January

Sunday, Jan. 7

ROCHELLE — On Wednesday, a ribbon cutting ceremony and one-year anniversary celebration were held for Little Hubs Learning Center, Rochelle’s daycare facility at 1010 N. 15th St. 

The facility saw its first day of operation on Jan. 3, 2023. Prior to that, 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. Representatives from the Rochelle Chamber of Commerce, City of Rochelle and the community joined the owners, staff and kids Wednesday for the celebration.

Joni Spartz said that Little Hubs Learning Center had 100 kids in its building during the ceremony and 142 kids registered, which is maximum capacity. Since getting the building in working order with security and plumbing upgrades over a year ago prior to opening, the facility has seen growth in staff and enrollment. 

There are currently 50 children on the facility’s waiting list, which Joni Spartz said is growing every day.

Sunday, Jan. 14

POLO — Ogle County livestock farmer Brian Duncan of Polo was elected the new president of the Illinois Farm Bureau during the organization’s annual meeting in Chicago, Dec. 2-4. 

Duncan, who replaces the retiring Richard Guebert Jr., previously served as the vice president of the IFB since 2017. He also served as president of the Ogle County Farm Bureau (OCFB) from 2004-2017, and on the American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) Swine Advisory Committee 2003-2006, National Pork Producers Council Price Discovery Task Force, Ogle County Pork Producers board of directors and the IFB Young Leaders Committee from 1990-1994. He was the IFB Discussion Meet winner in 1990 and Young Leader Achievement Award winner in 1999.

“It’s an incredible honor to have the trust of the delegates and members to serve in this position,” Duncan said. “We as an organization stand on the shoulders of giants. The people who founded this organization and have led throughout the years have left big shoes to fill. I’m excited about the challenges and the opportunities that will no doubt come before us in agriculture and as an organization.”

Sunday, Jan. 28

ROCHELLE — Kennay Farms Distilling in Rochelle has collaborated with The DeLong Company and its Grown Climate Smart program to showcase the use of sustainable grain in its spirits. 

The distillery that now resides in the renovated former space of the Hub Theater has been using certified sustainable grains since its inception, and the Kennay family farm has been certified sustainable for the past eight years. The collaboration with the Grown Climate Smart program will see a logo placed on Kennay Farms Distilling bottles to differentiate them on the market and give consumers a chance to champion sustainable products. 

The DeLong Co. is a sixth-generation, family-owned agribusiness with headquarters in Clinton, Wisconsin and many grain facilities in Illinois. Grown Climate Smart is a $40 million program funded by the USDA’s $3.1 billion Climate-Smart Commodities grant that was awarded to The DeLong Co. 

The Grown Climate Smart program works with farmers on promoting and incentivizing sustainable farming practices such as cover crops, reduced or no-till, nutrient management plans and windbreaks. Throughout 2023 it enrolled over 160 growers throughout 11 states and sent out over $6.5 million worth of incentives directly to farmers doing sustainable practices.

Wednesday, Jan. 31

ROCHELLE — Rise Up Dance Center in Rochelle recently had one of its competition routines named one of 500 winners out of over 40,000 routines performed at Star Dance Alliance events nationwide for the 2023 season, RUDC Director Christa McGrath said. 

McGrath was invited to represent the team on a cruise to the Bahamas the weekend of Jan. 13-14 and accepted the team’s induction into Star Dance Alliance’s Circle of Excellence. The winning routine, titled “Good to be Bad”, is a large group dance inspired by Disney villains. 

“It's a pretty big deal for these kids who are from a small town and studio,” McGrath said. “It was really a great achievement for them. I think it's just really a testament to the kids' hard work and perseverance. Really, it's all about them. I give them the idea and tell them what I think I want it to look like. I show them the choreography. And they really bring it to life. I think because most of them are ages 7-13, they really kind of took the Disney characters from their childhood and ran with it. They brought those characters to life. It was amazing for me to see them take my vision and make it their own and really bring it to life on stage.”

February

Sunday, Feb. 4

ROCHELLE — On Tuesday at Rochelle VFW Post 3878, 102-year-old World War II veteran Bert Cote of Rochelle was presented a Quilt of Valor from the Illinois Valley Quilts of Valor Chapter. Cote was nominated by the Rochelle Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Cote served in the U.S. Army from 1941-1946 and was in the Second Armored Division in Germany under Gen. Patton.

