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Will Rochelle be ready when last Guest leaves?
Communities can be impacted by singular events, but they are formed by the persistence of individuals.
The fire of 1870 impacted our downtown and moved us to create building standards to prevent future catastrophic conflagrations. The hanging of Thomas Burke in 1861 resulted in the city changing its name from Lane to Rochelle. A single event leading to a singular change.
This story is about a family that has been an integral part of our community through every event in our history and then some.
The first Guest moved to the area of Flagg Township in 1856. Thomas Guest Jr. purchased 160 acres west of today’s Rochelle and began a life in what was then the wild west. Thomas was Canadian born, the son of Thomas and Ann (Todd). To confuse matters a little Thomas Jr. also married an Ann, Ann Pettepeice, in 1856. The Guest family grew with the addition of five children. Thomas also improved the family’s fortune through hard work and wise investment. As he increased the output of his farm, he continued to purchase land in and around the area.
Thomas and Ann saw many changes in their community. When they arrived the area was called Hickory Grove, after a small group of trees on the edge of a small creek. In 1859, Aaron Guest was born, two years before the city was named. It was 1861, the community was incorporated as Lane Village, and the Guests had already been here for five years. After the lynching in 1861, the town was better known as “Hang Town” than Lane so the city had its first rebranding. There was a quick name change and Rochelle has held its place on the map since.
The Guest family moved into the city limits in 1882, and is still here today (Nov. 11, 2024). Thomas passed away in 1886, and most of the children moved away. Aaron stayed.
Aaron Guest was born in the family farm house in 1859 and moved into the City of Rochelle with his family in 1882. By this time Rochelle had a fledgling school system and Aaron attended the local schools through his high school years, after which he attended Wheaton College. This set the new Guest standard; education became almost a mandate. If you were a Guest, you went to college.
COMMUNITY VIEWS
Tom McDermott
Aaron also set another Guest standard. If you were a Guest, you served the community. Aaron served in many positions: the school board, Flagg Township School treasurer, library trustee, and Rochelle City Council member. During the time he served there were many improvements. The three-story school added a fire escape, the fire department moved from handdrawn hose carts to the first motorized fire truck, and the first bricks were laid as the streets became hard surfaced.
Aaron married Minnie Louise Countryman in 1885. Minnie was the daughter of Alvin Countryman and Jennie Wagner. The Countryman and Wagner families are a story in themselves, but suffice it to say they were prominent farmers in the Lindenwood area before retiring and moving to Rochelle. Minnie and Aaron were only married for four years; Minnie passed in 1889. Fortunately they were blessed with one child, a son, Arthur.
Arthur was born in Rochelle, April 20, 1889. He was educated in the Rochelle school system and began making his mark in local history before he had even graduated from Rochelle High School. Arthur and his good friend, George Simons, saw a yearbook from Sycamore High School and wondered why Rochelle did not have one. They traveled to Mt. Morris to meet with printers and establish the cost. Next the boys went to local businesses in search of financing. There was no adult oversight or supervision but there was a tremendous student backing. Pictures were taken, pages organized and advertising sold. In 1908 Rochelle High School had its first school yearbook. The Tatler, named after a book being studied in English class, started a tradition that still carries on today.
Arthur graduated from high school in 1908 and continued his education at Beloit College where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1912. During his time at Beloit he was the editor of the student newspaper, the Beloit Roundtable. Arthur served as secretary of the school board for more than 20 years. Arthur was also on the
Bryon’s Makaii Manley tries to walk a straight line with drunk goggles on while visiting a Dixon police booth Friday, Oct. 17. Sixty-two area organizations and businesses set up at SVCC to introduce local 8th graders to career options. Alex T. Paschal ON THE COVER
Rochelle Hi-Way Jubilee Committee in 1927. The Hi-Way Committee celebrated the designation of the Meridian Highway, the first north/south paved highway across the contiguous United States. This was when Rochelle became known as the Hub City. Arthur held positions as city treasurer, justice of the peace, and police magistrate. He was also a commander of the American Legion.
Arthur was not alone. In 1922 he married Margery Kimball of Elgin. Margery became Margery Guest and became a force of her own. Margery taught at Rochelle High School for several years and even counted Vince Carney among her students. Margery was a member of the Woman’s Club and the Daughters of the American Revolution. Arthur and Margery had two children, David and Maurine. Maurine married and moved from town, but David stayed.
Born in 1928, David Guest was listed in his 1946 Tatler as “shy, unobtrusive, and intelligent, besides.” He graduated Beloit College before attending Northwestern School of Law. Upon graduating with his law degree in 1953, David moved to Chicago to work at the Continental Bank as a trust officer. He did not realize at the time that one block away at the Harris Trust and Savings Bank his future bride, Barbara Dixson, was employed.
They met at a Presbyterian dance held at the YMCA and were married in 1955. It was also in 1955 that David decided to join his father’s insurance business in Rochelle. Upon moving back to Rochelle, David and Barbara began their public service.
David was city attorney from 1959 through 1975. He served with mayors Jones, Moore, and Cipolla. David was a member of the Rochelle Historical Society and is still on the board of the Flagg Township Museum. Barbara was the first board president for HOPE of Ogle County. She also helped organize the League of Women Voters. Barb passed in 2020.
Dave and Barbara had two children Aimee and Tom. Both have moved away from Rochelle, leaving David as our last Guest. One family whose persistence over 169 years has helped make Rochelle what it is today.
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Pathways Playground inspires 1,300 Sauk Valley eighth graders to dream big
By BRANDON CLARK bclark@shawmedia.com
Hands-on activities and career chats gave local middle schoolers a glimpse into their futures Friday, Oct. 17, during the annual Pathways Playground career exploration event.
Hosted by Regional Office of Education 47 at Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon, the event drew more than 1,300 eighth graders from 19 schools in the Sauk Valley.
“Pathways is designed for students to try on different careers in high school before they decide on college or career or trade schools,” Pathway Navigator Chanda McDonnell said. “What we’re doing today is trying to plant the seed for students and give them that idea of what might be out there after school.”
For some attendees, the highlight was exploring business opportunities. Corben Considine of Byron said his favorite part of the event was learning about entrepreneurship.
“I want to be able to have fun with my friends and make some money,” Considine said. “I don’t know what I want to do yet, but I’m thinking about it.”
For other students, including Makayla
Pineda of Ashton-Franklin Center, the hands-on activities stole the show.
“I really liked the ultrasound activity,” Pineda said. “We took a wand with some jelly and rubbed it around the belly, and we could see the head and different parts
of the baby.”
At the CGH Medical Center booth, Nursing Program Director Jennifer Grobe gave students a taste of hospital life. She taught basic CPR, showed how respiratory therapy works, and let students practice injections on training materials.
“I like to get them hands-on so they know there’s a light at the end of the tunnel when they start biology class,” Grobe said.
Grobe also highlighted a variety of health care roles beyond nursing, including radiology, surgical technology, dietary services, and even maintenance and kitchen positions, emphasizing teamwork and the many paths students can take in the medical field.
Created under the state’s 2016 Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act, the Illinois College & Career Pathway Endorsement Program allows students to
PAthwAyS on page A5
Photos by Alex T. Paschal
Byron Middle School eighth graders give the thumbs up after visiting the OSF Saint Katharine booth Friday, Oct. 17, at Sauk Valley Community College. Pathways Playground, a program sponsored by the Regional Office of Education, invited 1,300 eighth graders to the college to explore career options.
Kristin Loy (left) and Bob Ebbesmeyer of the Northern Illinois Veterinary Medical Association show eighth graders X-rays and necrotic samples Friday, Oct. 17, during a career fair at SVCC.
Rochelle puts out another request for proposals for development of former Hickory Grove site
Fiegenschuh: ‘We’re optimistic we’ll be able to go forward with a project this time’
By JEFF HELFRICH jhelfrich@shawmedia.com
The city of Rochelle put out a request for proposals (RFP) on Sept. 24, for developers interested in purchasing and building on the former site of Hickory Grove at 1127 N. Seventh St., City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh said Oct. 15.
The Hickory Grove building demolition was completed in early 2021 and the land has been vacant since. The city assumed ownership of the deteriorating building in early 2020 for $1 with the intention of demolishing it and seeing development of the property.
The building was previously owned by the Ogle County Civic Center Authority board, which was under the Ogle County Board umbrella. The city decided to purchase the site so it could control it and likely would’ve had to deal with it later if it was abandoned due to OCCCA being in financial trouble.
Since the demolition and site clearing, the city has seen limited interest in the site and the city council rejected a formal proposal from one developer for a mixeduse development. The city also saw informal interest from a grocery store; that did not materialize.
Development proposals for the site are due to the city by Oct. 23 and the city council would make a final decision on a finalist in January or February, City Community Development Director Michelle Pease said.
