Fire erupted on the roof of the former Amerock factory on Auburn Street May 17 after employees of a salvage company reportedly started a tank with fiberglass ablaze.

The fire started about 1:15 p.m at the former hardware plant in the 4400 block of Auburn Street. Rockford Fire Chief Derek Bergsten said a salvage company was using a cutting torch when materials accidentally caught fire. He said employees tried to extinguish the blaze, but then had to call the fire department. The fire was brought under control by the Rockford Fire Department shortly thereafter. No one was reported injured.

The building is owned by Rockford Development Group, a limited partnership company. The limited partnership is listed at 1818 Farwell Ave., Milwaukee, by the Winnebago County Recorder’s office. Rockford Development Group bought the property from Denovo Rockford/Bellwood LLC in November 2010 for $1.9 million.

Many sources reported to The Rock River Times that toxic materials were blown out onto the roof during the years of Amerock’s manufacturing operations. Those sources alleged the roof material would be evidence of alleged pollution at the site. It is unknown if this is the section of the roof sources alleged was toxic.

From the May 23-29, 2012, issue

A series of events in downtown Rockford will pay tribute to fallen veterans on Memorial Day, May 28.

The annual Memorial Day Parade kicks off at 9 a.m., Monday, May 28, at Seventh Street and Sixth Avenue. The parade will follow the traditional parade route and end at Beattie Park. The United States Marine Corps will be this year’s featured branch of service. Grand Marshal will be United States Marine Corps Major Clark Pollard, retired. Area police and firefighter units, along with local school marching bands and the Phantom Regiment marching band, will be participating in this year’s parade.

The annual Naval Ceremony will be held immediately following the parade behind the Rockford Public Library Main Branch, 215 N. Wyman St. Major Clark Pollard, retired, will be a featured speaker. This patriotic service will also include a welcome address by Winnebago County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen (R), opening prayer, singing of the national anthem by Donna Lamb and formal program including the sinking of the ship by Members of the Navy Club Ship No. 1.

A Memorial Day Program, featuring the history of Memorial Day and the Grand Army of the Republic, will be at Veterans Memorial Hall, 211 N. Main St., from 11 a.m. until noon, Monday, May 28. The program will honor the 150th anniversary of the Civil War battle at Shiloh and the veterans from Winnebago County who fought there. The program is presented by The Sons of The Union Veterans of the Civil War and Veterans Memorial Hall.

From the May 23-29, 2012, issue

The MQ-1 Predator Drone will be featured in Rockford AirFest’s static display Saturday and Sunday, June 2-3. AirFest is also the only show in the Midwest that will feature the Predator Drone this year. (Photo provided)

Staff Report

Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD) announced it has secured a MQ-1 Predator Drone as a static display for the 2012 AirFest Saturday and Sunday, June 2-3.

The aircraft from a U.S. Air Force base is incredibly rare at airshows, both international and domestic. The 2012 Rockford AirFest is one of only three airshows in the country to ever host a Predator Drone. AirFest is also the only show in the Midwest that will feature the Predator Drone this year.

The Predator is an armed remotely-piloted aircraft that has gained prominence for its role as an intelligence collection asset as well as executor of combat missions. It is capable of performing a range of tasks, including surveillance, reconnaissance, close air support, combat search and rescue, precision strike, buddy-lase, convoy/raid overwatch, target development and terminal air guidance.

The revolutionary aircraft has gained fame in recent years for its use to combat terrorism in the Middle East. While its missions and specific uses are typically classified, Drones have been credited for gathering intelligence from and completing successful combat missions against major terrorist targets.

RFD Director Mike Dunn said: “This aircraft is on the same level as the F-22 Raptor that we featured at AirFest in 2009. You just don’t see these aircraft because they very rarely come to airshows. Between our performers and very unique static displays, this year’s AirFest is going to be especially memorable. The size and prestige of our statics are really outstanding this year. It’s a real honor to RFD and our 2012 AirFest that the U.S. Air Force is allowing us to host this aircraft.”

The Predator will be accompanied by a crew of six technicians, who will be responsible for assembling the aircraft when it arrives in Rockford. While in town, the Drone will be under very strict security restrictions.

The Predator will be part of the 2012 AirFest’s focus on honoring the U.S. Air Force. The B-52, another rare airshow display, will also be featured at AirFest to celebrate the aircraft’s 60th anniversary.

The 2012 Rockford AirFest featured performers are the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. A full list of displays and performers, as well as ticket information for AirFest, is available at www.FlyRFD.com. General admission tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children 5-12, and free to children younger than 5. Call (815) 969-4000 for more information.

From the May 23-29, 2012, issue

Nearly 200 top scholars at the middle and high school levels will be recognized during the 2011 Academic All-Star Salute.

The red-carpet affair, which celebrates academic excellence and recognizes the top athletes and artists in Rockford Public Schools, will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m., Thursday, May 24, at the Coronado Performing Arts Center, 314 N. Main St.

Board President Harmon Mitchell will emcee the event. The evening’s guest host is Steve Shannon from WZOK.

Entertainment will include a selection from Auburn High School’s production of Beauty and the Beast, a performance by the middle school CAPA dance team, and a number by the Guilford High School jazz ensemble.

Admission is free and open to students who are being honored. Each family received up to four tickets.

From the May 23-29, 2012, issue

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — To pay down overdue bills, Illinois Senate Democrats want to siphon cash from special funds that support myriad projects — including Boy and Girl Scouts, tourism, energy assistance and transit development.

The fund raids are part of a broader budget crafted by Senate Democrats that was approved in part by a senate committee May 21. The proposal wants to use $403 million from more than 500 special funds to pay down $8.5 billion in overdue bills the state owes vendors and schools.

Senate Democrats project $1.9 billion in special funds will go unspent by the end of fiscal year 2013.

State Sen. Heather Steans, D-Chicago, is carrying several pieces of legislation that make up the Senate Democrats’ budget. She said the raids would be a one-time event and said the state would not reimburse the funds.

Targeted special funds include Autism Awareness Fund, Boy Scout and Girl Scout Fund, Coal Mining Regulatory Fund, Drug Treatment Fund, Insurance Financial Regulation Fund, Military Affairs Trust, Pesticide Control Fund, Real Estate License Administration Fund and Youth Drug Abuse Prevention Fund.

“We found other dollars, we found this, for lack of a better word, these stashes of money,” state Sen. Donne Trotter, D-Chicago, said May 21.

Senate Republicans attacked the Democrats for spending more than the $33.7 billion revenue estimate the General Assembly agreed to budget by earlier this spring.

State Sen. Matt Murphy, R-Palatine, said spending more than $33.7 billion would put the legislature on track to maintain last year’s income tax increase when it sunsets in 2014.

Speaking during a rare Springfield press conference May 21, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (D) would not say whether he supports raids.

An Illinois Supreme Court ruling last year paved the way for the Senate Democrats’ plan. In that case, the court considered the legality of the legislature’s 2004 sweep of $1.2 million from the Cycle Rider Safety Training Fund. The fund is supported by a percentage of motorcycle registration fees and funds motorcycle training courses around the state.

The Supreme Court ruled that all money paid to state funds may be used at the state’s discretion, regardless of the fund’s purpose.

The pain isn’t over for the Cycle Rider Safety Training Fund: Senate Democrats said they may tap it again this year.

Andrew Thomason can be reached at andrew.thomason@illinoisstatehousenews.com.

From the May 23-29, 2012, issue

The garbage collection for City of Rockford residents for Monday, May 28, and the balance of that week will be delayed one day because of the Memorial Day holiday. Residents who normally have garbage pick-up on Monday will be picked up on Tuesday, and so on through the subsequent days of the week. The Household Hazardous Waste Site at 3333 Kishwaukee St. will be closed for the weekend of May 26 and 27 because of the holiday.

From the May 23-29, 2012, issue

The Rockford Police Department will join state and local law enforcement officers for the 2012 Click It or Ticket safety belt enforcement campaign. During the campaign, officers will be cracking down both day and night on motorists who fail to wear their safety belt.

Because nighttime passenger vehicle occupants are among those least likely to buckle up and therefore more likely to die in motor vehicle crashes, nighttime enforcement has become a priority of the Click It or Ticket campaign. Of those who died nationwide in nighttime crashes in 2009, nearly two-thirds (62 percent) were not wearing a safety belt at the time of their fatal crash.

The Rockford Police Department will be participating in a series of details to locate people who are not compliant with the seatbelt laws during the Memorial Day holiday season. The Rockford Police are able to participate in these special details because of a grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Seat belts save lives. Buckle up, Rockford.

From the May 23-29, 2012, issue

Janesville firemen just out of the water: (from right, back row) Shawn Harris, Tim Duddeck; (from right, second row) Pete Mory, Justin Nolte, Justin Sullivan, Chad Hopkins; (from right, front row) Luke Creed, Andy Skarda, Seth Bennington, Ryan Huenerberg, Ron Bomkamp and Lt. Christopher Lloyd. (Photo by Frank Schier)

Yes, folks, it’s a Chrysemys picta marginata or Midland Painted Turtle (Iron oxide stained plastron), really. This little hard case was about 5 inches across and 7 inches in length. This colorful soul took in all the excitement of the water rescue team’s exercises very quietly from shore; and while patient at first as long as the camera did not get too near, close-ups were deemed invasive. Damn newspaper-azzi! Turtles move faster than you think they can, and hardly make a splash. A three-foot snake, very golden in color, swam by earlier in the day, and Lt. Lloyd said he had also seen a box turtle. Quite a few red-winged blackbirds enjoyed the day nearby, as did various ducks, geese, goslings, herons and hawks. The parks around Janesville’s Monterey Dam provide many lovely sights, good fishing, and quality parks, just off Route 51 as it crosses the Rock River. Bring your cushions, blankets, picnic basket, fishing gear, bird books, binoculars and a camera. You never know what unusual experiences the Rock River will show you. (Photo by Frank Schier)

Just ask Bob Gackstatter’s rottweiler, who enjoyed fetching softball-sized rocks and the cool river water beneath the Monterey Dam. Swimming in the Rock River here is dangerous. Do not attempt it, unless you are a member of the Janesville Fire Department Rescue Team, or a big dog on a leash in the shallows, with a strong owner on the other end of the leash. Turtles can do what they want. (Photo by Frank Schier)

A rescue zodiac practices idling in the pocket current behind a piling of the railroad bridge just below Janesville’s Monterery Dam. (Photo by Frank Schier)

Traversing the swift river current; one fireman of the Janesville Fire Department Water Rescue Team floats downstream feet first below the Monterey Dam, crossing from one side of the river to the other by angling his body and strong arm strokes. He kept his knees bent to act as shock absorbers should he run into rocks or even a bridge piling. The entire team performed this exercise. (Photo by Frank Schier)

By Frank Schier
Editor & Publisher

The City of Janesville extended an invitation to join the Health Monitoring Committee, one of two committees being formed as part of the Janesville Comprehensive Brownfields Program, last Friday, May 18, as a river afficionado and Rock River Trail Initiative founder. After a very good meeting, a little research was in order for the Rock River Trail’s comprehensive plan and website on Janesville’s two dams, the Centerway Dam in downtown Janesville and the Monterey Dam on the south side of Janesville. Of particular interest was the Monterey Dam because of recent modifications that closed off a side pool in danger of breaking through to the mainstream because of the current. During the course of meandering around, a few new friends were made.

Pictured below left: Members of the Janesville Fire Department practice water rescues and self-water rescues, out practicing rescue drills in the Rock River below the Monterey Dam. Fire Department Lt. Christopher Lloyd explained about 10-15 river rescue calls occur each summer. In fact, two have already happened, with the last involving a car going into the Rock River. Lt. Lloyd said given the uncertainty of boating and a fast-moving river, rescue firemen had to be able to handle “self-rescue” in the river if they fell in or were swept away by the current. Janesville should be proud — these firemen were a professional, friendly, good group of men. Each one of them handled the drills very well, and with good, low-key humor.

From the May 23-29, 2012, issue

As a result of studies begun in September 2011, and the Feb. 23 announcement expanding the Rockford mail processing center study, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has decided to move Rockford outgoing mail operations into the Carol Stream Processing & Distribution Center and incoming mail operations into the Palatine Processing & Distribution Center.

Once completed, annual savings are expected to be almost $10.5 million. All employee notifications and relocations will be made in accordance with existing employee agreements.

The consolidation will begin this summer and is expected to be completed by the end of 2013. Once the transfer is completed, the mail processing operation in Rockford, 5225 Harrison Ave., will cease. There will be no change to the retail operations, mail collection or the Business Mail Entry Unit operations at this time.

U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo, R-Ill., issued the following statement in response to the Postal Service’s decision to end mail processing operations in Rockford: “We are saddened that the U.S. Postal Service has decided to end mail processing operations at one of our nation’s most efficient sorting centers in Rockford and move the work to the Chicago suburbs. We understand that the USPS is facing severe money shortages and must make difficult cuts, but we are frustrated that the USPS still has not shared with us the data that confirms closing Rockford will save money. We continue to seek that data so we can share it with the people of northern Illinois who will be affected by this decision.

“When Postmaster General Pat Donahoe toured the Rockford processing center with me last month, he said all employees who wanted to keep working for the USPS would be offered jobs in the area — albeit in different capacities — if the decision was made to end operations in Rockford,” Manzullo said. “He also said he was confident that consolidating Rockford’s operations into Carol Stream and Palatine would allow the USPS to continue overnight delivery service to the region. We will hold the Postmaster General to his statements and monitor the situation closely as the consolidation ensues.”

The Rockford mail processing center is consistently rated among the most efficient centers in the nation, and Rockford workers provide overnight delivery service to their customers in ZIP codes starting with 610 and 611.

Closing the Rockford facility will cost the Rockford area nearly 200 jobs and cause delays of two to three days in mail delivery to homes and businesses in the eight northern Illinois counties served by the Rockford facility — Boone, Winnebago, Stephenson, Jo Daviess, Carroll, Whiteside, Ogle and Lee.

The Postal Service announced in December 2011 it would delay any final decisions regarding facility closures until May 15, 2012. The delay was designed to allow Congress time to enact comprehensive postal legislation. Meantime, USPS continued to review facility consolidations, including public notifications, public input meetings and consideration of public comments.

Hundreds attended a public meeting Jan. 5 at Rockford’s Best Western Clock Tower Resort & Conference Center to share their thoughts about the USPS’s recommended closure of the Rockford facility.

A 2006 consolidation study also originally recommended the closure of the Rockford facility, but efforts by area elected officials helped keep the facility in operation.

The Postal Service has experienced a 25 percent decline in First-Class Mail volume since 2006, and receives no tax dollars for its operations, relying instead on the sale of postage, and postal products and services.

Because of the drastic decline in mail volume, the Postal Service is in a fiscal crisis and must take action to reduce the size of its mail processing network.

