Archive for June, 2010

Momentum continues downtown as volunteers pitch in to buy, install 2,400 plants

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

From press release

Nearly 750 perennials, shrubs, ornamental grasses and climbing vines will be planted in eight landscape planter boxes, at the base of 10 festival poles and in planting beds along the re-opened Main Street in downtown Rockford. An additional 1,684 bulbs (tulips and daffodils) will be planted in the fall. Planting begins at 7:30 a.m., Thursday, July 1.

Almost $5,000 was raised to purchase the plants. Donations came from downtown business owners, organizations and individuals. The Rockford Park District, Angela de la Uz of ADV Enterprises and CMM Landscapers volunteered staff to install the plants.

The overall effort to raise funds, purchase plant materials and secure volunteers for planting was coordinated by the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (RACVB), Michelle Gearhart-Minick of Octane and The Element.

“We all have a vested interest in the success of downtown Rockford, so we wanted to make sure this project got done,” said John Groh, RACVB president/CEO. “While simple, plants and flowers have a profound impact on the overall experience folks have when they come downtown.”

Following the removal of the Main Street pedestrian mall, areas were installed for seasonal and perennial plants. However, because of budget constraints, plants had not been installed. A volunteer group of individuals came together to raise funds and install the plants.

Michelle Gearhart-Minick, president of Octane, said, “Our goal was to get the plants installed in time for the Fourth of July holiday weekend.”

The following businesses, organizations and individuals donated funds to purchase the plants: Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau; City of Gardens, a program of the Rockford Park District Foundation; Fridh Corporation (owner of Stewart Square); Octane; The Element; Fuzz Salon; Rockford Chamber of Commerce; J.R. Kortman Center for Design; Rockford Ald. Doug Mark (R-3) and his wife, Sally.

The Rockford Park District, Angela de la Uz of ADV Enterprises and CMM Landscapers volunteered to install the plants.

Small signs will be installed in the planted areas noting the names of the companies, organizations and individuals that donated to the effort.

The Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is a private, non-profit organization that champions efforts to promote and further develop the Rockford Region as an overnight visitor destination. The RACVB generates positive economic impact for the community through investments in tourism marketing, sales, promotion and advocacy. Visit gorockford.com.

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Listening to ‘Mr. Movies,’ ‘Mr. Theater,’ ‘Mr. Downtown’

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in our Jan. 10, 1996, issue. Hugh “Red” Argraves passed away June 23, 2010, at the age of 87. To learn more about Argraves, read “Sights, sounds and surreal Hugh ‘Red’ Argraves” from the current issue by clicking here.

By Frank Schier
Editor and Publisher

If you’ve gone to movies in downtown Rockford since 1946 or been to the Coronado Theatre lately, you’ve seen Red Argraves.

Red’s the smiling gentleman who has taken your tickets, guided you to your seats, or handed you your soda and popcorn. His red hair is now predominately white.

Most every day, he lunches at Parthenios. He does his shopping at the 320 Store. He gets his medical care at the Downtown Medical Clinic. His smile, wave and friendly “Hello” are constants that make downtown richer.

Talking with Red is always a pleasure.

Red’s 73 years old. 1996 marks his 50th year in Rockford’s downtown theaters. Listening to Red, you can remember the smell of the popcorn and theaters long gone, learn the history of Rockford movie houses and movie moguls, and hear the stars and reels turning.

Red recounts

“I started as the assistant manager at the Times Theater in September 1946. I worked there a year and a half.

“Willard Van Matre owned the Times Theatre, the Coronado, the Midway, the Palace and the Auburn. I think the Times was built around 1938; the Coronado was built in 1927; the Midway was built during the First World War, and so was the Palace. The Auburn was built around 1940.

“Some of the movies I can remember from the Times include The Egg and I. I think they [Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert] ran a farm for chickens, and that was a big show. The Jolson Story, that was about Al Jolson’s life. Barbara Hale was in that, and she was from Rockford. I met her father, Ezra Hale, but I never met her. Anna and the King of Siam was The King and I without music. That was a good show. Rex Harrison was in it, and so was that girl who was in From Here to Eternity. That was Deborah Kerr.

“Then I was assistant manager at the Midway Theater. I worked there three-and-a-half years. [Some of the movies were] Viva Zapata, that was Marlon Brando and the Mexican Revolution. A Streetcar Named Desire, that was Marlon Brando, too, and Vivian Leigh. Singing in the Rain had Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds. I’ll never forget Gene Kelly doing that Singing in the Rain. Donald O’Connor was in that, too.

“The next one was the State Theater. Oscar Granquist was the owner, and I was his assistant. I worked there 23-and-a-half years with Oscar. They tore the building down, and that’s why I left. That was 1976.

“Oscar was a very nice and honest person. I was always very proud to work for Oscar. I think he was the best booker of films in town. They had what they called ‘bidding.’Oscar had to bid for films against Mr. Van Matre, but Oscar seemed to get the best films. Just to guess on the price, I’d say it was about 33 percent of ticket sales. But I’m not an authority on those things; but another thing was how long they would run the film, the number of weeks.

“Well, now, let’s see abut the films he ran at the State. Journey to the Center of the Earth had Pat Boone as the star. Cleopatra was Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. My Fair Lady had Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn. The Godfather had Marlon Brando, Al Pacino and Robert Duvall.

“We ran a lot of little features at the State when I first got there, like Gene Autry’s and Rogers’. Those were double features. When I started at the State, 3-D films first came in, with glasses. ‘Bwana Devil was the first one. You know, another thing that came in at that time was Cinemascope. It was just a wide screen is what it was.

“The last five years that it was there, the State really got the best pictures.

“I’ve been at the Coronado ever since, 20 years. I came to the Coronado in 1976, and Mr. Van Matre had died in 1953. The Kerasotes owned it then and still own it.

“Towards the end of movies at the Coronado, Tuesday through Thursdays I ran the whole place myself. I was the only employee there. I sold tickets and candy and popcorn. They had a machine that I ran for the movies and one that opened and closed the curtains. That was for about two years, but I’m not sure. Isn’t that awful that one man could run the whole place because business was that poor. Kinda guessing, I think that was around the late 1980s.

“When they closed down movies at the Coronado, I went up to the North Towne Cinema for three-and-a-half years.

“They just have stage shows now [at the Coronado]. I just open and close the theater. I have to wait until everybody and everything is out of the theater before I can close. Sometimes it’s 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning before some of these Broadway shows can get their scenery and things out.

“One of my opinions is, instead of all the fancy work [at the Coronado and Midway], they need to do all the plumbing and electrical work. That’s the most important thing. That’s just my opinion.

“I think the downtown is kinda slipping a lot, here and there. I want to put in a good word for the people who have stayed downtown: the Parthenios, the Rockford Office Supply, Didier’s Florist, Palace Shoe Repair, Rockford Clinic and the Post Office. That’s been wonderful.

“Also, I should say something for the Kerasotes in keeping the Coronado open. Something should be said for them.

“It’s quite a thing to remember 50 years. It don’t seem like it should be, but it is. If there’s any mistakes in my memory, they’re honest mistakes. That’s fine.”

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The Second Half: A healthy dose of nature

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

By Kathleen D. Tresemer
Columnist

Lynda Gibson Johnson is a Second Half gal whose background is in sharing the wonders of nature with others: kids, teachers and even writers like me. I had the opportunity to visit with her at a recent Rockford Writers’ Guild event, held at Alpine Park in a nice shelter house on a beautiful day in June.

Lynda’s first question to a bunch of writers: “How many of you have read Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv?”

Amazing and unsettling, not a single writer/reader in the group had heard of the book. After the meeting, I went home and checked it out, visiting the author’s Web site (http://richardlouv.com/). This is the basic blurb about the book that I found:

“The recipient of the 2008 Audubon Medal, Richard Louv identified a phenomenon we all knew existed but couldn’t quite articulate: nature-deficit disorder. Since its initial publication, his book Last Child in the Woods has created a national conversation about the disconnection between children and nature, and his message has galvanized an international movement. Now…we have reached a tipping point, with the book inspiring ‘Leave No Child Inside’ initiatives throughout the country. Hailed as ‘an absolute must-read’ by the Boston Globe and ‘too tantalizing to ignore’ by Audubon magazine, Last Child in the Woods is the inspiring work that proves children need nature as much as nature needs children.”

The author claims recent research supports his theory, that lack of direct contact with nature is connected to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and that statistics show children who play in nature perform better at school.

Living in the woods myself, I would be the first person to claim we all need a little less technology and a lot more nature. It isn’t much of a guess that walking on a treadmill has replaced a walk in the woods, and watching TV has taken the place of watching a sunset for most families in America.

“Nature-Deficit Disorder,” I thought to myself. “How many of us in our Second Half may be suffering from this syndrome?”

I wondered about the symptoms of NDD, and, after Googling a bit, came up with the following indicators that could be applied to adults:

→ A disconnect with, or fear of, the natural world including forests, weather, bugs and animals;

→ A stunted curiosity, once expressed in the form of hands-on participation in personal growth or learning and replaced by the computer or media;

→ Increased obesity and health problems related to lack of exercise and fresh air;

→ Increased depression and anxiety from over-exposure to stressors; and

→ Loss of creativity and inspired or meditative thought.

Assaults by tree limbs notwithstanding, my family would agree we have all benefitted over the years by our closer walk with nature. In fact, I think more exposure is even better! I am making a concerted effort to expand my forays into the great outdoors, especially since I spend so much time with my computer these days.

But maybe you are thinking to yourself, “Wow, I may have a touch of NDD! What should I do about it?”

You might explore Attention Restoration Theory (ART), developed in the 1980s by environmental psychologists Rachel and Stephen Kaplan. According to Wikipedia, their book The Experience of Nature: A Psychological Perspective claims that: “…people can concentrate better after spending time in nature, or even looking at scenes of nature. Natural environments abound with ‘soft fascinations’ which a person can reflect upon in ‘effortless attention’, such as clouds moving across the sky, leaves rustling in a breeze or water bubbling over rocks in a stream. (It) has since been found by others to hold true in medical outcomes as well as intellectual task attention…”

(Check it out at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_Restoration_Theory)

While ART has uses in architectural design and environmental psychology, I’m looking at a simpler approach. My recent declaration: “Take a walk outside!”

Back to Lynda Gibson Johnson, our Writers’ Guild speaker and great resource for addressing our tendency toward Nature-Deficit Disorder. Lynda has made a career out of educating kids about the world outside: as education director at the Burpee Museum of Natural History, at the Natural Land Institute, and with her husband, Lee Johnson, at the Sand Bluff Bird Observatory.

Lynda suggests something simple for those of us in our Second Half, “Try nature journaling!”

She helped to explain what nature journaling is, and I think I’ve got it:

1. Get a notebook you like—any size, lines or no lines;

2. Write your observations and experience outside, including how they make you feel; and

3. Include sketches of things in nature, even if your artwork stinks.

Lynda declared: “Here are the Rules for Nature Journaling: No cell phones, MP3 players or electronics; no multi-tasking; listen…really listen; and FOCUS!”

Lynda had some helpful tips for those who struggle with focus: “Take a piece of string, tie it in a circle the size of a dinner plate, and set it on a bit of ground that appeals to you…then sit quietly and write what you see.”

Sounds like good “brain exercise” to me, another plus for those of us in our Second Half.

So, quit suffering from the symptoms of NDD—pick up your journal, put on your walking shoes, get on your bike or take out your canoe. A rich dose of oxygen and vitamin D might even improve what ails you.

Besides, getting dirty—especially with a friend—can still be lots of FUN!

In her second half of life, Kathleen D. Tresemer is both a journalist and an award-winning fiction writer. She lives with her husband on a small ranch in rural Shirland, Ill. Kathleen can be contacted by e-mail at kdt-insights@hotmail.com.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

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City of Rockford Human Services Department announces cooling sites for 2010

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

From press release

The City of Rockford Human Services Department announces the availability of cooling sites throughout the city and surrounding area this summer. Cooling sites offer air-conditioned relief during periods of excessive heat or when an Excessive Heat Advisory or Warning is issued by the National Weather Service.

For more information about how to stay cool, healthy and safe this summer, go to www.keepcool.illinois.gov. The purpose of Keep Cool Illinois is to offer residents—especially the elderly, families with small children and people with disabilities—a way to prevent heat-related health problems, reduce their utility bills and safely participate in summer activities.

The list of participating cooling sites follows:

→ Carpenter’s Place, 1149 Railroad Ave., Rockford, (815) 964-4105—Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

→ Jubilee Center, Park Avenue and North Court Street, Rockford, (815) 964-5520—Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m.

→ Keen Age Center, 2141 Henry Luckow Lane, Belvidere, Ill., (815) 544-9893—Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

→ Public Safety Building, 420 W. State St., Rockford—Lobby open 7 a.m.-4 p.m.

→ Rockford Rescue Mission, Rockford, (815) 965-5332:

→Men’s Shelter, 715 W. State St., Rockton Avenue entrance, (815) 316-4148—24 hours a day, seven days a week; and

→Women’s Shelter, 809 Cedar St., (815) 986-0393—8 a.m.-5 p.m., seven days a week

→ Salvation Army, 1706 18th Ave., Rockford, (815) 397-0440—Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

→ Salvation Army, 422 S. Main St., Belvidere, Ill., (815) 544-3892—Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

→ THAT Station (Total Health Awareness Team), 218 Seventh St., Rockford, (815) 961-1269—Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

→ Winnebago County Justice Center, 650 W. State St., Rockford—Lobby open 24 hours a day, seven days a week

Most local State of Illinois facilities are available as cooling centers. Call the Illinois Department of Human Services hotline at (800) 843-6154 for more information.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

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Adult grief support group meets July 6

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

From press release

BELOIT, Wis.—Beloit Regional Hospice will begin a seven-week adult grief support group starting from 6-7:30 p.m., Tuesday, July 6. Grief support groups and resources are open to anyone in the community who has experienced a death. Meeting with other people who are experiencing similar circumstances provides encouragement and support. Coping skills and various aspects of the grieving process are discussed.

This group will meet for seven consecutive weeks. The group is held at the Beloit Regional Hospice offices at 655 Third St., Suite 200 in Beloit. Call (608) 363-7421 or toll free (877) 363-7421 and ask for the Grief Department to register. There is no charge for this group. Advance registration is requested.

Beloit Regional Hospice staff and volunteers are leaders in quality and compassion who seek to serve all who want and need their care. Through teamwork, they advocate for appropriate care while respecting the rights of patients to choose their journey, and above all, hope is always embraced at the end of life. The nonprofit organization’s mission is, “To help make each moment of remaining life as full and comfortable as possible,” for terminally-ill individuals and families in the counties of Boone, Green, Rock, Walworth and Winnebago. You can visit their Web site at www.beloitregionalhospice.com.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

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A Native American by any other name…

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

By Susan Johnson
Copy Editor

The residents of the Ogle County area who claim “Black Hawk” as their famous symbol know the statue was not originally meant to depict the local war chief who fought in the Black Hawk War of  1832. Sculptor Lorado Taft, a member of the Eagle’s Nest art colony that was based in the area in the early 1900s, never gave it a name. However, he did admit to combining features of the Sauks, the Foxes, the Sioux and the Mohawks to depict a general American Indian profile. Through common usage, it became linked with the local persona of the chief who fought to defend his land against the white settlers.

The statue was the subject of an article in the February 2010 issue of Historic Illinois. The article notes that “The Illinois Department of Natural Resources, which operates Illinois state parks, and its predecessor agencies, undertook major restoration and repair projects in 1945 and 1973. Landscaping and lights were installed in the 1950s. There were relatively minor patch-and-fill projects throughout the 1980s and 1990s.” The statue stands on a bluff in Lowden State Park and is visible from across the Rock River.

Status of the park itself was in question when former governor Rod Blagojevich shut down 11 state parks and 13 state historical sites in December 2008 because of a $2 billion budget crisis. But in February 2009, after Blagojevich’s removal from office, Gov. Pat Quinn reopened seven state parks, including Lowden and Castle Rock, as well as 10 historical sites.

Americans may remember the Statue of Liberty restoration, which took place in 1986 during the Reagan administration. This project required $230 million in private funding. The effort was organized by the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation. Private contributions were the backbone of the Foundation’s success. More than $295 million was collected as people from all around the country contributed to help in necessary repairs; $86 million went to the statue’s restoration. It was done so that Lady Liberty could shine forth in all her splendor on July 4, 1986, for the national celebration.

It seems fitting that on the local level, a statue that has become a beloved symbol not just for the region, but now nationally, in the National Register of Historic Places, should get the same respect. Black Hawk was certainly a freedom fighter for his people and their homeland, as he described in his autobiography, published a few years before his death. To the people of northern Illinois, who have never forgotten his courage, he truly is “the Eternal Indian” (as Taft referred to him). Let’s make sure that the visage of this Native American continues to look out over the Rock River Valley for many years to come.

You may contribute to a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) fund called “Friends of the Black Hawk Statue Fund.” Please send your check to: Friends of the Black Hawk Statue Fund, P.O. Box 537, Sterling, IL 61081.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

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Guest Column: Bar Wars? The saga continues–Thoughts from the condemned

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Editor’s note: The following is in response to the June 23-29 article “Bar Wars—Establishments accused by peers of being counterproductive to downtown efforts.”

By Dennis Clement

Thanks to Editor & Publisher Frank Schier for this opportunity, and very special thanks to [Staff Writer] Stuart [Wahlin] for your honesty and integrity in reporting my conversations with you. Also, thanks, Mike Leifheit, for your insight and support.

It is not typical of me to respond to the recent attacks directed against Bar 3 and my wife and me personally. I have always felt matters like this are best left alone, to exist or fail on their own merits. I will not waste time defending myself against any of these allegations, but would prefer to let the readers draw their own conclusions. If you look in the right places, the answers are obvious.

I have been in business on East State Street first as the Surf Lounge, and more recently as Bar 3 for the past 22 years. Not only does that seem to run counter to the theory of “Quick Buck Artist” but also more importantly, my presence there has left a trail, a matter of public record. That record does not support the allegations that have been made against me. The events of last Saturday night [June 19] that so upset and disrupted the business owners was equally shocking and upsetting to us. Not wanting to be connected in any way to what was happening on the street, I chose to cancel the remainder of our night and close Bar 3. We were completely empty and locked up before 12:30 a.m. The decision to possibly have to close the bar had been discussed long before Saturday night. This was the result of a phone call I received a couple of weeks earlier, giving me a “heads up” that things were about to change on East State Street, things that would have a negative impact on all of us. Anything I could have said would have been dismissed as self-serving, so I held my breath…

If you want to clarify what happened Saturday night, start with the event at the Coronado Theatre, “Black Comedy Night.” Find out who promoted that event. There was an after-party announced, with the suggestion that “you could come meet the comedians.” That party was also planned as part of the comedy night promotion. Does anyone want to say where the after-party took place? [Editor’s note: That place would be the Red Lion.] There is a lot more to this than meets the eye!

I came to Rockford in the early ’60s and have always lived within half a mile of downtown. I have spent my life designing, building, restoring and replicating historic buildings, and have spent many years trying to transform the dream of a vital, healthy and alive downtown into a reality…long before it was popular or fashionable, and for many years when the only thing on Rockford’s mind was a flight to the cornfields and a safe suburban lifestyle.

Downtown has enough problems to overcome without having to deal with self-serving and destructive competition amongst ourselves. Our competition is not here; it comes from other places that would take or keep potential business opportunities away from us. Infighting here only weakens all of us. And yes! I want the same things Paul [Sletten, Social Urban Bar & Restaurant], Chris [Wachowiak, Kryptonite], and all of the other downtown business owners want.

You can’t possibly know what Bar 3 is all about when you limit your knowledge of us to random glances as you drive or walk past my establishment, and you will never see the truth through propagating random gossip, attitudes, prejudice and innuendo regarding us.

As for downtown, I believe it is our best-kept secret and remains our brightest but most overlooked asset. Personally speaking, my guiding belief is that there is little to be gained in the pursuit of negatives. Raising my children has taught me the best course is to never condemn or be  critical, but to see the good and positive aspects of a situation and use that as the road map to a better future. Last week, I met with Mayor Morrissey to discuss what progress had been made to address the practice of towing cars from unused and virtually empty private parking lots downtown, a practice that sends the wrong message from an area wanting to embrace new business.

I also shared my thoughts with the mayor regarding the new festival ordinance allowing for regular street closings on South Main Street and North Water Street for mini street festivals and the new Rockford Market. I think it is a good idea, but perhaps could be better implemented and better exploited for the overall benefit of all downtown-area businesses. Consider this possibility: Block 5 already closes East State Street for its festival. Chris at Kryptonite has his own festival area at his doorstep. Make the same available for block 3 and look to see what other downtown locations would make sense to be included in a new series of “Groove Walk”-type summer parties, which would breathe new life into downtown in a really meaningful way, while bringing us all together. Why settle for 400 or 500 nightly visitors to downtown, when by working together we can have thousands.

Dennis Clement is the owner of Bar 3.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Commentary | 1 Comment »

Two minutes that divided a community, part two

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

By Stuart R. Wahlin
Staff Writer

The following is the second part of a series (see part one in the June 23-29 issue) detailing the findings of a report commissioned by the City of Rockford from Independent Monitoring & Assessment (IAM), an Oakland, Calif.-based consulting firm whose principals, Kelli Evans and Christy Lopez, are civil rights attorneys with backgrounds in cases of alleged police abuse.

Rockford City Council retained IAM at a rate of $280 per hour, for a total now exceeding $60,000, to conduct an assessment of the officer-involved shooting of 24-year-old Mark Anthony Barmore, an unarmed African-American, on Aug. 24, 2009, by white police officers Oda Poole and Stanton North.

Barmore was being sought by police after allegedly threatening to slash a woman’s throat the previous night. He was also wanted on a warrant, and officers were advised he may be armed.

Barmore was spotted by North and Poole outside of Kingdom Authority International Ministries, also known as House of Grace Church, 518 N. Court St., at which time he reportedly tried to elude officers by entering the building and hiding in a small room in the basement, where daycare staff and children were present.

While police attempted to take the suspect into custody, Barmore allegedly struggled with Poole for the officer’s service weapon. Approximately two minutes after being identified outside the church, Barmore lay fatally shot by both officers in the basement.

The report was, in large part, sought in response to an outcry from the African-American community for an independent investigation. Meantime, two civil lawsuits have been filed against the city and the Rockford Police Department (RPD) in federal court as a result of the shooting.

The local police union, however, questions the objectivity of the consultants, as well as the determinations contained in their report, which was released to the public June 15.

Conflicting witness statements

Forensic evidence, according to the IAM report, supports the accounts of a struggle for Poole’s weapon, but some witness accounts appear to conflict with the finding.

“In a statement provided a few hours after the shooting, the daycare teacher in the basement at the time of the shooting stated that she ‘heard some struggling going on behind me,’” the report noted. “In a later statement to the ISP [Illinois State Police], [the teacher] stated that she is certain that she did not hear a struggle.

“Other than possibly the children in the basement, the only apparent civilian witness to Officer Poole’s shooting of Barmore said in the written statement she gave to RPD the day of the incident that she saw Barmore come out of the boiler room with his hands up and saw one officer shoot Barmore from about four feet away,” the reports said of a statement by Marissa Brown, the 17-year-old daughter of House of Grace pastors Melvin and Shelia Brown. “The witness states she then stepped out of the doorway and heard two or three additional gun shots after that. This formal statement is consistent with the information she gave to an officer while still on-scene, moments after the shooting. Later media reports quote this witness as stating that ‘[t]he officer shined his flashlight into the boiler room and told him to come out. He came out real slow with his hands up and his head down, and they shot him. He fell over into the sink. He tried to get back up, and they shot him again. A heavy-set officer was the one who was shooting him while he was on the ground.’ The witness’ initial statement to police is at odds with Officer North’s and Poole’s version of events in some respects, and consistent with their version of events in other respects.”

Brown’s statement to police the day of the shooting indicated that she had retreated from the doorway before the final “two or three” gunshots were fired.

“This witness’ later reported statements to the media are significantly different than her initial statements to police and are not supported by the forensic evidence,” the IAM report noted.

“Many of the witnesses to this incident refused to provide statements to RPD or ISP after the day of the incident, and RPD has been asked by an attorney representing several witnesses not to contact them,” the assessment added.

Although the report appears to discount comments alleging Barmore tried to surrender peacefully, IAM consultants did find fault with the decisions of officers leading up to the shooting, indicating their actions put officers and civilians at “increased risk of serious harm” and conflicted with RPD training and tactics.

‘Entry into the church’

“It appears that each officer was acting independently, with no coordination or communication with each other,” the report indicates. “There is no evidence that officers made an attempt to contain Barmore in the church or considered doing so. Officers did not establish a perimeter, summon back-up, evacuate the church, inquire about the number of potential occupants in the church, or ask about the layout of the building or basement, including the location of entries and exits.”

IAM’s determination added: “In our view, officers violated fundamental tactics and placed themselves at a dangerous disadvantage from the moment they entered the church. Rapid gathering of readily available information and coordination should be routine in such encounters.”

The assessment acknowledged that neither North nor Poole had been interviewed as part of IAM’s review, but that previous statements provided to RPD had been consulted.

“When writing these statements, the officers had the opportunity to consult with independent legal counsel, their union representatives and legal counsel, and anyone else, including each other,” the report said of the statements provided days after the shooting. “The officers provided little additional information to the Illinois State Police investigators, with one officer stating he could not recall anything about the incident beyond what was in his written statement.”

‘Attempt to Immediately Remove Barmore from the Boiler Room/Failure to Evacuate Children and Day Care Workers’

The report also questions the officers’ attempts to immediately apprehend Barmore, who was contained in the closet, or boiler room, with only one way in or out. The report suggests the basement should have been evacuated before any such attempt was made.

“There is no evidence that Officers North and Poole were concerned that there might be another exit from the boiler room beside the door they were covering,” the IAM assessment stated. “The fact that they were told the room was a ‘closet’ further makes reasonable their belief that there was only one means of exit from the room.

“When Barmore fled to the boiler room and refused to surrender to police, he was in effect barricading himself. RPD policy defines a ‘barricaded person’ as, ‘[a]n armed or potentially armed person, having control of any location, whether fortified or not, who is refusing to comply with police demands for surrender,’” the report noted. “Like most professional policing agencies, RPD has a number of policies that directly speak to such situations, and has provided training to officers on these policies. RPD General Order 40.14 provides, among other things, that: ‘[o]fficers may want to avoid confrontation with people or hazardous situations in favor of isolation and containment until supervisor, trained tactical or special response and units arrive.’

“There is no evidence that there was any exigency requiring immediate removal of Barmore from the boiler room,” Evans and Lopez asserted. “Instead, the facts known to the officers, alongside their training, required that the officers, upon learning that Barmore had barricaded himself inside the boiler room, take steps to ensure their own safety and the safety of others in the room before attempting to remove Barmore from the boiler room. This is particularly true here where the officers had reason to believe that Barmore might be armed with a knife or other weapon and where they knew there were many children in the room.”

The reportedly stressed staff and children should have been evacuated before any further action was taken to bring Barmore into custody.

“We found it striking that none of the documentation related to the investigation of this incident references the pertinent fact that there is a clearly marked exit leading directly outside of the church from the basement next to where the children and their teachers were huddled during this incident,” the report stated. “The existence of this exit means that the officers had the ability to have the teachers evacuate the children rapidly and safely from the basement via an exit that did not pass in front of the boiler room door.

“Instead the officers chose to engage in a course of conduct that was extremely risky for themselves and these civilians,” Evans and Lopez determined. “Sound tactics and training required that officers evacuate the children and teachers and then call and wait for the arrival of back up before attempting to extract a potentially armed barricaded suspect.”

Responding to this assessment, Police Chief Chet Epperson acknowledged: “That was definitely a concern that I had after the review. Hence, there is an internal investigation.”

Mayor Larry Morrissey (I) concurred.

“It was a concern to me when I saw that we had children in a basement of a church, and we had an unarmed suspect who was barricaded,” Morrissey said, stressing again that the city had voluntarily commissioned the report. “There was aspects of our policies that were violated, in our opinion, which comports with the opinions presented by the consultants in the report.”

The report added: “Sound tactics and training do not support the assertion that officers had to extract Barmore from the boiler room because of potential danger to the children if he were not immediately apprehended. Professional police practices, consistent with RPD training and policy, have long recognized that a mobile suspect is generally a greater threat than a contained one.”

Evans and Lopez added the officers had “nearly perfect containment” of the suspect, but that the threat was “needlessly escalated” by attempts to extract Barmore without first evacuating civilians and waiting for backup.

‘Decision to Close the Distance on a Potentially Armed Suspect’

“The consequences of the officers’ immediate attempt to remove Barmore from the boiler room were exacerbated by the tactics Officer Poole used in attempting the removal,” the report states of the incident once officers gained access to the room into which Barmore had fled.

“Officer North employed proper tactics in ensuring a safer distance between himself and a potentially armed suspect in a darkened room by stepping back,” it was noted. Poole, however, reportedly advanced on Barmore.

According to a statement by North: “Officer Poole reached his left arm out, either to push [Barmore] back or grab onto him. As Officer Poole had hold of his shirt, I recall the suspect using his right hand, grabbing onto Officers (sic) Poole’s left wrist area. As this happened, Officer Poole and Barmore were in the doorway. I was still about 2-3 feet to the left rear of Officer Poole. I saw that Officer Poole had his pistol leveled, close to his own chest, in a close quarters combat style hold. Instantly, Barmore reached outward with his left hand, and grabbed the barrel of Officer Poole’s pistol.”

According to the report, Poole’s account is consistent in that it suggests he did not maintain a safe distance from the suspect.

The report determined: “Pushing or grabbing an armed resisting suspect is a bad tactic. Doing so while holding a gun in one hand compounds the tactical error. The greater the distance between officers and suspects, the more time officers have to react to a suspect’s actions. … There is no evidence, including in the statements by Officers North and Poole, providing a legitimate rationale for Officer Poole’s decision to employ this high-risk tactic in these circumstances. …This close confrontation allowed Barmore the opportunity to take hold of Officer Poole’s firearm. Once Barmore was able to take hold of Officer Poole’s weapon, the decision to use deadly force was consistent with RPD policy.”

‘Additional Tactical/Policy Concerns’

Other issues cited in the report include a “lack of intermediate weapons,” such as use of non-lethal pepper spray and expandable batons, both of which are mandatory equipment per RPD policy. Both officers reportedly had pepper spray at the time of the incident, but only Poole was equipped with a baton.

“It is not possible to know for certain whether the use of an intermediate weapon would have been feasible during this incident,” the report acknowledged. “The facts indicate that it may have been. Officer North may have been able to use a baton to assist Officer Poole during his struggle with Barmore, if he had it available.”

The report also noted that neither officer was wearing a protective vest.

“RPD policy ‘strongly encourage[s]’ that sworn personnel assigned to field patrol or special unit duties wear their protective vest during their shift but does not require it,” the report states. “Sworn personnel assigned to field patrol or special units are required to have a protective vest ‘readily available,’ i.e. ‘accessible for immediate use by the officer in the field.’ Sworn personnel participating in ‘pre-planned high-risk tactical situation[s],’ which includes ‘high-risk felony warrant arrests,’ are required to wear a protective vest.”

The report noted, “Officer Poole had previously been counseled by a supervisor about not wearing his protective vest.”

