Archive for February, 2012

Sheriff’s Office unveils online Winnebago County Jail inmate search

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Online Staff Report

The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office has unveiled an inmate search on its website that allows the public to view mug shots and basic information about inmates in the Winnebago County Jail.

The new portion of the site was launched at 8 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 29, and can be accessed at the following link: http://inmates.winnebagosheriff.com/.

The information provided under the inmate search was already available to the public by state statute, but is now provided online for easier access.

According to a press release from the Sheriff’s Office: “This portion of our website feature will only allow the viewing of information and mug shots of current inmates who have been booked into our facility. Once the inmate has been released, the information will no longer be available. Additionally, there are circumstances where an arresting/investigating law enforcement agency may wish to withhold the release of an arrested person’s mug shot as part of their investigation. The Sheriff’s Office will continue to honor those requests as we currently do by blocking this law enforcement sensitive information from being accessed by this site.

“In addition to the name and mug shot, other personal identification information (date of birth, physical descriptors), the booking date, charges, custody status (felony/misdemeanor pending/sentenced, etc.), the inmate’s bond amount and their next court date will be displayed.”

The public can search for inmates by last name or select the first letter of the last name of the inmate and search for the name alphabetically. A “View All” option also provides a listing of all current inmates at the facility.

Posted Feb. 29, 2012

Posted in Happening Now, Local News | 2 Comments »

Man sentenced to consecutive 25-year terms for armed habitual criminal, attempted armed robbery

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Online Staff Report

Darwin Henley, 48, was sentenced Feb. 14 by Judge Rosemary Collins to consecutive 25-year terms in the Illinois Department of Corrections for armed habitual criminal and attempted armed robbery, respectively.

Aug. 25, 2010, officers were dispatched to GT Laundry in response to an armed robbery call. Upon arrival, officers met with an employee who reported she was in the back working when she heard a noise from the front and saw her boss fighting with a male wearing a white cloth shirt over his face.

Officers brought in the K9 unit, which located a white shirt in a parking lot to the south of the business. The victim said he noticed the male had a long, skinny object in a black garbage bag that he knew was a gun by the way the suspect was holding the bag and pointing it at him. He said the man then pulled a dark-colored shotgun from the bag and started to walk around the counter. After a struggle, the suspect ran away without taking anything.

The white shirt was recovered, which contained blood droplets that revealed through DNA testing were those of Henley.

Henley was convicted of the forcible felony of first-degree murder June 11, 1996, in Winnebago County, case No. 95CF2528, and of the forcible felony of burglary Nov. 28, 1989, in Lee County, case No. 89CF184.

Armed habitual criminal is a class X felony with a sentencing range of six to 30 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Attempted armed robbery is a class 1 felony with a sentencing range of four to 15 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. However, because of his prior criminal history, class X sentencing applied. The defendant will serve his sentences concurrently.

Posted Feb. 29, 2012

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Prep Basketball: Belvidere, East win thrillers, will meet March 2 for regional crown

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

By Matt Nestor
Prep Sports Reporter

MARENGO, Ill. — Even as his team was falling behind by 13 in the first half, Joe Byers was doing much of the heavy lifting for his Belvidere Bucs.

Every time it looked as though Crystal Lake Central was about to run away with the game, the sophomore guard would knock down a big shot to keep distance. In all, Byers had scored 15 of the team’s 29 points in the first half.

Byers put in 5 more points in the third quarter. Despite hitting his only bucket in the fourth quarter right at the start of the quarter with his team down 54-50, Byers knocked down a 3, took hard contact, made the free throw and gave his team the shot in the arm it needed, fighting back from that 13-point deficit to tie the game.

“That got us jump started,” Byers said of his 4-point play. “It’s a big play late in the game. I was looking at it from the ground. I was more focused on telling the ref I got fouled.”

From there, his teammates picked him up, including late free throws from Quinten Canty and Josh Hauser. After the Tigers two late 3-point attempts fell short, Belvidere had moved on to the regional finals with a 69-66 win.

Things didn’t start well for the Bucs. Chase Cane and Corban Murphy put on a shooting display early in the game, as Crystal Lake Central built up their lead.

But while Murphy and Cane combined for 37 points, most of those came in the first half before the Belvidere defense stiffened. Kyle Fleck did hit his last five shots on his way to 18 points, but late foul trouble limited his effectiveness.

For the Bucs, defense and rebounding were the keys. Six fourth-quarter turnovers played a big key in the decisive run.

Belvidere also outrebounded the Tigers by 13, including a plus-9 rebounding edge in the second half. Much of that damage was done on the offensive glass by Kane Steger, who scored 11 of his 16 in the second half.

The Bucs will move on to face Rockford East Friday, March 2. And Byers said they hope to win this championship for their entire community.

“Even though we were down, we still worked really hard,” he said. “We never gave up. We want to win this regional for the town. We got a lot motivating us.”

East 73, Freeport 62

Like a lot of Rockford East’s games, it wasn’t always the prettiest offensive display you will see on a basketball court.

But Steve McNease and his E-Rabs teammates overwhelmed the Freeport Pretzels on the glass on their way to a 73-62 regional semifinal victory.

McNease scored 23 points, 19 in the second half, and picked up 13 offensive rebounds against Freeport. Javon Henderson chipped in 18 points and several late offensive rebounds of his own.

“We often have it where we can’t throw it in the ocean from 2 feet away,” East Head Coach Roy Sackmaster said. “So, when we can get four or five shots at it, at this level, hopefully someone is going to make it.”

East seemed poised to take a 4-point lead into the half when the Pretzels’ Carl Braddock hit a half-court shot at the second-quarter buzzer to bring his team to within 1.

“We had it happen against us last year against Belvidere North in the regional,” Sackmaster said. “I went in (at halftime) and said ‘Look, guys, absolutely everything went in their favor and we’re still winning by 1.’ We just relaxed. Our kids have been through so much and they’re battle-tested with what we went through last year and we never panicked.”

Luke Norman did his best in his final high school game to keep the Pretzels in it. He scored a game-high 34 points, 22 of those coming in the second half, to keep his team close.

But East was too aggressive for the Pretzels, drawing fouls and knocking down 8 of 12 late free throws to put away the victory.

Auburn 66, Harlem 46

In the class 4A regional at Rockford Auburn, senior Auburn guard Fred Van Vleet scored 26 points as the Knights cruised to the regional final 66-46.

Machesney Park Harlem jumped on the Knights early, leading 12-7 after the first quarter. But as they have all year, Auburn turned up the defensive pressure.

Auburn outscored the Huskies 41-13 in the middle two quarters as they cruised to victory.

LaMark Foote also scored 16 for Auburn, while Justin Van Wambeke led Harlem with 17. Auburn will face the winner of the Rockford Boylan Catholic-Rockton Hononegah matchup Friday, March 2.

Lutheran 57, Byron 48

In the IHSA Class 2A South Beloit sectional semifinals, the fourth time was the charm for Rockford Lutheran against Byron.

The previously undefeated Byron Tigers had knocked off Lutheran three times this season, the third time on a last-second bucket. But four was too much to ask, as the Crusaders ran away for a surprising 57-48 victory.

Alex Oates had one of his best games of the season at the best time. The senior scored 17 points and knocked down three 3-pointers in the victory.

Posted Feb. 29, 2012

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PaleoFest March 3-4 at Rockford’s Burpee Museum

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Online Staff Report

PaleoFest 2012 is set for Saturday and Sunday, March 3-4, at Burpee Museum of Natural History, 737 N. Main St., Rockford.

Eight of the world’s best-known dinosaur hunters and paleontologists will gather at Burpee to tell tales of dinosaurs and host interactive workshops with families, professionals and dino-lovers of all ages.

These scientists will present, debate and discuss developing new theories about these intriguing creatures.

PaleoFest is a full weekend of activities and programs for all ages, and consists of Paleo talks, family workshops, Dinoblast activities, and dinner Saturday evening.

Dr. Scott Sampson, host of PBS’s Dinosaur Train will be the keynote speaker at Saturday’s dinner. He will also present a family talk Sunday at the Rockford Theatre at Rockford Woman’s Club, 323 Park Ave., Rockford. A meet-and-greet and book-signing will immediately follow the Sunday presentation.

PaleoFest hours are 10 a.m.-5, Saturday and Sunday. General museum admission is $10 for non-members and free to museum members and includes DinoBlast activities for the day. Food is available throughout the day both days. Parking is available at the Burpee Museum and nearby lots.

Following are the admission charges for lectures and other activities.

Lectures

A two-day pass is $70 for non-members, $60 for members and includes admission to all lectures both days. Does not include Sunday at the Rockford Theatre or the dinner.

A one-day pass is $35 for non-members, $30 for members and includes admission to all lectures on either Saturday or Sunday and museum admission.

Individual lectures are $10 for non-members, $8 for members and includes admission to the selected lecture. Does not include museum admission, which must be purchased.

Dr. Sampson’s Children’s Lecture at Rockford Theatre is $20 for non-members, $15 for members. The lecture begins at 1 p.m.

Workshops

Individual tickets to the family workshop are $10 for non-member children and $8 for non-member adults; and $8 for member children and $6 for member adults. Includes admission to selected workshop. Does not include admission to the museum, which must be purchased.

Saturday night dinner

Dinner Saturday night is $50 for non-members, $40 for members. Doors open at 6 p.m., buffet dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. and the lecture begins at 7:30 p.m.

More information

Visit www.burpee.org or call (815) 965-3433 for more about PaleoFest 2012.

Posted Feb. 29, 2012

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Auditions for RVC Starlight Theatre’s 46th season start March 4

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Online Staff Report

Rock Valley College will hold auditions for the 46th season of Starlight Theatre. This year’s productions will include Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barbar of Fleet Street! (June 6-9 and July 11-15), Little Women (June 13-16 and July 18-22), Into the Woods (June 20-23 and July 25-29), and 9 to 5: The Musical (June 27-30 and Aug. 1-5).

Auditions are by appointment only and will be held on the stage of the Bengt Sjostrom Theatre on the RVC campus, 3301 N. Mulford Road, on the following dates:

• Saturday, March 3 — 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

• Sunday, March 4 — 1-5 p.m.

• Friday, March 9 — 3:30-6:30 p.m.

• Saturday, March 10 — 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

• Sunday, March 11 — 1-5 p.m.

You may call (815) 921-2160 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays to schedule an audition appointment. Allow approximately an hour and a half for your audition. You may audition for one or all productions with one appointment.

Scripts are available for reading in the RVC Theatre Department lobby between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays. It will help if you have read the play or have at least seen a film version of the musical(s) for which you are auditioning.

For more information and full details about the audition process, call (815) 921-2160 or e-mail m.webb@rockvalleycollege.edu.

Posted Feb. 29, 2012

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Health department warns of increase in norovirus illnesses, offers prevention tips

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Online Staff Report

During the winter months of January through April, an increase of norvirus illness is a common occurrence, according to the Winnebago County Health Department (WCHD).

WCHD has reported an increase of norovirus illness in the community and reminds residents that good personal hygiene is the best way to stop the spread of this illness, which is highly contagious and is spread from human to human, especially in a large group setting.

This illness is sometimes confused with the influenza, which is a respiratory illness.

Symptoms of norovirus are abdominal pain, body aches, headache, tiredness and low-grade fever.

Symptoms typically last one to two days and subside on their own, usually with no long-term health effects. Dehydration can be a problem with such infections, especially in the very young, the elderly and people with other illnesses.

Noroviruses can be spread by eating food or drinking liquids infected with the virus; touching infected surfaces or objects; or having person-to-person contact in the following manners: being present while someone is vomiting; sharing food or drink, or eating from the same utensils; caring for a sick person; shaking hands; and not washing hands after using the bathroom or changing diapers and before eating prepared foods.

People can help reduce their risk of coming in contact with noroviruses by taking the following precautionary steps:

• Stay home when ill to reduce the risk of infecting others.

• Frequently wash your hands, especially after toileting or changing diapers and before eating or preparing food.

• Carefully wash fruits and vegetables, and steam oysters before eating them.

• Thoroughly clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces immediately after an episode of diarrhea or vomiting by using a bleach-based household cleaner. If using liquid household bleach prepared daily, one part bleach to nine parts water (1:10 dilution) is recommended.

• Immediately remove and wash clothing or linens that may be contaminated with feces or vomitus (use hot water and soap).

• Flush or discard any vomitus and/or stool in the toilet and make sure the surrounding area is kept clean.

For more information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about norvirus illness, including environmental prevention procedures, go to http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/Topics/norovirus.htm. For the CDC norovirus illness key facts pdf, which provides tips to prevent the spread of the virus, go to http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/gastro/downloads/norovirus-keyfacts.pdf, or the Winnebago County Health Department at www.wchd.org or by phone at (815) 720-4000.

Posted Feb. 29, 2012

Posted in Happening Now, Living | No Comments »

Community begins slow healing process following tragedy

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

By Matt Nestor
Prep Sports Reporter

The Belvidere community has been floored by the recent tragic car accident that took the lives of two teen-agers.

Friday, Feb. 24, Thalia Arredondo and Brenda Gutierrez were in a car accident. Both passed away at the age of 16.

Both students were members of the cheerleading squad at Belvidere North High School. With many friends and ties to the community, the tragedy has had far-reaching effects around Boone County.

“It is a difficult time for the students and staff in District 100 right now, especially for the students at Belvidere North,” Athletic Director Bryon Houy said. “Some of our students have lost loved ones, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. … but never classmates.”

In the midst of the catastrophe, the community as a whole has come out in full force offering support and comfort in any way possible for family, friends and each other.

Roadside memorials started almost immediately. Sunday, Feb. 26, alumni of the school organized a candlelight vigil that took place in the school parking lot that more than 500 people attended.

A Facebook group was also started that already has more than 9,000 followers around the country and that was able to organize a day where everyone would wear black to school in remembrance, not only at North, but also in other schools around the country. Discussions regarding a possible memorial scholarship fund are also under way.

In addition to all that, rival high school Belvidere even sent their cheerleaders as support to cheer for the Belvidere North basketball team in regional play.

“The outpouring of support from the community and around the area has been overwhelming,” Houy said. “It was great to see everyone in the community band together.”

The school district is offering counselors and support staff for any students or faculty in need of assistance.

“The healing process will take time, but our staff knows that our kids need us now more than ever and will do whatever is needed to provide support for our students,” Houy said.

Visitation for both Arredondo and Gutierrez will take place from 2 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 29, at Belvidere North High School. The funeral will be the next day at 10:30 a.m. in the gymnasium at the high school. You can view the obituaries and arrangements at buckwheelerhyland.com.

A memorial account has been established for Thalia and Brenda at BMO Harris Bank. To make a contribution, visit any BMO Harris Bank location and ask to make a donation to “The Perfect Two” account.

Costs will assist the families with arrangements, and there are hopes to also establish a scholarship in the girls’ names.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Local News, News | No Comments »

CDC takes offensive in fight against raw milk

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

By Richard S. Gubbe
Contributing Writer

Now for the main event: Raw Milk, “The Other White Milk,” vs. Pasteurized Milk, “The Killer of Health.”

In the pasteurization corner, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In the raw milk corner, civil rights proponents. This boxing match will determine the right to supply and consume raw milk.

After 10 decades, there is no clear winner in this match — a split decision, at best. The CDC’s recent release of data suspiciously follows a rash of court battles with farmers, along with new bills in states like Wisconsin, where the public is rallying to change laws. In The Dairy State, the match rages between the dairy lobby and the embattled group of raw milk producers. Both parties appear to be digging in for trench warfare.

The two opposing sides, Safety vs. the Right To Consume, have been squaring off since pasteurization began in the early 1900s. In the past six months, debates have been staged on television, in symposiums on college campuses including Harvard, on the Internet, in town hall settings and in courtrooms across America.

The pros and cons haven’t changed. The statistics, however, can be manipulated to show convincing data on both sides.

The debate

The legalities of personal freedoms have been tussled back and forth since the thoughts of a nation began. There is no law against eating what we want; only rules and regulations about safety that came about after the Constitution was created.

“To pasteurize or not pasteurize?” that is the question.

Pasteurized milk is safe. Raw milk is healthy. Although each state has different laws in place, the federal government, touting both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the CDC as enforcers, are cracking down on interstate sales in states that include Maryland, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Wisconsin, Nevada and California. The independent farmers are now looking to fight the good fight for the right to produce raw milk while sometimes facing prosecution for supplying it to their families, for retail sale, interstate sales and to co-ops. There have been farm raids, court hearings, rallies, inspections, interstate transportation charges, lawsuits and licensing issues.

The CDC weighed in last week with ammunitiuon of its own in the form of a compilation of 13 years of studies — all CDC produced. The agency reported last week that the rate of outbreaks caused by unpasteurized or raw milk and products made from raw milk was 150 times greater than outbreaks linked to pasteurized milk. The review by the CDC also claimed that the states where the sale of raw milk was legal had more than twice the rate of outbreaks as states where it was illegal.

The study, published in the CDC journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, reviewed dairy product outbreaks from 1993 to 2006 in all 50 states. The authors compared the amount of milk produced in the United States during the study period (about 2.7 trillion pounds) to the amount the CDC estimates was likely consumed raw (1 percent or 27 billion pounds) to determine the 150 times higher rate for outbreaks caused by raw milk products. Raw milk products include cheese and yogurt.

The study reportedly included 121 dairy-related disease outbreaks, which caused 4,413 illnesses, 239 hospitalizations and three deaths. In 60 percent of the outbreaks (73 outbreaks), state health officials determined raw milk products were the cause. Nearly all of the hospitalizations (200 of 239) were in those sickened in the raw milk outbreaks. The CDC said these dairy-related outbreaks occurred in 30 states, and 75 percent (55 outbreaks) of the raw milk outbreaks occurred in the 21 states where it was legal to sell raw milk products at the time. The study also reported that seven states changed their laws during the study period.

Even at Harvard

Across the ring from the mighty CDC is actvisit David Gumpert, who was one of four presenters recently at the Harvard School of Law Food Law Society debate. Gumpert authored The Raw Milk Revolution and other books and papers about raw milk and the right to consume it.

Gumpert brought out his own statistics from the CDC to prove his point that most raw milk is safe to drink. Gumpert says that 132 of more than 23,000 food-borne illness reported to the CDC are from raw milk and raw cheese. That’s a .005 rate that Gumpert says can be improved upon further with more safety-conscious farmers.

Gumpert, who blogs The Complete Patient, will be taking part in the Food Freedom Workshop in Baraboo, Wis., March 2 for embattled farmer Vernon Hershberger. Gumpert will take part in a panel that also includes activists Michael Schmidt and John Moody.

Raw milk proponents like Gumpert say the government is waging an aggressive propaganda war, using safety and protection as weapons to eliminate a healthy product, some say a life-saving product.

The president of the Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF), Sally Fallon Morell, brought out some of the benefits to the Harvard Law School symposium that have been studied by the nonprofit group dedicated to “disseminating accurate, science-based information on diet and health.”

Studies at the Price Foundation show humans grow bigger and more dense bones when consuming raw milk. They say there is more efficient use and better absorption of vitamins and minerals, that children on raw milk don’t get anemic and that there is an improvement in children’s behavior. They also claim there is better overall growth and fewer cases of tuberculosis.

Price research showed raw milk is designed to create an immune system that uses beneficial bacteria in our intestines and that those beneficial bacteria are killed during pasteurization. Other benefits cited by raw milk users include protection against allergies, ear infections and skin rashes, and the prevention or elimination of asthma.

Fewer and fewer people can consume milk each year because of the increase of those who are lactose intolerant. Raw milk proponents say 82 percent of those who are lactose intolerant can drink raw milk.

The Price Foundation said the results of the CDC study were skewed because of the way federal report authors “cherry picked” data. Morrell said the study listed an average of 315 illnesses a year “from all dairy products for which the pasteurization status was known.”

“Of those, there was an average of 112 illnesses each year attributed to all raw dairy products and 203 associated with pasteurized dairy products,” she said of the study period ending in 2006.

“The CDC’s data shows that there were significant outbreaks of food-borne illness linked to pasteurized dairy products the very next year, in 2007: 135 people became ill from pasteurized cheese contaminated with E.coli, and three people died from pasteurized milk contaminated with listeria,” the Price Foundation report said.

And shortly before the time frame for the study, there were 16,000 confirmed cases of salmonella traced to pasteurized milk from a single dairy, the foundation reported.

The foundation suggested that the time frame specifically was picked by government reporters to portray raw milk in a negative light.

CDC safety

The CDC says: “Milk can be a very efficient home for bacteria and other germs. When milk is pasteurized, some bacteria remain in it, but the disease-causing ones are killed. Pasteurization is the process of heating milk to a high enough temperature for a long enough time to kill disease-causing germs. Harmful germs usually don’t change the look, taste or smell of milk, so only when milk has been pasteurized,” the CDC says, can consumers “be confident that these germs are not present. To ensure that milk is safe, processors rapidly cool it after pasteurization, practice sanitary handling, and store milk in clean, closed containers at 45 degrees Fahrenheit or below.”

