Hudgens was arrested for the 11th time in Chicago on May 1 Visitation hours are Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m Hudgens' sentence came as a result of the case People of the State of Illinois vs when a South Beloit Police officer encountered him at Gardner Street and I-90 for a traffic accident According to a news release from the Winnebago County State's Attorney: Hudgens was previously convicted of Armed Robbery and Unlawful Use of a Weapon by a Felon in Cook County But since he was able to come up with a $2,000 bond payment on Oct He did show up for hearings in November 2021 and May 2022 But he forfeited his bond when he didn't come back for a September 2022 hearing He was on Zoom for a May 2023 hearing because he was in Cook County Jail He was in court off and on between July 2023 and June 2024 Before his jury trial in December 2024, a notice was sent to the last address Hudgens gave, Victory Outreach Ministries in Rockford. There was also an outstanding warrant for his arrest. But Hudgens still didn't show up for his trial and Judge Debra Schafer ruled that he could be tried in absentia Public defender Bradford Morrison did his best to represent him but Hudgens was convicted of Armed Habitual Criminal Driving Under the Influence and Improper Lane Use South Beloit Police asked for tips on where to locate him In April 2025, Hudgens' conviction was appealed to the Appellate Court Fourth District but if that's unsuccessful Hudgens will be required to serve 85% of his 16 year sentence Judge Schafer ruled that he will also be on mandatory supervised release for three years after he is released from prison We remember those who are no longer with us in Roscoe Two of eight mayors from the Rockford region who were said to be backing a movement to restore executive powers to the Winnebago County chairman's office say that is not true local officials called for the restoration of the chairman's powers saying the effort was backed by the mayors and village presidents of Machesney Park Roscoe Village President Carol Gustafson and South Beloit Mayor Tom Fitzgerald said they are not taking a position on the hotly contest debate Two others — Rockton Mayor John Peterson and Winnebago Village President Frank Eubank — did not return phone calls and email messages to discuss their support and another two — Machesney Park Village President Steve Johnson and Cherry Valley Village President David Schroeder — confirmed their backing More: Opponents accused of 'slow-rolling' efforts to restore Winnebago County chairman's powers Gustafson said she wasn't ready to advocate for or against a change in county leadership "I thought it was premature to say the village of Roscoe is signing on to x z recommendation when the whole issue had not been vetted explored at the County Board level," Gustafson said "To say I am picking a side in this is not true." South Beloit Mayor Tom Fitzgerald also said he wasn't willing to choose a side either Fitzgerald said he does not "have enough knowledge on the way Winnebago (County) handles our business to give" a definitive answer Many of chairman's powers and authorities — especially over the power to supervise hire and fire — were curtailed during a dispute with the previous chairman eight years ago Some County Board Members say the changes rendered the chairman's office a largely ceremonial position despite being a countywide elected official Opponents say concentrating power in the hands of a single elected office Now leaders of Roscoe and South Beloit say they aren't willing to take a side in the debate And Rockton Mayor John Peterson and Winnebago Village President Frank Eubank did not return phone and email Jeff Kolkey writes about government, economic development and other issues for the Rockford Register Star. He can be reached via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on X @jeffkolkey Don't miss out - subscribe to Rockton-Roscoe News even when your social media didn't show it Coming this week: dozens of events in South Beloit Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on local events and things to do Daily home delivery to your inbox from Rockton The long-neglected hotel's owner New Chapter Group was fined $8,825,500 for 1,657 days of code violations who seemed to think their long-neglected hotel could still have been repaired and that the City hadn't given them enough notice of code violations Fourth District Appellate Court Affirms Lower Court Order of Demolition of Garden Hotel and Hefty Fines Imposed on Property Owner Illinois (the “City”) filed a verified complaint against New Chapter Group (“NCG”) seeking an order of demolition and fines in connection with the property located at 200 Dearborn Avenue Illinois where the Garden Hotel and Conference Center (“Garden Hotel”) had previously occupied a Decision and Order was issued by the Winnebago County Circuit Court in the matter of City of South Beloit Case Number 2022-MR-307 entering a judgment in favor of the City and against NCG The Court found NCG to be in violation of multiple City Ordinances at the property located at 200 Dearborn Ave Illinois and awarded a judgment in favor of the City and against NCG in the amount of $825,500.00 for multiple property code violations for a total fine in the amount of $8,825,500.00 The Court granted also the City’s request for a demolition order executable in 30 days appealed the decision to the Fourth District Appellate Court arguing that the lower court’s decision should be vacated the Illinois Appellate Court of the Fourth District entered an Order affirming the decision of the lower court holding that the expert testimony of the City’s Civil