January

Wednesday, Jan. 11

ROCHELLE — Little Hubs Learning Center at 1010 N. 15th St. opened and saw its first day of operation on Tuesday, Jan. 3. 

Rochelle had been without a daycare since 2020 when Kishwaukee Family YMCA Child Care Center closed at the same location. The new daycare is owned by Ron and Joni Spartz and their daughter, Kristin Spartz Barlow, runs it as director.

The family and staff members worked for the past four months to open the facility and had to get it back in working order. Barlow said the work involved anywhere from 5-15 hours a day cleaning, fixing things, visits with DCFS and the state fire marshal and parent tours and signups. 

“It was nonstop work for about four months,” Barlow said. “We'd be here sometimes until midnight. The day before we opened we were here until 11 p.m. just making sure everything was ready to go. Knowing that we were finally done with that phase and stress was great. And it's been great knowing we're here for the community and all these parents can go back to work and school. That's the best part. They have a safe place for their children to go and we're here to provide it.”

After the last daycare center closed, the City of Rochelle took on preliminary work in hopes of helping to bring a daycare back to town. It put out a survey to residents that came back with overwhelming results in favor of a daycare with 72 percent of respondents saying they’re in need of a daycare and 71 percent saying their children would be likely to attend a daycare if it opened in town.

The Spartz family saw talk online about the need for daycare in Rochelle and Barlow brought up the idea of purchasing the building and opening one. She’s worked on opening four other daycares under previous employers. Little Hubs Learning Center is a for-profit organization. 

ROCHELLE — The Rochelle VFW Post 3878’s Queen of Hearts contest recently saw an unprecedented full 54-week run and the jackpot at the last drawing was $77,980. 

The Queen of Hearts drawing involves 54 cards hidden under a covering to be revealed one card per week until the Queen of Hearts is drawn. There are 52 playing deck cards with the 2 jokers hidden.

The winner drawn Dec. 27 after 54 weeks was Lisa Kresser, who was not present and received 60 percent of the pot. The remaining 40 percent was split between the post and local non-profit organizations. As the pot got larger and larger, the post saw more entries, attention and attendance from players, especially on Tuesday nights.

"It's really unprecedented,” Post Commander Joe Drought said. “We've never seen it go that far and nobody that I know of has seen any other post that's gone the full distance. It's never gotten this big before. It got a phenomenal response. We use this as a fundraiser and it helps out with the bar. We've seen an uptick in our lunch sales and revenue. It's been a really good thing for the post to be able to do this. It's certainly helped out with paying the bills and being able to do more in the community."

The VFW Post Board of Directors voted to distribute its $15,600 portion of the jackpot evenly to the following organizations: HOPE of Ogle County, the Rochelle Police Department K-9 Program, Rockford Sexual Assault Counseling, Pegasus Special Riders and Village of Progress.

February

Wednesday, Feb. 1

ROCHELLE — On Friday, a ribbon cutting was held for Essential Infusions Plus for its new location at 604 N. Main St. in Rochelle. The wellness business offers services including men's hormone therapy, medically-managed weight loss, anti-aging peptides, regenerative joint therapy, vitamin IV infusions and injections and botox.  

The event Friday saw Essential Infusions Plus welcomed by representatives from the City of Rochelle and Rochelle Chamber of Commerce. The business’s owner, Angie McGough, is a local nurse practitioner and said she saw the benefits of infusions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We're happy to be here,” McGough said. “I was born and raised in Rochelle a block away from here. We're just really excited to be able to bring alternative health and wellness to the community and offer something that you can't typically get anywhere. We want to keep people out of the hospital and away from my other job. I saw the success and a lot of benefits of infusions. Initially during COVID-19, it was people turning around and not even going into the hospital when they were really ill with COVID-19. I've added a lot of things and I keep learning every day. I pray we're a blessing to this community."

Sunday, Feb. 5

ROCHELLE — On Tuesday, State Sen. Win Stoller (R, 37th District) visited Rochelle for the first time since recent redistricting made the Hub City part of his constituency. 

Stoller is a lifelong resident of Germantown Hills near Peoria. He’s served as state senator since 2021. Stoller’s trip to Rochelle included lunch with officials from the City of Rochelle and Rochelle Chamber of Commerce, a visit with local business Panoptic Solutions, a tour of Kishwaukee College and meetings with local media. 

