Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (May 24, 2017)
Polk County Voices Polk County Itemizer-Observer • May 24, 2017 4A How to Contact Officials EDITORIALS Athletes teach life lessons 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 Central junior Bethanie Altamirano finished first in the 400-meter run at the OSAA Track and Field State Champi- onships in Eugene on Saturday, and while she did it, though she may not realize it, she set an example for all of us. She said she cried because she was scared — and felt like she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. We’ve all felt that way — or will — at one point or anoth- er. And when the feeling comes, we need to remember Al- tamirano. We need to step on the track and run our hearts out. We need to not take it slow and expect we’ll catch up, but go full speed ahead and come out on top. Altamirano was just one of many student-athletes from Polk County who performed at a top level at the state championships. In total, athletes from Central, Dallas, Falls City and Per- rydale high schools placed in 24 events in Eugene. Some were there for the first time. Others were making a return trip, but each one of their stories can teach us all impor- tant lessons about what it takes to succeed in life. Their successes did not come quickly or out of nowhere. Their successes came from weeks, months and years of training and dedication. Their successes came from work- ing hard in the wind and rain during the winter. It came from making sure each practice had a purpose — even if no one was there to watch them. It came from being disci- plined and not veering from the course set before them. It came from finding something they love doing and have a willingness to go above and beyond the normal person to improve. Success did not come quickly nor easily, but each athlete persevered. They never let doubt overcome them, and they proved that true hard work can pay off in big ways — and that short-term sacrifices can lead to long-term gains. Their ability to perform at state also teaches us a lesson that when the time comes and all the chips are down, don’t let the moment overwhelm you. Trust in your preparation. Be confident in your abilities and be proud of what you’ve accomplished. It’s true, sports are fun and entertaining. But sometimes, sports can be so much more. 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 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 email (ionews@polkio.com). — WednesdAy, MAy 24 • Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, first floor conference room, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. ThursdAy, MAy 25 • Monmouth-Independence Networks Board of Directors — 7:30 a.m., Henry Hill Education Support Center, 750 S. Fifth St., Independence. 503-837-0700. TuesdAy, MAy 30 • Polk County Board of Commission work session — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, BOC office, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503- 623-8173. WednesdAy, MAy 31 • Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, first floor conference room, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Public safety worth cost of roundabout In response to Michael Welsh’s April 26 editorial letter to support a round- about, “We are not Eu- rope,” nor are we Australia, where roundabouts are common and work well. Australia even has a ma- neuver where you pull far to the left to make a right turn. It works well there, so let’s do that here too, eh? It’s just that I remember concerted efforts decades ago to teach Americans the metric system of measure- ment. Drivers and cyclists already struggle with follow- ing our current rules of the road, so I’m skeptical how we’ll acclimate to a round- about. However, one reason that makes sense to me in sup- port of a roundabout is that lower speeds may save lives. That would be worth every penny. Nannette Willis Monmouth Avenue of Flags set for Monday The Avenue of Flags was started in 1991 by our Dal- las veterans organizations. It turned out to be a tremendous project and one with great emotional impact. They started with about 65 flags. It kept growing until last year, 2016, they put up well over 700 flags. On Memorial Day, they flew proudly in the breeze on the hill of our Dallas Cemetery. The veterans’ volunteer work to set up the display took some physical doing and planning by a group of men and women who gave our community a gift that expresses the feelings of the whole community to- ward those who have given so much. If you know any of them, tell them how much you appreciate their efforts. They include mem- bers of the Dallas Ameri- can Legion Post 20, the post’s auxiliary, the Veter- ans of Foreign Wars Post 3203 and its auxiliary, and we also had some citizens step forward and volun- teer. EDITOR’S NOTE: The Av- enue of Flags will take place at Dallas Cemetery 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 office: 707 13th St. SE, Suite 285, Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-589-4555 Email: via website, www.wyden.senate.gov Dennis Johnson Dallas Avenue of Flags program co- ordinator 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 newspa- per, 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 verification 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. Office: 147 SE Court St., Dallas. sen. Jeff Merkley (dem.) 313 Hart SOB Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-3753 Fax: 202-228-3997 Salem office: 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 office: 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 neWsrOOM Emily Mentzer ..............Editor/Monmouth/Independence Reporter ....ementzer@polkio.com Vol. 142, No. 21 (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 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Polk County — One Year $35 Other Oregon Counties — One Year $40 Outside of Oregon — One Year $45 POsTMAsTer: send address changes to: Polk County Itemizer-Observer, P.O. Box 108, dallas, Oregon 97338 Lukas Eggen..................Sports Editor......................................................................leggen@polkio.com Jolene Guzman............Dallas/Falls City/Polk County Reporter ................jguzman@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 The Polk County Itemizer-Observer assumes no financial responsibility for errors in advertise- ments. It will, however, reprint without charge for the portion of an advertisement Web: www.polkio.com Phone: 503-623-2373 Fax: 503-623-2395 which is in error if the Itemizer-Observer is at fault.
