, Arizona, will join the city’s ranks Oct. 23, City Manager Cole O’Donnell announced Wednesday.
“Overall, the city will see a benefit in coordinating efforts between departments and bringing the knowledge and know-how to different city projects,” he said. Prior to Gila Bend, where he spent 2 years, Weter worked for several communities in Wisconsin for 23 years, including 19 years as public works director in Elkhorn and 3 years as director in Juneau. “I think it was his overall experience in several different areas that set him apart,” he said.
O’Donnell said Weter has both the adequate experience and education to excel in the position, as he has a bachelor’s degree in public administration from Upper Iowa University and an associate degree in civil engineering technologies from Madison Area Technical College. Weter’s salary will be $91,000. He was chosen from three finalists in a pool of 14 applicants for the position. DIRECTOR continued on A44
Terry Weter
SAFE PASSAGE
OGLE COUNTY
Celebrating the Passage of time
Polo players let their hair down
People on the road to recovery, and those helping them, celebrate program’s first year BY RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5529 @rj_rodgers
Photos by Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@saukvalley.com
ABOVE: Rapunzel, played by Miranda Blankenbehler, performs Wednesday evening as members of the Polo Area Community Theatre rehearse for “Let Your Hair Down, Rapunzel,” which kicks off the theatre’s 11th season. The show will be performed at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday at Polo Town Hall, 117 N. Franklin Ave. Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door for adults, $6 for children 12 and under, and $8 for seniors. Group rates are available for $7 each for groups of 10 or more adults in advance. Tickets are available at Polo Library, Polo-Shannon Bank, Polo Sub, and at polotheatre.org. Tickets will also be available at the door, 45 minutes prior to each performance. The Polo Area Theatre will also hold auditions for its upcoming production of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Auditions will be 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 8. Check the theater’s website for more information. RIGHT: Prince Llewellyn, played by Joel Megill, rehearses Wednesday evening with Blankenbehler.
DIXON – The drug addict’s road to recovery can be rough. Sometimes, tragically, it spirals off into a dead end. But sometimes, people are lucky enough to find a safe passage, like the one in Lee County. Safe though that passage has been, it hasn’t always been smooth, and its end wasn’t always clear – but it was a new course, and one that’s still being mapped. In Dixon on Wednesday, the people who’ve been a part of that journey celebrated a symbolic mile marker: The 1-year anniversary of the Safe Passage Initiative, a program that aims to save the lives of heroin and opioid addicts by getting them into treatment instead of jail. Users can come to the police, surrender their drugs and paraphernalia, face no criminal charges, and be accepted into drug rehab, no matter their ability to pay. A year later, many people have come a long way, but the road ahead is long, and some days it seems like there’s no end in sight, but that doesn’t deter the people who are helping addicts on their journey. “One life we save each day is better than what we were doing a year ago,” Lee County Sheriff John Simonton said Wednesday during the 1-year celebration of the Safe Passage Initiative. PASSAGE continued on A44
BUSINESS
Work begins on Sterling Aldi; Dixon store is next Sterling store will close this weekend, reopen in November; Dixon work will start after that BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
STERLING – The prep work is almost finished, and the Aldi store at 3409 E. Lincolnway will close Sunday for construction work. The Sterling site, which opened in 2002, will be renovated and expanded. The store will close at 7 p.m. Sunday, and plans are for a Nov. 11 reopening, kicked off by a 9 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony.
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Aldi is renovating many of its stores, including Dixon’s, but not all are getting extra space – including Dixon’s. Sterling customers will see a noticeable size difference when they return. “We’re going to add about 3,300 square feet to the Sterling store,” said Heather Moore, vice president of the company’s Dwight division. “We’ve moved the entire first aisle into the parking lot.” The renovations will include an open ceiling design, energy-efficient lighting, new shelving and graphics. The company is making the use of environmentally friendly building materials a priority in its renovation projects. The biggest driver in many of the redesigns, however, is a need for more refrigeration space. ALDI continued on A44 ABBY.................... A8 BUSINESS.......... A12 COMICS................B7
CROSSWORD.....B12 LIFESTYLE............ A8 LOTTERY.............. A2
The Aldi store in Sterling will close Sunday for renovation, and a re-opening is planned for Nov. 11.
OBITUARIES......... A4 OPINION............... A6 POLICE................. A2
Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Today’s weather High 85. Low 66. More on A3.
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