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Library News
oglecountynews.com ShawLocal.com
OFFICE 113-115 Peoria Ave. Dixon, IL 61021 815-732-6166, ext. 2592
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Forreston Journal, Ogle County News and oglecountynews.com are a division of Shaw Media. Ogle County Newspapers also prints the Mt. Morris Times, Oregon Republican Reporter and Polo’s Tri-County Press.
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Faith Lutheran Church to host Christmas brunch Dec. 25
Faith Lutheran Church will host its Christmas Brunch on C h r i s t m as mo r n i n g f r o m 10 a.m. until noon.
The brunch consists of egg casserole, sausage, ham, pastries and fresh fruit. There will be a freewill offering that will be donated to the New Life Food Pantry.
Faith Lutheran is located at 402 Second Ave. in Forreston. The church is handicap accessible and has an elevator to access the basement.
All are welcome to attend to share in the food and fellowship.
Photos provided The Leaf River Lions hosted “Breakfast with Santa” on Dec. 10 at the Bertolet Memorial Building in Leaf River. “We served almost 100 people and 38 of them were kids,” Laura Werner said. “We had a great time and enjoyed serving the community again this year.”
FORRESTON LIBRARY
Hat & Mitten Tree
Our Hat & Mitten tree is up and ready to take your donations of new or gently used winter wear for all ages. Please help us keep our friends and neighbors warm this winter. Donations will be given to area agencies. Thank you for your generosity!
Toddler/Preschool StoryTime - Tuesdays at 10 a.m.
Storytime is on break for the holidays and will resume on Tuesday, Jan. 10. Have fun celebrating with your little ones!
Community Room
Looking for a place to hold your event? Our community room (with a small kitchenette) is available for meetings, parties, showers, family reunions, and more. Please call the library at 815-938-2624 for additional information.
Plastic Recycling
We are collecting film-type plastic for recycling. This includes plastic bags, zipper type baggies (with the zip portion removed), cereal/snack bags, bubble wrap, and other soft plastic . Please make sure bags are free from debris and remove all paper/sticker labels. We cannot accept hard plastic, such as water bottles, milk cartons, etc., for this program. Thank you!
BERTOLET LIBRARY
Holiday Hours
Bertolet Memorial Library will have the following hours this holiday season: Saturday, Dec. 24 through Monday, Dec. 26: Closed; Saturday, Dec. 31: 8 a.m. - 12 noon; and Monday, Jan. 2: Closed.
Mitten Tree
Mittens to wear; Hats for their hair; Scarves for their neck: Gloves too? Check. Our annual Mitten Tree is now on display through the end of December. Please help decorate our Mitten Tree with thick, warm mittens, gloves, hats, and scarves for all ages. Items will be distributed through New Life Community Center in January.
Youth Programs
Reindeer Scavenger Hunt: Visit Bertolet Memorial Library in December and scout out the reindeer displayed throughout the library. Solve the puzzle and get a prize at the circulation desk!
Story Time: Enjoy your holiday season. Miss Jana will be back for Story Time in January!
Drop-In Craft Night: Monday, Dec. 19, 5-7 p.m.
Kids & Teens: Drop in to the library to make a Christmas Craft to take home,
Movie: Jack Frost: Thursday, Dec. 22, 2 p.m.
On the verge of making it big, long-struggling musician Jack Frost suddenly realizes he’s missing something vital: time with his wife and young son Charlie. But before Jack can make up for lost time, he swerves off an icy mountain road. Then, one cold winter’s night, Jack magically returns as a walking, talking, ski-slope-shredding snowman. Determined to be the father he always wanted to be, Jack embarks on a quest to show Charlie that when it comes to being totally cool, there’s no dad like a snowdad!
Big Kids, Big Art: Tuesday, Jan. 17 , 4:30 p.m.
LEGO® Club: 1st Monday of the month, 5 p.m.
Create with us on the 1st Monday of each month. We will have the LEGO® bricks waiting for you!
Adult Programs
Adult Book of the Month:Look for the next title in January.
Craft Kits for Adults: Stop by the circulation desk and pick up the December take and make craft. All the materials are provided to make a reindeer candy pot.
Create-a-Card: Will Return in March 2023
Drop Box: Our drop box is closed until further notice due to water leaks. Please return library materials during business hours. You may also return materials to other local libraries, and they will send them to us via our interlibrary loan system. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Plastic Recycling: We ask that you make sure plastic is clean with no debris in the donation. Also please remove any ziploc-type seals and paper/sticker labels. Thank you for your cooperation.
New Releases
Adult Books: NYPD Red 7 by Marshall Karp
Juvenile Books: Owly: A Time To Be Brave by Andy Runton
Picture Books: Hello Horse by Vivian French; What’s Puppy Going To Do? by Carly Madden; Sharing the Mound by Dorothy Price
DVD: Where the Crawdads Sing
By EARLEEN HINTON ehinton@shawmedia.com
A woman was rescued from the Rock River in a dramatic effort by fire crews after an alert homeowner saw her in the river – above the Oregon dam – and immediately called for help.
