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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (March 9, 2016)
CELEBRATING THE SPIRIT POLK COUNTY SPRING OF COMMUNITY SPORTS GUIDE Page 7A Section C Volume 141, Issue 10 www.Polkio.com March 9, 2016 75¢ Carey OK after car accident By Emily Mentzer IN YOUR TOWN The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS MONMOUTH — Jon Carey, of Monmouth, was running errands Wednes- day morning as usual. He went to a dentist ap- pointment in Dallas and was heading home to pre- pare for Central High School’s girls bas- ketball team’s playoff game on Friday — Carey Carey is the team’s assistant coach — when he decided to stop off at Pressed Cof- fee and Wine Bar for a cup of joe and a scone. Carey said he thought he might drive by a place in Dallas that rents lawn equipment. But he never made it there. “The next thing I re- member, I have a vague recollection of being in the ditch, with broken glass, that sort of thing around me,” he said. “The next thing I know is when I was in the emergency room. I have no real recol- lection from the time I left Pressed to the time we got to the hospital.” Carey was driving on Highway 223 when his car left the roadway near Mc- Timmonds Creek Road and struck some trees. Lincoln County Deputy Eric Larson was on his way to a public safety ca- reer fair at Western Ore- gon University and caught the whole thing on his dash cam. He called it in. Polk County Reserve Deputy Eric Berry hap- pened to be about two or three miles away when he heard the call. “I overheard the call on the radio,” he said. “I thought since I was just a few miles away, I would lend a hand to Deputy Larson, whatever assis- tance he needed.” The two deputies took care of traffic, waiting for medics. “We didn’t want to re- move him,” Berry said. “Medics had the back- boards to stabilize him. We were waiting for them, but then we heard a little ‘woof’ under the car and the flames started shoot- ing out, so that first plan went out the window.” After some effort, so did Carey. “We had to do some- thing,” Berry said. “It probably only took a minute or two for that fire to get into the cabin of that vehicle. It was a very good thing for him that we were standing right there.” See CRASH, Page 6A THE NEXT 7 DAYS PLANNING FOR YOUR WEEK City council discusses moving Bounty Market from current location. »Page 3A EDUCATION LaCreole students are taking their robotic designs to world com- petitions. »Page 14A EMILY MENTZER/ Itemizer-Observer file Pat Jaffer is delighted at the efforts of a Talmadge Middle School class when students deliver more than 2,000 pounds of food that was collected during a service-learning project in November 2015. FEEDING THE BODY, SOUL Pat Jaffer ‘retires’ from 23 years at Ella Curran Food Bank By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer MONMOUTH/INDEPEN- DENCE — Pat Jaffer spent most of January hibernating after stepping down from 23 years of coordinating the Ella Curran Food Bank. “I was tired,” she said. “I didn’t realize how tired until I stopped.” Because of her tireless ef- forts and dedication to the f o o d b a n k , Ja f f e r w a s named First Citizen at the 51st annual Monmouth In- dependence Community Awards banquet on Friday night. “I’m really honored to receive this, but also very humbled because there’s so many people who do so much in our community,” Ja f f e r s a i d o n Fr i d a y. “Monmouth and Inde- pendence are communi- ties where most of us have enough to live off of and HAUGEN’S GALLERI/ for the Itemizer-Observer Jean Love awards Pat Jaffer with First Citizen at the Mon- mouth Independence Community Awards banquet. be happy. It’s our responsi- bility and our pleasure to reach out a hand to others. Thank you, and let’s keep up the good work in our communities.” Jaffer was part of the board of directors that es- tablished the food pantry in 1978, but didn’t begin volun- teering there full time until 1993, after retiring from the insurance business. At the time, the Mon- mouth-Independence area didn’t have a food bank, Jaf- fer said. “Ella Curran was a woman in Independence who started giving out boxes of food in 1977 when there was a lot of need,” she said. “She died in ’78 or ’79. A group of us got together and decided we really need- ed a food bank.” At first, donations were strictly local, as the Marion Polk Food Share was not yet established. The pantry was relocat- e d a c o u p l e d i f f e re n t times, from the old Presby- terian Church annex on C Street to the Community Action building and finally to the mall, where it re- mains, though in a differ- ent location than when it first was moved to that spot. See FOOD, Page 6A Fire at Forest River caused by cigarette By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer Dallas firefighters examine the damage on Thursday. DALLAS — Fire officials say Thursday’s fire at Forest River’s Dallas plant was likely caused by a cigarette. That determination was made after an Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office investigation. Dallas firefighters know another thing for certain: the RV trailer manufacturing plant’s interior sprinklers saved the day. “The sprinkler system, it worked perfectly,” said Fred Her- tel, Dallas fire chief. “It’s just a little fire. The sprinkler system prevented this from getting beyond our capabilities.” Firefighters were called to the plant at 1429 SE Uglow Ave. at about 11:55 a.m. By the time fire crews arrived, Forest River’s workers had been evacuated. The fire appears to have started on the outside of the building and traveled up the wall. The blaze triggered the sprinkler system, which knocked down the fire that had spread to the inside of the building. Hertel said given the size of the building, without the sprinkler system, the fire could have easily gotten out of con- trol. Thankfully, the blaze was contained to one section of the wall on the backside at the plant. See FIRE, Page 6A FALLS CITY Rates may increase for water and sewer fees. »Page 2A INDEPENDENCE A new itness course will come to the River- front trail system. »Page 2A MONMOUTH Western Oregon will host the NCAA Division II men’s basketball West Regional this weekend. »Page 12A SPORTS Central boys, girls basketball teams see rallies fall short in the state playofs. »Page 13A Owner of pigs still at large Itemizer-Observer staf report DALLAS — Dallas Police Department is still searching for the owner of two pigs. The pigs were found in January in the area of Oakdale and Hayter streets. They had been at a foster home, but be- came mischievous and had to be moved, said Lt. Jerry Mott in a post on Dallas PD’s Face- book page. “These look like they were possibly some- one’s pet ‘mini-pigs’ that grew too big to be house pets,” Mott said. Police oicers are not looking to take action against the owners, Mott said, but would like to return the pigs or get a release to re- home the animals, which are in temporary care at a diferent home. Any information about the owners of the pigs may be report- ed to Mott at: 503-831- 3516. wed thu fri sat sun mon tue The Western Ore- gon University sym- phony will perform its winter concert at Rice Auditorium, open to the public. 7:30 p.m. $1-$3. Young profession- als: meet like- minded people at a monthly networking meeting at White’s Collision Service. 5:30 p.m. Free. Grab an acoustic in- strument and head to Guthrie Park for a music jam session, or just come and lis- ten for a spell. 7 p.m. Free. Bring cash or food to this month’s do- nation yoga at Dal- las Yoga and Balance studio, ben- eiting MS Society. 4:30 p.m. Free. Daylight saving time begins. Don’t forget to set your clocks forward by one hour. The time oi- cially changes at 2 a.m. on Sunday. Curves in Independ- ence kicks of its an- nual food drive for the Marion Polk Food Share. The drive runs through March 25. Have a pocket full of change? Come to the Polk County Coin Club and see if you have anything special in there. 7 p.m. Free. Rain Hi: 57 Lo: 46 Showers Hi: 55 Lo: 40 Showers Hi: 53 Lo: 42 Rain Hi: 51 Lo: 40 Showers Hi: 51 Lo: 39 Showers Hi: 51 Lo: 39 Showers Hi: 52 Lo: 38