Belvidere Daily Republican Featured News

Teen pleads guilty, sentenced to 16 years

Nov. 27, 2013

BELVIDERE – An 18-year-old Belvidere resident pled guilty to aggravated battery with a firearm, Wednesday, related to charges from a shooting on June 26, 2011.

Boone County State’s Attorney Michelle Courier announced that Pedro Sanchez pled guilty and was sentenced to 16 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. She said Sanchez is an admitted street gang member who fired a gun at rival gang members in the 500 block of Starr Street in Belvidere.

One person was struck once in the abdomen and the bullet traveled out of his body.  The motivation for the shooting was gang-related, in retaliation for earlier harassment by the rival gang members.  At the time of the shooting, Sanchez, then 16, was considered a juvenile but was charged and prosecuted as an adult.

Courier was pleased with the outcome of the case.

“We should not tolerate gang violence of any sort regardless of the age of the offender and will continue to prosecute juvenile gang members as adults in hopes of getting tough sentences,” she said. “This sentence will continue to send the message that Boone County will not tolerate gang violence.”

 

Belvidere tweaked for early sounding of warning siren

Nov. 27, 2013

By Bob Balgemann

BELVIDERE - Sunday's National Football League game between the Baltimore Ravens and host Chicago Bears was suspended for almost two hours because of the fierce thunderstorm that raced through northern Illinois.

Fans were evacuated from Soldier Field while the players found shelter. Everyone waited close to two hours before action resumed.

There was plenty of coverage of the storm on Rockford television, including Channel 23 where meteorologist Mark Henderson showed via radar where the most intense parts of the storm were at the moment and where they were heading.

He said the storm had wind gusts of 70-90 mph, with the most severe portions going east through southern Boone County and the northern side of DeKalb County.

Henderson made special mention that the city of Belvidere was not part of the affected area. With that he said Belvidere had a tendency to sound its warning siren early. He did say that if people heard the siren they would be wise to take cover, even though Belvidere was not under any storm warning at that time.

Actually, sounding the warning siren is the responsibility of radio dispatchers in the Boone County 911 center, situated in the public safety building off Main Street.

Sheriff's Lt. Perry Gay, who's also supervises the 911 center, said Nov. 20 that the siren was set off at 9:36 a.m. that day because the National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning for east-central Boone County and northwest McHenry County.

At that time, he said a thunderstorm was located five miles northeast of Belvidere that was capable of producing tornadoes.

Concerning the Channel 23 report, he said, "I don't appreciate them labeling us that way." He added that he probably would give station officials a call just to "touch base with them."

He said the county does not always have to wait for an official warning to be issued. "There are other factors such as the totality of the circumstances, law enforcement or spotters."

Longtime residents of Belvidere are wary of severe storms as they remember April 21, 1967, when a tornado ripped through the city, killing 24 people, 17 of them children.

More recently tornadoes have come through north of Belvidere.

Edwards Apple Orchard in Poplar Grove was hit by a winter tornado in January 2008. In November 2010, a tornado caused damage to the village of Caledonia and was seen by witnesses spinning along the north side of Illinois 173 near 173 and Poplar Grove Road. No injuries were reported in either case.

The village of Caledonia dedicated its new alert siren Saturday morning, Nov. 23.

 

Fire District 3 coordinates relief trip to tornado-ravaged area

Nov. 27, 2013

By Bob Balgemann

Reporter

POPLAR GROVE - It was something Joe Baraconi and Joe Satterlee had been wanting to do. On Nov. 17, the opportunity arose and they didn't waste any time getting to it.

The idea was to solicit donations of supplies to help those in downstate Washington, near Peoria, whose community was ravaged by a tornado on Nov. 17. After they received permission from chief Gail Worley to use the department's trailer, they set about publicizing their upcoming trip.

Using the fire district's Facebook page and making calls to friends and relatives, the men soon had donations coming in at all times of the day and night.

"This is the second day I've been here all day," Baraconi said the afternoon of Nov. 20.

They got a helping hand from the village of Poplar Grove, which put a link on its website to help people learn how they could get involved in the effort.

The wish to help others was spawned in January 2008, when a tornado ripped through northern Boone County and damaged Edwards' Apple Orchard on the north side of Poplar Grove. Another one, in November 2010, damaged homes and businesses in nearby Caledonia.

"People were dropping off all kinds of things here," Satterlee said. "We got a ton of stuff and they were hit a lot worse."

Among the donations being dropped off starting Nov. 18 were cleaning supplies, water, clothes, personal hygiene items, brooms, shovels, garbage bags, gloves, a chainsaw and a lot of totes. Even some gas cards and a phone card.

"They lost everything and won't be at work for a while," Baraconi said. "So they need all the help they can get."