About 60 percent of the new 37th District is new ground for Stoller.

“I want to get up here and meet everybody and get to know people and help them get to know me as well,” Stoller said. “The purpose of being here today is to get to know Rochelle. In the past, I’ve met with Mayor John Bearrows, [City Economic Development Director] Jason Anderson and others. Now, we need to get out and get to know more people.”

Wednesday, Feb. 8

ROCHELLE — From the Heart hosted its 15th annual gala and auction on Saturday at Flight Deck Bar & Grill and raised $80,000 for eight area nonprofits, From the Heart President and Founder Dave Eckhardt said. 

The Rochelle nonprofit set a goal of $80,000 for the night in hopes of donating $10,000 each to the Rochelle Area Community Foundation, HOPE of Ogle County, Rochelle Christian Food Pantry, Pegasus Special Riders, Hub City Senior Center, Shining Star Children’s Advocacy Center, CASA and FOCUS House. Last year, the event raised just over $68,000. 

“It was a terrific night,” Eckhardt said. “There were 300 people, the most we’ve ever had, and we had 37 tables, which was also a record. The room was busy all night long with a great crowd and the weather cooperated. We did tremendous. We hit $80,000, which was our goal. It’s a real testament to the support of the community and it gets better and better each year.”

Wednesday, Feb. 15

ROCHELLE — At Monday’s meeting of the Rochelle City Council, Mayor John Bearrows and Rochelle Fire Chief Dave Sawlsville presented a Good News award to RFD Lt. Jeremy Good for his actions on an EMS call that helped to save the life of an infant.

On Jan. 27, RFD and the Ogle-Lee Fire Protection District were dispatched to a report of an infant not breathing and turning blue at a rural Rochelle address. Sawlsville said Ogle County Sheriff's Office Deputy Kyle White was in the area patrolling and he heard the call and was the first to respond. Upon his arrival, he found that the cause of the infant's problem was an obstructed airway. White started working to clear the airway of the child. 

Sawlsville said within 2-3 minutes, RFD and OLFPD arrived on scene with paramedics led by Good. 

“First responders arrived on scene and assumed care of the infant,” Sawlsville said. “Working as a team within minutes, they were able to secure an airway, restore the infant's breathing and heartbeat and place an IV for potential medications. Upon arrival to Rochelle Community Hospital, the infant was breathing on its own and had a strong pulse. Upon hearing he was in line for this award, Lt. Good wanted to emphasize that it was strong teamwork, drawing on solid relationships from all three departments that brought about such a positive result." 

Sunday, Feb. 19

ROCHELLE — Central Elementary School Special Education Teacher Melissa Deutsch was recently named a recipient of the Award of Special Recognition in the teacher category as part of the Illinois State Board of Education's Those Who Excel annual educator recognition program.

Deutsch is in her 24th year teaching in Rochelle Community School District #231. She spent her first 20 years at Rochelle Middle School, where she mainly taught self-contained and co-taught English language arts to students with the need for special education services. She was moved to Central School three years ago to support the special education program and teach academics and social emotional skills to students with individual needs.

Deutsch said that upon hearing the news of her award, she felt “very proud and excited.” She was recognized by a peer that believes that what she does in the classroom is a benefit for all students. 

“Typically, I see a smaller population of students than most of my peers,” Deutsch said. “I feel like I make connections that are lasting with those small groups as well as a positive impact on their learning goals. In addition, I have co-taught with multiple teachers and I feel like I have made those same connections and impacts. I know that the person who recognized me for this award is someone whom I have worked with and sees those qualities in what I do and what I’ve done for our students.”

Wednesday, Feb. 22

ROCHELLE — On Friday, a ribbon cutting was held for The Blackstone Bar & Grill, a new bar and restaurant with a wine and steakhouse menu at 406 Cherry Ave. in Rochelle. The business is owned by Shane Erdman and Jim Withers. Erdman also owns The End Zone Sports Bar across the street. 

The Blackstone Bar & Grill was welcomed Tuesday by members of the City of Rochelle, Rochelle Chamber of Commerce, community members and State Rep. Brad Fritts. Erdman thanked the community for its support. 