Supervisory concerns

As noted in part one of this series, an unnamed third officer is also the subject of a complaint signed by Chief Epperson, which led to an internal investigation. Presumably, as suggested by the report, which alleges a “lack of active supervisory involvement” during the incident, the third officer is likely a supervisor.

“Once the supervisor became aware that Barmore had been seen in the area he supervised, the supervisor should have directed officers to ensure that the area was efficiently and effectively searched, and should have instructed officers on what to do if Barmore was found,” Evans and Lopez asserted. “We are aware that there was a very short time period between the time when Officers North and Poole reported Barmore fleeing from them and the time they used deadly force against him. Nonetheless, this time period appears sufficient to have allowed the officers’ supervisor to provide direction and perhaps slowed down the officers. We were unable to detect any supervisory participation in the events leading up to the shooting or any explanation why there was no supervisory involvement.”

According to the report, however, the larger problem may be systemic.

“RPD’s supervisory and shift structure makes it difficult to provide consistent supervision,” it states. “According to RPD personnel, during a typical week, officers may be supervised by a different supervisor each work day, and thus may have as many as five different supervisors in a week. This makes it difficult to establish a close supervisory relationship and would seem to make consistency in supervision and performance evaluation virtually impossible.”

Responding, Morrissey said: “That’s exactly why we’re moving towards geographic-based policing. That’s why we’ve looked at making sure we have a strong connection between the people in our community, the areas where they live, and the management system we have in place to make sure that whatever we have on paper in terms of a policy, practice and procedure is being aligned with our training and our management on a daily basis.”

Asked what responsibility he takes for the apparent lack of coordination leading up to the shooting, Epperson responded, “I’m chief of police, and I take full responsibility for the entire department.”

Other supervisory issues noted in the report included “misdirection of officers by dispatch.” According to IAM’s review of dispatch recordings, additional officers were sent to the wrong location, because the dispatcher allegedly did not hear North and Poole state that they were at the House of Grace. Although the report could not definitively conclude that this affected the outcome, it noted, “However, in general the consequences of directing officers to the wrong location are potentially disastrous for officers and civilians.”

Mayor Morrissey was quick to note the dispatch center is not managed by the Police Department, but is instead manned by fire personnel.

Additional concerns and recommendations

Although the report acknowledged the department responded appropriately after the shooting, IAM pointed to a number of areas with room for improvement when investigating use-of-force incidents.

The report recommended establishment of an official “deadly force roll out,” consisting of representatives from various agencies.

“The intent of a multi-disciplinary roll out is to help ensure that evidence is properly preserved and collected during the first critical minutes and hours after the use of deadly force; and to facilitate investigative objectivity and neutrality from the outset,” the report explained.

Although North and Poole were separated for walkthroughs of the scene after the shooting, the report noted, “However, much of the benefit of this immediate separation and walk-through was severely compromised because the officers’ written statements regarding the incident were not provided to RPD until days after the shooting, and neither officer was interviewed until months after the incident, and then only briefly. …The lack of a prompt interview also diminishes the perception of reliability and credibility of later statements and interviews.”

The report also asserted that the walkthroughs should have been videotaped, and that photographs should have been taken of North and Poole at the scene. The report also suggested that witness statements should have been recorded, rather than simply written down.

“According to RPD, it does not record interviews unless it is a suspect interview in a murder investigation, in which case the recording is required under state law,” the report indicated. “Professional policing standards require that all statements in officer-involved shooting cases be recorded. …Recordings also help disprove allegations of unprofessionalism, coercion or dishonesty in an agency’s description of witness accounts.”

IAM also suggested that witness interviews were not as thorough as they could have been, which became a problem when some refused to be re-interviewed later.

The report also identified a lack of scene diagrams and photographs, as well as shortcomings in evidence collection practices, and described the city’s Use-of-Force Review Board, composed of police officers, as “ineffective.”

Additionally, the report stated: “RPD’s system of complaint intake and investigation is inadequate. Countless individuals, including witnesses to the incident and family members of the decedent, have made clear allegations the officers in this incident committed misconduct. Yet RPD’s complaint intake and investigation system, as currently structured, does not authorize an administrative investigation based on those complaints.”

The report, along with its recommendations, serves as the guide for the internal, administrative review, according to city officials. Once the investigation is complete, Epperson will decide whether the officers will be disciplined, and to what extent. The results are expected to be made public within weeks.

Early warning too late?

The report acknowledged the department’s recent creation of the Personnel Early Warning System (EWS), in an “attempt to identify, evaluate and assist Department employees, sworn and civilians, who appear to exhibit signs of performance and/or stress related problems requiring intervention.” However, the report indicated, the system “does not contain any data of events or incidents occurring before November 2008.”

Both North and Poole were involved in use-of-deadly-force incidents prior to the Barmore shooting.

“First, the system does not include uses of physical force such as punching, kicking, kneeing, or other physical force, unless it results in injuries requiring treatment at a medical facility,” the report stated, noting that all uses of force should be reported, monitored and investigated, depending on severity. “Departmental supervisors should be alerted if officers are engaging in any type of force at unusual rates, compared to officers working similar assignments, or in circumstances that should have been handled without resorting to force. By not including all uses of force in the system, the EWS may be giving supervisors and managers a skewed and incomplete perspective on officer conduct resulting in missed opportunities to remediate any problems promptly.”

Evans and Lopez added, “We do not know whether this is a systemic problem but were concerned that the Barmore shooting did not appear on EWS reports for Officers North and Poole despite the fact that the reports were produced nearly two months after the shooting had occurred.”

Consultants in crosshairs of police union

Terrence Peterson, president of the Police Benevolent & Protective Association Unit 6, provided to The Rock River Times a document being prepared by the union that brings into question the findings of Evans and Lopez.

The document refers to a June 7 brief titled “Disorderly (mis)Conduct: The Problem with ‘Contempt of Cop’ Arrests,” penned by Lopez, published by the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy.

The union alleges Lopez is “currently marketing [the] article selling services to local municipalities,” and that she and Evans have allegedly created for themselves a lucrative industry targeting alleged police misconduct.

The union also argues that neither consultant has tactical training in law enforcement, despite their numerous judgments regarding “sound tactics.”

“The attorneys padded their bills by meeting with the mayor and ‘ministers and other community members active in Rockford,’ and observing the community mediation,” the union document notes. “These people have no relevant information to give in determining the lawfulness of Stan North and Oda Poole’s conduct.”

Referring to remediation proposed by IAM in the report, including possible termination of the officers, the union also questioned what authority the consultants have to decide what, if any, disciplinary action is appropriate.

Union representatives are also suspicious of language in the IAM report.

“Why did the attorneys insert this sentence into their report: ‘Church members and officials were encouraging [Barmore] to stay out of trouble and become involved in a boxing group the church was soon to begin,’” the union response wondered. “This information is absolutely irrelevant to the events that led to Barmore’s shooting and the inclusion of this information reveals bias on the part of the attorneys.”

The day after the IAM report was released to the public, the union alleges, Lopez and Evans told police sergeants that Barmore was the person primarily responsible for the shooting. The union, however, feels this aspect was downplayed in the report.

“When they heard this, the sergeants challenged the attorneys about why they did not put that in the report,” the document states. “Their response was that it was beyond the purpose of the report. In response to follow-up reaction, they said it’s in the report in that they stated the shooting was justified.”

The document also alleges a “Pro-Brown bias is revealed by authors when they credit [Sheila Brown’s] concern of the safety of the children and credit the truthfulness of her statement.”

Furthermore, the union views IAM’s conclusion that North and Poole violated policy and training, and that they used poor tactics, putting themselves and others at risk, as “unsupported by the facts and speculative.”

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Rockford News | No Comments »

Goodyear Pimps headline July 3 Green Light Night on Main Street

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

From press release

The Second Green Light Nights event Saturday, July 3, features headliners The Goodyear Pimps with NIL8, Geronimo! and the best of the summer camp “School of Rock” winners. The all-ages event on the new Main Street (formerly the pedestrian mall) at the corner of State and Main streets runs 5 p.m.-midnight.

Cost is $7 in advance at www.greenlightrockford.com or $10 at the door. Kids younger than 10 are admitted free, although parents are advised that later shows may feature adult content.

The idea behind Green Light Nights was to showcase the new Main Street with some regional and national acts on a regular basis. This concept is in its infancy, and promises to be a perfect synergistic fit to the momentum with the progress of the transformation of downtown Rockford with the Friday City Markets, Friday Night Flix and Sundays in the Park.

Local legends The Goodyear Pimps headline the July 3 show, and they are supported by veterans and mentors NIL8, Geronimo! and the newest addition, the best of the summer camp “School of Rock.”

Keith School hosts a Rock Camp for young kids wanting to learn more about playing in a real band. Members of the Pimps and other local bands like Miles Nielsen mentor these bands and now have given them an opportunity to perform on a real stage with some professional original artists.

Also featured at the event will be local vendors Phoenix Traders, Culture Shock and Pirate Ninja Shop.

The event is hosted by The Element to help raise funds for artists in the community and to help provide more events in the future like First Fridays. Proceeds raised from the event will go directly back to help events like Friday Night Flix, Sundays in the Park and help out with another new movement, the Emerging Visual Artist Project, intended to offer programs to educate artists about making a profession of their passion.

The third Green Light Nights is scheduled for Aug. 14, featuring national recording artist Sophie B. Hawkins, along with local recording artist Kelly Steward and a fashion show with Lexi Charms. The fourth Green Light Nights will be Sept. 18.

Info: www.greenlightrockford.com.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Music, Vibe Entertainment News | No Comments »

Emerging artists exhibit at Kryptonite

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

From press release

For the first time, the Emerging Visual Artist Project (EVAP) will exhibit artwork by 12 new and emerging artists in a month-long exhibition at Kryptonite Bar, 308 W. State St., Rockford. The exhibition will open July 2 and run through Aug. 5.

The opening reception is from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., Friday, July 2. Emerging artists featured in the exhibition include Meghan Jones Michaels, Annie Rudolph, Eddie Fajardo, Jessica Mortenson, Joseph S. Goral, Devin Henry, Jaime Torraco, Mario Martinez, Valerie Lemen, Laurence Barr, Danzel Moormington and Jennifer Howe.

These artists have taken on the challenge of creating artwork around a “theme design.” Each of the above artists is showcasing his or her interpretation of “Patriotism.”

Many of these artists are on the verge of taking their passions to the professional level, and one of the goals of EVAP is to challenge new and emerging artists to push themselves, educate themselves and support themselves within a creative and nurturing environment.

EVAP is a new branch of the nonprofit organization The Element Rockford. EVAP is designed to cultivate the next generation of Rockford artists. In addition to showcases, EVAP will host an ongoing series of juried monthly art exhibitions with monthly workshops open for everyone 18 and older to help educate and motivate artists, giving them the skill set to further their exposure within the community. The overall goal of EVAP is to teach the skills necessary for building a career as a visual artist.

EVAP is accepting applications for the Aug. 6 artist exhibition. This will be the first juried exhibition. To get involved, or participate in the monthly juried art exhibitions or artist workshops, contact Meghan Jones Michaels or Joseph S. Goral at evap.rockford@gmail.com.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Art, Vibe Entertainment News | No Comments »

Exelon Nuclear kicks off Black Hawk fund-raising campaign

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Exelon Executive Brian Adams presents a $10,000 check to the Oregon Trail Days Committee for the restoration of the Black Hawk statue. Photo provided

From press release

OREGON, Ill.—Towering 48 feet over the Rock River majestically looking westward stands the second-largest monolith in the world, the Eternal Indian, Black Hawk. This massive concrete statue, created by Lorado Taft, will commemorate the 100th birthday of its dedication in 2011, and the community of Oregon is celebrating.

The Oregon Trail Days Festival, being held July 16-18, has been developed as a means to raise both funds for and awareness of the statue and the City of Oregon. With more than 200,000 visitors coming to Oregon to see Black Hawk each year, it seemed only appropriate to create a festival that celebrated its history. “On any given day, you can come up to this statue and hear two or three different languages being spoken,” said committee member Amy Trimble. “This statue is the heart and soul of our community; it inspires art and creates economic prosperity for the business of Oregon.”

Unfortunately, the statue is in desperate need of repairs. Over the years, it has had major restoration, landscaping and lights were added in the 1950s, and there were relatively minor patch-and-fill projects in the ’80s and ’90s, but moisture has seeped in, and major cracks have been developing. A feasibility study conducted by a private not-for-profit foundation indicates that more than $350,000 will be needed to restore the statue to its original glory. Recently placed on the National Register of Historic Places, it will be very important to maintain as much original material as possible in color, texture and composition when restoring the statue.

The festival committee decided to hold a 2010 event as a kick-off to a year-long campaign of fund-raising. Activities throughout the festival such as raffles, tours of the statue, a tipi decorating contest and more have been planned to help raise funds for the restoration. While the committee sought sponsorships for the creation of the festival, they were pleased to receive a $10,000 donation from Exelon Nuclear, who requested that $5,000 of the funding be used to create the festival and $5,000 be earmarked specifically for the restoration of Black Hawk.

“Exelon’s Byron Station is proud to support an event that will not only celebrate the area’s rich Native American and Western heritage, but will also raise awareness of next year’s 100th anniversary of the dedication of the Black Hawk statue,” said Byron Station Plant Manager Brad Adams. “Along with the Byron Station cooling towers, Lorado Taft’s sculpture is one of the most recognizable structures in all of northern Illinois. It is important that we help restore this iconic piece of history.”

Black Hawk statue in Oregon, Ill., was recently placed on the National Register of Historic Places. But the statue is in need of repairs. Moisture has seeped in, and major cracks have developed. A feasibility study conducted by a private not-for-profit foundation indicates that more than $350,000 will be needed to restore the statue to its original glory. Photo provided

The generous donation is hoped to be the first of many that will come in over the next year to support both the 100th Anniversary Festival and the restoration. “The festival committee is thrilled to have Exelon Nuclear as the major sponsor for Oregon Trail Days,” said Beth Henderson, committee member. “Their commitment to the restoration of the Black Hawk statue and the success of our festival brings value and credibility to what our small committee is trying to accomplish for Oregon.”

A not-for-profit 501(c)(3) fund called “Friends of the Black Hawk Statue Fund” has been set up. Readers wishing to make contributions may send them to: Friends of the Black Hawk Statue Fund, P.O. Box 537, Sterling, IL 61081.

Information about Oregon Trail Days may be found at www.oregontraildays.org. Registration forms are available for food vendors, merchants and events such as the canoe rally and 8K Run-a-Muck on the site as well. More information can be found by e-mailing trimble5@verizon.net.

Exelon Nuclear information may be found at www.exeloncorp.com.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Outdoors | No Comments »

Environment Illinois: Legislative wrap-up: Victories for Illinois’ environment

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

By Max Muller
Program Director, Environment Illinois

The Illinois general assembly’s budget-wranglers may still be trying to pass a solution to the state’s pension mess, but the 2010 legislative session is, for the most part, over. It’s a good time for end-of-session wrap-ups.

So how did our legislators do on the environment this year? Well, in short, whether you’re most concerned about breathing clean air, growing green energy jobs, cutting toxic pollution, or ensuring fish-able and swim-able waters, 2010 saw some steps forward. Here are some highlights:

A sunnier future for Illinois

May 26, the legislature passed two key bills designed to ramp up Illinois’ solar power generation and prompt the growth of an in-state solar industry.

The first will give clean energy businesses a green light to invest in solar power and create new Illinois jobs in clean energy. Back in 2007, Illinois passed a nation-leading renewable energy standard, which requires 25 percent of Illinois’ electricity to come from renewable sources by 2025, and which is contributing to major growth in Illinois’ wind power industry. Seeking to do the same for solar, in 2009, the legislature passed a bill requiring that 6 percent of that renewable energy be generated by solar photovoltaics by 2016.

This year’s House Bill (H.B.) 6202 is about accelerating growth in the solar power industry now, when market conditions are right—as a result of federal incentives and low solar prices—rather than five years down the road. By ramping up solar in Illinois’ renewable energy mix—from 0.5 percent in 2012 to 6 percent by 2015, and with intermediate goals in between—it will help stop global warming while creating between 4,000 and 8,000 new green jobs and generating more than 3 million kilowatt hours of solar electricity by 2015.

The second bill, the Homeowners’ Solar Right Act (H.B. 5429), clears away outdated restrictions and clarifies the rights of homeowners living in homeowner and condo associations to install solar panels.

Eight years of progress cutting mercury pollution

This session continued a winning streak that has made Illinois a national leader in protecting public health from mercury—a potent toxin that damages the human heart, brain and immune system. Mercury has been used in a variety of consumer products and measuring devices for many years. When disposed of, these products may be crushed or incinerated, causing mercury pollution that accumulates in fish people eat.

In seven of the eight legislative sessions since 2003, environmental groups have succeeded in passing legislation removing mercury from products. In 2007, one of those bills banned the sale of new mercury-containing thermostats—each of which contains about 4 grams of mercury—but the bill did not address the millions of thermostats already installed in homes and businesses across Illinois.

This year’s Mercury Thermostat Collection Act (Senate Bill 3346) requires thermostat manufacturers to establish an EPA-monitored program to collect and properly recycle end-of-life mercury-containing thermostats.

Clean water

Illinois’ most widespread water quality problem is nutrient pollution. The vast majority of Illinois’ waters are impaired by excess nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen, which render water unsafe to drink and bad-tasting and fill lakes and streams with harmful algae and cyanobacteria.

Illinois fish will breathe a little easier this summer thanks to H.B. 6099, which will eliminate unnecessary phosphorus from most lawn treatments sold in Illinois.

So, there you go—four bills passed by the legislature for a healthier environment in Illinois. Note that all must still be signed by the governor to become law.

There were several other key victories in the form of bad environmental bills that the legislature stopped. There were also missed opportunities. And, of course, there are many more profound environmental problems that still need solving. I’ll get into some of those in a subsequent column.

Max Muller, program director for Environment Illinois, can be reached at max@environmentillinois.org.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Commentary | No Comments »

Sights, sounds and surreal Hugh ‘Red’ Argraves

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Editor’s note: Hugh “Red” Argraves passed away June 23, 2010, at the age of 87. A Jan. 10, 1996, profile of Red, “Listening to ‘Mr. Movies,’ ‘Mr. Theater,’ ‘Mr. Downtown’” is available in the “Happening Now” section of www.rockrivertimes.com.

By Frank Schier
Editor & Publisher

I first saw Red when I was 8 years old, when my brother Fred became the youngest union projectionist and got a job at the State Theatre. Red was the assistant manager, very tall and quiet; and yes, he had very red hair. He was very nice to me, although he did get mad a few times when I and my cousin Billy McCartney snuck out the side doors to hang out on the dock of the Jim Reevers and smoke our corncob pipes, filled with dried corn silk. Really. I remember John Wayne and Red’s eyes from those days.

Decades later, after I found him in unacceptable living conditions, Red lived with me for six years until he could no longer make the eight-block walk down to hold court at Parthenios. Everyone there took very  good care of him. The Morrissey family and the staff of their law office took over the challenge of Red’s last years with amazing dedication and kindness. The time and resources they expended are a testament to their natures.

I could go on and on about Red, who gave me so many of his paintings, and crayon works, mainly of the symbolist genre. Red’s voice had its own genre, raspy, soft, quick and slow. “It’s amazing what you can get done in 20 minutes a day, Frank, if you stick to it every day,” he’d say with a grin about my efforts at poetry. Red touted about living at my place, “In six years, we never had a cross word! Never!”

Rather than go on about memories, I’ll follow Red’s voice whispering in my head, “Print my poems, Frank. Print my poems.” So I will, after the obit Joe Morrissey wrote, a short bio and his handwritten notes from my files. Both Joe and I have very thick files on Red to match our Irish heads. He’d laugh at that, as he did when I said his poems were from the Dadaist tradition.

Obituary

“Red” Hugh O. Argraves, 87, of Rockford died at 4:30 a.m., June 23, 2010, at Provena St. Anne Center. Born July 7, 1922, in Decatur, Ill., the only child of Wendell and Helen (Sax) Argraves; each an only child. Red spent two-and-a-half years working in Hollywood as an extra on various movies, including Casablanca, Music for Millions and Salty O’Rourke. Red was a World War II combat Army veteran and served in the military police at the Potsdam Conference in July 1945. He returned to Rockford after the war and began working as a manager at various theaters in Rockford. He was the manager of the Coronado at the time of its closing. Red authored numerous plays and poems, several of which were published. Enjoyed painting. Predeceased by his parents. No known heirs. The Joe and Josephine Morrissey family and other close friends would like to thank the staff at Rockford Supportive Living, St. Anne Center and Hospice for their devoted care of Red. A special thank you to Susie Klink, who cared for Red’s cat.

Celebration of Red’s life starting at 10 a.m., Friday, July 2, at Morrissey Law Offices, 127 N. Wyman St. Graveside service at 2 p.m. in Brooklyn Cemetery in Compton, Ill. Arrangements by Torman Funeral Home in Paw Paw, Ill. Cremation rites accorded.

“Spotlight on…Hugh ‘Red’ Argraves”
From RELI Stagebill, April 1997

“Red” Argraves is as familiar to RELI show-goers as the twinkling stars and clouds moving over the ceiling of the Coronado Theatre. In his role as head usher for the Coronado, Red has seen countless performers and performances on stage, but what is not generally known about Red are his accomplishments in the arts.

Recently, Red was honored as the Rockford Art Museum’s 1997 Jessica Holt Purchase Award winner for his oil painting “Cubist City,” which will become part of the museum’s permanent collection.

For a man whose history includes serving in Patton’s 3rd Army in World War II and playing an extra in the classic Humphrey Bogart film Casablanca, Red says having a work in the permanent collection is very touching for him. He said: “This is wonderful. My mother would be so pleased because she is the one who encouraged me in art and used to bring me to the Burpee Art Museum (now the Rockford Art Museum).”

For over 57 years, Red has painted oil and watercolor works. His formal training is limited to two art classes he took at Beloit College in the 1940s at the age of 17. “I used to read (about Modern Art) at the library,” he explains. “I especially like the photos of works by George Grosz, Paul Klee and Pablo Picasso.”

Matt Herbig, Curator of Collections for the art museum, learned about Red through Skuggi Gallery, which is planning a 40-year retrospective of Red’s work in May. The show will feature some of the 300 never-before-seen watercolors, plus samples of his poetry, plays and short stories. Organizers also hope to bring his play The Great Depression to life for the event.

RELI is extremely proud of Red and most appreciative of his unfailing support and care for all our efforts in bringing events to the beautiful Coronado Theatre for all of the Rockford-area residents to enjoy. We warmly congratulate him and wish him our very best for many more years of continuing success. Our hats are off to you, Red! Bravissimo!

Red’s poems

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following poems were Red’s greatest publishing achievement, appearing in the most progressive journal of its day, the New Directions, Number Seven, 1942 edition. Other contributors appearing in that volume were William Carlos Williams and Franz Kafka, among others. The issue was dedicated “In Memoriam, Ford Maddox Ford, 1875-1939.”

NINE SURREAL POEMS
Hugh Argraves
terrible tender yellow dotted toothless jaws
clicking upon the object–coney island, u s a

Honky-Tonk Tangle of Tatters
a blaring hairy tuba
constantly containing
golden ivory tipped tangled
valves
weaving whining
tight yellow splashing spangles

Government Camp in a Red Veined Eye
five faceless hollow heads endlessly
prompted by endless grey tongue
upon the bare beach

Steel Subway Leading Leadenly
white whirling pipes revolving
around the
white vessels of the
nerve casings of a
subway poster of
a varying venus
red ruined palace constantly containing
1 wheel, 1 whale, 1 blind man
belonging endlessly ever to coney island
u s a

Broadway Bums with
Antique Bellows
electric light bashed bulb
singing strange
of brown bellowing
bellows
blowing upon
the monumental memories of
an idiot

Fun House in Infinity
a clown’s dreary dream
within a box
then bursting exploding
in luna park
lulu without head

Machine Mechanical Horses
With One Eye
colorless cogs of many manless arms
jerking jumpily towards
the endless cycle involving two million
cylinders
of the varied
colored eye red blue yellow
maroon mammoth red eye staring stone
into infinity of the complex problem of
coney island u s a

Wooden Broken Egg Upon
Hallow Highway 66
dry dreary holy ducts moving
motionless upon
yelping steel yolk
of
the pulse pistons

Bird’s Nest in Twining Twigs
of Chicago Time
a red white blue pink eagle with
ten lizard legs
scratching screaming
at gruesome gallows
hanging the
abstract mind of al capone

Jealous Junked Jalopy
of Banjo Hillbillies
a wheel rolling roundly in the
cycle of time to
the plunking
constant pounding
of
bright white banjo
america u s a

Hugh Oliver Argraves and 58 Years with Surrealism (his personal notes)

1. 1940—wrote a “surreal” novel—rather large—rejected by New Directions publishers—combining Alice in Wonderland and the Depression of 1930s—now lost.

2. 1942—New Directions published my “Nine Surreal Poems” (same volume contained work by Ezra Pound and T. S. Elliot).

3. Small, usually “surreal” poems published in small literary mag. And poetry magazines (1941-1998).

4. 1950s—I published small books (of surreal poems) which are in libraries in U.S.A.

5. (1950-1998) My biography books concerning mostly “surreal” work in biographical books—Who’s Who in the Midwest, Illinois Lives, American Artists, etc. International biographies—Literature of Arts, also art and literary books.

6. One-man show at Burpee Art Gallery in Rockford, Illinois. 2 or 3 surreal works (1965–?)

7. Art shows in 3 New York City art galleries (mostly surreal work)

8. Wrote short stories in Compton, Illinois. 2 (1950s) surreal short stories.

9. Wrote 5 large plays (surreal in nature) called The Great Depression, Cabaret, Greenwich Village—The Twenties, The Freak House—none produced. But The Great Depression is on tape for TV of me reading The Great Depression and some small unfinished plays. The Last Train From Berlin, King Lear After Shakespeare—The Skeleton Play and The London Blitz.

10. Given the Jessica Holt Award in 1997.

11. 1997—Given retrospective of 40 years of my paintings at the Skuggi Art Gallery, Rockford, Ill.

12. In 1998, in Rockford Art Museum—2 shows. One which I have one painting in a show of paintings of the permanent collection and another of surreal painting of Outsider Artists.

13. In the future—all of these are slightly “surrealistic”—group of “surreal” poems about Rockford, Illinois—poems based on my play The Great Depression and some surreal poems on other subjects and some crayon drawings based upon drawings of Sir John Tenniel’s drawings of Alice in Wonderland, and finally I am working on a huge play encompassing 8 plays called The Skeleton Play—58 Years Surrealism.

Hugh Argraves

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a series, stamped: “ROCKFORD PUBLIC LIBRARY.” Handwritten: “R – 811 A691”

Poems by Hugh Oliver Argraves
Copy of an Original Manuscript by Hugh Oliver Argraves, American Poet, Listed in Who’s Who in the Midwest, with Original Literary Papers in the Illinois State Historical Library

The German Musician 1930
The thin musician puffs on the
thin winding horn,
And underneath the pressed tuxedo the
white shirt is torn,
but patched.
Try to keep the mind on the notes,
As the belly bloats,
from hunger.
Poorly paid,
Music staid,
Played,
with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
Worrying about the family in the cold flat.
As he sat,
Upon the stage, upon the chair,
With a hollow-eyed stare,
And played with a clash and a bang
for culture and the Berlin
Philharmonic
Symphony
Orchestra.

Antwerp Belgium 1945
The whirling waltz is over and done by a
misty smokey light.
The ghosts of steel gray have retreated into
the distance of history.
This a gay bitter sweet time.
Spring blossoms on Skipper Street and the
white faced people,
A one legged soldier limps,
Down a deserted street on a rainy
night.
A sound very light,
Of a continental tango
drifts as a mist,
As the soldier’s fist
grips the crutch of
wood and steel.
The leaves on the trees are green.

Time Passeth
Summer turns to winter,
And spring turns to fall.
All turn to dust, all.
The child ends in the grave amid the dark,
Ancient in body, hearing not the lark
of youth.
The bone doth splinter,
And the flesh turn to must.
Burial clothes doth turn to rags,
in the flat coffin booth.
But the spirit arises forever
And shines when the sun has burned
to shine, never again.
And to shout the praises of God,
when the earth’s-sod
has disappeared forever.

XL. God Returns to Heaven With Man and Satan is Reformed and Purified
Amid the singing of the angels God returns in
stately glory to Paradise and enters
Heaven once again as man walks in, in
glory.
God casts down his mighty hand and with a
roar destroys the inferno and its
Environs and bids SATAN and his
band to enter heaven once
again.
With a cry of anguish Satan is reformed
and all his band repent.
Their wings of black slowly turn to
pure white.
And GOD has purified Satan and all his band.

Captured by the Germans
The cannons boomed.
The skeletons in stately dress loomed,
large in the night clubs,
And Hitler danced in Napoleon’s tomb.
The nite club singer was tried for treason,
the reason
he would not sing for the
German race.
Treason to the skeleton crowd,
And the loud babble of the
intellectual.
The French singer was flung into
an old railroad car,
which started with the jar
of reality.

Editor’s note: Talk to you later, Red. Red says, with a grin, “Thank you, so much, to all of my friends.”

By the way, when you lived at my house, Red, I was always mystyfied as to how all the mice kept on living with all the traps I set. I wouldn’t let cats in the house because I am allergic to them. However, I really wish you hadn’t fed the mice in your room. They were really hard to get rid of after you left, and I hope you’re having a good time now feeding the cats and mice, grinning.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010, issue

Posted in Vibe Entertainment, Vibe Entertainment News | No Comments »

Waterkeeper News: Mega pollution requires a Gulf of real regulation

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

After attending a June 26 rally against slaughterhouses and huge hog confinement plants in Rock Island County, eastern Iowa and northwestern Illinois, and listening to speakers Karen Hudson of Illinois Citizens for Clean Air & Water, Chris Peterson of the Iowa Farmers' Union, Terry Spence of Family Farms for the Future, Frank Schier and Art Norris went exploring the next day and found a shop of a Rockford company on the Mississippi River. Universal Hovercraft, located here in Rockford just south of the Morgan Street bridge, also has a fine shop with many hovercraft in Cordova. For more about these inventive and amazing craftsmen, go to http://dev.hovercraft.com/content/. Co-owner Bill Zang was kind enough to have Shane Wikey take Schier and Norris out on the big river. To see more photos, go to http://picasaweb.google.com/quadcitieswaterkeeper/20100626HoverCraftMississippiRiver#, and click on "Slideshow." Willkey is also pictured in the slide show with Heidi Hill, who drove her hovercraft to work when the Iowa bridge was closed for repairs. The hovercraft under construction above can be seen at the Village of Winnebago's Fourth of July celebration. Ask nicely, and limited test rides might be available. Watch the upcoming issues of this paper for more about these great people and their incredible work. Photo by Frank Schier

Editor’s note: Art Norris is the Quad Cities Waterkeeper. He looks after 150 miles of the Mississippi River and about 100 miles of the lower Rock River. For more information, visit quadcitieswaterkeeperuppermississippi.org.

Please make the calls and e-mails he requests. The effort just takes an instant in a lifetime, and Mother Nature needs you.

By Art Norris
Quad Cities Waterkeeper (QCW)

In my last few columns, I have been talking about legally requiring an Environmental Impact Statement (I.E.S) for the proposed Triumph Foods pork processing plant on the Rock River, as well as the A. J. Boss mega-dairy in JoDaviess County, which is under construction and possible injuction.