Engineer at the trial supported the conclusion that repairing the Hotel would have made no economic sense and further that the evidence could reasonably support a finding that the City gave the owner of the Hotel fair notice of code violations before suing for authorization to demolish the Hotel and for the imposition of fines “This ruling reaffirms the City of South Beloit’s commitment to public safety and the responsible stewardship of our community The condition of the former Garden Hotel had long posed a danger to our residents and a blight on our city We are grateful that both the Circuit and Appellate Courts recognized the City’s efforts and upheld the demolition order This decision paves the way for us to move forward and explore new opportunities for growth and revitalization at this key location.” says Tom Fitzgerald “This outcome is a clear validation of the City’s enforcement of its code of ordinances and its vigilance to protect the health The Court’s findings confirm that the property owner was given fair and ample notice and failed to take action We are pleased that the Appellate Court affirmed the lower court’s ruling and recognized the soundness of the City’s case including the strength of our expert testimony and the legal basis for the demolition order and fines.” added City Attorney Roxanne Sosnowski By Forrest NelsonPublished: Apr 2025 at 9:23 PM CDTEmail This LinkShare on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInSOUTH BELOIT (WIFR) - Illinois State Police activated an endangered missing person advisory at the request of the South Beloit Police Department as they search for an 86-year-old man Wednesday leaving the Venetian Club in Rockford His vehicle was last seen near the intersection of Highway 2 and Rockton Road around 5:18 p.m He was driving a silver 2013 Chevrolet Equinox with and Illinois license plate that reads: 374 3880 Fields was last seen wearing a green baseball hat and a black jacket According to the South Beloit Police Department he is known to have several health complications and is without his needed medication Anyone with information regarding his location should contact the South Beloit Police Department at (815)-282-2600 or call 911 We have the address for the funeral home & the family on file If you're not happy with your card we'll send a replacement or refund your money Online streaming is available upon family\u0027s request held within our funeral home chapel \u003ca href=\"/resources/webcast-viewing-instructions\"\u003eRead More\u003c/a\u003e Turner created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories © 2025 Daley Murphy Wisch & Associates Funeral Home and Crematorium Made with love by funeralOne Monroe created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories Phetteplace created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories The cause of the fire is under investigation and a dollar loss amount is not available At first, Rockton firefighters though they were being summoned to a vehicle fire, but they soon confirmed it was a burning building in the 2900 block of Fisher Road in rural South Beloit Automatic aid from Harlem-Roscoe, North Park, and Loves Park were dispatched as well. When Deputy Chief Tim Free arrived, he reported heavy wind driven fire conditions and called a MABAS alarm to the Box alarm level bringing in additional resources from surrounding agencies Since the fire was in a rural area and water supply was an issue Rockton Fire Engine 1401 dropped a supply line at the road and laid in Fire personnel stretched hose lines to control the fire as well as protect the exposures The engine operator charged the deck gun as well once more fire companies and water tenders arrived large excavating equipment had to be brought in to assist with overhaul but firefighters managed to save the home which was just 50 feet away Chief Kirk Wilson commented on the response time "This location is in the Rockton Fire Protection District boundaries The Rockton Fire Station is located at 201 N Our time of dispatch was 15:18 and our first engine arrived at 15:27 Take travel time into consideration and time for firefighters to deploy hose lines The response time is actually above NFPA standards Rockton Fire demographics is considered rural - meaning a population of less than 500 people per square mile Rockton Fire covers 58 square miles with a population of 22,000 The NFPA standard for a rural fire department response is that the fire department needs to arrive within 14 minutes with 6 personnel Rockton Fire first arrived with a total of 6 personnel You must also take the weather conditions into consideration 20-30 mile per hour wind gusts and fast-moving fire enhances fire growth Chief Wilson would like to thank those who assisted with this incident as well as the mutual aid companies who covered our community The regular City Council meeting will begin at 5 p.m All meetings are held in the City Council Chambers and passed current  Duke University Head Coach and Glenbrook North legend  Jon Scheyer for fourth all-time in the state of Illinois South Beloit, IL - Monday, February 24th, 2025 Number 3 seed South Beloit cruises to a 70-18 victory over Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Academy in the South Beloit Gym The SOBOs jumped on the Guardians 22-3 in the opening quarter They had answers to all the questions on the test on Monday night The Guardians played better in the 2nd quarter the teams were on cruise control as South Beloit scored another 34 Final Score from the South Beloit gym on Monday night SOBOs 70 and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Academy 18 The win improved South Beloit’s record to 27-5 OLSHA ended the 2024-2025 season with a 6-14 record The next game for the SOBOs is a tough physical contest against (20-9) Lena-Winslow on Wednesday and tickets can be purchased at the door for $7.  