Winnebago County News

Get your tickets today for  River City Sound Chorus' "Chocolate is Good" Annual Concert and Dessert Extravaganza Saturday, October 5, 2013  River City Sound is our region's award winning Sweet Adeline chorus. There are two performances, one afternoon and one evening performance. The evening performance includes a show by favorite local band Tripping Tarzan . Tickets are still available for both performances. Visit  http://www.rivercitysound.org  for details.

It is a great day for apples, raspberries, mums and more at Valley Orchard in Cherry Valley. Here is a note from their website ( http://thevalleyorchard.com/ )... "UPDATE…..Sept. 22, 2013: 100% PURE apple cider, Honey Crisp, Wolf River, Ozark Gold, Senshu, Snow Sweet, Early Fuji, Cortland, and Jonathan apples are ready. Our beautiful, hardy mums are now available. Currently for U-pick, we have Jonamac, McIntosh, Cortland, Senshu, Fuji, Jonathan and Snow Sweet apples plus an ABUNDANCE of luscious raspberries. Also we have great apple cider donuts, scrumptious apple cinnamon bread, awesome apple pies made with our own apples, delicious taffy apples, smooth as butter fudge, tomatoes, carrots, beets, zucchini, rutabagas, and peppers. Squash and gourds SOON (maybe today). Our u-pick pumpkins are terrific! The store offers a nice selection of giftware also. Come create new memories the old fashioned way… one delicious apple at a time. Hours of operation: Monday thru Saturday 9 a.m. to 6...

By David Soll I am a voter registrar here in Winnebago County, and it worries me that many people are being given false information about voter registration and supposed armies of people trying to vote multiple times across America. I hope to clarify a few things as it pertains to voter registration, voting and a supposed conspiracy of massive voter fraud. When you register to vote through a person like me, I will ask you to show me whatever ID necessary to prove you are who you say you are. I will fill out the form based on the information on your ID, and once the form is completed, I have you sign it. It is at that moment that your signature becomes your ID when you go vote. In other words, once you are registered to vote, you have already shown ID... Read David Soll's complete commentary at his website:  http://davidsoll2012.com/no-need-for-restrictive-voter-id-laws/ .

The Friends of the Kishwaukee River organization is having a potluck picnic, Thursday, September 19, 2013, 5:30 PM, at the first picnic shelter in Baumann Park, Cherry Valley, IL. The shelter is adjacent to the playground – families are encouraged to attend. Friends of the Kish will provide chicken, water and lemonade. Please bring a side dish. Any friend of the Kishwaukee River is invited. We are encouraging “friends of the Kish” to talk to us about what they feel needs to be done to promote, protect and enjoy the river. We hope you can join us. Allen Penticoff President Friends of the Kishwaukee River http://www.kishwaukeeriver.org ###

By Paul Gorski Do you need an antivirus program for your Android OS-based smartphone? Maybe. Before you download an AV program for that phone of yours, follow these basic guidelines: 1) only download apps from the Google Play Store, 2) be wary even of apps at the Google Play Store, and 3) upgrade to the most current version of Android OS that your device will support, without breaking normal Android security. Follow these precautions, and you’ll be pretty safe. You will find “technical” articles implying that you need an AV app for your Android smartphone. For example: “Russia’s Massive Android Malware Industry Revealed” ( http://securitywatch.pcmag.com/mobile-security/314386-russia-s-massive-android-malware-industry-revealed ) and “Android Malware Genome Project” ( http://www.malgenomeproject.org/ ). Then, you have security experts who lean toward not installing AV apps on Android devices, “RSA: Do You Need Mobile Anti-Virus?” ( http://www.esecurityplanet.com/mobile-security/rsa-do-yo...