For more information about the crisis in your neighboring county, go to www.StopTheMegaDairy.org.

The dangers of the ever-increasing industrial agriculture become more apparent every day. Is this why an I.E.S. is so important, you may ask?

Yes, if the industry can do this next to an Illinois wetland, and on top of karst, which comprises so much of the state, they can do it anywhere. As defined by www.karstwaters.org/kwitour/whatiskarst.htm,  “Karst is a special type of landscape that is formed by the dissolution of soluble rocks, including limestone and dolomite. Karst regions contain aquifers that are capable of providing large supplies of water.”

Weak (such as the superficial Environmental Impact Assessment [E.I.A.]) or no regulations are going to destroy Illinois’ watersheds if we don’t want to wake up to a Gulf-style disaster on our one or more of our rivers.

Please paste this address http://picasaweb.google.com/quadcitieswaterkeeper/RockRiverWetlandsWildlifeOfBarstow-RoadEastMolineIllinois# to see the Barstow Road Wetlands. The first seven photos were taken this past Saturday with Monica Eng, a Chicago Tribune reporter. These limited examples show what we all stand to lose. And where is the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency  (IEPA), you may ask?

An article from Trade and Industry Development states that former Rockford Mayor and IEPA Director Doug Scott is going to help Triumph Foods build with minimal environmental impact.  QCW would like to know what that is. Who determines what minimal is? Can Doug Scott provide a study on this minimal environmental impact? Someone should ask Mr. Scott what he meant by this statement. The article also states that the IEPA is working with Triumph Foods. This was before the project site was even bought. I would think the IEPA would be working with the public to protect the Illinois residents, wetlands, wildlife, and the drinking water of 18 million people all living on the Rock and Mississippi rivers. Industry first; citizens, the environment and lifewater last.

Read the pro-industry sentiment for yourself at http://www.tradeandindustrydev.com/issues/id-219-article.aspx.

WHAT HE'S FIGHTING FOR: Quad Cities Waterkeeper Art Norris stands behind the hydro-electric plant below the dam at Rock Island. He's looking in the direction of the site for the proposed Triumph Foods pork rendering plant on the Rock River, which will process 16,000 hogs a day. He not only fights for the Rock River, but also for the water quality of the Mississippi River so pelicans like these (below) can survive. Pelicans have been sighted locally this year at the site of the proposed bridge where Meridian Road meets the Rock River. Photos by Frank Schier

The www.tradeandindustrydev.com article states: “Local officials recognized concerns over the project’s potential drawbacks. ‘We are excited to be working with a modern facility that will implement best practices, ultimately producing minimal environmental impact while providing an important economic boost to the community,” said Illinois EPA Director Doug Scott. “We will work to guide Triumph and East Moline through the regulatory process to operate in both an environmentally and community-friendly way.’”

Speaking of a “guide,” just try to find out where the permit stage is. The IEPA site won’t allow the QCW to do a FOIA request. It’s been this way for more than two years. They say the URL doesn’t work. Here we go with snail mail, when the taxpayer dollars that built this site for fast FOIA replies seem to be wasted. Oddly, the rest of the site works fine.

One thing is for certain. Triumph Foods nor the IEPA can’t say if the plant is built and wells become contaminated, wetlands are destroyed, and water for millions polluted, they were not warned to do an Environmental Impact Statement to protect the public.

Hundreds of sworn affidavits exist against the Triumph Foods plant but the Corps wouldn’t accept them.

Now, from a report by CBS Channel 4 WHBF-TV, I am afraid Triumph Foods may have received their permits without even a public comment period, or maybe Doug Scott made them believe it was clear sailing. QCW recently heard that former Gov.  Rod Blagojevich and Doug Scott were roommates in Springfield when they were state representatives.

How sad is this? The people deserve to know who is handling the IEPA permit stage on Triumph Foods.

Please take action, and join the Quad Cities Waterkeeper; you have a right to have a voice for your Rock River.

Photo by Frank Schier

To speak up and help, go to http://quadcitieswaterkeeperuppermississippi.org/ or call 309-721-1800.

Also, please go to http://www.saveourgulf.org/ to “Donate and Help Save Our Gulf.”

As our site states: “The Gulf Waterkeepers are our first line of defense against the BP oil disaster. Their incredible knowledge of the marshes, wetlands, beaches and inner-coastal waters make them invaluable first responders. Their commitment makes them critical and effective community leaders. Their wealth of scientific, legal and political expertise provides answers to the questions we have about our environment. Their dedication to a full recovery of the Gulf is unmatched…

“Your donation provides everything the Waterkeepers need to help save the Gulf, from protective gear and clean-up supplies, to emergency office space and food for disaster-response volunteers.”

The need is urgent. Reports are coming back—some of the clean-up crews are getting sick.

Please go to http://www.saveourgulf.org/ and help now.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Waterkeeper News | No Comments »

Clock Tower to host ‘Blues Around the Clock’ Aug. 7

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

W.C. Clark, known as "The Godfather of Austin Blues," will headline the Blues Around the Clock festival Saturday, Aug. 7, at the Clock Tower Resort. Photo provided

By Jim Hagerty
Staff Writer

The vibrant Rockford-area festival season will be even more exciting for more music fans this year. The Blues Around the Clock festival is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 7, on the grounds of the Clock Tower Resort.

Seven bands, including headliner W.C. Clark, mentor to the late Stevie Ray Vaughan, are slated to play the 12-hour event. The festival will run 11 a.m. to 11. p.m. In the event of severe weather, the show will be brought inside the 10,000-square-foot banquet facility.

Clock Tower officials hope Blues Around the Clock will attract fans from throughout the region and bring business to area establishments, including the resort’s lounges, restaurants and indoor water park.

“This will be full of a lot of stars and full of a lot of fun,” Clock Tower Executive Chef and Food and Beverage Director Randall Smith said. “In picking the date, we tried to spread it out between the other things going on in Rockford that are exciting, so the entire summer is filled with events (that) continue to create energy in Rockford.”

Special room rates and packages will be available during the event.

Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the gate. Children younger than 10 are admitted free. Advanced tickets can be purchased by calling the Clock Tower at (815) 229-4572 or at the Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery. Room reservations can be made at clocktowerresort.com.

Blues Around the Clock lineup

Alex Wilson Band; Perry Weber and the Devilles; Sequoia and the Virgins; Purgatory Hill, featuring Pat MacDonald and Melanie Jane; The Jimmy’s; Barstool Bob Blues Band; The Velveetatones, featuring Ken Saydak, Tony Menzer, Craig Panosh and “Lost Jim” Ohlshmidt; and W.C. Clark.

The Clock Tower Resort is at 7801 E. State St., Rockford.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Music, Vibe Entertainment News | 2 Comments »

On Outdoors: 20-pound Asian carp caught near Chicago, fear of species reaching Great Lakes increases

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

By Jim Hagerty
Staff Writer

Wildlife officials in Illinois reported last week that a 20-pound bighead Asian carp has been caught just 6 miles from Lake Michigan. The fish was caught in Lake Calumet, beyond an electric barrier designed to keep the species out of the Great Lakes.

According to Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) officials, the catch marks the first time an Asian carp has been found beyond the Calumet River electric barrier.

Wildlife officials have been fighting the species from entering the Great Lakes for several years, as Asian carp pose serious threats to the ecosystem. Asian carp are voracious eaters and can quickly change the scope of the Great Lakes’ underwater landscape. Able to eat their body weight in a day, Asian carp feed so rapidly they could legitimately starve out populations of trout, whitefish and other commercially beneficial fish, DNR officials said.

Asian carp are also skittish fish and are known to soar out of the water when startled. Several anglers have reported being injured by random carp darting through the air.

This week’s catch has re-raised several red flags with state wildlife and health departments, placing the option of closing vital Mississippi River tributary shipping docks in Chicago back on the table.

In January, a lawsuit that would have closed the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal was denied, keeping the locks open to avoid economic devastation to the shipping, farming and fishing industries in the Great Lakes region.

Officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said June 24 that the recent capture should not be a deciding factor to shut down shipping lanes.

“We will continue to support fish suppression activities by modifying existing structures, such as locks, as requested by other agencies to support this common goal,” Col. Vincent Quarles said. “At this time, there is no intention to close the locks.”

Earlier this month, a kill census was conducted in the Calumet River that resulted in more than 100,000 pounds of dead fish. No Asian carp were found.

The lawsuit that has kept locks open was filed by the state of Michigan against Illinois in December 2009. The suit, which Minnesota and several Great Lakes environmental groups backed, was thrown out by the Supreme Court a month later.

Meantime, officials say the existence of a few fish does not indicate efforts to keep the species out of the Great Lakes have failed, and that there is no evidence Asian carp are breaching barriers in large numbers.

According to claims, there are dozens of possibilities as to how Asian carp can find their way into the Great Lakes.

“According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, there are 21 pathways through which Asian carp could have been introduced north of the barrier—including recent heavy rainfall and human transport,” Mark Biel, executive director of the Chemical Industry Council of Illinois, said. “In fact, the U.S. EPA is currently studying the collected specimen in an attempt to determine its source.”

Biel added that decisions to close shipping lanes based on the discovery of one Asian carp would be unwarranted without additional facts.

Outdoors news and photos can be sent directly to Jim Hagerty at jim.hagerty@rockrivertimes.com. Glossies and hard-copy press kits can be mailed or delivered to The Rock River Times’ office at 128 N. Church St., Rockford, IL 61101. Jim can be reached at (815) 964-9767.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

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Theater Review: Some Like It Hot is still hot…and sweet as Sugar at Drury Lane!

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

By Bill Beard

Some of you may not remember, unless you watch late-night movie re-runs, the wonderful old film that made history in 1959, Some Like It Hot. It starred Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon as Joe and Jerry, two out-of-work musicians in Prohibition-era Chicago, and with Marilyn Monroe as the sexy singer-ukulele-playing Sugar Kane, soloist with Sweet Sue’s “Society Syncopaters,” an all-girl band, ready to move from Chicago to a new gig at a posh resort in Miami.

When Joe and Jerry accidentally witness a Valentine’s Day murder scene and become the target for Mob “witness disposal” retaliation, the boys, desperate to get out of town, disguise themselves as girls and grab last-minute jobs as Sweet Sue’s new saxophone and bull fiddle players, and they’re off to Miami.

Sugar, the Musical, now playing at the Drury Lane, Oak Brook, is the 1972 stage musical adaptation of that wonderful movie. Actually, it’s more than that. It is what Drury Lane’s award-winning Director-Choreographer Jim Corti refers to as a “re-imagining” of the show. I reviewed Mr. Corti’s production of Sweet Charity in March 2008, with the magnificent Summer Smart in the title role. It was a superb show, and went on to win Corti the Jeff Award as Best Director that year. He brings the same brilliance to his staging of Sugar, and more. He has judiciously pruned and honed script and score and added real pace, sparkling energy and a sense of style. He has produced a gleeful hit.

His directorial concept sets the production in a film studio, where we are exposed to all of the technical “backstage” elements involved therein, like microphones, imaginary cameras; the lowering of flown scenery and lights; and huge spotlights being wheeled around the stage by a crew of stagehands in coveralls; as well as the actors’ entrances and exits and off-stage activity. It’s all quite fascinating, whether really helpful.

Frankly, by the middle of Act II, it seemed a bit much, and I began to wonder whether the effect added enough to this already busy, fun-filled comedy to make it worth it.

At times, the peripheral activity almost seemed to distract from the fantastic scenery by the ever-prolific Brian Sidney Bembridge and gorgeous costumes by Melissa Torchia. But the extra dimension did add to what can only be called a simple, two-dimensional plot.

The music, which is clever, upbeat and fun, is by Jule Styne, who also wrote Funny Girl and Gypsy; but although none of the songs from Sugar ended up famous, they all work beautifully in developing the characters and the plot situations, e.g., “Doin’ It For Sugar,” “We Could Be Close” and the “Shell Oil” song.

Director Corti has found an excellent ensemble. The two male leads are perfectly cast; one, the confident, good-looking male on the prowl; the other, a somewhat shy, uncertain, easily intimidated would-be lover.

As Joe/“Josephine,” matinee-idol handsome Rod Thomas makes a passably lovely, tall, slender and very “leggy” lady, passing fair, but not a real beauty. On the other hand, Alan Schmuckler, the actor, is himself a cute little guy, personally endearing and engaging; and as Jerry/“Daphne”…well, he is still endearing, and yes! He is still cute! Sweet, lovable and downright “cute”! I much prefer his Daphne to the movie’s Jack Lemmon; and as good as Robert Morse was on Broadway, Mr. Schmuckler is even more adorable.

The lovely Jennifer Knox, as the sexy bombshell singer Sugar Kane, is a delightful surprise. Forsaking any similarity to the beautifully ditzy dumb blond as perfected by Marilyn Monroe in the film, Ms. Knox gives us a multi-dimensional, sweetly-naïve and charmingly-believable character, who not only sings well, but also dances superbly.

Strong performances by Tammy Mader as bandleader Sweet Sue, and Stef Tovar as her Road Manager, Bienstock, plus an excellent ensemble, add to the already splendid evening. Only the character of Osgood Fielding Jr., the dirty old millionaire with the yacht, seems out of sync here. No one should expect Joe D. Lauck to bring a Joe E. Brown imitation to the stage; Brown was a one-of-a-kind clown. But the character should be fun, and funny; and styled at least a little bit of a caricature. This Osgood was too credible, authentic, too straightforward; right off a real yacht.

Jim Corti has given Oak Brook another frothy summer pastiche. Don’t miss it! Sugar plays through Aug. 1. Call (630) 530-0111 or visit www.drurylaneoakbrook.com today.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Theater, Vibe Entertainment, Vibe Entertainment News | No Comments »

Fierce Green Fire: Meet the Beatles at the aquarium to see the oil spill

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

By Jonathan Hicks
Staff Writer

Much has been made of the response plan for the oil spill in the Gulf. Debated in coffee shops and in newspaper editorials, we have listened, argued, assigned blame and sought understanding. However, while we focus on the novelty of this situation, ultimately, life is just business as usual.

At the end of the day, we all focus on the situation in our own ways. The oil company tries to keep drilling. The president tries to make everyone happy. Political pundits argue. Scientists analyze data. The often-eulogized fishing industry keeps fishing, even if not as much. Singers sing songs. Celebrities try to cash in. Writers like me keep writing.

All of us do what we do because, well, it is just what we do. We are all affected in our own ways, but ultimately life keeps moving. (The naïve part of me wishes we would all stop what we are doing, and realize that large-scale societal change will be the only real remedy to situations like this. Perhaps that is a tangent for next week, however.)

In some ways, knowing that life goes on—what I like to call the “Ob-la-di, ob-la-da lifestyle”—is calming. So while the Beatles’ 1968 hit may be onto something with its happy-go-lucky attitude, it is worth remembering that the same album also featured downer tracks including “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “Happiness Is a Warm Gun.”

What this is all meant to say is that, while the world keeps moving, it does so in an altered fashion—one impacted by this oil spill. While the up-tempo optimistic attitude gets us through some hard moments, it is not the full picture. So while we are all busy doing what we do, humming “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” we do so with a dark, oil-tinted stain in our minds. How to acknowledge both mindsets without coming across as overly gloomy, cheerful or ambivalent is incredibly difficult. But in “doing what they do,” the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium (NMRMA) may have found the perfect balance.

Last weekend, the Dubuque, Iowa, facility opened a new display—one completely devoid of life. Originally intended as a display showcasing the diverse Gulf of Mexico ecosystem, the aquarium instead decided to use the oil spill as a tool for education and awareness. Instead of the expected lively creatures, the fishless display tank—nearly as large as a bus—will instead showcase an oil slick steadily descending on artificial coral. The display is meant to enlighten visitors in a way that television screens simply cannot.

The aquarium and museum is approximately 95 miles west of Rockford, just across the Mississippi River on the Iowa border. Well worth the trip any time of year, this new display simply adds another reason to visit. At 350 E. Third St., in Dubuque, NMRMA is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, and $10 for kids ages 3-17. A riverside patio makes the site a great place for a scenic lunch. For more information, visit mississippirivermuseum.com or call (800) 226-3369.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Fierce Green Fire | No Comments »

Boone County Conservation District Trail Safety Watch Program

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

From press release

The Boone County Conservation District is creating a Trail Safety Watch Program and is looking for volunteers to join their first Patrol Crew.

The purpose of the Safety Watch Program is to provide safe and pleasant visits to Boone County Conservation District sites.

Working in pairs, volunteers will bike or walk the trails and alert Boone County Conservation District staff to any conditions that may be unsafe.

The Boone County Sheriff’s Department and the Belvidere Police Department will work with volunteer members of the trail safety group.

An informational meeting will be at 6:30 p.m., July 7, at the Roger D. Gustafson Nature Center, 603 N. Appleton Road, Belvidere. This meeting will provide information about the program, and volunteers can sign up at the meeting. Volunteers must be at least 21 years of age, physically able to travel the trails, and able to pass a background check.

For more information, contact Bev Kalas, volunteer/events coordinator, at Boone County Conservation District, at (815) 597-1097 or (815) 547-7935.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

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Timber Lake stages Oklahoma!

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Timber Lake Playhouse resident actress Lauren Omelson as Laurey in Oklahoma!. Photo provided

From press release

MOUNT CARROLL, Ill.—Timber Lake Playhouse (TLP), northwestern Illinois’ non-profit professional summer theater, presents the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma!. Artistic Director James Beaudry teams up with Choreographer Will Taylor to breathe new life into the story of the American frontier. This charming audience favorite runs July 1-11.

Originally produced in 1943 and based on Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs, Oklahoma! was a box office smash hit that saw an unprecedented 2,212 performances before closing. Considered the beginning of the modern American musical, the classic Oklahoma! tells the story of the rivalry between local ranchers and farmers as they struggle for control for the Oklahoma Territory. This provides a colorful background against which Curly (TLP resident Jay Ellis), a handsome cowboy, and Laurey (resident Lauren Omelson), a winsome farm girl, play out their love story.

The love story will be highlighted with choreography by Will Taylor, guest for the first time at TLP from New York. Taylor has appeared on Broadway in A Chorus Line, The Producers, La Cage Aux Folles and 42nd Street. He can be seen in this summer’s Sex and the City: 2. Local children and teens will be working directly with Taylor in this production.

Artistic Director James Beaudry said: “Timber Lake Playhouse offers an opportunity of a lifetime for our local community. Local actors will be able to leave the show with a professional acting credit at TLP and the experience working with someone who is on the highest level of our theater profession.”

Local children and teen ensemble members include: Melissa Fitzpatrick and Leslie Neis of Mount Carroll; Levi Skoog and Lauren Hackburn of Chadwick; Katherine Groezinger of Hanover; Cody Sturtevant of Thompson; Gentry Lessman of Shannon; Kallie and Morgan Zuidema, Cate Payan, and Harrison Schmidt of Sterling; and Lauren Sheffey and Kassidy Stephan of Pearl City. Local adult actors include John Chase (Mount Morris) as Andrew Carnes and TLP returning actor Gene Dymkowski (Clinton) as Cord Elam.

Following Oklahoma!, acclaimed Quad Cities Director Derek Bertelsen will stage the brilliantly funny farce, Love, Sex and the I.R.S., opening July 15. Curtains and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, two of Broadway’s newest smash musicals, are next on TLP’s lineup. A backstage murder mystery comedy that’s stuffed full of big dance numbers, Curtains is a “new, old-fashioned” musical from the writers of Chicago. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee has charmed audiences around the country and was a surprise hit on Broadway, which prompted the New York Times to ask, “Can you spell I-R-R-E-S-I-S-T-I-B-L-E?”

Many TLP performances are already selling out. Group discounts are available for groups of 12 or more. To purchase tickets or place group reservations, call the Timber Lake Playhouse Box Office between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. at (815) 244-2035. Adult tickets are $20, all children and student tickets are $11. Visit www.timberlakeplayhouse.org for a list of specific show dates and times.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

From press release

MOUNT CARROLL, Ill.—Timber Lake Playhouse (TLP), northwestern Illinois’ non-profit professional summer theater, presents the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma!. Artistic Director James Beaudry teams up with Choreographer Will Taylor to breathe new life into the story of the American frontier. This charming audience favorite runs July 1-11.

Originally produced in 1943 and based on Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs, Oklahoma! was a box office smash hit that saw an unprecedented 2,212 performances before closing. Considered the beginning of the modern American musical, the classic Oklahoma! tells the story of the rivalry between local ranchers and farmers as they struggle for control for the Oklahoma Territory. This provides a colorful background against which Curly (TLP resident Jay Ellis), a handsome cowboy, and Laurey (resident Lauren Omelson), a winsome farm girl, play out their love story.

The love story will be highlighted with choreography by Will Taylor, guest for the first time at TLP from New York. Taylor has appeared on Broadway in A Chorus Line, The Producers, La Cage Aux Folles and 42nd Street. He can be seen in this summer’s Sex and the City: 2. Local children and teens will be working directly with Taylor in this production.

Artistic Director James Beaudry said: “Timber Lake Playhouse offers an opportunity of a lifetime for our local community. Local actors will be able to leave the show with a professional acting credit at TLP and the experience working with someone who is on the highest level of our theater profession.”

Local children and teen ensemble members include: Melissa Fitzpatrick and Leslie Neis of Mount Carroll; Levi Skoog and Lauren Hackburn of Chadwick; Katherine Groezinger of Hanover; Cody Sturtevant of Thompson; Gentry Lessman of Shannon; Kallie and Morgan Zuidema, Cate Payan, and Harrison Schmidt of Sterling; and Lauren Sheffey and Kassidy Stephan of Pearl City. Local adult actors include John Chase (Mount Morris) as Andrew Carnes and TLP returning actor Gene Dymkowski (Clinton) as Cord Elam.

Following Oklahoma!, acclaimed Quad Cities Director Derek Bertelsen will stage the brilliantly funny farce, Love, Sex and the I.R.S., opening July 15. Curtains and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, two of Broadway’s newest smash musicals, are next on TLP’s lineup. A backstage murder mystery comedy that’s stuffed full of big dance numbers, Curtains is a “new, old-fashioned” musical from the writers of Chicago. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee has charmed audiences around the country and was a surprise hit on Broadway, which prompted the New York Times to ask, “Can you spell I-R-R-E-S-I-S-T-I-B-L-E?”

Many TLP performances are already selling out. Group discounts are available for groups of 12 or more. To purchase tickets or place group reservations, call the Timber Lake Playhouse Box Office between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. at (815) 244-2035. Adult tickets are $20, all children and student tickets are $11. Visit www.timberlakeplayhouse.org for a list of specific show dates and times.

Posted in Theater, Vibe Entertainment News | No Comments »

Conservation Day-Camp at Nygren Wetland Preserve

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

From press release

Local land conservation organizations will host a Conservation Day-Camp at the Nygren Wetland Preserve west of Rockton, Ill., July 12-16. The camp runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day and offers hands-on educational opportunities in a natural setting to youngsters in grades 7 through 10.

Greg Keilback of the Natural Land Institute said local groups will lead the activities.

“Severson Dells Nature Center will host Adventures in the Wetlands on day one, followed the next day by the Rockford Park District’s Ecosystems of Northern Illinois,” Keilback said. “On subsequent days, there will be programs by the Winnebago County Soil and Water Conservation District on Soil Ecology, by Pheasants Forever on Conservation Ethics, by Nicholson Lawn and Garden on Tools of the Trade, and by the Natural Land Institute on the restoration of the Nygren Wetland Preserve.”

Don Miller, executive director at Severson Dells Nature Center, said his organization is participating in the Conservation Camp because hands-on nature education has been the group’s goal for more than 30 years.

“We at Severson Dells know that hands-on experiences and spending time in the outdoors gives one a healthier life both physically and mentally, gives meaning to one’s life and instills a sense of place in the community,” Miller said.

The Natural Land Institute is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Nygren Wetland Preserve in 2010. NLI has largely restored the site to its native state—100 acres of prairie, 150 acres of woodland and 450 acres of wetlands. Among the many bird and animal species that have returned to the preserve are sandhill cranes, river otters and Blanding’s turtles.

Cost of the camp is $150 per child. To reduce the cost by $50, children are encouraged to submit an essay about conservation and how it has impacted their life. Essay must be submitted before camp starts July 12, and be at least half a page in length, and no more than two pages. Info: Greg Keilback at (815) 298-5095.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

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Tube Talk: Summer faves return

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

By Paula Hendrickson
Contributing Writer

When Rescue Me ended last season with Tommy Gavin (Denis Leary) shot by his Uncle Teddy (Lenny Clarke) and bleeding out on the bar room floor, there wasn’t any real fear Tommy would die. After all, he’s the central focus of FX’s funniest drama. (Or, is that its most dramatic comedy?) The real question was: How’s he going to survive survival?

Tommy is a mess. He’s from one of TV’s most dysfunctional families (after all, he was shot by his alcoholic uncle, who went to prison for murdering the drunk driver who killed Tommy’s son, and who now blames Tommy for serving Teddy’s alcoholic wife the same night she was killed in her own drunk driving accident). During the run of the show, Tommy’s lost his cousin, son, brother, father and fellow firefighters—all of whom still haunt him. Further complicating things, he’s involved with his estranged wife (Andrea Roth) and his cousin’s widow (Callie Thorne), he has strained relationships with both of his daughters, and still isn’t really sure if his youngest child is his or his late brother’s.

Thank goodness one of Tommy’s coping mechanisms is humor.

It’s easy to understand why Tommy prefers to spend his time at the firehouse, surrounded by Dumb Sean (Steven Pasquale), Probie (Mike Lombardi), Black Shawn (Larenz Tate), Franco (Daniel Sunjata), Lou (John Scurti) and even Needles (Adam Ferrara). As much as they annoy him, the guys are a respite from his personal dramas.

Rescue Me can be crass, crude and offensive, but it also delivers some of the most poignant and dramatic moments you’ll ever see on TV.

On a lighter note: two fun, quirky Syfy shows return in July: Warehouse 13 and Eureka.

Warehouse 13 is about two Secret Service agents, Pete and Myka (Eddie McClintock and Joanne Kelly), hand-picked by the mysterious—and apparently ageless—Mrs. Frederic (CCH Pounder) to protect the unusual, powerful and often supernatural artifacts housed in a beyond-top-secret government warehouse. The unassuming structure, in a remote part of South Dakota, is merely an entrance to the vast storage space overseen by Artie (Saul Rubinek).

Half the fun of Warehouse 13 is the interaction of the characters, but it’s the warehouse’s missing objects and new items they need to hunt down that keep the action going.

Likewise, on Eureka, scientific gizmos gone awry further the plot and character development, but the real fun is watching Eureka’s top scientists—including Henry (Joe Morton), Allison (Salli Richardson-Whitfield), Fargo (Neil Grayston) and Zane (Niall Matter), all with access to all of Global Dynamic’s super-secret technology and government resources—struggle to solve the impending catastrophe while the town’s only non-genius, Sheriff Carter (Colin Ferguson), breaks the situation into its simplest terms and uses deductive reasoning to save the day.

Fans of Warehouse 13 and Eureka have a crossover to look forward to. On Warehouse 13’s Aug. 3 episode, Fargo arrives to upgrade the warehouse’s computer system, and Aug. 6, Warehouse 13’s Claudia (Allison Scagliotti) returns the favor with a visit to Eureka.

Whether you prefer sci-fi comedies with flashes of drama, or a twisted drama with moments of comedy, at least one of these shows should appeal to you.

Programming notes

Rescue Me airs Tuesdays on FX at 9 p.m.

Warehouse 13 returns to Syfy Tuesday, July 6, at 8 p.m.

Eureka returns for Syfy Friday, July 9, at 8 p.m.

Paula Hendrickson is a regular contributor to Emmy magazine and Variety, and has been published in numerous national publications, including American Bungalow, Television Week and TVGuide. Send in your suggestions to tubetalking-paula@yahoo.com.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

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Literary Hook: ‘The Clearing: Haiku in Spring’

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

By Christine Swanberg
Author and Poet

In our continuing series about The Clearing in Door County, Wisconsin, please enjoy these haiku written by Carol Fox. She participated in the writing workshop there.

As stated on her Haiku in Spring chapbook: “Carol Fox has been a librarian, teacher, professor, consultant, and author. She has also loved to read and write poetry. The Clearing in springtime is a beautiful poem of its own. These haiku are Fox’s expression of some of that larger poem.”

She is also a member of the Tuesday Writers Group.

The Clearing: Haiku in Spring
By Carol J. Fox

Bellwort
Drooping yellow bells
Tolling amidst pale green leaves
Solemn soothing silence

Great White Trillium
Full face to the moon
Spread over the forest floor
Snow white and gleaming

Midnight Haiku
The night’s clouds and rain
Whirring, whistling wind in the trees
Became two bright stars

Dwarf Lake Irises
Elfin purple beauties
Nestled rare and mystical
Ball gowns for sprites

Lady Slippers
Yellow baby shoes
Puffed up near lacy tendrils
Newborn tenderness

Northern White Cedar
Shoreline arborvitae
Tendril roots grow on rock cliffs
Alive for centuries

Water
Glistening raindrop
On the flat green leaf of spring
Sure sweet core of life

Sunset
Sun on the water
Golden whitecaps dance toward shore
Then break into laughing sparks

Violets
Buried in green leaves
Purple plum wine mauve pink white
Demure profusion

Niagara Escarpment
Great gray limestone cliffs
Tower over rocky shores
Bedrock of my thought

Quadrillium
Great white trillium
With four leaves and four petals
You shock the sense of possible

Wild Ginger
Emerald green lobes
Hiding bells of deep crimson
A find of pure pleasure

Elm
American Elm
Childhood friend and protector
You live again here

Christine Swanberg has published about 300 poems in 70 journals and anthologies. An interview with her appears in the 2008 Poet’s Market.

She is available for mentoring through Jane’s Stories Foundation. Part of her mentoring is suggesting possible journals.

Swanberg’s books include Who Walks Among the Trees with Charity (Wind Publishing, Kentucky), The Red Lacquer Room (Chiron Publishing, Kansas), The Tenderness of Memory (Plainview Press, Texas), Slow Miracle (Lakeshore Publishing, Illinois), Invisible String (Erie St., Illinois), Bread Upon the Waters (Windfall, Wisconsin) and Tonight on this Late Road (Erie St., Illinois).

She teaches writing at The Clearing in Door County, Wisconsin, and gives workshops and readings thoughout the United States.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

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Temple Baptist Church honors Illinois National Guard July 4

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

From press release

Join Temple Baptist Church at 10:30 a.m., July 4, for a special recognition and appreciation for the men and women who serve with the Illinois National Guard and Reserve. Special guest speaker will be Col. John Gessner (Ret.).

This family-friendly service will be at Temple Baptist Church, 3215 E. State St. (one block west of Fairview on State) in Rockford. Be sure to stay after for the picnic, sand volleyball, games and more.

For more information, call Dawn Vich at (815) 399-2665 or e-mail dawnv@tbcrockford.com.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

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Durand offers two days of Fourth of July events

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Kids step off first as they lead Durand's big Fourth of July parade. The town celebrates the Fourth with a two-day celebration starting Saturday, July 3. For information and an events schedule, go to www.durandevents.com. Photo provided

From press release

DURAND, Ill.—You don’t have to go far, and you don’t have to spend much to enjoy yourself during this year’s Fourth of July weekend.

