ON THE FIELD OF PLAY
DALLAS’ SHOCKING
YOUTH SPORTS
Page 7A
Volume 140, Issue 41
SENIORS
Page 10A
www.Polkio.com
October 14, 2015
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IN YOUR TOWN
DALLAS NEWS
Veterans helping veterans.
That’s what the organizers of the new Polk County
Battle Buddies veterans’ support group hope will hap-
pen after it begins meeting this month.
Battle Buddies will hold its irst monthly gather-
ing Monday starting at 6 p.m. at West Valley Hospi-
tal, 525 SE Washington St., Dallas.
A partnership between the local chapters of Vet-
erans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion,
the group will be modeled after one of the same
name in Salem.
»Page 15A
FALLS CITY NEWS
JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer
From left, Dean Burwash, Rebecca O’Dell, and Haddie Rogers take a break to play with Phoebe, the “school dog” at
Dallas Community School on Thursday. The new charter school opened in Dallas with 125 students in September.
A new look at home-school
Dallas Community School, a charter school, offers families unique option
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — As the stu-
dents at Thursday’s morning
session as Dallas Communi-
ty School (DCS) returned
from recess, “educational
guide” Cheri Reinky pointed
out something amiss.
“Did you guys forget
somebody today?” Reinky
asked the students.
That somebody immedi-
ately picked up her stuffed
soccer ball and brought it
over to the first students
pouring through the door.
Phoebe, the Australian
labradoodle and DCS
“school dog,” gave puppy
eyes to the children.
“Sorry Phoebe,” a number
of students said in unison.
A l l w a s f o r g i v e n by
Phoebe, who has her Canine
Good Citizen certification,
as she found a number of
playmates to toss her soccer
ball and pat her on the head.
Having a school dog is
just the first difference you
will find at DCS, which
opened to students in Sep-
tember.
JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer
Julie Rain assists students working on projects Thursday.
While a public charter
school, DCS caters to home-
school families and there-
fore the program isn’t set up
like a traditional school at
all. It has been described as
“home schooling for busy
working parents,” by Wendy
Sparks, a board member and
parent of students “attend-
ing” the school.
At Dallas Community
School there are no full days
in a classroom, and no
teacher fully responsible for
instruction. Instead, stu-
dents attend “class” mostly
at home under the supervi-
sion of their “educational
coach” — typically a family
member — and “education-
al guide,” a licensed teacher
assigned to oversee progress
on individual learning plans.
Parents have the option of
sending their child to multi-
grade level morning class
sessions where, under the
supervision of teachers, they
work on individual school
assignments, as well as
group study. Also, in the af-
ternoons students can par-
ticipate in enrichments,
elective-like classes ranging
from art and music to ad-
vanced writing to French.
“It’s a ver y different
model,” said Dennis Schultz,
the school’s director. “There
are three schools like it in
the state, so we have been
able to talk to them and to
learn some things that
they’ve learned in the four to
six years they have been in
existence.”
Schultz, who is the former
superintendent-principal of
Eddyville Charter School,
and his staff — four educa-
tional guides and an admin-
istrative analyst — took the
board’s concept and made it
reality this summer. DCS se-
cured a site at 788 SW Birch
St. in Dallas and began
scheduling class sessions,
enrichments and several
field trips for the year. Most
classes and enrichments
take place at the school’s
site, which with easily mov-
able desks, overstuffed
chairs and couches, looks
nothing other schools.
See SCHOOL, page 14A
Officers, citizen honored for bravery
Foursome pulled injured Polk County deputy from burning patrol car in July
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — The four men
who saved the life of Polk
County Sheriff ’s deputy
Shon Latty after his patrol
car crashed and burst into
flames in July were honored
for their heroism Oct. 7.
Polk County Sheriff Bob
Wolfe presented Polk deputy
Casey Gibson, Dallas Police
officers Colby Hamilton and
Jim Rodriquez, and private
citizen Jeremiah Halleman
awards and letters of com-
mendation during the Polk
County Board of Commis-
sioners.
Latty, who attended the
THE NEXT
7
DAYS
PLANNING
FOR YOUR
WEEK
meeting Wednesday, said
seeing the foursome recog-
nized for their actions was
“awesome.”