As a result of this action, staffing adjustments will be necessary. Any actions taken will be in compliance with applicable law, collective bargaining agreements, and Postal Service regulations and policies.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

From the May 23-29, 2012, issue

Although information about the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s (IEPA) investigation into toxic waste dumping around the Amerock facility in Rockford has been sparse, the probe is continuing, federal and state officials informed The Rock River Times (TRRT). Meanwhile, the investigation into the gasoline contamination of the well water in the area is nearing completion, an IEPA official said May 15.

Maggie Carson, spokesman for the IEPA, told TRRT the gasoline contamination investigation will be considered completed by the state once property ownership where underground storage tanks leaked into the groundwater is established. She said the IEPA investigative team assigned to the case last September is working to “identify the responsible parties and to identify what the options are.”

Once that task is completed, focus will then shift back to the toxic dumping probe.

Recently, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) hooked up 15 homes to city water after finding evidence of components common to gasoline in well water under homes on Soper and Alliance avenues in a four-block quadrant north of Auburn Street and west of the Amerock plant.

Brad Benning of the USEPA Region 5 office in Chicago confirmed to TRRT May 14 that the first part of the two-part investigation is coming to an end. Compensation for cleanup and the hookups to city water from the Mobil and Citgo gas stations on Auburn Street to the USEPA may be forthcoming, both the IEPA and USEPA confirmed.

The probe into gasoline contamination of the groundwater in the area began last September. The screening for metals buried in the area around Amerock took place in April, the IEPA and the Northwest Community Center (NWCC) confirmed.

The IEPA team surveyed the land around Kent Creek, some of which is owned by the NWCC and some of which is owned by the Rockford Park District. It was not confirmed whether any screening took place on Amerock property.

“They did screening to map out underground metals,” Carson said. “Once it’s completed, then it will be shared with the community center owners, other property owners, the media and to the public.”

Carson said the probe in April took place “to map out underground metal with a more sophisticated metal detector.”

NWCC Director Jim Peterson confirmed the probe took place on NWCC property after an access agreement was worked out with the IEPA. “But we have not heard back from them yet,” Peterson said.

Carson said no access agreement was needed for public property probes, only on private property, such as that owned by the NWCC. She confirmed the team also accessed land that included the Mel Anderson Bike Path and the land north of Kent Creek, which is owned by the Rockford Park District.

Carson added that once the probe into toxic waste dumping continues, the investigative team will “do sediment sampling (around the creek) as part of the investigation.”

Benning said the USEPA will be monitoring the toxic dumping probe.

“We’re still waiting on the state to finish up their investigation out at Amerock,” Benning said. “It’s still in its early stages, and I don’t think the state is anywhere close to being done out there yet. Typically, they won’t give out results until their investigation is done and everything is final. They’re hesitant to give out information as they go.

“Things will continue on, and we’ll be in contact with the state for the progress in their investigation,” Benning added. “I’m sure they will be relaying stuff to us if there is a need for support.”

Allegations have been made of dumping of toxic heavy metals, construction equipment and other debris north of Parkside and west of Central avenues in the 1960s and 1970s. Allegations have also been made that Amerock dumped toxic substances into Kent Creek after the plant opened in 1956, continuing through the 1980s, and as recently as this year. The plant is being cleaned up by Denovo Properties, which specializes in cleaning up toxic sites in the United States and then selling them. Past requests to interview Denovo management have been unanswered.

The IEPA launched two investigations, one into groundwater pollution in the area west of Central Avenue and North of Auburn Street in Rockford and the other into allegations of environmental pollution by the Amerock Corporation. The investigation into toxic dumping came in the throes of the discovery by TRRT of five drainage leads from Amerock to Kent Creek.

A team of four former Amerock employees helped TRRT find the five drainage pipes that lead from the north end of the Amerock complex. Two of the drainage discoveries are old, galvanized metal drain pipes measuring 4 to 5 feet in diameter, and two others are old concrete drainage areas in the ground. A fifth pipe is composed of a newer, black plastic that also directs into Kent Creek. All five empty into the creek, and all are 75 to 100 yards from the back of the Amerock building.

TRRT also took a metal detector around the areas north and south of the creek and found large quantities of metal buried in the ground, some of which were located in the areas in and around the NWCC.

TRRT has been sharing its information in the investigation with both the IEPA and the USEPA.

From the May 16-22, 2012, issue

The Rockford Mass Transit District (RMTD) has announced the Grand Opening of the new East Side Transfer Center is scheduled for 10 a.m., Tuesday, May 22.

A ribbon cutting featuring comments by Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider and Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey (I) will take place at 10 a.m., followed by tours of the facility and refreshments.

The ribbon cutting is open to the public and one of several activities scheduled during the week of May 20 to celebrate the completion of this facility.

At 725 N. Lyford Road, across from the Cracker Barrel Restaurant, the RMTD East Side Transfer Center was designed by the Larson and Darby Group. The building features eight bus berths, a passenger waiting area for more than 90 passengers, a vending room with café seating for passengers with extended wait times, a state-of-the-art digital information board system, energy-efficient HVAC and lighting systems and a community room with seating capacity for 50.

Highlighting the lobby area is a terrazzo compass designed by Larson and Darby and laid in by Northern Illinois Terrazzo. Rockford Structures, served as the general contractor, and ARC Design, also of Rockford, served as the civil engineer. Jim Johnson of Rockford Mass Transit served as project manager.

Built to incorporate the look of the surrounding area, the East Side Transfer Center is constructed out of natural stone, brick and glass. The grounds of the facility has been professionally landscaped by Thomas Graceffa and Associates. Interior furnishings and design were provided by Widmer Interiors.

The transfer center cost $6,180,000 to build. An additional $1.4 million was used for the land acquisition and A&E study work. More than 97 percent of the dollars used to construct it were federal dollars with the State of Illinois contributing 3 percent of the funding.

RMTD was able to proceed with construction of this building largely in part because of the $3,693,576 contributed through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). As of this writing, RMTD can lay claim to being the first shovel-ready transit project completed in the state of Illinois.

New transit hub for the stateline

The 725 N. Lyford Road station will serve as a transit hub for RMTD routes and Trailways Motorcoach service. Immediate RMTD service will connect passengers using the East State Street route to the newly-started service in Belvidere. Passengers originating in Belvidere will have seamless connections to Rockford destinations on East State Street and the rest of the RMTD system.

Later this fall, RMTD anticipates additional service through this facility connecting routes to the north and up to the stateline area. By year end, it will finally be possible for a transit rider to travel on public transportation from Rockford or Belvidere all the way up to Janesville, Wis. This has long been a vision for Rockford Mass Transit officials and one that will be realized very shortly.

Strategically located close to I-90, the East Side facility also positions RMTD to be a key player in future bus rapid transit service into Chicago and the nearby suburbs.

The new facility will also serve as a ticketing and dispatch location for Trailways Motorcoach Bus service. Trailways provides twice daily service out of Rockford; at 8:15 a.m. and 6 p.m. Trailways customers will now be able to purchase tickets and wait for the coaches inside anytime the Lyford Road facility is open.

The Grand Opening Ceremony is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. with comments from Schneider, Morrissey and other local dignitaries. After the ribbon cutting, refreshments will be served. Attendees and all riders that day will be given a Grand Opening commemorative item to celebrate the day.

In addition to the opening day activities, RMTD will host a family night for its employees from 7-9 p.m., Sunday, May 20. Monday, May 21, district officials are reaching out to the businesses and neighbors surrounding the facility and inviting them for a preview night get-together. From 7-9 p.m., invited guests will have the opportunity to tour the facility and enjoy light refreshments while district employees answer questions about future plans for the facility.

Later in the week, RMTD will host a Regional Maintenance Training session in the Community Room. More than 25 transit maintenance professionals are expected to attend to learn about the latest technologies in paratransit vehicle maintenance. To end the week, RMTD will host an informal coffee between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Thursday, May 24. Community and business leaders are invited to drop by to view the Community Room and learn about RMTD’s room rental program and policy. The district plans to rent the Community Room to businesses for meetings and training sessions with the intent of raising additional revenues.

RMTD provides more than 1.7 million rides each year. The District has a fleet of 64 fixed route and paratransit vehicles, and offers 18 hours of service Monday-Friday, 13 hours of service on Saturdays, and eight hours on Sundays. RMTD also provides service to Loves Park, Machesney Park and Belvidere.

From the May 16-22, 2012, issue

Alderman (R-12) and Rockford Park District Events and Recreation Project Manager John Beck looks on as Valerie Johnson shares memories of her husband Davey Johnson, as son Steve looks on, and they announce the fund-raising efforts for the handicapped accessible fishing pier in honor of the former alderman, city clerk and Winnebago County Clerk. (Photo by Frank Schier)

Staff Report

The Rockford Park District and Rockford Park District Foundation kicked off fund-raising efforts May 15 for the David F. Johnson Accessible Fishing Pier Project. A news conference was held at the future site of the permanent fishing pier located along the Rock River, just south of the Auburn Street bridge. The accessible pier would be accessed via the Rock River Recreation Path, and wheelchair parking is nearby.

The ability to fish requires accessibility, but for those with physical disabilities, those opportunities are very limited. At this point, even the largest body of water in the Rockford area, the Rock River, has no wheelchair-accessible features.

“Handrails and other accessible features are not typical along the shorelines of local rivers, lakes and ponds. This accessible pier would mean anglers with disabilities would have a safe spot to take part in the sport they love,” said Events and Recreation Projects Manager John Beck.

Members of the Rockford chapter of AMBUCS (a service club promoting independent lifestyles for people with disabilities) and local fishing clubs approached the Rockford Park District to offer to help raise funds for pier construction. The cost for this project is approximately $110,000. If at least $50,000 is raised, the CBW Foundation will provide a challenge gift of $25,000.

Fund-raising efforts

Unveiled at a riverside press conference May 15, the architectural rendering of the accessible fishing pier comes from an idea of longtime friends of Davey Johnson, Bob Bell and Gale Ekern. Bell said someone called the pair and Johnson, “just a bunch of worm soakers” many years ago, and the name stuck. Another longtime friend of Johnson’s, Sunil Puri, related several fishing trips with Johnson and former Rockford Mayor Charles Box in northern Wisconsin, where Puri had the impression the locals had never talked to someone from India or related to many African-Americans. Johnson was noted for his irreverent humor. Puri noted Box and Johnson fought constantly in city council but were good friends outside of council chambers. Puri pledged the first $5,000 for the pier and to host the project fund-raiser at his Radisson Hotel & Conference Center June 14. (Illustration by Scott Sanders)

The Rockford Park District Foundation is helping to raise money to build the accessible fishing pier. The pier will be named after David F. Johnson, an avid fisherman, Rockford alderman, and local disability advocate.

“Dave was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis at the age of 14. Despite his health, his true passion was fishing, and he loved teaching others how to fish. This project honors his many years as a strong advocate for accessibility to buildings, for public transportation, and sidewalk curb cuts,” said Valerie Johnson, Dave’s wife.

For 30 years, Dave and world-class fisherman Babe Winkelman were friends and fishing buddies.

To help raise money for the accessible fishing pier, Winkelman and other area friends, like Founder and President of First Rockford Group Sunil Puri, are hosting a fund-raiser called “Babe Winkelman’s Tribute to Professor Bass, Davey Johnson” June 14. The fund-raiser will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at Radisson Hotel & Conference Center, 200 S. Bell School Road, Rockford, with a VIP reception beginning at 5 p.m. for anyone who contributes $100 or more. Tickets are $30 each, and $300 for a table of eight.

Purchase tickets or make a donation at the following Blackhawk Bank locations:

• 2475 N. Perryville Road, Rockford

• 3101 11th St., Rockford

• 9609 Forest Hills Road, Machesney Park

• 5206 Elevator Road, Roscoe

• 2141 N. State St., Belvidere

Tickets can also be purchased at:

• Rockford Park District Foundation, 401 S. Main St., Rockford

• Lynch Family Chiropractic, 3806 E. State St., Rockford

Make checks payable to: DFJ Accessible Fishing Pier Fund. The fund-raising event includes a fish fry and special silent auction with 30-plus items from Dave’s fishing/outdoor art and object collection. All money raised goes to the David F. Johnson Accessible Fishing Pier.

For more information about Babe Winkelman’s Tribute to “Professor Bass, Davey Johnson,” contact event organizer Valerie Johnson at (815) 262-9717 or davebigbass2@comcast.net.

For more information or questions about how to make a donation to the accessible fishing pier, contact Lisa Alexander, Rockford Park District Foundation donor relations coordinator, at (815) 987-1632 or via e-mail to: lisaalexander@rockfordparkdistrict.org.

From the May 16-22, 2012, issue

Cardinal Francis George OMI, Archbishop of Chicago and principal consecrator, anoints Bishop Malloy’s head with oil as part of the Rite of Ordination Monday, May 14, at the BMO Harris Bank Center. (Photo, courtesy of “The Observer,” by Ron Bergman)

Bishop Thomas G. Doran lays hands on his successor as part of the Rite of Ordination. Bishop David J. Malloy became the ninth bishop of Rockford during a Mass of ordination and installation Monday, May 14. (Photo, courtesy of “The Observer,” by Ron Bergman)

Monday, May 14, was a big day for Rockford as almost 6,000 people gathered at the BMO Harris Bank Center downtown for the ordination and installation of Bishop David J. Malloy as the ninth bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Rockford. Leaders of all faiths, civic and national leaders joined to witness the three-hour ceremony. (Photo, courtesy of “The Observer,” by Ron Bergman)

From the May 16-22, 2012, issue

Staff Report

A logo has been selected for the Rock River Water Trail, according to an announcement by the Rock River Trail Initiative Council.

At a meeting held in Rock Falls, Ill., the council approved a new logo design after evaluating several options. The logo is modeled after the service mark of the Rock River Trail, originally created by staff of The Rock River Times (TRRT) newspaper.

The logo design includes a flying blue heron over a stylistic rendering of the Rock River in perspective flowing downstream. The colors used in the logo are blue and green, representing the water and fertile land of the Rock River valley.

“This is an important step in our efforts to establish a recreational water trail on the Rock River through Wisconsin and Illinois,” said trail founder and TRRT Editor and Publisher Frank Schier. “The mark of the Rock River Trail was introduced in 2010 and serves as the basis for identity of a multi-use trail along the river in our two beautiful states.”

Greg Farnham, trail coordinator of Hustisford, Wis., headed council efforts to develop a logo for the water trail.

“The water trail will be a delineated path on the Rock River that connects access sites, resting places and attractions for users of watercraft,” explained Farnham. “Unified signage incorporating the logo will provide a consistent appearance along the river.

“This will help to increase public awareness of the water trail, direct users and visitors, identify access sites, dams and hazards, and provide for a safe recreational experience,” Farnham added.

The mission of the Rock River Trail Initiative is to establish and interpret a Rock River Water Trail along the 300-mile river course from headwaters in Fond du Lac and Dodge counties in Wisconsin to the Mississippi River at Rock Island in Illinois, and a separate Rock River Route on roads within the river corridor to provide access for all to the natural resources, recreational opportunities, scenic beauty and historic and cultural assets of the Rock River Valley.