Durand’s two-day festival is Saturday and Sunday, July 3-4. It includes professional and amateur go-kart racing, a street dance, outhouse races, a parade, the second-best fireworks display in the Rockford area, food, beverages and more. The festival is sponsored by DARTS, the Durand Area Retailers, Trades and Services. Most activities are free.

Scheduled events include the following:

Saturday, July 3

10 a.m.—Professional Kart Racing

11 a.m.—Children’s Fun Fair

8 p.m.—Street Dance

Sunday, July 4

9 a.m.—Bulldog Challenge Amateur Go-Kart Racing

11 a.m.—Tractor Pulls

11 a.m.—American Legion Chicken BBQ

Noon-4 p.m.—Ice Cream Social, Durand United Methodist Church

1:30 p.m.—Children’s Parade & Regular Parade

2:30 p.m.—Bulldog Challenge Finals

4 p.m.—Outhouse Race

9:30 p.m.—Fireworks Display

Anyone wishing to participate in the Bulldog Challenge amateur go-kart races, outhouse races, parade, or as a vendor can find sign-up information on the event Web site, www.durandevents.com.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

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Sheet Music Festival July 10 at JustGoods

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

From press release

The Third Annual Sheet Music Festival will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, July 10, at JustGoods Listening Room, 201 Seventh St., Rockford.

Richard Zimmerman will do a program on ragtime music. He has been largely responsible for the worldwide revival of ragtime, and is one of its key figures as both a performer and a historian.

Zimmerman has a broad repertoire of several hundred rags, which he has performed around the world on stage, radio and television.

Tracy Doyle, the leading authority on the area’s most important Tin Pan Alley composer Egbert Van Alstyne, will discuss his music. Van Alstyne was born in Marengo, Ill. He composed many great hits at the turn of the last century, such as “In the Shade Of The Old Apple Tree.”

Local collector Lee Schreiner will discuss music written and/or published in Rockford since its early days.

Admission is free. Sheet music will be bought, sold and appraised. Bring in your old music and have it played for you.

Call Lee Schreiner at (815) 961-8664 or e-mail him at Lee1809@yahoo.com for more information.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Music, Vibe Entertainment News | No Comments »

Long-time crossword puzzle creator steps down

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

The Rock River Times (TRRT) regrets that long-time crossword puzzle creator Jeremy T. Paine will no longer be able to provide crossword puzzles for publication in TRRT.

Paine’s first TRRT puzzle, “TRRT Special,” appeared in the Sept. 3-9, 2003, issue. Since that time, his puzzles have appeared in every weekly issue (besides the June 16-22, 2010, issue) and have become a staff and reader favorite.

TRRT was proud to include the work of Paine—a former Rockford resident—in a section of the newspaper that, in most publications, does not include original content. TRRT appreciates all of Jeremy’s efforts over the years, and wishes him the best with his future endeavors.

In the coming weeks, TRRT will explore options for future puzzles. Readers can share any ideas or thoughts they might have by e-mailing contact@rockrivertimes.com.

Meantime, to get your crossword fix, work Paine’s archived interactive crossword puzzles online at www.rockrivertimes.com. E-mail Paine at jeremy61107@yahoo.com.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010, issue

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Music Calendar: Week of June 30-July 6, 2010

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Wednesday, June 30

Vinyl Voodoo – Mary’s Place, 602 N. Madison St. 10:30 p.m. Free. Every Wed. Info: 815-962-7944.

1st Entertainment Karaoke – Club Impulse, 132 W. Grand Ave., Beloit, Wis. 6p.m.-2 a.m. Every Wed. Info: 608-361-0000.

Rob Tomaro Jazz Trio w/Special Guest Artist – Café Belwah, Beloit Inn, 500 Pleasant St., Beloit, Wis. 6-10 p.m. Free. Every Wed. Info: 608-363-1110.

KJ Laurie & 5 Star Karaoke – Shooter’s Bar & Grill East, 7171 CherryVale Blvd., Cherry Valley. 9 p.m. Info: 815-332-5229.

Reggae Night with DJ Tommy Tsunami – Bar 3, 326 E. State St. Info: 815-968-9061.

Open Mic Night – The Hope & Anchor, 5040 N. Second St., Loves Park. Info: 815-633-2552.

Open Mic Night – Swilligan’s Pub, 200 N. Church St. Info: 815-965-6414.

Ken Curtis – Rockton Inn, 102 E. Main St., Rockton. Info: 815-624-8877.

Zero Johnny – Brio, 515 E. State St. Info: 815-968-9463.

Thursday, July 1

Open Stage – Mary’s Place, 602 N. Madison St. 9:30 p.m. Free. Every Thurs. Info: 815-962-7944.

The Monday Morning Dixie Band – FIBS, 105 W. Main St., Rockton. 6-9 p.m. Every Thurs. Info: 815-624-6018.

Harlan Jefferson & White Chocolate – Rockton Inn, 102 E. Main St., Rockton. Info: 815-624-8877.

Madman John & 1st Entertainment Services Karaoke Contest – Shooter’s Bar & Grill, 4007 E. State St. Info: 815-399-0683.

DJ/Hip-Hop – Chubby Rain House of Tunes, 4210 Countryside Estates Drive, Poplar Grove. 8 p.m. Every Thurs. Info: 815-765-1884.

Karaoke – Krypto Music Lounge, 308 W. State St. Every Thurs. Info: 815-965-0931.

Open Mic – Cronies Grill, 9032 N. Second St., Machesney Park. Every Thurs. Info: 815-282-2262.

KJ Monte & 5 Star Karaoke – JD’s Sports Bar & Grill, 908 W. Riverside Blvd. 9:30 p.m. Every Thurs. Info: 815-639-9488.

Karaoke w/Mike – Scoobie’s Redneck Bar & Grill, 2942 11th St. Info: 815-742-9511.

DJ/Karaoke – Whiskey’s Roadhouse, 3207 N. Main St. Info: 815-877-8007.

Reggae Thursday – Bar 3, 326 E. State St. Every Thurs. Info: 815-968-9061.

Grateful Dead Night – Big Cities Lounge, 905 E. State St. Info: 815-965-6026.

Moonlight Jazz Orchestra – Sinnissippi Park Music Shell, 1401 N. Second St. 7:30 p.m. Info: 815-968-7529.

Friday, July 2

RSO Independence Day Spectacular: Pictures at an Exhibition – Rock Valley College, Starlight Theatre, 3301 N. Mulford Road. 6 p.m. Info: 815-921-2160.

Emily Hurd – Rockford City Market, 200 Water St. Info: 815-964-4388.

David Ireland – Swilligan’s Pub, 200 N. Church St. Info: 815-965-6414.

The Blue Moon Project – Krypto Music Lounge, 308 W. State St. Info: 815-965-0931.

Eastern Blok – Mary’s Place, 602 N. Madison St. Info: 815-962-7944.

Pistol Pete – Big Cities Lounge, 905 E. State St. Info: 815-965-6026.

FNR– Chubby Rain House of Tunes, 4210 Countryside Estates Drive, Poplar Grove. Info: 815-765-1884.

Ron E. Rawhoof – Borders Bookstore, 199 Deane Drive. Info: 815-399-2890.

Bob Affholder & Karaoke – Rockton Inn, 102 E. Main St., Rockton. Info: 815-624-8877.

Joey – Northwoods Bar & Grill, 200 E. Riverside Blvd., Loves Park. Every Fri. Info: 815-636-8560.

Line Dancing with Kelly – Boonie’s Roadhouse, 7940 S. Main St. Info: 815-962-1567.

Madman John & 1st Entertainment Services Video DJ Show – Club Impulse, 132 W. Grand Ave. Beloit, Wis. Info: 608-361-0000.

DJ Steve Shannon – The Hope & Anchor, 5040 N. Second St., Loves Park. Info: 815-633-2552.

DJ – Sports Page Bar & Grill, 3907 Broadway. 9 p.m. Info: 815-399-3185.

DJ – Miranda’s Pub & Grill, 6116 Mulford Village Drive. 9 p.m. Free. Info: 815-381-0073.

DJ – Oscar’s Pub & Grill, 5980 E. State St. 9 p.m. Free. Info: 815-399-6100.

DJ – Manor Nightclub, 293 Executive Pkwy. 9 p.m. Free. Info: 815-394-0077.

DJ – Brewsky’s, 4414 Charles St. 9:30 p.m. Free. Info: 815-399-9300.

DJ – Cousin’s Bar & Grill, 510 S. Perryville Road. 9:30 p.m. Free. Info: 815-316-2660.

DJ – RBI’s, 3870 N. Perryville Road. 9 p.m. Info: 815-877-5592.

DJ – Tad’s, 10 E. Riverside Blvd., Loves Park. 9 p.m. Info: 815-654-3500.

DJ – The Office Niteclub, 513 E. State St. 9 p.m. Info: 815-965-0344.

DJ Jonny – Shooter’s Bar & Grill, 4007 E. State St. 8 p.m. Info: 815-399-0683.

DJ – Casey’s Pub, 77307 N. Alpine Road. 10 p.m. Free. Info: 815-316-2274.

DJ Mark & Lana – FIBS, 105 W. Main St., Rockton. 9:30 p.m. Free. Info: 815-624-6018.

DJ – JD’s Sports Bar & Grill, 908 W. Riverside Blvd. Info: 815-639-9488.

DJ/Karaoke – Whiskey’s Roadhouse, 3207 N. Main St. Info: 815-877-8007.

DJ/Karaoke – Jayne’s Place, 2229 Anderson Drive, Belvidere. Info: 815-544-5153.

DJ Foley – The Breeze Sports Bar & Grill, 3801 N. Perryville Road. 9:30 p.m. Free. Info: 815-633-4141.

RPM’s DJ Service – Backstop Bar & Grill, 1830 Union Ave., Belvidere. 8:30 p.m. Free. Info: 815-547-8100.

Saturday, July 3

Bearquarium – Brio, 515 E. State St. Info: 815-968-9463.

The Hell Hounds – Mary’s Place, 602 N. Madison St. Info: 815-962-7944.

Screw City Saints – Swilligan’s Pub, 200 N. Church St. Info: 815-965-6414.

Laura Bayliss – The Gun Club, 1122 E. Colley Road, Beloit, Wis. Info: 608-362-9900.

Richard Perso – Big Cities Lounge, 905 E. State St. Info: 815-965-6026.

Green Light Nights: The Goodyear Pimps, NIL8, Geronimo, Best of the School of Rock Winners – Outside Krypto Music Lounge, 308 W. State St., on new Main Street. Info: 815-965-0931.

The Sensations – Shooter’s Bar & Grill, 4007 E. State St. Info: 815-399-0683.

No Dice – Chubby Rain House of Tunes, 4210 Countryside Estates Drive, Poplar Grove. Info: 815-765-1884.

DJ – Swilligan’s Pub, 200 N. Church St. Info: 815-965-6414.

DJ – Oscar’s Pub & Grill, 5980 E. State St. 9 p.m. Free. Info: 815-399-6100.

DJ – Manor Nightclub, 293 Executive Pkwy. 9 p.m. Free. Info: 815-394-0077.

DJ – Brewsky’s, 4414 Charles St. 9:30 p.m. Free. Info: 815-399-9300.

DJ – Cousin’s Bar & Grill, 510 S. Perryville Road. 9:30 p.m. Free. Info: 815-316-2660.

DJ/Karaoke – Jayne’s Place, 2229 Anderson Drive, Belvidere. Info: 815-544-5153.

DJ – Casey’s Pub, 77307 N. Alpine Road. 10 p.m. Free. Info: 815-316-2274.

DJ Mark & Lana– FIBS, 105 W. Main St., Rockton. 9:30 p.m. Free. Info: 815-624-6018.

DJ with Double D – The Breeze Sports Bar & Grill, 3801 N. Perryville Road. 9:30 p.m. Free. Info: 815-633-4141.

DJ Trevis Christensen – Rockton Inn, 102 E. Main St., Rockton. Info: 815-624-8877.

Sunday, July 4

Karaoke Joni, Madman John & 1st Entertainment Karaoke Show – Club Impulse, 132 W. Grand Ave., Beloit, Wis. 6:30 p.m.-2 a.m. Every Sun. Info: 608-361-0000.

Maxine Holler – The Gun Club, 1122 E. Colley Road, Beloit, Wis. 5 p.m. Info: 608-362-9900.

Sundays in the Park – Davis Park, 300 S. Wyman St. Info: 815-963-8471.

Davey Dagger’s Blues Kings – Rue Marche, 620 Market St. Info: 815-963-7851.

Monday, July 5

Vinyl Voodoo – Mary’s Place, 602 N. Madison St. 10:30 p.m. Free. Every Mon. Info: 815-962-7944.

Movin’ Mondays: Open Turntables Night – Club 505, 505 E. State St. Every Mon. Info: 815-962-3354.

1st Entertainment Services Karaoke Workshop and Recording Night – Club Impulse, 132 W. Grand Ave., Beloit, Wis. 6 p.m. Info: 608-361-0000.

Dave Potter & The Alley Kings Open Blues Jam – Suds O’Hanahan’s Irish Pub, 435 E. Grand Ave., Beloit, Wis. Info: 608-369-1933.

Tuesday, July 6

Open Stage – Mary’s Place, 602 N. Madison St. 9:30 p.m. Info: 815-962-7944.

Harlan Jefferson – Big Al’s Bar, 610 N. Bell School Road. 6:30-10:30 p.m. Free. Every Tues. Info: 815-398-6411.

Kamikaze Karaoke – Krypto Music Lounge, 308 W. State St. 9 p.m. Every Tues. Info: 815-965-0931.

KJ Laurie & 5 Star Karaoke – Pee Wee’s Pub, 9461 N. Second St., Roscoe. 7 p.m. Info: 815-282-9448.

Open Stage Night – Red Lion Ale House, 501 E. State St. Every Tues. Info: 815-963-0099.

Rockford Concert Band – Sinnissippi Park Music Shell, 1401 N. Second St. 7:30 p.m. Info: 815-968-7529.

Please have your free listing in to The Rock River Times the Thursday preceding our Wednesday publication. Call (815) 964-9767 to report any inaccuracies in these calendars.

From the June 30-July 6,  2010 issue

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Arts & Theater Calendar: Week of June 30-July 6, 2010

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Ongoing Attractions

Rockford Art Museum – 711 N. Main St. Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun., noon-5 p.m. Free for everyone every Tues. Info: 815-968-2787.

Kortman Gallery – 107 N. Main St. Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Info: 815-968-0123.

Funktional Arts – 412 N. First St. Furniture & sculpture. Info: 815-969-7942.

Village Gallery – Stewart Square. Artists’ co-op. 45 artists. Open Wed.-Fri., 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Info: 815-963-ARTS.

Bonzi Productions Theatre Group – Family theater, plays, musicals. Info: 815-394-8987.

Wright Museum of Art – 700 College St., Beloit, Wis. 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Tues.-Sun. Info: 608-363-2677.

Logan Museum of Anthropology – 700 College St., Beloit, Wis. 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Tues.-Sun. Info: 608-363-2677.

Galena Artists’ Guild Gallery – 324 Spring St., Galena. Thurs.-Mon., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Info: 815-777-2870.

NIU Art Museum – Hall Case Galleries, 1201 W. Lincoln Hwy., DeKalb. Mon.-Fri., 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Sat., noon-4 p.m. Free. Info: 815-753-1936.

Rockford College Art Gallery – Clark Arts Center, 5050 E. State St. Tues.-Wed., 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; Thurs.-Sat., 3-6 p.m. Free. Info: 815-226-4034.

Womanspace – Womanspace, 3333 Maria Linden Drive. Mon.-Thurs., 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Info: 815-877-0118.

Beloit Fine Arts Incubator – 520 E. Grand Ave., Beloit, Wis. Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Other hours by appointment. Info: 608-313-9083.

Monroe Arts Center – 1315 11th St., Monroe, Wis. Info: 608-325-5700.

ArtSpace West – 1426 N. Main St. Tues.-Fri., 3-8 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Info: 630-546-4727 or 815-988-1501.

Age Quake Theatre – Plays for and about those 55 and older performed in the greater Rockford area. Info: 815-398-8090.

A Movable Feast – Edgebrook Center, 1641 N. Alpine Road. Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sat., 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Info: 815-227-0102.

Jarrett Center – Byron Forest Preserve District, 7993 N. River Road, Byron. Info: 815-234-8535.

Cholke Photography & Fine Art Gallery – 2211 E. State St. Fri., 7:30-10 p.m.; Sat., 4:30-10 p.m.; Sun., 2-5 p.m. Free. Info: 815-226-9398.

Freeport Art Museum –121 N. Harlem Ave., Freeport. Tues.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sat., noon-5 p.m. Featuring: Silent Echoes through July 11. Info: 815-235-9755.

DeKalb Area Women’s Center – 1021 State St., DeKalb. Fridays 7-9 p.m. Info: 815-758-1351.

Ingrid Dohm Studio Gallery – 839 N. Perryville Road. Appointments/Info: 815-519-6492.

Midtown Marketplace – 203 Seventh St. Info: 815-961-1269.

The Gallery At JustGoods – 201 Seventh St. Currently seeking local artist to present works in the Community/Art room. New art shows monthly. Info: 815-965-8903 .

Wednesday, June 30

Poetry for the Soul – Bar 3, 326 E. State St. Info: 815-968-9061.

Alchemy and Image – Rockford Art Museum, 711 N. Main St. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Info: 815-968-2787.

Anders Hultman: Sweden Through My Eyes – Anderson Gardens, 340 Spring Creek Road. Info: 815-229-9390.

Realism or Not – Bennie’s Cleaners, 126 N. First St. Info: 815-968-9285.

Thursday, July 1

Poetry & Open Mic Night – Borders, 199 Deane Drive. 7 p.m. Every Thurs. Info: 815-399-2898.

Scottish Folk Dancers – 2110 Birchwood. 7:15-9 p.m. Every Thurs. Beginners welcome. Info: 815-229-0107.

Poetry & Open Mic – The Lyric Live, 3023 N. Rockton Ave. 7-9 p.m. Every Thurs. Info: 815-519-8458.

Alchemy and Image – Rockford Art Museum, 711 N. Main St. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Info: 815-968-2787.

Anders Hultman: Sweden Through My Eyes – Anderson Gardens, 340 Spring Creek Road. Info: 815-229-9390.

Realism or Not – Bennie’s Cleaners, 126 N. First St. Info: 815-968-9285.

Oklahoma! – Timber Lake Playhouse, 8215 Black Oak Road, Mt. Carroll. Info: 815-244-2048.

Friday, July 2

Alchemy and Image – Rockford Art Museum, 711 N. Main St. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Info: 815-968-2787.

Anders Hultman: Sweden Through My Eyes – Anderson Gardens, 340 Spring Creek Road. Info: 815-229-9390.

Realism or Not – Bennie’s Cleaners, 126 N. First St. Info: 815-968-9285.

Radio Gals – Rockford College, 5050 E. State St. Info: 815-394-5004.

Oklahoma! – Timber Lake Playhouse, 8215 Black Oak Road, Mt. Carroll. Info: 815-244-2048.

Saturday, July 3

Alchemy and Image – Rockford Art Museum, 711 N. Main St. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Info: 815-968-2787.

Anders Hultman: Sweden Through My Eyes – Anderson Gardens, 340 Spring Creek Road. Info: 815-229-9390.

Radio Gals – Rockford College, 5050 E. State St. Info: 815-394-5004.

Oklahoma! – Timber Lake Playhouse, 8215 Black Oak Road, Mt. Carroll. Info: 815-244-2048.

Sunday, July 4

Alchemy and Image – Rockford Art Museum, 711 N. Main St. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Info: 815-968-2787.

Anders Hultman: Sweden Through My Eyes – Anderson Gardens, 340 Spring Creek Road. Info: 815-229-9390.

Radio Gals – Rockford College, 5050 E. State St. Info: 815-394-5004.

Oklahoma! – Timber Lake Playhouse, 8215 Black Oak Road, Mt. Carroll. Info: 815-244-2048.

Monday, July 5

Poetry for Change – Bless the Mic – Your Solelution, 323 N. Church St. 8-10 p.m. Every Mon. Info: 815-969-7359.

Alchemy and Image – Rockford Art Museum, 711 N. Main St. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Info: 815-968-2787.

Anders Hultman: Sweden Through My Eyes – Anderson Gardens, 340 Spring Creek Road. Info: 815-229-9390.

Realism or Not – Bennie’s Cleaners, 126 N. First St. Info: 815-968-9285.

Tuesday, July 6

International Poetry Reading – Pearson Hall, Beloit College, 700 College St., Beloit, Wis. 7 p.m. Info: 608-363-2137.

Alchemy and Image – Rockford Art Museum, 711 N. Main St. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Info: 815-968-2787.

Anders Hultman: Sweden Through My Eyes – Anderson Gardens, 340 Spring Creek Road. Info: 815-229-9390.

Realism or Not – Bennie’s Cleaners, 126 N. First St. Info: 815-968-9285.

Please have your free listing in to The Rock River Times the Thursday preceding our Wednesday publication. Call (815) 964-9767 to report any inaccuracies in these calendars.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Arts & Theater Calendar | No Comments »

Community Calendar: Week of June 30-July 6, 2010

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Ongoing Attractions

Burpee Museum of Natural History – 737 N. Main St. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Info: 815-965-3433.

Discovery Center Museum – 711 N. Main St. Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Info: 815-963-6769.

Tinker Swiss Cottage – 411 Kent St. Tours 1, 2, 3 p.m., Tues.-Sun. Info: 815-964-2424.

Klehm Arboretum & Botanic Garden – 2715 S. Main St. Tues.-Sat. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Fri.-Sat. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Info: 815-965-8146.

Anderson Japanese Gardens – 318 Spring Creek Road. Info: 815-229-9390.

Memorial Hall – 211 N. Main St. 9 a.m.-4 p.m.Mon-Fri., or by appointment. Info: 815-969-1999.

Camp Grant – 1004 Samuelson Road. 8 a.m.-2 p.m., Tues.-Sat. Restaurant on premises. Info: 815-395-0679.

Lewis Lemon Community Center – 1993 Mulberry St. Mon.-Fri., 5:30-11 p.m. Free. Info: 815-987-8800.

Ethnic Heritage Museum – 1129 S. Main St. Sun., 2-4 p.m. Info: 815-962-7402.

Pine Tree Pistol Club – Info about club & classes: 815-874-7399.

Graham-Ginestra House Museum – 1115 S. Main St. Sundays, 2-4 p.m. Info: 815-968-6044.

Midway Village – 6799 Guilford Road. Mon.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Info: 815-397-9112.

Stone Quarry Recreation Park – 6845 N. German Church Road, Byron. Mon.-Fri., 4-8 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., noon-8 p.m. Info: 815-234-8900.

Health Classes/Seniors Meetings/Support Groups – OSF Saint Anthony Center for Health. Call for specific meetings/dates/info: 815-395-4505.

Support Groups/Youth Drop-in Hours – Diversity of Rockford, 117 S. Third St. Free. Weekly. Call for specific meetings/dates/info: 815-964-2639.

Alcoholics Anonymous – Call for locations/times/info: 815-558-4582, 815-227-4633 or 815-968-0333.

Narcotics Anonymous – Call for locations/times/info: 815-964-5959 or 888-656-7329.

Support for Retired Grievers – Zion Lutheran Church, 925 Fifth Ave. 10-11:30 a.m. Free. Every other Wed. Call for dates/info: 815-636-4750.

Overeaters Anonymous – Various locations/dates. Call for prices/info: 815-397-8512 or 815-547-5932.

Rockford Public Library Used Book Shop – Rockford Public Library, 215 N. Wyman St. Mon.-Wed., Noon-8 p.m. Fri., 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat., 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Info: 815-965-7606.

Ken-Rock Community Center – 3218 11th St. Various activities throughout the year. Info: 815-398-8864.

Womanspace – 3333 Maria Linden Drive. Various activities throughout the year. Info: 815-877-0118.

Heritage Farm Museum – 8059 N. River Road, Byron. Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. Info: 815-234-8535, ext. 217.

Poplar Grove Vintage Wings and Wheels Museum – 5151 Orth Road, Poplar Grove. Open weekdays 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Info: 815-547-3115.

Rock River Valley Blood Center – 419 N. Sixth St. Mon.-Thurs., 6:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; Fri., 6:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Info: 815-965-8751 or 866-889-9037.

Kishwaukee Valley A.B.A.T.E. Meeting – V.F.W., 2018 Windsor Road, Loves Park. Second Sunday of each month, 2 p.m. Info: 815-544-3088.

Open Doors – Court Street United Methodist Church Chapel, 215 N. Court St. 12:30-1 p.m. Every Wed. Enter north end. Info: 815-962-6061.

Historic Auto Attractions – 13825 Metric Drive, Roscoe. Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Info: 815-389-9999.

Angelic Organics Learning Center – 1547 Rockton Road, Caledonia. Various classes & activities throughout the year. Info: 815-389-8455.

Byron Museum of History – 106 N. Union St., Byron. Tues.-Fri., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Info: 815-234-5031.

The Bridge Center of Rockford – 4861 American Road. Games & classes for beginners through experts. Info: 815-873-9334.

Becca’s Closet – One In Christ Church, 1502 Parkview Ave. Accepting donations of gently-used formal wear. Donations accepted Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at: Machesney Park City Hall (300 Machesney Road), Classic Formal Wear (Colonial Village Mall), United Way of Rock River Valley (612 N. Main St.), Crusader Clinic (1200 W. State St.) & Harlem Roscoe Fire Station (Bridge & Main streets, Roscoe). Info: 815-289-3551.

Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off – Rock River Water Reclamation District, 3333 Kishwaukee St. Sat., 8 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sun., noon-4 p.m. Info: 815-387-7400.

Club Round: A Clubhouse for Round People – 7120 Windsor Lake Pkwy., Suite 202, Loves Park. Various activities throughout the year. Info: 815-639-0312.

Rockton Township Historical Society Museum – Corner of Blackhawk Blvd. & Green St., Rockton. Open for tours every Sat. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Info: 815-624-4830.

Having Trouble Hearing on the Phone? – Center for Sight & Hearing, 8038 Macintosh Lane. Mon.-Fri. Free amplified phone program. Must be Illinois resident and have standard phone service. Application/info: 815-332-6800.

Stretch & Belly Dance Combo Beginner’s Class – Club Round, 7120 Windsor Lake Parkway. 7:30-9 p.m. Classes every Mon., Wed. & Fri. Registration/info: 815-639-0312.

Adventure Club – Jarrett Center, Byron Forest Preserve District, 7993 N. River Road, Byron. 9-11 a.m. or 1-3 p.m. Ages 3-6. Info: 815-234-8535, ext. 200.

Representative Ron Wait Office Hours – Zeke Giorgi Building, 200 S. Wyman St. Every Thursday. 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Info: 815-987-7483.

Intermediate Writing/Publishing Class – Meets every Mon. Call for information. Info: 224-343-0384.

Introduction to Card-Making/Stamping – Meets every Thurs. Call for information. Info: 224-343-0384.

Toddler Time – Mount Olive Lutheran Church, 2001 N. Alpine Road. 9:15 -10:15 a.m. Every Mon. and Tues. Free. Info: 815-399-3171.

Wednesday, June 30

Weekly Preschool Storytime – Cherry Valley Public Library, 755 E. State St., Cherry Valley. 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Ages 3-5. Every Wed. Info: 815-332-5161.

Bingo – Baltic Star Lodge, 1524 Ninth St. Doors open 9 a.m., first bingo 11:45 a.m. Every Wed. Info: 815-965-8132.

Preschool Story Time – Beloit Public Library, 409 Pleasant St., Beloit, Wis. Every Wed. 10 a.m. Ages 3-5. Info: 608-364-2915.

Lapsit Storytime – Beloit Public Library, 409 Pleasant St., Beloit, Wis. Every Wed. 10 a.m. Ages 12-24 months. Info: 608-364-2915.

Garden Tour – Klehm Arboretum & Botanic Garden, 2715 S. Main St. 1, 2 & 3 p.m. Riding tours, reserve a week in advance. Self-guided walking tours also available. Info: 815-965-8146.

Pre-Read – Cherry Valley Public Library, 755 E. State St., Cherry Valley. 9:30 a.m. For children ages 3-6 and a caregiver. Info: 815-332-5161.

Creature Feature and Music Nights – Otto’s Nightclub & Underground, 118 E. Lincoln Hwy., DeKalb. Every Wed. Info: 815-758-2715.

Cheerleading Class – Ken-Rock Community Center, 3218 11th St. 6-8 p.m. Info: 815-398-8864.

Gentle Yoga – OSF Center for Health, 5510 E. State St. 12:10 p.m.-12:55 p.m. Info: 815-395-5036.

Tai Chi in the Garden – Anderson Gardens, 340 Spring Creek Road. Info: 815-494-9483.

Farmer’s Market & Specialty Crop Demonstration – Edgebrook Shopping Center, 1639 N. Alpine Road. Info: 815-226-0212.

Rockford Through the Pages: A Peek into Vintage Scrapbooks – Midway Village & Museum Center, 6799 Guilford Road. Info: 815-397-9112.

Forest City Queen Family Fun Night & Trolley Car 36– Riverview Park, 324 N. Madison St. Info: 815-987-8894.

Wet Wednesdays – Magic Waters Waterpark, 7820 CherryVale Blvd., Cherry Valley. Info: 815-966-2442.

KidsBuck Game Show – Sinnissippi Park Music Shell, 1401 N. Second St. 1:30 p.m. Info: 815-968-7529.

Best Practices for Sustainable Communities Conference – Cliffbreaker’s River Resort, 700 W. Riverside Blvd. 8 a.m. Info: 815-987-3113.

“The Pork Industry: More than Just the Other White Meat” – Stockholm Inn, 2420 Charles St. 7 a.m. Info: 800-711-0747, ext. 261.

Chicago Bears Youth Football Camps – St. Edward’s School, 3004 11th St. Info: 312-226-7776.

Thursday, July 1

Comedy Night – Chubby Rain House of Tunes, 4210 Countryside Estates Drive, Poplar Grove. 9-11:30 p.m. Every Thurs. Info: 815-765-1884.

Swing Dancing – St. Edward Church, 3004 11th St. 8-10:30 p.m. Every Thurs. Info: 815-914-7441.

Support for Grief After Suicide – Zion Lutheran Church, 925 Fifth Ave. 7 p.m. Free. Every other Thurs. Call for schedule/info: 815-636-4750.

Shall We Dance Ballroom Dance – Rock Valley College, 3301 N. Mulford Road. Beginners 6 p.m., Intermediate/Advanced, 7 p.m. Every Thurs. Info: 815-718-1814.

A Ministry of Restoration Bible Study – Montague Branch Library, 1238 S. Winnebago St. 5:30 p.m. Every Thurs. Prayer every Tues. 6:30 p.m. For prayer or info: 815-966-6322.

Pre-Read – Blackhawk Fire Station, 4919 Blackhawk Road, Cherry Valley. 10:30 a.m. For children ages 3-6. Info: 815-332-5161.

Wee Read – Blackhawk Fire Station, 4919 Blackhawk Road, Cherry Valley. 9:30 a.m. For children up to age 3 and a caregiver. Info: 815-332-5161.

Kids Craft Night – Cherry Valley Public Library, 755 E. State St., Cherry Valley. 6 p.m. Info: 815-332-5161.

