Polk County Itemizer-Observer • April 15, 2015 3A
Polk County News
NEWS IN BRIEF
DEADLINES
NEWS DEADLINES
For inclusion in the
Wednesday edition of the
Itemizer-Observer:
Social news (weddings,
engagements, anniver-
saries, births, milestones) —
5 p.m. on Thursday.
Community events —
Noon on Friday for both the
Community Notebook and
Community Calendar.
Letters to the editor —
10 a.m. on Monday.
Obituaries — 4 p.m. on
Monday.
ADVERTISING DEADLINES
Retail display ads — 3
p.m. Friday.
Classified display ads
— 11 a.m. on Monday.
Classified line ads —
Noon on Monday. Classified
ads are updated daily on
www.polkio.com.
Public notices — Noon
on Friday.
CORRECTIONS
The wrong date was given
for Dallas High School’s
Inkblot poetry slam in
“School Notes” on page 18A
of the April 8 edition of the
Itemizer-Observer. It should
have read Thursday (April 16).
The I-O regrets the error.
The Polk County Itemizer-
Observer is committed to
publishing accurate news,
feature and sports reports. If
you see anything that re-
quires a correction or clarifi-
cation, call the newsroom at
503-623-2373 or send an e-
mail to nadams-@polkio.com.
WEBSITE
The Polk County Itemizer-
Observer website,
www.polkio.com, is updat-
ed each week by Wednes-
day afternoon. There, you
will find nearly every story
that appears in the print
version of the newspaper,
as well as some items, in-
cluding additional photos,
that do not appear in print
due to space limitations.
The Itemizer-Observer is
also on Facebook and Twit-
ter. Watch for breaking
news, links to stories, sports
scores updates and more.
HIGH LOW
April 7................ 60
April 8................ 59
April 9................ 66
April 10............. 61
April 11............. 55
April 12............. 61
April 13............. 55
42
43
38
39
40
38
39
MONMOUTH — The Monmouth Tree Advisory Board will
hold the annual Arbor Day Celebration at Madrona Park at 9
a.m. on Saturday.
The event will feature the new arboretum in Madrona Park,
1521 Madrona St. E. This year’s planting will add 24 trees to the
90 trees planted in the arboretum last fall.
The city of Monmouth will be recognized for 13 years as a
Tree City USA and will receive a Tree City Growth Award for the
first time. The growth award highlights activities, such as the
new arboretum planting, that have expanded Monmouth’s tree
program.
IPD hiring cadet, reserve officers
INDEPENDENCE — The Independence Police Department is
accepting applications for reserve and cadet officers.
Applications may be picked up at the Independence Civic
Center or downloaded online at www.ci.independence.or.us.
Applications may be dropped off at the Independence Police
Department or mailed to: Independence Police Department,
555 S. Main St., Independence, OR 97351.
For more information: Sgt. Lyle Gilbert, 503-838-1214.
EMILY MENTZER/ Itemizer-Observer
Alex Hernandez files letters at the Independence Post Office, where he got his start as
a postal clerk at 19. He will start work as postmaster in Sheridan next week.
From clerk to postmaster
Hernandez to start at Sheridan office next week
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
INDEPENDENCE —
When Alex Hernandez was
19, he never dreamed he
would make a lifelong career
at the Independence Post
Office, but, 21 years later,
that’s what he’s done.
“It wasn’t something I as-
pired to,” he said.
Hernandez, 40, took the
job as a postal clerk straight
out of high school with the
intent to earn money for col-
lege.
“I don’t think I had a defi-
nite plan,” he said. “That’s
one reason I ended up stay-
ing at the post office.”
Not that he has any re-
grets.
“One very big thing that
happened is I met my wife
while I was working at the
post office,” he said. “I start-
ed a family and just kept
working.”
Now, Hernandez will take
a job at the Sheridan Post
Office as postmaster.
“It’s been very rewarding,”
he said of his career. “I’ve
gotten to know a very large
portion of this town on a
personal level.”