The CDC also warns that consumers can’t tell if raw milk is safe to drink by looking, smelling or tasting. Even under ideal conditions of cleanliness, collecting milk introduces some bacteria. Unless the milk is pasteurized, the CDC says, bacteria can multiply and cause illness.

The process, invented by biologist Louis Pasteur in 1864, can prevent people from contracting many kinds of the food-borne illnesses like salmonella or E. coli.

“This study shows an association between state laws and the number of outbreaks and illnesses from raw milk products,” said Robert Tauxe, M.D., M.P.H., deputy director of CDC’s Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases (DFWED). “Restricting the sale of raw milk products is likely to reduce the number of outbreaks and can help keep people healthier. The states that allow sale of raw milk will probably continue to see outbreaks in the future.”

The study also found that the raw milk product outbreaks led to much more severe illnesses, and disproportionately affected people younger than 20. In the raw milk outbreaks with known age breakdowns, 60 percent of patients were younger than age 20, compared to 23 percent in outbreaks from pasteurized products. Children, the CDC says, are more likely than adults to get seriously ill from the bacteria in raw milk.

“While some people think that raw milk has more health benefits than pasteurized milk, this study shows that raw milk has great risks, especially for children, who experience more severe illnesses if they get sick,” said study co-author Barbara Mahon, M.D., M.P.H., deputy chief of CDC’s DFWED Enteric Diseases Epidemiology Branch. “Parents who have lived through the experience of watching their child fight for their life after drinking raw milk now say that it’s just not worth the risk.”

Among other CDC findings:

• Thirteen percent of patients in raw milk outbreaks were hospitalized compared to 1 percent in pasteurized milk outbreaks. This may be because raw milk outbreaks were all caused by bacteria, such as E. coli O157, which tend to produce more severe illnesses, according to the study.

• Pasteurized milk and cheese outbreaks were often caused by relatively mild infections like norovirus and Staphylococcus aureus.

Raw milk or die

About 30 states allow some form of raw milk production or sales. Wisconsin advocates for raw milk, though they had a bill passed to legalize sales three years ago. A raw milk bill passed 25-8 in the Senate and 60-35 in the Assembly. Not so fast, a veto by the governor overturned that decision and a new bill (S.B. 108) is in the Assembly once again.

The Wisconsin Raw Milk Association makes the following claim: “Actually, people had been drinking raw milk, straight from their own cows, sheep and goats, for millennia without getting sick. Milk has long been one of the most nutritionally complete foods in the human diet, and has been an important part of nearly every culture’s cuisine. If it had always made people sick, we would have stopped drinking it long ago. Raw milk is, quite simply, milk that comes straight from the cow without being pasteurized. But, they pasteurize milk for a reason, right? So, how could drinking unpasteurized milk be safe?

The citizens group says Wisconsin farm fresh milk is intentionally produced for direct human consumption.

• Wisconsin Farm Fresh Milk comes from healthy animals on grass-based Wisconsin farms where all forage and feed is free of GMOs, herbicides and pesticides. Animals are raised in a clean and natural environment, without the use of artificial hormones or antibiotics.

• Wisconsin Farm Fresh Milk is not subject to any heating, processing, micro-filtration, irradiation, UV light treatments, standardizations, supplementation or high-pressure procedures.

• Wisconsin Farm Fresh Milk contains 100 percent of the enzymes, proteins, fats and biologic elements found in the milk’s raw, unprocessed state.

The dirty theory

Taking the more rebellious side is Mike Adams, a natural health author. In 2010, Adams co-founded NaturalNews.TV, a natural health video sharing site.

Adams voiced his displeasure with the CDC news splash in a recent column for Natural News.

“This is all part of their anti-American agenda to crush food freedom and criminalize fundamental farming practices upon which this very nation was founded,” Adams said of the CDC study. “But what the CDC won’t dare reveal to the public is the far more horrifying truth: Pasteurized dairy is produced in the dirtiest milk factories imaginable, where blood, pus, E-coli and other truly dangerous pathogens are routinely bottled into milk containers and fed to consumers. …

“That’s the whole point of pasteurization, you see: To kill everything that might be alive in their ultra-dirty milk. The real purpose of pasteurization is not to simply ‘make milk safe’ as is claimed by the CDC, but rather to allow the dairy industry to operate dirty.

“Thanks to pasteurization, conventional (non-organic, non-raw) dairy operators have no need to thoroughly wash their milking machines, no need to sterilize any milk containers, no need to wash their hands, and no need to maintain a clean milking environment whatsoever. It’s just total filth with festering diseased animals dying on the floor and being physically abused by the corporate dairy operators. That’s the whole point of the CDC going after raw dairy: To destroy the raw dairy industry and force everyone to drink dirty, contaminated pasteurized milk that’s extracted from tortured cows.”

Adams also serves as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a non-profit consumer protection group.

Far cry from over

Although it would hardly appease the CDC and the FDA, many feel the safety problem of raw milk production can be solved by testing cows and keeping conditions sanitary. Don’t look for a compromise; this is a duel to the finish. A bet against Big Government could be considered foolish.

As for any business reason for pasteurization, some groups say conventional farmers who pasteurize get less money than raw milk farmers who earn more for selling their milk.

As many as 16 conventional farms go out of business every day in the United States. The smaller, organic farmer is an endangered species.

Outside the United States, raw milk is better received. Raw milk vending machines in Europe are increasing in popularity.

Whether this is a fight for food safety or the personal right to choose, no panel of judges could find a clear winner anywhere, not even Harvard. Activists have awakened and have manned the front.

The fight could last another 100 years.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in News, Regional News | 5 Comments »

Archaeological Institute of America program about early pipe-making in Illinois during Middle Woodland Period — part 2

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

By Susan Johnson
Copy Editor

This is the second part of the lecture delivered to the Archaeological Institute of America, Rockford Society, by Dr. Shannon M. Fie of Beloit College Thursday, Feb. 9, at Rockford’s Burpee Museum of Natural History. The first part of this series appeared in the Feb. 15-21 issue.

The PIMA system — how it works

PIMA is a technical term for Portable Infrared Mineral Analyzer. This is a system to use a non-destructive technique to analyze the mineral content of pipestone. Much of this work would document the source of a new pipestone found near Sterling, Ill. At these two caches, researchers have examined the different types of pipestone represented — Tremper vs. Mound City. Seventy-two percent comes from Sterling – very different from Mound City, where only 6 percent is local materials. Not only do the pipes look different, but there was also a difference in the effort they put into getting the raw material. There is a source directly across from Ohio that they were ignoring in order to get pipestone from local stuff. It is not necessarily the pipestone that is important, but the people who created it. This was a good place to be in southern Illinois. The materials were being processed through, with no way to associate the pipe with one person. We were not necessarily flagging individuals for status. In Illinois, we have a very different burial program, Mound City, where there is a low-lying creek and individuals of high status. There are copper artifacts and people buried in a central tomb. These were items you would expect to find in the central tomb, and we find also in bundles buried with both men and women. The one distinguishing factor with pipes is that they tend to occur with people older than 40 years. It may be based on average seniority, or age of wisdom. The life expectancy at this time was about 44 years. These are individuals who would have been considered to be very mature.

Debris is important

We have some new ideas that this pipestone has changed in terms of pressure. In the Middle Woodland period, it was all about Sterling. This suggests the opportunity for many different people to have pipes, but it still doesn’t tell us who was making them. Is it for trade-out or for everybody making their own person icons? It is hard not to look at the very cool types, but at the debris from manufacturing it. This is not often found in museum collections. But there are a couple places. One is the Propheter site on the north side of the town of Sterling, on Elkhorn Creek, only about 4 km from Rock Falls. It is part of the excavation, where they found several hundred pieces of pipestone. Out of the 200-plus pieces that they found, only six really had investment in form. The vast majority of pipestones are in debris that probably came out of a creek bed. Farnsworth suggests that Elkhorn Creek is probably the source area for this pipestone. He suggests that following the transaction center model is likely. Local folks were reducing it and taking it to a small mound group. Some think it is on the way to a larger mound group in Ohio.

The Sinnissippi Mounds group of 22 are Middle Woodland mounds on a bluff overlooking the Rock River. In the 1800s, a group of people like this audience would have spent Sunday afternoon digging holes in these mounds. The only really modern work was done in the early 1960s, and on the other side, it slips down to the river. On many sites in Illinois, these overlooking slopes include the literal camp where populations were living while building the mounds. There were several source materials. There was also a pipestone gorget found with two drilled holes in it.

The big site for transaction would be Albany Mounds, located on the west side of Whiteside County. A total of 90-some mounds were built over several hundred years on the Minnesota flood plain, many of which are still there. Many of them are remnants, but not very visible. Albany Mounds has been mostly under private ownership.

Analysis and more questions

A variety of work has been done with the local collectors. But in addition to the finished objects, there is also some manufacturing debris at this site. This pipestone material may have been moving from these different modes of trade relationships. In Whiteside County, the site Dr. Fie worked on was near Prophetstown, where she went in 1975 with a couple students. She has led more than a dozen summer field school programs in locations around the Midwest, including the Lower Illinois Valley and lower Rock River Valley. She found Bracke site No. 1, listed in the Illinois state archaeological records that identified 26 different sites.

Pipestone was found throughout the field; apparently, different populations were using this raw material before and after Hopewell. There was a distribution of both pipestone and ceramics. The Sterling pipestone was of one uniform color, and some pieces were red, green or yellow. There was some deviation from the model. She noted all the activities going on. “You can come back to it six months later and see that they are accessing the pipestone and making these objects throughout the year and finishing them or starting them at various camps,” said Dr. Fie. “This was a protracted activity that took some time.”

She has analyzed debris from three different sites; she was also interested in the Gast farm in Iowa, where they had approximately 660 pieces of debris. There is nothing else even close to this at other sites. The ceramics are in the very early Hopewell period. “We would like to borrow this collection and look at it further,” Dr. Fie said.

Different pipestone sites have changed over time. We knew there was something important about the Sterling, Ill., area. The pipes were like personal property. The Tremper analysis showed that there were tube and modified-tube pipes, platform pipes and effigy pipes representing 15 genera of animals and 12 genera of birds. These were likely manufactured over a period of time, used in both rituals and domestic context.

What we need to figure out is:

• Was the pipestone acquired via trade, direct access, or either or both?

• Were finished pipes acquired via trade?

• Who made the pipes? A specialist? Men or women?

• What was the manufacturing process?

Dr. Fie explained her connection to the Logan Museum of Anthropology at Beloit College. The museum was started in 1893. Dr. Fie said, “I am an associate professor at the Department of Anthropology [at Beloit College] but also a research associate in the Logan Museum. Since I arrived, the relationship with the Logan Museum has been amazing, both with the resources and Bill Green, the director of the museum.” He was also present at the lecture given at Burpee Museum in Rockford.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Living, Outdoors | No Comments »

‘71st Young Artist Show’ opens March 4 at Rockford Art Museum

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

“Charice,” by Madelaine Peterson, senior at DeKalb High School.

Staff Report

Rockford Art Museum’s (RAM) 71st Young Artist Show begins from 1 to 3 p.m., Sunday, March 4, with a free, public opening and awards presentation of its High School Division, an annual juried competition that features exceptional artwork by students from schools within 50 miles of the museum. The exhibit remains on display through Saturday, April 7.

Twenty-one schools submitted 966 pieces of artwork for consideration by this year’s jurors, who chose 163 pieces, representing 127 students from 21 high schools, for inclusion and awards in the 2012 exhibit. The two jurors did not know the artist’s name, grade level, or school affiliation when selections were made. Awards will be announced at 2 p.m. during the public opening March 4.

RAM is inside Riverfront Museum Park, 711 N. Main St., Rockford, and can be reached at (815) 968-2787 or online at www.rockfordartmuseum.org. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Saturday; and noon-5 p.m., Sunday. Admission is $7 for the general public, $3 for students and seniors, free for children younger than 12 and museum members, and free for everyone every Tuesday.

Jurors

Jeff Sanderson received his bachelor of fine arts in painting from the University of Georgia. He is assistant director of high school relations in the admissions department of Columbia College Chicago, and a juror for the Chicago Public Schools All-City Art Competition.

Jim Julin is a self-taught artist and Rockford native who has exhibited his work across the Midwest, most recently in the exhibition Rockford

“After the House Burned,” by Anna Rinaldo, senior at Boylan Catholic High School, Rockford.

Made 4356: Deill/Julin at RAM. He is represented in many private and public collections, including Rockford Art Museum.

Exhibiting students

Auburn High School (Rockford) — Natalie Adamany, freshman; Adriano Gomez, senior; Katherine Keep, senior; Allaysha Rucker, senior; and Morgan Waterson, junior. (Teachers: Betsy DeGunther, Margret Hesler Hynes, Allison Marcon and Brock McWilliams.)

Belvidere High School — Joyce Mercado, sophomore; and Zach Swanson, junior. (Teachers: Laura Davis and Jil Reints.)

Belvidere North High School — Rachel Diamond, junior; Maranda Evrard, senior; Kerstin Fries, senior; and Natala Rodriguez, sophomore. (Teachers: Edith Obenchain and Troy Yunk.)

Boylan Catholic High School (Rockford) — Jaelyn Anderson, senior; Lexi Araoz, senior; Laura Bauer, senior; Kyle Beckett, senior; Paul

“Sticky Situation,” by Abbie Francisco, senior at Boylan Catholic High School, Rockford.

Boguszewski, junior; Allison Corcoran, senior; Illiana Durbin, senior; Abbie Francisco, senior; Ana-Maria Gavranovic, junior; Megan Gierwiatoski, senior; Shannon Goebel, senior; Kelsey Gugliuzza, junior; Brooke Harp, senior; Anna Kurilla, senior; Emily Larson, senior; Mallery Myers, senior; Jennifer Peters, sophomore; Natalie Richards, senior; Anna Rinaldo, senior; Anthony Saporiti, senior; Megan Schneider, senior; and Claire Strominger, senior. (Teachers: Tabatha Dougherty, Melodie Hueber and Rebecca Pelley.)

Christian Life High School (Rockford) — Chris Eco, sophomore; Victoria Groebner, junior; Kayonna Kluck, junior; Sofia Ortega, sophomore; and Gabriella Silva, junior. (Teachers: Bruce McDonald and Diane Wing.)

Dakota High School — Michael Bardell, senior; and Eryn Johnson, senior. (Teacher: Carrie Schmidt.)

DeKalb High Scool — Madelaine Peterson, senior; and Amy Schultz, senior. (Teacher: Chad Gregory.)

“Serene,” by Randi Degg, senior at Halem High School, Machesney Park.

East High School (Rockford) — Arina Bubela, junior; Joel De La Rosa, junior; LaMarcus Harvey, junior; Nicole Heath, senior; Zuzanna Kowalczyk, sophomore; Alejandro Medrano, senior; Brianna Smith, junior; Remy Ugarte, senior; and Joahna Zarco, junior. (Teachers: John DeRango, Michelle Jones and Timothy Lange.)

Eastland High School (Lanark) — Ben Thomas, junior; and Wally Wirchnianski, senior. (Teacher: Jean Matheson.)

Guilford High School (Rockford) — Hannah Cobb, senior; Nathanial Davis, senior; Zia Diaz, junior; Elizabeth Horvath, senior; Cassidy Jones, senior; Demi Lomeli, junior; Taylor Mattingly, junior; Anna Moczynski, senior; Cristian Pacheco, senior; Xochitl Perez, senior; Anna Roszkowski, senior; Christian Saporiti, junior; Taylor Slabaugh, junior; and Alison Weust, senior. (Teachers: Lisa Doll, Bo Hammarberg, Katelin Phelps, Carolyn St. Angel and Elizabeth Woodyatt.)

Harlem High School (Machesney Park) — Randi Degg, senior; Courtni Fedie, senior; Miranda Foster, senior; Sarah Hauser, senior; Jacob Holligan, senior; Lindsey Klein, senior; Andrea Palmer, junior; Elise Wescom, senior; and Connor Wessman, sophomore. (Teachers: Alison Agustsson and Barb Kurilla.)

Hinckley-Big Rock High School (Hinckley) — Kaylee Kuter, junior; McRaye Scheller, sophomore; and Ben Seidelman, senior. (Teacher: Vicki Kanik.)

Hononegah High School (Rockton) — Kara Bottensek, senior; Leah Horcher, senior; Brooke Lee, junior; and Kyla Lowery, senior. (Teacher: Jennifer Manier and Arra Van Galder.)

Huntley High School — Christian Bland, senior; Amy Eckerty, senior; Kelly Frankel, junior; Kira Frendreis, sophomore; Meghan Fry, senior; Patrycja Gielezy, senior; Tabby Hein, senior; Sydney Hellgeth, senior; Heather Holinbeck, sophomore; Anthony Mirza, senior; Mollie Murk, senior; Alexis Nichols, senior; Deven Pharr, senior; Sarah Rosen, sophomore; and Ivan Thomas, senior. (Teachers: Jillian Corapi, Kate Duchene, Valerie Lindquist, Bridget Regan and Sandra Spear.)

Jefferson High School (Rockford) — Lupe Castro, senior; Desteny Chouinard, senior; Lea Hoskins, senior; Irin Jelnov, junior; Michelle Jaime, senior; Lorenzo Jimenez, junior; Abigail LaFranca, senior; Adriana Lopez, junior; Kasia Lor, senior; Janet Lozano, senior; Veronica Morales, junior; Maggie Palcan, freshman; Carlos Pasillas, junior; Jesenia Perez, junior; Crystal Rodriguez, senior; Phillip Rodriguez, senior; Yuliana Torres, senior; and Stella Whitlow, senior. (Teachers: Kari Harmon, Steve Hoover, Lynn Stockton and Gail Zernia.)

Olson Homeschool Academy (Rockford) — Rachael Olson, junior. (Teachers: Kathryn Olson and Katelin Phelps.)

Rockford Christian High School — Kayla Harlan, senior; and Hannah Johnson, senior. (Teachers: Liz Day and Kelli Sabin.)

Rockford Lutheran High School — Courtney Cirella, junior. (Teacher: Jean Morris.)

Roosevelt Alternative High School (Rockford) — Jordan Bowden, senior; Christopher Peoples, senior; and Brian Turman, sophomore. (Teachers: Leslie Arbetman and Kyle Wolfe.)

Spectrum Progressive High School (Rockford) — Sean Boseman, junior. (Teacher: Steve Coogan.)

Winnebago High School — Jessie Bright, junior; Chelsea Carlovsky, senior; Rob Mulkins, junior. (Teacher: Lisa Jimenez and Jamie Zander-Tarara.)

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

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

Guest Column: County board members tell half-truths

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

By Nichole Larison Sammon
Fox Ridge Subdivision

It is election time again, and the rhetoric is in full force. Incumbents work hard to make their past years of service sound notable and inspiring, so much so we as citizens should thank our lucky stars we voted them into office.

Tired of the half-truths and deceptive statements spread throughout numerous avenues by our county board members and Winnebago County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen, in their re-election campaigns, our team of investigators has decided to set the record straight. Below are statements made by many current county board members and Chairman Scott Christiansen.

We’ve cut out pensions for Winnebago County Board members!
REALITY — The Winnebago County Board cut out pensions for FUTURE board members, not the current incumbents attempting to take credit for such a maneuver. All current board members who have earned their pensions will get to keep it. It is also important to note, if they can vote away pensions, they have the power to vote them back in once they get re-elected.

We’ve saved the county money by cutting the size of the county board from 28 to 20 representatives!
REALITY — The county board reduced the number of county board members from 28 to 20, reducing our representation by 30 percent, but increased the pay to each board member to $8,500 from $7,500. It is true the total cost will be lower for the county board members’ salaries, but that is a pay increase of just more than 13 percent. Can you, as a regular citizen remember when you received a raise of that magnitude? To put it into perspective, Boone County Board members, who clearly understand the concept of hard times, have just voted to give themselves a pay cut of around 15 percent.

Along with that issue, who decided that 20 representatives would be better than 28? Did the math work out better for some individuals? Now, all you need to do is manage 10 representatives on your side, and you can get anything passed in our county.

The County Board LOWERED your property taxes last year (2011)!
REALITY — The Assessor’s office lowered our property values about 4.99 percent for most county residents, but the county board voted to RAISE the county levy rate two times to make up for the loss. The first vote was .02 per 100 assessed value. The second vote was .08 per 100 assessed value. The net result, the 4.99 percent cut we could and should have seen, was virtually wiped out by the Winnebago County Board members.

The county board has lowered the total County budget from $220M to $182M in eight years!

REALITY — Eight years ago, the Forest Preserve’s budget was part of the overall county budget. In 2009, the Winnebago County Board voted to make the Forest Preserve a completely separate entity, with its own separate board and budget. Additionally, last year in 2011, the county board RAISED the 2012 budget for all county offices by 5 percent; this is not a decrease, it is a $9 million increase.

I am proud to have served as part of the Winnebago County Board!

