Polk County News
14A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • January 13, 2016
Deputy dies after cancer battle
Itemizer-Observer staf report
POLK COUNTY — Curtis
Alexander, a Polk County
Jail deputy, died Friday after
a battle with a rare blood
cancer.
Polk County Sheriff’s Of-
fice announced Monday
that Alexander died while
being treated at the Univer-
sity of Washington Medical
Center in Seattle.
Alexander was diagnosed
in February of 2015 with
Burkitt lymphoma, a rare
form of non-Hodgkin’s lym-
phoma. The diagnosis came
just six days after his wife,
Shauna, gave birth to their
first child, Colton.
Alexander was hired to
work in the jail on Aug. 1,
2012. Prior to being hired by
Polk County he worked for
the Oregon Department of
Corrections. Alexander was
also a reserve deputy for the
Benton County Sheriff’s Of-
fice in their patrol division.
A gofundme account has
been set up to help support
Shauna and Colton:
https://www.gofundme.co
m/6hwcbwdw.
A service will be held for
Alexander in Washington
on Jan. 30.
A small gathering will be
held by the Polk County
Sheriff’s Office later this
month, with a date to be
determined.
• Yoga Classes
• Pilates
• Chair Yoga
• Balance Classes
• Lunchtime Yoga
• Beginners Series
Hostetter
Garbutt
Edmondson
Adler
Breese
Corrections posts ‘most wanted’
DALLAS — Polk County
Community Corrections lists
these individuals as “most
wanted” for January. Citi-
zens with information on the
whereabouts of any of them
can call Community Correc-
tions at 503-623-5226.
• Glenn Alan Garbutt,
born March 14, 1959, 5-8,
240 pounds, blonde hair,
brown eyes. Charges: Sex
with an animal.
• Richard Hostetter, born
April 1, 1953, 5-11, 200
pounds, brown hair, blue
eyes. Charges: Murder.
• Robert Arthur Edmond-
son III, born Jan. 1, 1984, 5-
11, 195 pounds; brown hair,
brown eyes. Charges: Bur-
glary.
• Melissa Fern Adler, born
Nov. 12, 1979, 5-6, 145
pounds, brown hair, hazel
eyes. Charges: Assault.
• Andrew Nicholas Breese,
born Feb. 24, 1986, 5-8, 160
pounds, brown hair, hazel
eyes. Charges: Burglary.
Ready to hit the trail
Yoga reduces back pain
and increases flexibility.
Let us help you get started
today & sleep better tonight.
115 SE Court St. • 503-999-8016 • www.dallasoregonyoga.com
EMILY MENTZER/Itemizer-Observer
Dave and Jacque Dodson get ready to head out on the Polk County Saddle-ites New
Year’s Ride in Pedee on Saturday. Recent rain and last week’s snow made for muddy
trails, but light attendance meant no one slipped too badly. It was perfect weather
for a trail ride, cloudy and cool, but not so cold that riders had frozen hands.
Shooting nutria best way
ODFW says animals threat to environment, people, pets
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
INDEPENDENCE — The
best way to euthanize a nu-
tria is, in fact, with a well-
placed shot by a pellet gun
or a .22-caliber bullet, said
Derek Broman, carnivore-
furbearer coordinator with
the Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife.
A story printed in the
Itemizer-Observer on Dec. 23
WE WISH TO THANK OUR PARTNERS THAT HELPED MAKE CHRISTMAS CHEER 2015 PROJECT A HUGE SUCCESS!
Dallas Volunteer Fire Fighter’s Association
Falls City Fire District
Polk County Search and Rescue
Polk County Sheriff’s Office/Jail
Dallas Area Chamber of Commerce
Dallas School District
Dallas High School
LaCreole Middle School
Whitworth, Oakdale and Lyle Elementary Schools
Falls City School District
Churches:
Dallas Alliance Church
Faith Evangelical Free Church
United Methodist Church
Trinity Lutheran Church
Grace Community
LDS
Toys for Tots
Dallas Dutch Brothers
Dallas Cub/Boys Scouts
Dallas Emergency Food Bank
Les Schwab
Los Caballeros – 4-H Group
Godsey Secure Storage
Perrydale FFA & Feed America
Rickreall Dairy
Airlie Custom Meats
Frinks General Store of Falls City
Mountain Man Nut & Fruit Co.
