News Briefs from Rockton & Roscoe: 02/17/2022

The Hononegah boys swimming and diving team scored another conference victory on Saturday, Feb. 12. The team's 12 year streak is the longest for any sport in Hononegah school history. Some of the team was not yet in kindergarten when it began. Michael Long and Brayden Foss won first and second place in diving, Owen West won the 100 backstroke, and Vito Skominas won the 100 breaststoke. Jack Kitzman, Davis Cass, Cale Miles and Hayden Blankenship won two relay races: the 200 Medley Relay and 400 Free Relay.  Logan Johnson won the 100 back. Dylan Beilfuss and Joe Lengjak also scored well. This Saturday at Byron, the team is looking to win the sectional title and to qualify for state.

I was wrong when I said that "state legislators have ended the confusion about who is covered by the judge's ruling" on masks. The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules thought they were making things clear when they overruled the Illinois Department of Health's renewal of emergency mask rules, saying that a Sangamon County judge had deemed them "null and void." But as soon as they did that, Gov. Pritzker stirred up confusion again by insisting, "The executive order requiring masks is still in place. School districts that aren't part of the lawsuit should follow the executive order." He has appealed the decision to the 4th Appellate Court. Meanwhile, local schools that aren't part of the lawsuit have already decided that the executive order doesn't apply to them and have removed their mask requirements, with their attorneys in agreement. These include Rockton and Kinnikinnick.  Two other districts, Hononegah and Prairie Hill, were specifically named as part of the lawsuit.

On Feb. 16, our editor was interviewed by marketing rockstar Cindy Rowe, as part of her "Backstage with Cindy Rowe" video series.  We talked about how Rockton-Roscoe News got started and what we've learned along the way. You can watch the interview on YouTube or Facebook.

A sad story in Rockton Township turns out to be even sadder. We reported that in a head-on collision not far from Phillips Cemetery, both drivers were killed, one of them 25 years old. While working a missing persons report 65 miles away, Algonquin and Lindenhurst police went to the home of the 25 year old man, near Egret Court in Lindenhurst, IL, northwest of Waukegan. They found the car of his 25 year old girlfriend parked in his driveway, and the girlfriend dead inside his house.  The investigation is continuing under the auspices of The Lake County Major Crime Task Force, a cooperative effort of several law enforcement agencies in that region.

NorthPointe Wellness is hosting another Indoor Triathlon on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. Participants can't avoid the effort but they can at least avoid the cold. The event series includes a 350 yard swim, 15 mile stationary bike ride, and 2-mile treadmill run. Participants will be entered into a drawing for a prize. Thursday is the deadline to register for this event. The last event in the series will be March 3.

On Tuesday, the Village of Rockton board was to consider a special use permit for cosmetic tattooing at 112 S. Blackhawk Blvd., the former office of Jennings Construction. They were also planning to discuss spending $2,412 for a computer upgrade for the Rockton Police Department from Stateline Technologies.

Meanwhile in Roscoe, the Village Board agreed to pay Fehr-Graham Engineering $18,300 for design, bidding, administration, and testing for the regrading and paving of the Porter Park parking lot. Contractors will be instructed to work around the youth sports schedule at the adjacent Swanson Park. We're preparing complete reports on these meetings.

The elev815 business group held its first happy hour - for fun not business - at the Firehouse Pub on Feb. 16. The party included new members such as realtor Sheryl Peterson and her husband John Peterson, mayor of Rockton and seasonal Yeti.

On March 13, Vintage Etcetera will be moving from Main Street Rockton to a larger location, 2526 Riverside Drive, in Beloit. Before their last day in Rockton, they promise great sales during the Vintage Shop Hop, March 4-5. They need more room because they are adding new vendors, so check out their new space if you're interested in joining their family.