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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (May 31, 2017)
DAVIS FAMILY SEEKS TO RIBICH WINS NATIONAL COME AND SEE CHAMPIONSHIP Page 7A Page 11A Volume 142, Issue 22 www.Polkio.com May 31, 2017 $1.00 ODOT installs dynamic warning sign By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer POLK COUNTY — Ore- gon Department of Trans- portation is installing a “dy- namic warning sign” on Highway 99W at Clow Cor- ner Road with the goal of p re v e n t i n g h i g h - s p e e d crashes. Installation will finish in early summer, said Lou To r r e s , a n O D O T spokesman, but it doesn’t change the long-term plan of building a roundabout at the intersection. The warning sign will alert drivers on Highway 99W when cars are entering the intersection from Clow. “The idea is to get a dri- ver’s attention that a vehicle may be wanting to cross the intersection or turn left,” Torres said. “And, hopefully they will slow down.” Torres said four dynamic warning signs are being put in on ODOT’s Region 2, which includes the mid- valley area. The total cost of the four projects is $670,000. The county and ODOT reached an agreement to build a roundabout at the intersection early this year, ending a long-standing dis- pute between state and county officials about in- stalling a traffic light at Clow Corner. The sign proj- ect was already planned. Torres said the round- about project needs more funding before it can begin. “We have $3.4 million se- cured for the roundabout, but we will likely need around $5 million to com- plete project development and construction,” Torres said. “We believe that we should be able to secure the remaining funds.” Once money is in place, the project will take three to four years to complete. At that time, the dynamic warning signs will be taken down and could be reused at another intersection, Torres said. “They can be effective for high speed rural inter- sections like the one at Clow Corner and (High- way) 99W,” he said. IN YOUR TOWN DALLAS Relay for Life Polk County kicks off Satur- day at DHS track. »Page 11A FALLS CITY Answering the call Madeline Guiger re- members her time at Falls City High School. »Page 14A MONMOUTH By Jolene Guzman Bike repair stations make traveling by bike a little easier. The Itemizer-Observer FALLS CIT Y — Leon Beauchamp, a longtime vol- unteer firefighter with the Falls City Fire Department, remembered a call when he and one other guy were the only people available to re- spond. They went to the station and waited for others to ar- rive, Leon recalled. When it was evident that no one else was coming, they looked at each and asked: “What do you want to do?” “Well, if we are going to do anything, let’s go do it,” he remembers saying. “No- body else showed up, so we had to go do it.” The call was for a burn pile that drifted out of con- trol. The pair put it out and went back to their day. For a town like Falls City, that kind of dedication is needed — and that’s what kept Leon going for 51 years as a volunteer in var- ious capacities. He said there were maybe 10 or 12 volunteers when he start- ed in 1966. “It was doing something,” Be a u c h a m p e x p l a i n e d . “Back then, it was a small department.” Last month, Leon retired from the department. Department spokes- »Page 3 A INDEPENDENCE Monmouth-Indepen- dence chamber has a new director. »Page 2A SPORTS Dallas’ softball team defeats Lebanon to ad- vance to state semifi- nals. »Page 11A Friday Court holds first graduation on Friday Itemizer-Observer staff report JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer Leon Beauchamp retired in April from Falls City’s Fire Department after volunteering for 51 years. woman Megan Sykes said the he is the longest-serving volunteer, and the depart- ment made him an hon- orary lifetime member — a first for Falls City Fire. Leon was talked into join- ing the department by a friend in January 1966. Leon’s wife, Alice, remem- bers the scene clearly. “He came up in the evening, and he sat there and said, ‘Come on, let’s just join the fire department,’” she said. “He (Leon) was just sitting there holding a baby in his lap and finally said, ‘OK. OK. I’ll try it.’” See LEON, Page 10A Memorial Day: Paying their respects By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — It took them a few minutes of searching, but Lucile Mitchell and S a l l y L o w r y, b o t h o f Lebanon, found what they were looking for at Dallas Cemetery Thursday morn- ing. Pausing a second after the walk up the hill to the b a c k o f t h e c e m e t e r y, Mitchell knelt over the grave of Alton Mitchell. She placed potted yellow flow- ers next to the grave and began pushing metal sticks in the ground next to it to keep it in place. “He’s my brother-in-law,” Lucile Mitchell said before taking a small American THE NEXT 7 DAYS PLANNING FOR YOUR WEEK flag from Lowry to put in the flower pot. Alton Mitchell fought in World War II and was in- jured. He was given a Pur- ple Heart for his service. Down the hill in the cemetery, others are mak- ing similar journeys, from near or far, to honor their relatives on the eve of Me- morial Day weekend. Red, white, and blue flowers, pinwheels and flags deco- rate graves of those who served. A pair of sisters took the morning to clean the head- stones of their relatives, choosing to come Thursday morning to avoid the crowds later in the week- end. See RESPECT, Page 6A JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer The Avenue of Flags help pay tribute to veterans during Memorial Day weekend. DALLAS — The first graduates of Polk Coun- ty’s new Mental Health Court will celebrate their accomplishment on Friday. The ceremony takes place at 9:30 a.m. in Polk County Court- house court room No. 1. The key note speaker is Sen. Brian Boquist. The graduation is open to the public. The program, also known as Friday Court, began in April 2016 after more than a year of planning to “develop strategies to reduce the impact of mental illness on our criminal justice system,” said a press re- lease announcing the graduation from Judge Norm Hill. “From the court’s perspective, these de- fendants are on a carousel of dysfunc- tion,” Hill wrote. “They commit crimes, are placed on probation, then fail to obtain men- tal treatment leading to committing new crimes. We needed a new tool to try and break that cycle.” wed thu fri sat sun mon tue Surprise a local busi- ness during the Dal- las Vitality Connection Cash Mob. Meet at Mill and Main streets. 5 p.m. $20. Dallas Public Library will host a two-hour workshop on the Oregon Health In- surance Market- place. 5 p.m. Free. Why not grab a tasty treat and celebrate National Doughnut Day? Looking to head outdoors? Enjoy free parking and camp- ing on Saturday as part of State Parks Day. www.oregon- stateparks.org. Head out to Rickre- all Grange for Sun- day’s flea market — and enjoy breakfast or lunch while you are there. 9 a.m. Free. The Brew and BS lecture series ex- plores the New Tes- tament at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Dallas 7p.m. BYOB. The public is invited to a Latino forum focused on market- ing/outreach to the Latino community in Polk County. 9 a.m. Free. Cloudy Hi: 71 Lo: 52 Partly cloudy Hi: 68 Lo: 51 Partly sunny Hi: 69 Lo: 48 Mostly sunny Hi: 71 Lo: 48 Partly sunny Hi: 71 Lo: 45 Mostly sunny Hi: 72 Lo: 49 Sunny Hi: 84 Lo: 53