Polk County
Voices
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • May 27, 2015 4A
EDITORIALS
How to
Contact
Officials
All welcome at
Relay for Life
Cancer. That six-letter word can strike fear and worry
into even the stoutest of hearts. Nearly everyone knows
someone who has the disease, or who has died from it.
This weekend, roughly 500 people will gather at LaCre-
ole Middle School during the 2015 American Cancer Soci-
ety’s Relay for Life of Polk County.
The 24-hour event will include someone from each of the
40 teams walking the track throughout the day — which is
forecast to be in the high 70s to mid-80s — through the wee
hours of the morning on Sunday, and past sunrise.
Everyone in the community is welcome to join the Re-
layers at the event and help “Give Cancer the Boot.” Plenty
of activities throughout the day and well into the evening
are scheduled, so even if you’re not on a team, you can find
something that may interest you.
The day will start with a Survivor’s Lap, where purple
shirts will pack the track. Those who have cancer or who
have beaten the disease will walk together in solidarity.
Each lap has a theme, from country to Mr. Relay, when
male Relayers will dress as women and compete for the
title of Mr. Relay. It’s entertaining to see, and whoever rais-
es the most money wins the title.
As evening dawns, luminarias — paper lanterns repre-
senting anyone, living or dead, who has heard the terrible
three words, “You have cancer” — will be lit. These
lanterns line the track as Relayers honor those who are
fighting and remember those who have been lost.
This year, a Relay Marketplace will be filled with goodies,
all proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society. Two silent
auctions will contribute to the efforts to combat cancer.
Relay for Life is the American Cancer Society’s biggest
fundraiser, with teams participating all over the world. It
started with one man, Dr. Gordy Klatt, in 1985. Klatt
walked and ran the 24-hour event on his own. He died on
Aug. 3, 2014, of heart failure after battling stomach cancer.
Money raised through the event goes to help find a cure
by funding research and spreading education and aware-
ness about how to avoid cancer in the first place.
Come on down to LaCreole this weekend and check it
out for yourself. Bring a little cash to donate at the market-
place, silent auction or Relay store. Honor someone you
know who has cancer or who has died from it, and learn
more about how to avoid it.
Don’t be afraid to come on down and check it out. Relay-
ers will be there all night long.
PUBLIC AGENDA
Public Agenda is a listing of upcoming meetings for gov-
ernmental and nongovernmental agencies in Polk County.
To submit a meeting, send it at least two weeks before the
actual meeting date to the Itemizer-Observer via fax (503-
623-2395) or email (ionews@polkio.com).
—
WEDNESDAY, MAY 27
• Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk
County Courthouse, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173.
THURSDAY, MAY 28
• MINET Board of Directors — 7:30 a.m., Independence Civic
Center, 555 S. Main St., Independence. 503 837-0700.
MONDAY, JUNE 1
• Central School District Board of Directors — 6:30 p.m.,
Henry Hill Education Support Center, 750 S. Fifth St., Independ-
ence. 503-838-0030.
• Dallas City Council — 7 p.m., City Hall, 187 SE Court St., Dal-
las. 503-831-3502.
• Independence Planning Commission — 7 p.m., Independ-
ence Civic Center, 555 S. Main St., Independence. 503-838-1212.
TUESDAY, JUNE 2
• Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk
County Courthouse, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173.
• Dallas Urban Renewal District Advisory Committee —
5:30 p.m., City Hall, 187 SE Court St., Dallas. 503-831-3502.
• Monmouth City Council — 7 p.m., Volunteer Hall, 144 S.
Warren St., Monmouth. 503-838-0722.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3
• Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk
County Courthouse, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173.
• Monmouth Historic Commission — 6 p.m., Volunteer Hall,
144 S. Warren St., Monmouth. 503-838-0722.
• Monmouth Planning Commission — 7 p.m., Volunteer
Hall, 144 S. Warren St., Monmouth. 503-838-0722.
GOVERNOR
Gov. Kate Brown (Dem.)
