Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy John Forlenza appears at the Illinois State Capitol where lawmakers adopted a resolution honoring himself and his canine partner Dax on Wednesday. | Provided Photos
The Illinois House of Representatives honored Lake County Sheriff’s Canine Dax and his handler this week after the canine’s retirement and sudden death last month.
State Representative Tom Weber (R-Lake Villa) and the Illinois House of Representatives honored Dax and his handler, Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy John Forlenza, on Wednesday.
Dax and Forlenza were honored with the adoption of House Resolution 703 commending the duo for their “honorable service and dedication to their community, the State as a whole, and the nation.”
Forlenza was present at the Illinois State Capitol for the adoption of the resolution.
“Dax is one of the most decorated police K9s in the history of our state,” Weber said. “It’s only fitting that we honor his service as we would any law enforcement officer who has done so much to save lives and protect our communities.”
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“He was truly a special dog, but none of his accomplishments would have been possible without the dedication and determination of his handler. It is a testament to the time and constant training Deputy Forlenza put in over the years that Dax was able to achieve so much. It was my honor to recognize them both on the House floor today and thank Deputy Forlenza for his service and work with Dax,” Weber said.
Lake County Sheriff’s Canine Dax looks at a camera during his retirement ceremony on April 10, 2024. | Photo: Woo-Sung Shim / Lake and McHenry County Scanner
Dax – a German Shepherd born in March 2014 in the Czech Republic – joined the sheriff’s office in the spring of 2015. He was 13 months old when he joined the team.
Following nearly 10 years of service, Dax’s retirement was announced on April 4 and a public retirement ceremony was held on April 10.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office announced Dax’s death on April 12, just two days after the ceremony.
“While K9 Dax’s legacy will forever live on, this morning K9 Dax passed away,” Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said at the time.
Covelli told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that Dax’s recovery since his injury in March had been “up and down.”
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“But over the last ten days, it’s been going downhill. The last 30 hours he was in a lot of pain,” Covelli said.
Officials held a retirement ceremony on April 10, 2024, for Lake County Sheriff’s Canine Dax, who was credited with saving hundreds of lives and tracking down hundreds of offenders. | Photo: Woo-Sung Shim / Lake and McHenry County Scanner
Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg said Dax will “always hold a special place in our hearts, and we are incredibly saddened by his passing.”
“K9 Dax will be remembered for the lives he saved, violent offenders he apprehended, and drugs he kept from being distributed in our community. Please keep the Forlenza family in your thoughts and prayers,” Idleburg said.
Dozens of community members attended the retirement ceremony, some even bringing their own dogs.
Covelli said during the ceremony that Dax and his handler have located over 400 missing endangered people.
“There’s no doubt this equates to over 400 lives being saved by this canine, Canine Dax,” Covelli said.
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Dax has located some of society’s most violent fleeing criminals, Covelli said just before Dax began barking. “He’s still got it in him,” Covelli joked as the crowd began laughing.
Covelli said the canine recovered hundreds of kilos of illegal drugs, assisted with the seizure of millions of dollars, recovered dozens of firearms discarded by offenders, assisted with dozens of seized vehicles and has participated in hundreds of community and school demonstrations.
Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy John Forlenza, Canine Dax’s handler, speaks at a retirement ceremony on April 10, 2024, for Dax. | Photo: Woo-Sung Shim / Lake and McHenry County Scanner
“It’s hard to travel anywhere in the United States and meet somebody who hasn’t heard of Canine Dax from here in Lake County,” he said.
Dax received dozens of awards and recognition, including from elected officials and nationwide organizations.
During the canine’s career with the United States Police Canine Association (USPCA), he competed in several regional and national trials across the country.
Dax earned numerous top finishes in the areas of tracking, article searches, narcotics, suspect searches and protection.
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He won six USPCA Regional Championships and earned two Tracking Exceptional Certifications.
Dax also appeared on numerous local and national news stations, including Fox Nation, NBC, A&E Network and ESPN.
Forlenza spoke during the retirement ceremony and reflected on Dax’s career, including Dax’s first apprehension of a felony domestic battery suspect who fled on foot in North Barrington in 2015.
Dozens of cards made by community members for Lake County Sheriff’s Canine Dax are showcased at the dog’s retirement ceremony on April 10, 2024. | Photo: Woo-Sung Shim / Lake and McHenry County Scanner
“He found the offender hiding behind a tree. Dax started to bark aggressively — go figure. Something he has obviously excelled in,” Forlenza said as Dax barked during the ceremony.