REALITY — At many forums across this county in preparation for the elections, when Chairman Christiansen needed convincing support present in the room, the current county board members did not disappoint. In introductory statements, each board member would talk of how proud they were to serve with Christiansen and other present board members. In reality, they meant to say they were proud to have pushed through their agendas and special interest requests, rolling over ordinary constituent concerns and citizen advocate Steve Schultz’s consistent objections. Steve is and has been the lone vote on the county board against these laden schemes. In the end, the rest of the board members are proud they spin and conceal the truth from us all.

Don’t let the rhetoric and half-truths told by the Winnebago County Board members win over your vote. Do your own research. Remember to vote in the Republican Primary March 20.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Commentary, Guest Column | 3 Comments »

Boone County solar farm

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

By Drs. Robert & Sonia Vogl
President and Vice President, Illinois Renewable Energy Association

At their Feb. 15 meeting, the Planning and Zoning Commission for the Village of Cherry Valley considered the request to rezone a 180-acre parcel of land from agriculture to industrial use to accommodate a proposed solar farm. Land owner Florian Guski and Jennifer L. Anderson of Anderson environmental and engineering described the project.

Using her experience, Anderson pointed out that there were no significant adverse environmental impacts from the solar farm project near the Chicago Rockford International Airport. She was confident the Boone County site would involve few environmental impacts as well.

The solar farm would be fenced and the west side planted with trees to reduce the visual impact of the panels. Guski pointed out the panels would be low to the ground, unlike wind turbines.

The proposed solar farm would be constructed in three phases, with projected costs of up to $30 million per phase. Each phase would consist of 30 MW for a total installation of 90 MW. It was estimated that each 10 MW would provide enough electricity to supply 4,000 homes with power.

An advantage of building the solar farm at that location is the nearby ComEd power line, which would provide a low-cost point of connection.

The solar farm would be adjacent to the 92-home East Valley subdivision. Three citizens raised questions regarding the project, as it would abut their property. They were concerned about possible adverse impacts on their property values. One expressed concern that the presence of the solar farm would disrupt the view he enjoys now from his back yard. Another asked if a berm could be built as a means to obscure seeing the solar farm. A third expressed the concern that if the land were rezoned from agriculture to industry and the solar farm were not built, other industrial interests even less to his liking might seek approval to build on the land.

A fourth person who teaches solar energy classes at Rock Valley College spoke in favor of the project.

Several other attendees did not speak in the formal session but expressed their views that the solar farm belonged somewhere else. The 10 MW solar farm on the abandoned factory site around the former West Pullman site south of Chicago was cited as an appropriate location for one. They felt similar sites could be found in this area.

A common concern was whether the presence of the solar farm would adversely affect property values of adjacent homes. Since no one had any information about the impact of solar farms on residential property values, it was recommend such information be sought by citizens through Internet searches and reported to the committee.

The commission voted to table the proposed zoning change until the next scheduled meeting so they could gather more information regarding the project details and its potential impact on property values of the adjacent subdivision.

No opposition to PV was raised, just opposition to the proposed location. As more large solar farms are proposed, opposition to sites seems inevitable.

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. E-mail sonia@essex1.com.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Renewable Energy | No Comments »

Hockey: Tales from the Trough: IceHogs win three straight, seesaw season continues

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Rockford IceHogs forward Andrew Shaw celebrates after scoring the final shootout goal against the Milwaukee Admirals Saturday, Feb. 25, at the BMO Harris Bank Center. (Photo by Todd Reicher)

By Todd Reicher
Sports Columnist

Consistency has certainly been a problem for Rockford this season. After starting off the month of February going 1-5-1-0, Rockford turned things around this week going a perfect 3-0-0-0, including Rockford’s second shutout of the season against the rival Chicago Wolves on their final meeting of the season.

Rockford’s stretch of three games in three days started out Friday, Feb. 24, at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont.

Bill Sweatt scored the only first-period goal, tallying his 12th of the season 14:34 into the first period. After throwing a few shots at the net in close quarters, the puck rolled behind the net. Sweatt picked it back up and around, rolled around the opposite side of the net, and snaked it past Carter Hutton.

Joe Lavin notched his third of the year early in the second to tie things up. The goal, scored only seconds after a Rockford power play expired, was set up beautifully by Brandon Svendsen, who carried the puck behind the net and found Lavin open on the left face-off dot. Lavin shot the puck far side corner, and beat Eddie Lack. Forward Byron Froese also factored in on the goal.

Rockford took their first lead of the game under 4 minutes later, courtesy of recent trade acquisition Matt Fornataro, who was received in a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Brandon Segal. Svendsen and Froese both received their second points of the night assisting on the go-ahead goal.

The lead was held for more than 20 minutes until Tim Miller tied it up at 12:46. Traffic and heavy pressure in front of the net allowed Miller to go hard to the net and force the puck past Hutton.

Brandon Pirri, who has been fairly quiet since the All-Star break, put Rockford ahead once again 16 minutes into the final period. Andrew Shaw set up the goal as both he and Pirri came into the Chicago zone on a two-on-two rush. Shaw fed the puck left to Pirri, and a quick release shot was fired past Lack’s shoulder to the back of the net.

Both teams were held scoreless on the power play with Chicago going 0-for-6, and Rockford held off on their three opportunities.

The following night, Milwaukee came to the BMO Harris Bank Center for the sixth of 12 meetings between the two clubs this season. In the previous five games against the Admirals this season, Rockford holds a 3-1-0-1 record.

In what would turn out to be a goaltender battle, Rockford’s Hutton would come out ahead with a thrilling 2-1 shootout victory.

Milwaukee’s lone goal came in the first period off a defensive miscue by Rockford in their own zone. Hutton grabbed the puck behind his net and fed at to the far-side defense. As the defenseman attempted to clear the puck, Milwaukee’s Jani Lajunen stepped in the lane, stole the puck, and fired it over Hutton’s shoulder for a 1-0 lead.

After a scoreless second period, and time winding down in the third, Rockford finally got one past Atte Engren with 3:47 left in regulation. Brian Fahey found Svendsen, who once again took the puck behind the net and tried a quick wraparound shot. Svendsen snagged his own rebound and the puck found its way to the right wing and onto Brandon Bollig’s stick. Rockford’s leader in penalty minutes wristed the puck toward the net, and beat Engren for the tying goal.

Regulation ended with a 1-1 tie, and Rockford dominated the overtime session with a 6-0 shot-on-goal advantage, but Engren stopped all six ’Hogs shots to force a shootout.

Bollig was the first shooter, which Engren stopped. Chris Mueller was Milwaukee’s first shooter, which Hutton stopped. Rockford would get two shootout goals from Pirri and Rostislav Olesz, while Hutton stopped shots from Ryan Ellis and Kyle Wilson. Shaw had the chance to end the game if he could score on his attempt. Shaw skated hard to the net, and with a quick wrister, got the puck past Engren and slid on his right side to the backboards. Shaw popped right up and skated on one knee toward the middle of the ice, where the rest of the team raced out to greet him as they celebrated their second-straight win, 2-1.

Neither team was successful on the power play with both teams going 0-for-6.

Rockford’s third game in three days came against the same Chicago club they defeated Friday, Feb. 24. Both Lack and Hutton got the nod in net once again. Both goalies played exceptionally well, carrying a shutout after 60 minutes of hockey. But it was Rockford, on their 41st shot of the evening, that scored the first, and only, goal of the game, winning in overtime.

The penalty-filled game was mostly dominated by Rockford in the first period, but evened out in the next 40 minutes. Rockford held an 18-5 shot advantage in the first period, but Chicago outshot Rockford in the final two periods with a 21-18 advantage.

Rockford’s penalty kill was batting 1.000 this week, and the PK unit would shine again on Sunday, Feb. 26. The ’Hogs stopped all eight shorthanded opportunities, which included two five-on-three kills, as well as a 5-minute major. IceHogs announcer Mike Peck pointed out a stat in regard to the IceHogs penalty kill against Chicago this season, stating Rockford was at an astounding 94 percent kill percentage after 12 games between the two clubs.

With 60 minutes of hockey played, and no team on the board, the ’Hogs would play their second overtime game in as many days. Although, the outcome would be different this time. As time was winding down in the extra session, Jeremy Morin rushed into the offensive zone, made a nice move, and fired a shot past Lack, giving Rockford the 1-0 overtime win, and Hutton his second shutout of the season.

Keys of the week:

1. Penalty kill coming up big — Rockford’s PK unit came up huge this week, stopping all 20 shorthanded opportunities. Undoubtedly, the biggest kills were on Sunday against Chicago with the two five-on-three and one 5-minute major.

2. Strong goaltending — Hutton continued his rock-solid play, stopping 74 of 77 shots he faced, not including the three shoot-out shots he turned away, earning a 3-0 record and his second shutout of the season.

3. Defense and penalties still creating opportunities for opponents — Even though Rockford only allowed three goals this week, their defense still showed some weakness. The lone Milwaukee goal was a result of a Rockford turnover, and Rockford’s 20 shorthanded situations gave the opposition plenty of chances to score. If it weren’t for the excellent goaltending, Rockford would not have earned the 6 points they received this week.

Looking forward:

Rockford stays home for one game this week, Wednesday, Feb. 29, to play host to the Abbotsford Heat for the final meeting between both teams in the regular season. Abbotsford’s visit also marks the return of former IceHogs players Brian Connelly, Akim Aliu and Hugh Jessiman. Friday, March 2, Rockford heads north to play the Admirals at 7 p.m., then down to Peoria Saturday, March 3, for the final time this season for a 7 p.m. game against the Rivermen.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Sports, Sports News, Tales from the Trough | No Comments »

Guest Column: Doctor shortage in Illinois will blunt health reform’s effect

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Steve Jacob

By Steve Jacob

The new health reform law is expected to create 32 million more insured Americans, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The federal government plans to expand Medicaid to low-income adults and subsidize purchases on the health insurance exchanges when it requires most Americans to carry insurance in 2014.

However, an insurance card will not mean much to patients without providers to care for them.

Illinois will have more than 1 million more insured residents because of reform, according to an Urban Institute analysis.

A primary-care physician is the first contact for people with undiagnosed illnesses. They include family physicians, pediatricians and internal-medicine doctors. Primary-care physicians’ share of the U.S. health care dollar is only 7 cents. However, primary-care doctors control 80 cents of the health care dollar by sending their patients to hospitals, referring them to specialists and handing out prescriptions.

The U.S. has about the same number of physicians per capita as other industrialized nations. However, the U.S. has far fewer primary-care physicians than specialists. They make up about 50 percent of the physician workforce in most other developed nations, compared with 35 percent in the U.S.

The number of U.S. specialists per capita has risen dramatically since 1965, while the ratio of primary-care physicians has remained relatively constant, because they earn as much as three times more income. The outlook is for more of the same: greater scarcity of primary care and a growing supply of specialists.

Massachusetts reformed its state health care system in 2006, giving the nation a glimpse of what is to come when access to health insurance is expanded without expanding the supply of primary care. The average wait for a non-urgent appointment with an internist rose from 17 days in 2005 to 48 days in 2011. Fewer than half of family physicians there are accepting new patients, compared with 70 percent four years ago.

Massachusetts has about 108 primary-care physicians for every 100,000 residents, compared with only about 82 per 100,000 in Illinois. This ultimately suggests an even longer wait locally.

The primary-care workload is expected to increase by nearly 30 percent between 2005 and 2025. A number of factors feed this demand, including a growing population, a flood of baby boomers becoming Medicare beneficiaries and acquiring medical conditions as they age, and the newly insured because of the reform law.

However, the supply of primary-care physicians is expected to rise by only 2 to 7 percent. Three out of four physicians say they already are at or over capacity. The math screams that there will be a crisis of health care access in the next 15 years. Expect longer waits for appointments, shorter physician visits, greater use of non-physicians for routine care, and higher prices.

The U.S. trains about 16,000 doctors a year. The nation would have to increase that number by 6,000 to 8,000 annually for 20 years to meet expected demand.

Adding to the sense of urgency is the fact that about one out of four Illinois physicians is age 60 or older.

About 17 percent of Illinois residents currently live in federally-designated primary-care shortage areas. Physicians tend to cluster in areas where supply is already high rather than where the need is greatest. About 80 percent of new physicians in the 1980s and 1990s did this. They like affluent areas with well-insured patients, high-tech hospitals and civic amenities that offer a better quality of life. These high-income enclaves are also home to the nation’s healthiest people.

Most do not want to recognize that health care is rationed. It is done so by lack of insurance. Health reform is expected to rectify that, but it will exacerbate a new form of rationing: the doctor is not in.

Steve Jacob is a veteran health care journalist and author of the new book Health Care in 2020: Where Uncertain Reform, Bad Habits, Too Few Doctors and Skyrocketing Costs Are Taking Us. He can be reached at steve@unitedstatesofhealth.com.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Health & Fitness, Living | No Comments »

Eureka! Classifieds: Week of Feb. 29-March 6, 2012

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

FOR SALE

Appliances

UPRIGHT FREEZER Excellent condition. $115, Oregon, IL. 815/881-8131. 3/7

GE REFRIGERATOR with icemaker, bone color, 2-3 yrs. old, $250. 815/969-0138. 2/29

WASHERS, DRYERS, STOVES, refrigerators, chest freezer, furniture items. Warranties included, can deliver. 815/721-6318. TFN

Cemetery Plots

WILLWOOD CEMETERY 4 spaces Concordia area $1795 each. 815/877-0145. 3/7

1 SPACE IN SUNSET MEMORIAL GARDENS (Lutheran section). $1,600 + fees. 941/358-0374. janey08@comcast.net. TFN

RIVER VALLEY MEMORIAL GARDENS Dundee, IL. 4 spaces, Catholic section by the shrine. Valued at $6,000 – Make offer. 815/558-1478. TFN

Clothing

LOTS OF CLOTHES Brand new, Winter sweaters & jeans 815/985-0126. 2/29

WOMEN’S DENIM JEANS size 10-18, most never worn. Women’s jackets & men’s jeans. 815/877-4498. 2/29

Electronics

30” RCA TV 2-21” tvs, 4 boxes of tools, vintage jewelry. 815/962-5376. 2/29

TWO 27” COLOR REMOTE TVS $120 each. 608/658-4089. 2/29

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 Frank. TFN

Equipment

TOTAL SHOP Woodworking machine combination drillpress, lathe, tablesaw, complete with jigsaw & gouges 6” jointer/5” planer, disk sander, brad point drill bits, drum sander, $600. 815/964-9369. 2/29

MEYERS SNOWPLOW & PUMP. $500 OBO. Call Sam 815/505-6833. TFN

UNRESERVED PUBLIC EQUIPMENT & TRUCK AUCTIONS – Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers. Springfield IL (March 13), Chicago IL (March 15), St. Louis MO (March 30). No minimum bids or reserve prices. Large selection of construction equipment, trucks and trailers. Free registration. Open to the public. Visit rbauction.com for equipment details and photos.(ICAN)

Furniture

CHINA CABINET big display areas, smoked-glass doors, inside lights, $75 815/636-1546. 3/14

LA Z BOY RECLINER excellent condition, cloth, reddish in color $70 815/226-3935, cell 815/494-3627. 3/14

LOCKING GUN CABINET Beautiful dark oak, etched glass doors, storage in bottom, like new $125 815/881-8131. 3/14

THICK QUEEN MATTRESS and box spring, like new $100 OBO. 815/962-4518. 3/7

HUTCH DINING ROOM TABLE & six chairs. $300. 815/977-5955. 3/7

END TABLE $20, Rockford, 2721 Ellen Ave. 2/29

SOLID OAK ENTERTAINMENT center. Excellent condition. $225 OBO. 815/636-2547. 2/29

MATCHING CHAIRS 4 burnt orange/3 gold; home/office, wooden arms, chrome frame, $10 each/$55 all. 815/275-4588. 2/29

BEAUTIFUL ANTIQUE CHILDREN’S ROCKING CHAIR, hardwood, reddish black finish. Call 630/261-5191. Must see $150. 2/29

VINTAGE FULL-SIZE solid wood bed & pillowtop mattress & box spring $250. 779/770-4649. 2/29

QUEEN-SIZED BED Excellent condition, mattress, box spring & frame $250. 779/423-1793. 2/29

TWO STEEL TWIN BUNK BEDS, complete $100, wood harvest table, 4 chairs, and bench, $125. 815/623-6901. 2/29

ELECTRIC HOSPITAL BED, excellent condition. $95. 815/871-7511 after 5pm. 2/29

ROLL -TOP DESK solid dark oak, 30-year-old, antique, excellent condition, 30” deep, 54” wide, 50” high, 7 drawers. $900. 815/398-7941. TFN

3 PIECE BEDROOM SET Excellent condition. $200 OBO. 815/980-7863. TFN

SOFA, LOVE SEAT, 3 TABLES, 2 lamps, 2 oval lamps, small glass table, water dispenser, 2 rugs, kitchen table with 4 chairs, queen-size rollaway bed, TV. All for $600. Call 815/904-6114 or 815/261-8134. Ask for Marietta. TFN

entertainment center holds up to 37” TV, $75. 815/988-5796. TFN

Livestock

COWGIRL SPECIAL Barrel prospect, Break your way, Gentle but spirited, handsome Paint gelding. 779/348-0591. 3/7

ROCK RIVER RANCH Performance Tested Angus Bull Sale March 11, 1p.m. Mt. Morris, IL Selling 60 Bulls: 15 select females Call John Kirchner for information 815-440-0682 (ICAN)

HORSE SALE: Belle Plaine Western Exchange, Belle Plaine, IA. *New for 2012 *Only 6% commission rate on horses *No charge for a No Sale through the ring priced $0-$400 NEXT SCHEDULED SALE: Saturday, March 10, 2012, 4-H Horse & Select Gelding Sale Featuring The Open Ranch Horse Show Includes Sorting & Roping Events with 50% Payback, Held in an Indoor Arena $2500 in Winnings Awarded in Feb. For more complete details go to www.westernexchange.com Sale Times: Tack 10:00 a.m., Horses immediately following unless noted below. Sale 2nd Saturday of Every Month. UPCOMING SALES: April 14 ~ regular sale, May 12th ~ regular sale. Call the office at 319-444-2320 for special sales and Kenny Shipman at 573-489-4434 for a number in the regular sales. Info/To Consign: 319-444-2320, Fax: 319-538-0300, www.westernexchange.com (MCN)

Misc. Items For Sale

IMPERIAL REFRIGERATION and air-Conditioning service manifold kit 421-c, brand new in package. $60 630/261-5191. 3/14

OLDER BOOKS, $5 each, Seven Navigator books, $30 takes all. Ask for Phil. 815/962-0530. 3/14

ANTIQUE 8”X10” studio portrait camera, sheet film. Other cameras 815/877-4498. 3/14

GO-KARTS, LAWN MOWERS, $ SNOWBLOWERS for sale. Call anytime 847/971-5988 Ask for Gator. 3/14

METAL DETECTOR, New $289, now $100 OBO. Wood futon frame $25, dollhouse best offer. 815/222-2722. 3/14

CHILDRENS PULL-BEHIND BIKE TRAILER seats two, 2 slide projectors, 200+ slides, 2 microwaves, 2 AC units. 815/962-5376. 3/7

CODE CHECK ELECTRICAL. An illustrated guide to wiring a safe house. $10 Taunton Press. 630/261-5191. 3/7

WURLITZER ORGAN $310, bowling ball, bag, & shoes $32, 20” chainsaw $120, Valley pool table $425. 815/877-0145. 3/7

BASKETS! BASKETS! Wicker, wrought iron, some Longaberger & ceramic. Great for Easter. 815/877-4498. 3/7

NECCHI SEWING MACHINE Lelia 510 510013378, Italy 150103-002 Console with bench. $60. 815/979-2619. 2/29

FIREWOOD FOR SALE by the face-cord. Dave 815/441-3636.2/29

POWERBASE MERITS wheelchair, 2nd owner, $450. 815/969-0477. 2/29

4-FOOT WHITE PINE TREES Delivered/Planted/Mulched $64.50/tree. North I-80 $74.50/tree Buy 10/1 FREE! Call for sizes, varieties, shades. 217-886-2316 www.atwood
trees.com (ICAN)

DISH NETWORK. Starting at $19.99/month PLUS 30 Premium Movie Channels FREE for 3 Months! SAVE! & Ask About SAME DAY Installation! CALL – 888-543-6232 (MCN)

MANTIS DELUXE TILLER. NEW! FastStart engine. Ships FREE. One-Year Money-Back Guarantee when you buy DIRECT. Call for the DVD and FREE Good Soil book! 866-542-5009 (MCN)

DISH NETWORK $19.99/mo! No Equipment to Buy! Free HBO+Cinemax+Starz+Blockbuster 3 Months! Free HD/DVR! Next Day Install! Ask About Internet/TV/Phone Bundles! 800-732-0574 (MCN)

BUNDLE & SAVE on your CABLE, INTERNET PHONE, AND MORE. High Speed Internet starting at less than$20/mo. CALL NOW! 800-314-9361 N-2/29

DIRECTV $0 START COST! Only $29.99/ Month! FREE HBO/ CINEMAX/ SHOWTIME/ STARZ for 3 Months! FREE HD/ DVR Upgrade! FREE Installation! We’re Your Local Installers! Order DIRECTV Call Now! 800-758-1657 (MCN)