Gentle Yoga – OSF Center for Health, 5510 E. State St. 9 a.m.-10:15 a.m. Info: 815-395-5036.

Look, Listen & Learn Storytime – Rockford Public Library East Branch, 6685 E. State St. 11 a.m.-noon. Info: 815-965-7606, option 5.

Girls Group – Rockford Public Library Lewis Lemon Branch, 1988 Jefferson St. 2:30-3:30 p.m. Info: 815-965-7606, option 5.

Young Ya-Ya Book Club – All Things, 1914 Crosby St. 5:30-7 p.m. Every Thurs. Info: 224-343-0384.

Tai Chi in the Garden – Anderson Gardens, 340 Spring Creek Road. Info: 815-494-9483.

CherryVale Farmer’s Market – CherryVale Mall, 7200 Harrison Ave. Info: 815-332-2440.

Main Street Square Farmer’s Market – Main Street Square, 5301 Williams Drive, Roscoe. Info: 815-978-6863.

Rockford Through the Pages: A Peek into Vintage Scrapbooks – Midway Village & Museum Center, 6799 Guilford Road. Info: 815-397-9112.

JustGoods 4th of July Weekend Open House – JustGoods, 201 Seventh St. Info: 815-965-8903

Chicago Bears Youth Football Camps – St. Edwards School, 3004 11th St. Info: 312-226-7776.

Friday, July 2

Gentle Yoga – OSF Center for Health, 5510 E. State St. 12:10 p.m.-12:55 p.m. Info: 815-395-5036.

Drop-In Storytime – Rockford Public Library Main Branch, 215 N. Wyman St. 10:30-11 a.m. Info: 815-965-7606, option 5.

Summer Skating Program – SkateCo, 3209 N. Main St. 10 a.m.-noon. Info: 815-877-4020.

Heartland Community Church Farmer’s Market – Heartland Community Church, 1240 S. Alpine Road. Info: 815-395-8000.

Midtown Farmer’s Market – 1132 Second Ave. 3-7 p.m. Info: 815-713-7720.

Rockford Through the Pages: A Peek into Vintage Scrapbooks – Midway Village & Museum Center, 6799 Guilford Road. Info: 815-397-9112.

Forest City Queen Friday Mid-Day Grab ‘n Go Lunch, Friday Fish Fry Cruise – Riverview Park, 324 N. Madison St. Info: 815-987-8894.

Friday Family Fun Nights – Magic Waters Waterpark, 7820 CherryVale Blvd., Cherry Valley. Info: 815-966-2442.

Rockford City Market – Rockford City Market, 200 Water St. Info: 815-964-4388.

Star Spangled Weekend: Kaboom – Discovery Center Museum, 711 N. Main St. Info: 815-963-6769.

Friday Night Flix: Apollo 13 – Davis Park, 300 S. Wyman St. Info: 815-963-8471.

Chicago Bears Youth Football Camps – St. Edwards School, 3004 11th St. Info: 312-226-7776.

JustGoods 4th of July Weekend Open House – JustGoods, 201 Seventh St. Info: 815-965-8903

RiverHawks vs. Schaumburg Flyers – Road Ranger Stadium, 4503 Interstate Blvd., Loves Park. 7 p.m. Info: 815-885-2255.

Saturday, July 3

Public Ice Skating – Carlson Arctic Ice Arena & Indoor Playground, 4150 N. Perryville Road, Loves Park. Info: 815-969-4069.

Weiskopf Observatory Public Viewing – Byron Forest Preserve District, Weiskopf Observatory, 7993 N. River Road, Byron. Every Sat. Info: 815-234-8535, ext. 216.

Webkinz – Rockford Public Library Montague Branch, 1238 S. Winnebago St. 2-4 p.m. Info: 815-965-7606, option 5.

Beading/Jewelry Class – All Things, 1914 Crosby St. 5:30-7 p.m. Info: 224-343-0384.

North End Commons Farmer’s Market – North End Commons, 1400 N. Main St. Info: 815-962-1234.

Beloit Farmer’s Market – Corner of Grand & State Streets, Beloit, Wis.

Main Street Square Farmer’s Market – Main Street Square, 5301 Williams Drive, Roscoe.

Belvidere Farmer’s Market – Belvidere Farmer’s Market, 1940 N. State St., Belvidere.

Forest City Queen Saturday Evening Sunset Dinner Cruise & Trolley Car 36– Riverview Park, 324 N. Madison St. Info: 815-987-8894.

Star Spangled Weekend: Kaboom – Discovery Center Museum, 711 N. Main St. Info: 815-963-6769.

JustGoods 4th of July Weekend Open House – JustGoods, 201 Seventh St. Info: 815-965-8903

RiverHawks vs. Lake County Fielders – Road Ranger Stadium, 4503 Interstate Blvd., Loves Park. 6 p.m. Info: 815-885-2255.

Sunday, July 4

Good God Questions – Zion Lutheran Church, 925 Fifth Ave. 9:15 a.m. Every Sun. Free. Info: 815-964-4609.

Brew ’n’ View Movie Night – Krypto Music Lounge, 308 W. State St. 7 p.m. Every Sun. Info: 815-965-0931.

“The Way” – Trinity Lutheran Church, 200 N. First St. Every first & third Sun. 5 p.m. Info: 815-963-4446.

Huntington’s Disease Support Group – OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center, 5666 E. State St. Second Sun. of each month. 2-4 p.m. Info: 815-395-5036.

A Tribute to the Butler Family, Celebrating Italian Weddings & Traditions – Ethnic Heritage Museum, 1129 S. Main St. 2 p.m. Info: 815-962-7402.

Rockford Through the Pages: A Peek into Vintage Scrapbooks – Midway Village & Museum Center, 6799 Guilford Road. Info: 815-397-9112.

Temple Baptist Church Honors Troops – Temple Baptist Church, 3215 E. State St. 10:30 a.m. Info: 815-399-2665.

Star Spangled Weekend: Kaboom – Discovery Center Museum, 711 N. Main St. Info: 815-963-6769.

Rockford 4th of July Parade – Downtown Rockford. Info: 815-965-0768.

RiverHawks vs. Lake County Fielders – Road Ranger Stadium, 4503 Interstate Blvd., Loves Park. 4 p.m. Info: 815-885-2255.

Monday, July 5

Pub Quiz – Krypto Music Lounge, 308 W. State St. 5-8 p.m. Every Mon. Info: 815-965-0931.

Wee Read – Cherry Valley Public Library, 755 E. State St., Cherry Valley. Every Mon. 9:30 a.m. For children younger than 3 w/adult. Info: 815-332-5161.

Chocolate City Nightlife – Bar 3, 326 E. State St. 9 p.m. Every Mon. Info: 815-621-4319.

Wee Read – Cherry Valley Public Library, 755 E. State St., Cherry Valley. 9:30 a.m. For children up to age 3 and a caregiver. Info: 815-332-5161.

“Go” Game Club – Beloit Public Library, 409 Pleasant St., Beloit, Wis. 6:30 p.m. Ages 8 and older. Every Mon. Info: 608-364-2915.

Gentle Yoga – OSF Center for Health, 5510 E. State St. 12:10 p.m.-12:55 p.m. Info: 815-395-5036.

Sunset Storytime – Rockford Public Library Main Branch, Little Theater, 215 N. Wyman St. 6:30-7:15 p.m. Info: 815-965-7606, option 5.

JustGoods 4th of July Weekend Open House – JustGoods, 201 Seventh St. Info: 815-965-8903

World Music Camp Beginners and Juniors – Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 920 Third Ave. Info: 815-395-9109.

Tuesday, July 6

“Group Hope” Depression Support – Grace Episcopal Church, 10 S. Cherry St., Freeport. 7-8:30 p.m. Every first and third Tues. Info: 815-235-6171.

Barks & Books – Cherry Valley Public Library, 755 E. State St., Cherry Valley. 6 p.m. Info: 815-332-5161.

Family Story Time – Cherry Valley Public Library, 755 E. State St., Cherry Valley. Every Tues. 6:30 p.m. Info: 815-332-5161.

Edgar Cayce A.R.E Meetings – Highland Place, 2222 E. State St. Every other Tues. 7-8:30 p.m. Info: 815-234-2394.

Babysitting Class – Ken-Rock Community Center, 3218 11th St. 6-8 p.m. Info: 815-398-8864.

Gentle Yoga – OSF Center for Health, 5510 E. State St. 9 a.m.-10:15 a.m. Info: 815-395-5036.

Heart Smart for Women Class – Byron Public Library, 100 S. Washington St., Byron. Noon-1 p.m. Info: 815-732-7330, ext. 279.

Family Skate – Carlson Arctic Ice Arena & Sapora Playworld, 4150 N. Perryville Road, Loves Park. 8 p.m. Info: 815-969-4069.

Sunset Story Hour – Rockford Public Library Rock River Branch, 3128 11th St. 6:30-7:30 p.m. Info: 815-965-7606, option 5.

Sunset Story Hour – Rockford Public Library East Branch, 6685 E. State St. 6:30-7:15 p.m. Info: 815-965-7606, option 5.

Kids Club: Crafts & Fun! – Rockford Public Library Rockton Centre Branch, 3112 N. Rockton Ave. 4-5 p.m. Info: 815-965-7606, option 5.

Vintage Ya-Ya Book Club – All Things, 1914 Crosby St. 5:30-7 p.m. Every Tues. Info: 224-343-0384.

Tai Chi in the Garden – Anderson Gardens, 340 Spring Creek Road. Info: 815-494-9483.

Adult Grief Support Group – Beloit Regional Hospice Office, 655 Third St., Ste. 200, Beloit, Wis. 6-7:30 p.m. Info: 608-363-7421.

JustGoods 4th of July Weekend Open House – JustGoods, 201 Seventh St. Info: 815-965-8903

World Music Camp Beginners and Juniors – Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 920 Third Ave. Info: 815-395-9109.

Please have your free listing in to The Rock River Times the Thursday preceding our Wednesday publication. Call (815) 964-9767 to report any inaccuracies in these calendars.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Community Calendar | No Comments »

Download vital records, forms from new Winnebago County Clerk Web site

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

From press release

Winnebago County Clerk Margie Mullins on June 24 demonstrated a newly-redesigned and upgraded Web site for her office at a news conference at the Winnebago County Administration Building, 404 Elm St., Rockford. The site can be found at www.WinnebagoCountyClerk.com.

The site was launched in May 2010 and features numerous technological upgrades, which will make obtaining vital records (birth and death certificates), marriage licenses and other official forms much easier and more convenient for Winnebago County residents. Those running for office in November 2010 and beyond also will benefit from new features on the site.

“Today, people get nearly everything they need from the Internet, and this site lets Winnebago County residents spend less time in the office, which makes us all more efficient,” Mullins says. “Things are always changing, and there is always a better, more efficient way to conduct business.”

The Winnebago County Clerk’s office and its 13 staff members handle more than 500 requests for birth certificates each week and nearly 150 marriage licenses each month. With the new site, Winnebago County residents can now accomplish a number of tasks online–including ordering copies of birth certificates. These services were previously only available by going to the Clerk’s office within the Winnebago County Administration Building at 404 Elm St. in Rockford.

The site, developed in conjunction with Rockford, Ill.-based agency KMK Media Group, includes the following features:

→ Birth & Death Records can now be ordered and paid for online, or residents can order records through the mail using the downloadable form.

→ Copies of existing Marriage Licenses can be ordered online or via the mail with a downloadable form. By statute, new Marriage Licenses can only be issued in person, and couples are required to apply for a license in person at the Clerk’s office.

→ Elected Office Seekers outside the city of Rockford can now purchase and download or receive on CD voter information–such as walking lists for legislative districts. (City of Rockford voter information is obtained through the city’s Board of Election Commissioners.)

→ Information about how to apply for or renew DBA (“doing business as”) Licenses, Notary Public Licenses, Amusement Licenses, Liquor Licenses, Raffle Licenses and Hotel/Motel Licenses also is available on the site.

→ The site includes a comprehensive and searchable list of elected officials in Winnebago County–from the county board and city officials to public library districts and township officials. It also lists all Winnebago County Board members from 1948 until the present.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Online Exclusives | No Comments »

Knucklehead Athlete of the Week: Carlos Zambrano

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

By Doug Halberstadt
Sports Columnist

From time to time, I like to write a reoccurring column I affectionately call “Knucklehead Athlete of the Week.”

Whether you are a Sox fan or a Cubs fan, you can probably guess who won the title this week. He exhibited his true “knucklehead” form during the recent three-game weekend series between the two Chicago teams.

This is the third paragraph, and I’m guessing by now you know exactly who this week’s winner (loser) is. You’re right! It is Cubs starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano.

He has a long history of not only being a hothead. I’d like to suggest it might be more accurate to say he’s not only a hothead, but in addition to that character flaw, he’s truly a head case.

What is up with this guy? He’s one of the highest-paid players on the team. He makes $18 million per year under a contract that runs through 2012, and yet he still seems to be unsatisfied and as equally unhappy. The Cubs organization has bent over backward trying to accommodate this guy’s wishes/demands.

Following several poor starting performances earlier this season, he was recently demoted to the bullpen. After a short unhappy, unproductive stint there, management reinstated him into the starting rotation. Nothing seemed to change.

He started the first game of one of the biggest series of the season, the “Crosstown Classic.” He didn’t seem to be up to the challenge. After giving up four runs in the first inning, he went on a tirade in the dugout. He accused his teammate, first baseman Derrick Lee, of not diving for a ball that was hit down the right-field line.

Moments later, he was prancing back and forth in the dugout. That’s when he unwisely decided to go back after Lee when he reacted to his outburst and told him to “shut the f— up.” Manager Lou Piniella and some other coaches got in between the two and directed Zambrano into the tunnel.

He came back shortly after and sat on the bench before he was excused for the day by Piniella and told to go home. After the game, Piniella said Zambrano’s behavior was unacceptable. Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry responded by suspending Zambrano indefinitely.

Way to go, Zambrano! Congratulations on earning this week’s “Knucklehead Athlete of the Week” award and all of the boos, whistles and catcalls you so rightly deserve.

Doug Halberstadt can be reached via e-mail at Dougster61@aol.com.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010

Posted in Sports, Sports News | No Comments »

West Nile virus testing: Health department asks residents to report all dead birds

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

From press release

Dr. Damon T. Arnold, state public health director, announced on June 21 that mosquito samples collected in Rock Island County have been confirmed as the first positive mosquito West Nile virus test results in northern Illinois this year. To date, 10 counties have reported either mosquitoes or birds testing positive for West Nile virus this year: Carroll, Gallatin, Greene, Jo Daviess, McLean, Mercer, Rock Island, St. Clair, Stephenson and Tazewell counties.

It is still too early to know what amount of West Nile virus (WNV) or St. Louis encephalitis (SLE) we will have in our community this season. However, the warm weather and abundant rainfall may contribute to conditions allowing for abundant mosquito reproduction.

With the onset of positive West Nile virus activity statewide, the Winnebago County Health Department asks residents to be vigilant in reporting dead birds to the department.

“The Winnebago County Health Department has opened a hotline line for residents to report the location and number of dead birds,” said Center for Environmental Health Improvement Director Larry Swacina. “The list of reportable birds for WNV surveillance includes: crows, blue jays, grackles, starlings, sparrows, finches, robins, cardinals, flycatchers, swallows, catbirds, mockingbirds, warblers, wrens, hawks, owls and gulls. The report line number to call is (815) 720-4245. After calling in a report of a dead bird, you can dispose of the bird yourself, or leave it where it lay, if not picked up for testing within 24 hours of your call,” added Swacina.

When calling the hotline to report dead birds, please leave the address, ZIP code, town, type and number of dead birds found. The Illinois Department of Public Health has limited the number of dead birds which can be submitted for WNV testing in 2010 by Winnebago and other counties.

“Remember, dead birds cannot spread West Nile virus, but it is advised to avoid barehanded contact with dead birds and other animals since they carry a variety of germs. Please use a shovel, gloves or double-plastic bags to place the carcass in a garbage bag or can,” added Swacina. The Health Department has also opened a West Nile Virus Information line for residents who have questions or wish to speak to a health professional. That number is (815) 720-4240.

Based on nationwide experience in Illinois over the previous eight years of WNV presence in the United States, the peak period for WNV transmission, particularly to humans, has been from mid-July through the middle of October. It is important to keep in mind again that this is influenced by many environmental factors that affect the viral amplification cycle (e.g., weather, host and vector densities, immune status and other characteristics).

Personal/home precautions to prevent mosquito-borne encephalitis

The best protection against mosquito-borne encephalitis is to limit activities at dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes that could carry the virus are most active. Protective clothing will ideally include lightweight, loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts, pants and socks. It’s best to always apply a repellent containing DEET (25 percent for adults, 10 percent for children), and not recommended for infants) when going outdoors. CDC has added additional products containing picaridin and lemon of eucalyptus. Both ingredients have also proven effective as mosquito repellents.

Most people infected with West Nile virus or St. Louis encephalitis have no signs or symptoms of illness. Some individuals may become ill, usually three to 15 days after having been bitten by an infected mosquito. The virus may occasionally cause serious complications in some individuals, particularly the elderly. The virus can cause muscle weakness, inflammation of the brain (encephalitis), stiff neck, stupor, disorientation, tremors, convulsions, paralysis, coma or death. It should be noted that the odds of being bitten by an infected mosquito and developing serious or life-threatening symptoms are minimal. Nevertheless, taking all recommended precautions (below) is encouraged, due to the potential seriousness of becoming infected by West Nile virus or St. Louis encephalitis.

→ Alert health authorities to potential mosquito breeding sites in your area.

→ Avoid outdoor activities in the early morning and at dusk. Whenever outdoors between dusk and dawn, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Loose-fitting, light-colored clothing is best.

→ Apply insect repellent to exposed skin. An effective repellent will contain 25 to 35 percent of the active ingredient DEET or picaridin or lemon of eucalyptus. Spray the repellent not only on exposed skin but also on clothing. Consult a physician before using repellents on very young children.

→ Drain standing water in your yard at least once a week. Pour water from mosquito breeding sites, such as flower pots, pet bowls, clogged rain gutters, swimming pool covers, boats,  discarded tires, buckets, barrels, cans or similar items in which mosquitoes can lay eggs. For permanent standing pools of water, mosquito larvicide can be used. The larvicide can be purchased from many retail stores selling garden supplies. Please follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for use.

→ Check screens on porches and patios for tears and other openings.

For more information on West Nile virus, visit the following Web sites:

Illinois Department of Public Health at www.idph.state.il.us

Centers for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov.ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htm

Winnebago County Health Department at www.wchd.org

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Online Exclusives | 1 Comment »

Local youth win national tumbling titles

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

By Doug Halberstadt
Sports Columnist

I really enjoy sharing stories about local athletes who do well. Here is a perfect example. This showed up in my e-mail this week, and I’m happy to pass it along!

Local youth from the stateline area competed June 14 through June 19 at the USTA Nationals in Springfield, Ill. Two local residents won national titles in the ever-growing sport of power tumbling and trampoline while more than 15 athletes placed in the top 10. Kids Spot national champions in tumbling, trampoline and double mini are Alec Steinhagen of Rockton, Ill., and Payton Staman of Roscoe, Ill.

Kids Spot tumbling coaches Whitney Johnson and Megan Mowell said: “We love the sport and have the pleasure of sharing our passion with upcoming athletes. It came as no surprise to have the athletes place mainly in the top 10, due to the year-round commitment that the athletes and families make to the sport. We are glad that after a few years of building the program that everyone’s hard work is being recognized and rewarded; we are extremely proud of the kids.”

On behalf of everyone at The Rock River Times, we’d like to extend our congratulations to the newly-crowned national champions.

I am always in search of stories with ties to local athletes. If you or someone you know has achieved success in their sport, please feel free to share that information with me via my e-mail address, dougster61@aol.com.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Sports, Sports News | No Comments »

Rockford celebrates Independence Day

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

From staff reports

Rockford’s annual Fourth of July celebration, which began Tuesday, June 29, with the Rockford Concert Band at the Sinnissippi Park Music Shell, will feature racing at Rockford Speedway, more music at the Sinnissippi Park Music Shell, a flag retirement ceremony, a motorcycle parade, the Fourth of July Parade, and, of course, one of the largest fireworks displays in Illinois.

Following is the full schedule of events for Rockford’s Fourth of July celebration:

Wednesday, June 30

1:30 p.m.—Rockford Park District Kidbucks Game Show, Imagination Station inside Sinnissippi Park.

7:07 p.m.—Faster Pastor Races at the Rockford Speedway plus Roadrunner Super Summer Series, Hornets, Winged Women on Wheels, Figure 8 race, Spectator Drags, Legend Cars, Bandoleros, Allison Legacy Cars, Hare ’n’ Hound.

Thursday, July 1

7:30 p.m.—Rockford Park District free concert at Sinnissippi Park Music Shell, featuring the Moonlight Jazz Orchestra.

Saturday, July 3

5 p.m.—Flag retirement ceremony, sponsored by Wanchanagi District Boy Scouts of America. Next to Symbol in Sinnissippi Gardens.

7:07 p.m.—Instant Jungle Independence Eve Party at the Rockford Speedway. NASCAR Late Models Star Spangled 76, Sportsman series, Hornets plus flagpole race and Illini Midgets.

Rockford's Fourth of July Parade begins at 7 p.m., Sunday, July 4, at Seventh Street and Sixth Avenue and ends near Davis Park on Wyman Street. The red line on the map above marks the parade route. Map courtesy of www.rockfordfireandice.com

Sunday, July 4

7 a.m.—MELD Classic 8k Run (7 a.m.), 2-Mile Run (7:05 a.m.), 1-Mile Fun Walk (8:30 a.m.). Begins on Madison Street under Jefferson Street bridge near the Trolley Station.

8:30 a.m.—Patriotic Breakfast sponsored by the Rockford Fourth of July Committee and Stone Eagle Tavern. A salute to area veterans and their families. Free continental breakfast to the first 1,000 people. Keynote speaker Dr. Michael Marino. Music Shell in Sinnissippi Park.

Noon—Declarations to end violence and prejudice. State and Main, Rockford.

5 p.m.—SkyConcert gates open inside Davis Park, downtown Rockford. The Indepedence Day Bash will headline the Moonlight Jazz Orchestra, along with Jodi Beach singing the National Anthem. Join the fun with entertainment and the best view to see the incredible fireworks show. Food and beverage will be available.

6:50 p.m.—Motorcycle parade.

7 p.m.—Rockford Fourth of July Parade. Begins at Seventh Street and Sixth Avenue in downtown Rockford. Ends near Davis Park.

9:30 p.m.—Fireworks show begins. One of the largest fireworks shows in the state of Illinois synchronized to music over Davis Park in downtown Rockford.

For more about Rockford’s Fourth of July celebration, visit www.rockfordfireandice.com.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Rockford News | No Comments »

Climate change complicates plant diseases of the future

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

By Jennifer Shike
Media Communications Specialist, College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois

URBANA, Ill.—Human-driven changes in the Earth’s atmospheric composition are likely to alter plant diseases of the future. Researchers predict carbon dioxide will reach levels double those of the preindustrial era by the year 2050, complicating agriculture’s need to produce enough food for a rapidly-growing population.

University of Illinois researchers are studying the impact of elevated carbon dioxide, elevated ozone and higher atmospheric temperatures on plant diseases that could challenge crops in these changing conditions.

Darin Eastburn, U of I associate professor of crop sciences, evaluated the effects of elevated carbon dioxide and ozone on three economically important soybean diseases under natural field conditions at the soybean-free air-concentrating enrichment (SoyFACE) facility in Urbana, Ill.

The diseases downy mildew, Septoria brown spot, and sudden death syndrome were observed from 2005 to 2007 using visual surveys and digital image analysis. While changes in atmospheric composition altered disease expression, the responses of the three pathosystems varied considerably, Eastburn said.

Elevated carbon dioxide levels are more likely to have a direct effect on plant diseases through changes to the plant hosts rather than the plant pathogens.

“Plants growing in a high carbon dioxide environment tend to grow faster and larger, and they have denser canopies,” Eastburn said. “These dense plant canopies favor the development of some diseases because the low light levels and reduced air circulation allow higher relative humidity levels to develop, and this promotes the growth and sporulation of many plant pathogens.”

At the same time, plants grown in high carbon dioxide environments also more often close their stomata, pores in the leaves that allow the plant to take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Because plant pathogens often enter the plant through the stomata, the more frequent closing of the stomata may help prevent some pathogens from getting into the plant.

In elevated ozone, plant growth is inhibited and results in shorter plants with less dense canopies. This can slow the growth and reproduction of certain pathogens. However, ozone also damages plant tissues that can help pathogens infect the plant more easily.

“Elevated levels of carbon dioxide and ozone can make a plant more susceptible to some diseases, but less susceptible to others,” Eastburn said. “This is exactly what we’ve observed in our climate change experiments.”

U of I’s SoyFACE was the first facility to expose plants to elevated ozone under completely open-air conditions within an agricultural field.

“The SoyFACE facility allowed us to evaluate the influence of natural variability of meteorological factors such as drought and temperature in conjunction with imposed atmospheric composition (elevated carbon dioxide and ozone) on naturally occurring soybean diseases across several growing seasons,” Eastburn said.

He believes rising temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns will also affect development of plant disease epidemics.

“In some cases, changes of only a few degrees have allowed plant diseases to become established earlier in the season, resulting in more severe disease epidemics,” Eastburn said. “The ranges of some diseases are expanding as rising temperatures are allowing pathogens to overwinter in regions that were previously too cold for them.”

For example, warmer winters may allow kudzu to expand its range northward. Because kudzu is an alternate host for the soybean rust pathogen, one result of rising temperatures may be that soybean rust arrives in Illinois earlier in the soybean growing season, Eastburn said.

“Information derived from climate change studies will help us prepare for the changes ahead by knowing which diseases are most likely to become more problematic,” he said. “Now is the time for plant pathologists, plant breeders, agronomists and horticulturalists to adapt disease management strategies to the changing environment.”

Eastburn’s soybean research, “Elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide and ozone alter soybean diseases at SoyFACE,” was recently published in Global Change Biology. Researchers also included Melissa DeGennaro and Evan DeLucia of the U of I, Orla Dermody of Pioneer Hi-Bred Switzerland, and Andrew McElrone of the University of California—Davis.

This research was funded by the National Science Foundation, an SJU Sigma Xi grant, the Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research, the Soybean Disease Biotechnology Center, the Illinois Soybean Association, USDA Hatch funds, and the Office of Science, Department of Energy Grant.

Eastburn will share his latest research on global climate change and the implications for future plant disease epidemics at the 2010 U of I Agronomy Day Thursday, Aug. 19. For more information about Agronomy Day, go to http://agronomyday.cropsci.illinois.edu/.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

By Jennifer Shike

Posted in Online Exclusives | No Comments »

Finding misery on the golf course following thunderstorms

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

By Doug Halberstadt
Sports Columnist

I played golf last Saturday morning. Not usually something that would warrant me writing about it. This round was different. No, unfortunately, I don’t have a really low score or any hole-in-ones or double eagles to report.

Instead, I’ve heard that misery loves company, and I’d love some company. It was pure 100 percent miserable. First of all, it had stormed during the middle of the night. On the way to the course, I heard on the radio that almost 1-1/2 inches of rain fell between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. Our tee time was 7:45 a.m. I knew the course would be soggy. Not a huge problem, I figured we’d play anyhow.

The real problems began when we arrived at the registration window and found we couldn’t take a cart. I haven’t walked 18 holes since I could afford to pay for a motorized cart. That dates way back to the middle ’80s. I figured what the heck, I could do it. I thought this might be a good opportunity to shed a half a pound or so. Keep in mind, I do possess a swimmer’s physique. Not exactly Michael Phelps-like, but more like a slender Shamu.

The cloud cover dissipated around 9 a.m., and the blazing sun decided it would be a good idea to steam things up a bit. Immediately, I felt the oxygen level decrease. I thought someone had purposely stepped on my air hose. Not only could I not breathe real well now, the sweat started to pour its salty self into my eyes. We are only on the fourth hole. It was brutal.

A few holes later, there was renewed hope. As I was wiping the salty sweat from my eyes and gasping for air while walking up No. 9, I could see the motorized carts were now out on the concourse. EUREKA! I immediately thanked the appropriate deity. I figured I’d hop in one of those babies and survive the back nine.

WRONG! Very, very wrong! The guy behind the glass said no carts on the back nine. They were only letting them out for the front nine. I actually thought he was pulling my leg because he could clearly see the near life-ending distress I was in. Unfortunately, he was as serious as the heart attack I thought I was about to have.

My buddy and I looked at one another. We were both drenched with sweat and red-faced. At almost exactly the same time, the exact same words slurred out of our mouths, “Do you wanna quit or go on?” Neither of us admitted the truth, so it was on to hole No. 10.

I immediately think I started to hallucinate. I actually thought I saw people on the front nine having a great time enjoying their games and riding in carts. Could that really be happening while I was still walking? It was precisely at that demoralizing moment that I was certain the wet, soggy grass had somehow now cruelly changed to quicksand.

Have you ever noticed every hole when you are tired is not only in quicksand, it is uphill as well? Exhausted, dehydrated, sunburned in sweat-drenched clothing and as near to death as I ever care to be, I finished the round by dragging my 2-ton pull cart, bag, clubs and myself up No. 18.

Once again, I thanked the appropriate deity that it was mercifully all over, and that for some unknown reason, I had been spared.

Please remind me to never go golfing again after a rainstorm, especially when no carts are allowed. If, for some strange reason, I ignore that warning, please shoot me immediately and put me out of my misery. It would be the humane thing to do!

Doug Halberstadt can be reached via e-mail at Dougster61@aol.com.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Sports, Sports News | No Comments »

Pet Talk: Birds as pets

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

From College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University

Four-legged with fur or two-legged with feathers…which would be the best small pet for me? Birds can be included in your lifestyle, but as with most pets, there are certain criteria that should be considered.

“Birds can be wonderful pets, but they are high maintenance,” notes Dr. Sharman Hoppes, DVM, Diplomate ABVP (Avian), clinical assistant professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences.

“Birds do have certain advantages over other pets in that they do not have to be walked and they are housed in a cage,” says Hoppes. “Birds are smart, they talk, and like to play and snuggle. They love to be around people and are usually very interactive.”

However, birds do have messy eating habits and can be noisy. Small and large birds can be loud, notes Hoppes. Birds require lots of attention and may scream or yell when they don’t get it.

“They are very social and do need daily interaction and time outside of their cage,” explains Hoppes. “They have destructive beaks and can eat walls, tables and wood work if allowed out unsupervised.”

Hoppes encourages prospective pet bird caretakers to research and find out about the personality of a bird before purchase. Don’t base your decision on the cool factor, color or size. She also suggests you purchase pet birds from quality breeders. Birds from pet stores and bird marts have a higher chance of disease since so many birds are housed together. Also, some rescue organizations may have birds for adoption.

The type of bird best for you is determined by your lifestyle.

“If you are busy or live in an apartment, a smaller, less demanding bird like a budgie or cockatiel is best,” says Hoppes. “If you have more time and a house where neighbors will not be bothered by loud noise, then a bigger bird may work for you.”

“Larger birds typically cost more, and so do their cages and toys,” notes Hoppes.

Cages need to be big enough for the bird to exercise, climb around, or fly in. Play gyms, outside of the cage, provide a place to climb and exercise. A travel cage is beneficial when confined in a car.