Elliott Farms
Umpqua Dairy
Dave’s Killer Bread
Reser’s Foods
CHM2Hill
Squirrel Taxi Service
Domino’s Pizza
Dallas Branch -Bank of America
Washington Federal Bank
Hank Kliever Floor Covering – Abbey Carpets
Dallas Glass
Salem Grocery Outlet
Fowler Homes
Dallas Safeway – Santa Bucks
West Valley Hospital
Anytime Fitness
World’s Gym
Postal Connections
Dallas Pill Box
Monmouth MOPS
Itemizer-Observer
For our social media and web presence:
Eric Lamb – www.creativelamb.com
And to all the private cash donations both
small and large along with families and individuals
who sponsored food items – huge thank you!
SPECIAL THANKS TO THE 500+ VOLUNTEERS WHO CAME EARLY AND STAYED
UNTIL ALL WAS DELIVERED AND CLEANED UP — YOU ARE THE “HANDS AND FEET”
THAT MAKE CHRISTMAS CHEER A SUCCESS
W W W. D A L L A S C C . O R G
regarding the dispatching of
nutria, an invasive nonna-
tive species in Oregon, had
incorrect or outdated infor-
mation about the most hu-
mane way to euthanize the
creatures, Broman said.
“Nutria … cause signifi-
cant damage to ecosystems
and properties,” he said. “As
such, the removal of nutria
is a high priority to protect
Oregon natural resources,
property and human safe-
ty.”
Outside city limits, kill
traps may be set to eliminate
nutria with very little risk to
humans or pets, Broman
said. But inside city limits,
city regulations require
using live traps.
“If the animal is captured
with a live trap, dispatching
the animal with a pellet gun
is the most efficient and ac-
ceptable practice, approved
by the American Veterinary
Medical Association,” Bro-
man said.
He noted that firearm
safety should take top prior-
ity and that extreme caution
should be taken.
“You are not allowed to
move wildlife,” Broman said.
“You’re not allowed to relo-
cate that animal.”
Once a nutria is caught in
a live trap, the only option is
to kill it, Broman said.
“Otherwise, you’re just
putting trouble back on the
landscape, and that is inap-
propriate,” he said.
All wildlife needs to be re-
spected and treated hu-
manely, Broman said.
“We need to keep our dis-
tance from them,” he said.
“Just because it’s in a trap
doesn’t mean you’re not at
risk. Especially if you’re talk-
ing about handling a
firearm. A lot of bad things
can happen.”
For more information
about nutria: dfw.state.or.us.
Learn about native plants
Itemizer-Observer staf report
RICKREALL — The Luckiamute Watershed Council is part-
nering with the USDA Corvallis Plant Materials Center to
host a workshop about native plant propagation.
The workshop is from 6 to 8 p.m. on Jan. 21 at Rickreall
Grange Hall, 105 Nesmith Road, Rickreall. RSVP to this free
event is requested by Tuesday.
Participants will learn about propagation of native ripari-
an trees and shrubs, from cuttings to seed; winter twig iden-
tification; seed collection techniques, how and when to col-
lect seed; what plants are best to buy as bare-root plants; and
plant collection and permit information.
Plant selection will focus on riparian plants and will in-
clude willows, dogwood, elderberry, mock orange, spirea,
oceanspray, cottonwood, Oregon ash, Oregon Grape and
vine maple.
Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.
To RSVP or for more information: 503-391-9927 or email
office@marionswcd.net.
Dallas renters find cheaper insurance
DALLAS — Rent a home or apartment in Dallas? Your
renter’s insurance is most likely to be on the cheaper side
compared to other communities in the state.
That is according to a study of rental insurance costs per-
formed by consumer and financial research firm ValuePenguin.
The study took a sample property with 1,000-square feet
of living space and $100,000 in liability coverage and com-
pared rates in 58 cities in Oregon. Dallas ranked 16th with an
average cost of $221 per year. Tigard was the cheapest at
$207 and Portland was the most expensive at $273.
The state average cost was $232.
For more information or to see the study, go to www.val-
uepenguin.com/best-cheap-renters-insurance-oregon.