The January through June Year in Review appeared in the Sunday, Dec. 31 edition of the Rochelle News-Leader. 

July

Sunday, July 2

ROCHELLE — On Friday, June 23, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held for Chicagoland Skydiving Center’s new rooftop solar array. 

Speakers at the event included CSC CEO/President Doug Smith, Mayor John Bearrows and Verde Solutions Founder/CEO Christopher Gersch. The solar array includes 382 48-watt panel modules and covers both the CSC hangar and office building. 

Over the 30-year lifespan of the solar array, CSC will produce 6,230,045 kWh of electricity which will save it over $750,000 in energy costs based on the value of the dollar in 2023. That’s equivalent to 6.2 million gallons of gasoline, 55,366 metric tons of CO2, 62 million pounds of coal, and 915,418 tree seedlings grown for 10 years. 

Smith said bringing the solar array to fruition was “a long process” and its completion is something CSC is proud of. It is the first solar-powered skydiving operation on the planet, he said. 

“We have a 20,000 square-foot facility out in farm fields and I wanted to give it a shot,” Smith said. “There were a lot of hurdles on the commercial side. There's never been a commercial solar project in this town. The city was really a partner in this whole thing and I do thank them for everything they did. Verde Solutions, our contractor, made it super simple. It's a point of pride for me that we're doing what we're doing and we're already seeing the results of it on the savings side. Our consumption is way down and we're saving money.”

ROCHELLE — On Sunday, June 25, a house dedication and blessing was hosted by Habitat for Humanity of Ogle County for its latest completed build at 110 S. 9th St. Ashlie Minton, a mother of four, was chosen as the homeowner and helped build the home along with volunteers and her family. 

The new home is the county organization’s 13th overall and third build in Rochelle. Work on the site began in early October.

"In November, we stood here at our groundbreaking and hoped to get the basement covered and closed in before a bad winter came,” Habitat Board President Gail Tuttle said. “Instead, we got a deck in, the walls up and the roof on and God was great in giving us great weather so we could get that done. This allowed the interior work to continue throughout the winter and lo and behold, we stand here on June 25 dedicating the house finished. This house can be lived in today.”

Wednesday, July 19

SYCAMORE — Rochelle Community Hospital recently opened its XCEL Orthopedics clinic in Sycamore at 2670 DeKalb Ave.

The clinic and Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Gadini Delisca offer a full range of orthopedic services for patients as young as 2-3 years old up to geriatric patients including fracture care and total joint replacement, particularly hips, knees and shoulder replacements, sports medicine programs including care for ACL injuries, rotator cuff tears, sprains and strains, and hand procedures including for trigger finger/carpal tunnel problems. 

Delisca currently sees patients at the Rochelle and Sycamore clinics. On June 14, RCH representatives held a ribbon cutting event for the location in conjunction with the Sycamore Chamber of Commerce. 

“We're still very much building and working hard to get community trust and really showcasing what we have to offer,” Delisca said. “We're very pleased with the location and being in Sycamore. Now we're just working on putting in the work.”

Sunday, July 23

ROCHELLE — In a June 28 press release, Rochelle Community Hospital named Karen Tracy its new chief executive officer. The move took effect July 1. Tracy succeeds Gregg Olson, who retired in March after two tenures as CEO at the hospital for a total of 12 years. 

Tracy has worked at RCH for 31 years, starting as a nurse. She’s been a member of the administrative team for 20 years and has been second in command to the CEO for the past 10 years. 

“I'm very humbled and very honored to have this responsibility,” Tracy said. “I've worked so closely with so many good CEOs and always respected them and their positions. I know so many people here and I have such good relationships with the doctors and I've received a lot of well wishes from folks that I've just gotten to know and people that have worked with me. I feel very inspired to do a good job for them."

August

Wednesday, Aug. 9

ROCHELLE — At its July 24 meeting, the Rochelle City Council saw the appointment and swearing in of Pete Pavia as full-fledged Rochelle Police Department Chief. Pavia had served as interim chief of the department since March following the retirement of Chief Eric Higby.