For more about the Rock River Trail, visit www.rockrivertrail.com.

From the May 16-22, 2012, issue

The Northern Illinois Police Memorial Week Committee cordially invites you to the 32nd Annual Police Memorial events.

This committee was established 32 years ago, five years before the creation of the National Law Enforcement Memorial Vigil Ceremony in Washington, D.C. The committee consists of current active and retired law enforcement officers. The committee hosts these events and recognizes fallen officers within Winnebago, Boone, Ogle, DeKalb, Stephenson and McHenry counties.

The Northern Illinois Police Memorial Week includes four days of events to show support and appreciation to the local law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve, and most importantly, honoring those law enforcement officers who have given the “ultimate sacrifice.”

Events are as follows:

1) Law Enforcement Memorial Service. This service was open not only to law enforcement officers but to the general public. This year’s Memorial Service was held May 12 at Midway Village Museum, 6799 Guilford Road, Rockford. It was conducted through the Winnebago County Sheriff’s, the Rockford Police Department, and the Roscoe Police Department Chaplains divisions.

2) 32nd Annual Northern Illinois Police Memorial Breakfast and Service. This year’s events will host 31 different law enforcement agencies, representing 300 attendees, throughout the six counties. This year, the Multi-Jurisdictional Honor Guard has representation from 15 different law enforcement agencies, with a total of 26 Honor Guard members. The Honor Guard will conduct a full Law Enforcement Memorial Service, in remembrance to those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. During this event, the roll call (reading of the names) of fallen officers occurs.

Guest speaker will be Father William Wentik (retired head of the Rockford City Police Department Chaplain’s Bureau).

The Memorial Breakfast is by special invitation only and not open to the public. But everyone is invited to the Memorial Service.

3) The 3-Day Annual Law Enforcement Displays. This year, 21 different agencies will display at CherryVale Mall. The displays consist of law enforcement officers or representatives from their agencies, squad cars, informational fliers and interactive displays. This year’s events will host Chief’s Day and K-9 demonstrations.

Schedule of Events for Northern Illinois Police Memorial Week

Thursday, May 17 — St. Bernadette Church, 2330 Bell Ave., Rockford: 7 p.m. Police Memorial Church Service, with refreshments to follow.

Friday, May 18 — Tebala Shrine Temple, 7910 Newburg Road, Cherry Valley. 7:30 a.m. Kick-off Breakfast: Registration. 8 a.m. Breakfast, followed by Full Honors Police Memorial Recognition Ceremony; Guest Speaker Father William Wentik

CherryVale Mall: 10 a.m. Display agencies move to CherryVale Mall

All day ISP spot check for child safety seat — go to ISP booth to request a spot check

7 p.m. — K-9 demonstration — Rochelle Police Department

9 p.m. — Mall closing

Saturday, May 19 — CherryVale Mall

10 a.m. — Display openings

All-day ISP spot check for child safety seat — go to ISP booth to request a spot check

11 a.m. — K-9 demonstration — Boone County Sheriff’s Department

3 p.m. — K-9 demonstration — Belvidere Police Department

5:30 p.m. — K-9 demonstration — DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department

9 p.m. — Mall closing

Sunday, May 20 – 11 a.m. Display openings

All day ISP spot check for child safety seat — go to ISP booth to request a spot check

1-3 p.m. — Chief’s Day — Interact with Chiefs of Police at Mall

1 p.m. — K-9 demonstrations — U.S. Customs & Border Protection

2:30 p.m. — K-9 demonstration — Rockford Police Department

4 p.m. — K-9 demonstration — Rockford Police Department

6 p.m. ­— Mall closing

From the May 16-22, 2012, issue

Good Dollars and Sense, Goodwill’s free 12-hour course in money management, provides community members with the skills and knowledge needed to make the best financial decisions and to achieve their personal financial goals.

Morning and evening courses will be offered twice a week throughout the month of June. The morning course will be offered at the Joyner Neighborhood Resource Center, a new community center aimed at assisting residents in Rockford’s west side. The free classes cover banking basics, identity theft, goal-setting, borrowing basics, savings and investments, housing basics, and understanding your credit report. Participants will receive a course workbook and credit report, as well as a financial incentive for completing the course.

“Goodwill, along with our partners, is happy to work with the Joyner Neighborhood Resource Center and offer this class and the necessary skills to more individuals in our community,” said Courtney Geiger, director of Mission Services. “The need for financial education and the ability to make sound financial decisions has never been greater.”

This program is a collaboration with several well-known and knowledgeable financial institutions and agencies, including Family Credit Management Services, the Better Business Bureau, Rockford Area Affordable Housing Coalition, Members Alliance Credit Union, Generations Credit Union, Savant Capital Management, and the Brad Streeter American Family Insurance Agency. The program is sponsored by the United Way of the Rock River Valley.

To date, more than 130 students have completed the course, and more than 70 percent of the graduates have made financial changes that impact their everyday lives.

Good Dollars and Sense will be held every Tuesday and Thursday from June 12-28. The daytime session will run from 10 a.m. to noon at the Joyner Neighborhood Resource Center, 1401 W. State St., Rockford. The evening session will run from 6 to 8 p.m. at Goodwill’s Mission Services Center, 615 N. Longwood St. in Rockford. If you are interested in signing up for either class or would like more information, contact Goodwill at (815) 965-3795 or e-mail programs@goodwillni.org. Classes are open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis.

From the May 16-22, 2012, issue

Spring Clothing Drive volunteers Pat Hanks, Don Torgerson, Ron Grubb and Connie Hammond (seated). (Photo provided)

Staff Report

LOVES PARK, Ill. — Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful (KNIB) volunteers and staff assisted 1,543 area households with clothing and other soft goods that were dropped off at its Spring Clothing Drive Saturday, May 14.

KNIB Executive Director Lori Gummow said, “We are always encouraged to see so many bring clothing and other recyclable soft goods to our drop-off sites.”

More than 100 volunteers gave 388 hours to count cars, greet attendees and unload cars.

The top attended sites this spring were the Brynwood Hilander with 380 households, and the Roscoe Hilander, counting 346 households.

“Special thanks to our dedicated volunteers of all ages who took the time to make a difference,” Gummow said. “Second-hand clothing is still in demand and valued all over the world; our drives help fill this need, as well as keeping usable items out of the landfill.”

Visit www.knib.org for more about KNIB.

From the May 16-22, 2012, issue

Rockford Lutheran Academy, 4700 Augustana Drive, and Rockford Lutheran Jr./Sr. High School, 3411 N. Alpine Road in Rockford, are hosting open houses for prospective students and their families from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Tuesdays during the months of May and June.

All interested parents or guardians of pre-school through 12th-grade students are welcome to attend for a personal tour, an overview of the program and the opportunity to register for the upcoming 2012-2013 school year.

Rockford Lutheran School offers a program that addresses the needs of each child by correlating activities in religion, language arts, social studies, science, math, music, drama, Spanish, physical education and computers. The goal of the program is to develop the whole child in an atmosphere of Christian care while developing their confidence, creativity and the love of learning. Before-care and after-care are available, and tuition assistance is available to eligible families.

For more information, call (815) 877-9551 or visit RockfordLutheran.org.

From the May 16-22, 2012, issue

Sheriff Richard A. Meyers of Winnebago County has announced the Illinois Sheriff’s Association is proud to once again be named as a principal sponsor for the annual Illinois Teenage Institute on Substance Abuse.

Illinois Wesleyan University will host this program July 22-26.

The Illinois Teenage Institute is open to anyone who meets the following qualifications:

• A freshman, sophomore, junior or senior in the 2012-2013 school year and younger than 18 years of age

• Willing to attend the entire Institute

• Willing to serve as a youth leader and prevention resource in his or her school, neighborhood or community

• Responsible

• Positive and flexible

There will be 60 scholarships issued statewide. These scholarships will be accepted only on a first-come, first-served basis.

The following will be furnished to participants: tuition, lodging, T-shirt, workshop materials, recreation and meals. Transportation will not be included.

The Illinois Teenage Institute is not a treatment program; it is a prevention program.

Applications are available at the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office, 650 W. State St., Rockford, IL 61102, or by calling (815) 319-6000.

From the May 16-22, 2012, issue

The “Creating Lead Safe Rockford” (CLSR) program of the Winnebago County Health Department is now taking applications for consideration of houses for lead mitigation. The program and its partners have received a $2.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to mitigate lead hazards in at least 200 low- to moderate-income homes in the Rockford area, both rental and owner-occupied.

The Health Department will be managing agency in conducting the initial home inspections to identify lead hazards, approving the work orders, and insuring the work has been completed successfully in a lead-safe manner.

Lead poisoning is the No. 1 environmental illness of children and the most common preventable pediatric health problem in the United States today. Lead poisoning occurs when lead builds up in the body, often over a period of months or years. Even small amounts of lead can cause serious health problems. Children younger than 6 are especially vulnerable to lead poisoning, which can severely affect mental and physical development. Lead poisoning effects are preventable, but irreversible. At very high levels, lead poisoning can be fatal.

Children are commonly exposed to lead through breathing in or ingesting of paint chips and contaminated dust from deteriorated or disturbed lead-based paint in homes built before 1978.

To be considered for the Creating Lead Safe Rockford program, houses must be in the ZIP code areas of 61101, 61102, 61103 and 61104, which are rated among the highest in the state of Illinois for pediatric blood lead poisoning (more than 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood).

To qualify for this program, homeowners must meet the following requirements:

• Meet all HUD requirements, including income guidelines and ZIP code requirements.

• Have lead-based paint hazards in the home, and the home must be built prior to 1978.

• Have a child younger than 6 residing in the household.. Priority goes to those qualifying households that have a pregnant woman and/or a child younger than 6 who has an elevated blood lead level (more than 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood).

• Funds are limited, so resources will only be used to correct lead hazards. Homes that meet the prerequisites, but have severe structural defects, will not be allowed in the program.

For questions and to request more information about the program, contact Dana Esparza, Winnebago County Health Department’s Lead Program manager, at (815) 720-4130, or to fill out an application, contact Ryan Kerch, Winnebago County Health Department’s Lead Rehabilitation specialist, at (815) 720-4347, or go online to www.wchd.org.

From the May 16-22, 2012, issue

Former Rock Valley College (RVC) President and current L.A. Trade Technical College President Roland “Chip” Chapdelaine received a vote of no confidence and was asked to resign by a faculty governing body at the L.A. tech college April 25.

According to an April 26 report by Los Angeles Times reporter Abby Sewell, the no-confidence vote in Chapdelaine was the first in the college’s history.

The college’s Academic Senate voted 17-1, with six abstaining, in asking for Chapdelaine’s resignation.

The call for Chapdelaine’s resignation came after the revelation of a scandal in the finances of the school’s foundation. According to the report by Sewell:

“The Trade Tech foundation, a semi-autonomous nonprofit that raises money for scholarships and college programs at Trade Tech, is the subject of a Los Angeles Community College District audit and a Los Angeles County district attorney’s investigation over lavish spending and bonuses paid to Rhea Chung, the foundation executive director, as well as allegations that Chapdelaine’s signature was forged on some checks written to Chung.

“Chung is now on administrative leave. She was Chapdelaine’s former executive assistant.”

To read more of Sewell’s report in the Los Angeles Times, see http://articles.latimes.com/2012/apr/26/local/la-me-0426-trade-tech-20120426.

Chapdelaine, who has been at L.A. Trade Technical College for five years, announced in April he plans to retire in June 2013. However, the no-confidence vote shows faculty are unwilling to wait for his retirement.

Chapdelaine was hired as president of RVC in 1997 and served until his termination in 2003. He was terminated by the RVC Board of Trustees in a unanimous 7-0 vote Jan. 13, 2003.

The removal of Chapdelaine from RVC came after five consecutive and unprecedented years of deficit spending that totaled $7.3 million; a downgrade of the college’s recognition status by the college’s governing agency, the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB); no-confidence votes by all three employee groups that totaled 204-28; legal costs that climbed each year during Chapdelaine’s tenure from about $48,000 in 1998 to about $460,000 in 2003; and at least $9.6 million in construction cost overruns.

Chapdelaine also persuaded RVC trustees three times to use a loophole in the tax-cap law to borrow a total of $61.8 million without a voter-approved referendum. The borrowed money was spent primarily on construction projects, such as the remodeled Student Center, remodeled Samuelson Road building, new Support Services Building, new athletic fields and new Starlight Theater.

Chapdelaine’s termination at RVC came after a series of articles by former RVC physical science laboratory manager and Rock River Times reporter Jeff Havens brought to light the mismanagement at the college. The articles drew an unsuccessful libel lawsuit by former RVC Trustee Donald B. Johannes and also earned Havens an Illinois Press Association award for the state’s best investigative news series.

To read more about Chapdelaine’s tenure and firing at RVC, read Havens’ article, “Chapdelaine terminated 7-0,” at http://rockrivertimes.com/1993/07/01/chapdelaine-terminated-7-o/.

“Congratulations to the bold members of the faculty governing body for taking the first step toward holding Chapdelaine accountable for his misdeeds,” Havens said of the vote of no confidence taken by the L.A. Trade Technical College Academic Senate. “I am too well aware of his past mismanagement, and am not surprised similar circumstances follow him wherever he goes from New Jersey to L.A. and points between. Perhaps this time he will be held fully responsible for his decisions, which may have legal implications.”

After leaving RVC, Chapdelaine served for about a year as president of Cuyahoga Community College’s East Campus in Cleveland before leaving under pressure from the college’s faculty.

Prior to his tenure at RVC, Chapdelaine served as president of Cumberland County College in Vineland, N.J.; vice president of Mohave Community College in Kingman, Ariz.; and associate professor of biology, cluster and division chairman, acting dean of students, acting director of staff development and dean of instruction and academic affairs at Howard Community College in Columbia, Md.

From the May 9-15, 2012, issue

Bishop-elect David John Malloy

Staff Report

The Ordination and Installation of Monsignor David J. Malloy as the ninth Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Rockford is set for Monday, May 14, at the BMO Harris Bank Center in downtown Rockford.

Bishop-elect Malloy, 56, was selected by Pope Benedict XVI to succeed Bishop Thomas G. Doran, who has led the diocese since 1994. The announcement was made Tuesday, March 20, by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the Vatican’s Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, in Washington.

Conferring the Rite of Ordination will be Cardinal Francis George, OMI, Archbishop of Chicago, along with Archbishop Jerome Listecki, Archbishop of Milwaukee, and Bishop Thomas J. Doran, the eighth Bishop of Rockford and current apostolic administrator in the presence of Archbishop Vigano.