“We wish to recognize you for your service to our nation,” Illinois Valley Quilts of Valor Group Leader Terry Johnson said Tuesday. “We consider it our privilege to do so. Though we may never know the extent of your sacrifice to protect and defend the United States, we award you this Quilt of Honor as an expression of gratitude from a grateful nation. Thank you for your service and welcome home.”

The Quilts of Valor organization started in 2003 when a quilter named Catherine Roberts started the movement when her son was deployed to Iraq. Since that time, the organization has awarded over 373,394 quilts. Its mission is to honor service members and veterans who have been touched by war with comforting and healing quilts.

Wednesday, Feb. 7

ROCHELLE — The 16th annual From the Heart Gala & Auction was held Saturday, Feb. 3 at the hangar at Flight Deck Bar & Grill in Rochelle. The event saw 311 people attend and raised a record $90,000, breaking its previous mark of $80,000 in 2023.

Proceeds raised at the event will equally benefit the eight area nonprofits that From the Heart works with: 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. Each nonprofit will receive $11,250.

“The generosity of the community was just incredible,” From the Heart President and Founder Dave Eckhardt said. “Everything we did, did the best it’s ever done. All of our games and silent auction items did very well. The live auction way surpassed what we've done in the past. That's what made the event such a success, because we were able to raise $90,000. The group just did a tremendous job. Every organization we support helped out and the From The Heart committee did a tremendous job. We're very fortunate.”

ROCHELLE — On Friday, Feb. 2, a groundbreaking ceremony was held by the City of Rochelle and New Directions Housing Corporation at 405 Lake Lida Lane in Rochelle for The Grove, a new family housing complex. 

NDHC President Rodger Brown said the three-story apartment complex will have 30 total units with 15 units each of two and three-bedroom housing.  The two-bedroom units will be about 750 square feet and the three-bedroom units will be about 950 square feet. The development will also have a management office on site, an exercise facility, laundry facilities, a community room, library, and on-site parking. Rents are expected to range from $500-1,000 a month. 

“We expect it to take about 10-12 months for construction,” Brown said. “The city has been awesome to work with. The whole staff has been wonderful. We had good experiences with the departments of community development, building, and engineering. I wish more communities were like this. It's been fantastic. We're shooting to have it finished in December.”

NDHC has housing developments all across the state including workforce housing, family housing and senior housing. Brown said his organization is seeing demand and waiting lists at all of its facilities, and that market studies show a housing shortage. 

Wednesday, Feb. 14

OREGON — Ogle County Coroner Lou Finch will not be seeking re-election in the upcoming March 19 election. Finch has served as coroner since 2004. 

“It was just time,” Finch said of his decision to not seek re-election. “When I first ran, I always said, 'When you don't want to learn anything new and you're stuck in your ways, it's time to move on.' It's time. The office needs new blood. It was a learning experience from the beginning. I believe the office now is running perfectly for the citizens here in Ogle County.”

Finch is a fourth-generation funeral director and owns and operates Finch Funeral & Crematory in Mt. Morris. He also served as an Ogle County Sheriff’s Office deputy before he became coroner. The sheriff back in the early 2000s, Mel Messer, approached Finch with the idea of pursuing the office of coroner in 2004, and he decided to run. His experiences as a funeral director and in law enforcement lent themselves well to serving as a coroner, Finch said. 

Coroner’s offices investigate death in certain cases such as sudden or violent death, suspicious circumstances, when alcohol or drug addiction may have been a contributory cause, death without medical attendance by a licensed physician, and hospice cases. 

Work includes attending scenes and declaring patients have passed, and the performance of autopsies. 

Sunday, Feb. 18

ROCHELLE — On Tuesday, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held for the Rochelle Recovery Center at 242 May Mart Drive in Rochelle. 

The Rochelle Recovery Center serves Ogle and DeKalb Counties as a Sauk Valley Voices of Recovery entity. It offers peer coaching, recovery meetings, a safe place for people who are on the verge of using, and recovery-related resources. The location opened in August 2023. 

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. The Rochelle Recovery Center is also the hub for the Ogle-DeKalb counties recovery-oriented system of care (ROSC) council, which brings together a coalition of local stakeholders from hospitals, police departments, businesses and more to look at the area and its addiction needs to try to get it moving in a positive direction. 