The 1992 Central graduate
has always loved Independ-
ence.
“I’ve come to know most
of the people here,” he said.
“It’s a really great place with
a lot of fun people.”
Hernandez has worked
every job available at the In-
dependence Post Office, in-
cluding carrying mail on
every route in town at least
once.
Being a mail carrier
comes with its challenges,
but dogs aren’t usually one
of them, he said.
“Usually if a carrier has a
problem with a specific dog,
you can talk it over with the
c u s t o m e r,” He r n a n d e z
noted.
He has seen a lot of
changes in both the post of-
fice and in the town he loves.
The post office has become
more streamlined.
“We’re actually moving
forward, catching up with
the rest of the business
world,” Hernandez said.
“There’s fewer letters, more
parcels. So we’re not going
away, it’s just that the busi-
ness is changing.”
In town, he has seen quite
a growth.
“What they’ve done with
the downtown area has been
something the town should
be proud of,” Hernandez said.
His move to Sheridan
doesn’t mean he’ll be mov-
ing out of Independence.
His last day working at the
Independence Post Office is
Friday.
Check fraud totals $13,500
WEATHER
RECORDED
Monmouth to be named Tree City
RAIN
.24
.00
.00
.01
.26
.00
..35
Rainfall during April — 1.56 in.
Rain through April 13 — 13.34 in.
Visit
our
website
www.polkio.com
Dallas couple sought for writing multiple bad checks
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — The infamous
“Military Mistress” is at it
again, police say. This time
with her new husband — a
Dallas resident — as her al-
leged accomplice.
Bobbi Ann Finley, aka
Bobbi Ann House, 39, along
with husband Zackerie
House, 27, have been impli-
cated in a check fraud spree
totaling $13,500 in Oregon,
Colorado and Oklahoma.
Marion County sheriff’s
deputies are asking for help
locating the couple, who are
believed to be hiding in a re-
mote area based on their
purchases of camping sup-
plies, said sheriff’s office
spokesman Sgt. Chris
Baldridge.
Marion County deputies
discovered the fraud after
being called to Universal
Auto Sales, 399 Lancaster
Drive NE, Salem.
The couple used a check
to make a $1,500 down pay-
ment on a vehicle, which
police believe they are still
driving. It has been listed as
stolen.
Bobbi House was coined
the “Military Mistress" after
she married at least 14 United
Bobbi Ann Finley (House) and Zackerie House
States service members and
proceeded to steal their
money, according to the Ore-
gonian. She was convicted in
2011 and sentenced to three
years in prison.
Now free and remarried,
House is accused of opening
a Wells Fargo bank account
at the Dallas branch and
writing bad checks on it.
The Houses started their
spree in Western Oregon,
moving through coastal
towns, then heading out of
state. Spanning March 11 to
March 30, the couple wrote
$13,500 in insufficiently
funded checks at locations
including Cabellas, Safeway
and Bi-Mart.
They are driving a 2005
Cadillac Escalade, Oregon li-
cense plate 535 BWP. They
last made a purchase on
March 30 at Atwoods in
Checotah, Okla.
Police are not aware of the
couple’s whereabouts, even
though House called the
Marion County Sheriff’s Of-
fice Tuesday, after the agency
issued a press release regard-
ing the search for the couple.
Baldridge said in inter-
views with Portland televi-
sion news channel KPTV
and Marion County detec-
tives that House said they
were looking for work and
would come back to Oregon
the straighten everything
out. Subsequent attempts to
reach the couple have failed,
and police have no new
leads in the case.
Police asks anyone who
has been a victim of the
Houses or has information
on the case to contact local
police or the Oregon State
Police.
You’re Invited
Second Annual
Survivor Dinner & Celebration
hosted by Eola Hills Winery
sponsored by Relay For Life of Polk County
& Team Perrydale
Saturday, May 2
at Eola Hills Wine Cellars
501 S. Pacific Highway 99W, Rickreall
5:30 ~ Doors open, Meet & Mingle
6:15 to 8:00 ~ Dinner & Entertainment
Every survivor and guest will be guests of honor.
