Serving the Forreston area since 1865
FORRESTON Journal June 25, 2015 Volume 153, Number 9 - $1.00
Storm Damage Storms produced severe weather in Whiteside and Lee Counties and damaged a mall. A7
Family Farms
Ukulele Shop
Local farms have stayed in the family for more than a century. Inside
A new ukulele shop will open in a little stone building in Oregon. A9
New truck will help deputies during storm rescues By Chris Johnson cxjohnson@oglecounty news.com
The French and Roos families look at the Ogle County Sheriff’s Department’s Caiman 6x6 truck when it was displayed at Touch a Truck June 13. Photo by Chris Johnson
Rain did not stop annual festival By Chris Johnson cxjohnson@oglecounty news.com Heavy rains did not dampen the atmosphere at Polo’s Town & County Days Saturday night. The beer garden with live music and twilight bingo continued as scheduled while the tents kept most people dry. “The rain Saturday was bad but people were having a good time,” said festival chairman Jon Miller. Fortunately for the festival committee the storms were not severe. The other three days of the festival had sunny skies and warm temperatures. “It was just the one day, I could not complain about the
weather,” Miller said. The festival began with a clear night for the 5k run/ walk and fireworks June 18. Clear skies continued on June 19 for Kids Day “The kids had a blast in the kids tent,” said Miller. Children were able to meet Elsa from “Frozen”, play games, have their face painted, and get up and close with some goats in the petting zoo. Later in the day was the first night of the beer garden which was well attended. “I was pleased with the festival turnout this year,” said Miller. “I was happy to see the community support.” Miller acknowledged the help required to run the annual festival. “We had a great committee
working to put on this festival,” he said. The committee turned out Monday morning to tear down the festival in the rain. They were getting a little wet, but were dedicated to cleaning up. A car show Saturday morning was well attended. The Gateway to the Pines Car Club helped host the Polo Car Show and Swap Meet June 20 at Crossroads Church. A wide variety of classic cars and trucks along with modern muscle cars were on display. Rain held off for most of the day which brought visitors out to the show. The threat of rain Saturday did cause a lower turnout at the annual kid’s water fights at the Polo Fire Station.
In prior years 20 or more kids lined up to participate. With seasonably cool temperatures in the low 60s along with a threat of a storm, there were only 10 participants this year. This gave each child an opportunity to have multiple water fights. Sunday saw the annual grand parade wind through town. The day was greeted by warmer temperatures without a drop of rain in sight, except for the occasional puddle from the previous day’s storm. Throughout the festival, the carnival rides were filled with screaming kids enjoying the Great American Shows Carnival that stretched over two blocks in downtown Polo.
Lightly used military vehicle with warranty and less than 400 miles with a price tag too good to resist. That was what Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle found when looking for a new vehicle to improve options available during winter storms to keep the public safe. “We were looking at another truck to assist the department during snowstorms,” said VanVickle. “Stephenson County received one of these trucks and I looked at getting one.” The truck is a BAE Caiman 6x6 MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected) from the US Department of Defense and Homeland Security, which provided the vehicle at no cost to the county. The vehicle was delivered in April and inspected before being declared ready for service. It will serve multiple roles in the county. “Primarily it will be used in snow storms to get
“Primarily it will be used in snow storms to get stranded people out of the weather.”— Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle stranded people out of the weather,” said VanVickle. “Some people are unable to ride on snowmobiles and this truck can get through the snow.” During severe winter weather the sheriff’s department has utilized local snowmobile clubs to help with rescuing stranded motorists. VanVickle said their help has been invaluable during the winter months. The Caiman has a heated space with bench seating. During flooding the truck can safely traverse water that regular pick-up trucks are unable to cross. A Caiman weighs 14 tons and can carry 5,400 pounds in the cargo area. It has a clearance of 23 inches with 6 wheel drive. “The truck will help our Turn to A3
Elderly targeted by blacktop scam The Ogle County Sheriff’s Department recently received three complaints of theft by deception where elderly county residents were targeted by scams involving blacktop work or a “tar and chip”scam. The incidents occurred in the Leaf River, Mt. Morris, and Byron area. According to a press release issue by Sheriff Brian VanVickle, the scam is being operated in multiple ways. Scammers may offer a low quote for the work and then submit a much higher bill; they may perform substandard work with cheap materials while charging for quality materials
and work; or the individuals may represent themselves as working for a local, reputable company when they have no connection to that company at all. VanVickle advised residents who need work done to should contact a locally known contractor to protect themselves from scams. The press release recommends that residents hire local businesses and contact the Better Business Bureau for more information. In all three incidents, the scammers approached the homeowners and solicited the blacktop work, the press release said.
Crash near Polo kills one woman A Sterling woman died Sunday in a two-vehicle crash approximately a mile north of Polo. Alisha Terronez, 33, was pronounced dead at the scene just east of the T-intersection of Ill. 26 and U.S. 52. Ogle County Sheriff’s Police said Terronez was westbound on Ill. 26/U.S. 52 at 4:54 p.m. when the vehicle she was driving left the roadway. Terronez over-corrected, and the vehicle went out of control. It was struck in the driver’s Four-year-old Cooper Johnson, Durand, pretends he is a fighter pilot while riding Skyfighter June 19 at Polo Town & side door by an eastbound Country Days. He was visiting his relatives from Forreston who came down to visit the festival. Turn to B1 for more vehicle driven by Bernadette photos. Photo by Chris Johnson Cook, 61, Lombard.
In This Week’s Edition...
Byron Police, B6 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B7-B12 College News, A4 Entertainment, A6
Fines, B6 Honor Roll, A3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B3 Property Transfers, B4
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B2 State’s Attorney, B3 Weather, A3
Cook and her passenger, Charles Cook, 62, Lombard, were taken by ambulance to KSB Hospital, Dixon, for treatment non lifethreatening injuries. Police said Terronez was wearing her seat belt, and her speed was not known. An autopsy, including toxicology tests, was completed on Monday. The crash remains under investigation. The Ogle County Coroner’s Office, Polo Fire Department and ambulance, Mt. Morris ambulance, Polo Police Department, and Illinois State Police assisted at the scene.
Deaths, B5 Rita A. Imel, Thomas W. Patterson, Patricia A. Steffa
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com