“We're just trying to make sure that everybody in the community is involved with the ROSC, anybody that has decision-making capability or that is a person of lived experience,” Ogle/DeKalb ROSC Coordinator Heather Tomlinson said. “We want to make sure that everybody's voice is heard and that the people that can solve the problems for the people whose voices need to be heard are there to do that.”

Wednesday, Feb. 21

ROCHELLE — On Jan. 29, Carol Weidmann of Rochelle passed away at age 77. She leaves behind a legacy of education and theater work in the local community. 

After growing up in Chicago and the suburbs and obtaining her master’s degree from Western Illinois University in English education in theater arts, Weidmann taught at Western’s campus primary school for several years. She then moved to town to work at Rochelle Township High School as an English teacher and director of theater. 

In her time at RTHS, Weidmann was selected to direct the Illinois High School Theater Festival All-State Performance and was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Secondary Education by the Illinois Theater Association. 

Weidmann was one of the founding members of the Vince Carney Community Theatre organization in Rochelle. The original group desired a community theater organization in the area other than for kids in high school. Weidmann directed VCCT’s first production on the floor of the Central Elementary School gymnasium, VCCT Board Member Dianne Jenner said. 

“My daughter was in grade school at the time and I took her to see the show,” Jenner said. “My daughter wanted to join it, and I said sure. We both joined. My daughter was in their next show. From then on, it was just a fun thing I enjoyed doing. I did theater in high school. A lot of it was backstage work, sometimes it was on stage. Carol was always there. She wasn't always directing, but she was the expert we always went to if we had a question. I was thinking the other day about working with her over the years. When we were on stage, we were always trying to pretend to be someone else. But Carol trained us and taught us how to be that person. That was her talent. We all loved her for it.”

March

Sunday, March 3

ROCHELLE — On Monday, a ribbon cutting and grand opening event was held for K&K Creative Links, a new business that offers custom-fit permanent jewelry such as bracelets, necklaces and anklets. K&K Creative Links resides inside The Cypress House at 718 10th Ave. in Rochelle and does private parties as well. 

Owner Catherine Kuehl said that opening her own business has been a goal of her’s for quite some time. 

“It's something that's customized to the customer and they can have it however they want,” Kuehl said. “It's a more affordable price than actually going to a jeweler. It's all gold-filled or sterling silver. You can dedicate it to your kids, family, pets or loved ones. Or just something that you like. It gets welded on, so it stays on until you decide to take it off. We seem to be a pretty big hit around Rochelle and I'm pretty proud of that.”

Wednesday, March 6

ROCHELLE — On Friday, March 1, the Rochelle VFW Post 3878 presented a $201,276 check to the winner of its Queen of Hearts contest, Steven Bialas. The contest ran the full 54 weeks and reached a $335,460 total final jackpot.

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 two jokers hidden. Players at the local post can purchase tickets in increments of six for $5 and write a number corresponding to a hidden card on the board and their information on them before placing them in a tumbling drum. One ticket is drawn each Tuesday night and the card with the number on the ticket is revealed. 

When the Queen of Hearts is drawn, the winner receives 70 percent of the pot if they are present for the drawing and 60 percent if they are not present. The remaining 30-40 percent is split between the post and local non-profit organizations. 

Wednesday, March 13

ROCHELLE — On Thursday, the Rochelle Township High School Career Fair and Public Hiring Expo was held at RTHS. The event featured 35 local employers including industry, commercial, retail, banks and credit unions, healthcare, daycare, service organizations, national brands, and small businesses.

The student career fair was held for RTHS juniors and seniors from 10:30-11:30 a.m. following a brief assembly. The event was aimed at discovering, accessing, engaging, and building a network of talented young people, regardless of their ability to join a company at the point of contact.

From noon to 2 p.m., the event was opened to jobseekers from the general public and local employers were able to recruit and hire for emerging jobs in the area. Sponsors of the event included the City of Rochelle, the Office of Mayor John Bearrows, Kishwaukee College, RTHS, Rochelle Foods – Hormel, Ralfie’s BBQ, and the Rochelle Chamber of Commerce.

City Industrial Development Manager Peggy Friday said the event went “great” Thursday and that it’s a good opportunity to keep local talent in the area and expose them to the jobs Rochelle has. 