“The offender gave up. I remember being so proud of him looking back and I could tell he was proud of himself also,” Forlenza said.
Dax’s handler said he never anticipated that his first find in the woods would be the start of a career where Dax would go on to locate hundreds of violent offenders, subjects in mental crisis, lost children and elderly subjects.
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Forlenza thanked the community for all of the cards, letters, care packages and well-wishes as Dax worked to recover from his recent injury.
“I want you all to know the special role you have played in Dax’s career and his rehabilitation,” Forlenza said.
Lake County Sheriff’s Canine Dax is awarded for his nearly 10 years of service during his retirement ceremony on April 10, 2024. | Photo: Woo-Sung Shim / Lake and McHenry County Scanner
The canine was injured on March 3 while apprehending a person who had committed several felonies and was fleeing near Zion.
Dax injured his neck and spine, which resulted in temporary paralysis in his hindquarters.
He was later diagnosed with cervical and thoracolumbar Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD) and lumbosacral IVDD exasperated during the apprehension, Covelli said.
Dax went through intensive physical therapy following the injury, which allowed him to regain the ability to walk and use his hind legs.
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Covelli said Dax’s team of veterinarians determined he would not be able to return to active duty for his physical well-being.
Journal Star reporter Christina Avery covers breaking news and trending topics throughout the Peoria area.
A Washington native and his creative firm were chosen as a top-10 finalist for the Illinois state flag design contest.
Clanin Creative submitted eight designs, and one was chosen out of roughly 5,000 entries.
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Colleen Hayes, a Clanin Creative graphic designer, conceptualized the flag chosen as a finalist, receiving input from colleagues, including owner Scott Clanin, Oscar Aguilar, Jess Johnston and Jason Reitmann.
Clanin Creative’s flag features 21 stripes to depict rows of crops and open plains symbolizing Illinois’ agricultural history. Three six-pointed stars denote the northern, central and southern regions, and their 18 points reference the founding of the state in 1818. A rising sun, which captures a piece of Illinois’ current flag, symbolizes renewal. The flag’s colors — blue, green and yellow — symbolize unity, agriculture and a bright future, respectively.
Clanin Creative, based in Champaign, acknowledged there are strong feelings surrounding the possible redesign of the state flag. Clanin said his team’s goal was to respect the existing flag while giving it a fresh, contemporary look honoring the state’s diversity and shared values.
“My hope is that design inspires appreciation for Illinois’ past, present and future, while uniting everyone in our state, no matter where they’re from,” Hayes said in a press release.
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The Illinois Flag Commission’s Top 10 selections are displayed online. Public voting will begin in January 2025. The public can vote for one of the 10 new designs, or for one of the previous flag designs, including the current state flag, the 1918 Centennial Flag and the 1968 Sesquicentennial Flag.
After the public votes, the Illinois Flag Commission will report the results to the Illinois General Assembly by April 1. Assembly members will vote on whether to adopt a new flag, return to a previous version of the flag or retain the current flag.
News: State unveils 10 finalists for new Illinois flag
St. Louis University almost finished the comeback but could not get totally overcome a 22-point first-half hole and fell to Illinois State 81-77 on Sunday at CEFCU Arena in Normal, Illinois.
SLU got as close as two points in the final minute but never had the ball with a chance to retake the lead.
Robbie Avila played much of the second half with four fouls and finished with 28 points, never fouling out, while Isaiah Swope, who also had a slow start, finished with 22 points before fouling out.
As always, SLU’s personnel situation stood out. Freshman Dylan Warlick, who had planned on redshirting this season, was pressed into service, entering the game in the first half. He played six minutes as he looks to jump-start his season and make an impact for the depleted Billikens.
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Kellen Thames, who has battled cramps and added a hip injury to it, didn’t start and came out of the game for good with 7:57 to go in the second half when he appeared to cramp up again as Johnny Kinzinger drove past him for a layup as Thames fell to the court under the basket and stayed down for a while, needing treatment before being helped off the court. Thames, who had gotten through the Chicago State game without any issues, played 10 minutes and scored no points.
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Kilian Brockhoff, who hasn’t played much lately, saw nine minutes of action, and he and Warlkick crowded out Max Pikaar, who saw only one minute of action.
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SLU cut Illinois State’s lead to 75-70 with 2:44 to go on a 3-pointer by Avila, and Illinois State called timeout. An Illinois State air ball went straight into the hands of ISU’s Chase Walker, who scored to take the lead back to seven, but Avila responded with a 3 to cut the lead to four with 1:50 to play. SLU’s defense held, but Avila missed a shot underneath with a minute to go. After a missed free throw by ISU, Gibson Jimerson scored on a lay-up with 37.8 seconds to play.