Since the demolition, the city has worked with the Comfort Inn & Suites hotel and the Concord Towers condo association next door on a land swap agreement that was recently completed. The city acquired parking spaces, the condo association got access to a new garbage corral and the hotel received land for a pool.
The city also recently began work with the Illinois Department of Transportation on a stormwater detention area at the rear of the Hickory Grove property that will be part of the state’s upcoming Illinois
Route 251 reconstruction and widening project.
With the footprint of the Hickory Grove property set, the city is moving forward with the RFP.
“I think the city council is ready to try to see if there is potential interest in the site,” Fiegenschuh said. “Within the last four months we were able to get the property completely replatted. The council wanted to see what kind of interest there is after getting all of that done. We’re optimistic we’ll be able to go forward with a project this time.
“The council has said it’s a marathon, not a sprint. They’re not going to take a project that they don’t think is a good fit for the community and that spot. Hopefully we have some good submissions that piques their interest and we can enter into an agreement. We’ll see.”
Pease said developers have shown recent interest in the property, some local and some from the region. A review team will consider the RFP submissions. The property is zoned B-2 highway commercial and the IDOT project will provide stormwater detention for a potential developer.
“Jeff and I have talked with several developers,” Pease said, “Some have proposed a mixed use where you would have commercial retail on the first floor and residential on the second floor. That’s the only way housing is allowed in B-2 highway commercial zoning. A couple of other developers have been restaurants that fit our demographics that would be supported within the region. That’s what
The City of Rochelle put out a request for proposals (RFP) on Sept. 24, for developers interested in purchasing and building on the former site of Hickory Grove at 1127 N. 7th St., City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh said Oct. 15.
we’ve heard so far.”
Pease said the Hickory Grove property resides within a high-traffic area in the city’s northern corridor, which is why she believes the business that eventually locates there will be successful. The property is in the city’s Northern Gateway tax increment financing (TIF) District, which will make some of an eventual project eligible for TIF funding and aid in future area development projects.
TIF districts generate funds when property values within them rise. The difference then goes into a fund that can be used for development agreements with businesses and infrastructure projects.
“Any property value improvement will be captured and put into our TIF funds to be used for development projects,” Pease said. “When something goes there, it will be a win-win because the value was previously zero because it was
publicly owned when it was Hickory Grove. It will be back on the tax rolls.”
Fiegenschuh said the city will come to a TIF redevelopment agreement with a developer if the city council chooses a project for the site. TIF funds cannot be used for new construction costs, but they could go towards site development, utility extensions, parking lot work, detention work or interest on loans.
“I think the city made a very good decision buying that property and tearing Hickory Grove down and marketing it,” Fiegenschuh said. “OCCCA couldn’t keep it open and kept up and the council decided to take over the property and tear it down. Even if we don’t find a deal this time, what’s there now is better than what was there before.”
The city’s northern gateway has seen development in recent years, such as the addition of Benny’s Corner Market and the renovation and opening of Breakthru Beverage. With a possible developer for Hickory Grove and the Illinois Route 251 reconstruction and widening upcoming, the city is excited about the corridor’s prospects.
“In a few years, it’s going to look beautiful,” Fiegenschuh said. “There will be a pedestrian path and new ornamental lighting with our new banners. Hopefully that sparks interest from other businesses in the area to redevelop. We’ve had discussions with some of the businesses on Illinois Route 251 about redeveloping their properties. Hopefully we’ll see some of that and a new business next to the hotel and a lot of foot traffic.”
Photos by Jeff Helfrich
The Hickory Grove building demolition was completed in early 2021 and the land has been vacant since. The city assumed ownership of the deteriorating building in early 2020 for $1 with the intention of demolishing it and seeing development of the property.
earn a formal endorsement on their high school diploma or transcript by completing a series of structured requirements designed to prepare them for life after high school in their chosen career path.
Students choose from one of seven career pathways:
• agriculture food and natural resources
• health sciences and technology
• finance and business services
• arts and communications
• information technology
• human and public services
• manufacturing, engineering, technology and trades
“There’s different incentives for doing these Pathways, and requirements to earn those endorsements on your transcript,” McDonnell said.
According to the PWR Act, to qualify for the endorsement, students must:
• complete an individualized learning plan that outlines their college pathway and relates to their career goals and plans for financial aid. They also must include a resume and a personal statement.
• complete at least two career exploration activities or one intensive experience
before graduating. This can include completing a career-interest survey, attending a career fair, interviewing someone from their chosen career field, participating in a college visit and job shadowing, or visiting a local business.
• complete at least two team-based projects with adult mentoring that focuses on solving a problem related to their chosen career field.
• complete 60 cumulative hours in a paid or for-credit, supervised career development experience, concluding with an evaluation of their professional skills. This can be completed at any point throughout their four years of high school, including during the summer.
• complete two years of high school coursework, or demonstrate equivalent competencies, leading toward a postsecondary credential with recognized labor market value. This includes a minimum of six hours of early college credit that can be earned by taking dual-credit classes, Advanced Placement classes or college classes.
• demonstrate college-ready proficiency in English and math by graduation. This can be done in one of several ways, including earning the required scores on the ACT, SAT or college placement tests; achieving the required GPA set by their local community college; or receiving a
grade of “C” or higher in transitional English and math classes.
Students with an endorsement also earn a $100 credit at Dixon’s Sauk Valley Community College. In 2021, SVCC – in partnership with ROE 47 – was awarded a $249,000 grant from the Illinois State Board of Education to support career pathways for high school students. It was the first phase of a four-part grant cycle totaling $747,000.
Additionally, students who earn their endorsement in the education pathway are advanced to the final round for the Golden Apple Scholarship, which provides the winners with four years of free college tuition and fees.
In 2022, Gov. JB Pritzker signed Public Act 102-0917, which requires all Illinois high school districts to begin offering college and career pathway endorsements. Starting with the Class of 2027, districts must apply to the state to offer at least one endorsement area – either on their own, through a career center or in partnership with other districts.
By 2029, they must add a second endorsement, and by 2031, districts with more than 350 high school students must offer a third.
“We’re up to 18 school districts that now offer Pathways in their high schools,” McDonnell said.
Participating school districts include:
• Riverbend School District 2
• Dixon Public Schools District 170
• Rock Falls High School District 301
• Morrison School District 6
• Amboy School District 272
• Ashton-Franklin Center School District 275
• Forrestville Valley School District 221
• Regional Safe School Center for Change
• Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico District 3
• Byron School District 226
• Rock Falls Elementary School District 13
• Sterling School District 5
• Whiteside Area Career Center
• Ohio School District 17
• Rochelle Township High School
• Oregon School District 220
• Polo School District
• Chadwick-Milledgeville School District 399
• Eastland School District 308
As of July 1, all districts must either apply to offer the required number of endorsement areas or have a board-approved plan in place to meet the deadlines. Districts also have the option to opt out by passing a formal resolution through their school board. For more information, call ROE 47 at 815-625-1495 or visit roe47.org.
COMMUNITY BOARD
City in ‘serious talks’ with developer about data center locating in Rochelle
City manager: ‘If we do it correctly, it would be a huge financial impact’
By JEFF HELFRICH jhelfrich@shawmedia.com
The city of Rochelle and Rochelle Municipal Utilities are in “serious talks” with a developer about a data center locating within city limits in the near future, City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh said Wednesday.
A data center is a building, a dedicated space within a building or a group of buildings used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems.
DeKalb recently saw the addition of a 2.3 million-square-foot Meta data center worth over $1 billion.
Land near the Byron nuclear plant also recently was rezoned to industrial use with eyes on a data center development.
In the past year, the city of Rochelle has taken steps to attract a potential data center, including establishing a mar-
ket-based electric rate for RMU customers who want to secure power directly through wholesale markets while continuing to use RMU as their local provider. The City Council also has amended its zoning code to allow for language on data centers and data warehousing.
Much of a potential agreement with a data center would hinge on RMU and power needs. Data centers are large consumers of electricity.
“There is a lot of interest,” Fiegenschuh said. “We are in serious talks with one developer. At the end of the day, we want to be able to grow, so we don’t want to sell off too much of our power load. We’re having conversations. If we do have an agreement, it will be one that benefits the data center, but more importantly, our utility and the city. We don’t bring something to the City Council unless it benefits RMU and the city first.”
Blake Toliver, RMU superintendent of electric operations, said bringing a data center to Rochelle involves “a lot of moving parts,” including working with ComEd, which is RMU’s tie point into the electric grid, on transmission expansion and reconductoring. RMU’s expenses for that work would be in an agreement with a data center.
RMU’s current largest electric cus -
tomer is about 10 megawatts. A data center could be five to 10 times larger than that, Toliver said.