Joining in this event will be 28 bishops, 200 priests, 150 permanent deacons, more than 100 members of the Knights of Columbus, and 58 Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre. The event will feature a choir of more than 400 voices and be witnessed by more than 5,000 guests. Doors of the BMO Harris Bank Center will open at 11 a.m. A rosary will be recited at 12:45 p.m. with a procession beginning at 1:30 p.m. The Mass of Ordination and Installation will begin at 2 p.m. Details and information about the event can be found at www.rockforddiocese.org.

The event will be broadcast live on WREX-TV Channel 13 Rockford and streamed live on the Diocese of Rockford’s website. It will be followed on Facebook at the Diocese of Rockford and on Twitter at hashtag#malloyordination. The event will be rebroadcast later on Eternal Word Television Network and CatholicTV.

The public can still request tickets by calling the Rockford Diocese at (815) 399-4300 or by sending an e-mail request to dbeatty@rockforddiocese.org. Details about the ordination are posted at www.rockforddiocese.org.

From the May 9-15, 2012, issue

Maria Montessori students Molly and Shawn Budlong talk to someone who stopped by their booth at the Rock Valley College Earth Day event April 21 about a project their school is doing to raise money to have a well dedicated in South Sudan, and to raise awareness about unsafe drinking water in parts of the world. (Photo by Joyce Budlong)

By Rachel Leon

Maria Montessori School is holding a Water Fair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, May 12, on the school grounds, 4704 N. Rockton Ave., Rockford. The event is free and open to the public.

Elementary students at Maria Montessori School have spent the last four months raising money to build a well in South Sudan. A Water Fair will be held to raise money and awareness about the importance of clean water in our lives.

The event will be similar to a festival/outdoor fun fair with free entertainment and educational activities. The Nevenhoven family will be providing free tennis clinics, and there will be free blood pressure screenings. The event will also feature live music by David Stocker and Matt Losey.

Thanks to a generous grant the school received from Hamilton Sundstrand, a free educational booth will feature student-made projects, a hands-on activity and educational materials. Topics include the water cycle, water conservation, water pollution and contaminants, and the importance of drinking water for your health. Visitors will be encouraged to take the water-carrying challenge. South Sudanese children walk miles to get water, often carrying the filled water jugs on their heads. Jugs of water will be available for visitors to simulate the experience.

Water games will require tickets and include a water balloon relay, a fishing pond, squirt gun target match, a dunk tank and more. A cake pop walk, put on by third-grader Eli Stoneberg, will also be held.

JustGoods and Wonderland Books will be on-site vendors. The elementary students have also made many items that will be available for purchase. Student-made items include crocheted potholders, duct-tape items, all-natural dog biscuits, notecards, scarves, magazines, beady buddies, jewelry and vegetable plants.

Food will be available for purchase, or visitors can feel free to bring a picnic. Food items that will be available include vegetarian and meat sub sandwiches, bananas, Girl Scout cookies, baked goods, popcorn and chips. Starbucks coffee will also be available for purchase, and water will be provided for free. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own water bottles. A limited number of reusable water bottles will be available for purchase.

For more information, visit www.montessoriwaterproject.com.

Questions can be directed to montessoriwaterproject@gmail.com.

To learn more about Water for South Sudan, visit www.waterforsouthsudan.org.

From the May 9-15, 2012, issue

Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful volunteers Fred and Maxine Hadley work a previous clothing drive. (Photo provided)

Staff Report

LOVES PARK, Ill. — The Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful (KNIB) Spring Clothing Drive will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, May 12, at all seven area Hilander Food Stores.

“In 2011, our three clothing drives combined collected over 300,000 pounds of clothing and soft goods from more than 6,000 area households,” said Lori Gummow, KNIB executive director. “We are always encouraged to find that whatever the current economic conditions, people in our community are willing to donate to those in need.”

Old or unused clothing should be in plastic bags; boxes and hangers are not accepted.

“Bagging the soft goods keeps everything clean and dry for redistribution, either in the United States or in a third-world country,” Gummow said. “We ask that the bags weigh no more than 5 to 10 pounds for the safety of our volunteers.”

Accessories, such as purses, linens, stuffed toys and soft-sided luggage are also accepted. Any shoes dropped off need to be tied together.

Following are the seven area Hilander locations: 3710 N. Main St., Rockford; 2206 Barnes Blvd., Rockford; 2601 N. Mulford Road, Rockford; 1715 Rural St., Rockford; 2514 S. Alpine Road, Rockford; 3134 11th St., Rockford; and 4900 Hononegah Road, Roscoe, Ill.

For more information, call (815) 637-1343 or visit www.knib.org.

From the May 9-15, 2012, issue

SwedishAmerican Health System is reducing its workforce by 49 employees and eliminating an additional 76 vacant positions. These actions are part of a total budget reduction of approximately $9.5 million.

“Rising charity care and bad debt levels, Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement cuts and the delay in payments from the State of Illinois, which now are more than 200 days late, have produced shortfalls in our budget that can no longer be sustained,” said SwedishAmerican Health System President and CEO Dr. Bill Gorski. “This is painful and affects people, but the current climate requires us to take action in order to maintain our financial stability.”

According to Dr. Gorski, compared to the nation, state and region, SwedishAmerican remains strong. Market share continues to grow, and SwedishAmerican continues to be profitable. However, according to Dr. Gorski, the cuts are a necessary and proactive response to a challenging economic climate.

SwedishAmerican will outsource its durable medical equipment business, gift shops and valet parking program. Some affected employees will be able to secure positions with the outsourcing companies or the health system.

Medical supply, information technology and other contracts have been renegotiated, and discretionary cost reductions will be made across the health system. Merit increases to staff will be delayed until Jan. 1, 2013, and to management until April 1, 2013.

Dr. Gorski said that, throughout this process, the focus has remained on the provision of high-quality, patient-centered health care; community needs; and growth, investment, and commitment to key services and projects such as the Heart Hospital, expansion of the Medical Group and construction of the free-standing SwedishAmerican Regional Cancer Center.

SwedishAmerican is a not-for-profit, locally-governed health care system with headquarters in Rockford. The health system is composed of two hospitals, 30 clinics, a home health care agency, a foundation and an exclusive affiliation with UW Health in northern Illinois.

From the May 9-15, 2012, issue

The U.S. Labor Department announced May 4 that the U.S. economy added 115,000 jobs in April, below March’s revised increase of 154,000 and fewer than the pace set earlier this year.

The unemployment rate dropped to 8.1 percent in April, down from 8.2 percent in March. The nationwide unemployment rate has now dropped a full percentage point since August to a three-year low.

The April drop is attributed to people giving up looking for work, as the government only counts those actively seeking employment when tabulating its unemployment rate.

The percentage of adults working or looking for work fell to its lowest level in more than 30 years, and more than 5 million Americans have been unemployed for six months or longer.

At least 125,000 jobs must be created each month to keep up with population growth.

An average of 252,000 jobs per month were added from December through February. But job gains have averaged just 135,000 in the last two months, below last year’s pace of 164,000 per month.

The average hourly rate rose a penny to $23.38 in April, equaling a 1.8 percent increase over the past year, which trails the rate of inflation.

Sectors adding jobs in April included manufacturers, retailers, and hotels and restaurants. Cuts were made in shipping and warehousing firms, construction companies and government jobs.

The government reported May 3 that the number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell last week by the most in a year. Some believe the drop in requests for unemployment benefits could be reflected in solid May jobs numbers.

U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., issued the following statement regarding the April jobs report:

“Do you remember the chart the president’s economic team put out that projected with the ‘stimulus’, unemployment would never rise above 8 percent? What about the press conference where the president said 90 percent of the jobs created by the ‘stimulus’ would be private sector jobs?

“None of those promises panned out. If anything, things have gotten worse — and according to today’s report by the Department of Labor, unemployment remains above 8 percent for April.

“About half of college graduates are unemployed or underemployed in this weak economy. We can’t continue to follow the same failed agenda that has driven job creators further into doubt and uncertainty.

“The road to refueling our economy and creating jobs means tackling our debt head on; simplifying the tax code; reining in Washington’s red-tape factory; and making our nation energy secure by moving policy forward like the Keystone XL Pipeline, which would help lower costs at the pump and create jobs here at home.”

From the May 9-15, 2012, issue

Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride of the Illinois Supreme Court and Chief Judge Joseph G. McGraw of the 17th Judicial Circuit formally announced April 30 that news cameras will be allowed in trial courtrooms in Boone and Winnebago counties under a pilot program approved by the Supreme Court earlier this year.

Chief Justice Kilbride made an initial announcement April 28 during his keynote address before the Illinois News Broadcasters Association’s spring convention held in Macomb, Ill.

With the Supreme Court’s Order filed April 30, the 17th Circuit joins Carroll, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle and Stephenson counties in the 15th Judicial Circuit, Madison County in the Third Judicial Circuit, Kankakee County in the 21st Judicial Circuit, and Henry, Mercer, Rock Island and Whiteside counties in the 14th Judicial Circuit where extended media coverage was approved earlier by the Supreme Court. The order is effective immediately.

“The 17th Circuit is home to Rockford, the third largest city in Illinois, with four network affiliate television stations and a regional daily newspaper included in its media market,” Chief Justice Kilbride said. “There are also numerous smaller newspapers and radio stations that can now provide the opportunity to have audio and photo coverage of the courts for their listeners and readers.

“As the pilot project progresses with another judicial circuit’s participation, it is paramount to remember that the most important issue is to continue to balance carefully the goals of greater openness and access with dignity for the process and the guaranteed rights of all to a fair trial,” Kilbride said.

Approval of the 17th Circuit extends the pilot project even further into the Second Judicial District, joining five counties in the 15th Judicial Circuit that were recently approved for coverage by the court.

“The 17th Circuit has an admirable history of being in the forefront of programs designed to enhance the administration of justice in Illinois,” said Justice Robert R. Thomas, whose Second Judicial District includes the 15th and 17th circuits.

“It helped begin a lawyer-to-lawyer mentoring program for new attorneys with the Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism and was instrumental in ensuring the success of the alternate dispute resolution program,” Thomas said. “I am pleased that Chief Judge McGraw and the judges in the 17th Circuit are continuing that tradition and embracing the pilot project for cameras in the courtroom.”

Chief Judge McGraw said he and the judges in the 17th Circuit are committed to the success of the program that would bring an additional opportunity to assess the pilot project from another perspective.

“Boone and Winnebago counties are comprised of a mix of urban, suburban and rural areas,” Chief Judge McGraw said. “By allowing extended media coverage in our jurisdiction, the High Court may be afforded with additional and varied program assessment information. Our court staff has developed a positive working relationship with various media representatives, and we welcome the collaboration of the news media to develop local protocols and implement a successful program.”

Winnebago County State’s Attorney Joseph P. Bruscato also supports the pilot project, Chief Judge McGraw said.

The Supreme Court order approving the 17th Circuit requires that a judge presiding over a proceeding in which cameras or audio are allowed must file a report with the chief judge of the circuit, the Chief Justice and Justice Thomas.

Chief Justice Kilbride announced Jan. 24 the Supreme Court’s approval of an experimental program to allow news media cameras and audio in trial courtrooms. The Supreme Court has allowed cameras to broadcast its own oral arguments, and those of the Illinois Appellate Court, since 1983. At that time, however, the court specifically rejected allowing news cameras during trial proceedings, and the issue made little headway until Chief Justice Kilbride and his fellow justices took another look.

The 14th Judicial Circuit in northwestern Illinois was the first to be approved for cameras. Chief Judge Jeffrey W. O’Connor of the 14th Circuit already has implemented a policy, and cameras have been allowed in several proceedings there. Chief Judge O’Connor also has granted a request by the media for camera coverage of a trial scheduled June 11 in Whiteside County for a defendant accused of murder.

From the May 2-8, 2012, issue

Sensei John Allen, 65, established the Rockford Karate Club in 1965. The club is at 915 1/2 E. State St., Rockford, and can be reached at (815) 965-7575. (Photo by Bob Fine)

By Richard S. Gubbe
Contributing Writer

Sensei John Allen has taken karate to its highest level — that of a true art form and a labor of love. His students achieve through education and repetition, and with hard work, they learn dedication and discipline and earn loyalties and friendships.

Karate itself has been Americanized, and is now, perhaps, softer in its approach. Degrees are often bought at chain schools where they want to make sure you don’t lose interest. The days of spending hours in a dojo every day have passed for the most part, replaced by busy schedules and work demands.

That’s not the path taken by Allen, founder of the Rockford Karate Club. The karate path for John Allen began 50 years ago in the simplest of ways — he started karate because he was getting beaten up by his best friend in high school.

“A good friend of mine was beating me up in gym class in boxing. He was a little taller than me,” Allen said. After continuing to pummel the young Allen, his friend said, “Isn’t this fun?” “I said, ‘I don’t know, I haven’t hit you once.’ Then, I asked myself, what if it was someone who didn’t like me?” Allen said.

After convincing his mother and grandmother that he wouldn’t hurt anybody, Allen started at a school on Auburn Street that offered “some off-brand of karate.”

The workouts were typical for Korean martial arts — drills, upon drills, upon drills. The same was true for Shotokan styles taught by the Japanese. “That’s how they were — 100 kicks off each leg,” Allen recalled of the warmups. “It was just brutal. Then, we practiced karate.”

Allen, now 65, trained under Master Shojiro Sugiyama in Chicago in a serious atmosphere, old-school karate dojo. “One time, they locked the door — it was scary,” Allen recalled. “That was an experience.”

It was at Sugiyama’s school where Allen met Joe Gonzalez. Gonzalez, 70, started in martial arts in the military, then went on to be a world champion and seventh-degree black belt. He won the Pan American Games competition under the International Traditional Karate Federation in 1983 and operates a studio in Rolling Meadows. “A lot of schools call themselves traditional karate, but they don’t know what that means,” Gonzalez said. “Mr. Allen is a very honest man. And because of his character, you cannot find a better instructor for men, women or children if you want to learn the art of karate.”

Gonzalez believes many styles of karate have gotten soft in testing for rank. When he and Allen were coming up, earning a belt was tough.

“You had to train hard to get a black belt,” Gonzalez said. “Sometimes we would flunk, and we would think nothing about it. Now, they don’t think they might flunk. Mr. Allen tries to maintain the tradition of rank. He’s a traditional man.” The two teamed up to teach, have won awards and accomplished much. Both owned schools and watched karate change — just not at their schools.

Allen is the founder and the heart of the Rockford Karate Club, established in 1965. It is Rockford’s oldest and longest-running karate training center with its current location on East State Street. “I started my first school in someone’s basement. We used to move the furniture out,” Allen said. “Then, it was another basement. We also went out to Page Park and trained. Then, someone suggested I get my own place. I started at the YMCA, and then I got my place on Seventh Street.”

Allen has taught for 48 years and instructed more than 10,000 men, women and children. He holds a fifth-degree black belt in the Karate Instructor’s Council of Chicago, a third-degree black belt in jujitsu and a fifth-degree black belt in Shotokan karate, training under the famed Master Hidetaka Nishiyama.

