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Talk-Line: Shaw Local on Sterling’s River Edge development · WIXN AM 1460 - Shaw Local Radio

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Brandon. We're going to start with Sterling and something called
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: River's Edge.
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so a lot of news happening on a Sterling,
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: especially Monday's city council meeting. So the council unanimously approved
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: a new ordinance creating a River Edge Redevelopment Zone. So
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: this is something I've been following for a while. So
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: for those of you who might have forgot or not aware,
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: this can provide up to fifty million dollars in tax
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: incentives for economic development along the Rock River, including some
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: of the riverfront work that we've already seen happening on
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: the River and Sterling. So the program was part of
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: a special designation, is what they call it. And so
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: Sterling received that designation earlier this year when it was
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: included in the state's omnibus package, which we Governor Pritzker
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: had already signed. So what this does is encourage investments
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: through things like property tax abatements, sales tax exemptions on
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: building material, and even historic tax credits for qualifying projects
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: such as what we're seeing happening with like the National
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: Manufacturing buildings right yep. So City Manager Scott Schumern had
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: also explained that these incentives are also kind of similar
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: to the city's Enterprise Zone where you're also getting some
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: of these tax abatements for improvements to buildings, you know,
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: for the qualifying project. So the zones covering roughly properties
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: within about half a mile the river. That includes both
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: commercial buildings and those that have certain environmentally challenged aspects
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: to them. As we say, we've seen a lot of
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: environmental abatement going on with that work as well. One
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: thing that is to notice this doesn't apply retroactively. So
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: if a project is now that they have the designation
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: is applying for it and they say they did something
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: last year on one of those properties, they're not going
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: to get it for that, but moving forward they could.
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: So right now, the next step is for the city
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: to send its application in get that approved. That could
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: take up to six months, and they are going to
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: have to see if it will extend past twenty twenty six.
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: The current legislation that could extend that is currently in
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: a veto session, so the city is going to have
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: to see how that plays out.
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: Okay, Yeah, the fall veto set you're talking about, the
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: fall veto session coming up through the legislature obviously will
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: be taking place there shortly in Springfield. So again hopefully
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: some movement on that at that time. But it sounds
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: to me like, you know, there are a lot of
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: advantages you know, to hop into board and you know,
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: being a part.
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: Of it absolutely developers could save a lot of money
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: on their projects and they're hoping that's really going to
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: ignite the spark for what they're doing in Sterling.
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: Good. Yeah, well, and they've already really taken it to
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: task anyway, you know, with what we're seeing already and
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: what the plans are moving forward exactly. Yeah. So again
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: this is the latest that that we have on the
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: uh activities involving the Sterling development, you know, and that
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: continues apace. We're already seeing it, you know, yeah, you
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: know in that area. So again exciting news out of Sterling.
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: We're gonna stay right there in the Sterling area. Because
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: there was a decision made on the story that you
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: featured earlier here on w y X in having to
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: do with permits.
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so Sterling's night life is going to get a
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: little bit longer a couple of times a year. So
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: the Sterling City Council also approved an extended hours permit
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: for downtown liquor license holder letting the party, as we say,
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: go on a little bit longer. So what that means
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: is for special events, the last call will be at
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: two am, occupancy till three am, with staff required out
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: by four. So these are special permits that can only
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: apply up to four a year. Plus you get New
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: Year's ear New Year's Eve as a freebie, those hours
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: have been extended just as part of that holiday. So
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: the ordinance, yes, as you had said, comes from a
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: story had covered where Ryan and Ashley Nairs had already
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: applied for one of these permits, and so it was
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: close as we get to a Wild City Council.
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: Meeting over a sterling.
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: There was a lot of back and forth though over
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: concern about, you know, whether we should be extending these hours.
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: Are we inviting people from the other side of the
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: bridge to rush over and try to chug alcohol for
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: an extra houre. So for the Nars, what they said
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: with what their plan is is that you know, they
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: have a cover charge for these events, they pre sell tickets.
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: They're going to up the price of their cover charge
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: at midnight to kind of discourage that. So members of
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: the council, you know, really like the idea and what
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: they thought is having an hour where you allowed occupantsy
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: allowed people to sober up, the mercantile and other places
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: could still serve food would probably kind of be better
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: for everybody in the end.