“It’s a much larger feat,” Toliver said. “A lot of engineering goes into getting the power there and making sure it’s reliable. Data centers, like any other customer, don’t want to see interruptions or changes in level.”
Fiegenschuh said developers are most concerned with access to power. One would potentially be located within Rochelle’s industrial-zoned areas near one of RMU’s electric substations. The city manager said a development agreement with a data center could come before the City Council in the next couple of months, with a build within three years.
If power-related matters and a development agreement are worked out in the right way, a data center could be large economic windfall for the city and RMU, Fiegenschuh said.
“If we do it correctly, it would have a huge financial impact,” Fiegenschuh said. “A data center would pay property taxes based on the value of the lease. Those taxes would go to all the taxing districts. The facility wouldn’t bring a lot of people into the community and schools, but the schools and all the tax-
ing districts get a portion of their property taxes.
“And if we do it right, it provides more load and more revenue for RMU. We would charge them a utility tax that would help fund our roads and storm sewer.”
RMU’s water department also would play into a data center development. Data centers are large users of water. Toliver said newer data centers are using closed-loop cooling systems that recycle the same water internally to keep systems cool, which has lowered the effects of wastewater treatment. Hundreds of thousands of gallons of water a day still would be used by a data center, he said.
Toliver said a multifaceted approach has been required for preliminary work on a data center locating in Rochelle.
“It’s just about making sure all the right players are in the room when you’re having these discussions,” Toliver said. “Anytime we’re having these discussions, our engineering firm is involved, along with legal and our power marketing folks. For something new that’s 2 or 3 megawatts, that’s easy, and it’s what we deal with every day. When you’re talking 50 to 100 megawatts, that’s not something we see every day.”
Jeff Helfrich
The Rochelle Municipal Utilities building at 33 Lincoln Highway in Rochelle. An agreement between the city and data center would hinge on RMU and power needs.
Small Business Bingo returning to Rochelle with two events in coming months
Ashley Patrick: ‘It’s really turned into a community project at this point’
By JEFF HELFRICH jhelfrich@shawmedia.com
After raising a total of $36,540 for various local nonprofits over eight events since its inception in 2023, Small Business Bingo will return to Rochelle with two events in November and December, event organizer and AP Massage Therapy owner Ashley Patrick said Oct. 13.
The first event will be from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, to raise money to be split between the Community Action Network and Rochelle VFW Post 3878. The second event will be from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, to raise money for Shining Star Children’s Advocacy Center and HOPE of Ogle County. Both events will be held at the hangar at Flight Deck Bar & Grill at 1207 W. Gurler Road in Rochelle.
Doors will open at 5 p.m. both nights. The cost is $15 per person for 10 rounds of bingo. Raffles are also available for an additional cost. Food and drinks will be available. It is free to reserve a table for your group and highly recommended to make reservations for bingo.
Bingo. From the Heart raised money each year with a large gala to benefit nine area nonprofits, many of which Small Business Bingo has helped in the past. From the Heart raised $90,000 in its final year.
“I felt obligated to have another largescale event for our community,” Patrick said. “There are very few that have the turnout we have of 300-plus people. I know Small Business Bingo is different from From the Heart, but it’s still a large gathering to support some of those same causes.
Patrick came up with the idea of bingo nights in the community, with prizes donated by local businesses, to raise money for area nonprofits in 2023. Attendance in the past years has numbered in the hundreds, with over 10 nonprofits benefiting.
“We will be pairing Shining Star and HOPE of Ogle County, who both help families,” Patrick said. “I know last year CAN couldn’t help every kid in need on its list for its local Christmas shopping trip, and I wanted to help them to be able to do that this year. This will be the first time one of our events has financially benefited the VFW and CAN.”
The Small Business Bingo nights also
serve to spread awareness of the causes they benefit, which Patrick hopes will move people to donate, volunteer or utilize their services. The events this fall will also include a food drive or toy drive to benefit area causes in exchange for raffle entries.
Despite not holding an event since January, Patrick said the community has been excited upon hearing about the return of Small Business Bingo. Patrick chose to hold another event after feedback from residents that asked when it would be coming back.
Local nonprofit From the Heart ceasing operations also played into Patrick’s decision to bring back Small Business
“Anyone can participate in Small Business Bingo because of the $15 cost. That goes a long way and gets people involved. People feel like their $15 goes a long way and at the end of the night when we see what we’ll be donating, people enjoy that and feel like they were a part of it.”
Patrick has seen a large turnout of volunteers to help out with the upcoming events, after they were hard to come by to help run past events.
“I love to see new faces and people helping out,” Patrick said. “I have new guest bingo callers that I’m excited about. People are reaching out to me about all kinds of different ways to help and that has given me a boost. We will have a good balance this year with people wanting to be involved. I feel it’ll work out well.”
Photos provided by Ashley Patrick
Rochelle Mayor John Bearrows serves as a guest bingo caller at a past Small Business Bingo event.
After raising a total of $36,540 for various local nonprofits over eight events since its inception in 2023, Small Business Bingo will return to Rochelle with two events in November and December, event organizer and AP Massage Therapy owner Ashley Patrick said Oct. 13.
OBITUARIES
CHERI MCGEE
Born: December 8, 1948
Died: October 17, 2025
Cheri J. McGee, 76, passed away Friday October 17th, 2025, at her home. Cheri was born on December 8, 1948 in Dubuque, Iowa to Louis and Joyce (Burke) Schmitt. Cheri was a devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother who loved spending time with her family more than anything. Whether it was cheering on her grandchildren and great-grandchildren at dance recitals, music
• BINGO
Continued from page A7
Small Business Bingo will hold two events this year after holding four per year in the past.
performances, or sporting events, she was always there, no matter how far the drive. Cheri was a master seamstress, with a revolving door of family and friends constantly bringing her projects to create or fix. She will be well remembered for her cherished baby quilts and handcrafted Halloween costumes. She enjoyed traveling with friends, including her dear companions, Joyce Soost and Jo Vanstone. It was not out of the ordinary for Cheri to hop in the car and drive to Florida or California. One of Cheri’s happiest places was Mirror Lake, Wisconsin, where her camping trailer was often filled with loving grandkids.
Cheri worked for 40 years as the Office Administrator at Rochelle Disposal Service. She cherished the simple things in life, like feeding her backyard squirrels and never missing an
“old lady lunch” with her many friends. Cheri will be remembered by so many for her unwavering kindness and as someone who would do anything for anyone.
She is preceded in death by her parents, brother, Lew Schmitt, and son-in-law, Tim Gosse.
Cheri is survived by her four children: Larry (Tracy) McGee, of Rochelle; Leanna Gosse of Rochelle; Nathan (Jenny) McGee of Rochelle; Seth (Sarah) McGee of Madison, WI; 13 Grandchildren: Dani (Polo) Garcia, Benjamin (Hannah) McGee, Nick Gosse, Zak Wood, Sawyer McGee, Declan McGee, Mallory (Cody McCoy) McGee, Carly (Ryan Carson) McGee, Kyla (Chris) Lyp, Jacob Garza (McKayla Gary), Ava (Evan Lovett) McGee, Elijah McGee and Oona McGee; 17 great grandchildren: Elizabeth,
Prior, Josephine and Matilda, Theodore and Bauer, Braley, Sampson, Brixton, and Murphy, Aiden and Jaxon, Ella, Delani, Maddox, and Cullen, and Sedeina; and her sister-in-law, Nancy Schmitt, niece, Cindy Ksiazek, and nephew, Matthew Schmitt.
Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on Saturday, October 25, 2025 at the Unger Horner Funeral Home, 400 N 6th St., Rochelle, IL. Funeral will follow at 12:00 noon with Rev. Tim Reynolds officiating. Cremation care will follow services. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Pegasus Special Riders or the Rochelle Township Highschool Music Boosters. Guest book at www.UngerHorner.com
KENNETH
WHITE
Local businesses are generous when it comes to donating bingo and raffle prizes, Patrick said.
Patrick enjoys seeing the creativity that businesses take and the reaction to the prizes by bingo players.
Patrick believes that will yield good turnouts to both events and that has played into why volunteer turnout has been high.
“And the businesses that donated get to see that excitement,” Patrick said.
“The energy of it is so much fun. People don’t want to miss Small Business Bingo or see it go away. That makes me feel good. It’s really turned into a community project at this point. Everyone is invested in seeing it be successful. It’s something we all come together on to do good for our community,” Patrick said.
Teach Kids about Electrical Safety!
Kenneth J. White, 72, of Rochelle, passed on 10/19/2025.
Arrangements entrusted to Unger Horner Funeral Home, ROCHELLE.
JEFFREY HOLZNAGEL
Jeffrey M. Holznagel, 61, of Rochelle, passed on 10/10/2025.