FRUIT TREES Low As $15.00! Blueberry, Grape, Strawberry, Asparagus Plants & More! FREE Product Catalog. WOODSTOCK NURSERY N1831 Hwy 95 Neillsville, WI 54456 Toll Free 888-803-8733, www.wallace-woodstock.com (MCN)

MEMORY FOAM THERAPEUTIC NASA MATTRESSES T-$299 F-$349 Q-$399 K-$499 ADJUSTABLES – $799 FREE DELIVERY LIFETIME WARRANTY 90 NIGHT TRIAL 1-800-ATSLEEP1-800-287-5337 WWW.MATTRESSDR.COM N-2/29

AT&T U-VERSE for just $29.99/mo! SAVE when you bundle Internet+Phone+TV and get up to $300 BACK! (select plans). Limited Time Call NOW! 877-276-3538 N-2/29

DIRECTV $29.99/mo $0 Start Costs! Free HBO CINEMAX SHOWTIME STARZ! FREE HD/DVR! Free Installation! We’re Local Installers! 800-758-1657 N-2/29

DISH NETWORK $19.99/mo! Free HBO+Showtime+Cinemax +Starz+Blockbuster! Free HD/DVR! Next Day Install! Ask About Internet/TV/Phone Bundles! 800-732-0574 N-2/29

ENJOY BETTER TV DISH NETWORK Authorized Retailer Offers, FREE HD for Life, Packages from $19.99/mo. Includes locals, 3 HD receivers free. Restrictions Apply. Call NOW!! (877) 594-2251 N-2/29

AT&T U-VERSE for just $29.99/mo! SAVE when you bundle Internet+Phone+TV and get up to $300 BACK! (Select plans). Limited Time Call NOW! 1-866-944-0906 N-2/29

Rummage Sale

ALDERSGATE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 4055 N. Rockton Ave., Rockford Friday, March 2, 9am-4pm, Saturday, March 3, 9am-2pm, something for everyone, all at bargain prices. 2/29

Sporting Goods

4-SEATER GOLF CART with canopy, all electric, 6 batteries under seat $800. 815/969-8803. 3/14

SLEEPING BAG $75, Northface superlight goose down mummy. 3-season backpacking. Details Azara59@yahoo.com Leaf River 815/738-2922. 3/14

Steel Buildings

STEEL BUILDINGS: 6 only 25×28, 30×42, 40×54, 45×82, 50×100, 80×150. Must Move Now! Selling for Balance Owed! Still Crated/Free Delivery! 1-800-321-0174 x269 (MCN)

Thrift Store

Crusader Thrift Shop,310 7th Street - Open Mon.-Sat. from 11am to 3pm. 3 vacuum cleaners, small children’s clothes 10¢ & up, Easter merchandise, all ladies clothes on sale, unless new or firm. 25% off on collector dolls, 3 walkers & 2 walking canes. We put out new supplies every day. TFN

FHC Thrift Shop, 710 Broadway. 815/299-3615, Open 9am – 5pm, Mon-Sat. Call for emergency after-hour appts. TFN

SECOND CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH THRIFT SHOP. 318 North Church Street. Open Tuesday 9am – 1pm. TFN

Brooke Road Thrift Shop, 1404 Brooke Rd. Lots of clothes, shoes, knick knacks, and misc. Open Wednesdays, 9-12. TFN

MISSION MART THRIFT Benefits Rockford Rescue Mission. 1405 Kishwaukee St. 1235 Sandy Hollow, M-S 9-5pm. TFN


SERVICES

Adoption

Loving married couple wishes to adopt newborn baby. Stable home. Michelene & Richard 877-507-5471. hope2adopt@comcast.net . TFN

ADOPTION Energetic, fun loving, well-educated couple looking to adopt a newborn child from a caring birth mother. Expenses Paid. Call Stefanie & Kevin 1-866-816-3251 (ICAN)

ADOPTION LOOKING TO ADOPT: Happy married loving couple desires to ADOPT new born. Expenses paid. Please call Toll Free 888-869-2227 Kristine & David. (ICAN)

ADOPTION Loving couple wishes to give love, happiness and security to your newborn. Let’s help each other. Can help with expenses. Donna & Al 877-492-8546 (ICAN)

A CHILDLESS MARRIED COUPLE (both doctors; late 30s/ early 40s) seek to adopt. Financial Security. Expenses paid. Marie & Christian (Ask for Michelle/ Adam). 1-800-790-5260 (MCN)

HAPPILY MARRIED young couple (30’s) seeks to adopt and complete family. Full Time Mom/ Devoted Dad. Financial security. Expenses Paid. Please call! Lenny & Christina 1-888-537-5055 (MCN)

Child Care

The Rising Stars Learning Center now has immediate child care openings for children 6 weeks to 12 years old. Full pre-school program. We are open from 6 a.m.-midnight. Please call Darcy to set up an interview time at 815-962-8743. TFN

Dance

Ballet • Tap • Jazz • Ballroom• Hip Hop •Dancercise Ages 3 – Adult. 815/633-0753. 2/29

Education

WORK ON JET ENGINES – Train for hands-on Aviation Maintenance Career. FAA-approved program. Financial aid if qualified – Housing available. CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance 800-481-8312 (ICAN)

ALLIED HEALTH career training. Attend college 100% online. Job placement assistance. Computer available. Financial Aid if qualified. SCHEV certified. Call 800-481-9409 www.CenturaOnline.com (ICAN)

WORK ON JET ENGINES – Train for hands-on Aviation Maintenance Career. FAA-approved program. Financial aid if qualified – Housing available CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance 866-231-7177. (MCN)

AIRLINES ARE HIRING Train for hands-on Aviation Maintenance Career. FAA-approved program. Financial aid if qualified Housing available Call AIM (888) 686-1704 N-2/29

ATTEND COLLEGE ONLINE from Home. *Medical, *Business, *Criminal Justice. Job placement assistance. Computer available. Call 800-510-0784 www.CenturaOnline.com N-2/29

EARN COLLEGE DEGREE ONLINE *Medical, *Business, *Criminal Justice. Job placement assistance. Computer available. Financial Aid if qualified. SCHEV certified. Call 800-510-0784 www.CenturaOnline.com N-2/29

WORK ON JET ENGINES Train for hands-on Aviation Maintenance Career. FAA-approved program. Financial aid if qualified Job placement assistance. Call AIM (866) 854-6156. N-2/29

Financial

$$$ ACCESS LAWSUIT Cash Now!! Injury Lawsuit Dragging? Need $500-$500,000++ within 48/hours? Low rates Apply Now By Phone! 1-800-568-8321. www.lawcapital.com (MCN)

SMALL BUSINESS CREDIT GUARANTEED! $7,000 Credit Line to Fund or Grow Your Business. Call Today for Approval 800-639-1507 Call between 9-6 Eastern N-2/29

LOW COST AFFORDABLE TERM LIFE INSURANCE. PREMIUM RETURNED IN 20 YEARS IF YOU DON’T DIE. NO EXAM, NO BLOOD REQUIRED. 1-800-559-9847 www.buynoexamlifeinsuranceonline.com N-2/29

Handyman

JOSH OF ALL TRADES – 815/988-1232. Painting, Electrical, Landscaping, Decks, & Odd Jobs. Friendly, Reliable, Fair. 4/11

PRO SERVICE Bring new life to your wrinkled and torn carpet: repair-restretch-takeup-install. Twenty years experience call 815/962-0258. Leave message. 4/11

HANDYMAN PLUS CARPENTRY, tile, drywall, painting, plumbing, electrical. No job too small or too big. Dependable & affordable. Call Jeff 815/566-1838. 3/7

HANDYMAN SERVICES Installation of doors & windows, plumbing repairs, drywall repair, soffit & fascia, gutters, siding, etc. Gary 815/494-9832. Free estimates. 3/7

Hauling

CHAD’S HAULING & GENERAL LABOR 10-year solid reputation. Garage, basement & estate clean-outs. Yard waste removal, gutter cleaning, tree trimming, etc. FREE Estimates. 15% Senior Discount. www.chadshauling.com 815/979-7593. 3/21

Health & Medical

VIAGRA 100MG AND CIALIS 20MG!! 40 Pills 4 FREE for only $99. #1 Male Enhancement, Discreet Shipping. Only $2.70/pill. Buy the Blue Pill Now! 1-888-481-2930 (MCN)

ATTENTION DIABETICS with Medicare. Get a FREE Talking Meter and diabetic testing supplies at NO COST, plus FREE home delivery! Best of all, this meter eliminates painful finger pricking! Call 1-888-737-9930 (MCN)

ATTENTION SLEEP APNEA SUFFERERS with Medicare. Get FREE CPAP Replacement Supplies at NO COST, plus FREE home delivery! Best of all, prevent red skin sores and bacterial infection! Call 888-705-4795 (MCN)

CANADA DRUG CENTER is your choice for safe and affordable medications. Our licensed Canadian mail order pharmacy will provide you with savings of up to 90 percent on all your medication needs. Call Today 866-983-1784 for $25.00 off your first prescription and free shipping. (MCN)

TAKE VIAGRA/ CIALIS? Save $500.00! 60x 100mg pills $149.00! Plus 8 Bonus pills. Visa/Mastercard Accepted. Order Now! 1-347-753-8138. (MCN)

TAKE VIAGRA 100MG AND CIALIS 20MG! 40 Pills + 4 FREE for only $99. #1 Male Enhancement, Discreet Shipping. Save $500! Buy The Blue Pill! 1-888-796-8870 N-2/29

LOW TESTOSTERONE? FREE 30 Day Supply of Progene! All Natural Supplement for More Power & Performance! Pay only S&P 800-908-2214 N-2/29

Legal Services

NEED LEGAL HELP? FREE REFERRAL Call 877-270-3855 Courtesy of the Illinois State Bar Association at www.IllinoisLawyerFinder.com (ICAN)

DIVORCE with or without Children $125. Includes name change and property settlement agreement. FREE information. SAVE hundreds. Fast and easy. Call 1-888-789-0198 24/7 or www.Pay4Divorce.com (ICAN)

SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFITS. WIN or Pay Nothing! Start Your Application In Under 60 Seconds. Call Today! Contact Disability Group, Inc. Licensed Attorneys & BBB Accredited. Call 888-835-8412 (MCN)

*BEEN DENIED SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY? Thousands of disabled Americans are denied each year. We may be able to help. Free initial consultation. Please call Carter Law Firm 1-800-808-9630 (MCN)

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. 6/27

Misc. Services

WANT TO PLACE YOUR AD in more than 300 Illinois newspapers? Call Illinois Press Advertising Service 217-241-1700 or visit www.illinoispress.org (ICAN)

REACH 2 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS! Do you have a product, service, or business that would be helped by reaching over 2.3 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)

TO INVESTIGATE OTHER ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES Call PaperChain at 931-922-0484 or e-mail info@paperchain.com (MCN)

LOOKING FOR A HOME TO RENT? Find one in your area at WWW.MW-ADS.COM! Hundreds of listings each week! (MCN)

Painting

CROAK PROFESSIONAL PAINTING 20 years experience. Interior, exterior, commercial, residential, staining, spraying. Tim 815/977-1289. 3/7

Roofing

R&D AFFORDABLE ROOFING Free inspection, many jobs completed in one day. Senior discount. Call Chad 815/979-7593. 4/4

Travel

MINNESOTA’S BEST FISHING located on Lake Osakis. Choose from 8 Family Friendly Resorts. Over 6,200 acres of water enjoyment. Free brochure www.PlayAtOsakisMN.com, 1-800-422-0785, “Explore Minnesota” (MCN)

SKYLINE LODGE Perrault Falls, Ontario. Only Resort on Beautiful Florence Lake. Join Us This Summer For Some Of The Best Fishing Canada Has To Offer! Affordable Fisherman/ Family Packages. 1-877-452-2809, www.FishSkylineLodge.com (MCN)

Weddings & Occasions

Need a caring minister for counseling or for your special occasion? Inexpensive. 3608 Buckingham Dr. Rockford, 61107 815/342-6064. 3/28

MUSIC

DRUMMER AVAILABLE for working band, experienced & professional. Gary 847/710-8002. 3/14

FREE GUITAR LESSONS BEGIN on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 4:15pm at Calvary Lutheran Church 1715 9th St. Everyone is welcome. Call Pastor Chuck Olson to register- 815/342-6064. TFN



PERSONALS
BISEXUAL MALE for males for dating & more. Must travel to Rochelle.779/200-5254. 3/14

NICE 48 YR. OLD MAN looking for nice 40-50 woman for friendship & dating. 815/963-2433 or 779/348-2332. 3/14

ATTRACTIVE WHITE BI-SEXUAL COUPLE seeking other couples or bi-sexual male for new experience. Contact Eugene & Raven 779/200-7019. 3/7

SWM BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN 48, seeking born again Christian SWF 30-50. Call 815/963-2433. 3/7

SWM LOOKING FOR SWF 18-45, lonely and wants to have adult fun. If interested call 815/968-6609. 2/29

I AM TRANSGENDER 36, looking for someone to date, guys or girls, upper 20’s-40’s. Leave a message. 815/766-0627. 2/29

THIS BISEXUAL MALE is seeking other guys for dating and possible roommate options. For more details call 815/290-9012. TFN

AFRICAN-AMERICAN
ATTRACTIVE TRANSSEXUAL: Educated, outgoing, wants to meet gentleman. Race unimportant. Age 30-60. Serious calls only! 815/516-6298. TFN

Public Announcement

WOMAN IN NEED of financial help. For more information call 815/262-6182. 2/29

REIKI SHARES at Community of Christ Church, 6103 Forest Hills, 1st Thursdays/month, 6-9pm. TFN

REIKI ENERGY HEALING resumes at RVC, 3350 N. Bell School Rd. on Wednesdays, Starting February 15, 6-9pm. TFN

Al-Anon, support group for families and friends of alcoholics. Help-line: (815) 399-0456. TFN

LOOKING FOR CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS to sponsor underprivileged & special needs children & adults. Call for details. 815/332-2312. TFN

Looking for answers? Try Bible call. 24-hour automated service – 815/316-2650. (Church of Christ). TFN

Power of the Blood SDC Ministry 816 Marchesano Dr, Rockford, IL 61102. We are looking for a building. Services currently held every 3rd & 4th Thursday @ 7pm. APOSTLE EDWARD A. JOHNSON OVERSEER I’ll pray for you & you pray for me. Watch God change things! 779/770-9853, 815/904-0080. Thank you & God Bless. TFN

Positive Image ChurcH - Basic Life Skills Programs. Free. 1408 Elm Street. For information: 815/967-9061. TFN

Welcome to St. Sebastian Orthodox Church. Traditional liturgy every Sunday, 10:30 am, 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

BECOME A SURROGATE MOTHER! Generous Compensation! Help an infertile couple. Non-smoker, 21-42 years old. Must have given birth. Visit www.newlifesurrogacy.com. Call 212-969-7419 (MCN)

Organ, Blood, & Tissue Donation

26-YR-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. 815/670-9082. TFN

www.LinksForLifeCampaign.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 Community Foundation of Northern Illinois’ Web site: www.cfnil.org .


PETS

For Sale

AKC BOXER female for sale. Good home only. 815/985-5565. 2/29

AKC COCKER SPANIEL male, 5 months, $200 to a good home. 815/312-6032. 2/29

FEMALE CAT, 4 YRS. OLD Available now. Call for info. 815/382-2841 or 815/964-1381. 3/7

Rescue/Foster

Boycott the rodeo. Here’s why… www.sharkonline.org 2/29

3 BOY KITTENS- Gold & white. 6 months old. All shots. Neutered. Looking for forever-loving indoor homes. $20. Serious calls only. 815/980-7863. TFN

RESCUED CATS- 2 pure gray females, 1 tiger male, 1 younger tiger male, 1 younger black & white male, 2 pure gray males. Sweet & loving, spayed & neutered, shots. Looking for forever-loving indoor homes. $20. Serious calls only. 815/980-7863. TFN

‘PAWS’ neeDs foster homes for dogs. Call 299-PAWS (7297) or visit the website at www.pawshs.org. 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. TFN


wanted

WANTED mechanic who can work on a 1986 Toyota MR-2 Call 815/312-9076. 3/14

i AM WANTING TO BUY A male WHITE & BROWN HORSE or a white horse in the Beloit area or Brodhead area. Call or leave message 779/770-7194. 3/14

LOOKING FOR 1970’S & 1980’S running and non-running snowmobiles. 815/703-5791. 3/7

GUITAR TRAINER OR variable speed cassette recorder. 815/601-6897. 3/7

LOOKING TO BUY A COUCH, mattress, and TV stand. Call 779/772-1495. Call anytime. 3/7

WANTED: WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE VAN Late model, reasonable & mechanically sound. 815/962-1239. 2/29

Needed for my son who is nursing home resident: his favorite music artist, Bob Seger- albums, records, CDs, etc. Thanks for calling, Don, 815/262-0214. TFN

PAYING CASH! Diabetic Test STRIPS WANTED. Will pay up to $17 per box. Quick & local. Call Nancy. 815/519-9966. TFN

FAST PAYMENT for sealed, unexpired DIABETIC TEST STRIPS! Free Shipping, Best Prices and 24 hour payment. Get paid and help others. Call Patti at 855-578-7477 or visit us at www.TestStripSearch.com (MCN)

**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-2/29

CA$H PAID-UP TO $25/BOX for unexpired, sealed DIABETIC TEST STRIPS! 2 DAY PAYMENT & PREPAID shipping. SE HABLA ESPANOL. Emma 1-888-776-7771. www.Cash4DiabeticSupplies.com N-2/29

WANTED DIABETIC TEST STRIPS. ANY KIND/BRAND. UP TO $25.00/Box. SHIPPING PAID. HABLAMO ESPANOL. 1-800-266-0702 www.SellDiabeticstrips.com N-2/29

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Classifieds | No Comments »

Auburn CAPA Chamber Choir performs at NBA game

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

The Auburn High School CAPA Chamber Choir has achieved a singular honor. They were asked to perform the National Anthem at the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls NBA basketball game in Milwaukee Wednesday, March 7. The Rock River Times spoke with Choir Director Beth Heuer, who gave us the details.

TRRT: How did the Chamber Choir happen to be asked to perform?

Heuer: We were asked through the athletic director, Thomas Newton. He had spoken to the Milwaukee Bucks a couple weeks ago, and they asked if we had a group who might perform the National Anthem at their game against the Bulls. We made a tape and sent it in.

TRRT: How many are in the choir?

Heuer: We have 43. This is a fabulous opportunity for each of the students. It will be one of the lifetime memories they will always remember.

TRRT: Have they performed any other places?

Heuer: Yes, we performed for Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary this past fall for the Anti-Bullying Campaign. That was through the Rockford Area Arts Council and Wonderland Books. They had started the special campaign and asked us to perform. We had also performed a couple years ago with Greg Morton [for his program] “Three Cups of Tea.” It was a fund-raiser at the Coronado and also Puri Peace Plaza.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Community News and Notes, People In Our Times | No Comments »

Your Horoscope: Week of Feb. 29-March 6, 2012

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Denise Guzzardo

By Denise Guzzardo

Week of Feb. 29-March 6, 2012

This Week: Dave’s Doggie Den, 107 St. Louis, Rockford, is having an open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., March 10. John Sawle from Doctors Choice will be talking about Dog Nutrition at 11 a.m. His talk will cover hot spots, scratching, ear infections, health problems, etc. Refreshments and giveaways will also be included. I will be there for sure.

The full moon in Virgo March 8 can create a sense of self-doubt or anger in others. Take it easy. An early warning for you: Mercury goes retrograde again March 12 and remains in this state until April 4. You know the drill. Be cautious with travel and communications, and allow yourself plenty of time to get from point A to point B. Unusual acts and strange occurrences will be evident this week. Keep your head low. Try not to feed into fear or challenge another who is not emotionally balanced. The cosmos could send someone like this off their rocker.

Aries (March 21 to April 19) — You may need to open the door a bit for a loved one or friend. Lately, those around you could accuse you of acting like Cancer, the crab. In other words, you’ve been in your shell way too long. It’s safe to come out now. Friday, all eyes are on you. Finances begin to improve at this time.

Taurus (April 20 to May 20) — A family gathering could start a new foundation of love and expression. We all get overwhelmed with daily tasks and activities, and the time keeps rolling by. Precious moments are few and far between, and life is very short. A healing energy surrounds your home and family at this time. Take advantage of this aspect.

Gemini (May 21 to June 20) — An answer to a prayer arrives with career shortly. Upgrades with financial gain allow you to feel relieved and refreshed. You’re coming into an extremely busy time. Make sure you’re taking time out to rest and regroup. An unexpected loss may leave a friend or loved one spinning. Offer your love and support.

Cancer (June 21 to July 22) — What exactly are your fears with romantic connections? Why would you punish yourself and close yourself off when those around you want to see you happy? With love comes a tremendous amount of responsibility; however, the payoff is gold.

