Polk County
Voices
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • July 8, 2015 4A
EDITORIALS
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Another great show
for the Fourth of July
Even the threat of historically high temperatures didn’t
keep the spectators or participants away from the Fourth
of July festivities last weekend.
Thousands of people took to the streets throughout the
county to enjoy parades, carnivals, festivals, barbecues —
and of course, fireworks.
It takes a lot of people to make this event happen, from
the volunteers who plan all year to the members of the
Monmouth Independence Rotary Club — sponsors each
year of the grand parade.
It’s surprising the more you pause and look around. You
see the nearly 100 Polk County Emergency Response Team
volunteers on corners directing spectators and managing
crowds.
So many people worked all day in the heat of the week-
end so that others could celebrate.
First responders were out in force, with many faces from
Dallas, Monmouth and Independence police departments
as well as from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office all around
Monmouth and Independence — where the population at
least doubles during the Fourth of July weekend.
It was great to see deputies and Dallas officers helping
out their neighbors with patrols, setting up or directing
traffic — whatever was needed to keep the public safe and
secure while having a good time. We know many first re-
sponders would rather have a holiday with their families,
and appreciate the sacrifice they and their families make.
We think some who work in our local government of-
fices could take some notes from how well our law en-
forcement and first responder agencies work together.
As the dust settles on the Fourth of July weekend festivi-
ties, the momentum is really picking up for Dallas’ Sum-
merfest. In between that, Cycle Oregon will be visiting the
Monmouth-Independence area. Summer in Polk County is
definitely at full throttle.
As you plan your vacations and events, remember the
volunteers that make it happen. Say thank you and be re-
spectful.
Better yet, ask them how you can help. Getting involved
in organizing or executing these events is a great way to
not only help your community, but seeing the satisfaction
of everyone enjoying your hard work is priceless.
There is always need of volunteers for these events —
and year-round.
The best part is: more hands make for light work.
To find ideas of where to volunteer, check our website
and search volunteer listings at www.polkio.com, or the
websites for the cities of Dallas, Independence or Mon-
mouth.
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, JULY 8
• Monmouth Library Advisory Board — 7 a.m., Monmouth
Public Library meeting room, 168 S. Ecols St., Monmouth. 503-
838-0722.
• Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk
County Courthouse, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173.
• Monmouth Park and Recreation Board — 7 p.m., Volun-
teer Hall, 144 S. Warren St., Monmouth. 503-838-0722.
• Polk Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Direc-
tors — 6 p.m., USDA Service Center, 580 Main St., Suite A, Dallas.
503-623-9680, ext. 5.
THURSDAY, JULY 9
• Polk County Fire District No. 1 Board — 6 p.m., Central
Station 90, 1800 Monmouth St., Independence. 503-838-1510.
• Luckiamute Watershed Council — 7 p.m., Volunteer Hall,
144 S. Warren St., Monmouth. 503-837-0237.
• Falls City City Council — 7:30 p.m., Falls City Community
Center, 320 N. Main St., Falls City. 503-787-3631.
TUESDAY, JULY 14
• Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk
County Courthouse, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173.
• Independence City Council — 7:30 p.m., Independence
Civic Center, 555 S. Main St., Independence. 503-838-1212.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 15
• Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk
County Courthouse, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173.
• 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
Efforts to maintain
Ballston noticed
I wish to thank “Polk
County Parks” for the good
care they take of the Ball-
ston Park. I grew up in Ball-
ston and every year, there is
a “Back to Ballston Picnic”
on the last Sunday in June.
The little church looks so
small now. That’s where we
went to Sunday school. I
don’t remember when they
moved it to the park. At one
time it was a school.
Alice Down
Dallas
Dallas High not
named after KKK
Last week’s letter to the
editor, “Dallas High should
change mascot,” by James
Allgood, brought up the
“urban legend” that Dallas
high’s mascot, the Dragon,
was named after the KKK’s
Grand Dragon. During the
1930s, schools were choos-
ing mascots for their
schools. Dallas High teams
were first called the Orange-
men because of their school
colors, orange and black.
Opposing teams called
them the Prunepickers be-
cause of the many prune or-
chards around Dallas. The
school wanted to shed the
name, and it should start
with a “D.” Dolphins was
briefly considered, but this
name was not tough
enough. The school became
the Dallas Dragons in 1938.
The myth is that Dallas is,
or was, a command center
for the Ku Klux Klan. The
KKK was active and visible
in Polk County, and there
was a chapter (Klavern) for
a brief time in the 1920s in
Dallas. It did nothing but
hold a few rallies and a pa-
rade down Main Street in
1923 or 1924. The Klavern
died out in 1922 or 1923 in
Dallas and never returned.
The Klan peaked in 1922
in Oregon. It had enough fol-
lowers to pressure Congress
to pass the Compulsory Edu-
cation Bill of 1922. This bill
required all Oregon children
to attend public schools, and
while it made all private
schools illegal for children to
attend, it was aimed mostly
at Catholic schools.
The major objective of
the Klan in Oregon was
“Down with the Pope and
the Catholic Church! Clean
the state of the Baptists!”
Yet the KKK myth came
about 50 years after the Klav-
ern died out. The reason is
unknown. The KKK is a ter-
rorist group and the lack of
activity should be proof the
Klan has not existed in Dal-
las after it died out in 1920s.
Sue Rohde
Dallas
Thank you for
cleaning up grass
A big shout out thank you
to whoever it was that cut
the grass/weeds on the
downhill side of Oakdale on
the S-curve this past week-
end in the hot weather. It
makes it so much easier to
come out of our driveways
and to be able to see down-
hill is wonderful. Thank you.
Sally Broadwater
Dallas
BOLI commish
blocking speech
Brad Avakian, elected
Commissioner of Bureau of
Labor and Industries of the
State of Oregon, blocked
free speech guaranteed by
the First Amendment. In a
recent ruling, Avakian
placed a gag order on the
Kleins, ordering them to
“cease and desist” from
speaking publicly about not
wanting to bake cakes for
same-sex weddings based
on their Christian beliefs.
This state bureaucrat
oversteps his powers by
blocking a citizen’s right to
free speech. The First
Amendment states no offi-
cial may abridge freedom of
speech. Mr. Avakian should
be recalled for abusing the
power of his office. His ac-
tions effectively strip resi-
dents of Oregon of the free-
dom of religion and speech.
George Irving
Dallas
Pay attention to
road while driving
Thursday, I went for a jog
from Main Street in Mon-
mouth across the highway
(99W) and all the way down
to Main Street in Independ-
ence. Along the way, I was
shocked at how many dis-
tracted motorists I saw. Most
of them were texting and
driving, a few were talking
on their cellphones, and one
woman was actually writing
on a pad she had propped
up on her steering wheel as
she traveled down the road.
I realize the speed limits
along this route are relative-
ly slow, but come on people.
What the heck are you
thinking? I cannot imagine
what you felt was so impor-
tant that you had to risk
your safety and that of oth-
ers by paying less than your
full attention to that several
ton vehicle you were operat-
ing. Please put those things
away and pay attention to
what you are doing. We are
better than this. And it is
against the law.
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
Robert McKee
Monmouth
WANT TO WRITE A LETTER?
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The deadline for letters to the
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—
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. 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. 27
(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
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