Arrangements entrusted to Unger Horner Funeral Home, ROCHELLE.
W. B. (DUB) LAMBERT
Born: October 7, 1930 in Monette, AR
Died: October 16, 2025 in Rochelle, IL
W. B. (Dub) Lambert left his earthly home on October 16, 2025, and was taken by angels to his Heavenly home. He has been joyfully welcomed by Our Lord and Savior and reunited with the love of his life.
On October 7, 1930, Dub was born to Avie Lee McFarlin Lambert and Wiley Joseph Lambert in Monette, Arkansas. He married Eula Juanita Cockrum on July 11, 1953, with whom he shared 58 years of marriage, working together to raise their children and making a beautiful life together. As a couple their love of God was apparent to anyone who knew them. Dub had a beautiful understanding of what God wanted from him, and he lived that every day. Dub would start each day with the Lord in Bible Study and prayer for the day. Dub lived his life for God and the day that He would take him Home to live in eternity.
Dub served in the U.S. Army overseas in Germany during the Korean Conflict from 1951
to 1953 as a truck driver and dispatcher. He shared those experiences with his children. He was part of the Rochelle Chapter of the American Legion Post 0403 from 1963 to 1968. Several of those years he served as Commander of the Post.
Dub loved spending time with his family and together they travelled and camped throughout the United States. He and Eula shared the love of genealogy and pursued finding and documenting their findings on their families. He thoroughly enjoyed each grandchild and great grandchildren. He enjoyed driving to visit his children and their children in Missouri and to his sisters’ homes in Missouri and Arkansas. He also enjoyed his travels to The Ark, The Creation Museum, Branson, and adventures spent with daughter Debby.
Dub was a well-known member of the church he attended, and the community through his many years of being a mechanic and service manager at several dealerships in Rochelle and Dekalb. And in the late 60’s early 70’s he was a school bus driver for Rochelle Township High School. After losing the love of his life his weekdays were spent at the Rochelle Senior Center shooting pool in the mornings and playing euchre with friends in the afternoon. Dub was predeceased by his wife Eula, his mother Avie Lee McFarlin Anders Williams, Fa-
ther Wiley Joseph Lambert, Step Father James Oliver Anders, Step Father Jesse Williams, Step Mother Naomi Lambert, Granddaughter Kristine Carrie Eakle, Brothers Dean, Billy and Larry Lambert, Baby Sisters Linda and Evelyn Lambert, Baby Brother Bobby Jean and Baby Sister Brenda Kay, Sister Mary Lee Anders Johnson, Brother In Law Frank Johnson, Sister Betty Jo Anders Jackson, Brother In Law Orley Jackson, Sister Janice Lambert Biggers and Niece Linda Johnson Sandiford.
Loved and treasured by so many, Dub is survived by Daughter Deborah (Scott) Eakle, Son Douglas (Debbie) Lambert, Sister Joyce Lambert Brady, Grandson Corey (Chantell) Lambert, Granddaughter Chelsea E Eakle, Great Grandsons Kylar and Tristyn Lambert. Nieces and nephews survive him: Cathy (Mike) Reagan, Rick Jackson, Carla Jackson (Rodney) Carlyle, Carmon (Ashley) Jackson, Frank (Bub) Johnson, Jenny Johnson, Sue Johnson Morgan, David (Kim) Johnson, Jason (Lisa) Johnson and Cathleen Johnson Rutherford and many great nephews and nieces. and Sister-In-Law Joanne {Ray} Cockrum Young and children, Wanda, Carol and Danny and many Cockrum nieces and nephews.
Three “adopted” special daughters: Jennie (Norm) McLaughlin and Sharon (Dave) Brown and their families, Karen Ussery McCandless
and her family and friends Paul and Joann Erickson Thad Price survive Dub. Dub is a special man, quiet but fun who was loved and liked by many. Those wishing to help send him to his Eternal home are welcome to join the family in his celebration of life.
A visitation will be held from 9:00 - 11:00 A.M. on Wednesday, October 22nd, 2025 at Beverage-Lyons Family Funeral Home, 704 N 6th St, Rochelle, IL 61068. Funeral services will be held immediately following at 11 A.M. with a burial to follow out to Lawnridge Cemetery in Rochelle.
If you wish to share a memory, story, or your love for Dub we look forward to hearing them during the service.
A graveside military service will be held at Lawnridge Cemetery, Rochelle, IL where he will be laid to rest next to the love of his life as he joins her in Heaven.
A get together will be held at Rochelle Hub City Senior Center, at 401 Cherry Avenue, Rochelle, IL 61068, after the burial.
In lieu of flowers, donations to Hub City Senior Center in his name would be appreciated. Arrangements were entrusted to Beverage-Lyons Family Funeral Home. Online condolences may be made at www.beveragefamilyfh.com
Halloween Safety
BEFORE YOU GO OUT
• Choose light-colored, flame-resistant costumes that are the right size to avoid tripping or contact with flames. Add reflective tape or stickers to costumes and bags to increase visibility.
• Carry flashlights and glow sticks to help kids see and be seen by drivers.
• Children under 12 should be accompanied by an adult or older responsible person.
• Map out a safe route beforehand, focusing on familiar, well-lit areas.
WHILE TRICK-OR-TREATING
• Stay on sidewalks and paths and watch for cars.
• Walk, don’t run, across the street. Always cross at corners and crosswalks, looking left, right, and left again. Make eye contact with drivers before crossing.
• Go only to houses with their porch lights on.
• Never go into a stranger’s house or car, even if invited.
CANDY SAFETY
• Check all candy at home, and throw out anything with torn packaging or that looks suspicious.
• Be cautious of homemade treats from people you don’t know.
• Avoid giving young children hard candies or gum that could cause choking.
OTHER TIPS
• Keep jack-o’-lanterns and other candles away from flames and flammable materials.
• Secure family pets safely to prevent them from running away or interfering with trick-or-treaters.
Trick-or-Treating
102.3 The Coyote’s Safe House
The REC Center, 802 Jones Road FREE ADMISSION
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23RD 4:30PM-6:30PM
Visit Businesses throughout Downtown Rochelle FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31ST 2:00PM-4:00PM
Visit Homes with their Porch Lights on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31ST 5:00PM-8:00PM
TRICK TRICK TRICK TREAT TREAT TREAT OR
Rochelle’s water tower vies for recognition in nationwide contest
‘Having it nominated means somebody is taking great pride in that water tower’
By JEFF HELFRICH jhelfrich@shawmedia.com
Rochelle’s recently renovated and repainted water tower near the Illinois Route 251 overpass was recently nominated for Tnemec Company’s nationwide 2025 Tank of the Year contest.
Voting for the People’s Choice award took place Oct. 6-17 and a committee of water tank enthusiasts will choose 11 other finalists and consider them along with the People’s Choice to decide the official Tank of the Year, announced Oct. 24. The contest can be found online at tnemec.com/tank-of-the-year-2025.
City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh said Oct. 15 that the city and Rochelle Municipal Utilities were pleasantly surprised and humbled by the tower’s nomination for the contest.
“We put it out on our social media to get people to vote,” Fiegenschuh said. “It’s an honor to be considered. To have somebody nominate it because they’re so proud of our tower is great.”
The $1.2-million water tower project was completed in June. Along with renovation, the tower was repainted, incorporating the city’s new branding style with the Rochelle Township High School Hub mascot logo and the color purple.
The water tower’s paint scheme was
voted on by members of the community on social media and the finished product has been well-received. The city recently changed its official color back to purple.
“The tower’s renovation and painting was one of the best projects I’ve been involved with,” Fiegenschuh said. “Because there was so much collaboration. Staff came up with a few ideas and we asked the public for input on Facebook through a poll and we asked the city council for input. There was a lot that went into picking that design. It truly was a collaborative approach between staff, elected officials and our residents. That makes me even more proud that it was nominated.”
The water tower, built in 1953, is 150 feet tall and holds 500,000 gallons of water. It was last painted around 2000. The renovation and painting project will ensure the tower’s stability and facade for the coming decades.
The water tower renovation project had been in the city’s capital improvement plans for quite some time and was long slated to be completed in 2024, which it missed by just six months. A $1 million grant covered most of the $1.2 million project’s cost.
“It’s the most visible tower in the community and it might be the most visible landmark in our town,” Fiegenschuh said. “You can see it from miles away. I’m proud of it being renovated and having clean and safe drinking water. I’m really proud of the collaboration that went into picking the design and colors because it really was a community effort. People should be proud to live here. The water tower is a symbol of that pride. And you see it every day.”