Leo (July 23 to Aug. 22) — You may be experiencing some regret regarding a recent decision. However, you need to get your feet wet first with this before you run in the other direction. Once you see the doors are opening, there is no reason not to walk right through them. Romance becomes a focus this week as well. Passion begins to kick up a notch or two.

Virgo (Aug. 23 to Sept. 22) — Romance is not necessarily a substitute for all of the responsibilities you’ve had on your plate recently. However, it is a start anyway. If you can allow someone else to let you feel good or respect you, then it becomes easier to respect yourself. There is no more room for self-punishment in your life — delete it!

Libra (Sept. 23 to Oct. 22) — Spring is in the air, and business begins to flourish. You have the “eye” for the perfect fit in your work environment, and others are recognizing your gifts. Unexpected public acclaim or recognition arrives at this time. Put your best foot forward, and dress for success. All eyes are on you this week.

Scorpio (Oct. 23 to Nov. 21) — You’re tying up loose ends, and you’re able to enjoy some “free time” shortly. Take some time away to regroup and heal your overworked mind and body. You don’t have to alienate yourself to keep in check. You can balance your priorities, time and energy with ease now.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 to Dec. 21) — This is a fabulous time to launch a creative project that has been sitting on the back burner for way too long. The ability Sags have to not put all of their eggs in one basket will be emphasized at this time. Many ways exist to creatively expand your finances, so take some risks and accept the payoffs now.

Capricorn (Dec. 22 to Jan. 19) — If you feel a bit isolated, you may need to put yourself out there a little more. Some of those around you may be shutting down a bit to regroup. Try not to take any of this behavior too personally. Meantime, this allows you to explore new relationships and activities. Your personal life is getting ready to expand. Keep an open mind and an open heart.

Aquarius (Jan. 20 to Feb. 18) — Romance is arriving with more clarity. Now, all you have to do is keep your emotions open and honest. Don’t be afraid to wear your heart on your sleeve. You may be surprised that another finds you equally attractive and valuable. Expansion with career is evident. Take advantage of these options.

Pisces (Feb. 19 to March 20) — You may be surprised when you receive a long-distance call or letter from someone from your past. This is a great time to emotionally catch up and get the scoop surrounding those you care about. Upsetting news may also arrive regarding the health of another. Keep in touch, and offer emotional support. The outcome may be better than initially diagnosed.

For an extended astrological forecast or psychic consultation, contact Denise at (815) 398-3983.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Horoscopes, Your Horoscope | No Comments »

The movie ‘Food, Inc.’ shows bias in presentation

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

The movie was shown on the evening of Feb. 15. It was announced by Rockford Urban Ministries, and several organic gardeners were present. Their initial conversation included statements that there were only three seed companies from which to purchase farm seeds. This is simply untrue!

The movie showed mostly animal agriculture and the processing of meat. It showed some large confinement farming cases in which the animals were crowded, some died, and it showed some mass slaughter facilities. It falsely led one to think that they are all that way. Then, it showed an open-air organic farm chicken processing facility. That facility had the most depressing part of the movie where live chickens were put in a large funnel, their throats cut, and they were left there to bleed to death. When we raised livestock, we always respected the animals as we respected the land, the environment and those who would use our products. A poultry slaughtering facility killed the geese by bleeding to death as in the above organic facility. We put an immediate stop to that, requiring that the animals be killed by severing the neck. They said, “Government inspectors require that the heads be left on.” We defied the cruel government regulation to reduce cruelty. My parents and I always honored the compassionate teachings of Buddha, and we treated all living things accordingly.

Corn-fed beef is bad as compared to grass-fed beef is another part of the agenda in this movie. However, grass-fed beef cannot produce the prime and choice quality steaks many people prefer as corn-fed beef can. This fact was conveniently omitted in the movie.

The movie also showed some grain farming in which they stressed the use of Monsanto’s patented GMO (gene-modified organism) seed. Those who use the patented seed without paying for it are prosecuted per U.S. patent law. Monsanto does donate the proceeds from these cases to charity. The movie did not even mention that other non-GMO and non-patented seeds are available from Monsanto and from many other seed companies. It also failed to mention the tremendous saving in fuel, soil erosion, water loss and less impact on the environment the GMO seeds, chemicals and no-till farming make possible. After the movie, I talked to others, and most understood from the movie that Monsanto patented GMO seeds were the only farm seeds available. The movie didn’t actually say that, but it was inferred by omission, which is, obviously, the intent of the movie. The acoustics of the room make it difficult to understand spoken words, so some misunderstanding was possible.

In summary, the agenda of this movie, Food, Inc. is to mislead by deception and omission to promote the small, organic versus the larger, more efficient farms and processors.

I am Ed Schott, Rockford, Ill., engineer and owner and operator of our western Illinois farm, which our ancestors purchased in 1832. I have three patents, and I am keenly aware of patent law and the purpose it has in stimulating ingenuity.

Ed Schott
Rockford

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Letters to the Editor | 1 Comment »

Yoga Rockford: Learning meditation

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

By Jennie Williford
Pranayama Yoga Studio

Yoga students often ask me about meditation — whether I teach it or where they can learn it. My answer is always the same: find a Vipassana Meditation Center and find the time to take a course. Learning this technique of meditation could be one of the best things you could ever do for yourself.

My own slightly reluctant meditation journey had a disappointing beginning. Beautiful visualizations at the end of class with my first yoga teacher were nice, but failed to focus my mind at all. A once-a-week course in a form of Thai meditation was too sporadic to take hold. And, although an introduction to Zen helped to quiet my mind a little, it was only for short periods of time. So, when a friend in my yoga class finally introduced me to Vipassana Meditation, as taught by S.N. Goenka, I was skeptical. But, when I took my first course in 2005, it immediately changed the way I looked at meditation, at myself, and at my relationship with my own mind.

Seven years and six courses later, and having heard many other student accounts of failed meditation experiments, I am convinced that Vipassana as taught by S.N. Goenka truly gives the practice needed to change your mind and change your life for the better.

I believe my story is a pretty typical one. All of us look for the fastest, shortest, easiest and most palatable healing techniques that might just “fit in” to the life we already lead, forgetting that real change requires real change. As with yoga, “meditation” has been popularized and commercialized in ways contrary to its actual definition, steering us in “quick-fix” directions that may ultimately be more distracting than helpful.

Dhyana (meditation) is the seventh limb in the practice of yoga, the one right before full enlightenment. So, there is good reason to wonder about techniques of “meditation” that are learned in a weekend or less, supposedly bringing you to a mental state that has taken Indian sages (including the Buddha himself) a lifetime to achieve. Although the effects of these weekend retreats or 20-minute fixes aren’t harmful, they may just give us brief escape at the surface layer of the mind, and we find ourselves disturbed once again as we return to our daily routines.

For more permanent results, we must dig beyond the surface of the mind into the deep roots of our mental habits to change our emotional and physical reactions for good. And, as with every other limb of yoga, this takes time, discipline and a lot of practice.

This is why Vipassana Meditation, as taught by S.N. Goenka, works. The 10-day residential courses are taught in a methodical and step-by-step manner at retreat centers around the world, one of which is right here in nearby Pecatonica. During a 10-day course, you are given the chance to immerse yourself in the process of learning the technique of Vipassana Meditation. All distractions of the mind are taken away (no phones, no books, no communication); and you are fully taken care of by other volunteer meditators, allowing you to fully focus on the task at hand.

The first three days are devoted to just training the mind to focus its attention (the technique of anapana). On Day 4, you learn Vipassana. By Day 6, you know the whole technique. The last days are for practice. With time, the mind is able to learn and develop new patterns that are useful once the course is over.

As I look forward to sitting my seventh course, I am reminded of the benefits Vipassana Meditation has brought to my life. Although not always perfect, my practice of the technique gives me the opportunity to reflect on my mental habits and reactions and gives me the time and space to change. I am less anxious, manage emotions better, and have a much clearer view of the world within and around me.

We are lucky to have a center so close, and courses run in Pecatonica all year round.

May all beings be happy, may all beings be peaceful, may all beings be liberated!

For more information about Pranayama Yoga Studio, visit www.yogarockford.com or call (815) 968-9642.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Living, Naturally Rockford, Yoga Rockford | No Comments »

Guest Column: Rockford Public Schools: Whom would you trust?

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

By Jane Hayes

Trust! The Rockford School District asks us to trust their decisions to do better for our at-risk students at Page Park and Roosevelt Alternative High School. How often have they done what’s best for students and staff over the past seven years?

Over that time, the district has outsourced employees, humiliated staff members with premature lay-offs and pink slips, overspent public monies, increased the number of administrators downtown with costly benefits and salaries, retained a member of the cabinet charged with a felony that was later reduced to a misdemeanor charge while firing many teachers for minor infractions, closed schools and programs, bought a new board office building, held board and committee meetings in cramped and an unsafe environment that limits the populace, evaded the truth requiring costly and time-consuming Freedom of Information Act requests, and now have forced teachers to reach an impasse with contract negotiations!

The district’s words are hollow because the truth has been twisted, evaded or never revealed at all.

The common welfare of people throughout the district has not been safeguarded by our decision-makers, and it’s time to speak up.

According to John Adams, “The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty.”

According to Matt Vosberg, assistant superintendent of the Rockford School District, in last Sunday’s (Feb. 26) Rockford Register Star, the district wants to outsource Roosevelt and Page Park to the Ombudsman Model of delivering an education to our at-risk students. It’s all about dollars and sense (common, that is), too often missing from decisions made by people in power and imposed on our students and staff.

Why should we trust this district after their track record? Last year, speech pathologists were laid off, which left us searching frantically for qualified teachers to service our students properly for their mandated minutes. How short-sighted! These teachers have valuable skills that were appreciated elsewhere, so who could blame them for leaving Rockford? How cost-effective was that decision?

Yet, Mr. Vosberg swears not one teaching job will be lost by using Ombudsman, which brings their own staff with them. Believe him? I don’t.

After the record of teacher lay-offs and poor faith negotiations, embattled teachers are weary and mistrustful. That’s why many retire rather than deal with the ineptitude and unethical treatment by detached administrators. So, Rockford is losing valued teachers as mentors for new staff, who offer stability with classroom management experience, curriculum skills and common sense.

Another point we wish to debate with Mr. Vosberg is that he says many of the demographics serviced by Ombudsman schools are similar to Rockford’s. While this business serves 120 school districts, very few are comparable to Rockford in enrollment numbers and poverty rates. According to the Ombudsman brochure, they service the following:

40 percent in Illinois

20 percent in Georgia

40 percent in 18 other states

8 percent have FRL (free or reduced lunch) rates greater than 75 percent (we are somewhere in the upper 70s)

70 percent have FRL rates less than 50 percent

75 percent of the Illinois districts have FRL less than 20 percent

4 percent of the districts are 28,000 students or more (we are somewhere around 28,500)

80 percent of the districts are 10,000 students or fewer

62 percent are 5,000 or fewer

In Naperville, the poverty rate is 5 percent and Rockford’s is 78 percent. Clearly, Ombudsman of Naperville does not service many school districts as large or impoverished as Rockford’s. There really wasn’t any district that mirrored Rockford because most districts in the 20,000- to 40,000-student size had much lower FRL rate than we do.

Bibb County in Georgia has 25,000 students with 70 percent FRL, which was the closest to ours.

When Interim Superintendent Robert Willis was interviewed by Elizabeth Fay (Channel 13), he stated this regarding the Ombudsman program: “They (the students) get reinforcement constantly from a teacher in the room. There’s a teacher who works with them, not teaching them, but supporting them.”

Oh, that’s right! They don’t need to teach the student; let the computer do that work. Anyone can do what a teacher does: support, nurse, counsel, patrol, protect, encourage, grade, direct, listen and finally, teach when there’s time!

A positive note for our students from Roosevelt: they won the Truth Talk debate last weekend, and two of our students have won Scholastic art awards. What is the district public relations department doing to promote such positive stories about Roosevelt? So much for our at-risk students … and any limitations the district believes about them or our program at Roosevelt.

“I have a perfect horror of words that are not backed up by deeds,” according to our namesake Teddy Roosevelt. So, as a teacher at Page Park or Roosevelt, whom would you trust?

Jane Hayes is a teacher at Roosevelt and a member of WEE, Watchdogs for Ethics in Education.

References

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUpO5tqmbRQ You Tube video with Dr. Willis

Article by Matt Vosberg, Sunday, Feb. 26, Rockford Register Star: www.rrstar.com/news/schools/x1771577894/Rockford-school-official-No-layoffs-in-alternative-education-proposal

www.ombudsman.com/index.aspx Ombudsman site

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Commentary, Guest Column | 14 Comments »

Prep Basketball: E-Rabs continue steady climb from cellar

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Carlos Hendrix of Rockton Hononegah goes up for a layup against Rockford East. Hendrix will be part of a group of area players playing in Milwaukee at the Rock River Valley Senior Classic. (Photo by Matt Nestor)

By Matt Nestor
Prep Sports Reporter

The Rockford East E-Rabs ended their senior night with a complete microcosm of everything the senior class had gone through in four years.

Playing against Rockton Hononegah, the E-Rabs got off to a quick start and led after the first quarter. Much in the same way as freshmen four years ago, the E-Rabs won their conference tournament in complete anonymity while the varsity team did not win a game.

The middle of the game was rough, as the Hononegah Indians built their lead up to 9 and looked to be running away. As sophomores, many of the same E-Rabs were forced to the varsity level, where they won one game in conference the entire season.

A late rally allowed East to send the game to overtime against the only conference team Head Coach Roy Sackmaster had not yet beat. As juniors, East turned a mediocre year into something special with a run to the sectional semifinals.

The E-Rabs ran away in overtime, topping Hononegah 66-59 to move into a tie with the Indians for third place in the conference. And the E-Rabs hope to ride that momentum for some time.

“Finishing on a note like that, you just take a ton of momentum heading into the postseason,” Sackmaster said. “I couldn’t be more proud of our kids.”

East has several younger players, juniors or sophomores, who contribute on the varsity team. But seniors like Steve McNease, Javon Henderson, Andrew Lantz and Darshawn Pumphrey-King have laid the foundation for the program-changing victory.

“They were clutch,” McNease, who grabbed 16 rebounds and scored 17 points, said of his senior teammates. “We’re all seniors, so we had to get it done. It was our last time playing on this court. We’re trying to make a statement this year. That’s all I’m worried about.”

Steve McNease prepares to block a shot against Rockton Hononegah. It was one of two McNease blocks in a 66-59 overtime win over Hononegah. (Photo by Matt Nestor)

With the playoffs in full swing, East hopes to make a further run than they made last season. But regardless of where they go, this senior class will be one that is remembered at East for a long time.

“This class will be remembered as the ones that got East back to what it once was,” Sackmaster said. “Because of them, we start winning games. Now, people want to be a part of this program, when forever they were doing everything they could to get out of here. Without them, we’re not going to be able to have the future success that we’re going to have.”

Around the NIC-10:

• With seven of 10 teams finishing the season above .500 overall in the regular season, it is tough to really point out a single great coaching job. Whether it is Bryan Ott leading Rockford Auburn with a target on their back, Mike Winters replacing a legend at Rockford Boylan Catholic or Jeff Zick overcoming distractions at Freeport for a third-place finish.

But it is hard to overlook the job Aaron Pearson has done at Belvidere. A 7-9 conference record and 16-10 overall is good, but doesn’t sound great.

But the depth and talent Pearson has developed, at a school most considered a football-only school, is nothing short of impressive. Not only do the Bucs have a good shot at a regional title, but they will enter next season among the favorites for a conference title.

• Fred Van Vleet at Auburn is the obvious choice for a repeat as the Most Valuable Player for the NIC-10. But the depth of the conference makes it hard to come up with an all-conference team this season.

McNease, Pumphrey-King and Henderson at East, LaMark Foote at Auburn, Carlos Hendrix of Hononegah, Adonis Brown of Boylan, Luke Norman at Freeport, Quinten Canty and Kane Steger at Belvidere, Justin Van Wambeke of Machesney Park Harlem, LT Davis of Rockford Jefferson and Jake Boxleitner of Belvidere North all could lay claim to a spot on the all-conference team.

It was a guard-heavy season in the NIC-10. McNease has earned a spot on the team as the best big man in the conference and the second-best player in the conference behind Van Vleet. But narrowing down the rest of the field will be difficult when the season is done, and the postseason could go a long way to determine the final team.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Sports, Sports News | No Comments »

Jobs and Opportunities: Week of Feb. 29-March 6, 2012

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

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.-

General Help Wanted

CNC Machinist, Apprenticeship training scholarship available. Lunquist Manufacturing, 5681 11th St. Rockford, IL. Apply in person. 4/18

EXPERIENCED ASSEMBLERS Great opportunities in Loves Park! $9.45/hr. with potential pay increase at 30 days. 2nd shift. Drug and background screen. If you are not currently registered with FurstStaffing, please apply on-line using referral cod RRT @ www.furststaff.com. If you are registered with FurstStaffing, Please call Pam @ 815/229-7810. 3/14

HOME CARE ASSISTANTS PT, All Shifts CNAs welcome to apply. Exp w/dementia/Alzheimer clients pref’d. Email resume, w/HCA-RRT in subjectline, to Audrey.Abboud@lssi.org. Applicant must apply in person at program location. EOE Lutheran Social Services of Illinois Intouch Home Care Serv 2222 E. State St – Ste 109 Rockford, IL 61104 2/29

PAID IN ADVANCE! Make $1000 Weekly Mailing Brochures from Home! Free Supplies! Income is guaranteed! No experience required. Start Immediately! www.theworkhub.net (VOID IN SD) (MCN)

$8000+ FOR ENVELOPES! Receive $6-$8 for every envelope stuffed with our sales brochures: Guaranteed! Postage, supplies furnished. 1-800-768-0522 (Not Valid in SD) (MCN)

$5,000 SIGNING BONUS! Frac Sand Owner Operators. More Texas work than trucks! Must have tractor, blower & pneumatic trailer 817-926-3535 N-2/29

MOVIE EXTRAS. Earn up to $300 per day. No experience required. All looks and ages. Call 1-800-605-8692 N-2/29

ACTORS/MOVIE EXTRAS needed immediately! $150-$300/day depending on job. No experience, all looks needed. 1-800-561-1762 Ext A-104 N-2/29

MYSTERY SHOPPERS NEEDED Earn up to $150 per day Undercover Shoppers Needed to Judge Retail & Dining Establishments Experience Not Required Call Now 888-380-3513 N-2/29

Drivers

LOCAL TRUCKING COMPANY Small but big enough to provide you steady work & chance to drive and make good money for you and your family. Hiring OTR drivers .37cpm up to .40cpm. Experience required. Call Nick 815/608-6350. 3/7

Experienced OTR truck drivers, full and part-time 815/248-4601 ext. 0#, Mon-Fri, 7am-5pm. 3/7

DRIVERS – CDL-A DRIVE WITH PRIDE Up to $3,000 Sign-On Bonus for Qualified Drivers! CDL & 6 mos. OTR exp. REQ’D. USA TRUCK 877-521-5775 www.usatruck.jobs (ICAN)

DRIVE 4 MELTON Top Pay & CSA Friendly Equip 2 Mos. CDL Class A Driving Exp 877-258-8782 www.meltontruck.com/drive (ICAN)

CDL TRUCK DRIVER TRAINING Small classes, Low cost, financing available 3 locations – choose the location closest to you! Millis Transfer For more details call 1-800-937-0880 (ICAN)

DRIVER – Up to $.42/mile plus $.02/mile safety bonus. Daily Pay. Weekly Hometime. Van and Refrigerated. CDL-A, 3 months recent experience required. 800-414-9569 www.driveknight.com (ICAN)

HIRING FLATBED, Haul & Tow and 3/4 – ton or larger Pickup Owner-Operators. $250 Sign On Bonus! Call Foremost Transport at 866-764-1601 or www.foremosttransport.com (ICAN)

“YOU GOT THE DRIVE, We have the Direction” OTR Drivers APU Equipped Pre-Pass EZ-pass. Pets / passenger policy. Newer equipment. 100% NO touch. 1-800-528-7825 (ICAN)

OWNER OPERATORS – Regional & Local Positions. Up to a $5,000 Sign-On Bonus. Home Daily. Fuel & Tire Discounts. 3rd party lease purchase available. CDL-A with 1 year tractor-trailer experience required. Call Comtrak at 866-722-0291, or apply at www.comtrakinc.com (ICAN)

DRIVERS - NEW SIGN ON BONUS! All experience levels! Stay out 20 days, get home 10 days. Running team. Priority dispatch. CRST EXPEDITED 888-417-7564 www.JoinCRST.com (ICAN)

TANKER & FLATBED INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS! Immediate Placement Available Best Opportunities in the trucking business CALL TODAY 800-277-0212 or www.primeinc.com (ICAN)

OWNER OPERATORS WANTED Midwest Regional Up to 1.10 per Mile All Miles Paid Home Weekends FSC Paid All Miles $1500 Sign On Bonus Frontier Transport 800-991-6227 www.frontiertransport.com (ICAN)

DRIVERS O/O Teams Guaranteed $6000.00 to/truck weekly. $2500. Sign On Must have or obtain HAZMAT. Keith 1-800-273-5768, x 2650 OR Mark 651-681-7527 www.towneair.com (ICAN)

CLASS-A DRIVERS NEEDED Home Weekly – Good Safety Record $1800.00 Sign-on Bonus $300.00 Orientation Pay 888-454-2673 Apply at corecarrier.com Full-time Positions w/Benefits Core Carrier Corporation (ICAN)

OWNER OPS NEEDED No Forced Dispatch 1250 Mile Average trip 2500+ miles average weekly Up to $1.80 for all miles Call 888-691-5705 www.wylietrucking.com (ICAN)

TRUCK DRIVERS WANTED – Best Pay and Home Time! Apply Online Today over 750 Companies! One Application, Hundreds of Offers! www.HammerLaneJobs.com (MCN)

GREAT OPPORTUNITY! Earn Multiple Streams Of Residual Income, Month After Month With WIRELESS 2012! Wireless, Internet, Home Phone Service. Complete Training & Support. Visit: www.5Linx.net/SaveWithSam (MCN)

Sales

NATIONAL MARKETING ORGANIZATION LOOKING FOR SELF-MOTIVATED BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS FOR SALES AND MANAGERIAL POSITION. 815-282-3480. 7/4

Seeking Employment

FEMALE NEEDS EMPLOYMENT office work, cleaning, licensed security officer. 779/500-4518. 3/14

I AM LOOKING FOR WORK Painting and other things. 815/977-4494, between 7am and 6:30pm Monday – Saturday. Rockford only. 2/29

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Classifieds, Jobs | No Comments »

Sparky & Rhonda Rucker at Mendelssohn March 2

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Sparky & Rhonda Rucker will perform at 7:30 p.m., Friday, March 2, in the Reitsch Room inside Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center, 415 N. Church St., Rockford. (Photo provided)

Staff Report

Charlotte’s Web for the Performing Arts kicks off National Arts in Education Month: March for the Arts with Sparky & Rhonda Rucker as they lead us through the chapters of civil rights in song. Catch them at 7:30 p.m., Friday, March 2, in the Reitsch Room inside Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center, 415 N. Church St., Rockford.

