CHECKING IT TWICE
MARLON TUIPULOTU
2015 GIFT GUIDE
BRINGS
THE
‘D’
Section C
Page
Page 10A
10A
Volume 140, Issue 47
www.Polkio.com
November 25, 2015
75¢
James2
Kitchen
adds day
IN
YOUR
TOWN
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — James2 Com-
munity Kitchen is adding a
third day of serving meals
in the Dallas area.
Sack Lunch Saturday
began last weekend at Dal-
l a s Un i t e d Me t h o d i s t
Church, 565 SE LaCreole
Drive, Dallas.
Meals will not be offered
the weekends of Thanks-
giving and Christmas, but
all other weeks beginning
Dec. 5, Saturday meals will
be available from 11 a.m. to
1 p.m.
Nonprofit James2 pro-
vides meals to the needy
Tuesday, Thursday and Sat-
urday in the Dallas area
and once every other week
in Falls City.
Kathlynn Northrup-Sny-
der, with James2, said the
organization wanted to ex-
pand its outreach in the
Dallas area to other popu-
lations, specifically young
families with kids.
“While they have meals in
school during the week, they
do not on the weekends,”
Northrup-Snyder said.
She said James2’s Tues-
day and Thursday meals
serve a lot of single people
and older individuals, but
not many young families.
“We know that we have a
large population that needs
that, but they have not yet
come,” she said.
James2 hopes if those
families pick up Saturday
lunches they will learn
more the about evening
meals offered.
Unlike the two other
meal days James2 hosts,
where people sit at tables
and are served by volun-
teers, Saturday sack lunch-
es are meant to be picked
up and taken home.
Seating is available for
anyone who wants to eat
on-site.
The meal consists of a
prepared lunch item, a
sandwich or wrap, for ex-
ample, and another item
that can be heated at
home, such as a can of
soup.
Ja m e s 2 a l s o s e r v e s
meals on Tuesday nights
from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at St.
Philip Catholic Church,
825 SW Mill St., Dallas, and
on Thursday nights at Dal-
l a s Un i t e d Me t h o d i s t
Church, 565 SE LaCreole
Drive.
Meals are served on
the second and fourth
Tuesdays of the month at
Falls City United
Methodist Church, 280 N.
Main St.
For more information,
email james2kitchen
@gmail.com or visit
James2’s website sites.
google.com/site/james2kit
chen/home.
Also, you can donate to
gofund.me/james2kitchen
to sponsor meals at the
Falls City site.
THE NEXT
7
DAYS
PLANNING
FOR YOUR
WEEK
DALLAS
Dallas School District
outlines its policy re-
garding transgender
students.
»Page 14A
FALLS CITY
Two dying danger-
ous trees were removed
from near the entrance
o f Fa l l s C i t y H i g h
School.
»Page 2A
JOLENE GUZMAN / Itemizer-Observer
Polk County Sheriff Bob Wolfe has worked his entire law enforcement career in Polk County, serving with the sheriff’s
office and Independence Police Department. His first full-time job was with Independence PD in 1974.
FINAL PATROL
INDEPENDENCE
Local law enforce-
ment team up with CSD
oicials for active
shooter drill.
»Page 3A
Polk County Sheriff Bob Wolfe will retire Monday after 16 years on the job
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
POLK COUNTY — Bob
Wolfe owes part of his career
to the Marion County Sher-
iff’s Office.
While attending McNary
High School in Keizer, Wolfe
decided to go on a ride-
along with a Marion County
deputy.
“I did the one ride-along
and it was like ‘Wow,’” said
Wolfe, Polk County sheriff.
“And there was really noth-
ing special about that night,
just having the opportunity
to be around the deputy and
ask questions, and seeing
how he helped some people
and interacted with the
community. That was what
got me started.”
Marion County also
played a part in Wolfe get-
ting hired to his first full-
time job as an officer with
the Independence Police
Department in 1974. Previ-
ously a reserve, he filled the
job of an officer who left to
take a position with MCSO.
“Oddly enough, it was
Marion County that got me
started and I’ve never
worked for Marion County,”
Wolfe, 61, said.
In fact, he’s only served in
one county his entire career,
JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer
Wolfe speaks at Polk County Drug Court’s graduation.
one that will end Monday
when Mark Garton will be
sworn in as interim sheriff.
“I’m really proud of the
fact that my entire law en-
forcement career has been
right here in Polk County,”
Wolfe said. “I’ve worked for
two different agencies, Inde-
pendence and the sheriff’s
office.”
Partnerships
Wolfe became acquainted
with one of the many law
enforcement officials he
would serve alongside in his
career during his first stint
with Independence: Vern
Wells.
Wells was in college at the
time, working as a dispatch-
er while attending school.
Wells laughs when he re-
calls that.
“I was just a kid, and he
was not much more than a
kid working as a reserve,”
Wells said. “Back then re-
serves would work solo
shifts. He would be working
the road and I would dis-
patch calls to him.”