Please join us for an evening of food, fun and festivities.
To RSVP your name and the name of one guest, contact
Vicki Bailey at 503-623-5241 or vickibaile@aol.com
For planning purposes, RSVPs are encouraged
by April 23, but are not required.
Committee to review Dallas budget
DALLAS — The city of Dallas and Dallas Urban Renewal
Agency will begin the process of approving their 2015-16 budg-
ets Monday during a meeting of their budget committees.
The 2015-16 proposed budget will be introduced and the
budget messages delivered for both agencies. The meeting will
begin at 6 p.m. at Dallas City Hall, 187 SE Court St.
A copy of the proposed budgets will be available for review
beginning Tuesday at City Manager Ron Foggin’s office at city
hall. A public hearing on the both budgets is scheduled for May
18 at 7 p.m. at city hall. For more information: city manager’s of-
fice, 503-831-3502.
VOLUNTEER
CALENDAR
These Polk County groups would welcome individuals
who have time or expertise to volunteer. Organizations that
would like to be added to this list should call 503-623-2373
or email IOnews@polkio.com.
—
• After DARC — 503-623-9501
• Arc of Polk County — 503-949-5552
• Central School District — 503-838-0030
• City of Dallas — 503-831-3502
• City of Independence — 503-838-1212
• City of Monmouth — 503-751-0145
• Crime Victims Assistance Program — 503-623-9268
• Dallas Area Chamber of Commerce — 503-623-2564
• Dallas Food Bank — 503-623-3578
• Dallas Kids, Inc. — 503-623-6419
• Dallas Police Department — 503-831-3582
• Dallas Public Library — 503-623-2633
• Dallas Retirement Village — 503-623-5581
• Dallas School District — 503-623-5594
• Delbert Hunter Arboretum — 503-623-7359
• Girl Scouts of Southwest Washington and Oregon — 503-
581-2451
• Ella Curran Food Bank — 503-838-1276
• Falls City Arts Center — 503-559-6291
• Falls City School District — 503-787-3531
• H-2-O — 503-831-4736
• HandsOn Mid-Willamette Valley — 503-363-1651
• Heron Pointe Assisted Living — 503-838-6850
• Independence Health and Rehabilitation — 503-838-0001
• Independence Public Library — 503-838-1811
• Kings Valley Charter School — 541-929-2134
• Luckiamute Watershed Council — 503-837-0237
• Meals on Wheels — 503-838-2084
• Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce — 503-
838-4268
• Monmouth-Independence YMCA — 503-838-4042
• Monmouth Public Library — 503-838-1932
• Northwest Human Services — 503-588-5828
• Oregon Child Development Coalition — 503-838-2745
• OSU Extension Service - Polk County — 503-623-8395
• Perrydale School District — 503-623-2040
• Polk County Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) —
503-623-9268, ext. 1301
• Polk Community Development Corporation — 503-831-
3173
• Polk County Community Emergency Response Team —
503-623-9396
• Polk County Museum — 503-623-6251
• Polk County Public Health — 503-623-8175
• Polk County Resource Center — 503-623-8429
• Polk Soil and Water Conservation District — 503-623-9680
• Reading for All — 503-623-9664
• SABLE House — 503-623-6703
• Salvation Army — 503-798-4783
• SMART (Start Making A Reader Today) — 503-391-8423
• West Valley Hospital — 503-623-8301
• Willamette Valley Hospice — 503-588-3600
Dallas Alteration will be changing
hours effective immediately.
See hours below:
Mon-Fri by appointment only
8:00 a.m. - Noon (no walk-ins)
Mon-Fri • Noon - 5 p.m.
Open for regular business. Walk-ins etc.
131 SW Mill St. • 503-623-2283