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: Okay, all right, So again a special permit and it
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: has been passed through the council now is available then, yeah.
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: Just for these for liquor license holders.
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: Okay, all right, for these establishments only and only during
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: those special.
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: Yes four times or your application has to be approved
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: if you've got problems with your events, that's going to
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: play a big part in sure whether you get approved
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: or not, or whether they kind of suspend you from
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: that for a little while.
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: Sorry, but moving ahead by the council on that kind
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: of an interesting moment of the council to allow this.
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: You know, in the city of Sterling, Brandon has that
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: story for us this morning here at Doublegate. We're gonna
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: stick with Sterling, but we're gonna shift our attention to healthcare. Yeah,
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: and talk about.
• 5:17
  Speaker 3: Yeah again, a story that came out talking about CGH
• 5:21
  Speaker 3: the union there. We know that this has been an
• 5:24
  Speaker 3: ongoing story for for several years and that there's a
• 5:26
  Speaker 3: lot of emotion that comes with that because you're talking
• 5:29
  Speaker 3: about you know, workers rights, benefits and such and so
• 5:32
  Speaker 3: Brandon has been following that and there's been some change
• 5:34
  Speaker 3: in some legislation that is going to allow for maybe
• 5:38
  Speaker 3: another option. Yeah, for the union to make that happen.
• 5:41
  Speaker 3: If you want to talk a little bit about that.
• 5:42
  Speaker 3: He's had the big stories this week.
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: Allow. It allows either side to seek an independent arbitrator
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: after ninety days of good faith bargaining have been completed,
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: and also an attempt to bargain through a mediator. And
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: so what happens is both sides, if they seek this
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: arbitration process, would present their their proposals and then the
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: arbitrator would get the final say and what they think
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: the result should look like. So I spoke with you know,
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: members of the CGH union rep and they said, while
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: there they haven't started that process. They're hoping that the
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: development of the option will be enough to speed those
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: negotiations that have you know, been caring on for nearly
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: five years.
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: There you go, Yeah, that's said.
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: They are more than ready to seek the arbitration process
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: if the other side, if they don't feel they're reciprocating.
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: Okay, five years though. That's interesting.
• 6:45
  Speaker 3: Yeah, And I think the.
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: Big thing is a lot of people think you get
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: your union and there you go exactly because they're still
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: bargaining after nearly five years for the first contract after
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: winning the right to unionize.
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: Wow.
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: So that's yeah, it was very surprising to me.
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: Too, very interesting. It is it is, you know, to
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: follow and we're following it through local news.
• 7:04
  Speaker 3: And healthcare and so many people who are employed through
• 7:06
  Speaker 3: that they can be affected by that. And then maybe
• 7:09
  Speaker 3: you have people that make decisions about their future careers
• 7:11
  Speaker 3: based on on that. So you can have a lot
• 7:14
  Speaker 3: of repercussions if you're sitting out there without a contract.
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, and you know. So that's that's just the latest though,
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: just the late.
• 7:22
  Speaker 3: So we'll be we'll be watching this, y Yeah, we'll
• 7:25
  Speaker 3: be watching this.
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: Of CGH and their union activities at CGH Medical Center.
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: A couple of stories though that I wanted to kind of,
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: you know, add into this. You know that I don't
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: know that are not on the list, but we we
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: we the Rock Falls situation Charlene with the you know,
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: choice of sheriff or choice of police chief chief.
• 7:46
  Speaker 3: I'm sorry sheriff is there though?
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: From the Lee County.