He said he was driving his own vehicle, a full-size pickup truck, capable of hauling a trailer the size of the one provided by District 3.

Drop-off sites have been set up in various parts of Washington, he said, such as churches and the Red Cross. Washington is about two hours south of Poplar Grove and the men said they expected to be back the same day.

 

Wind farm, animal control bring speakers to county board

Nov. 26, 2013

By Bob Balgemann

BELVIDERE - The wind farm being proposed for northeastern Boone County continues to be in front of the zoning board of appeals (ZBA). And construction of a new animal control services building remains in process.

While those matters have yet to appear before the county board they brought an unusually high number of speakers to the monthly board meeting held Nov. 20.

The next ZBA meeting was scheduled for Nov. 26 and it was possible that cross-examination of associate planner Gina DelRose continued. But there were other cases to be heard as well.

Mainstream Renewable Power is proposing a project with up to 100 wind turbines for 8,000 acres bordered by North Boone School Board on the south, Grade School Road to the west, Wisconsin state line on the north and McHenry County line to the east.

Opponents presented each board member with a stack of petitions signed by 1,300 people who don't want the development.

Resident Meredith Williams passed out copies of a letter from the superintendent of Vermillion County schools that dealt with health issues experienced by children in classrooms near a wind turbine.

She said she was concerned a similar path would be followed in Boone County.

Talking about setback

Support for a 1,500-foot setback for turbines from residential property, as recommended by the county planning, zoning and building committee, came from another speaker. She did not agree with the 1,000-foot setback being recommended by the county planning staff. That setback was approved in 2006, when an earlier wind farm proposal was ultimately rejected by the county board.

At that point board Chairman Bob Walberg said it was pointed out to him that "this is becoming too much of a production."  He asked that it stop.

Former county board member Marshall Newhouse said a view shed created in 2006 showed a 400-foot tall turbine would be visible throughout most of Boone County. The turbines proposed by Mainstream are 25 percent taller and likely would be visible as far away as Cherry Valley.

Resident Robert Christiansen talked about the possibility of a new building for animal control services. Referring to a letter to the editor that appeared in the Belvidere Daily Republican, he questioned "all of the delays that have been happening. There doesn't seem to be a direct commitment" to the project.

A firm commitment, he said, would include a deadline. "When are we going to get it?" he asked. "This year? Next year? That's not the way to get things done."

Speakers during the public comment portion of the meeting are allowed three minutes to state their case. Walberg told Christiansen his three minutes were up.

"I'm answering your letter," he told the chairman. "Will I not be able to do that?"

"Your three minutes are up," Walberg reiterated.

With that Christiansen returned to his seat in the audience.

 

Happy ending for dog running loose along Illinois 173

Nov. 26, 2013

By Bob Balgemann

CAPRON - A young border collie that recently got loose from its owner's house wound up running along Illinois 173, near Meyer Road, on the way to Capron.

That created quite a traffic jam as some motorists pulled off on the side of the road and tried to rescue the pup. Among the vehicles that stopped to help was one of three ambulances operated by Capron Rescue Squad.

But it got stuck.

One of the squad's assistant chiefs, Tony Stepansky, happened to be driving the rig that night and recounted what went on.

At one point the dog ran in front of the ambulance, so he said he pulled over to the side of the road to keep from possibly striking the animal. But while on the shoulder a rear tire slipped onto an unmarked culvert and the unit became stuck. A tow truck had to be called to free the ambulance, which was not damaged, and return it to the side of the road.

Stepansky related what happened at the Nov. 19 meeting of the rescue squad district board of trustees. "There is an incident report," he said. "There was no attempt to hide anything."

"I think you made a wise choice," Trustee Neeley Erickson told him.

Attempts to catch the dog caused traffic to back up along the sometimes busy highway. "There must have been 200 people standing around there," Stepansky reported.

"Was it caught?" Trustee Mike Petersen asked.

"Yes," the assistant chief replied.

"So there was a happy ending," Petersen observed.

Stepansky was relieved by that, saying, "Had we hit the dog there would have been headlines."

Roger Tresemer, supervisor of the county animal control services department, took the call. He said Nov. 21 the owners lived on Meyer Road and that it took a while to find them.

"He was a friendly dog," he reported. "The owner felt bad. She said he accidentally got out."

Still, she received a citation for allowing a dog to run loose.

Also at the rescue squad board meeting Nov. 19, trustees voted to donate $250 to the Capron Christmas festival, being planned for Dec. 1. There will be a variety of activities along with lighting of the Christmas tree on the south side of 173.

The contribution will be used to buy treats for children.

In addition, there will be an open house at the remodeled rescue squad station at the corner of 173 and Fourth Street.

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