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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 30, 2015)
Polk County Voices Polk County Itemizer-Observer • December 30, 2015 4A How to Contact Officials LETTERS TO THE EDITOR A tale of two neighbors On Dec. 10 during a strong storm, a large oak tree in our front yard fell, prompting contrasting ac- tions from our extended neighbors. Fortunately, damage was minimal — a small section of sidewalk. We contacted the city and set to work clearing the tree away. For the next two days, in the worst rains in years, our son, Carter, nephew, Lee and Carter’s friends, Sterling and Morgan, worked to- gether with neighbor, Floyd, who stopped with his wife to help. Tuesday saw our neighboring lot clear of all large debris and the tree mostly gone. A good feeling for all. Then we were steered to the Royal Order of Red Sus- penders, a group of volun- teers that gathers and splits fallen trees to distribute to families in need of winter heat. They took all but the large root wad. The last piece of our Christmas tale fell into place when Micah, from Falls City, stopped to offer help because something told him he should. Clearing fallen trees is part of his trade; Micah had all the equipment and know-how to lift that heavy root. That same afternoon, with his friend Harley, Micah removed the root and lowered the undam- aged piece of pavement back into place. Along with all the good- hearted efforts came a less helpful one. An email was sent to the city to prompt it to investigate our broken sidewalk: surely by someone who believes in Christmas miracles if the expectation was to have the huge mess cleared in a more timely manner. “Yes, Virginia, there is a Grinch!” Still, nothing spoils the kind acts of the many and the goodwill manifested. Thank you all. Dallas shines. As a firm believer in what you sow you will reap, I know good things will come your way. Jan Rickert Dallas day a little brighter. Everyone who heard the story got a tear in their eye and a lump in their throat. To the mysterious woman in Wal-Mart: Thank you. Your gift of listening to a stranger, understanding frustration, having a sense of humor while dealing with holiday crowds, and giving with love was the greatest Christmas present we could have received. And then to top it off, you wrapped it all up with a sweatshirt on my wish list. Ami Braden Dallas Dallas officers find missing bicycle All students’ privacy matters Let us honor every stu- dent because we realize all persons are image bearers of the holy and sacred, and let us conduct ourselves with kindness as the Dallas School District (DSD) and the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) seek new school policies which re- spect the right to privacy for all students. Article 16 in the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) states children have a right to pri- vacy. (United Nations Con- vention on the Rights of the Child www.ohchr.org/ en/professionalinterest/pag es/crc.aspx) If children do not wish to see nor be seen by a child/student of the oppo- site anatomical gender as they dress or undress, that is within their rights. Columbia Law in Privacy for Children attests: “... Children need physi- cal privacy in order to de- velop their individuality, their independence and their self reliance ... and other attributes important to personal development. The fact that children need privacy from individuals and entities external to the family is well recognized, both in law and academic literature. There is a wide recognition that children need privacy to protect them ....” (Benjamin Shmueli and Ayelet Blecher- Prigat, PRIVACY FOR CHIL- DREN, Columbia Law School, http://www3 .law.columbia.edu/hrlr/hrlr _journal/42.3/Shmueli_Blec her.pdf) Public school policy must protect the needs of the many, never just the one, while yet including the one. School policies have com- pletely different needs than municipal policies. Children aren’t consenting adults, and some school districts are currently making poli- cies which violate the rights of the children entrusted to them. The community, DSD, and ODE face a challenging task, but we must find a so- lution for all. We need edu- cated and kind citizens, DSD leaders, and students to create a peaceful resolu- tion. In our modern era, we face questions never before asked of us. It’s time to find compassionate solutions for all, which violate the rights of none. Kim Conolly Dallas Christmas angel helps fill wish list My husband had tried Salem department and nearby stores desperately searching for a Portland Timbers sweatshirt for me for Christmas with no suc- cess. On Christmas Eve, he was doing some last-minute shopping at Wal-Mart in Dallas. There, he saw a woman shopping with her kids wearing a Timbers hoodie. He introduced him- self and asked where she had gotten it and where he might get one, telling her of his search. He thanked her for the in- formation and said, “Good- bye, Merry Christmas.” Later, as he was waiting at the checkout, the woman’s son approached him, said, “Merry Christ- mas,” and handed him the folded hoodie he had ad- mired earlier. My husband asked the boy where his mother was. The son pointed her out and he went over. They talked; she would not ac- cept payment for the hood- ie, saying that sweatshirt obviously meant more to my husband than it did for her, and Merry Christmas. She smiled and walked away. The smile my husband had on his face when he got back from shopping was priceless. He said he had a story to tell, but could not tell it until Christmas morn- ing. On Christmas morning, while opening presents, he told the story of the woman giving him the shirt off her back to make a stranger’s Thank you Dallas Police Department. They found my bike. I had mine since December 1964, so I have been riding my old Schwinn for 51 years. Last year, the Itemizer- Observer told my story of my 50-year-old bike on the front page. Tuesday, Dec. 22, I need- ed to go to the doctor for a blood draw. It was not rain- ing, so I decided to walk down to Dallas Family Med- icine. I left my bike under the carport padlocked to my house. My son’s bike is on racks in the rafters, also padlocked to the wall. When I got home a little past 10 a.m., my bike was gone. My son’s bike was hanging on one wheel on a hook, still locked to the wall. They broke my padlock on my bike. My bike was gone. I start- ed to cry. I grabbed my phone, called 911, told them what happened. They took down the information. At 11:11 a.m., I got a call from the Dallas police. He said he was at Wal-Mart. He was driving through Wal- Mart’s parking lot. He saw a bike parked there and already two men were off to jail on other charges. He said he would call me back to make sure it was mine. Then the police- man put my bike in his po- lice car. He drove to my house. Thank you for find- ing my bike. 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 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 Alice Down Dallas 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 purposes 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. Letters 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. 52 (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