Polk County
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Polk County Itemizer-Observer • May 24, 2017 4A
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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-
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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-
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dissenters are welcome to re-
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letter writers should maintain a
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Letters, like all editorial mate-
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Letters must include the au-
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letters submitted via the I-O’s
website. Names and cities of res-
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Letters must be submitted
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Letters of thanks to busi-
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The deadline for letters to the
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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
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which is in error if the Itemizer-Observer is at fault.