DALLAS INDOOR
PLAY PARK
Volume 142, Issue 5
DALLAS BASKETBALL
JAKE COLLINS
Page 13A
Page 7A
www.Polkio.com
$1.00
February 1, 2017
Court security to limit access
BOC reviews bid to close all courthouse doors except main entrance
By Jolene Guzman
IN
YOUR
TOWN
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS
DALLAS — Limiting access to the
Polk County Courthouse to one en-
trance for court security has been
contemplated for years, but move-
ment in that direction has picked up
speed.
Last week, the board of commis-
sioners reviewed a bid to close all
doors except the main entrance on
the Jefferson Street side of the court-
house. That would shutter doors on
the historic side of the courthouse.
The bid included cameras and
locks on the doors that would only
open when the fire alarm is pulled.
The board rejected that method
and said the county would have to
put significant effort into communi-
cating with the public about the
changes before they happen.
“We would literally need to put
signs at the bottom of the stairs out
there,” said Matt Hawkins, the coun-
ty’s human resources director. “This
is a topic that we’ve had conversa-
tions around for a long time now.”
County officials said education
and signs will be important to make
the move successful, especially
given the confusing nature of the
building, which includes the historic
courthouse and an addition. Court-
rooms are located in both buildings,
and at the Polk County Jail across
the street.
The floor height in the newer
building doesn’t match to the older
building, adding to possible confu-
sion. County employees often help
Dallas Aquatic Center
users may see a rate in-
crease to use the pool.
»Page 2A
FALLS CITY
School board to ask
for donations and vol-
unteer support to build
an elementary school
gym.
»Page 2A
INDEPENDENCE
Richard Davis to re-
ceive the First Artist
award at CHS.
»Page 2A
MONMOUTH
Police department to
crack down on seat belt
enforcement, distracted
driving and speeding.
JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer
Access to the Polk County Courthouse may be limited to one entrance for court enhanced security.
PERRYDALE
people find their way out of the
building.
“We deal with people who are
confused and disoriented on a regu-
lar basis,” said Austin McGuigan, the
county’s community development
director. “It’s kind of weird that just
having the two buildings misaligned
by a few feet can cause so much
confusion for people, but it does.”
He said people tend to exit on the
old courthouse side, but under the
security plan, those doors will be
closed.
See DOORS, Page 5A
Districts see mixed results
Central grad rates rise, Dallas rates decrease from 2015
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
Committee
revises biz
registration
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — The city of Dal-
las is reviewing a compro-
mise to begin a business reg-
istration in town.
The city tabled its first at-
tempt at establishing the reg-
istration, proposed after
months of discussion and
debate. It would have made
it a requirement for currently
operating and new business-
es in town, and came with a
fee of $25 for the first year
(for new businesses) and $10
for annual renewal.
B u s i n e s s ow n e r s e x -
pressed concern, especially
about the “mandatory” part,
and the Dallas City Council
decided to have the city’s ad-
ministration committee re-
view it again because of
those issues.
See BUSINESS, Page 10A
THE NEXT
7
DAYS
PLANNING
FOR YOUR
WEEK
»Page 2A
POLK COUNTY — Super-
intendent Buzz Brazeau was
ecstatic when he heard
about Central High School’s
graduation rates for 2015-
16: 86.5 percent.
“K ids working hard;
teachers working hard; par-
ents working hard; adminis-
trators working hard as well,
and that’s a good deal,”
Brazeau said. “Great news.”
Central’s rate is up from
72.6 percent last year for its
four-year cohort graduation
rate. Its five-year rate is
even higher at 91.71 per-
cent.
Overall, schools across
the state saw an increase in
graduation rates in the class
of 2016, up one percentage
point to 74.8 percent.
“It shows the dedication
of our teachers and school
administrators that gradua-
tion rates are increasing
across the board,” Deputy
Superintendent Salam Noor
said in a press release. “We
are making progress, while
recognizing there is still
more work to do. We are
pleased our state’s focus on
improving graduation out-
comes for all students is
making a difference.”
Not all students’ success
Four-year cohort
graduation rates 2016
Four-year Completer
State
74.83
78.11
Central
86.5
86.98
Dallas
74.63
79.78
Falls City 82.35
88.24
Perrydale 96.43
96.43
counts on graduation-rate
data.
In Perrydale, graduation
rates fell from 100 percent
in 2014-15 to 96.43 percent
in 2015-16. The reason?