A homeowner in the 500 block of North Fourth Street reported the woman in the river at 5:11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10, Oregon Fire Chief Mike Knoup said in a news release.
“Oregon police advised that she was in the middle of the west channel,” Knoup said. “Due to the low head d a m , c r e w s w e r e i m m e d i a t e l y deployed with swift water suits into the river, but due to her being a few hundred feet away from the shore, crews could not get to her while she floated down the river.”
The Oregon dam is classified as a “low head dam” making it difficult to see when on the river at water level.
Knoup said one of the fire department’s boats was put in the river above the dam from Kiwanis Park, located behind Conover Square, on the west bank of the river.
“Boat 5382 was deployed into the river with two swift water technicians. The crew was able to make contact with the victim less than 200 feet about the dam,” Knoup said.
The 32-year-old Oregon woman was rescued from the river, brought to the shore, and then transported to KSB hospital. She remained in stable condition during transport, Knoup said, noting he believed she was admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit.
He said the air temperature at the time of the rescue was 34 degrees. “I d o n ’ t t h i n k t h e w a t e r w a s m u ch warmer than that,” said Knoup on Tuesday noting that rescuers were working in the dark before the sun had risen. “Our swift water training really made a difference in this rescue.”
Oregon Police Chief Joe Brooks said the incident was classified as a “ m e d i c a l a s s i s t ” w i t h t h e w o m a n somehow entering the river above the dam.
“She was in the water for about 45 minutes,” he said noting that his officer could see her swimming. “Everyone did a great job working together.”
Knoup agreed.
“The patient was successfully saved due to a quick 911 call made by a citizen who heard the victim call for help, fantastic work by our dispatch, quick actions by fire and EMS personnel and the help of the Oregon Police Department and the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office.”
Earleen Hinton/Shaw Media Oregon fire crews rescued a woman from the Rock River after she entered the water above the Oregon dam about 5 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10. She was within 200 feet from the dam when she was rescued, officials said.
Deput y testifies he feared for his life at end of chase
Judge rules probable cause exists to continue attempted murder charge
By EARLEEN HINTON ehinton@shawmedia.com
An Ogle County Sheriff’s deputy testified Dec. 7 that he thought he was “going to die” when an Ohio man fleei n g a S t e p h e n so n C o u nt y d e p u t y veered his car in an attempt to avoid being apprehended.
Patrol Sgt. Michael Halfman testified during a preliminary hearing for Brian K. Taylor, 49, of Massillon, Ohio, who has been charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder, one count of aggravated battery to a police officer, one count of aggravated assault of a police officer, two counts of aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, one count of unlawful display of a license plate and one count of Class A speeding 35-plus mph over the speed limit.
Judge John Redington ruled probable cause existed to continue the case. Taylor has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Halfman testified he had been dispatched at 12:15 p.m. to assist with a high speed chase that had originated in Stephenson County.
He said he had parked his squad car at the intersection of Freeport and Milledgeville roads and was ready to deploy “stop sticks” to flatten Taylor’s tires when he saw Taylor and the Stephenson County squad coming at a “high rate of speed” in the southbound lane.
He said Taylor’s Mazda swerved into the northbound lane and then directly at him causing him to “shuffle” to try to avoid from being hit as the Mazda veered into the ditch.
“I thought he was going to hit me. I thought I was going to die,” Halfman said.
Earlier in the preliminary hearing, Stephenson County Deputy Anthony Miller testified he started pursuing Taylor about 11:59 a.m. in Dakota, Illinois, on Route 75, after clocking him at 70 mph in a 55 mph zone.
“It took me a while to catch up with him,” Miller said, noting he had turned on his sirens and lights. “He did not pull over.”
Miller said he pursued Taylor to U.S. Route 20 when he realized he was fleeing. He testified that Taylor made “abrupt turns” and went through a ditch and over a median while “appearing to smile” before entering Freeport. He said Taylor disobeyed stop signs and traffic signals during the pursuit with speeds reaching 110 mph when going west on Route 20.
The chase then went south into Ogle County on Illinois Route 26 and eventually Freeport Road.
“I had the siren on the entire time,” Miller said.
As the vehicles reached the intersection of Freeport and Milledgeville roads, Miller said he could clearly see Halfman and his parked squad in the northbound lane.
“I clearly saw the sergeant standing t h e r e , ” s a i d M i l l e r , r e f e r r i n g t o Halfman. He said the Mazda veered toward Halfman and then the ditch before entering the ditch and then exiting the ditch, eventually striking his squad car.
He said the Mazda came to a rest in the ditch and Taylor was apprehended.
Redington set Taylor’s next court date for Dec. 14 at 1 p.m.
Taylor was represented in court by Public Defender Michael O’Brien and remains in custody with bail set at $500,000.
Only prosecution witnesses testify at preliminary hearings.
Brian K. Taylor
FORRESTON – Forreston received a $242,103.22 water infrastructure loan from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, half of which will be forgiven.
The village plans to replace all meters within the distribution system with radio read meters and to purchase a data collection device and software, according to a Nov. 1 news release from the IEPA.