160 State Capitol
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-378-4582
Email: via website,
http://governor.oregon.gov/
—
STATE LEGISLATORS
Sen. Arnie Roblan
(District 5, Democrat)
S-417 State Capitol
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1705
sen.arnieroblan@state.or.us
www.oregonlegislature.gov/roblan
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Thank you for yes
vote for safety levy
Thank you for voting yes
for public safety.
I would like to personally
thank Gene and Lynnette
Henshaw along with Rod
Buchanan for their hard
work and organizational
skills they dedicated to get-
ting the Public Safety Levy
passed! What amazing peo-
ple!
Our community is ex-
tremely fortunate to have
such selfless individuals
fighting for the greater good
of our county!
I would also like to send
my sincere appreciation to
everyone who spent time
and money working hard to
get the message out as to
why this safety levy was so
important to the wellbeing
of our community!
And most importantly,
thank you to everyone who
voted yes for public safety!
You made my husband’s job
and the wonderful people
he works with, a lot safer!
In a world where the law
enforcement community
gets torn apart by the media
and uninformed individuals
on a daily basis, it’s nice to
know someone believes in
you and supports you in the
job you perform each time
you put on the badge and a
gun to protect your commu-
nity.
Your yes vote means so
much more than you know!
Sue Dunham
Dallas
WANT TO WRITE A LETTER?
Letters to the editor are lim-
ited to 300 words. Longer letters
will be edited.
Election-related letters of all
types are limited to 100 words.
Writers are limited to one elec-
tion-related letter per election
season. Election letters from
writers outside of Polk County
are not accepted.
Each writer is restricted to
one letter per 30-day period.
Letters that are libelous, ob-
scene or in bad taste will not be
printed. Attacks by name on
businesses or individuals will
not be printed.
Letters to the editor that are
obvious promotions for a busi-
ness, products or services will
not be printed.
The Itemizer-Observer does
not guarantee the accuracy of
facts presented by letter writers;
dissenters are welcome to re-
spond. Letter writers who dis-
agree with other published
letter writers should maintain a
civil discourse and address the
subject, not the author.
Letters, like all editorial mate-
rial submitted to the newspaper,
are edited for length, grammar
and content.
Letters must include the au-
thor’s name, address and tele-
phone number. This includes
letters submitted via the I-O’s
website. Names and cities of res-
idence are published; street ad-
dresses and telephone numbers
are used for verification pur-
poses only.
Letters must be submitted
from individuals, not organiza-
tions, and must be original sub-
missions to the I-O, not copies of
letters sent to other media.
Letters of thanks to busi-
nesses, individuals and organi-
zations are limited to 10 names.
The deadline for letters to the
editor is 10 a.m. Monday. Let-
ters submitted may not be re-
tractable after this deadline.
—
Reach us at:
Mail: Editor, Polk County
Itemizer-Observer, P.O. Box 108,
Dallas, OR 97338.
Fax: 503-623-2395.
Email: ionews@polkio.com.
Office: 147 SE Court St., Dallas.
Sen. Jackie Winters
(District 10, Republican)
S-301 State Capitol
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1710
sen.jackiewinters@state.or.us
www.oregonlegislature.gov/winters
Sen. Brian Boquist
(District 12, Republican)
S-305 State Capitol
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1712
sen.brianboquist@state.or.us
www.oregonlegislature.gov/boquist
Rep. David Gomberg
(District 10, Democrat)
H-471 State Capitol
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1410
rep.davidgomberg@state.or.us
www.oregonlegislature.gov/gomberg
Rep. Paul Evans
(District 20, Democrat)
H-281 State Capitol
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1420
rep.paulevans@state.or.us
www.oregonlegislature.gov/evans
Rep. Mike Nearman
(District 23, Republican)
H-378 State Capitol
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1423
rep.mikenearman@state.or.us
www.oregonlegislature.gov/nearman
—
U.S. CONGRESS
Sen. Ron Wyden (Dem.)
221 Dirksen SOB
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: 202-224-5244
Fax: 202-228-2717
Salem office: 707 13th St. SE,
Suite 285, Salem, OR 97301
Phone: 503-589-4555
Email: via website,
www.wyden.senate.gov
Say something nice on Monday
Monday, June 1 is “National
Say Something Nice Day,” an
“unofficial” national holiday,
that originated in Charleston,
S.C.