Allen has assisted in organizing many local regional and national karate tournaments in Rockford and Chicago. He has trained three Great Lakes Karate champions, in 1984, 1986 and 1990. He is the only chief instructor for the Japan Karate Association in the Shotokan style in the Rockford area. He has taught karate at local colleges, a high school, community and boys’ clubs. He has taught a women’s self-defense class at Rockford Memorial, SwedishAmerican and Kishwaukee Community hospitals.

Allen developed defensive tactics and programs for law enforcement and correctional officers, working with retired officer Dennis Eagleson. Eagleson met Allen near the beginning of Eagleson’s 29 years on the Rockford Police Department. Allen taught Eagleson karate, and the two formed a friendship and a business bond. “He helped me immensely,” Eagleson said of his outside training.

That’s when they developed training for police officers in self-defense techniques, such as the use of a baton or good handcuffing techniques. “My first lesson plan was on the back of a napkin at a donut shop,” Allen recalled.

The two developed books and other training materials and got classes state certified.

“When we first started this training program, we would meet in his living room and sit there and look at a technique,” Eagleson said. “A lot of it was created in his living room.”

Teaching was a way to supplement income.

“In order to do that, we had to get good at it ourselves,” Eagleson said. “What was satisfying is when officers would come up to us and say, ‘Boy, that was nice. We didn’t have to fight with the individuals.’”

Allen has taught for three of the state’s mobile training units in the northern half of the state. “It’s a way of helping out,” he said. “They didn’t have a good program when they left the academy,” Allen said. “It was a good blend.”

Since 1986, Allen has been a defensive tactics instructor for Mobile Team Training Unit No. 2, a local branch of the Illinois Law Enforcement Board that serves Boone, DeKalb and Winnebago counties. He is also an instructor for Mobile Team Unit No. 1 in Galena, Ill., and Mobile 5 in Mendota, Ill.

He is certified to teach A.S.P. Baton and the Police Straight Baton, Pressure Point. OcC. Spray, Handgun retention and Speed Handcuffing and Defensive Tactics Correctional Defensive Tactics, Cell Extraction, Ground Fight in Knife Defense.

Allen trains private security companies such as the staffs at Rockford Memorial, SwedishAmerican and Kishwaukee hospitals and Custom Protection Service, Rockford Alarm Co., Executive Protection and Investigation, the former Janet Wattles Mental Health Center and Winnebago County Animal Services.

He also is employed by a security company and holds the rank of sergeant in the training division. During the past 26 years, he has trained more than 8,500 officers.

He is an auxiliary deputy with the Boone County Sheriff’s Patrol. He is training at Rockford Memorial Hospital this week. His affiliations with karate organizations, civil groups and law enforcement agencies are too numerous to mention. He first joined the American Amateur Karate Federation in 1972.

Back in the day, a fu manchu and a ponytail

“We always said what a goofy guy he looked like,” Eagleson recalled. “And he looked like he was mad at the world. But I never heard him say an unkind word about anybody. People would say, ‘I could take him.’ Needless to say, it didn’t work. John wasn’t one to mess around with unless you wanted to get hurt. They learned a lot of the times through pain compliance.”

Eagleson, who also has logged 11 years in Winnebago County as a bailiff, has known Allen for 30 years. “John is really easygoing and mild-mannered. I have never seen John get mad,” Eagleson said. “He’s very gracious, conscientious with his children’s class. He never gets upset. He teaches, not yells. His one downfall is he doesn’t build himself up. And yet his black belts have been with him for years and years.”

Gonzalez added: “He never was about being a champion of this or a champion of that. He didn’t teach karate because he wanted to be rich.”

Allen also earned his living as a photographer for The Labor News, Rockford Journal and Lively Times. He also took wedding photos.

Allen often competed at tournaments in Chicago. While he always preaches preparation, Allen manages to forget one basic element in competing at a tournament — his pants. He had to buy new ones in Chicago.

His sensei at the time was the renowned Sugiyama, a historical figure in the annals of Japanese martial arts.

“I never had a male role model for a parent,” Allen admitted. “Sugiyama was a mentor. He gave me karate as a way of life, as a discipline.”

Although Allen is imposing to some and can be an intimidating taskmaster, his focus is one passing on knowledge. He wants his students to learn to avoid confrontation as he has. John Allen never gets attacked out on the street. Some say it’s the energy he projects — that of not being a victim. He says he just blends in.

Denny Stupec, 58, sought out Allen in 1971 to help his brother avoid conflict. “I was just a kid just out of high school, and I lived by Beyer Stadium by a housing project,” Stupec said. “My younger brother was getting roughed up.”

Stupec was referred by a friend to Allen’s school. “I explained to Mr. Allen what was going on with my brother. He said, ‘what about you?’” Stupec said. Stupec rose to a brown belt, then quit, returning 10 years ago for his black belt. Now, he teaches youth and adult classes.

“I like the whole philosophy of the nonprofit structure and staying with traditional methods,” Stupec said. “I never considered going anywhere else. I think his strongest point is fundamentals of Shotokan. He brings up the lower belts and gives them a foundation. We see how well they do in Chicago against the other clubs—stance, the hips, the correct way to do it.”

Allen teaches the Okinawan artform two days a week while other black belts run adult and children classes on other days and nights. The dojo on East State is an old dance studio. Whereas most men of his stature are unapproachable, Allen is more than cordial, more than congenial. “It really is special because of all the other people involved,” Stupec said. “There’s enough of us there to keep this going. Where else could you find something like this? I never met anyone who has a true love of martial arts like he does. He lived it.”

Allen also provides security at a local hotel. One of the few times he’s had to apply his trade came at a hotel. “Someone went for my gun, and I thought he was going to kill me,” Allen recalled. “I drove him into the ground, put him in an arm bar and cuffed him.”

Karate also led Allen down the path of marriage. “That’s how I met my wife,” Allen said. “I trained her brother. She (Mary) was a nurse. I broke a rule I made to never ask a girl out from the club. We went for a cup of coffee, and we ended up going together.”

Allen operates the school on a not-for-profit level. He runs the oldest school in Rockford and he doesn’t advertise. The rates are low: $40 for adults and $30 for children per month.

“I saw what money did for other schools. I didn’t want that to happen to my club,” Allen said. “We all volunteer to teach.”

“He has never been paid a salary by his own Rockford Karate Club. John Allen stands for all the best principals in karate,” said Frank Schier, editor and publisher of The Rock River Times. “I have been lucky enough to be trained by Mr. Allen on and off since 1974. I became one of his black belts in 1986. He always welcomes old students back, and sparkles when new ones arrive. He is great with kids. He shows adults of any age they can, like me.

“Mr. Allen’s character quietly shines as a stellar example of humility, honesty, patience, perseverance, kindness, courage and high, never-yielding standards. His depth of knowledge in martial arts still astounds me. He truly loves Shotokan, teaching and his students. I feel lucky to call him ‘Sensei’ and to share our July 1 birthday. He has made the Rockford Karate Club an institution that has helped so many. Our city should be proud of him. His many students certainly are proud of him and feel honored to have learned from him. When you say ‘John Allen’ to anyone who knows him, you always get a smile. No greater respect exists.”

From the May 2-8, 2012, issue

Timmothy Pitzen

• Boy’s mother was found dead of a suicide inside a Rockford motel room May 14, 2011

Staff Report

The search for 7-year-old Timmothy Pitzen, of Aurora, Ill., who went missing May 12, 2011, continues one year after his disappearance.

Timmothy was last seen at a water park in Wisconsin Dells, Wis. He was last with his mother, Amy Fry-Pitzen, who was found dead May 14, 2011, of a suicide after she slit her wrists with a knife inside a Rockford motel room.

Fry-Pitzen had taken her son out of school May 11, 2011, without telling family members, and took him to the Wisconsin Dells. The two went on a three-day, 500-mile road trip, stopping at zoos and water parks in northern Illinois and Wisconsin.

Investigators have released surveillance video showing Fry-Pitzen taking Timmothy out of school, plus two home videos.

In the home videos, Timmothy is dressed in Spider-Man pajamas and playing a guitar made from Tinker toys. In the surveillance video, Fry-Pitzen is shown waiting in the school until Timmothy approaches wearing a backpack. The video then shows the two leaving the school.

The investigation has revealed Fry-Pitzen made several cellphone calls from the Rock Falls-Sterling area. Her final call May 13 had her about 5 miles northwest of Sterling near Illinois Highway 40. She had called family May 13 to tell them she and Timmothy were OK.

Police examination of Fry-Pitzen’s I-PASS account showed she had made two prior trips to the Dixon-Rock Falls-Sterling area that her family could not account for.

Police found a large amount of Timmothy’s blood in the back seat of the 2004 Ford Expedition Fry-Pitzen was driving when she took him out of school. However, authorities said the blood could have been from a nosebleed.

When her Ford Expedition was located in the parking lot of the Rockford hotel, Aurora police said the vehicle was “visibly dirty and had growth that was similar to tall grass or weeds underneath the body.”

Six months after Timmothy’s disappearance, police released results of forensic analysis of the grass, dirt and debris taken from Fry-Pitzen’s Ford Expedition. Lab results determined the plant material on the Expedition showed it was stopped for a time on a wide gravel shoulder or a gravel road. According to reports, the evidence showed the Expedition was backed into a grassy field near the gravel area.

A suicide note and several letters were found upon Fry-Pitzen’s death. In notes to her husband, her mother and a close friend, Fry-Pitzen said her son was safe and with people who loved him. However, she did not say with whom she had left Timmothy.

Timmothy’s grandmother, Alana Anderson, has said in reports that one of the notes warned, “You will never find Timmothy.”

Anderson and Timmothy’s father, Jim Pitzen, marked what would have been Timmothy’s seventh birthday Oct. 18, 2011, by planting a 7-year-old blue spruce tree in the back garden.

Anderson told the Chicago Tribune: “I bought him a birthday card and cut out pictures of the things I would have bought for him … a lighted skateboard, a remote-control helicopter.”

Timmothy Pitzen, who may go by Tim or Timmy, is white with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last known to be 4 feet, 2 inches tall and weighed 70 pounds.

Anyone with information about Timmothy Pitzen’s whereabouts is urged to contact The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST) or the Aurora Police Department at 1-630-256-5000.

From the May 2-8, 2012, issue

By LeRoy and Lisa Jones
Proprietors of the Lafayette Hotel and Mandalay Lounge

First opened in 1927 as the Bus Stop Soda Stand in the then-new Lafayette Hotel, the soda stand quickly became the Mandalay Lounge until a change of ownership in 1961 — that was 30-plus years of business. Now, 200 N. Church St. has reclaimed the name Mandalay Lounge and its character.

Come in and enjoy this small lounge atmosphere that offers wireless Internet, news and sports channels, a relaxed setting with low background music such as blues and progressive jazz.

The Mandalay Lounge offers a nice place to have drinks and simple snacks before or after a downtown event, or a comfortable place to just sit and socialize with friends.

In downtown Rockford at the corner of Church and Mulberry streets, within walking distance of BMO Harris Bank Center, Coronado Theatre, Davis Park and Sullivan Theater, we fully support the arts and invite any local artist to hang their works in our lounge.

The Lafayette Hotel fits the definition of a hotel, like no other in Rockford’s history: residences, retail space, restaurant.

The Lafayette Hotel has had many renovations. Today, because of constant maintenance and restoration, the Lafayette Hotel remains unique as a functioning structure in Rockford history.

In the hotel’s 85-year story, the Lafayette Hotel has seen many changes. We at the hotel believe downtown has turned from the past pages of decline to new pages of prosperity, where the best is yet to come for the heart of Rockford.

The Oxford English Dictionary definition of “hotel” — (heútEl old-fashioned u-tEl), sb. [a.F.Hôtel, later form of hostel (see HOSTEL sb. 1).] 1. (In French use.) A. A large private residence, a town mansion. b. A public official residence, hôtel de ville, the mansion house of maire, a town hall.

The Lafayette Hotel was built during a period of high prosperity. The building was constructed with excellent materials and workmanship. This quality still shines and is one of the elements that makes The Lafayette Hotel the unique landmark it is today.

Named after the Marquis de Lafayette, the hotel’s most famous guest has been Eleanor Roosevelt.

The Editor & Publisher of The Rock River Times, Frank Schier, even managed Harper’s Weekly from 1985 to 1987; and believe it or not, we still get along with him.

Here’s a little more history for you, the establishments and their owners at 200 N. Church St., were: 1927-1968 — Mandalay Lounge — Lafayette Hotel; 1968-1973 — Ram Room — Howard Crosby; 1973-1974 — Body Shop; 1974-1977 — Executive Lounge; 1978-1987 — Harper’s Weekly — Peter Alexander; 1987-1988 — Cubby O’Brien — Steve Shortino, Gary Dahlberg; 1988-1997 — Cubby’s West — Gene Gosseaux; 1997-2006 — Swilligan’s — Paul Mangiaracino; 2006-2008 — Swilligan’s — Reggie Roberson; 2008-2010 — Tommy’s Swilligan’s –— Tom Lester; 2010-2011 — Swilligan’s — Lisa Grentz, Jarod Ramsden, Tanya and Craig Reddings; April 2012 — Mandalay Lounge — Lafayette Hotel.

With a rich history and many stories to tell, we’ve returned to our roots and original name, The Mandalay Lounge. Come on in and meet our bartenders, Beth, LeRoy and Dan. Lounge hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Phone 1-779-423-1061. Come on in and enjoy our low-key atmosphere and relax. We look forward to seeing you.

From the May 2-8, 2012, issue

For a city that regularly makes “Top 10 Worst” lists (Forbes’ “Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities,” Money’s “Top 10 Worst Cities”), Rockford has finally received some positive media recognition.

An April 25 Chicago Sun-Times article listed Rockford as a “family friendly destination.” The article can be read at http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/weekend/12135210-421/area-day-trips-a-great-family-adventure.html.

“We are always excited when we are able to tell our neighbors to the east what a great place Rockford is, not just for families, but also for visitors of all ages,” John Groh, president/CEO of the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (RACVB), said of the recognition.

In the article, “Area day trips a great family adventure,” by free-lance writer Jennifer Burklow, Bridgett French, marketing manager for RACVB, listed a series of must-see family destinations in Rockford.

The must-see destinations included Rockford’s Discovery Center Museum, Burpee Museum of Natural History, Rockford Art Museum, Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens, Anderson Japanese Gardens, the Forest City Queen Riverboat, Trolley Car 36 tours, Magic Waters Waterpark and the Ski Broncs Waterski Shows.

Also mentioned in the article were regional attractions Summerfield Farm and Zoo in Belvidere, Ill., and Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Ill.

“What you’ll find when you come to Rockford is that all of the sites and attractions have free parking and we have great restaurants,” French said in the article. “And our sites and attractions have something to offer for the entire family.”

St. Charles/Geneva and Starved Rock State Park/North Utica were also listed in the article as family-friendly destinations.

