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Thursday, January 19, 2017 n SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
LEE COUNTY | EMERGENCY DISPATCH SERVICES
Contract calls for an increase City’s cost will go up about $25,000 for each of the next 3 years, but Mayor says it’s still a good deal BY RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5529 @rj_rodgers
DIXON – The city will be chipping in a bit more to have the county handle its dispatching services for the next 5 years, but the cost still will be less than alternative options.
The City Council and Lee County Board signed off on an agreement Tuesday for the county to continue covering emergency and non-emergency calls for the city from May 1 to April 30, 2022. The city was paying about $125,000 a year under its previous contract with the county, which expired in October, and that cost will increase about $25,000 for each of the next
3 years – totaling just shy of $200,000 by 2019. The remaining 2 years will have inflationary increases based on the consumer price index. “We weren’t planning on seeing that big of a jump,” Mayor Li Arellano Jr. said. “But it’s still a good deal for the city.” INCREASE continued on A54
SAUK VALLEY
SAUK VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Categorically denied, for now
LEFT: Jenny Duden (right) of Sterling has fun in a bounce house Wednesday with her daughter, Ellie, 3, during the spring semester SaukFest at Sauk Valley Community College.
Schools aren’t getting the state funds they have coming to them, and that’s putting their budgets in a bind BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 CHeimerman_SVM
BELOW RIGHT: Angelica Tintori (right) of Sterling takes a picture with SVCC’s mascot Slammin’ Sammy at the table for the Association of Latin American Students during SaukFest.
The Sterling school district has received nearly $14,000 in driver’s education funding from the state for fiscal year 2017. That leaves the state $942,000 behind in transportation and special and bilingual education payments for the first and second quarters of the school year. “This is unprecedented,” Superintendent Tad Everett said. “Normally, it trickles in. We’ve been behind the past couple of years, but not to this extent. I mean, my goodness, the fiscal year starts July 1. They’re 7 months behind making payments.” These categories of funding are commonly referred to as categorical funding by those in education. At least districts’ funds weren’t prorated, like general state aid has been the past several years, until the stopgap budget fully funded K-12 education this year, right? Wrong – for some. FUNDS continued on A54
ONLINE EXTRA: Find these photos at saukvalley.com to see more pictures from SaukFest.
A
Inside Over in Whiteside County, parties say they’re getting mixed signals in their bid to consolidate emergency dispatch services. Page A3
LEE COUNTY
Another deadly drug takes its toll locally
spring
U4 has already claimed 1 life
(semester)
BY ASHLEY CADY acady@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5521 @ashleycady_svm
in their step
DIXON – Of the three fatal overdoses Lee County saw last year, two were what one might expect – one from heroin, one from prescription drugs. The third, however, was caused by a drug Lee County Coroner Jesse Partington said was new to him – as it is to many others in the field – but one that’s gaining attention nationwide, especially in the wake of the fatal overdose of Prince, in which it played a role. On Oct. 26, a 49-year-old man overdosed on U-47700, Partington said. Also known as U4 or pink, U-47700 is a man-made opioid eight times more powerful than heroin, and, until about 3 weeks after the Lee County man’s death, legal. It comes in pill or powder form, and can be taken alone or mixed with other drugs, such as the pain-killer fentanyl. It’s easy to obtain and inexpensive, costing anywhere from $5 to $40 online.
BELOW RIGHT: Cheyenne Williams (left) of Dixon, and Sophia Renteria of Sterling face off in a pugil stick match at SaukFest. The event – one of two the college holds for the spring and fall semesters – welcomes students with food, fun and information about Sauk. This year, the college has a lot more to show off, thanks to a mall overhaul. The west mall has undergone extensive renovations, boasting a brand-new YMCA, a new testing center, business offices, classroom spaces, an expanded bookstore (complete with a coffee bar), and more (read more about it at http://shawurl.com/2zj9). To check it out, head to a ribbon cutting at the college, 173 state Route 2, Dixon, at 4:30 p.m. Monday in front of the Sauk Y.
U4 continued on A54 Photos by Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com
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TODAY’S EDITION: 24 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 166 ISSUE 183
INDEX
ABBY.................... A8 BUSINESS............ A7 COMICS................B6
CROSSWORD.....B11 LIFESTYLE............ A8 LOTTERY.............. A2
OBITUARIES......... A4 OPINION............... A6 POLICE................. A2
Today’s weather High 43. Low 35. More on A3.
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