“They deserve it,” he said.
“Words don’t explain it. I
love these guys.”
The four men scrambled
to remove Latty from his
burning police car following
a crash, which happened on
July 8.
Latty had been respond-
ing as backup on a domestic
violence incident in Marion
County after the Marion
County Sheriff ’s Office
deputy and Independence
police officer on scene
called for assistance. Latty,
followed by Gibson, was
wed
Want to talk science
and religion? “Brew
and BS” at St.
Thomas Episcopal in
Dallas its the bill,
but it’s BYOB.
7 p.m. Free.
Mostly sunny
Hi: 74
Lo: 49
»Page 2A
INDEPENDENCE NEWS
A Central High student will be referred on a
charge of disorderly conduct after making a threat
of violence at the school.
Central School District oicials and Independ-
ence police learned of the threat on the evening
Oct. 6 and sent a message to parents that night in-
forming them of the threat.
The threat, posted to Facebook and Twitter by
someone other than the suspect, went viral on Oct.
6.
Several calls were made to police and to district
oicials, spurring an immediate investigation.
»Page 15A
MONMOUTH NEWS
Taylor McClure carefully guides the teal T-shirt and
wooden block under the massive roller on a press at
Western Oregon University.
The roller has to be completely level or the print
won’t turn out right. He pauses, picking up a mas-
sive wrench fabricated especially for this home-
made press, adjusting the roller before turning the
giant crank to complete the process. On the other
side, McClure carefully lifts the wooden block to re-
veal an embossed black print of a lizard.
“It’s pretty cool,” said Megan Leach, third-year
student at WOU.
»Page 16A
POLK COUNTY NEWS
POLK COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE / for Itemizer-Observer
Shon Latty’s patrol car was badly damaged in the crash.
driving down Monmouth
Cutoff Road in Dallas pass-
ing cars when his vehicle
thu
Soup and pie is on
sale for a good
cause at the Mon-
mouth Senior Cen-
ter. Clam chowder
or chicken noodle?
11 a.m. Free.
Sunny
Hi: 77
Lo: 50
The city of Falls City will consider changing its
code to allow marijuana dispensaries to open, but
there’s a catch.
If the Falls City City Council approves restrictions
it appears to support, there would be no place for
one to open.
The city code requires business to comply with fed-
eral law, which does not recognize marijuana as legal.
Mayor Terry Ungricht suggested changing the code to
technically allow a dispensary to open in the city, but
using its discretion to restrict locations to make it near-
ly impossible to ind a place to operate one.
Two candidates are seeking appointment as in-
terim Polk County sherif and interviewed for the
job Tuesday.
Polk Detective Sgt. Mark Garton, of Dallas, and
Yamhill County Patrol Sgt. Todd Whitlow, of Sheri-
dan, both applied for the temporary post and went
through interviews with the Polk County commis-
sioners Tuesday.
Both have iled to be elected sherif in the May
2016 primary, as well. The candidate the board picks
will take over the job on Dec. 1.
and a truck turning onto
Godsey Road collided.
See AWARD, page 14A
»Page 15A
fri
sat
sun
mon
tue
Guthrie Park’s
Acoustic Music Jam
should ill a fall Fri-
day night with tunes
the whole family will
enjoy.
7 p.m. Free.
If you have shop-
ping on your to-do
list stop by Inde-
pendence for the
Riverview and Origi-
nal farmer’s markets.
9 a.m. Free.
Dallas Wingdingers
Remote Control Fly-
ing Club is hosting a
demonstration at
Whitworth Elemen-
tary School in Dallas.
1-3 p.m. Free.
The American Red
Cross is always in
need of blood dona-
tions. You can help
at First Presbyterian
Church in Dallas.
12:30 p.m. Free
James2 Community
Kitchen ofers a free
meal to all who are
hungry at St. Philip
Catholic Church in
Dallas.
4:30-6 p.m. Free.
Mostly sunny
Hi: 76
Lo: 52
Showers
Hi: 65
Lo: 49
Showers
Hi: 67
Lo: 49
Showers
Hi: 67
Lo: 48
Partly cloudy
Hi: 68
Lo: 49