Pavia has over 25 years of law enforcement experience at various levels of leadership including as a school resource officer, field training officer, detective, first-line supervisor and acting chief. He holds a degree in criminal justice and is currently completing his master's degree in business administration and organizational leadership. He's a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command.

"Pete and his team have accomplished so much since March," City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh said at the July 24 meeting. "He's overseen the hiring of five additional full-time police officers. He's instituted a community resource officer program, worked to extend the SRO program at the high school and has ensured delayed equipment and capital purchases have proceeded. He's committed himself to learning about and embracing our organization and community. I have 110 percent faith in Pete's leadership capabilities and I know he's the right person for this job."

Sunday, Aug. 20

MT. MORRIS — Rochelle sculptors Mark and Danica Rogers again entered the U.S. National Straw Sculpting Competition in Mt. Morris, held Aug. 11-27 this year. 

The father-daughter sculpting duo have a history of competing locally in both straw and snow competitions. They’ve entered the Mt. Morris competition for a number of years and entered snow sculpting competitions in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and Rockford this past winter.

The Rogers’ entry this summer is none other than Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street. He stands 10 feet tall with the lid of his garbage can open. 

“It went together pretty much as planned,” Mark said. “When we're sculpting we try to get it to a point and then see logistically what our options are and then we go from there. We don't start with 100 percent of a plan, but we have an idea where we're going. And then once we start building it, we see if our ideas are going to work or if we have to change or modify it. It went well and as expected.”

Mark and Danica landed on the idea of Oscar the Grouch due to a “time crunch” situation. They had toyed with the idea of sculpting a Medusa bust, but resolved that it would be too complicated for the limited time they had. 

“We were just spit balling and throwing out options and Danica came up with Oscar the Grouch and we felt we had the time for it and that it wouldn't put too much strain on the other things we've got going on in life,” Mark said. “And it's cute. He's a cute character."

Sunday, Aug. 27

OREGON — On Aug. 17, a meeting was held by the Ogle County Economic Development Corporation, where the newly-established organization officially announced that it is open for business. 

The OCEDC is incorporated as a not-for-profit, representing all of Ogle County, its communities, employers and citizens. The OCEDC's vision statement is "Ogle County, Illinois: An economic destination for growth and prosperity." Since 2019, more than a dozen communities, utility companies, state and regional economic agencies have come together to make the OCEDC a reality.

The OCEDC is made up of various officials from municipalities and the county. New officers elected at the July 20 meeting are Randy Schoon - president (Polo), Darin DeHaan - vice president (Oregon), Paula Diehl - secretary (Mt. Morris) and John Rickard - treasurer (Byron). Each officer represents a community that has pledged startup funds for the new organization. Ogle County and the City of Rochelle have also pledged.

“The key message is that Ogle County as a whole is now coming together for this effort,” DeHaan said. “I think it's something we've always needed. The foundation is in place and I think we're going to see some good things happening for all of our communities.”

September

Sunday, Sept. 3

ROCHELLE — The Rochelle Police Department recently established and completed training for its Community Service Officer (CSO) program, RPD Chief Pete Pavia said Aug. 23.

The department has hired two CSOs for the program. Pavia said the idea came about as RPD has dealt with staffing shortages due to a number of retirements and ongoing hiring during the past year. Pavia worked in a department that utilized CSOs in the past and said he’s seen them be beneficial. 

CSOs are non-sworn, civilian personnel. They will take care of tasks that RPD officers have been performing that be done by non-sworn personnel such as taking squad cars for maintenance, lost pet calls, debris in roadways, traffic control, non-injury accident reports, lockouts, taking reports to the state’s attorney’s office, and taking evidence to the crime lab. 

