APPLE BOX THEATER:
LOCAL PLAYERS LOOK TO
SHAKESPEARE
SERVE
PASSION
Page 16A
Page 10A
Volume 140, Issue 27
www.Polkio.com
HELP WANTED
IN YOUR TOWN
Employers
seek
good
workers
DALLAS NEWS
The Dallas School District continues to gather in-
formation about possibly implementing a con-
struction excise tax to help pay for capital improve-
ments.
Similar to systems development fees used to ex-
pand infrastructure — streets, water and sewer sys-
tems — and parks, the fee could only be used to
acquire land or help pay for improvements or new
school construction.
In 2007, the Oregon State Legislature passed a
law allowing school boards the discretion to
charge the tax.
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
INDEPENDENCE —
Looking for a job? Or per-
haps a change of career?
More than a dozen em-
ployers from throughout the
county, from Western Ore-
gon University to MAK Met-
als, will be in one place look-
ing to hire.
The first Polk County Job
Fair will be from 11 a.m. to 7
p.m. on July 15 at Central
High School, 1530 Mon-
mouth St., Independence.
“The idea was to get a
wide variety of employers
here with a wide variety of
positions,” said Shawn Irvine,
Independence economic de-
velopment manager.
Employers are signing up
every day, said Suzie Gibson,
with Incite, Innovative Work-
force Solutions.
“People can come meet
face to face with employers
who have openings,” she
said. “They can come inter-
view on the spot and be
hired on the spot.”
The idea hatched when
FCR, Independence’s new
call center, began looking for
roughly 50 new employees,
Gibson said. Irvine ap-
proached Incite to see about
having a job fair.
“We found out other com-
panies were struggling to
hire people as well, so we
made a countywide job fair,”
she said.
“They’re always looking
for good employees, espe-
cially with the economy re-
covering,” Irvine said of local
large-scale employers, from
Elkay to Rogue Farms, Mar-
quis Spa to WOU. “It’s get-
ting harder to find them.”
The fair is open to anyone
legally able to work full time
looking for a permanent po-
sition, Irvine noted.
“They’re looking for good
people, that’s what it boils
down to,” he said. “The skills
they’re looking for are show
up every day, work hard, be
able to solve problems, and
additional requirements de-
pending on the job.”
Incite has organized job
fairs in the past for individ-
ual companies, but not on a
multi-employer scale such
as this, Irvine said.
“It’s been a learning curve
for us,” Gibson said. “We
have gotten a lot of positive
feedback (from employers).
It’s been really exciting.”
The fair is a collaboration
of the city of Independence,
Incite, Sedcor and Work-
Source Oregon.
Participants will be able to
get help with writing a resume
and tips on interviewing.
“If someone has a resume
and wants us to review it
and get feedback, we can do
that,” Gibson said.
See WORK, Page 5A
THE NEXT
7
DAYS
PLANNING
FOR YOUR
WEEK
75¢
July 8, 2015
»Page 3A
JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer
Lots of sunshine and heat means harvests are taking place early, about two weeks
ahead of time on average, but a lack of rain may mean lower yields for some farmers.
THE HEAT IS ON
June shatters records for hottest in 90 years
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
POLK COUNTY — Hot
enough for you?
For most of the
Willamette Valley, June 2015
was one for the record
books.
Andy Bryant, a hydrolo-
gist with the National
Weather Service Office in
Portland, said for the Salem
area June 2015 was the
hottest on record by a large
margin.
“It wasn’t even close,” he
said. “We shattered that
record.”
Bryant said the average
temperature for June was
69.3, beating out the old
record set in 1926 by more
than two degrees. With nine
days where temperatures
reached 90 degrees or hot-
ter, June missed tying the
record by one day. It did
break a record for the high-
est low recorded in the
month, 71 degrees on June
27.
Rainfall for the month,
.67 inches, is well below
normal, though not close to
the driest. That rain came
in the first days of June
while the balance of the
month, 28 days, was dry.
The heat wave has con-
tinued into early July, and
Bryant said not to expect
cooling until this weekend
when temperatures look to
drop into the mid to low
80s. There’s no sign of rain
until July 15, but Bryant
warned “it’s nothing we can
hang our hat on.”
In recent days, tempera-
tures have mostly been in
the 90s, uncharacteristic of
this time of year. Bryant
said that typically doesn’t
occur until late July or early
August.
And if you think the wel-
come drop into the low 80s
this week is the end of the
heat, you better hold on to
your fans.
Bryant said the long-
term forecast has above av-
erage temperatures sticking
around for the next several
months as a strong El Nino
pattern looks to be devel-
oping. The jury still is out
on what that means for
rainfall, he added.
