Latest news with #OgleCounty
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Dixon man accused of attempted murder still wants trial moved out of Ogle County
May 31—OREGON — A private attorney representing a rural Dixon man charged with the attempted murder of three police officers said he will be pursuing a motion made by a former Ogle County public defender to hold the trial outside the county. Jonathon Gounaris, 33, is charged with four counts of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, three counts of aggravated battery and two counts of possession of a firearm without a firearm owner's identification card — all of which stem from a June 12 standoff with police in the rural Dixon subdivision of Lost Lake. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is being held in the Winnebago County Jail in Rockford. Originally, Gounaris was represented by former Assistant Public Defender William Gibbs, who left the office in August. Then, the case was taken over by Assistant Public Defender Michael O'Brien, who left the office in mid-April. Gounaris is now represented by attorney William Wolf of Wolf Criminal Law, based in Chicago. Gounaris appeared before Ogle County Judge John "Ben" Roe on Friday along with Wolf and attorney Jack DeBacker of Wolf Criminal Law. Wolf told Roe that he plans to pursue O'Brien's March 6 motion to appoint an expert but needs to amend it and expand on it. The motion filed by O'Brien asks Roe to "appoint an expert and/or reimburse defense costs to assist in presenting a change-of-venue request," according to the motion. A change-of-venue motion typically asks the judge to move the trial to a different location. Those motions usually cite reasons that the filing party believes would prevent a fair trial in the county in which the case was filed. Pretrial publicity often is listed as a reason for a change-of-venue motion. In O'Brien's motion, he argued that the court should allow and pay for a company to "explore the likelihood that this case should be tried" in a different county because there exists "prejudice against" Gounaris, and he cannot receive a fair trial in Ogle County. Wolf also asked for additional time to review the large amount of discovery, with no objection from the state. Assistant State's Attorney Heather Kruse asked for Gounaris' continued detention, and Wolf had no objection. Gounaris has been denied pretrial release as far back as his initial detention hearing June 20. O'Brien made extensive arguments supporting Gounaris' release at a hearing March 17, when he called the June standoff a "paradox of the welfare check." [ Dixon man charged with attempted murder of three police officers seeks release for mental health treatment ] The state disagrees and has continued to argue for detention since that initial June 20 hearing. Kruse said March 17 that police had found Gounaris to be wearing ballistic body armor while armed with two handguns, pepper spray and a knife. On Friday, Roe again ruled to keep Gounaris detained. Gounaris is charged with shooting three members of the Ogle County Sheriff's Office Emergency Response Team after a three-hour standoff when police tried to enter his home at 402 Wild Rice Lane in Lost Lake. [ Sheriff: Rural Dixon resident shoots 3 deputies after barricading himself in home at Lost Lake ] The ERT is made up of individuals from agencies including the sheriff's office, Oregon and Byron police departments, and SWAT medics from the Rochelle Fire Department. Gounaris' next hearing is set for 2:30 p.m. July 17.
CBS News
23-05-2025
- Science
- CBS News
Nonprofit restores prairie, bison grazing at Illinois' Nachusa Grasslands
Drive two hours west of the Loop, and pristine prairie will appear. The Nachusa Grasslands are located in Lee and Ogle counties, 3 miles northwest of the town of Franklin Grove. The Nature Conservancy replanted and restored the prairie, and the nonprofit also manages the Nachusa Grasslands and the animals that graze there. Behind the gates to the prairie is a piece of the past. "There's really only a few thousand acres of tallgrass prairie like this left in Illinois," said research scientist Elizabeth Bach. But when Bach rolls over rolling hills of the Nachusa Grasslands in a sport-utility vehicle, she sees the future. "And that future is built on the foundations of our past," she said. That foundation is one where the prairie flourished, and buffalo roamed. At the Nachusa Grasslands, there are more than 4,000 acres of restored tallgrass prairie — and one herd of bison. "Grazing is something, especially from bison, that's been absent from this state of Illinois since the 1870s," Bach said. But in the 2014, the Nature Conservancy — a global environmental nonprofit — brought bison back. "The bison at Nachusa Grasslands have access to 1500 acres," said Bach. As a research scientist, Bach studies how the herd of about 100 bison impacts the prairie. "This is the best part of my job, is to get to be out here, and I look at these plants every year," Bach said. Every spring, as calves are born and flowers bloom, Bach checks on plots and areas where bison graze — and where they don't. "We can track how the plant community without grazing compares to the plant community with grazing," Bach said. Bach sees a noticeable difference. "Areas where the bison are grazing heavily will keep a shorter structure for the grasses and plants there, and that's a good thing for certain types of birds and insects and small mammals and reptiles," she said. Just by grazing and wallowing — the behavior where they roll around on their backs — the big mammals create microhabitats. "We are seeing changes in the abundance of certain insects like ground beetles and dung beetles," said Bach. And when the bison share their winter coats, their fur helps birds build their homes. "To keep those baby birds warm on these cold spring nights," Bach said. At the Nachusa Grasslands, the buffalo roam — and restore. "What we're really trying to do is to set up these native Illinois plants and animals for success into the future," Bach said. The Nature Conservancy keeps the herd to about 100 bison. They transfer surplus animals to the Intertribal Buffalo Council, whose mission is to restore buffalo to tribal lands.
