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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 4, 2015)
Polk County Voices Polk County Itemizer-Observer • November 4, 2015 4A How to Contact Officials EDITORIALS No-Shave November brings awareness It’s that time of year again. The leaves have turned bright orange and yellow, clinging to their trees in spite of heavy rains and winds over the weekend. Facebook posts have turned to counting down Days of Thankfulness in anticipation of Thanksgiving, just three weeks away. Christmas tree trucks drive up and down highways and county roads filled with the perfect places for Santa to put presents under come December. And No-Shave November makes its presence known as some decide to put down the razor and let beards and moustaches grow. No-Shave November is not just about giving a man — or woman, in fact — an excuse to skip a step in grooming. It is designed to raise awareness about cancer by highlight- ing people’s hair, something many cancer patients lose during treatment. The idea is to donate the money saved on razors and waxing appointments to cancer research organizations, such as the American Cancer Society directly or through ACS Relay for Life of Polk County. Or just set up a fundraising account on No-Shave No- vember’s website. The organization donates to ACS, Pre- vent Cancer Foundation, Fight Colorectal Cancer and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The appearance of hair growing in places you’re not used to seeing it — dad never had a moustache before! — is a good way to start talking more about cancer preven- tion and pre-screening, both of which can save lives. Cancer is a terrible thing. While strides have been made in both treating the disease and earlier diagnosis, much work remains. We all know the things we can do to prevent cancer in ourselves: stop smoking (or just don’t start in the first place), eat healthy foods, exercise regularly, maintain a healthy weight, wear sunscreen and get regular medical care. But even healthy people can get cancer. Children get cancer. Athletes get it. When someone gets cancer, life changes, not only for the person who has the disease, but for everyone around him or her. Cancer can change an entire community. Donating to organizations dedicated to finding a cure also means helping survivors and caregivers get through the experience, either by helping with bills or providing emotional support. So whether your decide to let it grow for No-Shave No- vember, or notice someone else who is, remember the root cause behind that new ‘stache isn’t necessarily to compete in the next moustache competition. Remember those who are fighting, or who will fight someday, this disease that has been around much longer than we’ve been talking about it, and join the dreamers who look forward to the day when cancer has been eradicated. 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, NOV. 4 • 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. THURSDAY, NOV. 5 • Mid-Valley Care Network Executive Committee Meeting — 3 p.m., MCBCN Oice, 2965 Ryan Dr. SE Suite 150, Salem. 503- 585-4935. FRIDAY, NOV. 6 • Mid-Valley Workforce Board & Mid-Willamette Jobs Council Workforce Strategic Plan workshop — 7:30 a.m., Keiz- er Civic Center, 930 Chemawa Road NE, Keizer. 503-581-1002. MONDAY, NOV. 9 • Dallas School Board — 2:30 p.m., Oakdale Heights Elemen- tary School, 1375 SE Maple St., Dallas. 503-623-5594. TUESDAY, NOV. 10 • 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. 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 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 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Many thanks to dog rescuer I would like to send Bob Pell a huge thank you for rescuing my dog that acci- dentally got locked in my daughter’s car along with her car keys, with all the car windows shut on a sunny afternoon on Oct. 24. She had driven up from Eugene to meet us at the city park with my dog, Bismarck, who had spent a few days with her. When she realized what she had done, I immediately called roadside assistance who connected me to the local police station because an animal was involved. They said the best they could do was to break a window. At this point, I was pretty distraught. The car was in the sun and time was quickly passing. I ran to the Monmouth Hardware store and Bob immediately said he thought he could help. He grabbed a few items out of his truck, worked on the car door and after a while, the door was unlocked! I of- fered to pay Bob but he de- clined. He said he believes we are here to help each other and asked that I just come shop at his store. I am urging everybody to visit Monmouth Hardware. Thanks again, Bob, you are a great human being! Kathleen Boyarski Monmouth Dallas volleyball hosts “Pink Out” Oct. 13, the Lady Dragons volleyball team had a “Pink Out” night to support breast cancer awareness. Even though varsity fell short against Corvallis, the real winners are the Salem Health Women’s Imagery department. The program was able to raise over $300! Head coach Shana Lavier said, “We couldn’t have done it without all the par- ents and grandparents who baked, crafted, and worked together to raise money for such an important event. I am so proud to be a part of such a wonderful program and community.” Dragon Pride. Megan Beyer Dallas Battle Buddies presents to county On Oct. 27, the Battle Buddies team with the help of Beth Jones presented the need for a Veteran Service Officer (VSO) in Polk Coun- ty. Polk County is unique in that the veterans are not served by their own VSO. We were given ample time to explain the need and benefits of having a local VSO here in Polk County. A county VSO assists veterans in navigating the VA Bene- fits, Compensation and Medical services as well as being trained and certified in the system, including the appeals process. A VSO also connects with local re- sources to assist Veterans with more than VA related issues. Funding is priority in everyone’s view and the re- ality requires an agreement with the state, county and local partners. To make this work the whole community has to step up and be counted. We asked the com- mission to take into account that the VSO is an invest- ment in our local veterans and the return is hope re- stored and knowing the benefits received here are often spent in Polk County. If you are interested in getting involved, feel free to contact Wayne Crowder at wayjacrowder@yahoo.com or 503-510-1015. Wayne Crowder Dallas Footbridge repairs done quickly A shout out to the crew that keeps the Dallas City Park footbridge serviced. I was concerned about a plank that had become loose and an elevated bolt on another plank. I was very happy to walk the bridge the other day and find these repaired. Great work! Ann Richmond Dallas Thank you for a great event 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 oice: 707 13th St. SE, Suite 285, Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-589-4555 Email: via website, www.wyden.senate.gov We want to thank all of you who came out to help with the Kings Valley Char- ter School Trunk or Treat/Harvest Carnival on Friday night. We had a fan- tastic turnout. Thanks go out to so many people that I can’t name you each indi- vidually. We appreciate each and every volunteer and could not have make the night the success it was without our volunteers. Thank you! Alicia Warren KVCS PTO President 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 veriication 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. Oice: 147 SE Court St., Dallas. Sen. Jef Merkley (Dem.) 313 Hart SOB Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-3753 Fax: 202-228-3997 Salem oice: 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 oice: 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. 44 (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 inancial 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 Web: www.polkio.com Phone: 503-623-2373 Fax: 503-623-2395