• 7:50
  Speaker 3: Right, yeah, yeah, yeah, this is this has been an
• 7:53
  Speaker 3: interesting it is it is I got to refresh my
• 7:55
  Speaker 3: brain here on it. But yeah, we did. We had
• 7:57
  Speaker 3: a story about that. Peyton Felix has been covering that
• 7:59
  Speaker 3: and it it kind of started all after there was
• 8:02
  Speaker 3: the stabbing death that happened over in Rock Falls last
• 8:05
  Speaker 3: year and then as they were moving toward trial, they
• 8:09
  Speaker 3: have something called where they file motions in Lemonae what
• 8:11
  Speaker 3: can be allowed to talk about during the trial. And
• 8:14
  Speaker 3: there were several days of that and as they got
• 8:17
  Speaker 3: closer to the trial there was a plea agreement that
• 8:19
  Speaker 3: was struck. But part of that motions in Lemonae process
• 8:21
  Speaker 3: was to bring officers up on the stand who were
• 8:24
  Speaker 3: talking about like their investigation, and the defense attorney was
• 8:29
  Speaker 3: doing his job of trying to point out things in
• 8:32
  Speaker 3: the investigation that maybe he thought were errant, and there
• 8:35
  Speaker 3: was some agreement on the part when you have some
• 8:37
  Speaker 3: of the police department members that come up and say
• 8:39
  Speaker 3: oh yeah, yeah, well we should have okay, and so
• 8:43
  Speaker 3: you have the plea that comes well, then you have
• 8:45
  Speaker 3: the father of the victim who comes out and you know,
• 8:48
  Speaker 3: questions about how that investigation was handled, then how does
• 8:51
  Speaker 3: that come down to leadership questions? So she's been following
• 8:54
  Speaker 3: that closely. So coincidentally, he's retiring exactly from the police department,
• 9:02
  Speaker 3: said it was time to retire, that it was not
• 9:04
  Speaker 3: related to those discussions that were happening, and so, you know,
• 9:08
  Speaker 3: every city would have a process for how they carry
• 9:10
  Speaker 3: that out. But that kind of came to a head
• 9:12
  Speaker 3: at the last council meeting because you had the mayor
• 9:16
  Speaker 3: who came out and said, I've got somebody that i'd
• 9:18
  Speaker 3: like to see, and then you had police officers there
• 9:21
  Speaker 3: who said, yeah, but we applied, and she said Peyton
• 9:25
  Speaker 3: was there and said there was at least seven who
• 9:27
  Speaker 3: officers who said, I've turned in my resident or my
• 9:30
  Speaker 3: not resident application, turned in my application that i'd like
• 9:34
  Speaker 3: to be considered. But they did not believe that their
• 9:37
  Speaker 3: application had been even looked at. And she was finding
• 9:40
  Speaker 3: some confirmation of that through other members, possibly through the
• 9:44
  Speaker 3: city administrator. Yeah, that it had not gone through to
• 9:47
  Speaker 3: maybe the hands that it needed to. And so there
• 9:51
  Speaker 3: was kind of that discussion back and forth and then hey,
• 9:53
  Speaker 3: we're going to take a vote on that. If the
• 9:56
  Speaker 3: mayor asked if who would support who I would like yes,
• 9:59
  Speaker 3: And nobody on the council raised their hand, and so
• 10:02
  Speaker 3: so she said, you know what you're hearing. It's not
• 10:05
  Speaker 3: about the candidate. It's not who they selected, he selected.
• 10:09
  Speaker 3: It was the fact that they felt that there was
• 10:12
  Speaker 3: some thought that the process may have been kind of
• 10:15
  Speaker 3: a committee of one. I think was the was the
• 10:17
  Speaker 3: word that was used. So more to come on that
• 10:20
  Speaker 3: they were going to have more discussions about that. I
• 10:22
  Speaker 3: know Peyton than had a council meeting. I believe last
• 10:24
  Speaker 3: night that she was going to be attending. So after
• 10:27
  Speaker 3: we get out of here, I'll see exactly what happened there.
• 10:30
  Speaker 3: Absolutely things changed, and whether it's discussion or whether it's
• 10:34
  Speaker 3: refinement of process or you know, I don't know what
• 10:38
  Speaker 3: quite what we'll find there or where it'll even turn out.
• 10:40
  Speaker 3: But you know, you think about how much leadership we've changed.
• 10:43
  Speaker 3: We've had change over the last year in our police department.
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: So not just rock Falls.
