Belvidere skates into holiday season with new ice arena

By Shelby R. Farrell
Reporter
BELVIDERE – People from Belvidere and surrounding areas glided into the new Riverside Ice Arena at the grand opening the first weekend of December.
Hundreds of skaters went to the three-day event that included bucket races, slapshot competitions, giveaways and an appearance by Hammy from the Rockford Ice Hogs among other activities.
The new skating rink is a part of a $3 million overhaul of Doty Park on Locust Street. Belvidere Park District Marketing Manager Gabe Castillo said the park district and the city have been planning the new additions for over three years.
“This place is underutilized and had a lot of riff raff,” Castillo said. “In the past, we’ve had a lot of vandalism in this park, and we hope with the renovations and the time and effort that we put into that, that it keeps those who want to bring down Belvidere away and keep those who bring it back up.”
Security cameras were also added throughout the park to deter vandals and promote safety, but the main reason the ice arena was added was to give families more winter recreation opportunities.
Castillo said the arena’s original plans only included the splash pad and a “flood rink,” which freezes naturally as weather permits, but the Riverside Ice Arena has hundreds of pipes running beneath the ice to keep it frozen, even in 50-degree weather.
“Basically what a lot of people do, they put water on it and let the ice freeze, but to be able to run a consistent programming, ice lessons, which we have, and youth hockey,” he said. “To be able to do that, you need to be able to have some kind of consistency. I can’t have ice on one day and the next two weeks I don’t.”
Jet Etnyre is a 9-year-old hockey player from Poplar Grove, and he said the Riverside Ice Arena is now the closest to home, making a 20-minute drive into a 10-minute drive. He was at all three days of the grand opening, and he said he would probably continue going to the rink at least once a week.
“More people can get introduced to hockey and they’re starting leagues and that’ll just be phenomenal for people that like don’t have that much to do in the off-season in the winter when they usually do like football or basketball or something,” Etnyre said. “It’s just great.”
Although the new arena is starting new hockey leagues, Etnyre wouldn’t be able to play with the team because of his experience, which includes five years of playing hockey. Castillo said the new league, the River Otters, was designed for beginners because most people with experience, such as Etnyre, are already participating in leagues in nearby areas including the Rockford Junior Ice Hogs.
“Hockey is getting to be a big thing in towns, so opening a site is actually huge for people that like hockey and other people that want to get into hockey,” Etnyre said.
To make the sport more accessible for those interested, Castillo said the Belvidere Park District is providing full hockey gear for up to 30 kids who join the River Otters. An adult league is also in the works at the Riverside Ice Arena, as well as plans for a permanent locker rooms for hockey players or frequent users at the arena.
“I think the recreation is a key part to anyone’s life and there’s a lot of people out there that want to have some kind of winter recreation opportunity,” he said. “We’re trying to keep activities for the families year-round. There’s a lot of people out there that would love to skate and to give the opportunity to those kids who don’t know how to skate is the opportunity to learn how to and more closer to home.”
The new arena is offering free admittance during public skate times until Jan. 3, and skate rentals are $1.
To learn about what else the Riverside Ice Arena offers, visit belviderepark.org or call the Belvidere Park District at (815) 547-5711.

Above is from:  http://rvpnews.com/?p=4833

Public safety committee approves increase in court fees

By Shelby R. Farrell
Reporter
BOONE COUNTY – For the first time in over a decade, Boone County residents might have a higher price to pay when facing time in court.
The county’s Public Safety Committee approved increases to court fees for civil cases, as wells as “criminal, local ordinance, county ordinance, traffic and conservation cases,” at the Dec. 7 meeting. The increase is supposed to help supplement the costs of Court Security Systems, according to Resolution 15-24.
Committee member Sherry Branson said the fees for civil, felony, misdemeanor and DUI cases raised from $15 to $25, which is a 66 percent increase. For cases that are drawn out and require multiple court appearances, the fee will only need to be paid one time.
However, Branson said the last time Boone County changed the cost of appearing in court was in the mid-90s, and the new price should mirror court costs from surrounding areas.
Residents who attend court over traffic, ordinance and conservation cases could have to pay an additional $8 after other fees and fines as well.
“There’s so many fees on a traffic ticket as it is that it’s something that we’re really going to monitor and see if we can increase it,” Sheriff Dave Ernest said at the meeting. “As of this time, we are just going to go with the obvious offenses and civil cases and see where they take us, but we’ll re-evaluate it in a year.”
The Boone County Board of Trustees will vote on the fee increases at the Dec. 16 board meeting.