“One special ed student
got an alternative certifi-
cate,” Superintendent Eric
Milburn said. “Those don’t
count as completer or as a
graduate. So if you have a
high-needs special ed stu-
dent that is well below abili-
ty, they’re most likely going
to get an alternative certifi-
cate. That’s the highest level
they can complete.”
With everyone — includ-
ing those in special educa-
tion — completing high
school in one way or anoth-
er, Milburn said Perrydale is
2015
73.82
72.60
82.17
50
100
glad to be on track – and it
looks like the student suc-
cess will continue.
“We just finished the se-
mester,” he said. “In the
conversations I’ve had with
the teachers, it seems like
kids are on track” to gradu-
ate in 2017.
Falls City’s graduation
rate has shot up to 82.35
percent from 50 percent in
2014-15. With such a small
student population, Falls
City High School’s gradua-
tion rates are largely affect-
ed by one or two students.
Su p e r i n t e n d e n t Ja c k
Thompson said the high
school started a careers
class, focusing on helping
students plan for what they
wanted to do after graduat-
ing. He said it’s helped stu-
dents stay focused.
“They’ve been spending a
lot of time reviewing tran-
scripts looking at, ‘Where
am I, and what do I have to
do to be where I need to
be,’” he said. “It’s made a big
difference, and we are see-
ing the fruits of our labor
now.”
T ho m p so n sa id he’s
proud of the effort employ-
ees have put into assisting
students with the first part
of those plans: graduate
from high school.
Dallas High saw a dip in
its four-year cohort rate:
from 82.17 percent in 2014-
15 to 74.63 percent in 2015-
16. Its five-year cohort in-
creased nearly 4 percent
from 81.63 in 2014-15 to
85.06 in 2015-16.
“It’s important to note
that it’s always a different
group of kids,” said Steve
Martinelli, director of in-
structional services. “In
many cases, they have left
our district and not en-
rolled in another district.
That’s the majority of our
students who have not
completed.”
Martinelli said district
employees are working hard
to identify those students
who have left Dallas earlier.
See GRAD, Page 5A
Perrydale girls and
boys basketball prep
for stretch run.
»Page 15A
SPORTS
Sophomore Ali Nelke
helps Western Oregon’s
women’s basketball
team make steady
progress.
»Page 13A
Sheriff’s
office
investigates
two shootings
Itemizer-Observer staff report
POLK COUNTY — The
Polk County Sheriff’s Of-
fice and Salem police are
investigating two shoot-
ing incidents that oc-
curred on Friday night.
Polk County Sheriff
Mark Garton said a
woman’s car was shot at
while she was driving
near Rickreall.
Windows were broken,
but no one was hurt in
the incident, he said.
He said the woman pro-
vided a vague description
of the shooter’s vehicle as
a silver or white car. The
driver was a man who ap-
peared tall, according to
the victim.
A similar shooting hap-
pened in Salem the same
night, but Garton said in-
vestigators aren’t certain if
the two incidents are con-
nected yet. The victim in
that case gave police a
partial license plate on the
shooter’s car.
“It seems like Salem
might have a little bit
more,” he said.
wed
thu
fri
sat
sun
mon
tue
Join Polk County
Fire District No. 1 at
a celebration and
swearing-in cere-
mony at Central
High School.
7 p.m. Free.
Need help with your
taxes? AARP volun-
teers will help seniors
get through the pa-
perwork at Mon-
mouth Senior Center.
9 a.m.-5 p.m. Free.
For a toe-tapping
good time, head to
Guthrie Park’s
acoustic music jam
session on Kings
Valley Highway.
6:30 p.m. Donation.
Rickreall Grange
Flea Market is back
at the grange hall,
280 Main St., featur-
ing vendors and
baked goods.
9 a.m.-4 p.m. Free.
Enjoy the musical
stylings of “Keepers
of the Faith” at a
concert at Evangeli-
cal Bible Church in
Dallas.
6 p.m. Donation.
Why not spread
some joy and take
part in National Pay-
a-Compliment Day?
Looking to check
out some basket-
ball action? Dallas’
boys basketball
team hosts Corval-
lis.
7 p.m. $5
Rain
Hi: 39
Lo: 28
Wintery mix
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Lo: 31
Wintery mix
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Lo: 34
Rain
Hi: 46
Lo: 36
Cloudy
Hi: 44
Lo: 35
Rain
Hi: 41
Lo: 34
Showers
Hi: 44
Lo: 36