• 10:50
  Speaker 3: And when we saw Dixon's process, they were this is
• 10:52
  Speaker 3: how we're doing it. These are two candidates, this is
• 10:54
  Speaker 3: how we're gonna, you know, have a committee of community
• 10:57
  Speaker 3: members who came together uh as well, like I think
• 11:00
  Speaker 3: didn't have people from SoC also that we're involved with that,
• 11:03
  Speaker 3: so you have leadership there. Yeah, it'll be interesting to
• 11:06
  Speaker 3: see how it turns out. Every town has a every
• 11:09
  Speaker 3: town is a culture and a personality that differs from
• 11:11
  Speaker 3: the athlete.
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: And maybe their own procedures. You know that every town's
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: true with their procedures.
• 11:15
  Speaker 3: Do they have a commission? I believe they have a commission.
• 11:17
  Speaker 3: How does that work?
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: Exactly?
• 11:18
  Speaker 3: So that leads us to ask questions too, how does
• 11:21
  Speaker 3: this work?
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: And that's what we're trying to, you know, figure out
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: obviously with this story with Shaw Local and again they
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: just maybe coming going your way stand by.
• 11:31
  Speaker 3: Yeah, correct if they did anything? If they did yeah
• 11:34
  Speaker 3: right yeah, Halloween love it right.
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: Here we go Halloween right around the corner. And we
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: just talked with Performing Arts Skill. They're set to bring
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: performances on stage, you know in Mount More So we're
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: getting geared up for trick or treat time and we
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: had trick or treat times. I believe that Dixon.
• 11:51
  Speaker 3: Dixon just had theirs. We need to put a round
• 11:53
  Speaker 3: up together because we're getting a lot of towns and
• 11:56
  Speaker 3: then I know how it was I grew up in Fulton.
• 11:58
  Speaker 3: I want to know and Clinton's this so I can
• 11:59
  Speaker 3: get in the car and drive over there. So you
• 12:01
  Speaker 3: kind of want to know, get a list together of
• 12:03
  Speaker 3: those things. But there's so many other things now that
• 12:05
  Speaker 3: they do that they didn't do maybe ten twenty years ago.
• 12:08
  Speaker 3: Trunk or treats, that's its own thing now. And I
• 12:11
  Speaker 3: love how Dixon has so many events that are kind
• 12:14
  Speaker 3: of centered around that. I was listening to your recent interview,
• 12:17
  Speaker 3: was it Jennifer Lang, Yes, who was talking about which
• 12:19
  Speaker 3: is night Out on the sixteenth, and we have this
• 12:22
  Speaker 3: of course, the Scarecrow Festival that we know is coming
• 12:24
  Speaker 3: up in the eighteenth, the Little Kids Parade, So yeah,
• 12:27
  Speaker 3: so many exciting things in the area.
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely, you know, kind of gearing up for Halloween,
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: which is the last Friday of the month, and trick
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: or treat times starting to be established by communities across
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: their Sock Valley area. Jennifer Charlene had the information for
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: you earlier right here on FM ninety five and fourteen sixty,
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: So we'll continue to kind of broaden that and bring
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: you what we have as far as trick or treating
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: and Halloween.
• 12:50
  Speaker 3: On the Rock Falls, UTV Parade, golf cart Parade, and
• 12:54
  Speaker 3: they got their house decorating. They do. We we'll have
• 12:56
  Speaker 3: a story put together about that too. They're they're launching
• 12:59
  Speaker 3: that base. It sounds like anyone can vote in that,
• 13:02
  Speaker 3: and so it's you know, register and get your house
• 13:05
  Speaker 3: decorated and then during these particular hours, have your lights
• 13:08
  Speaker 3: on so that people can drive around to the vote
• 13:10
  Speaker 3: on that.
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: So yep, so that's awesome. I mean, your way across
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: our game.
• 13:13
  Speaker 3: I'll take two large skeletons, please, you know, go to minute.
• 13:17
  Speaker 3: You know, in some cases if you don't even think
• 13:20
  Speaker 3: about that, it might be fun to kind of join
• 13:21
  Speaker 3: in now if you've better done it.
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, guys, we're out of time. We were gonna save
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: the rest of the agenda for the next time we visit,
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: which will be a week from the day right here
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: on Wikson. But we thank you for the gr update.
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: A lot of interesting stories taking place around our northern
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: Illinois area every day. Charlene Bieloan will be shortly with
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: news first here at Wixon. Brandon Clark, thanks for joining
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: us as well. That's our shaw local report today here
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