“Correct diet and environment are important for maintaining a bird’s good health,” states Hoppes.

Birds should be fed a commercial pelleted diet with fresh fruits and vegetables. Seeds and nuts should be offered as treats only. Birds do not need large amounts of food, but enough to last throughout the day. She notes that proper diet and exercise help deter obesity, atherosclerosis and heart disease in birds.

Fresh water is needed daily for drinking. Hoppes notes that since parrots come from warm, humid environments they need a bath several times a week. This may include showering, misting with a spray bottle or offering a bowl of water for bathing.

“Bacterial infections from dirty cages and dirty water are common, as are respiratory infections due to the bird’s sensitive airways,” explains Hoppes. “They can get sick from poor ventilation, mold in the air and fumes like Teflon. There are also several bird viruses: polyoma, psittacine beak and feather, and avian herpes virus that are potential pathogens in the pet parrot.

“One of the more important diseases pet bird owners should be aware of is Chlamydophila psittaci, a disease that can be transferred from birds to humans,” Hoppes adds. “It is most commonly transmitted to people with compromised immune systems: organ transplant recipients, people on steroids, or the very young and old. This disease can cause runny nose, eyes and upper respiratory signs in birds and progress to pneumonia or liver disease if untreated, and causes flu-like symptoms in people.”

Hoppes notes that a new bird should be tested for this disease before coming into your home.

“Birds can be one of the most rewarding pets, but you need to be an educated owner,” says Hoppes. “Birds can develop health and behavioral issues when not cared for appropriately. Anyone thinking about becoming a bird owner should learn about the different species and determine which bird would fit best into their life. Not all veterinarians see birds, so you should locate a veterinarian close to you for a well bird check-up when you obtain your bird and to have someone available in case of an emergency.”

According to Hoppes, big birds have longer life spans and smaller birds have shorter life spans. Small birds, such as budgies and love birds, can live 7-12 years, cockatiels and conures 12-20 years, larger parrots 40-50 years, and the largest parrots (the macaws) can live 60 to 80 years.

With good nutrition and a welcoming environment, your pet bird can live a full life and bring you pleasure and companionship.

Pet Talk is a service of the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University. Stories can be viewed on the Web at http://tamunews.tamu.edu. Suggestions for future topics may be directed to editor@cvm.tamu.edu.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Online Exclusives, Pet Talk | No Comments »

Six wild whopping crane chicks being raised by reintroduced crane pairs in Wisconsin

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

From press release

The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership’s efforts to establish a self-sustaining population of migratory whooping cranes in the Eastern Flyway had a great boost this year with the successful hatching of whooping crane chicks into the wild. Three late-season nests and four renests have left us with six whooping crane chicks on and around Necedah National Wildlife Refuge (NWR).

One of the chicks came from an egg produced by the captive flock at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. The egg was swapped into a nest which contained two infertile eggs. The chick hatched the next day and is still doing well.

Another wild-hatched pair of chicks represents a project milestone: the first check hatched by a DAR (Direct Autumn Release) bird. Biologists hope to see many more chicks hatched by DAR parents as the majority of DAR birds begin to reach breeding age.

Whooping cranes are long-lived birds that may start nesting attempts at 3 to 5 years of age, and can continue hatching eggs and rearing checks past the age of 30.

Since 2001, WCEP project partner Operation Migration’s pilots have led whooping crane chicks, conditioned to follow their ultralight aircraft surrogates, south from Necedah NWR to Chassahowitzka NWR, and since 2008, to St. Marks NWR in Florida. Having been shown the way once, the young birds initiate their return migration in the spring, and in subsequent years, continue to migrate on their own.

In addition to the ultralight-led birds, biologists from the International Crane Foundation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rear whooping crane chicks at Necedah NWR and release them in the company of older cranes from whom the young birds learn the migration route. This is the sixth route WCEP has used this Direct Autumn Release method.

Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership founding members are the International Crane Foundation, Operation Migration, Inc., Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and National Wildlife Health Center, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, and the International Whooping Crane Recovery Team.

For more information on the project and its partners, visit the WCEP Web site at: http://www.bringbackthecranes.org.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Online Exclusives | No Comments »

Students impact Rockford with a week of community service

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

From press release

More than 290 students will gather in Rockford to begin a week of service projects in the surrounding communities beginning July 5. The 290-plus teen-agers will be working on various projects that include painting, yard work and home repair in various locations throughout Rockford completely free-of-charge to the recipients.

These students are working on these projects as a part of the Christ In Youth program, Know Sweat. Every summer, Know Sweat has connected Christian youth groups with service needs in communities across the United States. Participating students will work during the days completing the week’s projects and spend the evenings in a church or college gathering to worship and share about the day’s stories.

Program Director Matt Gilchrist said: “This generation of students we are helping mobilize is more concerned with others than they are given credit for. They realize the incredible impact they can have on others with something as simple as a paint brush or a rake. This world is not hopeless and this week students from all over the country are here Engaging Hope in the places where they are working.”

The Know Sweat team spends months scouting out appropriate cites and projects in cities throughout America that would be fitting for teams of students to work on. The projects usually come from partnerships with community organizations, referrals and from local churches that have indentified a need for helping hands in their community.

“It is a big sacrifice to give up a week of summer vacation as a teen-ager and work for someone you’ve never met before,” Gilchrist said. “These students realize they can provide hope in these situations, not just by working on projects, but by learning about the people they serve and pouring into them as well.”

Know Sweat is a part of the non-profit organization Christ In Youth and has been performing service projects since 1995. In 2010, Know Sweat will host 15 service projects in 10 cities across the United States. More than 3,000 teen-agers from youth groups throughout the nation will participate in a week of Know Sweat to serve others who could use a helpful hand.

Christ In Youth

For more than 40 years, Christ In Youth (CIY) has provided events, missions opportunities and resources to advance student ministry in the local church. More than 50,000 students and leaders will attend at least one of CIY’s 120 programs held throughout 21 countries each year. Christ In Youth advances student ministry in the local church by providing events, trips and resources that amplify Christ’s call on student lives to become Kingdom workers. For more information, visit CIY online at www.ciy.com.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Online Exclusives | No Comments »

To the Editor: How are things in cushy Polo, Ill.?

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

The Rock River Times offers anyone the opportunity to write letters to the editor and share an exchange of viewpoints on every subject. In recent weeks, I have told my story of what happened to me while I was a hard-working state employee. Contrary to what one reader wrote, my position was not a posh job. I spent 19 years working at IDOT for the taxpayers. Political crooks like Blago’s pals took my job. These are the same people that also defrauded the citizens of Illinois. This is all being played out in the courts now.

I did not know anyone at the state and went through normal channels and waiting periods to get my position. I started at the bottom and worked upwards without any political help. I chose state employment because it was a steady job and had good benefits, unlike the kinds of jobs that disappear quickly with the bad economy.

I would also like to clarify a couple of other matters to that reader in Polo, Ill. Everyone is entitled to a fair trial. The letter I wrote was written and published about five weeks earlier than the publication date in the RRT.  The delay changed that letter’s meaning a bit. My letter told about what happened to me behind the scenes of state employment. This is no different than people writing to newspapers urging readers to vote for certain candidates. Everyone can express their viewpoints.

Secondly, many people in line at the unemployment office would agree with me that employers do not hire good workers near the age of 60 anymore. This makes restarting one’s career very difficult.

In this day and age, people need to speak out against political crooks and people who have been in office too long, etc. I have been to Polo, Ill., in the past, and it’s a nice, quiet town. Talk about a cushy life; there is probably no political corruption there or trouble of any kind. I am sure that if someone pulled the rug out from Mr. Gribbins’ career, he would be screaming louder than I am now.

John Russell Ghrist

Rockford

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Letters to the Editor | No Comments »

Your Horoscope: Week of June 30-July 6, 2010

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

This Week: This time frame allows us to rest up and recuperate from last week’s agitating and aggressive planetary aspects. It still may be difficult to shake off some of the behavior that may have crossed your path, but let it go. This is only a “mirror” of what is really going on inside of those with no joy or inner peace. Be grateful that behavior like this does not exist within you. Try not to let it become contagious.

Aries (March 21 to April 19)—It may be “back to basics” for many Aries this week. No big deal. In fact, this is a very grounding experience. You can start at square one and go from there. Be conscious not to neglect your loved ones in the process. Children and pets highlight midweek with love and humor. Take each step with care this week.

Taurus (April 20 to May 20)­—All of your past heartache will be healed as a result of your determined efforts. Out of nowhere, so many old wounds will be put to rest once and for all. Why you needed to experience them as well as what you have learned from them will make perfect sense now. An old soul will reappear in a new, healthy physical presence. You will recognize this at this time.

Gemini (May 21 to June 20)—Oh, how gently the winds of change have blown back in your favor now. Just enough to allow you to absorb this at a pace you’re able to deal with. Your energy and vitality are coming back full force. The healing process is very unique, and no two people do this at the same pace or time frame. Finally, you feel as though you’re “back in your own body.” What a great place to be.

Cancer (June 21 to July 22)—Allow another to repair the “damage” created by his or her own actions. You should not judge or fuel the fire of situations that do not concern you. Try to see the other side of the story as well. In a gentle and affective way, point out these factors to a loved one for them to work through. Then, back away and watch the outcome as a spectator sport. You may be surprised at the outcome.

Leo (July 23 to Aug. 22)—Your confidence level has switched back to “normal,” and you’re out to set the town on fire this week. Your emotional setback was only a momentary lapse of reason. Back in your own skin, you are able to feel things like never before. Midweek brings positive reinforcement from an unexpected source. You can leave a past matter behind for good.

Virgo (Aug. 23 to Sept. 22)—Take time out to plan your long-term goals, dreams and ambitions this week. As difficult as this might be to “sit still” for a moment or two, it must be done. Your accomplishments have not been acknowledged from your own inner core. Once you’re able to do that, the rest is easy. This is the perfect time for an epiphany. Take advantage of this now.

Libra (Sept. 23 to Oct. 22)—Too many secrets will only add up to more cover-ups and more deception. It’s time to come clean and ask for help from your loved ones. Why would they judge you? These aspects will not change until you become honest with your own thoughts and feelings. If you have been projecting your anger on those who are smaller or weaker than you, this will only come back to haunt you in an unexpected way.

Scorpio (Oct. 23 to Nov. 21)—Oh, yeah…you’re thinking this is all too good to be true, and you’re waiting for a shoe to drop now, right? Well, you can wait all day, but it’s not going to happen. Relax and watch how the universe takes care of you. Try not to put those closest to you under a microscope. What you can see with the naked eye is exactly what it is.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 to Dec. 21)—Accept an invitation to advance your personal best. Another will challenge you to go the extra mile. At first, this may feel like an attack. However, this will push you through a “birth canal” that you have not yet experienced. Bring your humor and your good heart to this occasion. Your positive energy will be contagious.

Capricorn (Dec. 22 to Jan. 19)—Early this week, you will be presented with what appear to be impossible challenges. Block out the “drama,” and move forward with a focused heart and mind. By Friday, you will receive the recognition you deserve with blessings from “higher ups.” Accept this to accent your long-term goal in a positive way.

Aquarius (Jan. 20 to Feb. 18)—The past seems to be haunting you, and it may be difficult to move forward. This is a frustrating and even hurtful time frame. However, help is on the way. An unconventional person from your past is able to move you through these difficulties and show you a new perspective with this heartache. Allow those around you to comfort you. By week’s end, you will begin to see the light of day.

Pisces (Feb. 19 to March 20)—The past will only get in your way if you allow it to. This is a wonderful time for new beginnings. Learn from your mistakes, and do not allow them to affect the quality if your life. An increase in pay is on the horizon. Share your good fortunes with those who matter the most to you.

For an extended astrological forecast or psychic consultation, contact Denise at (815) 398-3983.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Horoscopes | No Comments »

This week in The Times: Anna Mulvany

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Vitals: Anna Mulvany, 33, is originally from Loves Park. After attending Northern Illinois University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in education, Mulvany returned to the Rock River Valley to teach special education. When not busy working, she enjoys swimming and spending time with her family.

1. Now that school is out for the summer, how will you pass the time? The summer months give me a good chance to stay at home with my kids and certainly save money on daycare. We usually start our day off with breakfast, then go swimming once our food has had time to digest. After that, we run errands and go to the parks for different activities. Imagination Station at Sinnissippi Park has become one of their favorites.

2. What is your favorite warm-weather activity? Swimming, and being outside with my family. I worry about us not getting enough exercise and spending enough time outside. I don’t want us to turn into a family of couch potatoes.

3. What is the most challenging aspect of your job? Honestly, the most challenging aspect is knowing when to not get so close to the kids. Most kids struggle nowadays, but the students I teach have learning disabilities, which makes matters worse for them. I struggle with watching them struggle. There’s a fine line to walk between teaching and caring, but I try my best to straddle that line and do a bit of both.

4. What advice would you give a young person considering going into the teaching field? I’d tell them to, first of all, study hard. It’s a lot harder than you think it will be. But, I’d tell them to be prepared to care deeply about the children they teach. That’s the hardest part, not getting too involved with the kids you spend all day with.

5. Question from last week’s “This week in The Times” participant, Dez Souvannasane: How do you plan on celebrating the Fourth of July? We usually stay in town for the fireworks, but this year we are going to northern Wisconsin to spend our three-day weekend in a friend’s cabin. Plus, the city closest to the cabin has a nice enough fireworks display, which we can watch from the dock behind the cabin.

“This week in The Times” is a weekly survey of people selected by The Rock River Times staff. The column does not accept unsolicited submissions.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in This week in the times | No Comments »

Energy fairs are also a social event

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Potential site of the Aegir 500 MW offshore wind farm. Image provided

By Drs. Robert & Sonia Vogl
President and Vice President
Illinois Renewable Energy Association

We attend a variety of energy events targeted at the general public each year to keep up with the field.

These events are also social happenings. It is always good to see old friends, which helps to provide a sense of continuity to our lives. Some absent, whose lives have taken another turn, are busy with new jobs or interests. Some have died, leaving a void in our lives, as did Rael Bassan, a former Illinois Renewable Energy Association (IREA) board member who was with us since the beginning of the organization. He was a physicist who left the field to apply his mind and skills to further sustainable energy and ecological understandings.

We had a booth at the recent Midwest Renewable Energy Fair promoting our organization and our upcoming Illinois Renewable Energy & Sustainable Lifestyle Fair, Aug. 7-8, at the Ogle County Fairgrounds. We showed a small home concept to those willing to listen, and asked for their impressions and whether they would be interested in participating in its construction.

Many ideas are exchanged between individuals and small groups. Installers are eager to tell about their new projects. One relished the opportunity to install a solar hot water system, which was included in the original building plans, lowering the cost and making for a much easier installation.

IREA board member Jim Lamb handled a question from a fairgoer concerned about how to heat a room addition. It led to a discussion of the tradeoffs involved in adding insulation to the existing house, installing a new, energy-efficient furnace and installing a solar hot water heating system.

Richard Orawiec, a solar dealer who has had a booth at our event since its inception, expressed disappointment that the Mason County Board of Commissioners in Western Michigan rejected the Aegir 100 turbine wind farm targeted for placement 3 miles into Lake Michigan. A coalition of property owners and real estate and tourism interests persuaded the county board that the wind farm’s presence would adversely affect property values and tourism, and would be detrimental to the long-term economic well-being of the county.

Three other boards in Oceana, Muskegon and Ottawa counties have yet to make a determination on the $4 billion plan, which includes manufacturing the generators in Michigan with 3,000 to 6,000 jobs being promised. The generators would have a capacity of 10 megawatts, about five times the 1.5 to 2 megawatts of generators now in use.

This is just a small sample of the many conversations we had while at the fair. Come to the Illinois energy fair to discuss some of your own questions with the many dealers present. As a social event, it is an opportunity to meet old friends, make some new ones and engage in stimulating discussions.

This excellent opportunity to learn more about efficiency and renewable energy from area experts is made possible by the generosity of our volunteers, speakers and vendors. Major sponsors for the event include the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and The Rock River Times.

Drs. Robert and Sonia Vogl are founders and officers of the Illinois Renewable Energy Association (IREA) and coordinate the annual Renewable Energy and Sustainable Lifestyle Fair. The Vogls and the IREA are members of the Environmental Hall of Fame. Dr. Robert Vogl is vice president of Freedom Field, and Dr. Sonia Vogl is a member of Freedom Field’s Executive Committee. The Vogls consult on energy efficiency, renewable energy and green building. They have 3.2 kW of PV and a 1 kW wind generator at their home. Forty acres of their 180-acre home farm are in ecological restorations. They are active in preserving natural areas and are retired professors from Northern Illinois University. E-mail sonia@essex1.com.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Renewable Energy | No Comments »

Obituary Notices: Week of June 30-July 6, 2010

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Don Kennedy, 76, Rockford, 6/18/10

Joseph Hartenberger, 46, Rockford, 6/18/10

Virginia Erlandson, 84, Rockford, 6/18/10

Eugene Bader, 80, Rockford, 6/18/10

Doris Kuntzelman, 75, Rockford, 6/18/10

Arthur Robinson, 81, Rockford, 6/18/10

Norbert Russell, 70, Rockford, 6/18/10

Linnie Adamany, 69, Rockford, 6/19/10

Joan Spencer, 80, Rockford, 6/19/10

Luella Rogers, 80, Rockford, 6/19/10

Blas Serrano, 45, Rockford, 6/19/10

Byron Calvette, 89, Rockford, 6/19/10

Joseph Hoke, 81, Rockford, 6/20/10

Charles Carpentier, 70, Rockford, 6/21/10

Teresa Lucey, 82, Rockford, 6/21/10

Stanley Oden, 27, Rockford, 6/21/10

Dorothy Lampert, 90, Rockford, 6/21/10

Mildred Maas, 85, Rockford, 6/21/10

Joan Casteel, 82, Rockford, 6/21/10

John Sheehan, 84, Rockford, 6/21/10

Thomas Hinton, 91, Rockford, 6/22/10

George Denny, 62, Rockford, 6/22/10

Kailash Saraswat, 89, Rockford, 6/22/10

Sandra Barnhart, 69, Rockford, 6/22/10

Donald Dejarnett, 74, Rockford, 6/22/10

Joseph Delrio, 52, Rockford, 6/23/10

Rose Smith, 82, Rockford, 6/23/10

Shirley Blackmore, 60, Rockford, 6/23/10

Gioconda Buffo, 88, Rockford, 6/23/10

Vera Milburn, 91, Rockford, 6/23/10

Hugh Argraves, 87, Rockford, 6/23/10

Myra Klingman, 95, Rockford, 6/23/10

Donald Bingham, 54, Rockford, 6/24/10

Mildred Williams, 94, Rockford, 6/24/10

Bruce Hanson, 52, Rockford, 6/24/10

Eugene Steffes, 65, Rockford, 6/24/10

Leverne Fredriksen, 89, Rockford, 6/24/10

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Obituary Notices | No Comments »

Mr. Green Car: Green lawn care

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

By Allen Penticoff
Free-lance Writer

By this time of year, many of us have spent a lot of time keeping our lawns cut. Standards vary widely. In some neighborhoods, the lawns make golf courses look shabby, while in others, the look is yearning prairie. What I intend to discuss this week is the mechanics of lawn care—not so much what lawn care chemicals do to the environment, which is a whole other topic.

Estimates are that upwards of 600 million gallons of gasoline are consumed by lawn care equipment—mowers, trimmers and power blowers—each year in the U.S. That can be 2 to 10 percent of our total consumption. As for air pollution, lawn mowers have very poor emissions—most have no emissions controls, with primitive carburetors and ignitions. A typical four-stroke lawnmower operating for one hour produces the emissions of a new car being driven for 100 to 200 miles. Two-cycle string trimmers, blowers and hedge trimmers have far worse emissions despite their diminutive size. All are guilty of noise pollution as well.

Buying one of the 20 million new lawn mowers every year will help reduce pollution a bit—as newer mowers are more efficient. But let’s look at some other options, too.

I recently saved an old reel-type manual push mower from the scrap yard. I had in mind two friends’ small yards, either one of whom could use an old manually-powered mower rather than dealing with a gas-powered mower. Both have gardens taking up most of the space in their yards and little lawn. An old push mower is ideal for these.

The clippings fall right back into the lawn as mulch, and, properly sharpened, these mowers do a better job of cutting the grass than does a rotary-type blade that whacks the grass.

I chose one friend to buy this rescued mower, and immediately her 6-year-old grandson began to use it to mow her lawn. He loved it, and it burned off a bit of his bountiful free energy. This was a great prize for her, as she’d been having serial starting problems with her gas-powered mowers.

You may need to shop online or hunt one down at a garage sale, but it would be worth your effort if you have a small lawn. No gas, no plugs—just push.

Next in line for environmentally-friendly mowing would be an electric lawn mower. In days past, electric lawn mowers required dealing with long cords. Still, they were popular with people who did not want the hassle of gassing up and starting a power mower.

Electrics are considerably quieter, too. Modern electric mowers are battery powered, freeing you from the cord. They can be heavy, but if your lawn is a third of an acre or less and the grass is not overly long, you’ll be able to mow the whole lawn on one charge of the battery.

A 100-percent recharge from a dead flat battery will probably take about 10 hours. So, if you have a larger lawn, you may need to spread the chore over more days.

Big lawn? There are electric riding mowers available with up to three hours of operating time. You get started mowing with the flick of a switch—no wondering if it will start or not, and no gas can to deal with.

Except for the sourcing of the electricity, there will be no pollution—and from firsthand experience, I can tell you lawn mower exhaust fumes can directly impact the person doing the mowing. Just like electric cars, they are much more efficient and lower impact on the environment over gasoline power, even if coal is the source of electric power.

Often, a manually-operated rake can do a better, faster, job of moving leaves than a power blower. I use a bent-handle snow shovel to scoop up leaves, put them in a barrel and cart them to the compost pile. For smaller debris/clippings, a blower is called for, and an electric with a cord is every bit as powerful as a gas-powered blower. Cordless electric blowers and trimmers are available to replace their gas-powered equivalents, too. Hand shears can be used to trim the edges the mower misses, too. I often use them. In fact, I like to use manual-powered lawn tools quite a bit. Not because of the environment, but because they make no noise, or have a soothing sound (why I prefer a bamboo rake) and they require no charging, cords, gas, starting or stopping, and I get some much-needed exercise without going to a gym. My father called this a work “out.” In some cases, a step back is a step forward.

In the next Mr. Green Car, we’ll continue to look at “green” lawn care.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Mr. Green Car | No Comments »

To the Editor: Our liberties turned into slavery

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

We are living in desperate times! Because our world’s leaders have forsaken their true God. But have our conditions improved  “for a better change”? So, as President Barack Obama had stated, not really! Because almost everything that he has tried has been falsely leading us toward socialism (communism)! But I believe that Republicans’ “tea parties” will not change our President Barack Obama’s (very inclusional and liberal) mind. Why? Because he believes that he has all the answers! And ever since 1776 until 2010, there are secret organizations (the Illuminati, the Bilderbergers, and Skull and Bones) that have almost accomplished delivering many countries (and the U.S.) back under the large thumb of the British (and Nazi Germany) slavery (the EU). But does President Obama care? Not really! Because he is under the false impression that he will deliver our country from our economy’s plight through his socialized medicine insurance!

But this unorthodox plan shouldn’t have been allowed to be passed! And I ask, was the Reichfuhrer Adolf Hitler correct when he wanted to become the world’s leader? No! But this next Reichfuhrer will be far worse than his predecessor (A.H.). Also, why hasn’t President Obama’s administration and our journalists kept us informed as to the latest developments in the EU? Because they do not want to tip anyone (divulge) until it is too late to back out of the (Nazi-minded) European Union! But these unethical people will have to first declare a national emergency because they have known for 234 years (1776 to 2010) that through our own greedy nature, we will then turn our money into worthless paper! And very soon, this will happen. But who is this new (Nazi) leader of the EU? He is the German defense minister! And his name is Karl Theodor Zu Gutenberg. He is a very rich aristocrat, influential, who is also referred to as the Reichfuhrer! And through his diplomacy, plus his smooth words of flattery, he will falsely lure many countries into the EU. How? According to the book of Revelation, “a second beast shall arise out of the sea” (the sea of humanity). And then he will pretend to be a lamb. But he shall speak as a dragon! But who is this dragon? He is a mortal man (whose number is maybe 666) and he has a depraved mind of the devil!

Philip Wilson

Rockford

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Letters to the Editor | No Comments »

Eureka! Classifieds: Week of June 30-July 6, 2010

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

MISSING FAMILY PET – WHITE ENGLISH SETTER, RESPONDS TO CODY. CALL DAVE @ 815/547-3943

 

REAL ESTATE

 

FOR RENT

Apartments

APARTMENTS FOR RENT 1,2,3,4-BR available. Please call 815/979-9016. 1/19/11

COZY STUDIO APARTMENT Furnished. By East High School. Off-street parking. 1010 24th St. $400-$425. 815/721-4358.       6/30

2011 18TH AVE REAR 1 -BEDROOM Brick Home. Tenant Pays Gas & Electric. $550. 815/964-6270.    6/23

RIVER DISTRICT APARTMENTS: 1 STUDIO, $450. 1-BEDROOM, $550. 2-BEDROOM, $650. Included – 30s arts & crafts decor, heat, water, garbage, new stove-refrigerator-dishwasher, rooftop garden, indoor heated parking. Winner of Heart of Rockford Award for Residential Restoration. Contact Frank 815/964-9767.  TFN

1-BEDROOM VICTORIAN Heat, water, garbage included, off-street parking, freshly painted,  partially furnished, big closets, plenty of cupboard space, big girly-girl bathroom, 8’ ceilings, carpeted, sculpture in yard. 1st plus  deposit required.  $425. Call Frank 815/964-9767.  TFN

1-BEDROOM VICTORIAN with beautiful landscaped yards. Lots of flowers. You can plant too!
904 N. Court Street. Big 2nd floor apt. with pocket-window sun porch. Perfect artist’s studio. Big living room, big bedroom, big kithchen, big deal! Heat, water, garbage, off-street parking included, cooking gas paid, dishwasher, microwave, A/C, freshly redone hardwood floor, freshly painted, sculpture in yard, only $525/month. Call Frank 815/964-9767,  815/640-6770.  TFN

1-BEDROOM APARTMENTS at 1015 Benton St. New flooring, new paint, ceiling fans, large closets & bathrooms, central air, off-street parking, coin laundry in basement. Lower $430. Upper $410. Deposit same as rent. 815/222-5676.         7/7

2202 SEVENTH ST., ROCKFORD 1-bedroom, $385/mo., deposit $385. No pets. 224/388-0286.6/23

STUDIO & 1-BEDROOM $425 – $450/month, no deposit. Nice, newly-renovated unit. Tenant pays electric. Laundry, parking, storage. 815/964-0344.          6/23

NORTHWEST, 2-BEDROOM 1-bath apartments, FROM $560. On bus line near stores, library, & hospital. A/C, coin laundry. HEAT, WATER, & GARBAGE included. No pets. Pay rent for June, and get 1/2 month’s rent in July free. Some Sec. 8 OK. 815/382-7667.          6/23

2-BEDROOM 1-bath – Across from golf course. Air conditioning, carport, coin laundry, Heated, non-smoking. From $595/month. Water and garbage included. Get 1/2 month FREE with good credit! 815/382-7667, 815/262-4332.              6/23

2-BEDROOM APARTMENT Living room, dining area, hardwood floors, walk-in closets, carport. $525. 815/964-0102.                 TFN

REMODELED APARTMENTS Studio-2 Bedrooms Starting at $425. 815/964-6270.           6/23

1-BEDROOM NORTHWEST Heat/appliances included. Hardwood & French doors. Garage & laundry. Quiet, convenient location. $465 lease and deposit. 815/289-1607.           7/7

524 LAFAYETTE AVE. 2-Bedroom Apartment. Living room, Dining room, Kitchen, Hardwood Floors. Good Neighborhood. Se Habla Español. $525 rent plus Security Deposit. 815/964-0102.        TFN

 

Houses

HOMES FOR RENT 1 – 4 Bedrooms, $550-$950. 815/964-6270.     6/23

FARMHOUSE FOR RENT 2547 Hickory Grove Rd., Dakota. 3 Acres. Remodeled. $1300. 815/964-6270. 6/23

3-BEDROOM HOUSE 320 N. Day St., backyard, garage. $695. 815/964-0102. TFN

RENT TO OWN HOMES! Damaged Credit – OK $850 Special! You Work, You Own – Guaranteed! $3,000 Minimum Combined Income Co-Applicants Welcome!  1-888-605-5181 or 636-533-0470 www.RealAgentsHomes.com .     N-6/23

 

Roommate Wanted

ONE MILE FROM CHERRYVALE MALL Straight male roommate wanted. Quiet neighborhood, furnished appliances, utilities. $375. 815/299-1703.    7/7

 

Commercial Rental

3 STOREFRONTS AVAILABLE Will build to suit. 917 S. Main. Each space 1,400 sq.ft. mol. Contact Kerry Knodle, CCS, Inc. 815/963-6236, kknodle@youthbuildrockford.org .                       TFN

OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT 461 North Mulford Rd., Rockford, IL 61107.   2 Offices with reception and waiting area. $1,000/mo. Including utilities. 3rd Office Optional making this 2 offices with 1 office turned into a conference room or break room. $1,200/mo. Including utilities. Call: 815/871-9640.  6/30

Vacation Rental

3-BEDROOM COTTAGE with screened gazebo, canoe, & boat in SE Wisconsin. Rent $700/wk. 815/397-8211.                          6/30

RENT A CANADIAN ISLAND LODGE.  Shoal Lake Narrows/ Lake of the Woods.  3 Lakefront Modern Cottages.  Parties up to 12 People.  Housekeeping/ American Plan.  Vacations, Fishing, Whitetail Hunting.  807-467-7508 www.NorthwestOutfitters.NET .    (MCN)

 

Timeshare

SELL/RENT YOUR TIMESHARE FOR CASH!! Our Guaranteed Services will Sell/Rent Your Unused Timeshare for CASH! Over $78 Million Dollars in offers in 2009! www.sellatimeshare.com 877-624-6890.        N-6/23
FOR SALE

Homes For Sale

SPOTLESS BRICK BUNGALOW- East side. 3-bedroom, 2-bath, dining room, 1¼-car garage, well-kept lawn, cyclone fencing in backyard, good-size lot. Recently updated: Roof, furnace, central air, hot water heater, water softener, doors & windows, aluminum siding (trim). Carpet brand new, original hardwood floors, lots of storage space, comes with washer & dryer. Asking $89,900. PRICE SLASHED TO $84,400.815/456-2646.        6/30

ZONED C-1 COMMERCIAL PROPERTY 2 houses, 3-car garage. INVESTOR ALERT! For sale or lease by owner. 815/243-0774.     7/28

FORECLOSED HOME AUCTION 200+ HOMES / Auction: 7/20  Open House: July 3, 10 & 11  REDC / View Full Listings  www.Auction.com RE Brkr 478.012986.  (ICAN)

BANK SPECIAL! 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, large lot! Make offer! Gracious Living Realty. www.graciousliving.org . E-mail: Home4you@rcn.com 800-749-5263 Bank says “Sell, Sell, Sell!” (ICAN)

***FREE FORECLOSURE LISTINGS*** Over 400,000 properties nationwide.  LOW Down Payment.  Call NOW!  1-800-785-4121.         (MCN)

 

Open House

SUNDAYS 2pm-4pm. AMAZING 2-BEDROOM, 1-BATH HOME IN THIS QUIET, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD 2 MILES EAST OF WINNEBAGO. 318 VINCENT AVENUE, ROCKFORD, IL. Everything has been updated, upgraded, renovated and redecorated. $74,500. See listing details and photos online at www.owners.com LISTING CODE DWM1711. 815/721-7517.         7/7

Condos

ROCKFORD CONDO 2BR, 2BA First floor in desirable neighborhood. $99,000. HOA $100/mo. Garage, AC, appl. ALL NEW granite counters, bamboo flooring, lighting, fixtures, custom travertine fireplace & dishwasher. 262/203-5203.      7/7

Mobile Homes

MOBILE HOME. 5025 Rocky Ln., Loves Park. 1984 Schult single-wide. 3-bedroom, 1-bath, all appliances, deck, shed, lawn mower. $6,000. 815/877-4757.         7/7

 

Lots for Sale

BUILDING SALE! “ROCK BOTTOM PRICES!” FINAL WEEK.  25×30 $4577. 30×40 $7140. 32×60 $11,950. 35×60 $13,990. 40×70 $14,650. 40×100 $24,900.  46×140 $37,600. OTHERS. Ends optional. Pioneer Manufacturer’s Direct 1-800-668-5422. (ICAN)

STEEL BUILDINGS: 4 only 20×24, 25×36, 30×48, 40×52.  Must Move Now!  Selling For Balance Owed!    Free Delivery!  1-800-411-5869 x204. (MCN)

Eureka! Classifieds

 

AUTOS

Autos For Sale

94 BMW 3251 All options. $1,900. 779/771-0017. 6/23

 

Motorcycles

WANTED OLD JAPANESE MOTORCYCLES KAWASAKI Z1-900 (KZ900) 1972-1976, KZ1000 (1976-1980), KZ1000R (1982,1983), Z1R, S1-250, S2-350, S3-400, H1-500, H2-750, HONDA CB750 (1969-1975), SUZUKI GS400, GT380, CASH PAID, FREE NATIONWIDE PICKUP. 1-800-772-1142, 310-721-0726.         (MCN)

 

Auto Parts and Accessories

CAR-TOP CARRIER - Karrite Voyager with lock & keys. Nice condition, $60. 815/399-2246.  7/7

TRAILER SPECIALS! Dump trailers 10,000# to 15,400#, Enclosed cargos starting at $1250.00, Skid loader trailers starting at $3100.00.  Inventory & Prices listed at: www.fortdodgetrailerworld.com 515-972-4554.       (MCN)

TRUCK TIRES: 255-70-18 Bridgestone Dueler A/T. White, raised lettering. Set of 4. Tread 9-32in. 815/704-5903.         6/30

HUNTER’S SPECIAL: Office trailer & camper trailer with two smaller trailers for sale. 847/971-5988.    6/30

 

Recreational Vehicles

2007 TRAVEL TRAILER: 35ft., washer & dryer, self-contained. Must sell! $16,000. 815/540-8729.    7/7

TRAILER 2-WHEEL 5’x8’ tilt bed with sides, lights, spare, & title. $595 OBO. 815/968-1780.         6/30

2006 Gulfstream Cavalier Travel Trailers 8’x32′, Stove, Refrigerator, Furnace and A/C. Purchased 100 – Selling Fast $3,995 217-793-7300.        (ICAN)

Boats

SPECIAL DEALS - Factory Buy Backs, Repos / Closeouts – Save up to 30% on NEW Boat Pkg’s – Qty Limited The Boat Dock 217-793-7300.   (ICAN)

 

Autos Wanted

WANTED: MONSTER TRUCK Old school, no clunkers! Call 815/312-1532.       7/7

DONATE YOUR CAR! Breast Cancer Research foundation! Most highly rated breast cancer charity in America! Tax Deductible/Fast Free Pick Up. 800-771-9551 www.cardonationsforbreastcancer.org . N-6/23

DONATE YOUR CAR… To The Cancer Fund of America. Help Those Suffering With Cancer Today. Free Towing and Tax deductible. 1-800-835-9372 www.cfoa.org .          N-6/23

DONATE VEHICLE RECEIVE $1000 GROCERY COUPON. NOAH’S ARC Support No Kill Shelters, Research to Advance Veterinary Treatments. FREE TOWING, Tax Deductible, Non-Runners Accepted. 1-866-912-GIVE.     (ICAN)

 

Classic Cars

MIDWESTCLASSICCARS.COM 19 Different Classic Car Clubs, 80 Classic Car Events and over 900 different classic and hard-to-find vehicles for sale. Check out MIDWESTCLASSICCARS.COM .

