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DUKES READY TO END TIGERS’ WINNING STREAK
Dixon resident’s play returns to the stage
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A10
Thursday, November 3, 2016 n SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
TWIN CITIES | BUSINESS
A good time to expand its brand Promotional products company will build 157,000 square foot distribution center; more jobs possible BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
STERLING – Halo Branded Solutions plans to consolidate its local operations in a new building at Meadowlands Business Park. The Sterling Industrial Development Commission will meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday to approve the sale of the land near the corner of LeFevre Road and
Lynn Boulevard to Halo. The new site would be close to its current headquarters at 1980 Industrial Drive. In addition to combining its Rock Falls distribution center with corporate headquarters, the new site will provide more space for the rapidly growing promotional products company. “When we combine everything in the new building, it should increase our available space by 50 percent,” said Terry McGuire, senior vice president of
marketing at Halo. “We really wanted everything under one roof, and this was an opportunity to do that.” The distribution center at 809 Antec Road has 57,000 square feet, and the headquarters has 40,000 square feet. The new building will provide about
157,000 square feet, and the 21 acres of land would allow for future expansion. If everything goes as planned, the building will be up in 2 years, which is when Halo’s lease would expire, McGuire said. Halo employs 257 people between the two sites, and the company is planning for the continued growth of its local workforce. Its employee base has grown more than 60 percent in the last 5 years. HALO continued on A54
STERLING
MOUNT CARROLL
Everything is open to interpretation The world is Linda Von Holten’s muse, and for the artist and teacher, a job being creative is the best gig ever BY KAYLA HEIMERMAN For Sauk Valley Media
Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com
McDonough and Johnson want people to feel comfortable coming into their restaurant, no matter what they’re wearing. They strive for a casual atmosphere. “A lot of people describe it as urban, that it feels like a restaurant that would be in the city or something,” Johnson said. “At the same time, we get a lot of farmers that come in here to eat in their work clothes and we love that.”
Owners make a name for themselves:
Molly’s
Musical couple leaves life in the big city – the really big city – for a new life running a small-town diner
Husband and wife Molly McDonough and Ben Johnson have owned Molly’s Kitchen and Bar in downtown Mount Carroll since 2014. Johnson, a Mount Carroll native, said he and Molly were ready for a change of pace after living in Los Angeles.
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TODAY’S EDITION: 24 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 166 ISSUE 131
INDEX
BY KACIE KLINGE For Sauk Valley Media
MOUNT CARROLL – You don’t always need a white flag to surrender. Sometimes, you can use a napkin instead. That’s what a pair of business owners in Mount Carroll did, and they couldn’t be happier with their decision to make a change of pace – and what a change it was. They left behind a city of nearly 10 million people to open up a restaurant and bar in a town that only about 1,700 people call home. Molly McDonough, 30, and Ben Johnson, 32, have owned Molly’s Kitchen and Bar since 2014. Johnson, a Mount Carroll native, said he and Molly were ready for a change of pace after living in Los Angeles and decided to spend a winter in Mount Carroll while recording an album together. Both agreed that music and food are an essential part of their lives, and after completing their album, “Submarines in Space,” they decided to stay in Mount Carroll and open a restaurant. “We’re a really good team. So when we set out to do this, we decided we were going to make this work.” McDonough said. “We said if we’re going to make this investment in our time and financially, then it is going to work. We just had that determined attitude.” Johnson agrees. “Surrender the rest of your life,” he said with a laugh. “We’re totally committed to it.”
ABBY.................... A7 COMICS................B7 CROSSWORD.....B10
MOLLY’S continued on A34
LIFESTYLE............ A7 LOTTERY.............. A2 OBITUARIES......... A4
STERLING – Linda Von Holten looks at the world with an awe, a curiosity, a wonder that most people lose or stifle as they grow from childhood to adulthood. She sees things that most ignore. And she paints them. Or photographs them. Or mentally stashes them away for just the right time. Von Holten, 51, is an artist. She’s a painter, a photographer, a singer. She’s also a teacher. VON HOLTEN GREW UP ON A FARM south of Harmon; she attended Amboy schools, then Sterling High School, graduating in 1983. She studied music at Sauk Valley Community College, but quickly decided she didn’t want to teach music. She transferred to Illinois State University, and earned a liberal arts degree, paving a wider, yet more uncertain path to an art-related career. Von Holten returned to the Sauk Valley and landed a job as an aide in the Sterling school system in 1989. She filled the needs of teachers throughout the district, often assisting with art classes and lessons. She decided she wanted to teach art, so she took more specific art education coursework. INTERPRETATION continued on A54
Submitted
Whether it’s a pastoral road-side scene or a work inspired by the “The Bourne Identity” movie, Linda Von Holten looks at everything through the eyes of an artist. “No power-off switch exists for the desire to explore, the need to experience, or the urge to express,” the Sterling artist said.
OPINION............... A6 PLANIT.............A8-10 POLICE................. A2
Today’s weather High 65. Low 39. More on A3.
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