The abundant sunshine
has resulted in early har-
vests for farmers, but the
lack of moisture may trans-
late to lower yields, espe-
cially for farmers who de-
pend on Mother Nature for
irrigation.
Ron Quiring, who raises
several crops on a farm in
Rickreall, said this year has
been “a little bit depress-
ing.”
“The yields are down on
what we have harvested so
far,” he said.
He’s harvested meadow
foam, which fared well, but
it bloomed early.
See HEAT, Page 5A
Happy Fourth of July
FALLS CITY NEWS
Kirby Frink spent a lot of time greeting cus-
tomers at Frink’s General Store — formerly A&N
Hometown Grocery — on Friday.
That’s the day Falls City celebrates Independ-
ence Day, so it’s typically busy at the market, but
this year’s celebration also marked the store’s first
week under new ownership. The new Frink’s Gen-
eral Store opened July 1 combining its two loca-
tions — grocery, deli and hardware stores — into
the bigger store at 319 N. Main St.
“We closed (the other store) at noon on June 30
and opened here at 6 a.m. July 1,” Frink said.
»Page 3A
GRAND RONDE NEWS
The 2015 Marcellus Norwest Memorial Veterans
Powwow will be Friday through Sunday at Uyxat
Powwow Grounds, 9390 Highway 22, near Fort
Yamhill State Park.
The powwow will be held under the new arbor,
providing shelter from inclement weather or in-
tense sunlight.
Grand entries will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday; 1
and 7 p.m. on Saturday; and 1 p.m. on Sunday.
The master of ceremonies will be Nick Sixkiller.
Arena director will be Carlos Calica. Red Hoop, of
Reno, Nev., will be the host drum.
»Page 9A
MONMOUTH NEWS
As the sun dips below the tree line at Western
Oregon University, shade creeps across the lawn at
the outdoor amphitheater.
It’s still warm, but cooler there near the stage.
Are you dreaming, or are fairies playing pranks on
Athenians on stage?
No, it’s not a heat-induced vision, but Apple Box
Theater’s production of “A Midsummer Night’s
Dream,” by William Shakespeare, adapted for the
young actors by Maren Anderson.
Fairies and mischief go hand in hand during this
walk in the woods gone wrong.
»Page 16A
POLK COUNTY NEWS
LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer
The Shriners drive their cars in the Monmouth-Independence Rotary Club Grand
Parade on Saturday, decked out in American flags. Hundreds lined the streets of
Monmouth and Independence to watch the parade go by. See more on Page 7A.
If you have a hidden talent, you should show it
off at the 2015 Polk County Fair.
“We have a lot of very talented people in Polk
County,” said Anna Scharf, fair board chairwoman.
“Bring us your talent in our open class exhibits. It’s
more than canning, it’s more than quilts. Showcase
your personal talent at our fair.”
And you still have plenty of time to sign up for
the fair’s open class exhibits. Fair Manager Tina An-
dersen said people have been calling about the
deadline for open class exhibits, thinking they have
missed it.
»Page 14A
wed
thu
fri
sat
sun
Join the MI Cham-
ber at Oak Knoll Golf
Course to learn
more about United
Way of the Mid-
Willamette Valley.
Noon. Free.
Head to the Rotary
Performing Arts
Stage for Round-
house Band kicking
off Sounds of Sum-
mer.
6:30 p.m. Free.
Get your vision,
hearing, blood pres-
sure and glaucoma
checked at the Lions
Health Screening
Van at Bi-Mart.
Apple Box Theater
closes its production
of “Midsummer
Night’s Dream” at
WOU’s outdoor am-
phitheater.
7 p.m. Free.
Rogue Farms Hopy-
ard hosts a weekly
summer concert se-
ries throughout the
summer at its farm
on Wigrich Road.
3 p.m. Free.
Sunny
Hi: 90
Lo: 56
Mostly Sunny
Hi: 85
Lo: 56
Mostly Sunny
Hi: 79
Lo: 54
Sunny
Hi: 81
Lo: 55
Sunny
Hi: 79
Lo: 56
11 a.m.-7 p.m. Free.
mon
Have you signed
your kids up for
summer camp or
VBS? Many organi-
zations and
churches host
week-long events.
Partly Cloudy
Hi: 79
Lo: 55
tue
Pick up all your
fresh veggies and
fruits at the Bounty
Market in Mon-
mouth at Main
Street Park.
10 a.m.-3 p.m. Free.
Partly Cloudy
Hi: 81
Lo: 54