SLU hoped its defense would hold, but Kalu Anya was called for a foul with eight seconds on the shot click. Johnny Kinziger made two free throws with 15.7 seconds to play to push the lead back to four. Jimerson was fouled on the inbound play and made two free throws with 12.3 seconds to go to make it 79-77. Two free throws by Dalton Banks of ISU sealed the win.
The first half started disastrously for SLU, trailing by as many as 22 points. SLU missed 12 of its first 16 shots, while Illinois State made 12 of its first 16 shots. Swope missed his first five shots (including three 3s) before scoring, going more than 13 minutes without his first points. That first basket, though, set off a run for SLU as it closed the margin to 12 points at 43-31.
Schertz tried everything and just about everyone in the first half. Warlick got his first playing time of the season, and Brockhoff got some rare playing time. Warlick had one point in the first half, and Brockhoff had three and played six minutes, more than he had in any game except the blowout over NAIA Avila University.
AJ Casey, coming off an ankle injury, was the lone scholarship player who was in uniform who didn’t see action. Kobe Johnson, who missed the Chicago State game with an illness, started in Thames’ spot.
AMES – The Iowa State women’s basketball team has already faced its share of tough times throughout the non-conference schedule this year. But every time the Cyclones suffered a setback, they bounced back.
The 17th-ranked Cyclones recovered from a loss to instate rival Iowa earlier in the week by beating Eastern Illinois 87-55 at Hilton Coliseum on Sunday. Iowa State improved to 9-3 on the season.
Audi Crooks tallied a game-high 30 points and grabbed four rebounds for the Cyclones, who have won four of their last five games and once again successfully came back from a loss.
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“We probably had the best practice of the season on Friday,” said Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly. “That’s a credit to them. It’s a credit to my staff for keeping them engaged. So, (I’m) really, really happy with that.”
Some of Iowa State’s best moments this season have come following losses.
Four days after losing at Northern Iowa, the Cyclones won a thrilling matchup with another instate opponent in Drake. After getting pummeled by the reigning national champions from South Carolina, Iowa State tallied a nice win over Middle Tennessee.
While this wasn’t one of the Cyclones’ finer moments following a loss, it was still a win. Free throws and turnovers, which haunted Iowa State in its loss to the Hawkeyes, improved Sunday, especially the charity stripe where the Cyclones shot 14-for-16.
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Still, Iowa State struggled to pull away from an Eastern Illinois team that fell to 3-6 on the season. The Cyclones did seem poised to pull away early, though. They closed out the first quarter with a 9-0 run. The run morphed to 14-0 with Iowa State scoring the first few points of the second quarter.
The Cyclones took a 28-12 lead on a 3-pointer by Sydney Harris and a pair of made free throws by Crooks. But the Panthers stayed within striking distance most of the evening and cut the lead to single digits in the second half. Iowa State’s lead even dwindled down to eight late in the third quarter.
“Kind of the perfect storm kind of game,” Fennelly said. “I’m not taking anything away from Eastern Illinois. It was just 5 o’clock on a Sunday and we’re trying to get out of here (for a road trip) in an hour and have finals (Monday).”
But a layup by Crooks and a big 3-pointer by freshman Aili Tanke gave the Cyclones a 60-47 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Iowa State rolled from there, going on a 9-0 run to take control of the game for good.
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Addy Brown finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and four assists for Iowa State. She and Crooks combined to score 19 of Iowa State’s 22 points in the third quarter. Crooks had one of her best games of the season, connecting on 12-of-16 shots from the field while going 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
“We wanted to come out from half and make a statement,” Brown said. “I think we were kind of sloppy the first half and the score kind of showed that. It was still a game at the time.”
But not for much longer. Iowa State outscored Eastern Illinois 27-8 in the fourth quarter. The Cyclones shot 53.4% (31-58) from the field including 45.8% (11-24) from 3-point range.
The schedule gets considerably more challenging for the Cyclones moving forward. Iowa State players and coaches were scheduled to leave Ames shortly after Sunday’s game for the Invesco QQQ Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase in Connecticut.
The Cyclones play No. 2 UConn on Tuesday. It’s the final non-conference game for Iowa State, which embarks on Big 12 Conference play on Dec. 21 at Oklahoma State. The Cyclones were picked to finish second in the Big 12 this season.
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“Now it gets really, really hard for the rest of the time,” Fennelly said. “But our team’s excited about it and I’m happy with the way we finished today.”
Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468
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