From the May 2-8, 2012, issue

Staff Report

Andy Roiniotis and Denny Trakas, owners of RBI and Onyx bar and grills, announced their latest venture, in the former Paragon location at 205 W. State St., will be called District.

Management said the name is a nod to the rebirth of a downtown zone for locals and a destination for music, drinks and sports watching.

District’s logo incorporates the Jefferson Street Bridge and a color scheme to be seen throughout the new hot spot.

“District is something Rockford just doesn’t have,” said Todd Silberhorn, District’s general manager. “It’s an upscale sports bar in a nightclub atmosphere.”

The name was selected in part with the help of locals through a poll on RBI’s Facebook page.

“The owners are bringing their experience and track records of success to downtown through an urban sports lounge, music venue and eatery in one,” said District’s Service and Public Relations Manager Betsy Lopez.

The restaurant’s menu will include more than 80 items, vegetarian-friendly dishes and appetizers, specialty salads and lunch selections, in addition to dishes found at RBI and Onyx.

At approximately 8,000 square feet, the establishment will bring 60 positions to downtown Rockford. A job fair will be held at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. May 8 and 9, to recruit for staff.

From the May 2-8, 2012, issue

First Northern Credit Union and Lou Bachrodt Auto Mall are holding the Annual Keeping Kids Safe Project Friday and Saturday, May 4-5. Stop by Lou Bachrodt, 7070 CherryVale N. Blvd., Friday between noon and 6 p.m., and Saturday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The Keeping Kids Safe Project is a National Child Safety Program that tours the country providing FBI-quality Digital Fingerprints to families.

The hope is that no parent will ever need to use the records provided but will have it just in case there ever is a dangerous situation.

“We’ve been doing this event for a few years now and always love having the SIP Kids organization back,” said Jon Pick, district manager of Financial Sales and Service with First Northern Credit Union. “They provide a great free service to help out families all across the nation, and we’re happy to be able to bring them to Rockford.”

There will be dance and karate demonstrations inside the Auto Mall showroom as well as free snacks and drinks for everyone.

Safe Kids of Winnebago County will provide free child safety seat inspections from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday. For any new children’s account opened at the event Saturday, First Northern will deposit the first $25 to start off their savings.

From the May 2-8, 2012, issue

The Workforce Connection is announcing plans to hold a Youth Summer Job Fair from 3-7 p.m., Thursday, May 10, at the Rockford Career College, 1130 S. Alpine Road.

The U.S. Department of Labor and the National Association of Workforce Boards are promoting May 10 as National Youth Summer Job Fair Day and have asked organizations across the country to host events to help young people find work for the summer months.

Businesses interested in participating in the job fair should contact the Workforce Connection at (815) 395-6688.

From the May 2-8, 2012, issue

By Frank Schier
Editor & Publisher

Hop on down the Free Oak Tree Trail courtesy of Living Lands and Waters’ One Million Trees Program, Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful (KNIB) and the Rock River Trail Initiative (RRTI) to find five Winnebago County locations listed below, just in time for Arbor Day.

The main goal of the Rock River Trail Initiative (RRTI), whose parent organization is the 501 (c)(3) Friends of the Rock, is to found a national recreational trail along the 300 miles of the Rock River, from its source above the Horicon Marsh in Wisconsin to its mouth at the Quad Cities in Illinois. Eco-tourism and the resulting economic development and jobs will reinforce the goals of protecting and improving the water quality and general environment along the Rock River.

For the second year in a row, Chad Pregracke, president of Living Lands and Waters’ One Million Trees program, has donated 10,000 trees to the Rock River Trail Initiative, to be distributed to all 11 counties along the Rock River. At the Feb. 3, 2011, Rock River Trail National and State Legislative Briefing in Rockford, Pregracke liked what he heard about the Rock River Trail Initiative so much, he increased his initial offering of 5,000 trees to 10,000. Visit www.livinglandsandwaters.org/milliontrees/default.htm. This will make 20,000 trees Chad has donated and the RRTI has distributed along the course of the Rock River. We are also proud to have him as an honorary RRTI council member. Thanks, Chad!

The tree species are swamp chestnut oak, black oak, pin oak and red oak. Each sapling is 2 to 4 feet long, rooted. The trees will be delivered to the 11 counties of the Rock River Trail. The trees will be distributed in Rock Island, Henry and Whiteside counties April 25; Lee, Ogle, Winnebago, Rock and Dane counties April 26; and Jefferson, Dodge and Fond du Lac counties on Arbor Day, April 27. Depending on the traffic, the delivery may be more prompt.

With the only caveat being the trees must be planted within sight of the Rock River, each of the 11 counties will get 910 trees. The 455 trees are slated for the public sector: city and state parks. The other 455 trees are slated for commercial businesses and residences along the Rock River. The average retail value of each of these oak trees is $30, so that’s a total of $27,300 worth of free trees for each county, or $300,300 worth of new oak trees for the entire Rock River.

For Winnebago County, contact Rockford Park District Natural Areas Maintenance Coordinator Nate Hill, phone (815) 289-9901 Distribution of the trees will be Saturday, April 28, 2011, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. as supply lasts at RPD Trolley Station, 302 N. Madison. Phone (815) 987-1661.

From 8 a.m to noon, Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful (KNIB), as part of the Great American Clean-up, will offer trees at: • Rockton Village Green Park, 149 E. Chapel St., Rockton; • Roscoe Public Works Building, 5402 Swanson Road, Roscoe; • South Beloit Fire Station, 149 Gardner St., South Beloit; and • New Milford Village Hall, 6771 11th St., New Milford. KNIB phone is (815) 637-1343. The Rock River Trail Initiative Council Members for Winnebago County are Rockford Park District Executive Director Emeritus and Historian Webbs Norman, President of the Illinois Paddling Council Tom Lindblade and The Rock River Times Editor & Publisher Frank Schier, (815) 964-9767.

Yes, the Rock River Trail is being built, and many will be surprised how much of it already exists! Please visit www.rockrivertrail.com.

Many thanks to all of the great folks who have helped so much, especially Chad Pregracke and Ashley Stover at Living Lands & Waters, Rockford Park District’s Tim Dimke, Ron Butler, Dan Erwin and Nate Hill. More partnership thanks go to KNIB’s Lori Gummow and Trish Cielesz. Special thanks to Warren Green, branch rental manager of Penske Truck Rentals in Rockford who has donated an 8,000-pound capacity truck for the pick-up and delivery of the oak trees. For more information, go to www.GoPenske.com. Special thanks to the City of Rockford Administrator Jim Ryan and Mayor Lawrence “Larry” J. Morrissey for the donation of $500 for fuel costs.

Other RRTI county distribution points and schedule

Wednesday, April 25

In Rock Island County, the distribution point will be at Black Hawk State Historic Site maintenance shop, 1510 46th Ave., Rock Island, Ill., April 27, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. If this time is inconvenient, contact Marilyn Andress for an appointment at: (309) 292-0690 or e-mail marilyn.andress@il.nacdnet.net. The Rock Island County RRTI Council Member is Chris Ontiveros, (309) 716-0414, e-mail contiveros@gmail.com.

For Henry County, contact Henry County Soil & Water Conservation District Administrative Coordinator Sharon Matson (sharon.matson@il.nacdnet) and Resource Conservationist Andrew Brackman (andrew.brackman@il.nacdnet), 301 E. North St., Cambridge, IL 61238. Phone: (309) 937-5263. The Rock River Trail Initiative Council Members for Henry County are Dorothy and Carles Brown of the Natural Area Guardians. Phone (309) 441-5314.

For Whiteside County, contact Whiteside County Soil and Water Conservation District Resource Conservationist Dave Harrison, USDA Bldg. 16255 Liberty St., Morrison, IL 61270. Phone: (815) 772-2124 (Ext. 3). The Rock River Trail Initiative Council member for Whiteside County is Dave Druen of the Tri city Trailblazers and Friends of the Hennepin Canal. Phone (815) 716-3366.

Thursday, April 26

For Lee County, contact Executive Director Debra Carey of the Dixon Park District, 804 Palmyra St., Dixon, IL 61021. Phone: (815) 284-3306. The Rock River Trail Initiative Council member for Lee County is Debbie Thompson, also board member for The Next Picture Show Gallery, artist and canoeist. Phone (815) 440-1476.

For Ogle County, contact Byron Forest Preserve Executive Director Todd Tucker or Superintendent of Education and Recreation Richie Wolf , 7993 N. River Road, Byron, IL 61010-9533. Phone (815) 234-8535. The Rock River Trail Initiative Council members for Ogle County are President and Vice President of the Illinois Renewable Association Drs. Bob and Sonia Vogl, phone (815) 732-7332, and Oregon Park District Superintendent of Recreation Erin Folk, phone (815) 732-3101.

For Winnebago County, see above.

For Rock County, contact County Conservationist Thomas Sweeney, USDA — Service Center, 440 N US Highway 14, Janesville, WI 53546, located in the USDA Service Center on Highway 14, east of Janesville. Phone (608) 754-6617, ext. 115. Distribution will be Arbor Day, Friday, April 27, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Rock River Trail Initiative Council members for Rock County are City of Beloit City Councilor Sheila De Forest, phone (608) 312-2695, and Rock County Parks Division Community Coordinator Joleen Stinson, phone (608) 757-5473.

In Dane County, the distribution point will be the offices of Dane County Land and Water Resources Department, 1 Fen Oak Court, Room 208, Madison, WI 53718 ; Contact Pete Jopke by phone at (608) 224-3730 or e-mail to jopke@countyofdane.com. The Dane County Rock River Trail Council member is Dave Schreiber, principal, Schreiber/Anderson Associates, phone (608) 255-0800.

Friday, April 27

For Jefferson County, contact Land & Water Conservation Department Director Mark Watkins, 320 Main St., Room 113, Jefferson, WI 53549. Phone: (920) 674-7110 or (920) 674-7111. The Jefferson County Rock River Trail Initiative Council members are Rock River Coalition Secretary and Director James Kerler, phone (920) 648-8005, and Jefferson County Parks Department Director Joe Nehmer, phone (920) 674-7260.

In Dodge County, the distribution point will be the offices of Dodge County Land Conservation Department; 127 E. Oak St.; Juneau, WI 53039; Contact Rock River Trail Council Member Bill Ehlenbeck at (920) 386-3702 or e-mail to behlenbeck@co.dodge.wi.us.

In Fond du Lac County, contact City of Waupun Director of Public Works and Rock River Trail Initiative Council Member Dick Flynn, 201 E. Main St., Waupun, WI 53963. Distribution will be at the City Garage, 903 N. Madison, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Phone (920) 324-7918 dick@cityofwaupun.org.

Courtesy of Living Lands & Waters.

MillionTrees Project

The goal of the MillionTrees Project is to grow and plant ONE MILLION trees during the next 5-10 years! Since 2008, we have planted 460,000 trees.

We are growing native hardwood nut-bearing trees that will benefit our rivers and communities. Visit our website for details and more information about this exciting project: www.livinglandsandwaters.org.

Some great facts about TREES!

• Provide food and shelter for birds and wildlife

• Reduce air pollution

• Provide shade and conserve energy

• Reduce soil erosion

• Roots help reduce the amount of pollution and run-off entering our creeks, rivers and streams

• Trees are just plain beautiful and increase aesthetics everywhere they are planted

• Oak trees can reach up to 100 feet tall, and their branches can reach up to 100 feet wide

What goes into growing our trees?

There are many behind-the-scenes activities that require a lot of organization, coordination, time and manpower that contribute to each and every seedling that is given away. We hope, therefore, that you take care of it and are able to give it the attention it deserves. We hope you enjoy your new tree for many years to come!

For more information: E-mail Ashley Stover, MillionTrees Project Coordinator, at:

Ashley@livinglandsandwaters.org

www.livinglandsandwaters.org

17624 Route 84 N, East Moline, IL 61244

309-737-5913

How to plant trees!

Seedling Planting Instructions

Soak trees in water ONE DAY before planting, but make sure tree stays in bag until then!

1. Scout out an area for your tree that is clear from power lines, other trees, buildings and anything else within 30 feet from tree. Call your utilities to have them mark for underground utilities. If necessary, obtain permission to plant in your desired area.

2. Dig a hole, at least 2 times the width of the root system, so the roots can spread without crowding.

3. Turn the soil up to 3 feet in diameter around your hole to help promote root growth.

4. Place the tree in the hole, with the top of the roots just under the soil line. Make sure the roots are spread out in their natural direction. Do not plant with packing materials.

5. Partially fill the hole with dirt, firm the soil around the lower roots, making sure not to break them. Use water to help reduce air pockets.

6. Fill the rest of the hole up, making sure the root collar is at the soil line, and pack firmly. Do not pack too tightly as this may break roots and slow root growth.

7. Water the tree with plenty of water, making sure to water the entire planting area.

8. After the water has soaked in, place mulch around the tree within 1 inch of touching the tree. Mulch is important for retaining moisture and keeping weeds down.

9. Water your newly-planted tree every week or 10 days during the first year. Water slowly around the drip line. (The drip line is defined by the farthest-reaching leaves/branches.)

10. Enjoy your new oak tree!

From the April 25-May 1, 2012, issue

Editor’s Note: From Farce to BIG FARCE: After other “hearings” in Winnebago County on the Wind Ordinance, Asphalt Plant on East State Street, and even as far back as the Cannell Development outside Rockton, I have NO FAITH in this county’s democratic process when it comes to William Charles or any big developer. William Charles runs asphalt-shod over this county. This landfill represents millions of dollars to William Charles and the coffers of Winnebago County. Neighbors whose lives and property values will be ruined by this massive money juggernaut, get ready to be ignored by your elected representatives and the hearing officer. Politicians are scared to death of Willam Charles, and everyone is slathering over the big dollars to come. Democracy is dead here, and these hearings are nothing but a big joke of lying through the motions. The county board vote is a foregone exclusion of all the opposition to this landfill expansion. That’s my sad, realistic prediction. I’ve just seen this farce too many times before. The rule of William Charles is the new/old normal. Peasants, how do you like the low-dumping-rate rent, that cheap, rank taste of Chicago’s garbage?

— Frank Schier

Staff Report

As a result of a large number of anticipated attendees, the public participation meetings regarding the proposed expansion of the Winnebago Landfill have been moved to the BMO Harris Bank Center, 300 Elm St., Rockford.

The first meeting was Tuesday, April 24, and the remaining meeting will be from 5 to 9 p.m., Monday, April 30.

The April 30 hearing will be held in the main arena of the BMO Harris Bank Center. Entrance is on Elm Street through the door immediately west of the ticket office, under the stairs.

Parking is available in the Concourse Parking Garage on the west side of the BMO Harris Bank Center on South Church Street.

During public participation hearings, members of the public are invited to appear and comment on the application for expansion of the landfill, 8403 Lindenwood Road, Rockford.

Written comments can be filed with the Winnebago County Clerk’s Office, 404 Elm St., first floor, room 104, Rockford, starting on the date the application was filed until 30 days after the last public hearing. Comments postmarked within that 30-day period (even though received later) will become part of the record and are to be considered by the board.