Thank you to Athletic Director Sam Cady and Head Coach Mike Miller for the help all season long with information and access to the South Beloit SOBOs Want more SOBO stories….Check out Josaiah Placensia A South Beloit woman is accused of embezzling thousands of dollars from a Beloit-based youth hockey nonprofit Prosecutors say officials from the nonprofit provided evidence of payments to the Illinois Department of Revenue and a mortgage company made with the group’s bank account while 44-year-old Tamara Evans was the group’s treasurer and had sole access to the account The group also provided a list of checks Evans allegedly wrote out to herself from the group’s checking account totaling more than $10,000 Investigators subpoenaed Evans’ Venmo records that showed nearly $5,000 in transfers from the nonprofit’s Venmo handle to her personal bank account There was another $2,500 in checks made out to the nonprofit that were in Evans’ account minus $6,800 in cash that Evans had to pay back to the nonprofit’s account prosecutors say she stole more than $15,000 from the club and special offers delivered right to your inbox Join us for an hour of play for ages 6 and under A time for brick building fun just right for preschoolers and their fun-loving adult Hubb created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories Judge Ronald Barch cited 1,657 days of code violations at the long-neglected hotel property which had remained a blight on South Beloit for over 1,600 days The City of South Beloit has announced that sealed bids for the demolition of the Garden Hotel will be accepted until 10 a.m The project includes the comprehensive demolition of the hotel city inspectors discovered numerous code violations at the hotel The property's deteriorating condition led to its voluntary shutdown on March 25 the Garden Hotel has been a hotspot for vandalism and break-ins further underscoring the urgency of the demolition The Winnebago County Health Department condemned the property after city inspections revealed severe safety issues The City of South Beloit filed a complaint against NCG in August 2022 citing 1,657 days of violations at the hotel property The court imposed a fine of $500 per day for each of the 10 code violations the court has ordered a daily fine of $5,000 from November 15 Bidders must submit their proposals for a non-refundable fee per the contract documents available from McMAHON, with digital bidding documents accessible through QuestCDN a certified check or bid bond totaling at least 10% of the highest bid must accompany it The city reserves the right to reject any bids or accept the bid that best serves the interests of South Beloit Contractors must comply with state laws and local ordinances including equal employment opportunity requirements and prevailing wage laws City Administrator Sonya Hoppes praised Community Development Director Shawna Henthorn and City Attorney Roxanne Sosnowski for their hard work in achieving this outcome "This bold of a decision is a statement and something we will take pride in This is the result of meticulous documentation exhausting circles run by competent and diligent staff." Mayor Tom Fitzgerald also thanked city staff and the legal team for their dedication to addressing the property's safety concerns City officials hope this ruling will ensure other property owners pay attention to their responsibilities Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful is hosting a Drop Off Recycling Center at 624 Eastern Avenue in South Beloit on the second Saturday of each month This location will only take TVs/monitors (fees apply) www.knib.org   Community anger over a plan to address chronic staffing shortages of firefighters in South Beloit boiled over Friday during the annual homecoming game An agreement went into effect Friday morning for the Town of Beloit Fire Department to staff the South Beloit Fire Department as a way to solve longstanding staffing shortages An ambulance crew from the Wisconsin department participating in the parade and at the homecoming game was booed and yelled at, according to The Kaukauna Community News.  and they didn't roll out the welcome mat to the EMS and firefighters who will be answering their calls for help.  “Whether you believe in this decision or not the crews are doing the best that they can It is very disheartening that the ambulance crew was booed and yelled at during the homecoming parade and at the football game,” the Town of Beloit Fire Department wrote.  board members or the fire chief for any concerns that you may have Let the firefighters/medics do their jobs without feeling threatened.” Susan Nicol is the news editor for Firehouse.com She is a life member and active with the Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Company Susie has been an EMT in Maryland since 1976 Susie is vice-president of the Frederick County Fire/Rescue Museum She is on the executive committee of Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association She also is part of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) Region II EMS Council Susie is a board member of the American Trauma Society she was a staff writer for The Frederick News-Post are running to fill four open seats on the South Beloit school board Check out all our candidate profiles in our expanded 2025 Election Guide for Roscoe All candidates were sent a few questions to answer to give their constituents some helpful context for this race