“The current water meters are outdated and losing their recording capabilities and accuracy,” the project description reads. “Replacing the water meters will allow the village to read this amount of water used more accuracy and efficiently and detect leaks.”
The IEPA issued more than $70 million in water infrastructure loans to 13 local governments and sanitary districts for the first quarter of fiscal 2023, which runs July to September 2022.
The IEPA State Revolving Fund program provides low-interest loans which fund wastewater, stormwater and drinking water projects. Eleven of the loans qualified for Disadvantaged Community Principal Forgiveness.
“The Illinois EPA’s robust State Revolving Fund programs continue to serve as a valuable resource for c o m m u n i t i e s t o a d d r e s s o n g o i n g water infrastructure needs,” Director John J. Kim said in the news release. “Our programs provide a financial solution for funding infrastructure improvements while protecting Illinois’ water resources.”
IEPA’s SRF includes two loan programs: the Water Pollution Control Loan Program, which funds both wastewater and stormwater projects, and the Public Water Supply Loan Program for drinking water projects.
Both programs provide funding at a low interest rate of just 1.24 percent for fiscal 2023. The programs receive federal capitalization funding annually, which is combined with state matching funds, interest earnings, repayment money and the sale of bonds, to form the source of financing for these infrastructure projects.
The state matching funds for fiscal years 2020 to 2024 are being provided through Gov. JB Pritzker’s bipartisan Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan, thus increasing the funding capacity of both loan programs.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Card shower planned for Doris Swedberg
Doris Swedberg will mark her 98th birthday on Dec. 29 with a card shower.
S h e t a u g h t English, drama and speech at Mt. Morris High School before retiring.
Anyone wishing to send her a birthday card can do so at: Allure of Pinecrest, 414 S. Wesley Ave., Mt Morris, IL 61054.
Labash: New owners busy analyzing, working to ‘do right’ by employees while stabilizing financials
By ALEXA ZOELLNER azoellner@shawmedia.com
As the final minutes of November approached, Pinecrest Community’s third-shift employees clocked out of their jobs at the Mt. Morris-based nonprofit. Once midnight came and went, they clocked back in as employees of Allure of Pinecrest.
Allure Healthcare Services’ purchase of Pinecrest Community was finalized Dec. 1. Pinecrest is a continuing care retirement campus with 129 years of history that today serves about 170 residents.
“There’s just a lot of things changing all at once,” Allure of Pinecrest A d m i n i s t r a t o r F e r o l L a b a s h s a i d Dec. 13, when asked how things have gone since the closing. “It’s going to take us a little time. The new ownership has had about a week. There’s a lot that they’re looking at, that they’re analyzing.”
Labash was Pinecrest Community’s CEO prior to the sale.
Allure, which is headquartered in Chicago, owns nine other nursing facilities, including ones in Sterling, Mount Carroll and Prophetstown. Its centers provide short-term stays for respite or rehabilitation, hospice care, dementia and memory care, 24-hour nursing care, various therapies and more, according to AllureHCS.com.
P in ec r est ’s b o ar d o f d ir e ct o rs sought a buyer because of a combination of increased costs, staff shortages and lost revenue, Labash said in a previous interview.
“Pinecrest has been losing $150,000 or more each month during the last two years, which has caused us to burn through cash at a rate that alerted the board and management to the need to act,” she told the Church of the Brethren Newsline.
Pinecrest Community was formed in 1893 as “Brethren Home” by the Church of the Brethren to care for seniors and orphans; the church was affiliated with Pinecrest before the sale, but no longer owned it. The sale ended that affiliation.
“The Church of the Brethren is grieving this loss, and we realize that there were factors and situations beyond the control of the Pinecrest board that really forced them to seek a buyer,” said Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, Church of the Brethren news service director. “I think the prayers of the church are with Pinecrest employees and residents as they go through this change.”
There are a few job positions that existed within Pinecrest Community that Allure didn’t hire on, Labash s a i d . O f t h e a b o u t 1 5 5 P i n e c r e s t employees, four were laid off; other employees whose positions changed were offered alternate work with Allure, she said.
“I’m really seeing a good effort from Allure management to keep our staff employed,” Labash said.
Allure’s vice president of operations met with Pinecrest certified nursing assistants Dec. 13 to “talk through a lot of their questions,” Labash said, adding that she thinks the meeting answered many questions staff members had. Similar meetings are planned with other departments, she said.
“All my interactions with the new ownership, they’re doing their best to really do right by our employees,” Labash said. “They’re trying to make sure they’re doing their best for our employees, while also turning the financial situation around.”
The wait for employees while higher-ups analyze various aspects of the company can be difficult because staff aren’t always privy to that part of things and finding answers takes time, she acknowledged.
Labash said she expects things to improve once some of the unknowns are sorted out and as people become more comfortable with the new owners.
“It’s just a process,” she said. “I think it’s just going to take a few months.”
Calls to reach a representative from Allure were not returned as of Tuesday night.
Earleen Hinton/Shaw Media Pinecrest Community has been sold to Allure Healthcare Services. The facility is located on Brayton Street and McKendrie Avenue in Mt. Morris.
