Freeport

Freeport School District Superintendent Roberta Selleck has submitted her resignation to the Freeport School Board.

The Freeport School Board says it is investigating the district superintendent for “certain administrative actions and decisions.”

In an August 17 written statement, Board President Janice Crutchfield says that the Board decided to place Superintendent Roberta Selleck on paid administrative leave on July 15 while the Board pursued its investigation.

Freeport aldermen approved a plan to sell part of a sprawling industrial compound plagued by environmental problems. For more than a decade, city officials have been removing contaminated soil and lead paint from the Rawleigh complex, the site of a former food processing center. The Freeport Journal Standard reports city leaders agreed to businessman Pete Alber's bid of $100 to buy Building D of the complex.

The Civil War monument sits outside of the Stephenson County Courthouse. It was built the late 1860s. County officials have said there is no public money available to fix it up, so local residents started raising money. A new base was installed last fall. Ron Werntz is one of the main fundraisers behind the project. He says organizers were stuck at the halfway mark to continue restoration efforts. But recently received an anonymous donation of $40,000 from a local veteran.

"God bless him. Now, once the weather breaks, we have the money to complete the monument," said Werntz.

Freeport residents packed a Highland Community College auditorium last night: they were there to hear from the four mayoral candidates they’ll choose from in the February 26th primary election.