Winners of the Howard “Louie Bluie” Armstrong Legacy Award, Sparky and Rhonda tour throughout the U.S. and overseas, singing songs and telling stories from the American folk tradition. Sparky is internationally recognized as a leading folklorist, musician, historian, storyteller and author. With his fingerstyle picking and bottleneck blues guitar, banjo and spoons, and Rhonda on harmonica, piano, banjo, bones and vocal harmonies, they deliver an uplifting show of toe-tapping music spiced with humor, history and tall tales. Expect a variety of old-time blues, Appalachian, spirituals, ballads, slave, work and railroad songs, Civil War and cowboy music, as well as original compositions.

For more than 40 years, Sparky and Rhonda have performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival as well as NPR’s On Point, Prairie Home Companion, Mountain Stage and Morning Edition. Their recording, Treasures and Tears, was nominated for a W.C. Handy Award, and their music is also included on the Grammy-nominated anthology, Singing Through the Hard Times. The Ruckers have been featured tellers at the international Storytelling Center and Festival. Sparky tells stories by himself, but sometimes Rhonda joins in, and together they add life and humor to the characters in the Brer Rabbit tales, Jack tales, High John the Conqueror stories, preacher tales and family stories. Their educational programs span over three centuries of African-American history, including slavery, the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, the westward migration, the birth of blues music, and the civil rights movement.

Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 at the door. Advance tickets are available at: Rockford Area Arts Council, 713 E. State, (815) 963-6765; both Postal Shoppe locations: Edgebrook Center, (815) 397-7301 and 2205 S. Perryville, (815) 484-0940 and JustGoods, 201 Seventh St., (815) 965-8903; Nikki’s Café, 604 Pleasant St., Beloit, Wis., (608) 207-3101; or by mail: send a check and SASE to P.O. Box 765, Rockford, IL 61105-0765. Indicate artist or performance date on check. Credit card payment accepted only at www.charlotteswebofrockford.org via PayPal. A $1 ticket processing fee is included. Print your receipt. Info: Call (815) 964-2238 or visit www.CharlottesWebofRockford.org.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

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

Belvidere, Ill., student honored by NIU

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Faith Stauersholl

Faith Stauersholl, of Belvidere, Ill., has been selected as one of five recipients of the Northern Illinois University (NIU) Forward Together Forward Scholarship. Each recipient will receive a one-time scholarship of $4,000 for the 2012-13 academic year.

The scholarship was created to honor the five NIU students who lost their lives Feb. 14, 2008. Recipients were selected based upon their character, work ethic, service to the campus and community, leadership, academic achievements and their pride in being a member of the NIU community.

Growing up in sports-crazy Belvidere, Stauersholl chose a different path than every other child she knew at school: dance. Her decision meant almost-daily practice at a dance studio, where she missed out on the bonding of a team. When she reached high school, she created the free Leap of Faith Dance Program that teaches children not only how to perform the art she loves, but gives them the “team experience” she always wanted.

“(My) program has been growing ever since and is now the most in-demand program at the school and church,” said Stauersholl, who’s already volunteered nearly 800 hours. “The girls now have strong friendships through this class, and dance is finally accepted in the community I grew up in.”

The sophomore nursing major hopes to make similar impacts at NIU, where she is active in the Honors Program, and in her eventual life in health care.

“A nurse is a person who helps people through the worst day of their life,” she said. “I want to be that person. I want people to be able to trust in me to make them as comfortable as possible.”

Stauersholl is a leader in the Honors House and vice president of both the Lambda Sigma Sophomore Honors Society and the Honors Student Association. An essay she wrote during freshman English was published in NIU’s Y1 Writes book.

She volunteered for Conexion Communidad and the Honors Program’s Birthday Boxes project and performed with the Animation Dance Team, where she learned more about Filipino culture.

Joining Stauersholl in receiving this honor are four other students: Rachael Bardell, Jenifer Camery, Daihee Cho and Eric Solomon.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Community News and Notes, People In Our Times | No Comments »

Guest Column: Huge dairies expanding in Wisconsin

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

From HOMES
Helping Others Maintain Environmental Standards

Editor’s note: The following column appeared as a paid advertisement in the Galena Gazette.

COLOMA, Wis. — Several events in recent weeks have shown the fight against concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in the Central Sands is heating up.

First, Friends of the Central Sands (FOCS), a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting natural resource stewardship in Wisconsin’s Central Sands, was granted its requests for Contested Case hearings to review DNR’s approval of two high-capacity wells for the Richfield Dairy, the DNR approval of plans and specifications for the dairy, and the approval of the WPDES permit. Richfield Dairy is a proposed dairy CAFO in eastern Adams County that would house 4,550 cows and steers, or 6,270 animal units. FOCS, along with several local residents and land owners and Family Farm Defenders, filed lawsuits along with the request for Contested Case hearing following the WDNR’s approval in early November.

“We were gratified that our requests for hearing were granted, and look forward to a closer examination of the high-capacity wells and plans and specifications,” said Bill Vance.

The high-capacity well permit approval caps the dairy’s annual water withdrawals at 131 million gallons, yet evidence was submitted to the DNR that a lower amount of annual withdrawal — 52 million gallons — would lower levels in nearby lakes by an average of 2 inches per year and would reduce stream flows by 5 percent. The DNR stated that it did not view these reductions as a “significant adverse environmental impact.” While recognizing and agreeing with the impact based on 52 million gallons, the DNR actually approved an amount 2.5 times that amount. Equally concerning, several world-class trout streams would be impacted by this as well. Additional research has shown that pumping at the approved rate of 131 million gallons per year will reduce stream volumes in some sections by 10 percent or more having a significant negative impact.

Second, it was recently confirmed that a second dairy CAFO under construction in Adams County is already planning to double in size, to a staggering 9,100 animals on site. This dairy, known as the New Chester Dairy, is proposed by Milk Source Holdings, LLC, the same corporation seeking approval for the Richfield Dairy. The New Chester Dairy and Richfield Dairy are only about 10 miles apart, and more alarmingly, the New Chester Dairy is located only about 1 mile east of the Grand Marsh Grade School.

According to documents New Chester Dairy has submitted to the DNR, the doubled-up facility, if approved, would be the largest dairy in the state of Wisconsin. In brief:

• 100 million gallons of manure per year would be generated from the facility every year.

• The dairy’s three waste storage ponds would have a combined capacity of 63.1 million gallons.

• 14,000 truckloads of manure would leave the facility every year.

• The dairy would utilize more than 38,000 acres of land for spreading manure and process wastewater every year, mostly through leases.

• This is in addition to the more than 16,000 acres Richfield Dairy will require for manure spreading for a total of more than 54,000 acres.

• For perspective, Adams County has 63,000 acres of crop land available for manure spreading.

“Where are they going to spread this waste?” asked Ruth Simpson, board member for Family Farm Defenders. “There are 23,040 acres in a township, which are 6 square miles. New Chester will spread well over a township’s worth of manure, and adding Richfield is like adding another township for spreading manure. Unbelievable.”

“Our worst fears are being confirmed,” said local resident Terry Tinkle. “We have always publicly expressed our concern about the expansion of these dairies, and this confirms it. Phase II of New Chester raises serious concerns that Richfield will be expanded in the future, too.”

Although Milk Source’s application to the DNR does not quantify projected air emissions, DNR has previously estimated that dairies half the size of New Chester will generate hundreds of tons of ammonia and methane per year, as well as volatile organic compounds, particulate matter and acetaldehyde.

“Is anyone paying attention to the public health impacts of the New Chester expansion? The New Chester CAFO is located about a mile from Grand Marsh Grade School where children will be exposed to the odors and emissions from manure and other waste,” Tinkle added.

“We strongly encourage the DNR, Adams County Public Health Department, and Adams County Planning and Zoning Department to closely scrutinize this expansion request and ensure public health,” concluded FOCS’s Bob Clarke.

FOCS continues to play a role to ensure the stewardship of the natural environment in the Central Sands and is currently involved in other activities such as the development of a groundwater coalition in the Central Sands and supporting the efforts of Sustain Rural Wisconsin Network, a statewide coalition of individuals and organizations dedicated to preserving the environment while maintaining the health and economic vitality of rural communities.

“We have important work to do protecting our natural world, and opposing the Richfield Dairy is critical in accomplishing this mission,” said Bob Clarke. “We will continue as long as necessary.”

For updates and donations, visit www.stoptherichfieldcafo.org

You may also mail your tax-deductible contribution to: HOMES, P.O. Box 674, Warren, IL 61087, or donate online at www.StopTheMegaDairy.org

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Living, Outdoors | 4 Comments »

Tea Party gives people voice; GOP doesn’t

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

I want to personally thank the GOP Chairman, John McGlasson, of Livingston County, for having the class to invite both sitting congressmen to speak at their Lincoln Day dinner. It is an insult to a sitting congressman that some other counties within the 16th Congressional District would hold a dinner to celebrate the Lincoln legacy only to tarnish it by not asking Congressman Don Manzullo to speak. It is because of these kinds of tactics that the people are speaking out against the Illinois GOP.

When a party looks out for its own best interest instead of the people, it will not survive. The GOP should be the PEOPLE. Instead, it is looking out for itself. I hear it time and time again when I go out and KNOCK on doors. Because YOU do not reach OUT to the people, they fail to come to the polls. It is because they feel they are NOT being listened to. They are responding to the fact that many in the GOP in the 16th C.D. are slighting a congressman that the Illinois GOP doesn’t want. The message YOU, the Illinois GOP sends, is that only YOUR voice matters. The people are organizing, and they HAVE a voice. DO NOT fail to hear it. They ARE watching the votes. They are NOW an informed electorate. The sleeping giant is awake and on the move.

At Tea Party meetings all over the state, MANY come together on a monthly basis. They also communicate daily via social media to share what they know. They have been given a voice and tools in which to learn and to speak out. They go to local GOP meetings and see the poor turnout in relationship to the voters. They only see the inside party people. Your platform is good, your messaging is poor. Take the time to REALLY knock on doors; you would be SURPRISED what you may hear about the GOP and what needs to change!!!

“The whole state must be so well organized that every Whig can be brought to the polls. So divide the county into small districts and appoint in each a committee. Make a perfect list of the voters and ascertain with certainty for whom they will vote… Keep a constant watch on the doubtful voters and have them talked to by those in whom they have the most confidence… On Election Day, see that every Whig is brought to the polls.” — Abraham Lincoln, Letter to a friend, 1840

Do YOU really know your community???

Chris Arndt
Princeton, Ill.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Letters to the Editor | No Comments »

Prep Basketball: Bradley Center all-star game set

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

By Matt Nestor
Prep Sports Reporter

The fourth annual Rock River Valley Classic boys’ and girls’ all-star game has announced a date and selections for their contest.

The game will again be at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee March 31, giving area players a chance to showcase their game in an NBA arena before the Milwaukee Bucks take on the Memphis Grizzlies.

“We started this four years ago when we were reading online that the rising stars game was going to be canceled,” said Doc Cornell, one of the game’s organizers. “But we wanted to make it even more memorable by placing them on the big stage.”

On the boys’ side, players like Fred Van Vleet, Steve McNease, Adonis Brown, Hunter Hill, Dave Hellstrom and Teyvious Montgomery lead the way.

The girls will feature players like Sannayyiah Johnson, Krystal James, Callan Timms, Katie Dovenmeuhle, Amy Wieting and Ellen Brunner.

“The kids that have played in the past said it felt great to sit and change in an NBA locker room and play on the court,” Cornell said. “And in the end, this is what it’s all about, making kids happy.”

Tickets are $24 and will allow you to see eighth-grade boys’ games between Freeport Aquin and DeKalb as well as Holy Family and St. Peters, the girls’ and boys’ all-star games, and finally, the Bucks and Grizzlies at the end of the night.

The prior night, March 30, there will be a dunk contest and 3-point contest that will take place at Rockford East High School at 7 p.m.

Full rosters and ticket information can be found on their website, classic2012.com. You can also contact the organizers at seniorclassic@gmail.com.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Sports, Sports News | No Comments »

Dr. Scott Sampson to lecture at PaleoFest

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Staff Report

Eight of the world’s best-known dinosaur hunters and paleontologists will gather at Rockford’s Burpee Museum the weekend of March 3 and 4 to tell tales of dinosaurs and host interactive workshops with families, professionals and dino-lovers of all ages.

These scientists will present, debate and discuss developing new theories about these intriguing creatures. PaleoFest is a full weekend of activities and programs for all ages including Paleo talks, family workshops, and Dinoblast activities as well as a dinner Saturday evening.

This year, Dr. Scott D. Sampson, host of PBS’s Dinosaur Train, will be the keynote speaker at Saturday’s dinner as well as presenting a family talk Sunday in the Rockford Theatre at the Rockford Woman’s Club. A meet-and-greet book signing will immediately follow the presentation Sunday.

Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $10 for non-members; free to members. Admission is required to attend PaleoFest. Prices for the lectures are: two-day pass, $70 non-member, $60 member. This includes admission to all lectures on both days but does not include Sunday at the Rockford Theatre or the dinner on Saturday. Doors open at 6 p.m. with the buffet dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the lecture starting at 7:30 p.m. Dr. Sampson will speak about the topic “Dinosaurs of the Lost Continent.”

One-day pass: $35 non-member, $30 member, includes admission to all lectures on either Saturday or Sunday and Museum admission. Individual lectures: $10 non-member, $8 member, includes admission to the selected lecture but not museum admission, which must be purchased. The children’s lecture at Rockford Theatre begins at 1 p.m., Sunday, and is priced at $20 non-member, $15 member.

Dr. Sampson’s background

Dr. Scott Sampson is a Canadian dinosaur paleontologist, evolutionary biologist and educator who serves as research curator at the Utah Museum of Natural History, University of Utah. After receiving his Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Toronto in 1993, he spent a year working at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, followed by five years as assistant professor of anatomy at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine on Long Island. From 1999-2007, he held a dual position with the Utah Museum of Natural History and the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Utah, serving for the last several years of that time as chief curator and associate professor, respectively.

His research has focused on the ecology and evolution of Late Cretaceous dinosaurs, and he has conducted field work in several countries, including Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Madagascar, Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. His current research efforts are focused on a large-scale project in Grand Staircase-Escalanate National Monument, southern Utah, which has yielded abundant remains of previously unknown dinosaurs.

In 2007, Sampson moved to the San Francisco Bay area of California, where he lives with his family. He is now pursuing a range of new projects focused on education. He was the primary consultant and on-air host of the four-part Discovery Channel series Dinosaur Planet. Appearing as “Dr. Scott the Paleontologist,” he is working for the PBS children’s series, Dinosaur Train, produced by the Jim Henson Company. He recently completed a book, Dinosaur Odyssey: Fossil Threads in the Web of Life (University of California Press, 2009), the first comprehensive review of dinosaur paleontology for a general audience in more than two decades. Sampson is now at work on another general audience book, this one addressing the Epic of Evolution, the grand saga of cosmos, life and culture that extends to the present day.

Interview with Dr. Sampson

By Copy Editor Susan Johnson

TRRT: When did you decide to specialize in the field of paleontology? In college or before that?

Dr. Sampson: About the age of 5. As a kid who never grew up in some ways, paleontology was one of the first words I learned how to spell. I started out big. I realized early on that I could become a professor of paleontology. It was something that I aspired to at a young age, but I also thought about doing other things later on. I found myself moving back to paleontology and dinosaurs, but I didn’t make it final until I was actually in grad school.

TRRT: How did your time at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine fit in with your work in paleontology?

Dr. Sampson: A lot of people think it’s odd to teach in a medical school and be a paleontologist, but they go together very well. For a lot of paleontologists, their day job is human anatomist. Once you know anything about one kind of backboned animal, you understand a lot about all of them — dinosaurs and many other kinds… We are all in some respects trained as anatomists. By learning about human anatomy, I actually learned a lot about dinosaurs. My time at the College of Osteopathic Medicine made me a different kind of paleontologist because I understood all the soft textures like skin, blood vessels, muscles, how these were attached to bones. Humans are as good a model to learn about as any creature.

TRRT: What sparked your interest in the fossils in Madagascar?

Dr. Sampson: I’ve long been interested in Africa, and an opportunity came up to combine a trip to Africa with a trip to Madagascar, so I jumped at that opportunity. I ended up spending five seasons’ work in Madagascar. It’s a wonderful place. Every fossilized animal we found is new to science — no one had ever seen it before. We found some carnivores and herbivores, a whole range of weird and wonderful creatures to give us a sense of what the island looked like in the Age of Dinosaurs.

TRRT: How did you get into the television projects?

Dr. Sampson: I think it’s just because I worked on dinosaurs. If I worked on fossil fish, people probably wouldn’t be so interested. But people are fascinated by dinosaurs; they are probably the most popular area of science. I had done some cameos in a dinosaur documentary. I was asked to host the Discovery Channel series Dinosaur Planet, and more recently, I became the series adviser and on-air host of Dinosaur Train [which] has exploded in popularity. Over 9 million households a month in the United States are watching it.

TRRT: How long did it take to complete your work on the Dinosaur Odyssey book?

Dr. Sampson: That was a labor of love — approximately five years. I thought it would be pretty straightforward because I had been teaching a course at the University of Utah, so it would be a matter of just plugging my notes into a book. But it was nothing like that. The process was far more correlated and difficult, but also very rewarding, and the end result is the first review of dinosaur paleontology written by a paleontologist in about a generation.

TRRT: What has been the most challenging aspect of your work so far?

Dr. Sampson: I had to give that a little thought. I think the most challenging thing is convincing people of the importance of dinosaurs and nature more generally. Digging up dinosaurs is not that complicated. Yes, you have to get the money and draw up the papers, but most of my time is spent talking to the general public. We have this crisis where children are not spending enough time outdoors. They are spending seven to 10 hours a day indoors staring at screens. One of the great challenges we have, both for the children and the places we live, is to get kids motivated to get outdoors and start connecting with the natural world. That is easily the biggest challenge I’ve faced in my career.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Local News, News | No Comments »

Autos, boats, motorcycles and RVs: Week of Feb. 29-March 6, 2012

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

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From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Cars, Classifieds | No Comments »

Guest Column: Ombudsman program fails to meet the needs of students

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

By Jennifer Macek

My name is Jennifer Macek. I grew up in Rockford, I attended the Rockford Public Schools, and I did my senior research paper for my bachelor of science on the history of the Rockford Public Schools. Currently, I am a teacher, parent and resident of District 205. I am working on my doctorate in curriculum and instruction at Northern Illinois University, I am a certified instruction for CPI for this district, and I was previously employed by Ombudsman in Loves Park.