“Essentially, the CSOs are here to alleviate the full-time officers when they're busy,” Pavia said. “It's just all of those things that normally would tie an officer up. They're here for five days a week. I love the program. It's just taken off. Everyone is noticing them now on the street. It's a great program."

Wednesday, Sept. 6

ROCHELLE — On Aug. 22, Sauk Valley Voices of Recovery announced the opening of the Rochelle Recovery Center at 242 May Mart Drive in Rochelle. 

Those recovering from alcoholism and drug addiction can call 779-707-0151 for information about meetings at the location and in the area. A new Narcotics Anonymous meeting will be held at the location on Mondays at 7 p.m. A Big Book study will be held on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. at the location. The Big Book Compendium is a recovery program.

Sauk Valley Voices of Recovery is a recovery community based out of Dixon. For the past three years, it has covered Lee, Whiteside and Ogle counties and recently started coverage of addiction needs in DeKalb County.  

“Our organization believes that a big component of recovery is reconnecting with a positive community,” SVVOR Executive Director Gerald Lott said. “We do a lot of taking people to treatment. And then when those people come back, their problems are still there. Three years ago we set out to build a connection with that community. Every month we do a newsletter to let people in the community know what other people in recovery are doing in the area. We do monthly social events that are free of charge. We've taken people bowling and ax throwing and hiking. We've had sober dances. We support getting meetings going. Our goal is to not support any one path to recovery. It's not AA or NA or Celebrate Recovery or yoga. We want to lift the entire harbor of recovery. In doing so, all boats rise.”

Wednesday, Sept. 20

ROCHELLE — On Friday, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held for Barrio Agave, a new Mexican restaurant at 1310 N. 7th St. The restaurant officially opened Friday and is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays. 

Barrio Agave Owner Jennifer Gonzalez said Friday that she and her family are from Rochelle and they have been working for the past year to open the restaurant’s doors. 

“I'd like to thank our friends and family who have been helping us along the way,” Gonzalez said. “We've been working extremely hard for the past year. There have been a lot of challenges, but we worked through it and collaborated together. I'm happy we're here.”

Gonzalez thanked the City of Rochelle as well for its support over the past year. 

“I think it's just a reflection of what a great community Rochelle is: Supportive, encouraging, motivating and loving,” Gonzalez said. “I could say so much more. We grew up here in Rochelle and after high school we moved to Arizona and got to explore different types of food which is something we're incorporating here today in our menu. Growing up we moved around a lot. We lived in California and I Iived in Chicago for a time for school. We put all of our experiences together and we're happy to share it with you all. I hope you enjoy it. I hope you all love it.”

October

Sunday, Oct. 1

ROCHELLE — On Wednesday, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the Rochelle Fire Department and Ogle-Lee Fire Protection District’s new joint training facility at 920 S. Main St.

Construction of the facility has and will consist of four phases. The first phase was land acquisition. The South Main Street site was donated to the city by Rochelle Main Street, LCC after officials had searched for sites across months. The second phase will consist of grading, construction of water retention, two concrete pads, an asphalt parking lot, two metal training structures specifically designed for live fire, and landscaping. The planning for phases one and two are complete and construction is set to begin in the next few days, RFD Chief Dave Sawlsville said Wednesday. 

The future third phase will include the construction of a third concrete pad and the erecting of a four-story metal training structure to simulate a multi-story commercial or residential building that is also designed and built for live fire. Phase four will be construction of a brick & mortar building to house a classroom, reserve engines and breakout rooms for training. 

“The path to today involved hours and hours of planning, conversation, cooperation and collaboration,” Sawlsville said. “I would like to send a heartfelt thank you to everyone who played a part in that process. Thanks to all of you for taking time to celebrate not only our progress, but the relationships that helped get us here.”

Sunday, Oct. 8

ROCHELLE — On Wednesday evening, a grand opening ceremony was held by the Flagg-Rochelle Community Park District for Memorial Park’s new playground, which includes the park district’s first fully-adapted playground piece, the inclusive whirl, which is able to be used by people of all abilities. 