Public Notice to Flagg, Dement, White Rock and Lynnville Townships Assessed Values for 2025
The following is a list of all property assessment changes made by the township assessor, and/or approved or revised by the supervisor of assessments. Valuation date (35 ILCS 200/9-95) January 1, 2025. Required level of assessment (35 ILCS 200/9-145) 33.33%. Valuation based on sales from 2022, 2023, 2024 (35 ILCS 200/1-155).
Publication is hereby made for equalized assessed values for real property in these townships in accordance with 35 ILCS 200/12-10. The Median level of assessments for Flagg Township 29.61%, Dement Township 29.77%, White Rock Township 29.77% and Lynnville Township 29.77%. Under the authority of 35 ILCS 200/9-210 and 35 ILCS 200/10-115 notice is hereby given that the following equalization factors have been applied to bring the assessments to the statutorily required three-year median level of 33.33%. The values shown are after the application of equalization factors.
The factor has been applied to residential and commercial land and buildings. Farm homesites and dwellings, and other land and improvements for:
Flagg Township 1.1192
Dement Township 1.1105
White Rock Township 1.1105
Lynnville Township 1.1105
Questions about these valuations should be directed to:
Flagg Township: Susan Rothenberger 815-562-6862 assessor@flaggtownship.org
Dement, White Rock and Lynnville Townships: Paul Peterson 815-561-4577 dlwrmtad@gmail.com
Pursuant to 35 ILCS 200/10-115 the farm land assessments for 2025 assessment year will increase by 10% of the preceding year’s median cropped soil productivity index as certified by the Illinois Department of Revenue with data provided by the Farmland Assessment Technical Advisory Board resulting in a $51.56 per acre increase for each soil productivity index.
Property in these townships, other than farm land is to be assessed at a 33.33% median level of assessment based on the fair cash value of your property. The resulting value should equal the estimated fair cash value of your property. You may check the accuracy of your assessment by the following procedure: divide your assessment by 0.3333 (median level of assessments). If the resulting value is greater than the fair cash value of your property, you may be over-assessed. If the resulting value is less than the fair cash value of your property, you may be under-assessed. You may appeal your assessment to the Board of Review. If you believe your property’s fair cash value is incorrect or that the equalized assessed valuation is not uniform with other comparable properties in the same neighborhood, the following steps should be taken.
1. Contact your township assessor to review the assessment.
2. If not satisfied with the assessor review, taxpayers may file a complaint with the Ogle County Board of Review. For complaint forms, instructions, and the Rules and Procedures of the Board of Review, call 815-732-1150 or visit www.oglecountyil.gov for more information.
3. The final filing deadline for your township is generally 30 days from this publication date. After this date, the Board of Review is prohibited by law from accepting assessment complaints for properties in these townships. For more information on complaint deadlines, call 815-732-1150 or visit us at 105 S. 5th St., Suite 215, Oregon, IL. Or visit www.oglecountyil.gov/ departments/supervisor-of-assessmnents/ for assessor contact information, assessment publications, appeal and exemption information.
Your property may be eligible for homestead exemptions, which can reduce your property’s taxable assessment. For more information on homestead exemptions call 815-732-1150 or visit www.oglecountyil.gov.
Your property tax bill will be calculated as follows:
Final Equalized assessed value – exemptions= Taxable assessment
Taxable assessment x current tax rate = Total Tax Bill
All equalized assessed valuations are subject
to further equalization and revision by the Ogle County Board of Review as well as equalization by the Illinois Department of Revenue.
A complete list of assessments for these townships for the current assessment year, except for those assessments that were changed solely by equalization as noted above, are as follows: Flagg
24-01-400-010 LSW ACRES LLC
24-08-302-003 MARRUFFO, CORY R & ANGELA
24-08-401-003 HARPER, BRIAN J & KATIE E
24-10-100-002 HIDDEN ACRES LLC
24-10-400-004
24-11-427-008 HICKS, BLAINE 7,057 24-11-429-001 CHISAMORE, DANNY & CANTARI 18,173 24-12-101-025 SKINN, JOHN
24-12-102-011 CAGLE, SUSAN M
24-12-301-003 TEMES, SARAH & MURRAY, MAT 64,485 24-12-301-011 HUERAMO-FULGENCIO, ROBERTO 45,269 24-12-302-021 SPEERS, LINDEN E & KRIPS,
24-12-303-011
24-13-378-018 GARCIA-GARCIA, LUIS ALEJAN
24-13-380-002 HEWITT, DENNIS R & PAULA D
24-13-380-004 CRISP, RONALD L & DIXIE J 42,324 24-13-380-007 PEARSON, L RITA & RONALD 42,461 24-13-380-011 BRKSTN LLC
24-13-380-014 ELDRED, MICHELLE & SEEBACH 41,342 24-13-384-006 KUEHL, TERESA 26,558 24-13-384-032 HALL, MARLICE A 44,785 24-13-385-001 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 241 24-13-385-002 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 241 24-13-385-003 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 249 24-13-385-004 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 126 24-13-385-005 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 126 24-13-385-006 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 104 24-13-385-007 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 108 24-13-385-008 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 103 24-13-386-001 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 188 24-13-386-002 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 188 24-13-386-003 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 188 24-13-386-004 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 188 24-13-386-005 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 188 24-13-386-006 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 188 24-13-386-007 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 188 24-13-386-008 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 188 24-13-386-009 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 188 24-13-386-010 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 188 24-13-387-001 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 100 24-13-387-002 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 105 24-13-387-003 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 105 24-13-387-004 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 111 Continued on next page
24-13-387-005 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 108 24-13-387-006 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 159 24-13-387-007 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 115 24-13-387-008 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 115 24-13-387-009 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 111 24-13-387-010 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 143
24-13-387-011 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 150 24-13-387-012 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 134 24-13-387-013 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 125 24-13-402-001 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 127 24-13-402-002 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 99 24-13-402-003 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 105 24-13-402-004 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 116 24-13-402-005 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 123 24-13-402-006 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 123 24-13-402-007 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 166 24-13-402-008 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 125 24-13-402-009 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 119
24-13-403-001 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 125 24-13-403-002 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 129 24-13-403-003 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 177 24-13-403-004 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 177 24-13-403-005 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 195
24-13-403-006 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 204 24-13-403-007 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 142 24-13-403-008 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 209 24-13-403-009 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 3,913 24-13-404-001 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 128
24-13-404-002 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 130
24-13-404-003 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 98
24-13-404-004 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 127
24-13-404-005 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 122 24-13-404-006 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 128 24-13-404-007 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 193 24-13-404-008 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 187
24-13-404-009 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 123
