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COMETS DELIVER AGAINST DAKOTA
Students get nutrition lesson
BASEBALL, B1
DIXON, A3
dailyGAZETTE Monday, May 12, 2014
SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
DIXON | STREETSCAPE PROJECT
PROPHETSTOWN
Aesthetics overlooked? Mayor Recent council decisions favor parking over beauty BY MATT MENCARINI mmencarini@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5529
DIXON – The first plans for the downtown streetscape project were unveiled at City Hall in January, and work is expected to begin this month. But two local architects still are critical of the project.
John McLane and Dean Sheaffer, who had submitted proposed designs for the streetscape and done work with KSB Hospital or downtown, say that because no landscape architect was the lead professional on the project, the city missed out on incorporating design elements,
signage and greenspace into the $5.7 million project. The city contracted Wendler Engineering Services Inc. and Willett, Hofmann & Associates, for a combined $320,930, to do engineering work and planning for the project. AESTHETICS CONTINUED ON A5
Dean Sheaffer
John McLane
STERLING | NORTHLAND MALL
Accent on retirement
fires police chief
No wrongdoing involved; pension to be unaffected BY KATHLEEN A. SCHULTZ kschultz@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5535
PROPHETSTOWN – Mike Fisk, Prophetstown chief of police for more than 2 decades, has been fired, Mayor Steve Swanson confirmed Sunday. The dismissal is not the result of any criminal behavior or professional malfeasance, and will not affect Fisk’s pension, the mayor said. “There are no Steve pending matters, Swanson and nothing is being investigated,” Swanson said. “He served the citizens of Prophetstown for a long time, and I appreciate his devotion and the work he’s done for the people of Prophetstown. I’m simply exercising my right to go in a different direction.” CHIEF CONTINUED ON A4
ROCK ISLAND
Photos by Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com
Margaret Zumdahl, owner of Accents gift store in the Northland Mall, is retiring early next year and, thus, selling her store. She’s hopeful for a buyer and feels business has bounced back from the recent recession.
Gift store up for sale; business will close if no buyer found BY KATHLEEN A. SCHULTZ kschultz@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5535
STERLING – Another change might be coming to the Northland Mall lineup. Margaret Zumdahl, cheery owner of the packed and popular Accents gift store, is retiring early next year. That means her beloved shop, which she opened in 1999, is up for sale. If she can’t find a buyer, she’ll have to close the business – at a time when things are starting to pick up again. “I am totally going to miss it,” Zumdahl said. “It’s not even like work for me.” She and her husband, longtime local attorney Mark Zumdahl, who will retire at the end of next year, plan to hit the road and spend time with their children and three grand-
daughters, ages 2 to 6, she said. One of the little ones is in North Carolina; the two others are a bit closer, in the Chicago area. Accents sells a little bit of everything: jewelry, purses, scarves, baby items, kitchen gadgets, home and garden décor, greeting cards, seasonal items. ... Talk about sensory overload: Every nook and cranny is filled with color, sparkle and shine. It even smells good. Filling those shelves and watching them empty is a job Zumdahl has loved, she said, especially because of her clientele: People buy gifts for happy occasions, which makes them happy shoppers, and “the people who shop with me are just super,” she said. ACCENT CONTINUED ON A11
Sheley jury selection begins today Murder trial expected to last about 10 days BY CHRISTI WARREN cwarren@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5521
From shimmering decor to baby items, Accents sells a variety of items.
Check it out Accents is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Call 815-625-1999 for more information.
ROCK ISLAND – Jury selection begins today in Rock Island County in the trial of twice-convicted murderer Nicholas Sheley. Once jury selection is over, which Judge Jeffrey O’Connor hopes to have completed by Thursday, the Nicholas trial will begin. It Sheley is expected to last about 10 days. Sheley, 34, is charged with 15 counts of first-degree murder for the June 28, 2008 deaths of Brock Branson, 29; his fiancée, Kilynna Blake, 20; her 2-year-old son, Dayan; and Kenneth Ulve, 25. Their bodies were found in their Rock Falls apartment 2 days after their deaths. SHELEY CONTINUED ON A2
$1.00
TODAY’S EDITION: 24 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 160 ISSUE 110
INDEX
COMICS ............... A9 CROSSWORD....B11 DEAR ABBY ......... A7
LIFESTYLE ........... A7 LOTTERY ............. A2 NATION/WORLD .. A8
OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6 SPORTS ...............B1
Today’s weather High 81. Low 57. More on A3.
Need work? Check out your classifieds, B6.
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