“The community has been 100 percent behind me,” Erdman said. “The businesses, the chamber, the city, our customers and everybody I grew up with. It wouldn't be possible for a business to be successful if it wasn't for everyone here and all of our customers committing and coming in and being a part of it. I want to thank all of you for making this a success. It wouldn't be a success if it wasn't for you guys. Thank you.” 

Sunday, Feb. 26

ROCHELLE — Rochelle Community Hospital Chaplain Judy Williams is retiring this month after 39 years in her position. 

Williams has spent her time at the hospital supporting and giving spiritual guidance to RCH staff, patients and their families. She lends a friendly ear when someone wants to talk or is going through a tough health or personal situation. 

“From minor things to major things at a hospital, people have emotions about them,” Williams said. “It's about showing people that what they're going through is important and trying to give them some love from Christ in all of that. It blesses me to be able to do it, and I hope I could give some hope and comfort to them.” 

Williams would typically spend her time as chaplain coming into the hospital each morning and checking to see what sort of patients the hospital had that day and if there was someone who was going to potentially pass away or just found out about a disheartening diagnosis. She would go and see patients that told staff that they wanted to see the chaplain. 

Williams’ job as chaplain required her to be available at all times and she occasionally received a call in the middle of the night to come into the hospital. She believes that half, if not more, of her work involved being there for and talking with RCH staff members.

“This is a stressful place,” Williams said. “Sometimes it's staff members stopping by and giving them a little encouragement. Sometimes it's praying with them and sometimes it's just letting them talk. People need to talk to be able to continue to function and I like to think I was a safe place and people could share things with me and be able to keep doing their good, every-day job.”

March

Wednesday, March 1

ROCHELLE — K9 Odie is the newest member of the Rochelle Police Department and was recently paired with his new handler, Officer Trevor Owen. 

K9 Axel, Odie’s predecessor, retired last year and his handler, Officer Ryan Beery, was promoted to sergeant. Owen began a local fundraising campaign to pay for startup and ongoing costs of a new K9. Owen picked up the dog Feb. 17 and he and Odie recently embarked on a six-week training course in Michigan.

“Once we're done with that, we'll be certified nationally,” Owen said. “And then once we're back on the road, it'll be back into the rhythm for me and getting Odie used to the car, regular patrol and hopefully being able to utilize him to his full extent as far as traffic stops, school searches and community events. It will be getting him acclimated along with myself. It'll take some time, but I think he'll adjust pretty well."

Wednesday, March 15

ROCHELLE — On Friday, the Community of Opportunity Hiring Expo was held at Rochelle Township High School for jobseekers including students and members of the public.

The event was sponsored by the City of Rochelle, Office of Mayor John Bearrows, Kishwaukee College, RTHS, Rochelle Foods - Hormel, Rochelle Chamber of Commerce, Ralfie’s BBQ and 102.3 The Coyote & Superhits 93.5. Those partners have teamed up to host a handful of job fairs since the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues resulted in a workforce shortage both locally and nationwide.

The day started with RTHS juniors and seniors coming through the expo that was attended by 40 commercial, retail, industrial and service employers. City Industrial Development Manager Peggy Friday said “hundreds” of students had a chance to connect with local employers.

“Some were looking for jobs and some were just browsing and making connections,” Friday said. “It's a good exercise for them because when they get closer to graduation they'll be looking for summer employment, seasonal work or more. This is a great place to start. The businesses here range from heavy manufacturing down to our service organizations. There's something here for everybody."

ROCHELLE — At its Monday meeting, the Rochelle City Council recognized the retirement of Rochelle Police Chief Eric Higby and saw new Interim Chief Pete Pavia sworn in.

Higby retired officially Tuesday after 27 years with RPD. He was chief since 2009. Pavia was most recently RPD's school resource officer at Rochelle Township High School and has over 25 years of law enforcement experience at various levels of leadership. 

City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh thanked Higby for his service.

"Eric was one of the first people to welcome me when I came on staff and I think he's been a great member of the team and he really showed a lot of leadership and dedication during the pandemic," Fiegenschuh said. "He kept the ship going forward. Eric, I really appreciate everything you've done. I wish you the best in your retirement. We want to celebrate your 27 years. Not very many people work in law enforcement that long anymore, so you're a dedicated individual and the profession is losing a great person."