Sunday, March 24

OGLE COUNTY — Results from Tuesday’s general primary election in Ogle County showed that Christie Cox of Polo (3,812 votes, 50.68 percent) defeated Chad Horner of Rochelle (3,709 votes, 49.32 percent) in the race for the Ogle County coroner’s office.

Both ran as republicans and there was no democrat candidate for coroner. Lou Finch has served as Ogle County coroner for 20 years and did not seek re-election. Cox brings experience as a deputy coroner and funeral director. She owns Polo Family Funeral Home and has run it for 20 years. She started working in the coroner’s office in the early 2000s and returned to it over a year ago. 

A county schools facilities sales tax referendum item failed in the election by a margin of 69.53 percent (6,228 votes). A total of 2,729 (30.46 percent) votes were cast in favor of the sales tax. 

Sunday, March 31

ROCHELLE — On Thursday, March 21, a ribbon cutting was held for the Lincoln Arts Center at 108 S Main Street, Rochelle, the former site of Lincoln Elementary School and the recently-renovated home of the Vince Carney Community Theater. The Lincoln Arts Center is now also open for rentals and non-VCCT events. 

Speakers at the ribbon cutting included VCCT Board President Amy Frank, Rochelle Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tricia Herrera, and Rochelle Mayor John Bearrows. Frank thanked the community members that attended for showing their support. 

The Lincoln Arts Center has been renovated to fit its new VCCT and rental use by volunteers. The building was donated to VCCT by the Kennay family. 

“This has been a labor of love,” Frank said. “We took the shell of what was left behind of Lincoln School and my husband, Steve Frank, was in charge of the renovations. He didn't do all of it himself, but he organized us all and kept everybody on task. We've been able to renovate this building and make it the anchor of downtown Rochelle. We are now available for rent and we're not just performing our own shows here. Twice this year, we've brought in outside entertainment with two professional comedians. We're bringing in other talent, performing our own shows and being available for rent for things like business meetings, wedding receptions and parties. It is available to the community. We absolutely appreciate being here. We're looking forward to everything to come.”

April

Wednesday, April 10

ROCHELLE — On Thursday, April 4, a Small Business Bingo Spring Kickoff event was held at the hangar at Chicagoland Skydiving Center and raised $4,105 that will be split evenly between the Rochelle Area Community Foundation and The Kitchen Table. Well over 200 people attended the event, Event Organizer and AP Massage Therapy Owner Ashley Patrick said.

Mayor John Bearrows served as a special guest bingo caller. The cost was $15 for 10 games of bingo. Raffle tickets were available for six for $5. 

“I was proud of and excited by the turnout we had,” Patrick said. “I was a little skeptical since it'd been so long since the last event with how much of a turnout we'd have and how much the momentum would keep rolling with these events. I was super excited to see that everyone was eagerly anticipating this next one and all showed up. Well over 200 people came and supported the cause.”

Sunday, April 21

ROCHELLE — After a 52-year career with Rochelle Schools, first as a teacher and later on as a bus driver, Sally Sawicki officially retired from the transportation department in early April. 

Sawicki started teaching in 1972 and her first year was spent at the annex building in the old St. Patrick’s Church. She then taught at Central Elementary School for two years before spending the rest of her 34-year teaching career at Tilton Elementary School. She taught fourth grade for all but two years of her career. Her retirement from teaching came in 2005. 

Sawicki started driving school buses while she was teaching, sometime in the late 1980s, because she wanted to be able to take her students on field trips. Having her license led to more driving for Rochelle Schools. 

“There was a crunch on finances in the late 1980s and they were cutting back,” Sawicki said. “I had a pilot's license at the time and my dad had a motorhome. I figured if I could drive those two vehicles, I could drive a school bus. I came up with the idea to drive the bus on field trips so the district would be less likely to say no to them. That way they wouldn't have to pay a driver. I got my license. Field trips were my only plan at the time. And then I was asked to drive as a substitute. They'd bring the bus to Tilton and park it out front and take my car to the bus garage. I'd end my day as a teacher and run out to the bus and drive the route. I've probably driven a bus for 35-40 years. I didn't drive routes all the time.”

Wednesday, April 24

ROCHELLE — On Monday, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the City of Rochelle’s Rochelle Intermodal Transload Center to inaugurate the process of transloading locally-grown regenified corn.