 

FOR SALE

Antiques

HOUSTON’S HEN HOUSE – Antiques & Upscale Resale.  ANNUAL JUNE/JULY CLEARANCE SALE! 18,000 sq.ft. Of Dealer Space Available. Tues-Sat: 11-4:30, Sun: 12-4. 201 N. 3rd St., Oregon, IL. 815/732-3250. www.houstonhenhouse.com . 7/7

Appliances

SMALL WHIRLPOOL APARTMENT-SIZE DRYER, $200. 815/708-6100.           6/30

REFRIGERTAOR - Mini, 34” tall, good condition. $75. 815/962-2745.         6/30

HEAVY-DUTY WASHING  MACHINE with water temp. control. $75 OBO. 815/289-7739.           6/30

REFRIGERATOR/FREEZER Hotpoint, side-by-side, automatic energy saver system, icemaker, water in door.  $275. 815/229-6570, 815/988-6411. 7/7

WHIRLPOOL SIDE-BY-SIDE refrigerator. Water & ice maker, white, 2 years new. $900 OBO. 815/639-1102. Please leave message.          7/7

 

Baby & Children’s Items

VINTAGE TOY CARS, TRUCKS, anything with wheels. ROCKFORD-MADE. 815/229-1963.  7/7

 

Burial/Cemetery Plots

2 CEMETERY LOTS Sunset Memorial Gardens, Garden of Hymns. $6,590 for both. 815/623-6935.    6/30

 

Collectibles

OAKLAND RAIDERS PLAYER PLAQUE. Paid $30, asking $10. 815/543-1163.           6/23

LARGE BEANIE BABY COLLECTION. Many varieties. $20 for all. 815/543-1163.       7/7

 

Electronics

FREE IF YOU CAN PICK UP - Tekinika TV. 815/520-7374.                          7/7

EMERSON VCR, $50. 815/397-1406.   7/7

ZENITH CONSOLE TV Excellent condition. $50 OBO. 815/245-2612.      6/23

Used XEROX 5028 black and white office copier. Includes storage base; 15 page sorter; two letter size, one legal size and one 11”x17” size paper trays; one  extra toner. Copy cartridge partially used. Automatic doc. feeder needs repair. $500 OBO. Call 815/964-9767 M-F, 9:30-5:00 and ask for Marilyn or Frank.    TFN

Fashion & Clothing

(2) WEDDING DRESSES, $20 each. 815/484-4163.        6/30

 

Furniture

MAPLE BEDROOM SET Bed, dresser, & mirror, $195. Nice condition. 815/227-4807. 7/7

MOVING SALE: New queen bed complete, china cabinet, microwave stand, recliner, & more. 815/397-5988. 6/23

(2) ANTIQUE OAK ROCKERS, $75 each. (4) Oak press-back chairs with cane feet, $150. 815/871-7511 after 5pm.     6/23

OAK ENTERTAINMENT CENTER $300. Cherrywood entertainment center, $300. 3-piece bedroom set with desk, $150. 815/703-0247.         6/23

SOFT, PASTEL-COLORED DAVENPORT for sale, $50. non-running Snapper lawn mower, aking $100. 815/397-1406.                           6/30

LOFT BED - Desk lower portion. Full-size mattress included. Great condition. $700. Lcnichols@comcast.net or 815/282-5443.    6/30

AMISH OAK DINING TABLE Six chairs, 65”. 42” extra leaf. Asking $700. $3,000 value. 815/874-2353.    7/7

MOVING SALE! Bedroom set in excellent condition. 4 pieces. Carving design on front drawers. $450 OBO. 815/968-5068.      7/7

METAL & GLASS END TABLE SET, $20. Chest of drawers, $20. Chrome & glass coffee table, $20. 815/636-0787. 7/7

FULL-SIZE BED with gold posts. Wooden twin bed. $30 each. Excellent condition. 815/877-2133.    7/7

OAK POSTED BED Converts to double or queen size. Cost $400. Asking $85. 815/874-5999.   7/7

MEMORY FOAM THERAPEUTIC NASA VISCO MATTRESSES WHOLESALE! T-$299 F-$349 Q-$399 K-$499 ADJUSTABLES – $799 FREE DELIVERY 25 YEAR WARRANTY 90 NIGHT TRIAL 1-800-ATSLEEP 1-800-287-5337 WWW.MATTRESSDR.COM .       N-6/23

ALL LEATHER SOFA & LOVESEAT Black Brand new Factory Sealed Originally $4000 Will Sacrifice $975 Can Deliver  Call Bill 630-563-9777.   (ICAN)

CHERRY BEDROOM SET Solid Wood ENGLISH DOVETAIL New in factory boxes! NEVER BEEN USED! Originally $4500  FOR ONLY $795  Can deliver!  312-238-8607.          (ICAN)

 

Industrial Equipment

1ft3 ELECTRIC CEMENT MIXER on wheels, $110. 2 heavy-duty engine stands on wheels, $50 each. 815/988-5713.          6/30

1100 CFM Dust KOP COLLECTOR, 55gal drum, lots of misc. duct work fittings, $350 for all. 815/988-5706. 6/30

 

Local Foods

TO ENJOY FARM-FRESH, LOCALLY-GROWN ORGANIC VEGETABLES this summer, visit andersonorganics.org . 6/23

SHOP LOCAL AND SAVE! Sign up for a FREE local link membership card at www.locallinkonline.com .      7/7

 

Medical Equipment

WHEELCHAIR- Folds, needs footrests, $20. In-home medical chair with food tray, $20. 815/398-4475.    7/7

 

Misc. Items For Sale

ENTRANCE DOOR - Flush, 36” R, all hardware & keys. $10. 815/234-3041.       6/30

ANTIQUE WOODEN HORSE TRICYCLE, $275. Antique wooden kitchen table, $50. 815/397-4483.    6/30

FREE! PERFECT CONDITION (1) step concrete stoop. Call 815/962-8483.       6/30

(3) LAWN MOWERS Self-propelled, need tune-up. Weed eaters. Shimano 10-speed bike. 815/962-5376.    6/23

MATTRESS, CHAINSAW, (2) weedeaters. 815/877-4919.                           6/23

RECLINING COUCH with table, cupholders, $70. Industrial fan for big area, $150. Stereo receiver, $100. 815/397-1406.                6/23

SODA MACHINE – FREE to business. Any flavor completely seviced. 815/315-3022. 7/28

SINGER SEWING MACHINE antique desk, tables, lamps, & more. 815/721-6318.          TFN

18” PROPANE/LP GAS LOG HEATER: Vent-free, hardly used! $100. 815/389-4601.           7/7

ULTA-SUN COMMERCIAL TANNING BED. Triple face tanner. Extra bulbs. $2,500. Call 815/222-4119.    7/7

3 LAWN MOWERS, weed eaters, car ramps & stands, electric wet tile saw, 2 animal cages. 815/962-5376.          7/7

LIVING ROOM SET, Dining room set, bedroom set, stainless steel refrigerator & stove, dishwasher. Excellent condition. 815/243-0774.       7/7

GIGANTIC GYM MIRRORS, $99 48”X100”, (11 available) @ $115/each 72”x100” (9 available) @ $165/each 60”x84” beveled (3 available) @ $135/each Will deliver free. Installation Available.  1-800-473-0619.  N-6/23

WALK-IN TUBS and SHOWERS. Iowa’s Largest Walk-in Tub Showroom.  24 Models From Which to Choose.  Priced from $2850 to Fully Custom Units.  Full Service Installation, Call 866-365-6426.     (MCN)

 

Sporting Goods

2 RALLY 10-SPEED BIKES, 2 weight benches, Ducane grill, pushback lawn mower, tiller, queen brass bed.  815/222-2418. 6/30

GOLF CLUBS – Full set of Ping G15 clubs & bag. $850 OBO. 815/312-1193.    6/23

COLT 357 REVOLVER. Nickel-plated. Like new. Serious buyer only. $1,700. 815/979-8154.         7/7

FISHING BUDDY II depth & fish finder, $50. Minn-Kota 28lb thrust trolling motor, $80. New 5” Mora Ice auger, $20. 815/968-8999.   7/7

15 FISHING POLES, REELS. 10 boxes of misc. tools. Several boxes of vintage jewelry. 1950s police siren. 815/962-5376.         7/7

(3)PISTOL HOLDERS. Like new. 1 leather, 2 woven. $10 all. 815/633-3743.       7/7

 

Swimming Pools & Spas

HOMEOWNERS WANTED!!! Kayak Pools is looking for demo homesites to display our virtually maintenance-free Kayak pools. Save thousands of $$$ with this Unique Opportunity! CALL NOW!  800-315-2925 kayakpoolsmidwest.com Discount Code:  521L16.     (ICAN)

 

Tools

CRAFTSMAN 10” RADIAL ARM SAW, $95. Craftsman 12” wood lathe on bench, $150. 815/871-7511 after 5pm.      7/7

DIESEL GENERATOR- 6.3Kw, silent type, 110-220V AC – 12V DC. Remote start. 815/573-7300.    6/30

CRAFTSMAN TABLE SAW SANDDUST collection kit, $35. Small Sears sandblaster with hooded shield, $35. 815/633-4999.          6/23

ELECTRIC WET TILE SAW Portable charging unit with jumper cables, ACDC hook-ups. 2 microwaves. 815/962-5376.       6/23

 

Yard & Garden

CUB CADET REAR-ENGINE RIDING MOWER. Great condition. $400. Call 815/312-1532.         6/23

JOHN DEERE 214 riding mower with mowing deck & snowplow blade. $875 OBO. 815/968-1780.    6/23

LAWN MOWER (Bolens) with mulcher. Like new, 4 years old, Well-maintianed.  $95. 815/399-0183.    6/23

 

Thrift Store

CRUSADER THRIFT SHOP, 310 7th Street – open Mon.  through Sat. from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Infant clothes on sale. 2 nice endtables and matching coffee table, 2 lovely oak tables. 4 nice wedding dresses. Blouses, shorts, slacks, skirts ½ off. Thank you for your patronage.           TFN

FHC  THRIFT SHOP, 710 Broadway. 815/299-3615, Open 9-5, Mon.-Sat. Call for emergency after-hour appointments.      TFN

SECOND CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH THRIFT SHOP. 318 North Church Street. Open Tuesday 9am – 1pm.   TFN

ROCKFORD MEMORIAL AUXILIARY THRIFT SHOP - 2830 Glenwood Ave. 815/971-4156. Hours: M-F 9:30-5. First and Third Sat. 9:30-12:30. Clothes, housewares, antiques, & more.      TFN

BROOKE ROAD THRIFT SHOP, 1404 Brooke Rd. Lots of clothes, shoes, knick knacks, and misc. Open Wednesday’s, 9-12.      TFN

DOLLAR DIGGINS The Thrift Resale Store with More. NEW & USED. Call for hours 815/229-3474. Household, furniture, books, movies, apparel, vintage jewelry from 99¢, electronics, tools, toys, dishes, antiques, & collectibles. 2233 Charles St., Rkfd. 7/7

 

Flea Market

BARGAIN BARN - Second Weekend of every month. Vendors wanted $10 fee, $5 return. Call Mark 815/623-3364.    8/4

 

Garage Sales

GARAGE SALE: 6/24, 6/25, 6/26, 6/27. 8am-4pm.  3104 Barrington Place. Clothes, shoes, housewares,  many wool coats, baskets, records, homemade wood furniture.          6/23

3 GARAGE SALES: 6/25, 6/26. Fry Dr., Roscoe.  8am-?.         6/23
SERVICES

Adoption

LOVING MARRIED COUPLE wishes to adopt newborn baby. Stable home. Michelene
& Richard 877-507-5471.  hope2adopt@comcast.net.    TFN

PREGNANT? CONSIDERING ADOPTION? Call Us First! Living expenses, Housing, Medical and continued support afterwards.  Choose Adoptive Family of Your Choice. Call 24/7. ADOPT CONNECT 1-866-743-9212.    (MCN)

UNIQUE ADOPTIONS, LET US HELP! Personalized Adoption Plans.  Financial Assistance, Housing, Relocation and More.  Giving the Gift of Life?  You Deserve the Best.  Call Us First!  1-888-637-8200. 24-HR Hotline.         (MCN)

PREGNANT? CONSIDERING ADOPTION? We can help you!  Housing, financial, medical assistance available.   You can choose adoptive family and be involved in plans.  Call 24/7.  Forever Blessed Adoptions. 1-800-568-4594. (MCN)

 

Carpet Cleaning

PAUL’S CARPET CLEANING: 30 years experience in carpet cleaning. 3 bedrooms, living room, & hallway, $60. Carpets are vacuumed, pre-sprayed, deep-cleaned, & extracted. For FREE ESTIMATE CALL- 815/378-5472.  6/30

 

Child Care

MOTHERS TOUCH is a gentle, loving, caring place that will teach your children to be respectful.  815/963-3814.   6/23

FULL-TIME & PART-TIME openings for daycare. 779/772-6263.     7/7

 

Cleaning Services

SISTERS CLEANING SERVICE Homes, offices. 30 years experience. Excellent references. Sparkling-clean work.
Dependable. Call 815/262-5763. 6/23

HOUSECLEANING Residential, Experienced, Reliable, References. $15/hr. Rockford-Roscoe-Rockton. 815/654-7005.  2/10/11

 

Clock Repair

BEHIND THE TIMES CLOCKS Antique clock repair. One-year warranty on all repairs. Call 815/980-3188.      6/9

Computers

ROCKFORD PC, LLC – Computer & Game System Repair, Virus-Removal $49.99. Specializing in PS3 Repair. 815/977-5182. 6817 Elm Ave., Loves Park, IL 61111. www.rockfordpc.com . Mon-Fri 10am-7pm, Sat 10am-4pm. 7/7

Drywall & Painting

ROCK/VICTORY DRYWALL – PAINTING Inside & out. Painting, Kitchen & Bathroom, Remodeling, Flooring, & much more. Call Ron for details 815/319-5223.    6/23

 

Education

ACCREDITED HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA. English/Spanish. Earn your diploma fast! No GED. CALL NOW! 1-888-355-5650.                         N-6/23

ATTEND COLLEGE ONLINE from Home.  *Medical, *Business, *Paralegal, *Accounting, *Criminal Justice.  Job placement assistance.  Computer available.  Financial Aid if qualified.  Call 800-510-0784 www.CenturaOnline.com .   N-6/23

HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA! Graduate in 4 Weeks! PACE Program. FREE Brochure. CALL NOW! 1-866-562-3650 Ext. 30. www.southeasternhs.com .                         N-6/23

HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA! Graduate in just 4 Weeks! PACE Program. FREE Brochure. CALL NOW! 1-800-532-6546 Ext. 412. www.continentalacademy.com .      N-6/23

GET YOUR DEGREE ONLINE *Medical, *Business, *Paralegal, *Accounting, *Criminal Justice.  Job placement assistance.  Computer available.  Financial Aid if qualified. Call 800-510-0784 www.CenturaOnline.com .                            N-6/23

ATTEND COLLEGE ONLINE from Home.  *Medical, *Business, *Paralegal,  *Accounting, *Criminal Justice. Job placement assistance. Computer available.  Financial Aid if qualified. Call 800-401-2385 www.CenturaOnline.com .                      (MCN)

 

Electrical

SWINFORD ELECTRIC COMPANY Emergency electric service & repair. 20% discount on all jobs. FREE Estimates. including Sundays & holidays. 779/772-6541.         6/23

 

Engineering

FERRETTI ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS provides future opportunities for your business. Consultants, import, export, transportation, constructions. 815/298-3138.   7/14

 

Financial

CASH NOW! Get cash for your structured settlement or annuity payments.  High payouts. Call J.G. Wentworth. 1-866-SETTLEMENT (1-866-738-8536). Rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau.         N-6/23

CASH NOW! Get cash for your structured settlement or annuity payments. High payouts. Call J.G. Wentworth. 1-866-SETTLEMENT (1-866-738-8536). Rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau.         (ICAN)

 

Florist

PROFLOWERS. Send Flowers for Every Occasion! Anniversary, Birthday, Just Because. Starting at just $19.99. Go to www.proflowers.com/heart to receive an extra 20% off your order or Call 1-866-981-3961.                 (ICAN)

 

Food Delivery

ROCK CITY DELIVERIES Now delivering for many of your favorite restaurants for only $2.99. Call 779/537-3230.    6/23

 

Handyman

PROFESSIONAL HANDYMAN SERVICE: Payment Plan Available. Kitchens, bathrooms, patios, tree trimming & removal, gutter clean-out and repair, roofing, flooring, plumbing, electric, painting, doors & windows, & much more. FREE estimates. 815/975-4268.         6/23

Hauling

CHAD’S HAULING SERVICE. Free estimates, yard waste, spring cleanup & removal of anything unwanted. Solid 6-year reputation, 15% senior discount, fully licensed & insured. Call Chad, 815/979-7593.    7/7

ANDY’S A-1 HAULING & DUMPSTER SERVICE “We’ll Dash for Your Trash”. Reliable Service & Fair Rates – Full-service or roll off container. Residential & Real Estate clean-up service. Complete estate, property, house, & garage clean-outs. Locally-owned & operated. Thank You for your Business! 815/965-3289, 815/262-5417. Please recycle.           6/23

 

Health & Medical

FREE HEARING TEST, Courtesy of Miracle Ear. CALL For Appt. with a LOCAL Specialist. Rediscover the Life You’ve Been Missing! Call Today – 1-866-548-7745.           (ICAN)

IF YOU USED TYPE 2 DIABETES DRUG AVANDIA AND SUFFERED A STROKE OR HEART ATTACK, you may be entitled to compensation. Attorney Charles Johnson 1-800-535-5727.   (ICAN)

 

Lawn & Landscape Services

LAWN CARE- Mowing $20. Most lawns include weed eating. 815/519-9943.       7/7

TRANSFORMERS LAWN CARE – We do it all! FREE estimates. Prompt professional work! Competitive rates! 815/319-5223.          6/23

GARDEN ROTOTILLING, STUMP GRINDING/REMOVAL -SPRING CLEAN-UP, tree
removal  and trimming, leaf and brush clean-up, skid- loader work. Fully-insured. 815/378-0671.  6/30

CJ LAWN & MOWING Landscaping services, mulch, soil, planting, pruning, gutter cleaning. Call 815/914-5984.                   7/21

 

Legal Services

TIMESHARE FRAUD? We specialize in getting you refunds from fraudulent Timeshare Resale companies!  We only get paid if you WIN!  Call the resort resale advocate group today!  1-888-833-2028.       (MCN)

$$$ACCESS LAWSUIT CASH NOW!!! As seen on TV, Injury Lawsuit Dragging? Need $500-$500,000++ within 24/hrs after Approval? Compare our lower rates. CALL NOW 1-866-386-3692 www.lawcapital.com .       N-6/23

 

Massage Therapy

CREATIVE TOUCH THERAPY: Alleviate stress, muscle tension, improve circulation, encourage overall well-being. Techniques meet your needs. Contact Glenn LMT  815/965-1787. itreasurefinds@yahoo.com .   12/22

 

Misc. Services

REACH OVER 30 MILLION HOMES with one buy. Advertise in NANI for only $2,795 per week! For information, visit www.naninetwork.com . N-6/23

REACH 2 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS! Do you have a product, service, or business that would be helped by reaching over 2.5 million households throughout Iowa and the surrounding states? The Midwest Classified Network will allow you to reach these potential customers quickly and inexpensively. For more information concerning a creative classified ad call this publication or Midwest Free Community Papers at 800-248-4061 or get information online at www.mcn-ads.com .         (MCN)

SEARCH THOUSANDS OF CLASSIFIED ADS FROM AROUND THE MIDWEST! Give it a try! Go to http://www.mw-ads.com . Ads from Free Papers offer you great bargains.          (MCN)

WANT TO ADVERTISE TO THE MIDWEST? Place your classified ads in the Midwest Classified Network anytime online at www.midwestfreeclassifieds.com.       (MCN)

DIRECTV $29.99/mo (por los primeros 12 meses.) Instalacion Estandar Gratis (hasta 4 habitaciones) EXCLUSIVIO-Mas de 300 Juegos de la liga Europea y de campeonato. Vea todo el mundial de Sudafrica en calidad 100% digital, no espere mas…llame Hoy al 1-866-644-7142.          (MCN)

**FREE IDENTITY THEFT PROTECTION! (For 30 Days) LIFELOCK. Call Now! ADD 10% Off. Use Promo Code: ID Call 1-866-836-6856.       (MCN)

DISH – BEST OFFER EVER! $24.99/mo (for 1 year.) 120+ Channels, FREE HD! FREE DVR Upgrade! PLUS, Call NOW & SAVE Over $380!  CALL 1-877-478-1894.   (MCN)

**ALL SATELLITE SYSTEMS ARE NOT THE SAME. Monthly programming starts under $20 per month and FREE HD and DVR systems for new callers.  CALL NOW 1-800-799-4935.   N-6/23

DIRECTV 50% OFF for one year! FREE HD/DVR Upgrades, Standard Install, 3mo STARZ + SHOWTIME. Get started for $0! New cust only, qual pkgs. DirectStarTV 1-800-279-5698. N-6/23

DIRECTV Save $29/mo for a YEAR! NO Equipment/Start-Up Costs! Free HD/DVR Upgrade! Other Packages Start $29.99/mo! Ends 7/14/10. New cust. only, qual pkgs. DirectStarTV 1-800-620-0058.      N-6/23

FREE HD FOR LIFE! Only on DISH NETWORK! Lowest Price in America! $24.99/mo for over 120 Channels! $500 Bonus! 1-888-377-8994.     N-6/23

HD is FREE FOR LIFE w/ DISH Network! FREE HD-DVR Upgrade, and $75 Cash-Back! NO Installation, or Equipment Costs! From $24.99/mo. CALL-NOW: 866-236-8706. N-6/23

FREE HD FOR LIFE! Only on DISH Network! Lowest Price in America! $24.99/mo for over 120 Channels! $500 Bonus! 1-877-805-7991. (MCN)

DIRECTV FREE Standard Installation! FREE SHOWTIME+ STARZ (3 mo)! FREE HD/DVR upgrade! Ends 7/14/10. New Customers Only, Qual. Pkgs. From $29.99/mo. DirectStarTV 1-866-611-6271.      (MCN)

DIRECTV 50% OFF for one year!  Free HD/DVR Upgrades, Standard Install, 3mo STARZ + SHOWTIME. Get started for $0!  New cust. only, qual pkgs. Call DirectStarTV 1-800-206-6525.                   (MCN)

FREE ADT-MONITORED HOME Security System & a $100 VISA Gift Card from Security Choice. Find Out How! Call Today. 1-866-980-4937.    (ICAN)

 

Photography

SPECIAL EVENT SOON? We photograph weddings and/or receptions, other events. Packages start at $495. Call 815/985-8526.   6/30

 

Plumbing

BOB THE PLUMBER 22 years experience. FREE Estimates. Call 779/770-5532 for all your plumbing needs. 6/30

 

Therapy

ROCKFORD LAUGH CLUB. Meeting Tuesdays 7p.m. and Saturdays 10a.m. for stress relief. To join call 815/979-1944.                                TFN

 

Weddings & Occasions

NEED A CARING MINISTER for counseling or for your special occasion? Inexpensive. 815/342-6064. TFN

 

Youth Services

B.O.C.H. ANGELS is a social service organization built on love for children. 313/254-3697.         6/23

JOBS

Courtesy of  The Rock River Times - Warning from the Better Business Bureau.

Work-at-home and fraudulent employment opportunities. Work-at-home and business opportunity scams are frequently found online as well as  in the classified sections. They promise high income for minimal work and minimal effort. However, when an interested consumer “applies”, they almost always ask for money up-front to pay for materials, training kits, or investment money. After sending payment, most consumers either have their checks deposited and never hear anything again, or obtain something that is completely useless- essentially junk mail. Internet employment opportunities, mostly found on job boards, looking for “shipping” or “billing managers”, “payment processors”, or anything with a financial sounding name, very frequently turn out to be fraudulent listings that are in actuality looking for victims to commit money laundering by accepting and forwarding payments.

 

Help Wanted

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS COLLEGE OF MEDICINE AT ROCKFORD:
- Licensed Practical and  Registered Nurse Positions Excellent full-time, part-time and float pool opportunities available in our medical program at the Winnebago County Justice Center, Rockford, IL.  Previous experience in a corrections facility preferred, but not necessary.

- Purchasing/Accounting Full time position. Clerical duties include purchasing, receiving and central stores for the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Rockford.  Reviews and edits purchase requisitions, maintains electronic ordering system, reconciles invoices, researches/secures quotes for products/services and prepares a variety of documents. Requires accounting/purchasing experience.