Based on the book, “Say
Something Nice: Be a Lifter at
Work”, the Mayors of Charleston
and North Charleston came to-
gether with members of the
South Carolina Baptist Conven-
tion and the Charleston-Atlantic
Presbytery to create a day to be
kind to the special people in our
lives.
It is a day to remember and
celebrate people who provide
us with a variety of services,
such as bus drivers, healthcare
workers and teachers and a day
to remember our children.
It’s a great opportunity to
apologize to people that we
might have wronged or hurt
through our behavior.
The aim of this special day is
to fight against unkindness, bul-
lying and the lack of politeness
that dominates society today.
The creators hope this one day
of pleasantness will grow, until
people are nice to each other
every day.
Sen. Jeff Merkley (Dem.)
313 Hart SOB
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: 202-224-3753
Fax: 202-228-3997
Salem office: 495 State St. SE,
Suite 330, Salem, OR 97301
Phone: 503-362-8102
Email: via website,
www.merkley.senate.gov
Rep. Kurt Schrader (Dem.)
108 Cannon HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: 202-225-5711
Fax: 202-225-5699
Salem office: 544 Ferry St. SE,
Suite 2, Salem, OR 97301
Phone: 503-588-9100
Fax: 503-588-5517
Email: via website,
www.schrader.house.gov
—
POLK COUNTY
Board of Commissioners
850 Main St.
Dallas, OR 97338
Phone: 503-623-8173
www.co.polk.or.us
—
CITIES
Dallas
187 SE Court St.
Dallas, OR 97338
503-623-2338
www.ci.dallas.or.us
Falls City
299 Mill St.
Falls City, OR 97344
503-787-3631
www.fallscityoregon.gov
Independence
555 S. Main St.
Independence, OR 97351
503-838-1212
www.ci.independence.or.us
Monmouth
151 W. Main St.
Monmouth, OR 97361
503-838-0722
www.ci.monmouth.or.us
HOW TO REACH US
Vol. 140, No. 21
(USPS) - 437-380)
The official newspaper of Polk County • Serving Polk County families since 1875
Winner of 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014 General Excellence Awards
from the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association
Periodicals postage paid at
Dallas, OR, Independence, OR and Monmouth, OR.
Published weekly at 147 SE Court Street
Dallas, Oregon 97338
Phone: 503-623-2373 Fax: 503-623-2395
SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
Polk County — One Year $27
Other Oregon Counties — One Year $33
Outside of Oregon — One Year $38
POSTMASTER:
Send address changes to: Polk County Itemizer-Observer, P.O. Box 108, Dallas, Oregon 97338
The Polk County Itemizer-Observer assumes no financial responsibility for errors in adver-
tisements. It will, however, reprint without charge for the portion of an advertisement
which is in error if the Itemizer-Observer is at fault.
NEWSROOM
Nancy Adams ...............Publisher/Editor .............................................................nadams@polkio.com
Lukas Eggen..................Sports Editor......................................................................leggen@polkio.com
Jolene Guzman............Dallas/Falls City/Polk County Reporter ................jguzman@polkio.com
Emily Mentzer ..............Monmouth/Independence Reporter ..................ementzer@polkio.com
DISPLAY ADVERTISING
Heidi Leppin .................Display Advertising Manager ....................................hleppin@polkio.com
Rachel Best ....................Display Advertising.............................................................rbest@polkio.com
Karen Sanks...................Client Services ...................................................................ksanks@polkio.com
CLASSIFIED LINE ADVERTISING
Dawn Ohren .....................................................................................................................ioads@polkio.com
PRODUCTION
Kathy Huggins ..............................................................................................................iosales@polkio.com
Karyn Pressel .................................................................................................................iosales@polkio.com
BOOKKEEPING
Pat Letsch ......................................................................................................................pletsch@polkio.com
Web: www.polkio.com
Phone: 503-623-2373
Fax: 503-623-2395