Officials in attendance included representatives from Regenified Ltd., Diestel Ranch of Sonora, California; Thoren Farms of Stockton, Illinois; the Burlington Junction Railway and the city. The event marked the beginning of moving regenified corn from the midwest to the west coast.

“The City of Rochelle is known as the transportation ‘hub’ because we have built the transportation infrastructure to meet the logistical needs of agriculture and industries in our region,” Rochelle Mayor John Bearrows said.

When the Union Pacific Railroad closed its Global III intermodal operations in 2019, the city sprang into action to build the Rochelle Intermodal Transload Center so rail access was readily available, and businesses would not have to incur the expense and lost time of moving freight through Chicago, Bearrows said.

Sunday, April 28

CHANA — Four years ago, Chana Education Center Principal Terry Camplain wrote a letter giving his retirement notice. But he couldn’t bring himself to submit it right away. 

Camplain will retire at the end of the school year after 20 years as principal and 33 overall with the Ogle County Educational Cooperative. Before his time as principal, he was a school psychologist in Rochelle for 13 years. 

“I sat on that letter for a long time,” Camplain said. “It's the right decision for me, but it was still a difficult decision. I'm nervous about what's next for myself. But I'm looking forward to it. It's very bittersweet. In education, it's good for younger people to take over some things. I've been doing this a long time. Some younger mindsets coming in is going to be great.”

Chana Education Center supports the academic, emotional and behavioral needs of students in Ogle and Lee counties. It houses two programs, one for K-12 students with emotional disabilities and another for 6-12 students in need of alternative general education.

May

Wednesday, May 1

ROCHELLE — On April 16, City of Rochelle officials attended Lobby Day in Springfield and met with legislators on potential bills that could impact it in the future. 

Lobby Day was attended by Mayor John Bearrows, City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh, City Attorney Dominick Lanzito and Rochelle Municipal Utilities Superintendent of Electric Operations Blake Toliver. The two bills the city officials talked most with legislators about included House Bill 5315, which could potentially take authority to govern public electric utilities like RMU away from city councils and give it to the Illinois Commerce Commission, and House Bill 2216, which deals with the ability of cities and local fire departments to bill nursing homes when EMS personnel come in and help one of their residents with a lift assist call. 

“It went very well,” Bearrows said. “It was very productive. Lobby day is a chance to talk to your legislators specifically about certain bills that are maybe before the senate or the house. What we focused on yesterday were a couple of bills that could adversely affect our local folks. There are many bills out there that get presented all the time. I feel like the Lobby Day yesterday was probably one of the best in my five years here. We had some great meetings with various legislators that support our position. As stewards for our ratepayers, our job is to make sure that we stay on top of where bills are at.”

Sunday, May 5

ROCHELLE — At the end of the school year, Rochelle Township High School School Psychologist Chris Roberts will retire after serving at the school since 2007. 

Roberts’ position at the school is through the Ogle County Educational Cooperative. He also does school psychologist work at Steward Elementary School. The OCEC provides special education services and programs for students with disabilities who are 3-21 years of age and residents of Ogle County. It also provides services for some Lee County schools. 

Roberts started his school psychologist career with an internship in Kankakee before working in Freeport for three years. He came to the OCEC in 1987 and during that time he primarily worked in the Rochelle Elementary School District and early childhood program. He then left the profession for 12 years before returning to the OCEC in 2007, placed full-time at RTHS. He has previously worked with St. Paul Lutheran School in Rochelle as well. 

Roberts graduated from Princeton High School and Illinois State University. His inspiration to get into the school psychology field came from a neighbor and his parents. 

Sunday, May 12

ROCHELLE — On Sunday, May 5, a celebration of life and dedication ceremony were held for the late Carol Weidmann at the Vince Carney Community Theater’s Lincoln Arts Center. 

Weidmann, who passed away on Jan. 29 at age 77, was a founding member of VCCT in 1981 and served on its board for over 40 years. Her local legacy also included being a longtime English teacher and director of theater at Rochelle Township High School. 

VCCT Board President Amy Frank said the Lincoln Arts Center saw a full house for the celebration of life and dedication ceremony. 

