ROCKFORD

High card decides school board seat

Anthony Dixon drew the high card on Tuesday to win a four-year term on the Rockford School Board.

After Dixon and Brandi Brown tied with 167 write-in votes apiece, a tie-breaker was held at the office of Winnebago County Clerk Margie Mullins.

The candidate with the higher card fro a 52-yard deck would be declared winner of the Subdistrict A school board seat. Dixon drew a Queen of Clubs while Brown pulled a five of Hearts.

April’s School Board election had no candidates listed on a ballot but ended with eight write-in candidates. Brown initially held a five-vote lead but the race ended in a tie apparently due to late-arriving mailed ballots.

ROCKFORD

Blackhawks oust Dent as IceHogs head coach

The Chicago Blackhawks shakeup after a first round Stanley Cup playoffs failure has extended to Rockford.

The National Hockey League team announced the firing last week of Rockford IceHogs head coach Ted Dent.

“The Chicago Blackhawks thank Ted for all of his contributions throughout his tenure with the organization,” Chicago Blackhawks Senior Vice President and General Manager Stan Bowman said in a statement.  “He played a major role in helping a number of players reach the NHL level with the Chicago Blackhawks, many of whom became Stanley Cup champions. We wish Ted and his family the best.”
 
Dent posted a 221-179-33-21 record in six seasons as Head Coach of the IceHogs. Prior to being named head coach before the 2011-12 season,

Dent spent the previous five seasons as an assistant coach with the IceHogs (2007-11) and Chicago’s previous AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals (2006-07).

In 2016-17, the IceHogs had their first losing season in 10 years as American Hockey League members.

ROCKFORD

Parks board begins search for new chief

Rockford Park District Board of Commissioners will begin the process of selecting a new executive director in anticipation of current Executive Director Tim Dimke’s retirement expected this summer.

The Board has requested support from the Illinois Association of Park Districts (IAPD) Chief Executive, Peter Murphy, to lead the process of executive selection.

“The IAPD has extensive experience in assisting with executive director succession planning.” said Ian Linnabary, park district board president.

Under Dimke’s stewardship, the Rockford Park District has received national recognition from the National Recreation and Park Association for its outstanding leadership, long-range strategic planning, fiscal accountability, and innovative services. Dimke is only the seventh executive director in the Rockford Park District’s 108-year history.

For more information, contact Linnabary at ikl@renozahm.com or 815-621-5448.

ROCKFORD

Bush’s daughter keynotes RU commencement

Barbara Pierce Bush, daughter of former President George W. Bush, will keynote Rockford University’s spring commencement ceremony Saturday, May 13.

Rockford University’s 163rd  graduation will be held at 2 p.m. at the Coronado Performing Arts Center, 314 N. Main St. in downtown Rockford. The University will award undergraduate and graduate degrees to approximately 352 students from 18 states and six countries.

Bush, 35, is co-founder and CEO of Global Health Corps, an organization focused on mobilizing a global community of young leaders to build the movement for health equity. Before joining GHC, she worked for the Smithsonian Institution’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, as well as at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, and interned for the United Nations Children’s Fund in Botswana.

Bush has traveled with the UN World Food Programme, is a member of UNICEF’s Next Generation Steering Committee, and is on the board of directors of Covenant House International, Population Services International, the UN’s Social Entrepreneurship Council, and Friends of the Global Fight for AIDS, TB and Malaria. She is a Draper Richards Foundation Social Entrepreneur, a World Economic Forum Young Global Shaper and a fellow of the Echoing Green Foundation. Bush graduated from Yale University with a degree in Humanities in 2004.

Tickets are required to attend the ceremony, and are limited to degree candidates and their guests. They will not be available at the door of the Coronado.

–Winnebago County News Briefs–