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Thursday, January 26, 2017 n SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
DIXON | SCHOOL BOARD
$25 million plan wins by a vote With the clock ticking, school board approves projects for district buildings; work will start in spring BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 CHeimerman_SVM
DIXON – By the slimmest of margins, the school board approved the nearly
$25 million-plus plan to bring the district’s buildings up to code. Sandwiched by hours of discussion Tuesday night was the 4-3 vote for the plan as presented by Superintendent Margo Empen at a Dec. 14, 2016, meet-
ing. Work will start in late spring and continue through the summer. The discussion keyed on which parts of the plan, if any, could be delayed. “We went to the plan and went line item by line item by line item,” board
Vice President Jim Schielein said. “We wanted to know what we could do in sections, and if we could hit the areas that are really bad first, so we’re not spending this big chunk of money in one shot.” PLAN continued on A54
DIXON PARK BOARD
2017 MARCH FOR LIFE
Reagan committee could be resuscitated Renewed interest in statue might translate to success this time BY RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5529 @rj_rodgers
DIXON – A Park District committee could soon be revived with recently renewed interest in bringing a Ronald Reagan statue to Lowell Park. The bronze statue would commemorate the 40th president’s summers spent as a lifeguard in the historic park, where he was said to have saved 77 lives. Former Mayor Jim Burke spearheaded the project and the fundraising campaign to bring in about $300,000 – for the statue, renovations to the Reagan Bathhouse and improvements to a portion of roadway – but efforts came to a halt following his death in February. Burke founded the Ronald Reagan Lifeguard Statue committee in 2013 as a branch of Dixon Tourism, but after legal concerns of having the committee tied to the city, the Park Board adopted the project and created a new Reagan at Lowell Park committee in October 2015. Committee member John Weitzel approached the Park Board on Wednesday about resurrecting campaign efforts following renewed interest from a Chicago Tribune article on the subject earlier this month. He said he spoke with a handful of people who might be interested in reactivating the committee, two of whom have relatives who were pulled from the Rock River by a young Reagan. Board Vice President Ron Pritchard was an ex-officio member on the committee when he headed the board in previous years and said he would be interested in giving the project another go. STATUE continued on A44
Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Sarah Davis, a senior at Newman High School, and James Nelson, a 2015 graduate, talk about what’s most exciting about the trip to Washington, D.C., where 25 students from Newman and five from St. Anne Catholic School will take part in March for Life. The bus left Wednesday afternoon, and the students will get to celebrate Mass at the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception just after noon today.
Their mission in
life
Students from Dixon and Sterling head to the nation’s capital to put their feet on the street and stand up for what they believe in
BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 CHeimerman_SVM
STERLING – Not many high school kids get to go to the nation’s capital. Fewer get to experience First Amendment rights the way 30 kids from the Sterling deanery will over the next couple of days. Twenty-five Newman Central Catholic High School stuOnline extra dents and five more from St. Read this story Anne Catholic School in Dixon at saukvalley.com left Wednesday afternoon for to watch videos of Washington, D.C., a trip that students speakwill culminate with participaing as the bus to tion in the 44th annual March Washington, D.C. for Life on Friday afternoon. is boarded. Along for the ride is 2015 Newman grad James Nelson, 20, who went on the trip each of his high school years. “They’re going to realize how many people come together for one set belief,” Nelson said of the firsttimers. “They’re going to learn about unity, their faith, and more than anything, they’re going to learn about themselves. LIFE continued on A74
STATE OF THE STATE
‘Simple math’ adds up to optimism for Republicans Local lawmakers applaud Rauner’s call for a bipartisan end to ongoing budget battle BY RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5529 @rj_rodgers
DIXON – Area legislators were optimistic about the state’s financial future
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following Gov. Bruce Rauner’s State of the State address Wednesday. Starting out his third year in office, the Republican governor from Winnetka stressed bipartisan cooperation to return the state’s standing as an “eco-
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ABBY.................... A8 BUSINESS............ A7 COMICS................B7
nomic engine of the Midwest” and to put an end to the budget impasse that has stretched across the past year and a half. “We must remember that to keep budgets balanced in the future, our
CROSSWORD.....B11 LIFESTYLE............ A8 LOTTERY.............. A2
OBITUARIES......... A4 OPINION............... A6 PLANIT.............A9-11
rate of economic growth must be higher than our rate of government spending growth,” he said. “It’s just simple math.” OPTIMISM continued on A44
Today’s weather High 34. Low 23. More on A3.
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