The inclusive whirl was donated in memory of the late Beau Sullivan of Rochelle. His family and friends attended Wednesday’s event and cut the ribbon for the piece and playground. 

“These are just things that we don't think about everyday as walking people or able people,” Beau’s mother, Rhonda Sullivan, said. “When Beau was born and we realized he was going to have some disabilities and was going to be in a wheelchair, there were things that we thought of that we never would've thought of before. This was a big thing for us. There weren't really any parks we could go to where Beau had something where he could be involved. This is just something we always really wished for. Something we always wished Beau had. We avoided parks. He would have loved this. He would have been excited. He probably would not have been able to wait to get on here back in his younger days.” 

The donation for the inclusive whirl was made by Grant Manning and the Fat Cat Slots ownership group from proceeds raised by the business’s golf outing. 

Wednesday, Oct. 11

ROCHELLE — On Friday, a ribbon cutting was held for Audyn Boutique, a new women’s shopping experience downtown at 413 4th Ave. in Rochelle. The shop offers clothing, handbags, jewelry and more. 

The business is owned by David and Stephanie Hulthen and their daughter, Audrey. The family also runs a boutique shop in Shabbona as well as a mobile boutique trailer for markets. Shopping can also be done online.

“From 1998-2002 I worked in Rochelle as a music teacher,” Stephanie said. “I have some roots here and we always pass by here and shop here. My daughter saw this space was available and thought it would be great to have. On Sept. 1 we signed the lease and here we are. Audrey will be running it. It's a family thing. All of us working together. We were here until after 1 a.m. last night getting it ready. We're just excited to be a part of Rochelle. Everyone has been so friendly and welcoming and we're so thankful.”

David Hulthen said the boutique business began about two and a half years ago and has grown since. 

“We decided it might be something a little different and Audrey was kind of the spearhead behind that side of things,” David said. “And then the year after that we went out into a market and set up an area and it worked out really well. We bought a mobile trailer for those markets. We've had that for 1.5 years and do it during the summers. That's been growing the business and we got to this. So we'll see where we go from here.”

Sunday, Oct. 22

MALTA — On Tuesday, an open house and ribbon cutting were held for Kishwaukee College’s new welding lab on campus. 

The event included a welcome by Kish College President Dr. Laurie Borowicz and remarks by College Board of Trustees President Bob Johnson, Dean of Office of Instruction Chase Budziak, Enbridge Community Ambassador Jerry Smith and Kish Welding Program Student Donovan James. 

Borowicz said that welding has been a staple of the college's offerings for a long time, but it was previously done in "a very small space."

"This new space is an example of how a college evolves," Borowicz said. "And how when the needs change, we change. We used to have auto collision in here, and the industry changed. We no longer needed this space and it turned out to be the perfect opportunity to expand a program that could use expansion like welding. It's a need for our community and businesses."

Welding is one of Kish's career & technical education program offerings. Johnson said the new welding lab project took "quite a while" due to the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain problems. The new lab is four times larger than the previous lab. 

"We have room to grow," Johnson said. "Well-trained welders are needed by many employers in our area. Thanks to all of the companies that have provided employment for our graduates. Thank you for joining us today and spread the word that Kish can now train more and better welders."

Sunday, Oct. 29

KINGS — On Oct. 24, the committee that put together a reunion of Kings School alumni presented a donation of nearly $4,000 worth of classroom materials and funds to current teachers at Kings Elementary School.

The Kings School alumni picnic was held Aug. 27 and celebrated over 140 years of educating students. It was open to all current and former Kings School students or staff and their families. The event was held at the school and included food, memories and memorabilia from the school’s history. Over 300 people attended and a donation account for the event was set up at Holcomb Bank. Leftover funds were planned to go to current Kings teachers and students, and that donation was given Oct. 24. 

