News Briefs 6/2/2024: spelling bee champ, Memorial Day ceremony, guest swim, free museum tickets

Residents of the Illinois's 90th District in far northern Illinois can request free admittance to select museums, zoos and institutions in the Chicagoland area for a group of four people or fewer. The free Museum Card is available through Rep. John Cabello’s office.

The 6th Annual Tanner Kitelinger Memorial Event on June 8, 2024 begins at Riverside Park in Beloit and continues at The Rock Bar and Grill. 

Farmers Rising in Caledonia has received a large state grant to buy food from local farmers and deliver it to Empower Boone food pantry in Capron, and to the Rock River Valley Pantry and Salvation Army Pantry in Rockford. Formerly called Angelic Organics Learning Center, the organization is separate from Angelic Organics Farm, whose manager is stepping back from his farm because of a health crisis.  However, Farmers Rising and Farmers Rising Rockford (formerly Roots & Wings) are not closing.

Attendance at Roscoe's Memorial Day parade almost doubled this year. The parade included Roscoe Middle School band, the VFW Post 2955 Color Guard, the Harlem Roscoe Fire Department, many red, white and blue decorated vehicles, the Roscoe Police Department, Excel Martial Arts, Midwest Siding & Gutters, Ready Repair, Village of Roscoe trustees, Corpro Visual, FCA, and XL Contracting. From Leland Park, families and veterans walked to the Roscoe Cemetery where the Roscoe VFW held a memorial service.

The Ledges Pool in Roscoe is open to new members. Everyone is invited to swim as a guest for $5 a person on Sunday, June 9, 2024. If they decide to join the pool association, this cost will be deducted from their annual membership fee.

John Guevara, outgoing Winnebago County Board District 3 trustee, says he's been pushing for the planned reconstruction of Roscoe Road since he was elected to the County Board "and it sounds like it’ll get budgeted for 2026." But the railroad is responsible for maintaining the railroad tracks themselves "and 30-50 ft in either direction... According to the county engineer, the county can’t touch it" themselves. Guevara says, "The county has to obtain permits from the railroad to do the work and it takes a year or two to obtain the permits, and those conversations are scheduled to happen soon. I asked that the county also request for maintenance to be done on the tracks in the interim." For questions, Guevara can be reached at 815-978-8171.

Roscoe Middle School student Ananya Joshi competed at the 96th Scripps Spelling Bee in Washington DC over Memorial Day weekend, the third RMS student to do so in recent years.  She didn't win this time, but she's only 12 years old, so she has two more chances to win the National Spelling Bee.

Several local students were named to the Spring 2024  Deans List at University of Kentucky: Gianna Ballano, Political Science, from Rockton; and Taylor Danger, Psychology, Danielle Dunn, Kinesiology, and Katherine Larson, Kinesiology, from Roscoe. 

South Beloit Police Detective Paul Reed will not be charged for shooting a juvenile driver to stop her from speeding across IL 251. Ray Castro had pinned Reed on the front seat of the car as the girl sped away, knocking another officer to the ground. The Mar. 16, 2024 incident ended in Castro's death in Beloit after he carjacked another vehicle and eventually rammed it into a Roscoe police car.

More News from Roscoe

• Hononegah Forest Preserve celebrates centennial anniversary The preserve was purchased in 1924, the first in Winnebago County.
• What's happening this week in farthest northern Illinois - Friday, Jul 26 - Friday, Aug 2 Many kinds of events this week in Roscoe, South Beloit, and Rockton.