24-13-404-010 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 172 24-13-404-011 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 193 24-13-404-012 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 183 24-13-404-013 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 161 24-13-405-001 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 188 24-13-405-002 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 188
24-13-405-003 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 188 24-13-405-004 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 188
24-13-405-005 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 188 24-13-405-006 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 188
24-13-405-007 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 188 24-13-405-008 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 336
24-13-405-009 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 188
24-13-405-010 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 188 24-13-405-011 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 188
24-13-405-012 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 188 24-13-405-013 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 188
24-13-405-014 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 188
24-13-405-015 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 176
24-13-405-016 CARMICHAEL, DANIEL & NATAS 188
24-13-452-022 WITT, REUBEN S 61,385 24-13-453-001 BARDELL, STEVEN & KRISTINE 70,808
24-13-453-004 HAUCK, ANNA JUSTINE & ARVE 82,821
24-13-453-012 PEMBERTON, KEVIN P & VICTO 64,420
24-13-457-005 BASLER, MAXIMILLIAN M & EM 71,689
24-13-477-007 SCLAA, LLC 177,773
24-13-479-001 OSMANIYE DECCAN INC, 82,074
24-13-479-002 WE CARE PREGNANCY CENTER 82,074
24-14-228-005 WARNING, DAWN 48,520
24-14-276-008 BRATTHAUER, NICK & ROSS 47,232
24-14-278-001 HAGEMANN, MARK D & JUDITH 70,091
24-14-403-008 GRIFFITH, KEITH R & KRISTE 105,187
24-14-404-024 DUNBAR, JEROME G & JAN B 94,420
24-14-451-009 ALONSO, ADRIAN & GARCIA, M 91,014
24-14-454-029 MOTA, KRISTEN 94,633
24-14-454-032 DOUGHERTY, KENNETH E & CON 83,598
24-14-455-013 BERNARDIN, JOSHUA 85,541
24-14-478-011 MACE, MATTHEW W & SANDRA C 69,814
24-14-478-018 WANDA L MACKLIN REVOCABLE 76,049
24-15-301-011 BOEHLE, GERALD J & BETTY L 91,212
24-15-303-002 GOMEZ, JOHN 71,069
24-15-304-002 HUDSON, SEAN M & BRITTANY 116,277
24-16-179-001 EWALD, STACEY L & DUNPHY, 101,602
24-16-179-010 LAWSON, PHILLIP 81,392
24-16-227-001 RAMSEY, MARGARET S 75,209
24-16-227-002 COLLINS, JOHN R & LAMB, KA 74,834
24-16-227-005 SCHLOSSER, TODD W & ANNE F 74,140
24-16-227-006 HUEBER, JACOB C 68,999
24-16-227-007 STANFA, STEVE & RITA 78,223
24-16-227-008 LOWE, JOYCE E TRUSTEE JOYC 88,330
24-16-227-009 SIMON, MICHAEL E & AMY D 72,583 24-16-227-010 GOMEZ, THOMAS E & KENNEY, 73,954
24-16-227-011 STOLBERG, ROBERT & SANDRAL 98,113
24-16-227-012 SCOTT, MICHELE & WETESKA, 79,186 24-16-227-013 ELLIOTT, DONALD R TRUSTEE 66,910
24-16-227-014 ROBINSON, MICHAEL G & CYNT 84,022 24-16-227-015 JOHNSON, KRIS A & BRENDA S 76,312 24-16-276-008 LAMB, KENT R & TINA R 66,013 24-16-276-009 SIEBLER, STEPHEN S & TRACI 61,106 24-16-276-010 STROHMAN, MARY EILEEN 56,793 24-16-276-011 CAMMUCA, ANTHONY & VERONIC 73,045 24-16-276-012 LAFITA, , MAYELIN MATOS & 61,612 24-16-276-013 BURLISON, JOHN J 68,105 24-16-276-014 SPROWL, NATALIE R 69,769 24-16-276-015 FRYE, JEFFREY A 57,456 24-16-276-016 CECH, ERIC T 79,603 24-16-276-017 WHITE, KENNETH J & KAYLA 85,269 24-16-276-018 NASS, LARRY K & BUILTA, RI 80,421 24-16-276-019 HANSEN, PETER N 68,897 24-16-276-020 FIXMER, DAVID & BETH 66,734 24-16-276-021 SONDERGROTH, CHRISTOPHER & 59,598 24-16-276-022 LODICO, KENT A & TRICIA A 83,042 24-16-276-023 BURNETTE, DOUGLAS 58,888 24-16-276-024 TARTAGLIA, RYAN M & CHRIST 51,981 24-16-276-025 MONTES, ANJELICA J 96,384 24-16-276-026 WHITE, LEE & CAROL 89,755 24-16-276-027 THOMPSON, JARED P & JAN E 113,328 24-16-276-028 EVEREST, JOHN A & KATHY 67,223 24-16-276-030 RYAN, JEFFREY S & BRENDA R 71,494 24-16-276-031 THEISS, MICHAEL SHANE & DA 66,984 24-16-276-032 CLARK, JAMES W & CINDY J 62,997 24-16-276-033 VARGAS, SERGIO 58,409 24-16-277-001 SILVA, JORGE 82,332 24-16-277-002 BROOME, KAYLA C & WICKLUND 87,792 24-16-277-003 LLOYD, GRACE ANN 66,991 24-16-277-004 STULTZ, RYAN D & MARY 60,698 24-16-277-005 DAY, JEREMY & ERIKA 85,472 24-16-277-006 STEIN, NATHAN & JANELLE 84,791 24-16-277-007 WARNING, THERESA A & FREDD 64,745 24-16-277-008 BAKER, MEGAN 80,251 24-16-277-009 MYROTH, WAYNE E & WYNETTA 82,118 24-16-277-010 WINTERTON, RYAN M 80,677 24-16-277-011 KAMMES, BRIAN A & RONDA L 70,638 24-16-277-012 JENNINGS, ARLIE & COLLENE 64,748 24-16-277-013 ALANIS, DIANA & VENANCIO 94,144 24-16-277-014 VANKIRK-HERRMANN, BRENDA S 81,964 24-16-277-015 MACHADO, ANDRES 86,259 24-16-277-016 HOLMGREN, SETH A & TARAH 59,346 24-16-277-017 HENSLEY, JOHN R & TRACY L 63,948 24-16-277-018 ROMO-ALCARAZ, LUIS & ESCOB 75,355 24-16-277-019 PROSSER, BRADLEY A 93,136 24-16-277-020 STUKER, MICHAEL J & DEBRA 65,844 24-16-277-021 DAFNIS, JUDITH 92,387 24-16-277-022 HAYENGA, RODNEY E & CYNTHI 74,314 24-16-277-023 RAMSEY, TIMOTHY R & ASHLEY 66,333 24-16-277-024 BERG, SHEILA E 78,891 24-16-277-025 LIPPOLD, DALE S & LAURA M 75,812 24-16-277-026 WALKER, TERRY R & GAYLA J 65,095 24-16-278-001 MESSER, JACOB E & AMANDA M 92,414 24-16-278-002 HUDSON, STEVEN W & SUZANNE 91,365 24-16-278-003 MACH, CHARLES N & MARY KAY 77,915 24-16-278-004 GRAF, JODI A 75,896 24-16-278-005 ARJES, JAMES E 57,728 24-16-278-006 GONZALES, JOHN & KRISTI A 97,478 24-16-278-007 CHRISTIE, SEAN 63,041 24-16-278-008 BURGESS, MARK G & KIMBERLY 91,500 24-16-300-008 VALENCIA, RAFAEL JR & PATR 93,401 24-16-300-020 METZGER, THOMAS S & METZ 63,527 24-16-402-010 FITZGERALD, JAMES S 44,753 24-16-452-002 LONG, WILLIAM L & BILLIE J 84,698 24-17-128-001 HAYS, RANDALL 114,633 24-17-151-001 MACH, JUSTIN C & ALISON M 151,751 24-17-328-001 STAAB, JONATHAN & SUMAYYA 130,573 24-17-328-005 CARTWRIGHT, DAVID R & ELIZ 130,912 24-17-352-009 MACKLIN, JAMES R TRUSTEE & 137,518 24-17-352-010 STREIT, SONNY & MALLORY 98,151 24-17-353-007 MONTOYA, JAVIER & EMILY 103,019 24-17-354-004 SCHWARTZ, BENJAMIN J & SHA 133,661 24-17-355-001 BUTLER, DAVID A & LYNN A 128,876
24-17-356-001 CAPPEL, MATTHEW R TRUSTEE 134,441 24-17-356-007 DAVIS, LLOYD P & APRIL 124,808 24-18-426-010 HUNT, KEVIN M & HUGHES, PH 101,984 24-18-426-015 CRAVENS, AMBER L TRUSTEE 36,690 24-18-453-001 MYERS, CORY J & NICOLE L 127,462 24-19-226-001 WASCHER, WYMORE & BONITA 114,762 24-19-226-002 MEDINE, GERALD R & EVA M
24-19-226-003 BOGLE, CHRISTOPHER H
24-19-226-005 BUNGER, ROGER W & TERRY L
24-19-227-009 LINDMARK, GARY E & MARSHA
24-19-227-011 KASMAR, RICHARD P & DOLORE
24-19-227-013 ANGELL, ALEX & JESSICA 94,111 24-20-101-003 MILOS, KRISTOFFER B & KELS 88,574 24-20-101-005 FAIVRE, NICHOLAS A & JESSI 69,093 24-20-101-010 ROSSI, DAVID & ALI
24-20-102-002 PUTNEY, RUTH
24-20-126-002 JENNINGS, TIMOTHY & TAMRA
24-20-151-003 LIVINGSTON, DAVID J & JOAN
24-20-202-009 HAYWELL LLC WESTWOOD
24-20-203-001 SANDERS, MARK A & MARGARET 130,573 24-20-204-005 SABO, DANNY
24-20-403-001 RANGEL,
24-24-105-001 WILLIS, BRIAN & JANET 78,548 24-24-105-016 MORA, BRYAN & MYATT, JORDA 76,740 24-24-105-018 LAMPSON, TIMOTHY W
24-24-105-023 POWELL, KATHLEEN S
24-24-105-026 BURKE, STACEY & HOLLINGSWO
24-24-106-010 AUERSWALD, KARL & BAULIN
24-24-127-010 GONZALEZ CANO, FABIOLA 73,486 24-24-127-031 STEICHEN, KENNETH J & MELI 72,219 24-24-127-032 REIZER, JUDITH ELLEN 53,335 24-24-127-033 HILL, TIMOTHY E & DAWN R 75,455 24-24-127-034 CHALLAND, LUKE & DOWNEY, K 58,705 24-24-127-035 JOHNSON, WENDY S 48,962 24-24-127-036 CROUCH, SHELLY L 50,748 24-24-127-037 ARGUELLES, LEONIDES MORALE 70,566 24-24-127-038 LOWREY, DAVID L & GWENDA L 82,567 24-24-127-039 FIVE STAR ENGINEERING LLC 73,959 24-24-127-040 MAMMEN, BRUCE C TRUSTEE TR 43,626 24-24-127-041 SOUTH, KEVIN D 58,831 24-24-127-042 ESTERDAY, STEVEN P & COLLE
24-24-127-043 PEREZ, CONSUELO
24-24-127-044 BEARROWS, LORI L
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24-24-128-008 CHISAMORE, JAMES E & SARAH 88,483
24-24-128-009 DOUGHERTY, JOSEPH S 57,907
24-24-128-010 WHITESEL, HOMER R & BARBAR 71,980
24-24-128-011 BENNETT, STAN 57,449
24-24-128-012 HARRIS, RICHARD & JULIA A 66,914
24-24-128-013 MILLER, JORDAN A 68,219
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SMITH, ALEXANDER & SARAH
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Lynnville 19-05-126-012 OROZCO, ILAYALITH & ESPINO 74,311 19-05-127-004 GONZALEZ, DOMINIQUE 68,759 19-05-127-005 DIAZ, JUAN C & REVE DIAZ, 77,596 19-05-127-006 BUKOVSKY, TYLER & ELIZABET 65,663 19-05-376-005 SWIATOWIEC, VINCENT & SABR 62,733 19-05-377-013 REINTS, JAMES R & ELIZABET 72,517 19-09-100-008 PASEK, CHASE & JESSICA 43,310 19-31-400-002 ANDRONIC, BRIAN & YESSENIA 110,225 19-36-100-001 GARCIA, ORLANDO & ONTIVERO 75,185 Continued from previous page
24-24-204-009 MILAN, AMPARO J & CRISTINA 73,359
24-24-204-010 SCOTT, KEITH A & CHAD A 53,260
24-24-204-011 JOHNSON, TODD L & JORDYN 54,914
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24-24-205-006 ARROYO, LOURDES 68,128 24-24-205-007 SCOTT, JENNIFER N 65,900
24-32-401-002 SMARDO, FRANK JR 6,907 24-32-401-005 SMARDO, FRANK JR 5,329
Each row, column and set of 3-by-3 boxes must contain the numbers 1 through 9 without repetition.