“It started with an idea last fall,” Reunion Committee Member Dawn Hayenga Somers said. “Somebody said, 'You know, we should get together.' It was going to be just a few of us. To be quite honest, my brother turned 80 in March and I looked at him and thought that there's a lot of older people who aren't going to be around a whole lot longer that went to school at Kings and it's time we get them together. I'm into history and I'm writing up the history of White Rock and I've been writing the history of the school. It goes back almost 145 years. It was time we did something before we're too old to do anything. We started meeting in February and we met monthly and the little seed of an idea grew into 300 people showing up. We had over $6,000 in donations. By the time we got everything for the reunion paid for, we had almost $4,000 left.”

November

Wednesday, Nov. 8

ROCHELLE — On Friday, a ribbon cutting event was held for Ralfie’s BBQ and Catering’s new downtown building, The 302 at 410 Cherry Ave.

The business, owned by Ralf and Tricia Herrera, has been in operation since 2009. What started on a small scale of selling kebabs and pork chops became catering a few small weddings a year to now offering full-service catering and serving at 35-40 weddings and more per year. The business outgrew its previous kitchen space and will now have a place to cook, get orders to customers and host gatherings, events and meetings.

"Thank you everyone for coming," Tricia Herrera said. "This is a big day for us. This is a long time coming. It's probably five years in the making. It's just a great day of celebration for us."

The 302 name is in honor of the house number of the home Tricia grew up in. The business’s LLC name is the Herrera BBQ Company in honor of Ralf’s parents, who have both passed away. When the decision came to name the brick and mortar location, the couple chose to honor Tricia’s late parents with The 302 name. 

The Herreras thanked contractors, the City of Rochelle, staff, and family at the Friday event.

"Our friends and family do everything for us," Tricia Herrera said. "They jump in when we need an extra grill man. They haul a trailer when we need it. My sister rolls thousands of silverware for me. Our friends and family just step up for us and refer us to their friends and family. Everything about it is great and we can't thank you guys enough." 

Wednesday, Nov. 15

ROCHELLE — On Oct. 26, Dr. Diane McNeilly of Rochelle passed away at age 79. She left behind a legacy of impacts made in the area on public service, education and recreation.

McNeilly moved to Rochelle in 1966 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. She started working at Kishwaukee College as women’s athletic director in 1969 and spent her entire teaching career there, eventually becoming vice president of instruction. She earned her doctorate in education from Northern Illinois University in 1984.

McNeilly and her second husband, Dr. Norman Jenkins, worked together at Kish until they both retired in 2000. They were recognized for their achievements in education in 2019 when Northern Illinois University presented them with the John C. Roberts Community Service Award.

“She was an excellent instructor there,” Jenkins said of McNeilly’s time at Kish. “She did well in every position she held there. She was very much involved in the development of Kishwaukee College and its growth. And it did grow and develop very substantially while she was there. She was eventually in charge of all the instruction at the institution, which of course is very important at a higher education institution. She was very instrumental in that position after having been an instructor as well.”

Outside of her professional life, McNeilly had decades of involvement in the Rochelle community through a number of governing boards, nonprofits and civic organizations. She had a passion for sports and recreation, which led to her involvement in Spring Lake Pool, founding the Rochelle Rays Swim Club and serving as a Flagg-Rochelle Park District Commissioner.

McNeilly also served on the Rochelle Township High School District Board of Education, the City of Rochelle’s Planning & Zoning Commission and the Downtown Rochelle Association. 

Sunday, Nov. 19

ROCHELLE — On Nov. 9, the City of Rochelle hosted a bilingual program at Salt 251 for residents on how to start a small business. 

The Hispanic Community Business Expo featured presentations by a number of community stakeholders on the process of starting a business. The event started as an idea by City Councilwoman Rosaelia Arteaga. 

“I wanted to do this because since I've been on city council, there have been a lot of people that have reached out and asked me things about opening a business,” Arteaga said. “And I don't always have all the answers. I want people to have those answers from the people that know."