Wednesday, March 29

ROCHELLE — Rochelle Community Hospital Chief Executive Officer Gregg Olson has announced his retirement from the hospital. His last day will be March 31. 

Olson has served as RCH’s CEO since January 2020. He was also the organization’s CEO from 1999 to 2007. He was CEO of another institution in Wisconsin in the years in between. Olson has had a 42-year career in the medical field. Olson told the News-Leader March 15 that it has not been made clear to him who his successor will be at RCH.

"I wish the best for this hospital,” Olson said. “We have a lot of talent here with our staff. That's what I'm going to miss the most, is our staff. Whether it's our general staff or physicians and providers, I'll miss them all. That's going to be hard for me. I have a lot of good relationships here. I am going to miss these people dearly. They give absolute quality care, they're great at what they do and this hospital is a true asset for the community."

April

Wednesday, April 12

ROCHELLE — One of the casualties of the March 31 storm that hit the area was a 100-year-old tree at Memorial Park honoring those that died serving their country in World War I, Flagg Township Museum Historian Tom McDermott said. 

The tree was uprooted completely and was found the morning of April 1. Near the upturned roots, the plaque commemorating it that reads “This tree planted in memory of Rochelle World War dead” still stood. 

Upon hearing of the loss of the tree, McDermott and his granddaughter, Kathryn Challand, went to inspect it and took pictures and notes for the museum.

The pair took cuttings from the tree in hopes that they’ll grow roots and be able to be planted again in a couple of years. The Flagg-Rochelle Community Park District is planning to plant another tree in the spot that housed the WWI tree at Memorial Park. McDermott said Park District Executive Director Jackee Ohlinger has promised him space in the park system for replanting if the tree can be saved through the cuttings. 

Sunday, April 30

ROCHELLE — At a special meeting Thursday, the Rochelle City Council approved a collective bargaining agreement with the International Association of Firefighters Local 3445 that will see six more full-time firefighter/paramedics added to the Rochelle Fire Department. 

The agreement will run from May 1 until April 30, 2027. The fire department personnel voted to ratify the agreement 8-1. The city will hire three firefighter/paramedics before the end of 2024 and three more by Jan. 1, 2026. 

“I feel like this is about as good of a compromise as we're going to get,” RFD Chief Dave Sawlsville said. “There has been a lot of spirited debate among our firefighters. There are probably firefighters that aren't 100 percent happy, but that's how you know you have the best agreement to have, when some are happy, and some are not. If everybody was unhappy or if everybody was happy, you'd think you probably missed something.”

RFD has seen record call numbers in recent years and a shortage of paid on-call firefighters, which it uses to supplement its staffing. The department handles both fire and EMS calls. Once full-time staff is engaged with a call, RFD relies on paid on-call staff to report to the station to handle additional calls. 

May

Wednesday, May 17

OREGON — On Friday, May 12, a grand reopening and ribbon cutting event was held at Pegasus Special Riders in Oregon following the structure completion of its arena. 

The facilities at Pegasus Special Riders sustained storm damage twice last year, halting its operations. The nonprofit, located at 6668 S. Carthage Road near Oregon, has been operating since 1997. It’s a therapeutic riding program for children and adults with special needs. Volunteers perform all of the required duties, such as working with the riders, caring for the horses and facilities, raising funds and providing the necessary administrative support.

The damage on Aug. 28, 2022 included the facility’s loafing shed for its horses and severe damage to a storage building. Back on March 5, 2022, a windstorm severely damaged the main arena building. High winds tore off about 120 feet of canopy, twisted the steel frame and the large front door was blown off and landed inside of the arena.

Pegasus Special Riders has been unable to perform any rides since the storm damage and was dealing with pandemic restrictions before that. The nonprofit worked on cleanup, construction and dealt with insurance providers over the past year. The damage in March was over $300,000.

“This has taken a long time,” PSR Board President Donna Fellows said. “We still have a lot to do. We're moving forward because we now have a covered arena again and an outdoor arena to have lessons if the weather is nice. We don't have all the electric work done or any water yet. Electric is what we're waiting for, so we can have water, fans and lights. Other than that, the building is good to go. We thought we'd be further along, but here we are."

