Mt. Morris Times / oglecountynews.com • Friday, Dec 31, 2021
MT. MORRIS BEAT
LOCAL NEWS 2 MT. MORRIS TIMES MT. MORRIS TIMES oglecountynews.com ShawLocal.com OFFICE 113-115 Peoria Ave. Dixon, IL 61021 SUBSCRIPTIONS $39 in Ogle County, and $52 outside Ogle County. Singlecopy price is $1 To subscribe, make a payment or discuss your delivery, call 1-866-979-1053 Monday-Friday or send an e-mail to subscriptions@ oglecountynews.com. You also can subscribe online by going to oglecountynews.com and clicking on Subscribe.
CLASSIFIED SALES 815-220-6942 apicco@shawmedia.com OBITUARIES 815-632-2534 phartman@shawmedia.com Deadline for obituaries is 2 p.m. Tuesday for Friday’s edition SEND NEWS news@oglecountynews.com Publisher Jennifer Heintzelman 815-632-2502 jheintzelman@shawmedia.com General Manager Earleen Hinton 815-632-2591 ehinton@shawmedia.com News Alexa Zoellner 815-632-2590 azoellner@shawmedia.com Advertising Sales Patty Bridgeman 815-632-2555 pbridgeman@ shawmedia.com Mt. Morris Times, 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. The MT. MORRIS TIMES (USPS No. 365-440) is published weekly by B.F. Shaw Printing Co., Shaw Media. Periodical postage paid at Mt. Morris, Illinois. POSTMASTER Send address changes to MT. MORRIS TIMES, P.O. Box 8, Oregon, IL 61061. Phone 815-732-6166, ext. 2516. All rights reserved. Copyright 2021
Freshman hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia Tyler Russell, 15, transferred to children’s hospital in Peoria; aunt hosting GoFundMe for medical costs BY ALEXA ZOELLNER
azoellner@shawmedia.com OREGON – A 15-year-old Oregon High School student was hospitalized for COVID-19-related pneumonia on Christmas Day. Tyler Russell was taken to the hospital on Dec. 25, where doctors stabilized him before transferring him to the children’s hospital in Peoria, according to a post on GoFundMe made by Tammy Russell, his
aunt. “The doctors are treating him aggressively with fluids, antibiotics, and are planning to do the infusion,” Tammy Russell wrote. “Right now they are trying to keep his O2 stats up.” The GoFundMe is to benefit Tyler and his father, Christopher Russell, who “has been with him and will be at his bedside the whole time Tyler is in the hospital,” Tammy Russell wrote. Donations will help cover her brother’s lost income and the soon-to-arrive medical bills, she wrote. Tyler, who has Down syndrome and a compromised immune system, is a fighter and it’s something everyone who knows him knows, Tammy Russell wrote. “He was upset that he was going to miss Christmas and couldn’t open his Christmas presents,” she wrote. “We promised
him that the Christmas tree will stay up and the presents underneath. Once he is able to come home, we will then celebrate Christmas with him and the rest of the family. Tyler is a “typical kid” who enjoys playing Xbox, watching animated movies and WWE, playing his guitar and singing, Tammy Russell wrote. Tyler also participates in the Special Olympics through Ogle County, Tammy Russell wrote. “Christmas is known for miracles and I know that Tyler will beat this,” she wrote. “No donation is too small or little and will be greatly appreciated.” To donate, visit https://gofund.me/7bcbc675. As of Tuesday evening, $6,480 had been raised by 57 donations.
NEWS BRIEF Oregon Woman’s Club played Santa for clients of Ogle County Hope
Members of the Oregon Woman’s Club delivered Christmas gifts for the “Adopt a Family” program of Ogle County Hope on Dec. 13. The program serves families across Ogle County. The women of OWC were assigned to particular families for whom they purchased gifts, ensuring that these families would have a Christmas that they would not have had otherwise. Gifts included clothing, personal items, toys, books, games and more. Ogle County Hope is one of the many community service organizations that OWC helps support. These include the Oregon Historical Society, Lifeline, Friends of the Library, Rock River Center, Village of Progress, Winning Wheels, VFW Post 8739, Nachusa Grasslands and Serenity Home and Hospice.
Members of the Oregon Woman’s Club, Jan Steward (second from left), Sandi Chasm (center) and Johanna Hahne (second from right) present gifts for client families to the staff of Ogle County Hope.
MT. MORRIS LIBRARY Masks required We are requiring everyone over the age of two to wear masks in the library. We understand how everyone feels, but we ask for your understanding and cooperation. Thank you! Curbside service is available! We want to remind everyone that you still have the option of having your materials delivered to your vehicle. If you have holds waiting for you, call us to tell us you are on your way and we will bring them out to your vehicle when you arrive. Call us if you need more information. Storytime Storytime is on Wednesdays at 11:15 a.m. Donna Wells is our guest reader, and we will have a fun craft to do. All preschool children are welcome. Adult Book Club The January book is “The Oysterville Sewing Circle” by Susan Wiggs. Copies are available at the library. This group will meet in person at the library at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 24.
Display case showings The display cases will be changing! Watch for more information or stop by to check them out in person. We are always looking for people who are willing to share a collection or artwork in our display cases. If you are interested, please let us know. Explore More Illinois Explore More Illinois is a cultural pass program that provides discounts at museums, visual and performing arts centers, park districts and more around the state. Use Explore More Illinois to find fun and educational places to go on a free afternoon or for a little getaway. Explore More Illinois is easy to use with your library card. Visit the library’s website to browse attractions. You can find the information on our resource page. Rock River Center The Rock River Center has a representative in our library the second Thursday of every month. Services provided by Rock River Center are
designed to enable older and disabled persons to remain independent, thereby avoiding costly long-term care. No appointment is necessary, but if you want to make an appointment with the Rock River Center you may call 815-732-3252. Adult programming We are trying to get back into the swing of offering monthly programs for adults. We would love to hear from you. Do evenings or weekends work better? Do you have any program ideas? Do you have a program you would like to share? Contact Mary Cheatwood at the library. Additional services offered We make copies (25 cents per black and white page). We fax ($2 for the first page and 50 cents for each additional page). We can scan a document and send it to email ($2 per document). You can use a computer without a library card for $1. Resume software is available on our computers. Come visit us and let us help you!