ROCHELLE — On Monday, the fourth and final Small Business Bingo fundraiser event was held at the hangar at Chicagoland Skydiving Center and raised $3,760 for The Kitchen Table, Event Organizer and AP Massage Therapy Owner Ashley Patrick said. 

The events have taken place in the community over the past two months. Small Business Bingo includes prizes donated by local small businesses with 100 percent of proceeds benefiting a nonprofit, this time being The Kitchen Table. The cost was $15 per person for 10 rounds of bingo. A cash bar and food options were available for purchase. Just over 250 people attended, Patrick said.

“I think it went really well and I'm really happy with how we finished out the series of the four fundraisers,” Patrick said. “We had almost as good of a turnout as last time, so I feel like we finished out really strong with attendance and having people interested in and excited about all of these events and continued to build off of each one.”

Monday’s event also included a canned food drive for The Kitchen Table to help with its holiday meals, and Patrick said several boxes were filled by the drive. Kris Wexell from 102.3 The Coyote was the event’s guest bingo caller and provided Small Business Bingo with its grand prize, which was tickets to see Hootie and the Blowfish with Collective Soul and Edwin McCain.

The previous three Small Business Bingo events benefited Shining Star Children’s Advocacy Center, HOPE of Ogle County, and Foundation for Focus House. All four events raised $18,548 in total. Patrick said additional sponsorships were sold for bingo cards and supplies, and Flight Deck Bar & Grill sponsored the use of the CSC hangar for the final two events, bringing the grand total raised to $21,448. 

Sunday, Nov. 26

ROCHELLE — On Nov. 17, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the future site of Willis Senior Lofts at 410 Willis Ave. in Rochelle. 

The event was hosted by the developer of Willis Senior Lofts, Lincoln Avenue Communities (LAC). The development will include 60 units of affordable housing for lower-income seniors in Rochelle who are facing a shortage of affordable homes. 

Speakers included Rochelle Mayor John Bearrows, U.S. 16th District Rep. Darin LaHood, LAC Senior Vice President for Development Russell Condas, LAC Vice President & Regional Project Partner Hume An, and Linda Brace, assistant director of client services, Illinois Housing Development Authority.

An said that Willis Senior Lofts is LAC’s second new construction deal in Illinois. It will be open to those in Rochelle aged 55 and older. 45 of the units will be one-bedroom and restricted to 60 percent of the area median income (AMI). The remaining 15 units will be two-bedroom, reserved for those at 30 percent of AMI. 

“Within the building, residents will be able to enjoy a double-volume community room that opens up to an outdoor patio, a theater room, fitness center, shared laundry room and an indoor dog washing room,” An said. “The development grounds will also have a walking path, raised community garden, and bicycle parking for everyone to enjoy. Our goal in designing this community was to deliver homes for our residents indistinguishable from, if not better than, the other rental options in the surrounding area. When you join us for the spring 2025 grand opening, I hope you'll agree with us.”

December

Wednesday, Dec. 13

ROCHELLE — On Thursday, the Community Action Network (CAN) hosted its annual Shopping Trip event for area families in need at the First Presbyterian Church. 

Through donations, the annual Christmas Children’s Shopping Trip saw 226 children referred by local schools, churches and nonprofit agencies attend and receive basic clothing items and more. Children and local volunteer shoppers were shuttled by the Lee-Ogle Transportation System to Walmart with $75 gift cards for each of them. Shoppers were given lists of needs and sizes for each child, and kids picked out a toy as well. 

Thursday’s event also featured a spaghetti dinner, visits with Santa and toys donated by the Hub City Cruisers car club. Coats and shoes were available at the First Presbyterian Church as well for attendees. Brand new shoes were given away at the event after CAN received a grant from the Rochelle Area Community Foundation. 

“For the CAN Board, this is the way we start our holiday season,” CAN Board President Michelle Pease said. “It's just an amazing way to start it off by giving back and being a part of the community.”