“We had 75-80 people from all aspects of her life: Theater, teaching and bowling,” Frank said. “We had photos and programs of all of the different shows she was a part of in many different capacities. Directing, producing, acting, sewing costumes, setting lights, you name it, she did it. We shared stories of her and the impact she had on everyone who was there. Jane Prunty, a longtime friend and another VCCT founding member, acted as the emcee. She had some of Carol's students write tributes to her and only a few were read because there were so many. Carol's sister, Barb, read a eulogy for Carol.”

Sunday, May 26

ROCHELLE — Rochelle Township High School Assistant Principal Dr. David Perrin will be retiring at the end of the school year this month. 

Perrin has been at RTHS for 30 years, and has been assistant principal for the past seven. He taught English for 23 years before that. Following graduation from Illinois State University, Perrin taught for three years in Paw Paw. He has a total of 33 years of education experience. 

Perrin was pre-law in college. After working with kids at a summer camp over three summers as a counselor and meeting friends that were studying to be teachers, he changed his course to education.

“I had a blast and I loved working with kids,” Perrin said. “I thought it was something I should do. That's how I got into education. I came to RTHS in 1994 and I've been here ever since. It's just been a great place to teach. I taught American literature, AP English, and dual-credit advanced composition. It's been nice to watch that dual credit program that I kind of started come into maturity. I've worked with a lot of great people.”

June

Wednesday, June 5

ROCHELLE — Residents of Lincoln Manor have spent the past two months making sleeping mats from recycled plastic shopping bags to donate to Miss Carly's, a non-profit dedicated to the homeless in Rockford.

Woven Together is an outreach ministry recently started through the Steward United Methodist Church Women In Faith. Lincoln Manor offers the activity to residents each Thursday at 1 p.m. in its community room. The same work is being done at the Hub City Senior Center as well.

“This all stemmed off a project we did collecting items for Miss Carly's in Rockford,” Laura Salazar of the Steward UMC group said. “One of our group members mentioned the plastic bag mats for the unhoused. I looked it up and we started doing it there. I walked to the manager at Lincoln Manor about trying it here. The people here are rockstars. I'm so floored at what they've done. It's absolutely amazing.”

Sunday, June 9

ROCHELLE — Sam Graber, owner of Graber Financial Group at 409 4th Ave. and a former Rochelle Township High School history teacher and assistant basketball coach, recently retired from his work selling insurance in the community.

Graber, who will turn 82 this month, has lived and worked in Rochelle for the past 55 years. He grew up in Mineral Point, Wisconsin and attended college at Lakeland College (now University). After receiving his master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, a history professor there told him about a job opening at RTHS for a history teacher and assistant basketball coach position in 1969.

“I called here about it and came down here on the train with my wife for the interview,” Graber said. “The train station here was still operating back in 1969. After we went back home, they called and offered me the job and we decided to take it.”

Sunday, June 16

LOST NATION — Three Ogle County Emergency Response Team members and one barricaded suspect were shot late Wednesday morning at a residence in Lost Nation in the rural Dixon area and survived after being transported to area hospitals, Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle said in a press conference Wednesday afternoon. 

The barricaded man was identified as Jonathon G. Gounaris in a Wednesday night press release. The names of the involved law enforcement officials have not been released. Two law enforcement officers were transported by ground to KSB Hospital in Dixon and were treated and released, VanVickle said later on in a phone interview. The third was flown to OSF St. Anthony Medical Center in Rockford and went into surgery and is expected to make a full recovery. Gounaris was in surgery at KSB Wednesday afternoon and VanVickle said he was unsure of his condition.

The Ogle County Emergency Response Team is made up of individuals from different agencies including the Ogle County Sheriff's Office, the Oregon Police Department and the Byron Police Department as well as SWAT medics from the Rochelle Fire Department.

At approximately 8:39 a.m. Wednesday, the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office received information from a family member of the suspect at 402 Wild Rice Lane in Lost Nation, who said that her son had threatened suicide and homicide. The Ogle County ERT was activated at 9:18 a.m. and a hostage negotiator arrived on scene and attempted to make contact with the individual. 

“The information we got from the family member was that this was very likely going to be suicide by cop-like situation,” VanVickle said. “There was nobody else in the residence. The family member that called was not at the residence. The suspect was in the residence by himself and we had that confirmed by the family member. We believed his intention was to harm police officers. That's the information the family member told us.”