Pickles
Wizard of Id
Alley Oop
Garfield
Hagar the Horrible
Barney Google and Snuffy Smith
Daddy Daze
JANRIC CLASSIC SUDOKU
CLASSIFIED
Coats,
Household,
Flagg Township Assessor's Office is seeking an assistant responsible for administrative duties and assisting the public. Specific responsibilities include internal and external customer service; data entry; maintaining database ; scanning; copying; emailing; producing invoices; preparing various types of do cuments and reports; filing ; phone duties; fulfilling information requests; and perfor ming other duties as assigne d.
Requirements: Qualified candidates must possess a high school diploma or equivalent and minimum three years' experience in an office environment; have excellent computer and math skills; be proficient in Microsoft Office; demonstrate abilities to navigate computer programs with agility; ability to operate general office equipment; superior attention to detail; strong customer service skills; and regular, consistent presence at work site.
Plea se sub mit resume by October 29, 202 5, to: assessor@flaggtow nship.or g or Flag g Township Assesso r Attn: Rachel Berry P. O. Box 436 Ro chelle, IL 61068
Hubs beat Ottawa
SHAW LOCAL NEWS NETWORK
With four touchdown runs, Rochelle’s Roman Villalobos sparked the Hubs to a 42-3 victory over the Pirates on Friday, Oct. 17, at Rochelle Township High School.
Photos by Photo provided by Marcy DeLille
TOP LEFT: Rochelle’s Mark Green goes for extra yards during the Hubs’ game with Ottawa on Friday. TOP RIGHT: Rochelle’s Luke Chadwick (32) trips up an Ottawa ballcarrier during Friday’s game in Rochelle.
ABOVE: Rochelle’s Roman Villalobos reacts after carrying the ball during Friday’s game with Ottawa in Rochelle. LEFT: Rochelle’s Cohen Haedt (24) throws the ball during Friday’s game with Ottawa in Rochelle.
Rochelle runs past Ottawa in win that was ‘100 percent’ for injured Dylan Manning
By ANDY COLBERT for Shaw Local News Network
Rochelle returned home for the first time since junior running back/defensive back Dylan Manning suffered a head injury against Morris two weeks ago and with hundreds of fans wearing purple and white “Play Like Dyl #10” shirts, the Hubs beat Ottawa, 42-3.
“We were relentless. That’s Rochelle football,” said former starting quarterback Van Gerber, who has been out since week 2 with a broken collarbone. “It was a huge win against Kaneland last week and that was 100 percent for Dylan.”
Since the Manning injury, it has been Roman Villalobos picking up the slack and for the second week in a row, the 195-pound senior fullback ran roughshod over a defense. This time, it was 125 yards on 21 carries and four touchdowns.
And, that was with Ottawa’s (2-6, 0-5) defense geared to stop him, as coach Chad Gross indicated in pregame comments. The Pirates were also hurt by Rochelle’s outside running game, as Tyler Gensler had 109 yards on 7 carries.
“Rochelle attacks you multiple ways,” said Gross, grandson of Pirate pole vaulting coaching legend June Gross. “If you attack the middle, they hit you on the outside.”
With Manning gone, Rochelle (5-3, 3-2) doesn’t have a true game breaker and has been relying on a more balanced attack, as evidenced by its first scoring drive of 80 yards that took 15 plays, with Villalobos going over from 4 yards out for the TD.
“Everyone’s got Roman’s number, so moving forward, Tyler and Jonathan [Andrist] have to be a key part of it,” Rochelle coach Kyle Kissack said. “Tonight, we were able to execute and stay on the field.”
After Rochelle’s score, Ottawa strung together a couple of first downs, keyed by a 12-yard pass from Andrew Vercolio to Owen Sanders. A fourth-down toss to Archer Cechowicz came up a yard short and Rochelle got the ball back in midfield.
Despite a 4-yard tackle for loss on Andrist by linebacker Joey Liebhart, Rochelle made it 14-0 early in the second
but I liked how executed at the point of attack and spread the ball around,” Kissack said. “On defense, we rallied to the football with a bunch of hats on it.”
With the wind at their back in the third quarter, the Hubs pinned Ottawa back to up its lead to 35-0. From his linebacker’s position, Villalobos tipped an errant Vercolio pass to teammate Mark Green (his second interception in two weeks) to give Rochelle the ball at Ottawa’s 20-yard line.
Maybe rewarding Villalobos for the tip, Kissack called his number four straight plays until a touchdown resulted. On the Hubs next scoring drive, it was Andrist getting it rolling with a 15-yard gain, but it was a surprise ending with 6-foot-7 tight end Warren Schweitzer catching his first varsity touchdown pass from 5-7 quarterback Cohen Haedt. It was Rochelle’s only pass of the game, in which they had 307 yard rushing and four in the air.
“I accept it. Running the ball - that’s our identity,” said Schweitzer, who also teams up with Haedt on the basketball court.
For second time, Ottawa came up a yard short on a fourth down and a Villalobos TD made it a running clock with 10:01 left in the game.
“In the second half, they started to wear us out and impose their will on us,” Gross said.
The highlight of the game for Ottawa came from Lucas Farabaugh, who kicked a 46-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter, believed to be the longest ever at the Doug Creason Athletic Complex. It was second-longest in Ottawa history.
“That was great kick by Lucas, who was making them from 50 yards out in warm-ups,” Gross said. “He’s hoping to do it at the next level.”
quarter on a 26-yard touchdown by Gensler. Four plays earlier, Gensler ran for 24 yards and Andrist tacked on a 10 yarder.
“They’re amazing at running the ball and hard to defend,” Pirate cornerback George Shumway said. “They stay low at the line and are physical.”
Ottawa did manage to stop the Rochelle offense for the only time on the next possession, with Gensler gang-tackled on fourth-and-4. Taking
over in Hub territory, Ottawa couldn’t take advantage, as a high snap to Vercolio resulted in a 24-yard loss on fourth down.
Taking over with 1:30 left in the first half, Gensler knocked off a 29-yard run to set up a Villalobos TD to make it 21-0. Gensler, younger brother of Hub allstaters Garrett and Grant, came up huge both sides of the ball, racking up 10 tackles, including 3 for losses.
“We have some things to clean up,
Ethan Poutre and Wes Weatherford led the Pirates with 43 and 37 yards rushing. Defensively, Poutre had 9 tackles, followed by Logan Mills with 7. Similar to Rochelle, Ottawa has struggled with injuries this season.
“It’s been a tough year,” Gross said. “We have kids playing positions they hadn’t before.”
Interestingly, both Ottawa (Granite City) and Rochelle (Waterloo) host teams from the south next week.
