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Your source for community news and sports 7 days a week.

DUKES LOOK TO SINK VIKINGS

Let the good times, and pumpkins, roll PUMPKIN FEST, A9

FOOTBALL PREVIEW, B1

TELEGRAPH

Thursday, October 20, 2016 n SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851

DIXON | LEE COUNTY BOARD

County: Let’s get the wall fixed Board opts for more proactive approach, signals it might be willing to chip in to repair retaining wall BY RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5529 @rj_rodgers

DIXON – Lee County Board members are tired of pointing fingers at who should pay to fix the old Lee County

courthouse’s collapsed retaining wall. The county owns the portion of the wall along Ottawa Avenue and Third Street, and the city and state are responsible for the other half along Galena Avenue and Second Street. A section on Galena Avenue collapsed

in 2013, and the city, which is responsible for maintenance of that part of the wall, argued the collapse occurred from a flaw in the state’s design that didn’t allow for drainage between the concrete and limestone. The Illinois Department of Transportation offered to spring for $10,000 toward the repairs, and the city reached out to the county to split the rest of the cost. Repairs would range from $23,665 to

FULTON

fix just the collapsed area to $45,757 for the entire side, and the county’s contribution would be about $6,832 or $17,878. Last month, county board members were split on the partnership, citing concerns that it would create a precedent for them to fund repairs for property they don’t own. WALL continued on A54

BYRON

Fire claims two lives

Third person taken to hospital BY VINDE WELLS AND KATHLEEN A. SCHULTZ Shaw Media

Fields dreams of

BYRON – One person survived the fire that killed a woman and child Wednesday, Byron police said in a news release sent late this afternoon. The survivor of the morning fire was taken to Rockford Memorial Hospital for treatment, Chief Todd Murray said in the release. No further information, including the person’s injuries, age, sex, where he or she was found or his or her relationship to the other victims, was released Wednesday. “Responding agencies provided aid to an injured child and adult,” the release said. “Byron Ambulance transported both individuals to Rockford Memorial Hospital where the child was later pronounced dead. Rescue workers located a deceased adult in the residence.” FIRE continued on A44

LEE COUNTY

It’s time to get personal with students ABOVE: Walt Fields, 91, of Fulton, shows the program from the night his college basketball team was inducted into the Indiana Hall of Fame. He served in the Pacific with the Navy during WWII, then joined the Brooklyn Dodgers’ farm system. As a teacher, a coach, and an MLB scout, sports has been a consistent thread through his life. AT TOP: Walt’s baseball, signed by his Daytona ball team.

Baseball saved Walt Fields’ life,

but as much as he loved it, he knew he had to take himself out of the old ball game and forge a different path for himself and his family. But he never lost his love for America’s pastime

Speaker tells area educators they need to get on board with personalized learning

BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 @CHeimerman_SVM

FULTON – Walt Fields wasn’t thinking about his future, the fact that baseball didn’t pay much, or that he couldn’t play forever. He was only thinking about catching the baseball. With the bases loaded and his Valdosta Dodgers an out away from eking out a victory, the cleanup hitter launched a fly ball tagged for beyond the right field fence. Walt, the centerfielder, read the ball off the bat, broke on a beeline for the fence, leapt and took away a grand slam. “I had to save that game for my pitcher,” he said. “The pitchers loved me, and I loved baseball.” Funny. He’d just gotten done asking his manager, William Welp, for his release from the Georgia ballclub. At that time, Walt was worried for his future. DREAMS continued on A24

BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 @CHeimerman_SVM

AMBOY – It’s been 12 years since Roger Cook took over as superintendent of the Taylor County school district in Kentucky and started creating what is known today as personalized learning. Today, he speaks to districts coast-to-coast, preaching the gospel of a district that hasn’t had a dropout Online extra in 10 years, and whose Read this story at schools have all reached saukvalley.com to the state-ranking summit that is School of Distinc- watch part of Roger Cook’s presentation on tion. He spoke at Amboy High personalized learning. School on Wednesday to a crowd of 100-plus, predominantly made up of Amboy staff, but also including other area districts’ administrators who accepted an invitation from Amboy Superintendent Jeff Thake.

PHOTOS BY ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SAUKVALLEY.COM

$1.00

TODAY’S EDITION: 24 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 166 ISSUE 121

INDEX

ABBY.................... A8 COMICS................B6 CROSSWORD.....B12

LIFESTYLE............ A8 LOTTERY.............. A2 OBITUARIES......... A4

PERSONAL continued on A54

OPINION............... A6 PLANIT.............A9-12 POLICE................. A2

Today’s weather High 58. Low 33. More on A3.

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