Above is from:  http://rvpnews.com/?p=4829

Rauner Strategy Claims Another Victim

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Written by Rich Miller
Sunday, 13 December 2015 05:36
One of the concepts used so effectively by Bruce Rauner’s campaign for governor last year was what are called “OODA Loops.” I’m going to oversimplify because of space, but the idea, developed by a military strategist and adopted by business leaders, is to introduce rapid changes to a battle with the intent of disorienting an opponent and forcing over- and under-reactions. And then do it again and again to exhaust and eventually defeat the other side. OODA Loops transcend traditional “rapid response.” They’re quick, forceful reactions specifically designed to force repeated mistakes by the other side. The Rauner campaign used those loops to run circles around Governor Pat Quinn last year. The Rauner folks have also used the loops since the campaign ended. For instance, when Representative John Bradley (D-Marion) attempted to hold legislative hearings on how the administration was hiding gubernatorial payrollers, they didn’t bow down as others had in the past. Instead, they attacked Bradley with snark-filled invective and caught him off-guard, forcing multiple and escalating angry responses that made him look a bit pompous and, according to the Rauner folks, out of touch. And they did it again last week. For months now, Rauner and his top people have been saying that Democratic leaders ought to offer up a specific tax-increase plan. The Republicans have laid out what they want from the long governmental impasse (Rauner’s Turnaround Agenda, which includes major attacks on organized labor). So, the Rauner folks say, it’s time for the Democrats to do the same. What do they want? Staying silent or being vague about specific numbers has allowed the Democrats to stake out some high ground and avoid attacks on their rank-and-file members. Obviously, more revenue is needed. But it becomes far more real to the public when there’s a number attached. Hence, the effort to force the Democrats to be specific. Last week, House Speaker Michael Madigan took a question at a City Club of Chicago luncheon from Chris Robling, a staunch Rauner supporter. Robling’s written question was about how high Madigan thought taxes needed to go. Madigan took the bait. Instead of his customary vagaries, Madigan said a “good place to begin” would be to return to the taxing levels from before the income-tax hike partially sunset in January. “Starting there you can go in whatever direction you want to go,” he said. Madigan was not asked to fully clarify his remarks at the ensuing press conference, and for good reason. Why let a clarification get in the way of a great headline? So, Speaker “I want a 33-percent tax hike” Madigan’s gaffe was quickly trumpeted by media outlets throughout the state, eventually forcing Madigan to issue a clarification at 6 p.m. that night (those Madigan folks never do anything quickly) about the “misleading headlines and mischaracterization of the speaker’s comments.” The speaker went on to say in the release that he has “no plans” to advance a specific tax-hike plan anytime soon. The response was issued so late, however, that it didn’t make it into most of the coverage, even though everything is now online and can be easily updated. It’s no secret that Madigan favors a tax increase. He’s said all year that the budget can only be balanced with a mix of tax hikes and cuts. But it’s clear from the 6 p.m. walk-back that Madigan got too far ahead of himself. Robling’s question began the process. The Rauner people began working their loops immediately after Madigan answered the question, pushing hard on the concept that Madigan had finally admitted to a tax-hike starting point and eventually forcing Madigan into attacking the media and issuing that clarification. The clarification was then portrayed as confirmation of the speaker’s true intent: He didn’t misspeak; he accidentally said too much. Mistakes make politicians look weak. Clarifying the mistake was a further mistake because it confirmed the weakness. And then the next day the Illinois Republican Party launched attacks on some of Madigan’s members, asking rhetorically if those members would “stand with taxpayers, or will they stand with #TaxHikeMike?” Rauner “won” the day, and “Speaker Madigan’s 33-percent tax-hike plan” will help them win more, which is what this is about. Win more days and you further exhaust the other side. More exhaustion leads to more mistakes. Enough mistakes and the opponent is so disadvantaged that it eventually has no choice but to surrender. Surrender, of course, is not in Madigan’s vocabulary these days. But he needs to be much more aware of what’s being done to him. Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax (a daily political newsletter) and CapitolFax.com. Above is also from:  http://www.rcreader.com/commentary/rauner-strategy-claims-another-victim/

Winnebago, Boone counties feeling pinch from increased juror payments

ROCKFORD — It's been six months since a state law took effect that required county governments to better compensate jurors. Already, budget makers are feeling a pinch.

Effective June 1, Illinois law required jurors be paid $25 for their first day of duty and $50 for each additional day. The previous per-day compensation was $13. As a result, the cost of holding jury trials has risen sharply in Winnebago and Boone counties.

From June 1 to Dec. 31 last year, Winnebago County paid jurors about $27,500. From June 1 to Dec. 9 this year, the county has already paid out $44,100 to jurors. Winnebago County increased its annual trial court budget by $250,000 on Oct. 1 in anticipation of increased juror payments, according to County Administrator Steve Chapman.

"That was the estimate," Chapman said. "It obviously increased our expenses significantly."

In Boone County, Treasurer Curt Newport estimated the state law has raised annual juror expenses from about $55,000 per year to about $115,000.

"We have a much smaller general fund than Winnebago, so that’s a much more serious impact," said Boone County Administrator Ken Terrinoni. "With the budget that the board adopted this year, it keeps our programs in tact and actually adds two sheriff’s deputies. In the immediate future it won’t have a big impact, but long term is different."

Newport said jurors should be paid more than the paltry $13 a day they were paid before June 1, however, the added expense gets tricky at the county level.

"On the one hand if you’re a juror, $25 bucks still isn’t much for a day," Newport said. "And on other hand, if you’re a county scratching and clawing for money, every little bit hurts. I agree we need to pay our jurors better. (But) it’s expensive to administer justice."

Ben Stanley: 815-987-1369; bstanley@rrstar.com; @ben_j_Stanley

Above is from:   http://www.rrstar.com/article/20151211/NEWS/151219882/0/SEARCH