Later they would become
colleagues, with Wells even-
tually becoming Indepen-
dence’s chief of police. The
pair have a mutual respect
for each other, which Wells
said has been a hallmark of
Wolfe’s relationships with
other law enforcement offi-
cials and city leaders during
his 16 years as sheriff.
“He’s probably one of the
best sheriffs I’ve worked
around.” Wells said, noting
by that he means not just in
Polk County, but in the state.
“I don’t know if the people of
Polk County realized how
lucky they were to have him.
Just one of the true profes-
sionals.”
Wolfe hasn’t taken those
relationships lightly, noting
that for countywide law en-
forcement to work well, all
agencies have to work to-
gether.
“I like being a partner in
the community, so that we
are all working toward the
same common goal of trying
to make Polk County a good
place,” Wolfe said. “I’ve
stayed here because I’ve en-
joyed that partnership.”
That was evident most re-
cently during the PCSO’s
funding crisis and the sec-
ond campaign to pass a
public safety levy last year.
Wolfe said without the sup-
port of all Polk County cities,
including Salem, the levy
wouldn’t have had much of a
chance.
“That is what is rewarding
to me, that in working col-
laboratively with each other,
we can make things hap-
pen,” Wolfe said. “It takes a
countywide effort.”
See SHERIFF, Page 12A
Dallas resident ‘quietly serves’
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — Mary Wein-
bender is the type of person
who notices when someone
is in need.
And once she sees that,
it’s like it’s part of her DNA:
she has to help.
“She’s content in being
behind the scenes and help-
ing people,” said Connie
Dougherty, the administra-
tor at Monmouth Christian
Church where Weinbender
is the children’s minister.
“That’s Mary. She’s just
amazing, really.
“She has an eye to see
needs,” Dougherty continued.
“That’s a gift to us from God.”
As the children’s minister,
Weinbender often goes well
beyond her job description.
“If she knows that a mom
is struggling and needs a
break, she will go and
babysit for three or four
hours out of the kindness of
her heart,” Dougherty said.
“She’s the kind of person that
if there’s someone who needs
something, she just steps up.”
Weinbender, a Dallas resi-
dent, doesn’t limit her serving
to work hours. She’s also a
volunteer and board member
with Dallas Christmas Cheer,
which provides food boxes to
people and families in need
on Christmas Eve morning.
She first volunteered with
Christmas Cheer with her
daughter, Jennifer, almost 20
years ago.
See SERVE, Page 12A
MONMOUTH
Monmouth Police of-
icers arrested man ac-
cused of identity theft.
»Page 2A
SPORTS
See who made the
2015 all-region football
team.
»Page 11A
EDUCATION
Lyle Elementar y
School’s “glitter fairies”
do their sparkly magic.
»Pages 16A
Alcohol, speed
cause fatal crash
SALEM — Oregon State
Troopers responded to a
fatal rollover car crash on
Sunday at about 2:40 a.m.
on Highway 22, just west
of Salem near Highway 51
and Independence High-
way.
The driver, identiied as
James Allen Young, 28, of
Independence, was trans-
ported to Salem Hospital
for serious injuries. the
passenger, Christopher
Duane Liddell, 24, of Cor-
vallis, was pronounced
dead at the scene.
According to a press re-
lease from OSP, prelimi-
nary information indicates
the car was traveling east-
bound on Highway 22 at a
high rate of speed, esti-
mated by witnesses at 100
mph, when it lost control.
The car struck a light pole,
rolled over multiple times
and came to rest upright
in a ield.
Speed and alcohol are
being considered as con-
tributing factors.
The investigation is on-
going. OSP was assisted
by Keizer Police, Dallas Fire
and ODOT.
wed
thu
fri
sat
sun
mon
tue
Take a mat to Rogue
Hopyards for the
monthly yoga in the
hopyards. It’s a great
way to relax during
the busy holidays.
6 p.m. Free.
Happy Thanksgiving
to all our readers.
Our oice is closed
today while we cele-
brate the holidays
with our family and
friends.
Whether you hit the
shops for Black Fri-
day or not, spend
the evening enjoy-
ing the Guthrie Park
music jam.
7-10 p.m. Free.
Polk Community
Free Clinic helps
those who are unin-
sured or under-in-
sured receive the
care they need.
7-11 a.m. Free.
Hand-clapping and
loud singing are en-
couraged at Calvary
Chapel’s Jubilee
Service with old-
time hymns.
Donate to American
Red Cross at a blood
drive at First Baptist
Church in Independ-
ence. All blood
types are needed.
Noon-5 p.m. Free.
Perrydale FFA will
host its annual sen-
ior tea at the old
gym. The event fea-
tures free lunch, tea
and cofee.
12:30 p.m. Free.
Sunny
Hi: 43
Lo: 25
Sunny
Hi: 44
Lo: 25
Sunny
Hi: 44
Lo: 26
Sunny
Hi: 42
Lo: 27
Mostly sunny
Hi: 42
Lo: 34
Showers
Hi: 47
Lo: 40
6:30-7:30 p.m. Free.
Sunny
Hi: 42
Lo: 27