Press Release For Immediate release September 15, 2013 Contact: Kathi at 877-475-7729 SPAY ILLINOIS OFFERS LOW COST PET VACCINE CLINIC! October is keep your pet healthy month! Cherry Valley, IL: SPAY ILLINOIS Pet Well Clinic offers low cost pet vaccines, spay/neuter and wellness care all year long. But during the month of October we are offering are low cost service to the Cherry Valley Area. We will be at the Doggie Day Spa located at 300 East State Street Cherry Valley, Il. Appointments are necessary so call 877-475-7729 to schedule yours. We will be holding the clinic on Saturday Oct 12th from 9-3 and there are no residency or income restrictions. The clinic is open to everyone. You can bring your dog in for their annual vaccines and for only $65 you will receive a rabies vaccine (county tag additional), 6 in 1 distemper combo, bordetella, heartworm test, and this even includes the exam and office visit. If you have a cat it’s only $45.00 and includes the office visit, exam, dist...

Editor's Note: We're expanding our coverage, and now offering to print locally-focused press releases. Here is one such press release. Written Exclusively for Winnebago County News By: April Cauthen, Education Supervisor with Tricoci University of Beauty Culture, Rockford Campus While we are a little sad to see the summer end, we can’t help but love this time of year because the most exciting part of going back to school (in our minds) is showing off new hair, makeup and fashion trends.   We’ve pulled together some of our favorites to help you be a trendsetter this 2013-14 school year.   Top Hair Looks Messy is still “in” so don’t fret, your hair shouldn’t look perfect.   Whether your hair is long like Shainlene Woodley’s or shorter like Zendaya’s, this look works for anyone.   ·        A fishtail (i.e. loose braid) is one of the hottest messy looks this season.   It is nothing more than a two strand braid- righ...

By Paul Gorski Special Report Martin “Marty” Maggio is waiting for another day in court regarding his challenge of the Winnebago County Board’s decision in July 2012 to approve the expansion of the Winnebago Landfill (WLC). Maggio’s is one of four unrelated lawsuits pending against the landfill. Maggio challenged the board’s expansion vote in August 2012, claiming, “that WLC failed to properly serve notice of the subject proceeding in accordance with the requirements of §39.2(b) of the Act, 415 ILCS 5/39.2(b).” In layman’s terms, as a nearby landowner, he claims he was not properly notified of the public hearings as required by law, invalidating the hearing process. Proper notification is required to give residents time to prepare for the hearings. The challenge was first heard by the Illinois Pollution Control Board, which ruled in March 2013 to let the expansion vote stand. Maggio has appealed this decision and expects to be back in court in October. Maggio also claimed in his origi...

River City Sound Chorus "Chocolate is Good" Annual Dessert Extravaganza Saturday, October 5, 2013 Visit http://www.rivercitysound.org for details.

LOVES PARK, Ill. — “Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful is excited to announce that it is opening a new Recycle Center in Rockford, to serve more area residents and businesses,” Executive Director Lori Gummow told The Rock River Times. “We want to make it easier for more of the greater Rockford community to help protect the environment, including our water resources, by keeping recyclables and reusables out of the waste stream. “Starting Saturday, Sept. 14, there will be a volunteer-run Recycle Center, open from 9 a.m. to noon every Saturday, at 4665 Hydraulic Road, Rockford,” she added. Read the entire Rock River Times staff report at:  http://rockrivertimes.com/2013/09/04/rockford-recycle-center-to-open-sept-14/ .

By Paul Gorski Some people contribute to the community with donations, others through volunteerism, and yet others by running for public office. The filing period for the 2014 election cycle began Sept. 3, and the race is on to get petition signatures. Circulate your nominating petitions now! What are nominating petitions, you ask? An election cycle primer is in order. Oversimplifying it a bit, there are three major election cycles locally: presidential, gubernatorial and municipal. Certain years, we elect the president of the United States and certain other local and county officials. Voter turnout is greatest during presidential elections. And in still other years, usually in the spring of certain odd-numbered years, we elect municipal (city), township, school board and other local officials. Voter turnout for these elections is the weakest, sometimes amounting to 20 percent or less of eligible voters. We’re in a gubernatorial election cycle now. In November 2014, we will be voting f...