All interested citizens are reminded that no evidence or testimony outside of the public hearings or written comments sent to the county clerk can be considered by the Winnebago County Board chairman or Winnebago County Board members in its vote to approve or disapprove the proposed expansion.

The county board chairman and county board members are prohibited from considering conversations, phone calls, written materials, advertisements or information on websites presented to them outside of the hearing.

After the hearing and the comment period, a hearing officer will prepare and submit to the Winnebago County Board his report and recommendation. The county board will make its decision based upon the record from the public hearing and may also consider the recommendations of the hearing officer. The county board will then render its decision in a resolution.

From the April 25-May 1, 2012, issue

Anyone who has ridden the Rockford Mass Transit District (RMTD) buses over the last few weeks couldn’t help but notice the new signs at the front of the bus. The inscription “Say Cheese!” is placed over a yellow smiley-face, and below are the words, “For your own safety and security, you may be under audio/video surveillance while on this bus. Your continued ridership constitutes consent to this monitoring.”

To get the story behind the policy, The Rock River Times spoke with RMTD Marketing and Public Relations Specialist Lisa Brown.

TRRT: When was this policy instituted?

Brown: Right now, all the buses have the video. We are in the process of working up audio recording. The 900s [bus numbers] are all complete. In the next month, the entire fleet will have audio and video. The video has been in place a couple years.

TRRT: Had there been any special security problems that might have been the reason for the policy?

Brown: No, it’s just a good move. Most of the fleets throughout the country are moving toward that measure. When we purchased our ’09s, we were able to put the video portion in and update the rest of the fleet, and now we are doing the audio.

TRRT: Have there been any complaints from the public?

Brown: No, not at all. Most people see it as a good thing.

TRRT: What if someone wishes to withdraw their consent? What happens then?

Brown: They would not be riding the bus. People have nothing to fear about this if they are just getting on the bus. If you are making a ruckus, you will have a problem. If you feel that someone is harassing you, that would be a safety measure, or if you feel the driver treated you incorrectly, we would go back and see those videos, and that would be a win-win situation.

TRRT: How much did this equipment cost?

Brown: We have three different [types of] buses in our fleet: the Gilligs, Nabi and New Fliers [manufacturing companies]. The New Fliers were retrofitted with cameras; we bought the buses and added the cameras a few years ago. They cost $7,400 each. The Nabis and the Gilligs — those cameras came as part of the bus. The buses cost roughly in excess of $300,000. It was capital money.

Just in case a legal question should arise, The Rock River Times spoke with Ed Yohnka of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Chicago. We asked him for his perspective on the audio/video monitoring for security.

“I think we find this to be very troubling and problematic legally,” he said. “As you probably know, the entire Illinois Eavesdropping Act has been the subject of a great deal of controversy. One of the issues that’s involved here is, of course, the fact that Illinois is a two-party consent state. There is nothing in the Illinois Eavesdropping Statute that appears to suggest or permit a broad waiver of that claim just on the basis of location. The other important aspect to this is that a public bus — public transportation — is obviously a public accommodation that everyone has the right to use. It’s hard to imagine the government can condition its use on waiving one’s rights to privacy under the Illinois Eavesdropping Statute. There are lots of other issues, too, that would be important here, in terms of, are the cameras and the microphones’ placement clearly marked? Could someone be on the bus and avoid having their conversation recorded? Those are technical questions. The general waiver of one’s rights under the eavesdropping statute is the more critical issue here.”

From the April 25-May 1, 2012, issue

PAWS Humane Society will hold an Adoption Event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, April 28, at The Edgebrook Shopping Center.

PAWS Humane Society will have their Mobile Adoption Vehicle (MAV) on site to do adoptions. Winnebago County Animal Services will also be there adopting out animals as well.

“People can come visit our animals … and also see animals outside the shelter setting,” said PAWS Director Luan Dean. “This allows for better interaction and hopefully ends up in adoption!”

PAWS Mobile Adoption Vehicle has 17 cages … both for cats and dogs. This is the first of many onsite adoption events PAWS Humane Society will be hosting for many of the animal rescue/shelters in our area.

PAWS Humane Society is a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to helping animals in need in the Winnebago and Boone county areas.

For more information about PAWS, visit www.PAWSHS.org or call (815) 299-7297.

From the April 25-May 1, 2012, issue

State Rep. Chuck Jefferson, D-Rockford, will be participating in the March of Dimes’ “March for Babies” at 9 a.m., April 29, starting at the Verdi Club, 782 N. Madison St., Rockford.

The March of Dimes promotes prenatal research, newborn screening, illness prevention campaigns and access to health care for pregnant women.

“Every year, I participate in this important event to help bring attention to the good work done by March of Dimes,” Jefferson said. “The march raises money for research and awareness programs so families have the appropriate prevention tools and education to protect our children.”

The March of Dimes organizes grassroots marches and other awareness and education events throughout the country. The organization advocates for national and state policies aimed at improving the health of babies and strengthening education methods relating to birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. It offers pregnancy workshops, brochures, information for businesses, programs for young males, and prenatal health care for low-income families.

“I will continue my efforts to improve public safety and protect our children,” Jefferson said. “I encourage residents to come join me for this important event to help ensure the health and safety of our children.”

For more information, or to join Jefferson in the March for Babies, contact Jefferson’s full-time constituent service office at (815) 987-7433.

From the April 25-May 1, 2012, issue

Illinois Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon (D) will be in Rockford Monday, April 30, to host a public hearing seeking input on a set of draft recommendations that would make it easier for school districts in the state to consolidate.

The April 30 public hearing will be from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., at the Rock Valley College Woodward Technology Center, Room 117-121, 3301 N. Mulford Road.

Public hearings were held April 19 in Champaign, Ill., and April 20 in Carbondale, Ill.

Following is the other remaining meeting:

Thursday, April 26, 4:30-6:30 p.m. — Prairie State College, Conference Center Auditorium, 202 S. Halsted St., Chicago Heights, Ill.

The Classrooms First Commission is seeking public input on a set of draft recommendations approved April 17 that would make it easier for school districts to consolidate and help them save up to $1 billion in operations costs by sharing services, Simon said.

“I want to hear from citizens across the state as the commission finalizes its recommendations on school district efficiency and effectiveness,” said Simon, who is chairman of the Classrooms First Commission. “Educators, parents and taxpayers helped develop these recommendations, and I urge them to remain involved as the commission begins the final stage of its work.”

No districts would be forced to consolidate under the draft recommendations, but the state would require counties with small and declining school-age populations to study whether county-wide consolidation or sharing services would save money and boost learning. Other draft recommendations include the following:

u allowing compact but not contiguous districts to consolidate; currently, districts must be compact and contiguous;

u expanding the regional board of school trustees dissolution authority, by allowing local districts with under 750 enrollment to seek dissolution with or without a referendum; currently, this is an option for districts serving communities with under 5,000 people;

u piloting a new capital project list that targets school construction money at districts willing to consolidate and that are in need of new buildings, additions, and/or building renovations;

u phasing in lower local tax rates for new unit districts; currently, elementary and high school districts become a lower, unit taxing district immediately after consolidating;

u requiring counties with small and declining school-age populations to conduct efficiency studies that could lead to shared services, district mergers, or even county-wide districts; 12 counties currently have county-wide districts and another 16 counties have small and declining student populations, according to state and federal population projections through 2030;

u authorizing the Illinois State Board of Education to provide a web-based resource management program to districts to help them identify up to $1 billion in instruction, transportation, food services, administration and facility maintenance savings.

The Classrooms First Commission is a bipartisan group of education stakeholders that was charged last fall by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (D) and the General Assembly to reduce duplicative education spending and improve educational outcomes. It reviewed several paths and collected input from hundreds of Illinois educators and taxpayers through public hearings and an online survey to create the draft recommendations that were approved for release April 17.

The second round of public hearings will provide citizens an opportunity to bring their ideas about the draft recommendations directly to commission members. Attendees will be given 5 minutes for oral testimony, and speaking slots will be provided on a first come, first serve basis. Individuals are also permitted to provide written testimony.

To view a live-stream of the public hearings or submit online comments about the recommendations, visit www.ltgov.illinois.gov.

From the April 25-May 1, 2012, issue

Sources of the benzene that contributed to the contaminated well water on Rockford’s west side have been identified by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA).

As the IEPA concludes its role in the first of their two investigations into pollution in and around the site of the Amerock manufacturing facility, the agency’s focus has turned to alleged pollution stemming from the factory.

The IEPA is a report away from wrapping up its part in locating leaking underground gasoline storage tanks that include both the Citgo and Mobil gas stations west of Johnston Avenue on Auburn Street that the IEPA says were sources of the leaking of benzene and other toxins that make up gasoline.

“What they have found is both the Citgo and the Mobil are likely contributors,” IEPA Spokesman Maggie Carson told The Rock River Times (TRRT).

The investigative team, led by Mark Bradley of the IEPA, began testing well water in the area last October. Residents had began complaining about foul water back in July.

Carson added that the two gas stations, with older underground tanks on the premises, may not be the only leaking tanks at fault.

“They know there may be other contributors,” Carson said.

An investigation by TRRT uncovered numerous underground gasoline storage tanks last September that were not on the state’s list of known underground storage tanks in that area.

Carson added that the two cited are located on land where “there were two older, closed gas stations.”

The investigation will be handed off to the federal government for its inclusion in the Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) Program.

“They collected all their information and, since these are leaking underground storage tanks, they are going to provide it to the Leaking Underground Storage Program,” Carson said. “I assume they will meet with the owners/operators of these facilities soon. We will offer to meet with them.”

The gas station owners and the federal government will then work together for the cleaning up of any leaking tanks.

The U.S. Congress created the Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) Trust Fund in 1986 to address releases from federally-regulated underground storage tanks (USTs) by amending the Solid Waste Disposal Act. In 2005, the Energy Policy Act expanded its uses for the fund to include leak prevention. The LUST Trust Fund provides money to oversee cleanups by responsible parties, enforce cleanups by recalcitrant parties, pay for cleanups at sites where the owner or operator is unknown, unwilling or unable to respond, to help with cleanups that require emergency action, and to conduct inspections.

Carson said of the potential removal of the tanks at the gas stations, “Partial (federal) reimbursement for certain work could occur if all the laws leading up to it were followed and if it meets their criteria.”

What the IEPA knows for certain is the plume of gasoline that made its way into the well water nearby came from the direction of the two stations, meaning the flow of water underground travels from west to east.

“It’s clear that this plume is coming from that general direction and that it is likely more than one source,” Carson said. “These two facilities we’re confident are the primary contributors. There could also be somebody that ran a small shop or lawn repair — there could be any number of smaller contributors. That happens in an older area before these laws were in place. That’s what they did with their solvents or gasoline.”

The Trust Fund is financed by a 0.1-cent tax on each gallon of motor fuel sold nationwide. The EPA’s UST program receives approximately $100 million annually to prevent, detect and clean up releases from federally-regulated USTs. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided a one-time allocation of $200 million to assess and clean up UST leaks. The USEPA provides almost 90 percent of its LUST money directly to states, territories and tribes to implement UST programs.

For the Rockford site, this means the leaking tanks at Citgo, Mobil and any other detected tanks will be cleaned up and paid for by parties deemed responsible or by the federal government. The USEPA and the City of Rockford recently combined to pay for 15 homes in that area to be connected to city water.

As for a timeline for the cleanup, the report comes first.

“It could be several weeks,” Carson said. “They will then hand this off to the UST program.”

The IEPA investigative team’s focus is now on the alleged chemical dumping around Amerock, then possibly the building itself.

“The documentation (well water report) is no longer a priority to the investigation now that the weather is such that the priority is going out doing other investigations across the state,” Carson said. “When the weather gets a little nicer, their priorities switch to field work. They will put together documentation with analysis and the mapping, but they didn’t give a timeline, just said a few weeks.”

The priorities in the second investigation begin with locating any metal drums north of Kent Creek. The IEPA plans to do other tests, including soil samples around the creek where residents and former employees said drainage pipes dumped chemicals into the creek in the 1950s, 1960s and the 1970s.

The Rock River Times located five drainage locations and also found large amounts of metal underground after using a metal detector north of the creek last September.

The Illinois EPA must follow the rules set forth by the United States EPA to investigate potential toxic dump sites.

“They have begun a site inspection under the auspices of Superfund,” Carson said. “It means they are using criteria in the Superfund process to make sure it’s done in a complete manner to establish that process in a thorough and complete manner. A checklist or specific process they go through adds a level to the specific process for the investigation.”

The team officially began the investigation last week.

“They did a preliminary screening,” Carson said. “They did some testing. There was no sampling or anything like that. It was a screening.”

Carson said the team already “took a device with them that could identify and map underground anomalies. This would be to determine if there were drums. That’s the basis they are doing the investigation is on the reports of the burying of the drums. The first step is to identify where these drums might be.”

Carson said the device used is typically utilized for locating underground storage tanks that are not mapped. The time it would take the evaluation to be finalized will be two to three weeks, Carson said. If the screenings turn up positive for metal drums, the next step would be digging them up.

“If that were the case, they would probably take a back hoe and do some digging,” Carson said.

The IEPA also plans to take sediment samples around the creek. Only after finding positive samples or drums will the IEPA consider entering the Amerock facility that opened in the mid-1950s.

“The Illinois EPA typically would not go into the building unless there is something in the process that would call for it,” Carson said.

Carson added that could take place “if whatever might be dumped reached the environment — ground water, surface water or soil. If something would be going on inside, it wouldn’t really be our jurisdiction unless we found evidence externally that affected the environment.”

From the April 18-24, 2012, issue

Staff Report

Public participation hearings on the proposed expansion of the Winnebago Landfill, 8403 Lindenwood Road, Rockford, will be from 6 to 9 p.m., Tuesday, April 24, and, if necessary, from 6 to 9 p.m., Monday, April 30.

The hearings will be held in the Winnebago County Board Room, 400 W. State St., eighth floor, Rockford.

During public participation hearings, members of the public are invited to appear and comment on the application for expansion of the landfill.

Written comments can be filed with the Winnebago County Clerk’s Office, 404 Elm St., first floor, room 104, Rockford, starting on the date the application was filed until 30 days after the last public hearing. Comments postmarked within that 30-day period (even though received later) will become part of the record and are to be considered by the board.

Hearings with registered parties on the proposed expansion of the landfill will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday, April 23, and continue through that week, with the exception of Wednesday, April 25.

All interested citizens are reminded that no evidence or testimony outside of the public hearings or written comments sent to the county clerk can be considered by the Winnebago County Board chairman or Winnebago County Board members in its vote to approve or disapprove the proposed expansion.

The county board chairman and county board members are prohibited from considering conversations, phone calls, written materials, advertisements or information on websites presented to them outside of the hearing.