I am writing to ask you to listen to reason. For too long, this district has looked for the quick fix to many complex issues. For too long, we have tried to fix long-term problems with short-term solutions. For too long, the district has made cuts and changes to save money that resulted in waste, increased spending and a decrease in revenue. Examples of this include implementing programs, such as ENI that cost more than $5 million that the district scrapped after purchasing all the materials and training staff, and closing schools that resulted in the People who Care lawsuit, which cost the district millions of dollars. Now, we are looking at new programs and changes to existing programs that take this district one step forward and two steps back.

Along with several of my colleagues in the Alternative High School program, I am putting together a think tank to help make the board, the district and the community aware of the direction currently being offered and the consequences that will follow should the board implement the recommendations the district is making. We are also investigating alternatives that will be cost effective and economically efficient for the present and the long run, without jeopardizing academic integrity.

We will be looking at the Ombudsman program in depth. Already, we have found that the statistics presented to our staff by Matt Vosberg Feb. 15 are misleading. He stated that Ombudsman has an 85 percent graduation rate, when according to their website they have 85 percent who graduate, earn credits OR return to their home school. There are many other aspects of this program that fail to meet the needs of our students, and we will be sharing that information as soon as we compile all that is needed to ensure our information is valid.

We will also share the new initiatives Roosevelt has implemented to promote efficiency and success. These improvements began prior to the information we received regarding the proposed changes. Under new leadership, we have created an excellent system for promoting student accountability and academic progress.

In addition, our task force is brainstorming and researching alternatives, such as the following:

1. Ways to increase economic efficiency within an already well-established program (Roosevelt Model of Learning).

2. Creating a credit recovery program within each high school so students who fail first semester subjects are not set up to fail the second semester, etc.

3. Implementing an alternative program at the middle school level.

4. Changing the programming at Page Park to offer credit recovery, to enhance student buy-in and promote student success.

5. Implementing curriculum changes that boost test scores throughout the district.

6. Allowing elementary teachers the freedom to use the proposed extended day for enrichment and RTI, as needed, with the direct goal of decreasing the need for credit recovery in the future.

We will continue to brainstorm and complete research that will provide the board with the best options to implement money-saving strategies that truly promote the highest standards available. We are doing this because we love our school, our students, and our community; because our students love our school and have found success here. We want to have a world-class education for ALL students. We are not doing this because we are being paid $180,000 a year to do so. We are not doing this because we are trying to save our jobs (we’ve already been told we will have them), and not because we are trying to defy anyone. We are doing this because we care. We understand the current economy, and we want what is best for everyone involved. As a taxpayer, a parent and a teacher of this district, I urge you to listen to reason.

P.S. — The above was written prior to learning about the changes proposed for Roosevelt. I planned to read it at the next board meeting, but now feel we need to move quickly, before any damage is done to the community I care so much about.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Commentary, Guest Column | No Comments »

Winners named in Chandler Starr Miller Scholarship Competition

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Angelina Ye, first-place winner in the Junior Strings division. (Photo by Tom Clabough)

Cameron Rockwell, first-place winner in the College Piano/Strings division. (Photo by Tom Clabough)

Christian Collins, first-place winner in the Junior Piano division. (Photo by Tom Clabough)

Staff Report

Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center has announced the winners of the 51st Annual Chandler Starr Miller Scholarship Competition, which took place Feb. 25.

First-place winners in each category performed in a Winners’ Recital Sunday, Feb. 26, at Second Congregational United Church of Christ, and all winners were recognized.

Competition judge Dan Surma, from St. Xavier University in Chicago, said of the event, “My whole impression of Rockford has really gone up.”

Senior Strings first-place winner Kristiana McCombs said, “If it weren’t for this competition, I probably wouldn’t be as serious [about music] as I am.”

This was the first year the Jean Coppoletti “Joy and Inspiration” Award was presented to a senior voice student. The award was presented to Adie Brown, who the judges felt expressed true joy and inspiration through her singing.

Following are the winners, by category:

Elementary Piano — 1. Winnie Louh; 2. Andrew Leston; 3. Emily Chan; 4. Kodai Speich; and Honorable Mention: Jacob Manley, Shane Temple and Kyle Tunink.

Junior Piano — 1. Christian Collins; 2. Amber Leston; 3. Douglas Chan; 4. Raymond Lee; 5. Alyssa Leston; and Honorable Mention: Michael Campa, Esha Gourikrishna, Kayleigh Manley and Charles Meyers.

Senior Piano — 1. Aileen Huizinga; 2. Quinn Furness; 3. Kenneth Yap; 4. Allison Kozinski; and Honorable Mention: Ella Caswell, Lillian Dvorak, Moriah Hellstrom and Jonathan Lee.

Elementary Strings — 1. Benjamin Rodriguez; 2. Rin Katsumata; 3. Athena Ye; 4. Kate Willette; and Honorable Mention: Christine Ryzhov.

Junior Strings — 1. Angelina Ye; 2. Chantel Davis; 3. Sofiya Kyrylyuk; 4. Alyssa Leston; and 5. William Jiang.

Senior Strings — 1. Kristiana McCombs; 2. Maya Abboud; 3. Erica Nielsen; 4. Michelle Zheng; and Honorable Mention: Aaron Brancato, Sean Johnson, Carissa McQuaid, Elijah Stanton-Gullak and Andrew Willette.

Senior Voice — 1. Hope Ross; 2. Adie Brown; 3. Sean Coyle; 4. Lillian Dvorak; and Honorable Mention: Christopher Peterson.

Senior Non-String Orchestral Instruments — 1. Paul Milius; 2. Benjamin Smelser; and Honorable Mention: Kalie Grable and Lea Matschke.

College Piano/Strings — 1. Cameron Rockwell; 2. Yuka Meseki; and Honorable Mention: Joanna Nerius.

College Voice — 1. Jared Slothower; 2. Josiah Caswell; and Honorable Mention: Kenna Johnson.

College Non-String Orchestral Instruments — 1. Nathanael Moe; 2. Samuel Randall; and Honorable Mention: Rachel Moe.

One-hundred eleven students from northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, ages third grade through college, competed for monetary awards. Prominent adjudicators from throughout the region evaluated the students and critiqued their performances.

Mendelssohn is at 415 N. Church St., Rockford. More information is available at www.mendelssohnpac.org.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

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

Photo: Black History Month: Montford Point Marines honored

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Some surviving veterans of the Montford Point Marines were honored at a ceremony at Rockford’s Memorial Hall Sunday, Feb. 26, as part of Black History Month activities. Pictured above, veteran Marine Edwin Fizer Jr. reacts to an amusing story about the Montford Point Marines during their training. The Montford Point Marines were part of a segregated unit in the U.S. Marine Corps who served in the Pacific Theater during World War II. “We basically had to fight two wars,” said Fizer Jr. “We fought the Japanese in the Pacific and segregation back home.” The unit was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal last November by the U.S. Senate. Also, a 3-mile obstacle course has been added to the Marine Corps Officer Candidate curriculum at Quantico, Va., which mirrors the difficult training the Montford Point Marines endured during World War II. (Photo by Jon McGinty)

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Local News, News, Photo Galleries | No Comments »

Stateline BMX to host spaghetti dinner fund-raiser

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

• Event set for March 4 at North Boone Fire District House No. 3

Staff Report

Stateline BMX of Poplar Grove will host a spaghetti dinner fund-raiser from 2 to 7 p.m., Sunday, March 4, at the North Boone Fire District House No. 3, 305 W. Grove Road, Poplar Grove. The new track designs for the Poplar Grove BMX will be unveiled at the dinner.

Funds raised will go toward the construction of the newly-designed BMX Park in the spring. The dinner will also include a 50/50 drawing, and the winner need not be present to win. Free-will donations will be accepted for the dinner.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Sports, Sports News | 1 Comment »

Guest Column: How to fight Google’s March 1 attack on your privacy

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

By John Gile
Author, Editor, Journalist, Publisher
www.CityDesk.us

Ethically challenged Google executives are initiating privacy changes effective at midnight, Wednesday, Feb. 29, that will make your search history and other personal information widely available in ways you may not want. The link below is to a newspaper article that explains what Google is doing and how you can protect yourself.

It reports that Google, effective March 1, “changes its privacy policy to allow it to gather, store, and use personal information about its users,” effectively creating a dossier on you that exceeds anything the KGB, CIA, or Gestapo compiled on citizens in their heyday. The article explains how you can “stymie the web giant’s attempt to build a permanent profile of you that could include personal information, including age, gender and locality.” The headline reads, “How to delete your Google browsing history in three simple steps … before it’s too late.”

Popular alternative search engines include http://bing.com and http://search.yahoo.com. One respondent to Google’s privacy change wrote, “My home page is now Yahoo, and my search engine will not be Google if I can avoid it. Google has grown too big for their own boots. They need to realize they are NOT the world government, however rich they are.”

More information, including how to delete your browsing history in three easy steps, is available at www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2105435/Three-simple-steps-delete-Google–browsing-history-late.html.

An outline of Google’s controversial behavior vis-a-vis “misuse and manipulation of search results, its use of others’ intellectual property, concerns that its compilation of data may violate people’s privacy, censorship of search results and content, and the energy consumption of its servers as well as concerns over traditional business issues such as antitrust, monopoly, and restraint of trade” is available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Google.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Commentary, Guest Column | No Comments »

Apartments and Real Estate: Week of Feb. 29-March 6, 2012

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

REAL ESTATE

FOR RENT

Apartments

2-bedroom apartment, 1623 Parmele St., 1 bath, off street parking, $525 rent, 815-316-8864. TFN

2-bedroom apartment, 229 River Lane, unit 7 (Loves Park), 1 bath, heat included, off street parking, $550 rent, 815-316-8864. TFN

3-bedroom apartment, 512 Market St, Rockford, 1 bath, downtown living, off street parking, $695 rent, 815-316-8864. TFN

1-BEDROOM recently updated, off-street parking, coin laundry, corner of 16th Ave. and 8th St. $420/month. 815/621-1097. 3/7

PETERSON APTS. Large 2-bedroom, heat included. From $550/month + deposit. 1-bedroom from $450/month +deposit. Secure building, no pets. 815/404-7491. 4/18

BEAUTIFUL 2-BEDROOM upper unit, washer & dryer, new appliances, enclosed backyard, $575 + deposit. 1211 21st Pl. 815/540-6757 3/7

NICE 2-BEDROOM upper unit, washer & dryer, fenced-in backyard, new appliances. $575, 1821 7th St. 815/540-6757. 3/7

GORGEOUS LOFT $800/month. 526 7th St. 916/358-0199. 2/29

2-BEDROOM APT. – 1227 So. Sixth St. Stove, refrigerator. Newly remodeled. Section 8 OK. $525. 312/841-2080- Jerry. 2/29

1 & 2-BEDROOM APTS. $350 & $400, proof of income. 301 7th St. 916/358-0199. 2/1

2-bedroom townhouse, 205 River Lane, 1.2 bath, $695 rent, 815-316-8864. TFN

SPACIOUS 3-BEDROOM APT., washer & dryer in apt. newer appliances, very clean, lots of storage space, $700/month, includes heat. 815/715-3130, ask for Jim. 2/29

HUGE 1100 SQ. FT. 2-BEDROOM with hardwood floors, new windows, dining room, plus eat-in kitchen, laundry hook-ups. Adults only 4-plex, $550. 815/621-0353. M.R.A.A. 2/29

2-bedroom 1-bath - Across from golf course. Air conditioning, carport, coin laundry, Heat, WATER, GARBAGE INCLUDED. non-smoking BUILDING. Pets? From $640/month. Pay February + deposit, Get 1 month FREE with good credit! 815/382-7667. 2/29

northwest, 1-bedroom $495, 2-bedroom 1-bath apartments, $585-$595, On bus line near stores, library, & hospital. A/C, coin laundry. HEAT, WATER, & GARBAGE included. No pets. Pay February rent & deposit, and get March free. Some Sec. 8 OK. 815/382-7667. 2/29

Houses

3-Bedroom house, 1713 Lyran, 1 bath, large fenced in yard, basement, garage, $750 rent, 815-316-8864. TFN

3-Bedroom house, 2222 Greenwood St, 2 bath, brick home, garage, $850 rent, 815-316-8864. TFN

3-Bedroom house, 1419 Auburn St., 1 bath, garage, $725 rent, 815-316-8864. TFN

3-bedroom house, 918 20th Ave., 1 bath, garage, $675 rent, 815-316-8864. TFN

1535 WEST 3-bedroom $750, 703 N. DAY 3-bedroom, 1.5-bath $775, 834 MONTAGUE 4-bedroom $825, 1344 SHERMAN 5-bedroom, all brand new inside $875. 815/235-2260. 2/29

1230 FAIRVIEW AVE 3-bedroom, 2-bath, 2-story, full basement. Garage, all new inside, dishwasher, microwave, good neighbors, quiet street. $650 plus utilities. 815/963-2643. 2/22

3-bedroom house, 120 Riverside Blvd., 1 bath, 2-car garage, $725 rent, 815-316-8864. TFN

3-bedroom house, 420 Napoleon St., 1 bath, $695 rent, 815-316-8864. TFN

3-bedroom house, 324 Churchill St., 1 bath, $695 rent, 815-316-8864. TFN

Commercial Rental

6200 SQ. FT. OFFICE/RETAIL building for lease or for sale. Fantastic location 127 N. Alpine. Call 815/234-8866 or FirstChoicerentals.net 3/21

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

2 OFFICE SPACES for rent on 600 block of West State. Call 708/366-7435. 3/28

2 COMMERCIAL SPACES FOR RENT East river district, 1800 sq. ft., 2500 sq. ft., Market St. & State St., Open floor plans, ready to move into. Call Pete 815/997-4079. 2/22

Roommate Wanted

2-2ND-FLOOR FURNISHED ROOMS Lots of perks! $375 & $450, $50/deposit. Move in now. 815/489-9006. 2/22

ROOMMATE WANTED to share house, Rockford Plaza area. Must like dogs. $400/month. Contact Greg, 815/742-1264. TFN


Homes For Sale

512 BOYLSTON LOVES PARK$55,000, 2-bedroom, 2.5-garage. 2/29

2-YR-OLD HOME on approx. ½-acre. 2-bedroom, 2-bath, 2-car garage. Well-established subdivision near Jefferson HS. Contract available. Mid-100s. 815/398-3762. TFN

LOW / NO DOWNPAYMENT PROGRAMS Available for Qualified Buyers Low Fixed Rates – FHA/VA/USDA Call Paula Wykoff NMLS#137830 Cherry Creek Mortgage Co. NMLS#3001 217-522-5191 WWW.PaulaWykoff.com 616 S. Grand West, Springfield, IL 62704 Illinois Residential Mortgage Licensee Equal Housing Lender (ICAN)

REAL ESTATE: ***FREE Foreclosure Listings*** Over 400,000 properties nationwide. LOW Down Payment. Call NOW! 1-800-785-4121 (MCN)

Mobile Homes

14’x66’ MOBILE HOME- 3BR, full bath. Newer windows & furnace. $13,500. 815/871-3801. TFN

Lots For Sale

CANDLEWICK LOTS FOR SALE $6,600. Terms available. With ownership come amenities
including fishing, boating, golf, swimming & family activities. Please call 815/398-3762. TFN

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Classifieds, Homes | No Comments »

Tube Talk: ‘Mental Mobius strip’: ‘Awake’ debuts March 1 on NBC

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

By Paula Hendrickson
Contributing Writer

It’s no secret NBC needs a hit. Soon. Yes, The Voice has brought NBC consistently higher ratings than it’s been used to lately, but one insanely popular reality show does not a network make. The Voice is a great platform for promoting new shows, though, like Awake, the new drama that premieres at 9 p.m., Thursday, March 1.

Yep. That’s the same timeslot where Prime Suspect and The Firm have already tanked this season. It’s a tough hour, which NBC owned back when ER was in its prime. Now, it’s dominated by CBS’s popular series The Mentalist, with ABC’s Private Practice coming in a distant, yet respectable, second. Let’s hope the third time’s the charm, and NBC allows Awake a chance to develop a following. After all, it’s a little much to expect an instant hit where so many other series have already failed.

Despite the competition, Awake is worth checking out, so why not help NBC out a bit by recording whatever you normally watch at that time on Thursdays and watching Awake?

The premise is intriguing: after his family is involved in a devastating car crash, a police detective, Michael Britten (the riveting Jason Isaacs, probably best known by Harry Potter fans as Lucius Malfoy) finds himself straddling two different realities. In one, his son died and his wife (Laura Allen, The 4400) survived, in the other his wife died and son (Dylan Minnette, Men of a Certain Age, Lost) survived. Each time, he wakes up in the opposite reality. He’s even developed tricks to help him keep his opposing worlds straight in his own mind.

What’s fascinating is he has a different department-appointed psychiatrist in each world, both assuring him he’s not dreaming, and their particular reality is the real one. BD Wong (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) is the more confrontational therapist — at one point saying Britten’s insistence on believing the other life is real is creating a potentially dangerous “mental Mobius strip” — while Cherry Jones (24) uses gentler tactics to convince Britten her world is the real one. One thing they do agree on is he needs to find a healthier way to deal with his grief than simply creating a dream life where the dead wife-or-son has survived.

The fun part comes when his worlds overlap. In one life, Britten is partnered with a seasoned detective played by Steve Harris (The Practice), in the other an eager new detective (Wilmer Valderrama, That 70s Show) is assigned to “babysit” the presumably unstable Britten. Details from a case in one reality can become clues to a different case in the other reality.

As a viewer, I found myself wondering if Britten disappears every other day in those two worlds, or if his days are consecutive in both realities. Perhaps that will be addressed in a future episode — if NBC allows Awake the chance to carve a niche in a competitive timeslot.

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. Follow her on Twitter at P_Hendrickson and send your suggestions to tubetalking-paula@yahoo.com.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

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

Photo: A ‘very tense’ meeting about forest preserve

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

The Winnebago County Forest Preserve District (WCFPD) held a planning meeting Feb. 21 at district headquarters about possible restoration to repair the damage done by the clear-cutting pictured above at Roland Olson Forest Preserve on Atwood Road. Saying the meeting was “very tense,” local residents say they are still at odds with WCFPD staff over woodlands versus prairie at the preserve. As to redress or future meetings concerning clear-cutting at Pecatoncia River or Fuller forest preserves, WCFPD staff were non-committal. A walk-through meeting is planned at Roland Olson Forest Preserve March 12. (Photo by Georgine Arena)

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Local News, News, Photo Galleries | No Comments »

Bowling: Bowling’s Pete Weber wins record-setting fifth U.S. Open

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

By Doug Halberstadt
Sports Columnist

Thanks to the Daytona 500 rain delay last Sunday (Feb. 26), I was able to witness bowling history. Normally, I would have been tuned in to coverage of “The Great American Race,” but because of a continuous downpour in Daytona Beach, Fla., I switched over from FOX to ESPN, and I’m very glad I did.

Somehow, it slipped my memory that ESPN was broadcasting the 69th U.S. Open at Brunswick Zone-Carolier. Fortunately, something (the rain delay?) caused me to switch channels at precisely the right moment. I didn’t miss a single frame of the coverage.

The stepladder finals format featured fourth-seeded Pete Weber against the No. 3 seed Ryan Shafer in the first televised match. Weber disposed of Shafer 223-191. He then faced off against the unique two-handed style of Australian Jason Belmonte. Weber once again prevailed. This time, he rolled a 225 to Belmonte’s 213. The stage was now set for history.

Weber was now only one game away from becoming the only bowler in history to win five U.S. Open titles. Standing in his way was the tournament’s top seed, Michael Fagan. The two did not disappoint. The match would come down to the 10th frame. Fagan closed out his game with three consecutive strikes. Weber needed at least a nine-count spare and strike to win, Weber threw a perfect pocket shot on his first ball, but left a 10 pin. After picking up the spare, he threw an identical shot that carried for a strike and earned him a spot in bowling history.

In winning the title, Weber broke a tie with his late father, Professional Bowlers Association legend Dick Weber, and his father’s close friend, the late Don Carter, who both won the forerunner to the U.S. Open — the BPAA All Star — four times.

“Dad, I know you were watching,” Weber said as he looked up toward heaven after the win. “I know you’re proud, and I’m sorry I broke your record.

“This is my greatest title ever,” Weber said. “To win five U.S. Opens and pass Dick Weber and Don Carter says a lot, but I’ll never say I’m better than them. They paved the way for us to be here. It was an honor and a privilege to join them when I won my fourth U.S. Open, and it’s even more of an honor to be the first one to win five.”

At age 49 years, 189 days, Weber became the oldest player ever to win the U.S. Open, breaking the record set by 46-year-old Norm Duke last year at Carolier. This victory also moved him into second place on the PBA’s all-time major title winners list with his ninth title. Earl Anthony holds the record with 10.

The PBA Tour’s next televised event will be the finals of the GEICO Shark Open. It will air at 2 p.m., this Sunday, March 4, on ESPN. I’ll try not to let this one slip my mind.

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

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Sports, Sports News | No Comments »

‘Debussy, le magnifique’ March 2 at Court Street United Methodist Church

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Michael Beert

Beth Fredrickson

Rachel Handlin

Staff Report

Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center will present its next season concert, “Debussy, le magnifique,” at 7:30 p.m., Friday, March 2, at Court Street United Methodist Church, 215 N. Court St., Rockford.