By Paul Gorski I was recently forwarded an e-mail: “Verizon Wireless named best in Rockford, and opens new cell sites,” which contained a link to a local smartphone study. You might even find a copy of the “news” online here at The Rock River Times. Beware the PR (public relations) machine! The embedded link sent me to a Root Metrics ( http://rootmetrics.com/compare-carriers/united-states/rockford/rockford-il-september-2013/ ) smartphone study. The study gives a marginal lead to Verizon Wireless over AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile in Rockford. However, the study completely neglects a major Rockford carrier, US Cellular. A description of the survey methods is posted at:  http://rootmetrics.com/compare-carriers/united-states/rockford/rockford-il-september-2013/#methodology . There, I found a major flaw in the test methodology: different phones were used for the different carriers. Samsung Android-based phones were used to test the AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile networks, whereas an HTC...

By Paul Gorski Special Report As reported in “Local residents take action, file suit against Winnebago Landfill” (Aug. 21-27 issue), more than 160 residents living near the Winnebago Landfill recently filed a lawsuit claiming the landfill created an odor “nuisance” through the “recurrent release of air pollution and landfill gases …” that has caused “plaintiffs significant inconvenience, annoyance and discomfort as well as the loss of use and enjoyment of their properties.” When asked about this suit, John Lichty, CEO of Rock River Environmental Services, parent company for the landfill, stated, “It is our policy to not comment on matters that are the subject of pending litigation.” The Winnebago Landfill began as “Pagel’s Landfill” in 1972 and has grown considerably since then, with further expansion approved by the Winnebago County Board in 2012. In recent years, millions of “tipping fee” dollars from the landfill have been pumped into the local economy, under the direction of the co...

By Paul Gorski Organized labor has been critical to the Rockford-area economy for decades. Families, local businesses and the local economy have all benefited from living-wage jobs in a variety of areas: education, government, building trades and manufacturing, just to name a few. Before the union-naysayers start rebelling: if we didn’t have living-wage jobs, we wouldn’t have the variety of stores and businesses we have. Retail follows the money — it follows disposable income. Furthermore, local unions contribute to a variety of local charitable organizations, supporting the community and furthering the missions of nonprofit groups. So, when Chrysler adds a new car to its line-up or UTC Aerospace Systems gets a new government contract, we benefit locally from that good fortune. Good wages, put back into the local economy, have ripple effects that have direct and indirect benefits for all of us. The jobs that come with manufacturing and engineering...

By Paul Gorski I recently read this article, “IBEW Ratifies Agreement Covering AT&aT Wireline Employees,” at http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=24176&cdvn=news&newsarticleid=36413 . AT&T is an extremely large communications company, which, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, provides landline (wireline) and wireless phone and Internet services, in addition to voice and cloud services, and a wee bit more. I knew that AT&T employed union labor, but I didn’t realize how many union jobs AT&T had created. According to the article, AT&T has 83,000 wireline employees represented by Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). That number doesn’t include the wireless employees represented by unions. Marty Richter, spokesman for AT&T, informs me: “AT&T is the country’s largest employer of full-time union labor, and the only major U.S. wireless company with a union-represented workforce. ...

By Paul Gorski There’s much coverage in the press these days about gun rights, abortion rights and freedom of religion, but also much union bashing. Seems some people feel unions are to blame for our local and state budget crises. That is simply not true. First and foremost, unions are an extension of your rights to free speech and freedom to assemble. You may not like unions, you may love them, or you may be indifferent to them. However, if you allow others to restrict your rights to organize, you’re giving up your fundamental rights little by little, whether you belong to a union or not. I say you must defend these rights, whether you agree 100 percent with union policies or not. While union benefit payments are part of some government budget problems, they are not the cause. Who negotiates those pension and benefit packages? Your elected politicians and their staffs. Who spent the benefit contributions instead of depositing them into benefit fund accounts? Your...