BDR: Featured Stories

Hometown Christmas buttons, prints now available

Nov. 12, 2013

BELVIDERE – The Belvidere Hometown Christmas buttons and prints, featuring an illustration of Pettit Chapel by Dave Worrell, are now available for purchase. Buttons are $2 and may be purchased at Alpine Bank, Belvidere Cemetery, Blackhawk Bank, Boone County Museum, Byron Bank, Castle Bank, Changes Salon, Keen Age Center, O’Brien & Dobbins Snyder Drugs, PNC Bank, Poplar Grove State Bank, Snyders Pharmacy, and Union Savings Bank.

Unframed and un-matted prints may be purchased for $10 at the Chamber of Commerce office, 130 S. State St., Suite 300.

Bring your buttons into the PNC Bank front foyer, 130 S. State St. during Hometown Christmas on Friday, Dec. 6 to check if you have won a prize.

 

News in Brief: 

A.   Wind farm cross-examination may continue Nov. 26

Nov. 12, 2013

By Bob Balgemann

BELVIDERE - It's been almost one year since the Boone County Board voted 7-5 to approve a majority of the revisions for wind farm regulations.

Among them were decommissioning and road conditions.

One issue - setbacks - was sent back to the zoning board of appeals for public hearings in an 8-4 vote. Now the public hearing portion of that process has come to an end. But the board isn't quite ready to make a recommendation for consideration by the county board.

Associate planner Gina DelRose gave the staff report at the October zoning board. Cross-examination from the audience began afterward, but it did not finish. So the cross-examination may continue at the Nov. 26 meeting of the ZBA, which begins at 7 p.m. in the county administration building, 1212 Logan Ave.

There are four other zoning cases that night and it has yet to be determined if they will be heard first, or if the cross-exanimation will lead off the next board meeting.

Once the cross examination concludes the ZBA will begin its deliberation and, ultimately, offer a recommendation to the county board.

While the public hearing portion of the process has ended, there is a public comments portion on the county board's meeting agenda. Each speaker is allowed a maximum of five minutes to address an issue, whether on the agenda or an opinion, concern or some other observation.

Staff is recommending a 1,000-foot setback as currently is on the books.

Mainstream Renewable Power, based in Dublin, Ireland with an office in Chicago, is proposing an 8,000-acre wind farm for the northeast corner of the county. Up to 100 turbines standing about 529 feet tall would be located on that land.

Boundaries are Grade School Road on the west, Wisconsin state line to the north, McHenry County line on the east and North Boone School Road to the south.

b.   E.P.I. issue debated

BELVIDERE - From the standpoint of Boone County Board of Health Vice President Jim Cox, the issue surrounding the E.P.I. Fruit Processing and Packaging building in Poplar Grove has been going on "forever."

Board members said in July that they wanted closure for the building at 101 East Ave., which has been condemned.

But when board member Jack Spotz asked for an update at the Nov. 4 meeting Bill Hatfield, director of environmental health, said he had contacted the attorney for owner Louis Tenore and told him "he needs to get back to me. We have to determine if that's a cistern or a well on the property. He (Tenore) sealed it so now he has to unseal it."

Cox asked why county state's attorney Michelle Courier isn't being asked to file a lawsuit "and bring this to a head."

"We're working on it," Hatfield replied. "But you issue a warrant and you can't find the guy."

Poplar Grove Village President John Neitzel said last summer the village could take over the building, but then it would be responsible for demolition costs.

County board Chairman Bob Walberg already has said the county doesn't have the money to help tear it down.

 

BPD gets Dodge Durangos with details for dogs

Nov. 12, 2013

By Troy A. Bruzewski

Editor

BELVIDERE – The Belvidere Police Dept. will be driving its dogs in some newer digs.

Belvidere’s city council recently approved the purchase of two new SUVs for its police department, used to transport the unit’s two canines. BPD was authorized to purchase two 2014 Dodge “Special Service” Durangos and the subsequent customizing required for the K-9 unit. Funds for the vehicles and customizing were provided by Federal Asset Forfeiture funds.

Chief Jan Noble said the vehicles must initially meet the standards of a police vehicle, in addition to the eventual additions for canine transportation.

“It’s definitely a police service vehicle with heavy duty options, because these cars are subject to long hours of being driven and a lot of hard use,” he said. “It must also provide protection of the dog in case of a rollover.”

The selected bid for the vehicles was awarded to Thomas Dodge of Orland Park and a canine insert was acquired from American Aluminum. The insert is a pre-fabricated and pre-welded insert that replaces the vehicles backseat.

The approved cost of the two vehicles and the customizing, was not to exceed $73,194.

911 coordinator position

The city council also approved paying 1/3 the cost in employing a 911 coordinator position. The other two equal portions of the cost would be provided by Boone County and the 911 board.

Approval was given to fill the position in June of 2014, at an annual salary of approximately $37,000 per year.

 

Civil suit filed against child-porn convict

Nov. 12, 2013

BELVIDERE – A man arrested by Belvidere Police and eventually sentenced to 10 years in prison for aggravated child pornography and a weapons charge, is now facing a civil suit.

Richard K. Yohn, 50, of Belvidere, faces a $40-million lawsuit by the mother of a 12-year-old girl who claims her daughter continues to suffer trauma from being sexually assaulted by Yohn. The lawsuit, filed in St. Clair County Circuit Court, alleges the girl was assaulted and battered by Yohn, along with forcing her to pose for inappropriate photos they say he posted online.

The suit alleges the sexual abuse began in 2006, when the girl was six-years-old and continued until March 2010. One month later, BPD was contacted by Litchfield police regarding Yohn and an alleged predatory criminal sexual assault. BPD detectives and patrol officers located Yohn at a home on Bradley Lane and detained him. Police also seized a computer, multiple hard drives, a camera and nearly two dozen guns.

While Yohn was held on a $500,000 bond, special agents from the United States Secret Service in Chicago examined the seized items. In July 2012, he pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to possessing child pornography and was sentenced to 10 years.

“During the course of the sexual assault and battery and abuse described above, defendant intentionally and maliciously threatened the plaintiff with great bodily harm, causing her to be in fear for her life, and further, inflicted injury on the plaintiff through intentional, malicious, unjustified, harmful, and offensive sexual contact without plaintiff’s consent,” the suit states. “(The) defendant made plaintiff undress, posed her in a sexual manner, and then photographed her; he thereafter publicly disclosed those photographs by distributing them on the Internet.”

The suit continues in saying the girl has suffered academically, endured depression and low self-esteem and is battling suicidal tendencies. Her mother claims she also has suffered physical and psychological trauma.

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