Concertgoers can experience the beauty of French composer Claude Debussy’s most “impressive’ works, performed by an ensemble of Rockford musicians, representing some of the best local talent around.

Debussy, the first musical “impressionist,” is recognized as one of the greatest influences on 20th century music.

Soprano Beth Fredrickson, violinist Rachel Handlin, flutist Jacques Saint-Cyr, and pianists Patricia Jeske and Kristen Nelson, all frequent performers in Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center season concerts, will perform such works as Ariettes Oubilees, “Two Arabesques,” and “Sonata for Violin and Piano.”

Tim Anderson and Rulee Stallman will accompany Fredrickson and Handlin. A nine-member vocal chamber ensemble will also perform Trois Chansons de Charles d’ Orleans.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for students. For information or tickets, call (815) 964-9713 or go to www.mendelssohnpac.org.

A pre-concert lecture with Michael Beert, director of the Rock Valley College Community Orchestra, will be at 6:45 p.m.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

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

Left Justified: Congressman Manzullo is a liberal

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Stanley Campbell

By Stanley Campbell

Don Manzullo is running against a conservative whippersnapper in his first primary challenge. Don has been representing Illinois’ 16th Congressional District since 1992, when he defeated Democrat John Cox, the first Democrat elected in this district since 1842.

Manzullo ran a conservative campaign, relying on support from evangelical churches and a large yellow-dog Republican vote from the newly gerrymandered McHenry County.

I can remember Congressman Cox’s surprise on election night. He’d assumed McHenry County Republicans wouldn’t vote for the upstart Manzullo, who’d bumped off their favorite son in the primary. John Cox was wrong.

Manzullo ran promising term limits and that he would only serve six terms. That was 10 terms ago. He now has seniority in Congress that could award him any position he wishes, but Congressman Manzullo is not a driven man. He’s enjoyed a comfortable time in Congress on the Small Business Committee, where he’s introduced some legislation over his many years in office.

This last year, his district was gerrymandered and now extends from the Wisconsin border, swings around Chicago and ends going toward Indiana. Manzullo faces the young Tea Party Congressman Adam Kinzinger. Kinzinger is a pilot in the Illinois National Guard and has been to Iraq and Afghanistan. The Donald has rarely had a serious opponent these last 20 years. Kinzinger says he’s the more conservative and, even though only on his first term, claims that Manzullo is, God forbid, a liberal!

I’ve worked with Congressman Manzullo on some issues and wouldn’t say he’s liberal, but I admit he’s supported two or three of my causes. The first time was when he voted shutting down the School of Americas (SOA), a Cold War project that trained Latin American generals in the fine arts of interrogation, crowd control and union busting. It was touted as a school for teaching democracy to Latin American soldiers, but it seemed every coup was led by a SOA graduate. Congressman Manzullo agreed to oppose its funding back in the 1990s. That was a pleasant surprise! Rockford Peace and Justice Action Committee thanked him for his support of a human rights issue.

The second time he said “yes” to a liberal proposal was when he agreed to drop the travel ban to Cuba. Congressman Manzullo may have been influenced by then-Illinois Gov. George Ryan, who wanted to sell Illinois corn to the communists. The state’s Farm Bureau is a proponent for dropping the embargo and trading with a corn and soy-bean-hungry island just 90 miles from our shore. Manzullo agreed to dropping the travel ban, and again we liberals celebrated.

I have to admit, the congressman’s office has been very open to meeting with us liberals even though at times we’ve been unruly and would rather picket outside. Manzullo’s staff has always been polite, and even helped when we were asking for visas for foreigners to come into the country.

I do not know his opponent, Adam Kinzinger. Out of the two candidates, I would probably support Manzullo over Kinzinger, but I rarely pull a Republican ballot. Besides, I’ve been asked by my Rockford Urban Ministries Council to stay out of politics when it comes to individual candidates.

Stanley Campbell is executive director of Rockford Urban Ministries and spokesman for Rockford Peace & Justice.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Commentary, Left Justified | 3 Comments »

College Basketball: March Madness begins with Selection Sunday March 11

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

By Doug Halberstadt
Sports Columnist

Tomorrow is the first day of March, and for millions of college basketball fans across the country, that means one thing — March Madness.

The NCAA men’s basketball tournament will dominate the sporting world for the next four weeks. It all begins with Selection Sunday March 11.

This is where the tournament is put together by the NCAA selection committee. They are charged with determining which teams make the final 68, in what region they will play and where they will be seeded. Thirty-one conferences will place an automatic qualifier in the NCAA Tournament field. The remaining 37 at-large bids will be handed out by the committee.

This year, there will be four opening-round games — called the “First Four.” They will take place in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday and Wednesday, March 13-14. They will feature the last four at-large selections for two games and the last four automatic qualifiers in two more.

The main bracket games will begin at eight sites all around the country March 15. By the end of that weekend, the field will be trimmed down to 32 teams. Those 32 will advance to four regional sites beginning March 22. The East Regional will be held in Boston. The Southwest Regional is in Phoenix. St. Louis will host the Midwest Regional, and the Southeast Regional will be in Atlanta.

By the final day of the month, only eight teams will remain in the tournament. They will all travel to New Orleans for the national semifinals at the Louisiana Superdome.

Now, here comes the ironic part. March Madness won’t officially conclude until April. The championship game will be played April 2.

Now that you are armed with the tournament timeline, you have about 10 days left before you have to fill out those bracket sheets. I’d suggest doing some homework before you decide which team you put down as your champion. Or, you can always resort to the “eenie, meenie, miney, moe” thing. Either way, it’s madness.

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

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Sports, Sports News | No Comments »

‘The Odd Couple’ opens March 2 at Woodstock Opera House

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Staff Report

WOODSTOCK, Ill. — Neil Simon’s Tony Award-winning comedy, The Odd Couple, which introduced the memorable characters of Felix Ungar and Oscar Madison, will be at the Woodstock Opera House for three weekends (March 2-18), thanks to McHenry County’s oldest community theater group, TownSquare Players (TSP).

Director Betsy Stemple of Marengo is leading the cast in the classic story of two friends — a neurotic neat freak newswriter (Felix) and a messy sportswriter (Oscar) — who find their friendship tested when they share an apartment after their marriages fall apart. Their different personalities, regular poker games with friends, and attempt at double-dating a couple of British sisters all provide the laughs in a show that won five Tony Awards during its original Broadway run of almost 1,000 performances. The Odd Couple has been the inspiration for everything from a female stage version to movies to TV shows to a cartoon series.

Megan Marshall of Woodstock is producing the show for TSP, which features a talented cast of northern Illinois actors, including: James Lundstrom (Oscar) of Barrington; Tim Vance (Felix) of Carpentersville; Jay Fayer (Vinnie) and Angela Kalamaras (Cecily) of Crystal Lake; Chris Warren (Speed) and Sheri Warren (Gwendolyn) of McHenry; Ward Green (Murray) of Wonder Lake; and Brian Freeman (Roy) of Woodstock.

Other staff members include: Brian Heinzelmann of McHenry, stage manager; Amanda Krumrei of Woodstock, technical coordinator; Jennifer Mitchell of Marengo, props mistress; Steven Hill of Hillside, lighting designer; Kat’s Kloset of Woodstock, costume coordination; James Lundstrom of Barrington, sound designer; Connie Appier of Lake in the Hills, set dresser; Brad Appier of Lake in the Hills, set consultant; and Char Ulanowski of Woodstock, props member.

Performances of the comedy are scheduled for Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m., March 2-18. To purchase tickets, go to www.woodstockoperahouse.com, call the Woodstock Opera House box office at (815) 338-5300, or visit the box office, 121 Van Buren St., Woodstock. Group discounts are available.

‘Dress Like the ’60s’ Contest at Odd Couple opening night

To allow audience members to get in the spirit of Neil Simon’s Tony Award-winning comedy, The Odd Couple, TownSquare Players (TSP)has designated opening night of its Woodstock Opera House production to be “Dress Like the ’60s Night.”

Friday, March 2, all audience members who attend are invited to voluntarily wear their best 1960’s-era clothing to the 8 p.m. show. Near the end of intermission, those who’ve dressed like it’s the mid- to late-1960s — the time frame in which The Odd Couple is set — will be directed to the front of the stage area, where audience members will vote for the best-dressed. The first-place winner will receive a certificate good for two admissions to TSP’s November 2012 Opera House show.

Actors in The Odd Couple, which will be performed at the Opera House on weekends from March 2-18, are not eligible to participate in the contest. TSP President Paul Lockwood says that while audience members can attend in regular clothing, he hopes a significant number of attendees will don a costume that evening to add to the enjoyment of the opening night performance.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

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

Winnebago County Forest Preserve District begins spring burning

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Staff Report

In the coming weeks, neighbors and passersby may notice signs of the Winnebago County Forest Preserve District (WCFPD) prescribed-burn program at select sites.

Prescribed burns are deliberately set, controlled, natural-resource-management tools the district has used for nearly 30 years to restore the health of native prairies, wetlands and woodlands.

Because the safe use of prescribed burning depends on proper weather conditions, WCFPD has not set specific dates for its spring burning season. However, on the day a prescribed burn does take place, WCFPD crews post signs, notify local fire protection agencies, and remain at the site with their equipment. If these factors are not present, the public is asked to notify authorities by calling 911.

Mike Groves, Natural Resource manager, explains: “The district uses prescribed burns to remove invasive, nonnative vegetation. This improves conditions for native species, which have evolved to coexist with fire.”

After a burn, many native plants are more robust and produce more seeds. Fire lengthens their growing season, recycles nutrients and, for a few species, is critical for their seeds to sprout. Oaks, hickories and a few other trees grow a thick bark that protects them from fire. Big bluestem and many other plants of the prairie and savanna keep their buds safe just beneath the soil’s surface. Nonnative weeds aren’t so well-adapted and burning keeps them in check.

WCFPD has set a goal of burning 3,000 acres this year.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Local News, News | No Comments »

Youth Sports: Park District holds youth sports open house March 17 at Carlson Ice Arena

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

• Free event offers information about upcoming programs for kids ages 3-18

Staff Report

Rockford Park District will hold a free youth sports open house from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, March 17, at Carlson Ice Arena, 4150 N. Perryville Road, Loves Park.

Parents of children ages 3-18 can learn more about upcoming programs that provide quality, fun recreational opportunities where youth learn and develop sports and leisure skills they can enjoy for a lifetime.

A number of Park District youth sports programs will be represented at the open house, including FIRE Track & Field, tennis, NFL Flag Football, NFL cheer and sports camps. The programs will provide information about spring registrations for youth sports, lessons, mini-camps, clinics and leagues.

Coaches and volunteers will be on hand to answer questions about the programs, and information will be available at the event for those interested in becoming a coach or volunteer.

Free giveaways and special drawings for Park District facility admission tickets will also be held.

For more about Park District youth sports programs, visit rockfordparkdistrict.org, or call Park District Customer Service at (815) 987-8800, where information about support to participants with disabilities is available.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Sports, Sports News | No Comments »

Notre Dame professor to lecture on immigration

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Staff Report

La Voz Latina and the University of Notre Dame Alumni Club of Rockford will host Gilberto Cardenas, M.A., Ph.D., for a lecture and discussion about contemporary issues pertaining to Mexican immigration, drawing on historical foundation of immigration policy and utilizing a visual presentation based on contemporary artwork addressing immigration issues. The event will be Thursday, March 1, at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, 1601 Parkview Ave., Rockford. Refreshments will be served at 6:30 p.m., and the lecture will follow at 7 p.m.

At Notre Dame, Dr. Cardenas is a professor of sociology, Julian Samora Chair in Latin Studies, assistant provost; director, Institute for Latino Studies and The Inter-University Program for Latino Research (IUPLR). He is the author, editor, co-author or co-editor of eight books and monographs, including Loz Mojados: The Wetback Story (with Julian Samora and Jorge Bustamante), an oft-cited and seminal text in Latino scholarship. He has also published more than 30 articles in peer-reviewed journals and as chapters in books.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Local News, News | 1 Comment »

‘Los Angeles! … Is Underwater’ opens March 1 at NIU School of Theatre and Dance

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

• Shows run March 1-4 in the Stevens Building Corner Theatre on the DeKalb campus

Staff Report

DEKALB, Ill. — The West Coast is transferred in all its glitz and glory to the Midwest in this wacked-out new production by the Northern Illinois University School of Theatre and Dance (SoTD).

Los Angeles! … Is Underwater, written by SoTD faculty member Luke Krueger, is the next Studio Series production of their season and will open March 1.

Krueger, writer and director of Los Angeles! … Is Underwater, said his work has been compared to South Park.

“I call it hyper-realism,” Krueger said, explaining his work contains extreme characters, but that people will recognize them. “The audience will think, ‘that’s not quite how people are, but it’s close.’”

The premise of Los Angeles! … Is Underwater is that a tidal wave wipes out Hollywood, and the Midwest becomes the new center for movie stars. The persona of the West Coast begins to invade the region in strange ways. A bizarre mix of characters shows up, each with a definite idea of what the ideal new actor should be.

Krueger explained that one of his main characters, Chastity, is an Indiana native and artistic idealist, and very unhappy with the sudden influx of actors. She despises artistic “sell-outs,” people who compromise their art for a big paycheck, believing pure art cannot be mainstream.

Krueger explained: “I think we’ve all been through that, where we see something that’s avant-garde, and it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, I liked that,’ and you really didn’t — you hated it.”

His play also takes aim at fanatic leaders, like acting gurus. Krueger satirized the school of thought that promotes actors going to extremes to “become” their character. Some actors actually hurt themselves trying to get into character, said Krueger, when it’s supposed to be acting.

Still actively writing, Krueger has already published his next play, Copyright Sullivan: The Place Where People Come to Die, which will be available for sale for $5 at all performances of Los Angeles! … is Underwater!. All proceeds will benefit the SoTD Student Advisory Committee.

Los Angeles! … Is Underwater will run March 1-4, in the Stevens Building Corner Theatre on the DeKalb campus. Weeknight and Saturday performances start at 8 p.m. with a Sunday matinee at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 and are available only at the door.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

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

In Memoriam: Tim Emmons, 1958-2012

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Compiled from website

A great voice in public radio has been silenced. With the passing of Timothy Emmons, general manager of WNIU and WNIJ in DeKalb, Feb. 18, 2012, we bid farewell to an era that saw many changes.

Born June 18, 1958, in Champaign, Ill., Emmons came to WNIU in 1988, serving as program director. He was instrumental in the creation of station WNIJ in 1991. Not long after, he left to become program director at KWMU in St. Louis, but returned to Northern Public Radio in 1995 as station manager. Fifteen months later, he became director and general manager, a position he held for the past 15 years.

In 2009, Tim Emmons received the Don Otto Award from the Public Radio Program Directors Association and Audience Research Analysis for his continuing dedication to public radio excellence and public service. This is one of the highest honors in public radio. After receiving the award, he gave an interview to NIU’s Northern Today.

Besides working for Northern Public Radio, Tim and two partners were consultants for radio stations across the country with their business, Strategic Programming Partners. They also created Morning Edition Grad School, a series of workshops that trained nearly 100 public radio stations, including nearly all those in the largest U.S. radio markets. Emmons was active in several professional and community organizations. He served on the board of directors of the Illinois Public Broadcasting Council, including two years as president. He was also on several advisory committees for National Public Radio.

Remembered by friends and colleagues as a dedicated worker and an efficient planner, he had been battling colon cancer for the last few years. He trained his colleague, Staci Hoste, to take over as interim general manager. She recalled: “Tim left an indelible mark on this community in the form of Northern Public Radio as you now know it. Twenty years ago, Tim was instrumental in not only launching Northern Public Radio’s second FM radio station — WNIJ — but also in re-shaping WNIU into the 24/7 classical music station we still enjoy today. Under his leadership, we have continued to evolve as a station dedicated to providing quality radio programming to the area.”

Interview with WNIJ staff

By Copy Editor Susan Johnson

The Rock River Times spoke with several of the WNIU/WNIJ staff, who reflected on their late colleague.

Dan Klefstad, reporter for Morning Edition, said: “I am very much a product of Tim’s training. He was a great teacher, probably the most important teacher I’ve ever had. The news and information I present during Morning Edition is very much a result of his ideas and his coaching. Tim was very focused on Morning Edition, in particular when trying to improve the sound of local public radio stations nationwide, and he did this through something called the Morning Edition Grad School, or MEGS. This is a project of Strategic Programming Partners. Tim and the rest of this group traveled around the country. At one point, they did receive funding from NPR to do this. They go to local stations throughout the country, including WNIJ, and train the Morning Edition hosts and associate reporters in best practices for public radio to try to achieve the NPR sound and get as close to the editorial quality and sound quality that you hear from NPR.”

Sue Stephens, reporter, said, “We got kind of spoiled working for someone so good. It was great because he really knew the business from all sides, and having been a reporter in his early years, he knew how important it was to keep the newsroom separate and independent. The other thing that was great was, he truly believed in the importance of training, continual training throughout your career. There is always more to learn, and he always encouraged us to go to workshops and attend conferences to learn more and share that with each other. Just keep learning. You don’t always find that in a boss in this business.” As an aside, she added, “We‘re all honorary Cubs fans around here by now.” (Emmons was a great Cubs fan.)

Scholarship fund for Emmons’ children

Emmons is survived by his wife, Charlene, their son, Daniel, and their daughter, Jordan. His family takes comfort in his steadfast Christian faith that sustained him to the end, and the support of their friends at Christ Community Church in DeKalb, where the funeral was held.

Staci Hoste, interim general manager, commented on the scholarship fund that has been established at the station for Emmons’ children. “Internally, we’ve been calling it the Emmons Education Fund. Tim had asked that contributions be directed toward his children’s education. When you lose a parent at that critical time in life, that was a concern for Tim that his children would have access to education. We have set our staff goal.” She added that it is open to not just the staff, but also listeners – everybody who would like to contribute. But she specified that donations should not be sent to Northern Public Radio as they would not be able to discern exactly where the funds should be directed. Contributions may be sent to: Timothy Emmons Memorial, P.O. Box 66, Elburn, IL 60119.

See the WNIJ tribute at www.northernpublicradio.org/post/tim-emmons-1958-2012

The website listed 21 comments as of Feb. 27, 2012.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in News, Obituary Notices, Regional News | No Comments »

March 7 deadline for Irish Pub Night at Mendelssohn

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Staff Report

Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center will host an Irish Pub Night from 7 to 10 p.m., Friday, March 9. The event will be inside Emerson Auditorium, 420 N. Church St., Rockford.

Irish Pub Night will feature the music of Joe Cullen and his Irish Band; “A Taste of Ireland” from Murphy’s Pub & Grill between 7 and 8:30 p.m.; and Andy Capp’s hot fries/Irish crisps and pretzels from 8:30 to 10 p.m.

A cash bar with beer, wine and soft drinks will be available throughout the evening. A 50/50 drawing will also be held.

Tickets are $25 per person, and reservations are required by March 7. Call (815) 964-9713 for more details or for reservations.

All proceeds from the event benefit the Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

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Youth Baseball: RiverHawks offer four summer baseball camps starting in June

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Staff Report

LOVES PARK, Ill. — The Rockford RiverHawks will host four baseball camps this summer for children ages 13 and younger.

Four different camps will be held throughout the summer and will feature instruction from RiverHawks Manager Rich Austin on the fundamentals of base running, hitting, fielding and throwing.

The camps are part of the RiverHawks’ goal of providing affordable youth baseball to the Rockford area.

All campers will receive a T-shirt and ticket voucher for a 2012 RiverHawks game.

Camps run June 18-20, June 26-28, July 16-17, 19 and Aug. 14-16 at RiverHawks Stadium. Check-in for all dates will be 8:30 a.m. with the camp running 9 a.m.-noon. The cost of the camp is $40 for one session, $60 for two sessions, $75 for three sessions and $85 for four sessions.

For more information or to register, call (815) 885-2255. RiverHawks Stadium is at 4503 Interstate Blvd., Loves Park, Ill.

Advertising and season ticket information is available by calling (815) 885-2255. Fans can also visit www.rockfordriverhawks.com.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Sports, Sports News | No Comments »

Skating: Shamrock Skate public skating session set for March 17

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Staff Report

Bring your lucky family and friends for a fun and active St. Patrick’s Day celebration at Carlson Ice Arena’s annual Shamrock Skate from 2 to 4 p.m., Saturday, March 17.

Carlson Ice Arena is at 4150 N. Perryville Road, Loves Park.

Enjoy ice skating, music by a live DJ, free Learn to Skate lessons, fun decorations and prize drawings.

Admission is $5, which includes skate rental; ages 2 and younger are admitted free. No coupons or passes are accepted.

For more details, visit www.rockfordparkdistrict.org/iceskate or call (815) 969-4069. For information about accessibility and adapted equipment for skaters with disabilities, call (815) 987-8800.

From the Feb. 29-March 6, 2012, issue

Posted in Sports, Sports News | No Comments »