The University of Illinois College of Medicine is a civil service employer with an outstanding benefits package including tuition waivers for employees to complete U of I and NIU degree programs.  Apply on-line at jobs.uic.edu . AA/EOE. 7/7

DECKHANDS! Ingram Barge Co., the leader in the Marine industry,  is accepting applications online at www.ingrambarge.com . Applicants can also apply at your local Workforce Development Center. Must have valid driver’s license and H.S. diploma or GED required. Three years heavy labor work experience (i.e. farming, logging, construction, etc.) preferred. Generous daily wage, excellent benefits package (401k & Retirement Plan, Health, Dental, Vision, Life, AD&D, etc.) Schedules may vary & opportunities for advancement. EOE, M/F/V.            6/23

OFFICE HELP WANTED. Fax resume to: 815/231-1218.         TFN

AUTO BODY REPAIR - Experience & tools required. 815/965-2612. statelineautoparts@comcast.net . 6/30

SALVAGE YARD WORKER WANTED. Experience in automotive field & tools required. 815/965-2612. statelineautoparts@comcast.net.     6/30

GREATER ROCKFORD AREA APT. COMMUNITY HAS IMMEDIATE OPENING FOR MAINTENANCE. Must have knowledge of plumbing, electrical, HVAC, drywall, painting, lawn care & snow removal.  3yrs. experience.  Send résumé and salary history to propsuper@gmail.com  or fax: 815-226-9193.         7/7

THE VILLAGE OF ROSCOE IS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR MAINTENANCE WORKER – Public Works Dept. Knowledge of basic maint equip, automotive & building system repairs, and simple tool operation required.  Ability to operate and maintain heavy equipt.  Class “B” CDL w/air brake endorsement required.  Qualified applicants send résumés to:  vorhr@villageofroscoe.com .
Or apply at:  Village of Roscoe, 10631 Main St, Roscoe, IL 60173 M-F 9:00 am – 4:00 pm.  6/23

SEAMSTRESS WANTED to sew clothes: dresses, skirts, blouses, etc. Call 815/243-0774.         7/28

2 LIFE INSURANCE AGENTS needed for new agency in Rkfd. Call 815/347-6485.     7/7

ARE YOU EXPERIENCED IN PRINT ADVERTISING SALES? The Rock River Times is now interviewing motivated representatives for careers in sales. Competitive wage offered, flexible schedule. Have you seen how our paper is growing? This is where you want to be! Long-term commitment a must. Need own vehicle.
Submit rèsumè to:
The Rock River Times
128 N. Church St. Rockford, IL 61101
or  E-mail: contact@rockrivertimes.com .                  TFN

INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL EXCHANGE REPRESENTATIVE: Earn supplemental income placing and supervising high school exchange students. Volunteer host families also needed. Promote world peace! 1-866-GO-AFICE or www.afice.org.    (ICAN)

1000 ENVELOPES = $5000 Receive $5 for every Envelope  Stuffed. Guaranteed!  800-370-2881.  (MCN)

$$EARN EXTRA INCOME$$ Working from home.  $5.00 for every envelope Processed with our sale brochures.  Guaranteed!!  Free Information.  1-800-210-2686 www.funsimplework.com .     (MCN)

AIRLINES ARE HIRING – Train for high-paying Aviation Maintenance Career. FAA-approved program. Financial aid if qualified – Housing available. CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance. (888) 686-1704.  N-6/23

$$$ 24 PEOPLE WANTED $$$ Make $1,400 – $4,600 Weekly Working From Home Assembling Information Packets. No Experience Necessary! Start Immediately! FREE Information.  CALL 24hrs. 1-866-899-2756.    N-6/23

$$$ START NOW $$$ Earn Extra Income. Assembling CD Cases from home! No Experience Necessary. Call our Live Operators for more information!  1-800-405-7619 Ext 2181 www.easywork-greatpay.com .          N-6/23

$8000+ FOR ENVELOPES! Receive $6-$8 for every envelope stuffed with our sales brochures: Guaranteed!  Postage, supplies furnished.  1-800-778-7617.    (MCN)

THE JOB FOR YOU! $500 Sign-on bonus.  Travel the US with our young minded enthusiastic business group.  Cash and bonuses daily.  Call Ryan 888-285-1347 today.          (MCN)

ASSEMBLE MAGNETS & CRAFTS from Home!  Year-Round Work!  Excellent Pay!  No Experience!  Top US Company! Glue Gun, Painting, Jewelry, More! Toll Free 877-316-6134.         (MCN)

SALES REPRESENTATIVE NEEDED to sell aerial photos of farms.  Set your own hours!  Earn 25%-50% commission weekly.  Must own vehicle and travel weekly.  25 year old company!  Call 1-800-332-0085.                         (MCN)

AIRLINES ARE HIRING – Train for high-paying Aviation Career. FAA-approved program. Financial aid if qualified – Job placement assistance.  CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance 866-231-7177.          (MCN)

HANDS ON CAREER – Train for a high-paying Aviation Maintenance Career. FAA-approved program. Financial aid if qualified – Job placement assistance. Call AIM today (866)854-6156. N-6/23

$50/HR POTENTIAL. Get Paid to Shop and Eat. Retail Research Associate Needed. No Experience. Training Provided. Call 1-800-742-6941.       N-6/23

EARN $1000 A WEEK processing our mail! FREE Supplies! Helping Home-Workers since 2001! Genuine Opportunity! No experience required Start Immediately! www.national-work.com  (VOID IN SD).  (MCN)

FEDERAL POSTAL JOBS! Now Hiring!  Earn $12-$48 per hour/ No Experience, Full Benefits/ Paid Training.  NOW HIRING!  1-866-477-4953 Ext 238.     (MCN)

SALES REPRESENTATIVE NEEDED. Most earn $50K-$100K or more. Call our branch office at 309-662-9615. Ask for Patricia Cochran, or e-mail patricia.cochran@insphereis.com Visit www.insphereis.com .                      (ICAN)

 

Drivers  

CLASS C CDL DRIVER – Local delivery driver needed. Wholesaler looking for hardworking, reliable driver able to lift 50 lbs., clean driving record, background check required. Apply in person @ 3036 Eastrock Ct., Rockford, IL.   7/7

VOLUNTEER DRIVER WANTED- with license, insurance, & temperature-controlled van to take disabled lady to appt.’s 2-4 times per week. 815/713-3390.    TFN

DRIVERS: OWNER OPERATORS. 99% no touch. Fuel Surcharge. Two Pay Options! Weekly hometime. CDL-A 2 yrs. T/T exp. 888-880-5920 x 193/161.  6/23

TRANSPORT DRIVER: Leading Tank Carrier has immediate openings for local fuel drivers. Drivers will be based in the Rockford, IL or surrounding area. Position requires class A CDL with Hazmat and Tank endorsement. Clean record and 1-2 years experience preferred. Competitive wage and benefits package. KANE Transport 11685 Clark Rd., Inver Grove Heights, MN 55077. 877-714-KANE (5263) ext 224. www.kanetransport.com ; timh@kanetransport.com .  7/7

DRIVERS: $2000 SIGN-ON BONUS! System & Regional. Earn $.40cpm. Benefits, West Coast Miles. Excellent Hometime. Ryle or Jamie: 800-593-6433.       6/23

ATTN:  DRIVERS! New Pay Increase! 34-40 cpm Excellent Benefits Need CDL-A & 3 mos recent OTR 877-258-8782  www.meltontruck.com . (ICAN)

MIDWEST OWNER OPERATORS WANTED. 64% of revenue or up to 1.10 per mile loaded 1.00 per mile empty. Generous fuel surcharge paid all miles. Permits, and fuel taxes paid. FRONTIER TRANSPORT 800 991 6227.      (ICAN)

HIRING EXPERIENCED FLATBED DRIVERS. Need one year OTR. Great benefits and pay package. Great Home Time. Terminals in Grand Island, NE And Rensselaer, IN. Dedicated Flatbed Carrier 1-866-483-5318  www.gicc.chiefind.com .                    (ICAN)

$1,000 SIGN ON BONUS! Great regional driving opportunities available now! 99% no-touch freight, late-model equipment, and competitive home time! McLeod Express 866-379-8377. (ICAN)

DRIVERS - Owner / Operators $3000-$4000 / week, Your Tractor – Our Trailer, must run 2800-3000 miles per week home every 14dys. Midwest to Southwest runs 1-800-817-3962.         (ICAN)

*** NOT GETTING MILES? NO PROBLEM *** 100% Reefer, OTR Drivers Wanted Pre-Pass EZ-pass. Every 60K mile raises. Newer equipment W/APU. Passenger-Pet Policy. 100% NO touch. 1-800-528-7825.          (ICAN)

THERE ARE MANY REASONS TO JOIN Boyd Bros. Third Pay Raise in Place! Sign-On Bonus! Stay Loaded! Lease-Purchase Program. Hiring Company, Owner/Ops, Students. 800-543-8923.(ICAN)

DRIVERS – CDL/A *NOW HIRING *Teams *Solos *Owner Operators *Referral Bonus is Back! Great Pay, Miles & Benefits. CDL/A with 1yr. OTR req’d. 800-942-2104 Ext. 238 or 243 www.totalms.com.          (ICAN)

TRUCK DRIVERS WANTED – Best Pay and Home Time!  Apply Online Today over 750 Companies!  One Application, Hundreds of Offers!  http://hammerlanejobs.com. (MCN)

 

Seeking Employment

BOARD-RETIRED NURSE’S AIDE looking for fill-in work weekends or nights. 35 years experience. Call 815/399-1639.    6/23

LOOKING FOR ODD JOBS TO DO. Call Mon-Sat 6am-6:30pm. 815/262-2900.         7/7

 

Business Opportunity

FUNDS FOR YOUR 501(C)3 non-profit groups and churches! www.youtube5ma.com .  www.shopgloria.com .  Contact gloriacudia@comcast.net or 815/289-5970.       6/23
MUSIC

FIDDLE LESSONS AVAILABLE $25/hr. 30 years experience. Member of Southern Wisconsin Fiddler Association. Call 815/963-7808. Ask for Ann.                            7/7

VOICE LESSONS Rockford’s Best! Learn to sing this summer, money-back guarantee. www.sheilavayenas.com 815/226-3676.         7/7

DRUMMER SEEKS BAND Any music heavy on rhythm & melody. Ray – 815/297-9059.           6/23

FEMALE-FRONTED DANCE/ROCK ORIGINAL BAND searching for bass player. Prefer age range 21-27. Has exciting shows currently booked. Influences: Shiny Toy Guns, Paramore, Cobra Starship. Practice space near Rochelle. Plenty of potential with the right people! www.myspace.com/midmostmusic . 815/922-7537 ask for Caleb.            TFN

ORGAN – Baldwin electric. 52 keys, 18 sounds, 32” tall, 42” wide. $200. 815/988-6411.                              7/7

PERSONALS

AFRICAN-AMERICAN ATTRACTIVE TRANSSEXUAL: Educated, outgoing, wants to meet gentleman. Race unimportant. Age 30-60. Serious calls only! 815/209-7989.TFN

THIS BISEXUAL MALE is seeking other guys for friendship and possible roommate  options. For more details call 815/312-0018.  TFN

SWF – SINCERE CHRISTIAN seeking same in man age 55-69. Prefer young retiree. 815/964-4588.    6/30

SWM 52 looking for dating & relationship. Non-drinker, non-smoker. 608/718-4327. 6/30

CARING SWM 53 of Milwaukee, WI. desires connecting with non-smoking woman for friendship, more. 414/258-4641.   6/30

CHRISTIAN LADY, 60’s, seeking companionship with a gentleman with good values. Call evenings only. 815/765-0375.        6/30

SWM SEEKING SWF between 35-49 for long-term relationship. 815/742-7183.           7/7

ATTRACTIVE 47-YEAR-OLD SWM non-drinker/drugs, non-smoker seeking SWF 30-48 with same qualities. 815/963-2433.        7/7

 

Public Announcement

MORRIS-KENNEDY/NASHOLD RENUNION POTLUCK- July 10. Alpine Park. For more info call  Olga – 815/229-5992 or Barb- 815/282-8439.     7/7

LOOKING FOR ANSWERS? Try Bible call. 24-hour automated service- 815/316-2650. (Church of Christ).          TFN

AL-ANON, support group for families and friends of alcoholics. Help-line: (815) 399-0456.         TFN

WELCOME  TO ST. SEBASTIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH. Traditional liturgy every Sunday, 10:30 a.m., 2415 Charles St., Suite 20×1, Rockford, IL. Call 815/520-4374.           TFN

PRE-VATICAN II CHURCH is alive and well. St. Sebastian. Call 815/520-4374.               TFN

POSITIVE IMAGE CHURCH – Basic Life Skills Programs. Free. 1408 Elm Street. For information: 815/967-9061.  TFN

BISHOP EDWARD A.JOHNSON , SR. I’ll pray for you & you pray for me. Watch God change things! 815/388-4546. Donations welcome: 505 N. Main Apt. 904, Rockford, IL 61103.       6/30

Call for Volunteers

HOST FAMILIES for Foreign Exchange Students, ages 15-18 & have own spending money  & insurance. Call Now for students arriving in August!  Great life experience.  1-800-SIBLING. www.aise.com .      (ICAN)

Organ, Blood, & Tissue Donation

26-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER desperately needs kidney Type A+. Waiting 6½ years. (630)400-6849.  TFN

SINGLE YOUNG MOTHER with 2 children desperately needs kidney donor. Blood type O positive/negative. 815/397-6703.        TFN

55-YEAR-OLD ITALIAN MOTHER desperately needs Mediterranean kidney donor Type A or O, waiting 4 years. 815/978-3422 or 815/282-2551.  TFN

WWW.LINKSFOR LIFECAMPAIGN.COM Read the stories, see the faces of those desperately in need of a lifesaving organ transplant, or set up your own link for free.               TFN

 

 

The Rock River Times
is now offering a special classifieds section

reserved for individuals or families

seeking organ donations.
This is a totally free service

for those who are in need.

Please feel free to call: (815)964-9767,
fax: (815)964-9825,  or e-mail: contact@rockrivertimes.com
your FREE 15-word ad for this special section.
For more information on organ & tissue donation,

visit www.giftofhope.org
To  contribute to

The Angela Rushford Children’s Organ Donation Fund,

visit the foundation of Northern Illinois’ web site:
www.cfnil.org .

In Loving Memory

THE COLONEL PLAYS ON- Website for astonishing guitar player David Leis. www.thecolonel.info .        TFN

PETS

2 FULL-GROWN CATS. 1 female, 1 male. $5 each to a good home. 815/262-2900. Ask for Julie or Leo. 7/7

CAT FOUND! Female, short-hair. Calico gray, orange, & white. 1 yr old. Found in Machesney Park. 815/654-6204.   7/7

YORKIE PUPPIES - D.O.B. 3/24/10. Registered. $800. 815/633-2726.     6/23

LOST DOG! Black & white Australian Shepherd (Black with white on chest). Lost on 6/6 in Rock Cut State Park. Name – Rio. Very scared. Call Hal – 815/670-9962. REWARD!        6/23

55-GALLON FISH TANK with various livestock & accessories. Call for info. 779/770-1103.          6/23

KITTENS TO GOOD HOME 815/670-9120.          6/30

SPUNKY, PLAYFUL KITTENS Solid gray & solid black. $10. 779/770-3742.      6/30

5-MONTH-OLD BLACK CHI-POO All shots included. $200. 815/980-9000.       6/23

KITTENS- 8 weeks old. 1 tan male, 1 gray female. $10 each. 815/645-2440.      6/23

(4) PURE GRAY KITTENS - 2 males & 2 females. To forever-loving indoor homes only. Call 815/980-7863.      TFN

(2)  FEMALE CALICO KITTENS to forever-loving, indoor homes only. Call 815/980-7863.   TFN

WANTED: LOVING & CARING  FOSTER HOMES for kittens & cats that haven’t been rescued yet, but desperately need to be as soon as possible. If you can help, please call me at 815/980-7863. Thanks so much. – Lori.           TFN

DON’T BREED OR BUY while homeless pets die. Adopt from  shelters or rescues. www.wcasrock.org .     TFN

WHIPS, SCARS, CHAINS, & BARS. Circus suffering is NOT entertainment.        TFN
WANTED

WANTED: WHITE ELECTRIC STOVE in excellent condition near Rockford. 815/382-7667.  6/23

Needed for my son who is a nursing home resident: his favorite music artist, Bob Seger- albums, records, CDs, etc. Thanks for calling, Don, 815/262-0214.     TFN

WANTED: SIMPLICITY HYDROSTATIC rear-engine lawn mower, 34 in. cut. Call 815/312-1532. 6/30

NEED CASH? Diabetic Test STRIPS WANTED.  Will pay up to $14 a box. Quick & local. Nancy. 815/519-9966. TFN

I WILL BUY YOUR OLD CD collections. Top prices paid. 815/218-3054.   6/30

CASH! FOR YOUR ANTIQUES, GOLD, SILVER, OR ANYTHING OF VALUE. Call 815/558-1900.             6/30

WANTED: SNOWMOBILES AND PARTS from the 70’s and 80’s., Kitty Cats and other small snowmobiles. 815/623-6591.        TFN

WILL PAY MORE FOR silver & gold than anyone. See our ad in the “At Your Service” section, page D4. 815/547-7111.6/23

WANTED: Lawn mowers, ATV’s, minibikes, scooters, dirt bikes, go-carts, riding mowers, & antique vehicles. Running or not. 815/397-4483.  6/30

WANTED: FREE OLD OAK ROCKING CHAIR for old 81-year-old man. 815/633-2049.           6/30

WANTED: James Herriot’s “All Creatures Great & Small” PBS Series tapes or DVDs. 815/962-4538.    6/23

LOOKING TO PURCHASE A used slide projector. 815/962-4498.    6/23

1961 WEST ROCKFORD YEARBOOK. Good Condition. Reasonable price. 815/962-4545.                   6/23

WANTED: APT-SIZE WASHER Must work well. Also, I will take people to grocery store & doctor. 815/399-2473.       6/23

WANTED: Cheap tortoise. 779/770-3858.      6/23

WANTED: SMALL PETS for disabled person. 779/770-3858.           7/7

WANTED: PLACE TO DUMP FIELD DIRT. Please call 815/624-8511.      7/7

OLD GUITARS WANTED! Fender, Gibson, Martin, Gretsch, Prairie State, Euphonon, Larson, D’Angelico, Stromberg, Rickenbacker, and Mosrite. Gibson Mandolins/Banjos. 1930’s thru 1970’s TOP CASH PAID! 1-800-401-0440.   N-6/23

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Classifieds | No Comments »

Yoga Rockford: Reflecting on yoga

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

By Jennie Williford
Pranayama Yoga Studio

When we look at ourselves in the mirror, we see a reflection. That reflection is a compilation of our outer self: our body, the room around us, the clothes we wear, and in any given moment, it may please or disgust us.

Our minds connect to that outer image in relation to memories of the past or thoughts of the future, and minor changes may disturb or agitate us. But, what happens if we close our eyes, separating from the outer image of ourselves, and begin to really experience the truth of our self in each moment? How can we begin to learn to see our reflection from within? This is the process of yoga.

Yoga, Sanskrit for “union,” is the merging or aligning of our inner self (purusa) with our outer nature (prakrti). Prakrti is like the outer reflection in the mirror, always changing, but supplying the needed energies and elements to live in and interact with the world. Purusa is the internal quality of every being: peace, happiness and stability, unchanged by the world around us, but typically forgotten in our daily distractions. The work of yoga begins to teach us how to use prakrti better, by choosing a path that leads consciousness toward clarity and freedom, instead of continuing on a path of attachment and disturbance.

Most of our lives are spent identifying with and attaching to the impermanence of nature. In this attachment to things that are ever-changing, we create a state of constant distraction and agitation on some level or another. Through the eight-limbed practice of yoga, we can begin to shut down the avenues of false identification with our outer self and begin to reflect back on our one true nature.

This process of reflection must start with the gross outer body and move toward the more subtle internal experience. We must become aware of and begin to deal with our attachments and begin to let go of the “story” of who we are and what we are in comparison to others and external views. These attachments create clouds in our consciousness and keep us from seeing our own truth in each moment.

We need the attentiveness of yoga to begin the process of discovery. Through asana (physical posture), pranayama (regulation and awareness of the breath) and pratyahara (inward turning of the senses), we are given tangible ways to focus the mind inward. Practicing single-focused attention on any task instead of submitting to the usual distractions, our consciousness quiets, and we catch glimpses of the purusa within. As we clear the clouds through this connection of body, mind and breath, we focus more deeply in and begin to see a clearer reflection.

Over time, the glimpses of purusa begin to solidify into a greater awareness both inside and out. Single-focused inward attention becomes multi-dimensioned experience of life. Consciousness clears and opens up to all possibility, reflecting a life of full potential.

For me, yoga is a constant journey and adventure. Through growing awareness and reflection, I am more often and more fully able to experience the world and the people around me as a constantly-changing phenomenon. Within that change, I am also changing, and in those moments that I don’t attach or cling to what I think things should be or could be or would be, I can see things as they are. My inner purusa sits and smiles, constantly shining the light from within…just waiting for me to get out of the way, clear the clouds from my consciousness and bask in its reflection!

For more information about Pranayama Yoga Studio, visit www.yogarockford.com or call (815) 968-9642.

From the June 30-July 6, 2010 issue

Posted in Yoga Rockford | No Comments »

Mayor postpones fire station closures

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

Public outcry sends city back to negotiating table

• News and notes from the June 28 Rockford City Council meeting

By Stuart R. Wahlin
Staff Writer

After more than 2,300 signatures were obtained in less than a week on a petition against the closures of two west-side fire stations, and after sharp criticisms from public speakers, Mayor Larry Morrissey (I) announced June 28 he’d postpone by at least two weeks the closure of Station 8, 505 Sherman St., originally slated for July 1.

The closure is expected to save nearly $500,000 this year alone. Initially, only the elimination of one fire crew was proposed, with the station to remain open for ambulance service, but the administration later opted to close the facility completely.

Station 3, 1520 S. Main St., is expected to close Jan. 1, 2011, which is another deviation from the original plan to simply eliminate one fire crew from another west-side station. The closure is expected to save about $1 million annually.

Getting back to the table with the fire union to craft another solution, it seems, is the mandate from Rockford citizens. However, if the attitude of E.J. Dilonardo, president of the firefighters’ union, is any indication, the union’s stance against reduced manning on fire trucks is unyielding.

Although many aldermen expressed appreciation to the mayor for slowing down the process, the ongoing stalemate with the union leaves questions about how else the Fire Department can trim $1.5 million from its budget.

Public pressure

The pressure came to a boiling point during public comments when speaker after speaker blasted the mayor for his decision to close the two stations.

Gwen Lashock asserted: “The very idea of closing two fire stations on the west side, an area of generally older homes, many housing larger families and closer together, is the height of recklessness. It also smacks of discrimination, much as the school district’s ill-fated decision to close West High School gave rise to the People Who Care lawsuit.”

Lashock pointed to the city’s continued practice of forced annexations, which she suggested come at the price of reduced essential services. She argued public safety and public works should be atop government’s priorities, adding, “Sacrificing taxpayers’ safety is not an option.”

Lashock also took aim at the city’s consideration of spending millions for the purchase and demolition of the Tapco and Amerock buildings, but pooh-poohed the notion that those funds can only be used for certain types of projects.

“Just as former Ald. Victory Bell, at a previous meeting, spoke about the diversion of Community [Service] Block Grant funds, I am all too aware of the similar creative allocations of Motor Fuel Tax [MFT] and infrastructure sales tax funds,” she said. “This city administration has decided to dabble in education, tourism, real estate development, recreation, sports teams, etcetera. …Mr. Mayor, I ask you, how much do you project a human life is worth?”

Sara McGee, who circulated the petition that garnered 2,302 signatures, argued the added response time resulting from the station’s closure would put historic neighborhoods and those who live in them at greater risk.

Also referring to the recent forced-annexation of the Bradley Heights neighborhood, she noted, “They were promised fire and medical services, now only to have their fire engine taken away.”

McGee pointed out that the closure would not only affect the immediate neighborhoods, but the rest of the city, because when a fire breaks out in an area once covered by Station 8, it will take protection away from other areas.

“This will now require more resources to be brought in to bring what was once a small fire under control,” she noted. “In addition, firefighters will now be at greater risk, causing more harm and injuries, and only costing the city more money. This does not make any sense.”

McGee also noted the likelihood of increased insurance premiums for those who will be affected by longer response times, adding that it’s unconscionable to ask the public to accept reduced safety in the name of offsetting the city’s inability to live within its means.

“Our lives depend on the swift response times the Rockford Fire Department is known for, and the taxpayers and voters of Rockford deserve nothing less than the service and excellence from their leaders and first responders.”

Responding to loud applause after the first two speakers, Morrissey pounded his gavel and reminded attendees that clapping is not permitted.

Carol Bell, wife of former Ald. Victory Bell (D), agreed the closures would impact the entire city. She also wondered why both closures were being proposed for the west side.

She, like the other speakers, acknowledged the financial constraints causing city leaders to reassess priorities, but stressed, “Compromising public safety should never be considered as the road to financial solvency.

“Station No. 3 is located in the oldest section of the city, with the oldest housing stock, which is more susceptible to distress and more likely to need fire services,” she said, indicating the facility serves a large population of senior citizens. “Moreover, Station No. 3 serves a low-income area that already struggles with survivability issues, and you place them in jeopardy of increased insurance premiums and decreased services? …Those who are most vulnerable and who can least afford it are being targeted by these overarching decisions made by city leadership. They’re being forced to suffer the burden of removal of a vital service.”

Bell also noted the likely exacerbation of increased response times once the three-year Morgan Street bridge rebuilding project has begun.

“You are not only devaluing property—you are devaluing lives,” she argued.

Although the mayor doesn’t need council approval to proceed with the closures, Bell reminded aldermen they hold the purse strings.

“Your vote, your legislative action, determines, how, when and where the finances are directed,” she concluded.

Despite the mayor’s warning, attendees applauded Bell’s comments.

James Thomas, a 55-year resident of the southwest side, argued the closures would put senior citizens in jeopardy, adding, “The idea of the entire south side of Rockford not having a fire station is not only ludicrous, it’s criminal.”

Thomas said the entire city, not just one side of town, needs to share the financial burden.

“Don’t the west side people have a right to public safety?” he wondered, urging the mayor and firefighters to resolve their differences in the name of those they serve. Thomas noted the increased response time could mean the difference that causes someone to lose their life or their home.

Mayor, union still posturing

Morrissey acknowledged the concerns expressed by the public are valid, and that he’s “absolutely willing to listen,” but that he can’t avert the closure alone.

“It’s a two-way street,” Mayor Morrissey said of union negotiations. “We’re certainly open to discussions with our fire union on options.”

Morrissey indicated that every city department, except for fire, has learned to do more with less in the wake of the financial downturn. He said the Fire Department has increased by 14 employees, but International Association of Fire Fighter Local 413 President E.J. Dilonardo disagreed with the mayor’s math. Despite opposition from aldermen Pat Curran (R-2), Venita Hervey (D-5) and Ann Thompson-Kelly (D-7), Dilonardo was granted the floor.

Although Dilonardo said he was thankful for the delay, he responded: “I would like to point out, though, that the Fire Department, to my best knowledge…is operating 10 firefighters short, one division chief short, and two fire inspectors short right now, and some of that is by agreement with the city on the fire inspectors. The Fire Department is not at its current recommended staffing level.

“We have made concessions,” he argued in response to the mayor’s suggestion that the department hasn’t shared the burden. “We’re always willing to come to the table. We’re always willing to discuss the ways the city can save money, [and how] the Fire Department can save money. I believe the Fire Department was under budget last year with some of the programs that were created and worked hard towards.”

According to Dilonardo, the union previously offered wage freezes for 2009 and 2010, as well as three furlough days per year for each firefighter. He has estimated these concessions would have saved roughly $3 million.

Morrissey said that during the two-week postponement, it is imperative to make the citizens understand just how dire the city’s financial forecast is.

“The decisions that we made weren’t made in haste,” he said of the proposed closures. “They were made with quite a bit of deliberation.”

For the past couple years, the mayor has been wrestling with the union to reduce the number of firefighters per truck from four to three. It appears that issue is coming back to the forefront.

“I’m also cognizant of the fact that we’re the only department in the entire county that’s unable to take advantage of part-time employees to help meet our manning levels,” he added. “These are options and ideas that we’re very willing to look at, and look forward to being able to do that in the near future.”

Although both sides hope to avert the closures through further talks, neither appears willing to bend.

“One thing that we have great difficulty with is changing from four firefighters to three firefighters on a rig,” Dilonardo maintained. “Over the years, the firefighters have taken less benefits and less wages to purchase that fourth firefighter, not only to provide safety for the firefighters, but the safety of the community. We will strive to maintain that, and do everything we can to help out and work towards that goal.”

Aldermen appreciative of reprieve

Ald. Doug Mark (R-3) entered the petition into the record, expressing appreciation for the postponement, noting that 2,302 citizens, so far, have demanded further discussion. Mark said he believes public safety is a priority.

“If we lose our community because of crime, and because of neglect of having burned-out homes, then I think we have some other problems,” he asserted.

Under a proposal by Ald. Bill Robertson (I-14), MFT dollars, used to leverage state and federal dollars for road projects, would be diverted to offset the projected budget deficit. That doesn’t sit well with some west-side aldermen.

Ald. Hervey, for instance, described the notion of maintaining the same level of fire service, while keeping other projects on track, as farcical.

“I think we need to have a little honesty about how we will reach some of the solutions to keeping these fire stations open,” she stated. “It amazes me that people talk about the Morgan Street bridge and that project as though it’s not going to be sacrificed in order to maintain the status quo.”

Hervey appears unwilling to accept the suggestion that citizens on the west side can have their cake and eat it, too.

“If we talk about maintaining four on a truck, and we talk about maintaining every single fire station that we have, you are basically saying: ‘Kill the Morgan Street bridge project. Kill South Main Street. Kill West State Street, and kill some of the other projects that exist in southwest Rockford that are there because of years and years and years of neglect,” she noted. “Hobson’s choice does not work with me. You can’t paint me into a corner and say, ‘Either keep your fire station, or give up the Morgan Street bridge and South Main Street, and demolishing some of the houses.’”

Hervey and Linda McNeely (D-13) are hopeful both sides will reach a compromise in which the west side doesn’t bear the brunt. Both argued the west side has waited a long time for the Morgan Street Bridge, South Main Street and West State Street projects to become a reality.

“Whenever something is taken away, it’s taken away from us,” McNeely said.

Thompson-Kelly disagreed with Dilonardo’s assertion that the Fire Department has made its fair share of sacrifices.

“They will give something, but ask for something else,” she alleged. “They are part of this community, and they should be part of solving the problems in this community.”

Thompson-Kelly acknowledged that no alderman wants to resort to closing fire stations or reducing minimum staffing on fire trucks, “But there are some tough decisions, and we have cut and cut and cut and cut.

“Right now, we’ve got a hole that we’ve got to fill,” she noted. “There’s no place else…to get the dollars that we need. If there was, we’d do it.”

Ald. Nancy Johnson (D-8) was also thankful for the delay, adding that she was uncomfortable with the decision being solely in the hands of the mayor.

“We need to be all-inclusive,” she said of moving forward. “We all need an input.”

Robertson, the city’s former fire chief, had an understandably biased view.

“It’s really hard for me, with my history of where I come from, to stand up and support the closing of a fire station,” he conceded. “Where I come from, we not only need the 13 stations…we really need a couple more.”

He acknowledged, however, a deficit of up to $8 million projected for next year, agreeing with Johnson that everyone needs to put their heads together to find a solution.

“Closing fire stations is the least of my choices,” Robertson noted, turning his attention to defense of the firefighters.

“I know them to be a professional group, full of integrity, full of desire to do what’s in the best interest of this community,” he said, arguing they have made sacrifices over the years. “They are a very generous and a very supportive group, and they love this community. They work for it, they want it to be safe, and I know that they’ll come forward and make it work as best they can.”

Ald. Lenny Jacobson (D-6) predicted: “We’re not going to please everybody. Somebody’s gonna have to give and lose, and it’s gonna have to be a compromise somewhere down the pike. But ultimately, the goal is safety for every individual in this community.”

Committee reports

• Awarding $27,090 to Swinson Material for the fast-track demolitions of five residential properties.

• Approving a $55,963.05 change order for Efficiency Production, of Mason, Mich., for trench box and hydraulic shoring system work, bringing the contract total to $74,617.40.

• Denying a proposed amendment that would allow residents to have outdoor recreational fires for purposes other than cooking. Ald. Pat Curran (R-2) cast the only vote favoring the amendment.

• Awarding a $254,942 bid to Trans Chicago Truck Group, of Elmhurst, for the purchase of two tandem-axel dump trucks and equipment.

• Awarding $55,816 to sole-bidder Rock River Ford for the purchase of a service truck for the Water Division.

• Awarding an $80,297 bid to West Side Tractor Sales for the purchase of a backhoe.

Public comments

Roland Poska invited the community to take part in what he described as a “historic” aerial photo opportunity July 4 at noon at the intersection of West State and Main streets. Meantime, Poska is also asking the community to sign a declaration against prejudice and violence as part of his ongoing “Great Human Race” project.

Absences

Aldermen Joe Sosnowski (R-1) and Bill Timm (R-9) were absent.

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