Photo provided by Marcy DeLille
Rochelle’s Jonathan Andrist (37) runs past an Ottawa defender during Friday’s game in Rochelle.
Ogle County football playoff picture getting clearer
With one week left in the regular season, the football playoff picture is getting clearer. The good news for Byron is it probably won’t see IC Catholic right off the bat.
Let’s add another contender to the Class 3A bracket in potential No. 1 seed Richmond-Burton, which gave coach Mike Noll his 300th win last week. The former Big Northern Conference foe has a long tradition of playoff success and will not cave in to powerhouses such as Byron or IC.
The 3A bracket could be even tougher if Wilmington is bumped up from 2A. A playoff projection currently has them as the largest school in 2A. Their only loss is to 4A power Morris, 27-20.
Teams that have departed the conference such as R-B (7-0), Burlington-Central (7-1), Johnsburg (6-2) and Marengo (6-2) are one reason why the Big Northern has declined in football quality. However, those long drives are not missed, especially a place such as Johnsburg that seemed to have so many twists and turns to get there.
B-C wasn’t too bad of a drive, but its enrollment would have driven it out of the BNC anyway as they currently have 1,500 students. The same with Hampshire, which is approaching 2,000. Not the town’s population, but the high school enrollment.
Then there was Huntley, which replaced Forreston a year after the
Andy Colbert VIEWS
BNC’s inception. It went from a school that at one time was smaller than Forreston to 10 times larger at 2,746.
My only trip to Huntley was in 2001 when Oregon faced it in the second round of the playoffs. I bring this up because of a bizarre outcome in the final minutes of regulation.
Comfortably ahead 27-26 and close to running the clock out, Huntley got outfoxed by Oregon, whose only hope was to get the ball back. The easiest way for that to happen was for Oregon to purposely let Huntley score.
I’ve never got official confirmation from coach Bothe on that, but suddenly a Huntley running back cracked off a long touchdown run. A wiser play would have been for the runner to fall down after getting a first down, which would have allowed the clock to run out and preserve the win.
The extra-point kick put Huntley up by eight points, but Oregon at least had a sliver of hope. Not known as a fast-scoring offense, the Hawks dramatically scored a touchdown as time was running out.
All that was needed was a two-point conversion to send the game into over-
time, something thought implausible a minute or so before. And that’s what happened.
Unfortunately, the miracle win wasn’t to be as Oregon lost 41-34. But it was an exciting ending.
Speaking of enrollment, 2000 and 2001 were the peak of the combined Mt. Morris/Oregon consolidation with about 650 students, which was about what Huntley had at that time. Now, Oregon sits at 428.
Whatever happens in the playoffs to Forreston doesn’t matter. Its season is already a success as evidenced by its arduous journey to get there, culminating with a come-from-behind win over LeRoy on Saturday.
It was a 12-point swing at the end of the first half that made the difference. Already ahead by a point and seemingly unstoppable, LeRoy scored an apparent touchdown, but it was called back because of a penalty.
Getting the ball back at the seven-yard line with under two minutes to play, the Cardinals drove the length of the field to grab the lead and made it hold up in the second half with its time-consuming offense for a 26-13 win. LeRoy had a chance to get back in it, but an errant pitch on fourth down doomed the team.
Forreston doesn’t have the athleticism of some teams, but a disciplined approach limits those mistakes. That is critical to win the toss-up games, of
which they went 4-0.
Some people wondered if Rockford Lutheran would show up to play Byron, which led 49-0 after the first quarter en route to a 77-0 final. That was only topped by the 79 points put up by Sterling Newman on Kewanee.
Byron (418) is one of three teams in the state with more than 400 points. Westville has 452 and Peoria 428. Dixon is next with 398.
Special mention in the BNC needs to go to Winnebago. In recent years, the Indians have been plagued by low numbers, but under coach Mark Helm always have played hard. This year is no exception, with Oregon fortunate to escape with a 20-18 win last Friday.
Although it is 2-6 going into the finale against Stillman Valley, Winnebago was close to being 4-4 and aiming for a playoff spot. It had a one-score, nonconference loss to Clinton, Wisconsin, and lost to North Boone by three points.
In maybe the most surprising result in the BNC this season, just when it looked like Stillman Valley had a clear path to the playoffs, it was North Boone shutting out the Cardinals 26-0. That puts even more importance on the Winnebago game with Stillman Valley. With a loss, the 4-4 Cardinals are out of the playoff picture.
• Andy Colbert is a longtime Ogle County resident with years of experience covering sports and more for multiple area publications.
Josh Holst returns to QB1 but NIU drops sixth straight, 48-21 at Ohio
By EDDIE CARIFIO ecarifio@shawmedia.com
Another quarterback change didn’t equal a different result for the Northern Illinois University football team Saturday in a 48-21 loss at Ohio.
After two weeks on the bench behind true freshman Brady Davidson, redshirt sophomore and Marengo grad Josh Holst returned to the starting lineup.
“Obviously, it wasn’t fun, but I wasn’t playing well,” Holst said. “Brady is a great player, great kid. Those two weeks on scout team put it in perspective. I felt like a freshman again. Going against the defense built the confidence back up. Yeah, I was a little [ticked] off, but whatever the coaches need me to do, I’ll do it.”
The Huskies (1-6, 0-3 MAC) did score three touchdowns and break the 20-point mark for the first time this year, two of the three touchdowns came in the second half with Ohio (4-3, 2-1) leading 34-8.
Holst finished 21 of 29 for 161 yards and two touchdowns. He didn’t throw an interception but did fumble on a fourth and 7 from the Ohio 13 and 2:52 left in the game. Jalen Thomeson returned it 91 yards for a score, pushing the Ohio lead 48-21.
DeAree Rogers made seven catches for 107 yards and a touchdown. No other receiver had more than 12 yards.
NIU ran for 132 yards, their highest rushing total since putting up 180 yards at Maryland in a 20-9 loss on Sept. 5. Holst ran for 48 yards on 11 attempts, behind only Telly Johnson’s 11-carry, 64-yard performance.
Holst started the first four games for the Huskies this year, all nonconference games. Coach Thomas Hammock said he wanted to see what last year’s Famous Idaho Potato Bowl MVP could do in MAC play.
“We felt like he deserved an opportunity to play in MAC play,” Hammock said. “The teams he played against were some of the best teams on our schedule. So to give a full evaluation on him based on those games was not the right thing to do.”
Rogers said for him, it doesn’t really
matter who is at quarterback.
“For the receivers, our biggest thing is to make the quarterback right,” Rogers said. “If it’s a 50-50 ball, no matter which quarterback throws it, we need to come down with it. It doesn’t really matter who goes out there week-to-week, we just want the win at the end of the day.”
Rogers, Holst and Hammock all said the team played with a much faster tempo in the second half, leading to a better offensive push. The 293 yards of total offense is the highest total of the year.
Hammock said he’s been pushing for a faster tempo and Holst said it worked well during spring and fall camps.
“We were kind of playing from behind so we played with a little tempo,” Rogers said. “It seemed to work out in the second half. ... I think it showed we should be a tempo team. Going into next week’s game from the beginning of the game, not just when we’re behind.”
The loss was the sixth in a row for the Huskies and the third in conference play, likely eliminating them from MAC contention. They’ll need to win out to be
eligible for a third straight bowl bid.
It’s the longest losing streak since the Huskies went 0-6 in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season.
“I think the accountability starts with me,” Hammock said. “I’m responsible for how we play. I think the buck starts and ends with me. These guys are playing their tail off, they’re practicing hard and for whatever reason we’re not getting the results we want. It’s hard to
take but I have to live with that and take responsibility for that.”
Holst said the players need to take accountability as well.
“Coaches are putting us in the position to win every week,” Holst said. “It’s not on the coaches, it’s on the players to execute. We need to take accountability better, each and every player on this team. We need to quit pointing fingers and start pointing thumbs.”
Photos provided by NIU Athletics/Jimmy Doles
NIU wide receiver DeAree Rogers looks for extra yards in the Huskies’ 48-21 loss to Ohio on Saturday, Oct. 18.
NIU kick returner Dev’ion Reynolds runs through the Ohio defense during the Huskies’ 48-21 loss to the Bobcats on Saturday, Oct. 18, in Athens, Ohio.
SPORTS
UPCOMING ROCHELLE FOOTBALL GAMES
Oct. 24: Home vs. Waterloo, 6 p.m.
Oct. 25: IHSA Playoff Pairings are announced
HUBS ROCK OTTAWA
With four touchdown runs from Roman Villalobos, the Hubs were on their way to a 42-3 victory over Ottawa on Friday, Oct. 17 / 19-20
Rochelle defenders including Brode Metzger gang tackle an Ottawa player during Friday’s game in Rochelle. The Hubs won 42-3.