After the hearing and the comment period, a hearing officer will prepare and submit to the Winnebago County Board his report and recommendation. The county board will make its decision based upon the record from the public hearing and may also consider the recommendations of the hearing officer. The county board will then render its decision in a resolution.

This procedure is unlike any the county usually engages in. The county board acts in a quasi-judicial capacity, similar to how a judge acts in court proceedings. County board members cannot engage in discussions with representatives of the parties or members of the public concerning matters involving the application or public hearing. Rather, the members of the county board must base their decision only on the record created through the public hearing process. Engaging in outside discussions could lead to a claim of unfairness, and cause a member to be disqualified.

Section 39.2 of the Illinois Environmental Protection Act governs the procedures the county must follow in reviewing the application for expansion of the landfill. These hearings are required by Illinois state law so the public can give input to be reviewed by the county board.

At least one public hearing must be held no sooner than 90 days but no later than 120 days after the application was filed. As is customary in these proceedings, and as allowed by law, the county has engaged the services of a hearing officer who will preside over the public hearing.

From the April 18-24, 2012, issue

It’s part swap meet, part kids’ games, part day-in-the-park outing, but mostly, it’s a fun way to get something for free!

The Really, Really Free Market returns to Rockford from noon to 6 p.m., Saturday, April 21, at Beattie Park, downtown Rockford.

Kelly McKee, one of the organizers, explained the concept of Really, Really Free: “People bring all kinds of items — anything such as clothes, toys, books, movies, furniture, anything people can use. No money is exchanged; no barter, no trade. Bring as much as you want, take as much as you want. You don’t even have to bring anything!”

How did this idea get started?

“It’s a fun way to keep stuff out of landfills and get to know your neighbors,” McKee said. She recalled that the first year it was held here, 2009, “we had arts and crafts, poetry reading. An established author came and talked about how he got his book published. We had leatherworking, polymer clay, face painting and activities for kids.” It was held in Haight Park, by the Jefferson Street bridge.

The Rockford event was started by Eric Howanietz, who first saw it in California, and McKee. Since then, it has spread all over the country and to Europe as well.

This year, the plan is to hold a Really, Really Free Market once a month from May through August. Dates and places TBA. McKee encourages everyone to come out and have a good time — for free! For more information, call (815) 540-8909.

From the April 18-24, 2012, issue

Free oak trees, courtesy of Chad Pregracke of Living Lands and Waters/Million Trees Project and the Rock River Trail Initiative, will be distributed during the local Great American Cleanup effort April 28.

“We are glad to be involved with Frank Schier of the Rock River Trail Initiative and Living Lands and Waters/Million Trees Project’s Chad Pregracke in the distribution of free trees this year during the Great American Cleanup,” said Lori Gummow, executive director of Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful (KNIB), which is coordinating the cleanup. “With partnerships like this, we can establish roots that will flourish and benefit our community for years to come.”

Oak tree varieties, 2 to 4 feet long (with planting instructions), will be distributed to any area residents at the following Great American Cleanup supply locations:

• Rockton Village Green Park, 149 E. Chapel St., Rockton;

• Roscoe Public Works Building, 5402 Swanson Road, Roscoe;

• South Beloit Fire Station, 149 Gardner St., South Beloit; and

• New Milford Village Hall, 6771 11th St., New Milford.

Free trees will also be distributed at the Rockford Park District Trolley Station, 324 N. Madison St., Rockford.

“It’s good to see individuals take responsibility for improving their community,” said Gummow. “With the Living Lands and Waters/Million Trees Project’s donation of 450 trees to the Rock River Trail Initiative, Rock River area residents can take an active role in restoring and beautifying their natural environment.”

Individuals and groups have until Friday, April 20, to register for the Saturday, April 28, Great American Cleanup. To register, call (815) 637-1343 or visit www.knib.org for a registration form.

Volunteers will pick up supplies between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., Saturday, April 28; cleanup is conducted from 9 a.m. until noon.

Editor’s note: Frank Schier is also editor and publisher of The Rock River Times.

From the April 18-24, 2012, issue

Maria Montessori School students (from left) Jaedon Sockwell, Kylie Giglio, Chloie Scrogin, Amelia Teske, Molly Budlong and Ashlyn Horton make duct tape wallets. (Photo by Joyce Budlong)

Staff Report

Students at Maria Montessori School in Rockford are raising money to build a well in South Sudan. Different classrooms and individuals have undertaken different projects that have raised more than $2,000. Two additional fund-raising efforts are scheduled in the coming weeks to help reach the goal of $5,000.

Karen Liddell read her students Linda Sue Park’s A Long Walk to Water, which is based on the true story of two Sudanese and highlights the immense need for clean, safe drinking water.

One sixth-grade student in Liddell’s class, Chloie Scrogin, wanted to raise money to help build a well in South Sudan. Chloie and a group of her friends began spending their recess time making duct tape wallets and accessories, and sold their wares to raise money for Water for South Sudan.

The individual efforts of Chloie and her friends then were joined with classroom initiatives throughout the school. One class is making and selling dog biscuits, another is selling popcorn, and another is selling homemade greeting cards. Some students are making jewelry, others are publishing magazines. The fund-raising efforts have spread throughout the whole school, and the students have raised more than $2,000. Their end-of-year goal is to raise $5,000, which is the cost to begin drilling a well.

A sign the students made advertises their wares. (Photo by Joyce Budlong)

Students are not only trying to raise money, but awareness about the problem facing South Sudan and other countries. All of the elementary classes have read A Long Walk to Water, and students have prepared several different presentations to educate younger students, parents and community members about the difficulty many people face trying to find clean drinking water and how the Water for South Sudan project can help. Students will have a booth at the Earth Day Fair Saturday, April 21, at Rock Valley College to explain about the project and their efforts.

The students are also encouraged to participate in the H20 Project, where they are encouraged to drink nothing but water for two weeks. All of the money that would have been spent on other beverages can then be donated to the Water for South Sudan project.

The idea behind the H20 Project is that individuals get to experience sacrificing for others, and drinking only water will help families realize how fortunate we are to have clean water accessible to us and will serve as a reminder for those who cannot just turn on a faucet, but must walk for miles and still have only dirty water to drink. The H20 Project will run from April 23 to May 4.

Plans are also under way for a Water Fair to be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, May 12. The Water Fair will be open to the community and will include live music, games, learning activities regarding water, food and vendor booths. More information about the Water Fair will be forthcoming.

For more information, visit www.waterforsouthsudan.org. For more about the H20 Project, visit www.theh2oproject.org.

From the April 18-24, 2012, issue

As part of Rockford’s fifth annual Money Smart Week, the Rockford Area Chapter of Credit Unions will host a free “Teen Financial Reality Fair” for students age 13-18.

The seminar will be from 11:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Saturday, April 21, at the Rockford Public Library East Branch, 6685 E. State St.

Students are invited to participate in this fun, interactive event that helps prepare them for the “real world.” Learn how to budget, and decide how to spend your money once you are on your own. Free pizza and pop will be offered, too.

Reservations are preferred by calling Denise Leonard at Generations Credit Union, (815) 316-2900, ext.104, or e-mail dleonard@generationscu.org by April 20. Walk-ins will also be welcome. Participants are limited to the first 50.

This event is one of more than 85 free classes, seminars and activities promoting financial education that will take place during Rockford’s fifth annual Money Smart Week Illinois, April 21-28. Coordinated by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and its Money Smart partners, Money Smart Week is designed to educate consumers about money management and create awareness of financial education programs on a range of topics.

From the April 18-24, 2012, issue

Careers, etc., a local employment firm, was one of several grant recipients from the Greater Rockford Area Arts Council Thursday, Feb. 2. The $750 will be used by Logan Camp of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) toward expenses to bring the 1st Brigade Band to Memorial Hall on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, for a concert.

The 1st Brigade Band is a performance group from Watertown, Wis., that presents Civil War-era musical concerts and historical portrayals, using vintage instruments and sheet music. This fall’s concert will be the band’s third visit to Rockford in recent years.

The SUVCW is a direct descendant of the Grand Army of the Republic, the largest veterans’ organization in U.S. history, formed by Union veterans of the Civil War in 1866. Logan Camp 26 meets the first Wednesday of each month at Memorial Hall, 211 N. Main St., at 7 p.m. Civil War ancestry is not required for membership. For more information, visit the website at www.logancamp26.com.

From the April 18-24, 2012, issue

By Frank Schier
Editor & Publisher

Calling all who live or work within sight of the Rock River in Winnebago County! Want FREE OAK TREES? The day after Arbor Day, April 28, in partnership with Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful’s (KNIB) Great American Cleanup, the Rock River Trail Initiative (RRTI) is giving away $27,000 worth of oak trees in Winnebago County. Each tree is worth $30 retail. The public sector will receive 450 trees, and the private sector will receive 450 trees.

For the second year in a row, Chad Pregracke, president of Living Lands and Waters’ One Million Trees program, has donated 10,000 trees to the Rock River Trail Initiative. We are also proud to have him as an honorary RRTI council member. Thanks, Chad and Ashley Stover! Visit www.livinglandsandwaters.org/milliontrees/default.htm.

The waterside trees will be bur oak and swamp oak, and the upland trees are white oak and red oak. Each sapling is 2 to 4 feet long, rooted. Planting instructions will be included. What a project for an eagle scout or high school biology class! Whom do you know who has a home or property on the Rock River?

The oaks will be distributed at the following KNIB Great American Cleanup sites Saturday, April 28, from 8 a.m. to noon: Rockton Village Green Park, 149 E. Chapel St.; Roscoe Public Works Building, 5402 Swanson Road; South Beloit Fire Station, 149 Gardner St.; and New Milford Village Hall, 6771 11th St. Thanks, Lori Gummow. Visit www.knib.org.

The Rockford Park District will distribute the free oaks Saturday, April 28, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Trolley Station, 324 N. Madison St., adjacent to the Riverview Ice House parking lot. Volunteers to help sort the oaks into five groups on Friday, Arbor Day, April 27 from 3 to 5 p.m., may call The Rock River Times, 815-964-9767. Thanks, Nate Hill, Ron Butler and Tim Dimke! Visit www.rockfordparks.org.

Kevin Farris of J. Carlson Growers states the average retail value of each of these oak trees is $30, so that’s a total of $27,300 worth of free trees for each of the 11 counties on the Rock River, or $300,300 worth of new oak trees to help our watershed, climate, air quality, water conservation and animal habitats.

The main goal of the Rock River Trail Initiative (RRTI), whose parent organization is the 501 (c)(3) Friends of the Rock, is to found a national recreational trail along the 300 miles of the Rock River, from its source above the Horicon Marsh in Wisconsin to its mouth at the Quad Cities in Illinois. Eco-tourism and the resulting economic development and jobs will reinforce the goals of protecting and improving the water quality and general environment along the Rock River. Please help us plant these trees.

Yes, the Rock River Trail is being built, and many will be surprised how much of it already exists! Please visit www.rockrivertrail.com for progress updates. The web site also lists the new 18 council members of the Rock River Trail Initiative. Look for the council person from your county or area. The website is a work in progress, so please explore it and give us your feedback.

For our second year planting what will be a total of 22,000 oaks on the Rock River, the Rock River Trail Initiative proudly and thankfully partners with Living Lands and Waters, Rockford Park District, The Rock River Times and KNIB’s Great American Cleanup. Watch the next two issues of this paper for partnership updates, more on the Great American Cleanup (see the complete story on page A5) and WHAT TREES DO FOR YOU. Help us celebrate Arbor Day by planting 910 oaks in Winnebago County!

From the April 11-17, 2012, issue

Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful (KNIB) will coordinate local efforts for the Fifth Annual Great American Cleanup from 8 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 28.

The Great American Cleanup is a county-wide effort that involves citizens from all villages, municipalities, townships and service organizations in Winnebago County.

Preregistration for the event is required. Volunteers must register by Friday, April 20. Saturday, April 28, volunteers pick up supplies between 8 and 9 a.m., and proceed to their assigned team location to pick up litter. Complimentary water and snacks will be provided for all volunteers.

Organizations, groups or individuals wanting to participate may call KNIB at (815) 637-1343 or go to www.knib.org to register by Friday, April 20.

KNIB Executive Director Lori Gummow said: “Last year, we coordinated over 1,800 volunteers, who gave thousands of hours to clean up their neighborhoods and over 200 miles of county roads and city streets. More than 50 tons of litter was collected.”

Patriots’ Gateway Center, 615 S. Fifth St., Rockford, will serve as the central location for volunteers’ supplies such as gloves, safety vests, trash bags and litter tongs.

Supplies will also be available at the following locations: House of Refuge Church, 1401 W. State St.; Harlem Township Town Hall, 819 Melbourne Ave.; Machesney Park/Loves Park City Hall, 100 Heart Blvd.; Rockton Village Green Park, 149 E. Chapel St.; Roscoe Public Works Building, 5402 Swanson Road; South Beloit Fire Station, 149 Gardner St.; Cherry Valley Township, 4875 Blackhawk Road; New Milford Village Hall, 6771 11th St., Rockford; Durand United Methodist Church, Main and Center; Pecatonica Township, 410 Reed St.; and Winnebago County Highway Department, 424 N. Springfield Ave., Rockford.

Additional supply locations include all Riverside Community Banks in Winnebago County: Perryville Banking Center, 6855 E. Riverside Blvd.; Harrison Banking Center, 2625 Stowmarket Ave.; State Street Banking Center, 4048 E. State St.; and Route 173 Banking Center, 1515 W. Lane Road.

From the April 11-17, 2012, issue

Chief Judge Joseph G. McGraw has announced that on April 6, the 17th Judicial Circuit Court submitted an application to the Illinois Supreme Court asking permission to authorize extended media coverage of trial court proceedings in Winnebago and Boone counties.

Jan. 24, Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride announced that the Illinois Supreme Court approved a policy for a pilot project to allow news cameras and electronic news recording in Illinois trial courts for the first time. The policy contains rules and procedures for extended media coverage including provisions as to prohibited court hearings, requests and notices, objections by parties and witnesses, and equipment placement and technical specifications.

The policy guidelines prohibit extended media coverage in juvenile, dissolution, adoption, child custody, evidence suppression or trade secret cases. Extended media coverage of jury selection, the jury and individual jurors is also prohibited under the policy.

The approved policy invites circuit courts in the state to apply for approval to participate as a pilot program site. Since the adoption of the policy, the Illinois Supreme Court has approved media coverage in Henry, Mercer, Rock Island and Whiteside counties in the 14th Judicial Circuit, Kankakee County in the 21st Judicial Circuit, Madison County in the 3rd Judicial Circuit, and Carroll, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle and Stephenson counties in the 15th Judicial Circuit.

A copy of the “Policy for Extended Media Coverage in the Circuit Courts of Illinois” is available at the Supreme Court’s website at http://state.il.us/court.

Anyone seeking additional information may contact Trial Court Administrator Todd A. Schroeder at (815) 319-4806 or tschroeder@wincoil.us.

From the April 11-17, 2012, issue