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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 19, 2015)
Polk County Voices Polk County Itemizer-Observer • August 19, 2015 4A EDITORIALS How to Contact Officials Play it safe while summer lasts It’s nearly that time of year again, when students will be heading back to school. Summer is nearly over, with just a few performances left on outdoor stages in Dallas, Inde- pendence and Monmouth. And what a summer it’s been, with temperatures consis- tently in the 90s, and often in triple digits. Rain totals have been about 0.01 for three months. It’s enough to make some question if we’re still in Oregon. As you head out to enjoy these last few weeks, be safe about it. This is one of Oregon’s driest years on record, and fires seem to start just by looking at the grass in the wrong way. It may be fun to roast marshmallows by a campfire and sing songs, but preventing a forest fire by skipping it this year is may be a better choice. The rivers are low and as unpredictable as ever. Remem- ber to always wear a lifejacket if you play in or on the rivers. With another heat wave coming through the valley this week, it’s still important to hydrate, especially for young athletes who are training for fall sports. Get plenty of rest, and see our story on Page 10A for more tips from local coaches on safely training in the heat. Of course the old-timers will say this isn’t abnormal. Oregon has had dry spells just like it has its wet spells. As we all try and do our part to conserve water at home, we may have another dry, warm winter ahead. The National Weather Service is unsure about how this year’s El Nino will affect us. It may mean warm and wet, but maybe just warm. On the bright side, the Old Farmers Almanac is predict- ing a colder than normal, whiter winter for the Pacific Northwest. Is a white Christmas in store? Depends on who you ask. 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, AUG. 19 • 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. THURSDAY, AUG. 20 • Dallas Economic Development Committee — Noon, City Hall, 187 SE Court St., Dallas. 503-831-3502. • Independence Parks and Recreation Board — 6 p.m., In- dependence Civic Center, 555 S. Main St., Independence. 503- 838-1212. • Monmouth Arts and Culture Commission — 7 p.m., Vol- unteer Hall, 144 S. Warren St., Monmouth. 503-838-0722. MONDAY, AUG. 24 • Independence Library Board — 4 p.m., Independence Public Library, 175 Monmouth St., Independence. 503-838-1811. TUESDAY, AUG. 25 • Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. • Independence City Council — 7:30 a.m., Independence Civic Center, 555 S. Main St., Independence. 503-838-1212. WEDNESDAY, AUG. 26 • Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. 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 Please return stolen solar lights I am not sure how to han- dle this, but surely people in Dallas need to be aware that there are elements, even here, that prevent those who are new to the area from feeling safe. My neighbor who lives across the street had several solar lights on either side of the sidewalk to her front porch. These were not just ordinary lights, but some she brought with her from her previous residence. Someone took them dur- ing the night. She was in tears and said she was sorry she ever lived in this town. This was not over reaction; she and her family moved here expecting it to be their permanent residence. Would you please print this and urge whoever took them to return them. It might have been just a prank, but it gives our town a black eye. I love living here too and want to keep her as a happy neighbor. Helen and Bob Murphy Dallas Top Secret not protected properly When I worked in Top Se- cret Control Office (TSCO) Distribution Center at HQ, VII Corps (U.S. Army), I controlled Secret and Nato Secret documents. Our TSCO office was in a vault in the basement. Each Secret document had a number. Our documents were hand carried by couri- er to our Division HQs. We demanded our Receipts to be signed and couriered back to our office. We knew the location of each Secret document. Confidential and Secret documents had to be kept/stored in vault-like- safes in offices. When pulled out, they had a thin card- board like cover sheet — SE- CRET — red lettering, white background. Fast forward 38 years, I’m annoyed to hear on national TV, news anchors talking about Secret and Top Secret emails. If federal government agencies don’t control clas- sified documents (num- bered hard copies only), then we need an investiga- tion by the judicial branch of government. When I read the "Stars & Stripes" newspaper, I read a sentence or two within the article that was Secret. It was never divulged as Secret and one wouldn’t have guessed it was classified at all. Many documents were over-classified. Classified documents must be strictly controlled and only be numbered hard copies, not emails. Kenneth Johnson 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 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 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. 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. 33 (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 advertise- ments. 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