Sunday, May 28

ROCHELLE — When Rochelle Township High School Counselor Laurie Pillen started in her position 38 years ago, the school had no honors or AP classes. The Kishwaukee Education Consortium dual-credit program was just getting started. RTHS didn’t have summer school (250-300 students now take a class each summer). Students’ social and emotional health was not a focus the way it is now. 

Pillen will retire at the end of the fiscal year. While education, curriculum, and even the school itself has changed during her time at RTHS, her love for her work has not.

“The joy of counseling, no matter when it was, has been, 'You never know what somebody wants when they walk in the door,'” Pillen said. “It could be to change their schedule, to talk about college, or something going on in their personal lives. It could be anything. That's one of the best parts of doing it. Because you can't get bored. Because you never know what's coming and what the day is going to hold. Some days it's a lot of laughter and some days it's a lot of tears.”

June

Sunday, June 4

ROCHELLE — For a number of years, Rochelle Township High School students, staff, administration, families and community members would start their day by reading RTHS Special Projects Director Vicki Snyder Chura’s daily announcements on happenings at the school.

On Thursday, May 25, she sent out her final announcements. Snyder Chura will be officially retiring from RTHS at the end of the school’s fiscal year after 37.5 years. She closed her final announcements by saying she looks forward to subscribing in retirement. 

"It's been an absolute pleasure to showcase the successes of students and staff over the years,” Snyder Chura said. “I've been here all hours of the day and night and weekends. There are always teachers here. So many hours of planning and preparation and grading go into it. It's been an honor to try to show people that. To watch kids try and fail and then succeed and gain confidence, it's almost like watching a flower open.”

Sunday, June 25

OREGON — At its monthly meeting Tuesday, the Ogle County Board unanimously approved an ordinance amending the number of authorized patrol deputies for the Ogle County Sheriff's Office from 20 to 23 to allow for a full-time drug interdiction unit.

Sixty-one percent funding of salary and benefits for the three additional deputy sheriff positions has been obtained for three years through the federal COPS grant, with county matching funds of 39 percent obtained through the salary budgeted line and a one-time payment of $80,000 from the opioid lawsuit monies received by the county. The total cost of the expansion will be $621,602, and the county share of that will be about $55,000 a year.

At the end of the three-year grant, the additional three patrol deputy positions will be reevaluated by both the sheriff and the county board for permanent staffing of those positions. The ordinance approved Tuesday said there is a "critical need" for a full-time drug interdiction unit in the county and the work has been being done on a part-time basis.

Off-duty sheriff's deputies attended Tuesday's meeting to support the change.

"There's definitely a need within the county to resume this type of interdiction work," VanVickle said. "The men and women who are doing it now are doing it on an overtime basis. They work full-time and most of them are working nights. They show up to court in the morning and do drug work in the afternoon. It's something that has been needed and something that was very successful in the past and I fully expect for this to continue.”

Wednesday, June 28

ROCHELLE — On Wednesday, June 21, the Rochelle Fire Department visited Focus House to help its students with their egg drop science project. 

During Focus House’s summer school, students had been working on a project to create a contraption to keep an egg from breaking at different heights of 40 feet, 75 feet and 105 feet. RFD helped students put their designs to the test with its ladder truck, raising it higher and higher while firefighters dropped students’ eggs. 

“Summer is pretty different around here,” Focus House Teacher Scott Stevens said. “We try to do more projects-based learning. I think the kids appreciate it and it's engaging for the teachers and for the students. Basically our aim was to be outside of the classroom as much as possible this semester and definitely be hands-on with everything. I think we've been in school for two weeks now and we've been outside doing experiments for most of the days.”

Students started off the science project a week and a half before Wednesday, and spent time working on it intermittently every other day along with other projects. Students started with a trial run without research. Youth then adjusted their models and created a 2.0 model. They were assigned a total budget and each piece of material they used in their contraptions was assigned a value. 

After RFD made all of the drops on Wednesday, two eggs broke and four remained intact of the six that were dropped. 

“We were hoping to show them the value of being able to look into things and they looked at other people's experiments,” Stevens said. “It makes the summer and the school day go by fast, being able to have projects like this. And people from the community coming out and supporting the things that we're doing out here really helps with the energy here."

The July through December portion of the News-Leader’s Year in Review will appear in the Wednesday, Jan. 3 edition.