Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current, July 05, 2017, Image 4

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Polk County itemizer observer., July 05, 2017, Page 4A, Image 4

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Newspaper Page TextPolk County Voices Polk County Itemizer-Observer • July 5, 2017 4a How to Contact Officials EDITORIALS Volunteers make the difference With the Fourth of July festivities behind us and Sum- merfest around the corner, followed quickly by the Polk County Fair and the Great American Eclipse celebrations and parties, we want to take a moment to thank the volun- teers that make it all happen. The amount of volunteer manpower that goes into our local festivals is enormous. People begin planning for the next year’s event almost a year in advance. It takes a committee meeting monthly to organize and pull off Western Days and hundreds of volunteers, not to mention the group efforts from law enforcement around the county. People are needed to collect money for the fireworks shows in Independence, to direct traffic and people, to or- ganize the Monmouth-Independence Rotary Grand Pa- rade, to clean up after the parade and festivities, to run the Mini-Marathon. Participation is a huge part of the picture. Without peo- ple entering the parade or other events, it wouldn’t be spectacular. The time and energy that goes into each float is big. Money for entry fees benefit our communities. People who line the streets to watch the parade and at- tend other events throughout the summer also help make the magic happen. These events are not organized or paid for by the cities, but by commissions, donations and volunteers. We are thankful to members of the Polk County County Emergency Response Team, who annually give their time to run a first-aid tent at Western Days, as well as provide security for all of the county’s events. We are thankful for those who put in the seemingly end- less hours of planning and organizing to make the Fourth of July so special in Polk County. We’re grateful for Beth Jones bringing back the barbe- cue competition in Dallas, and the Dallas Fire & EMS vol- unteer firefighters for keeping a fireworks show in Dallas. We urge others to get involved. If you love the wonderful events that happen throughout the year, don’t assume others will pick up the slack. Get involved and help keep these traditions alive. 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, JuLy 5 • Monmouth Historic Commission — 6 p.m., Volunteer hall, 144 Warren St. S., Monmouth. 503-838-0725. • Monmouth Planning Commission — 7 p.m., Volunteer hall, 144 Warren St. S., Monmouth. 503-838-0725. • Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, ﬁrst ﬂoor conference room, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. MOnDay, JuLy 10 • Hops and Heritage Festival Commission — 6 p.m., Inde- pendence Elks Lodge, 289 S. Main St., Independence. 503-838- 1212. • Dallas School Board — 6:30 p.m., Dallas School District of- ﬁce, 111 SW Ash St., Dallas. 503-623-5594. • Central School Board — 6:30 p.m., henry hill Education Support Center, 750 S. Fifth St., Independence. TuESDay, JuLy 11 • independence City Council — 7 p.m., Independence Civic Center, 555 S. Main St., Independence. 503-838-1212. • Polk County Board of Commission work session — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, BOC oﬃce, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. • wiMPEg Board of Directors — Noon, Volunteer hall, 144 Warren St. S., Monmouth. wEDnESDay, JuLy 12 • Monmouth Tree advisory Board — 7 p.m., Monmouth Senior Center, 180 Warren St. S., Monmouth. 503-838-0725. • independence Heritage Museum Commission — 4 p.m., Independence heritage Museum, 112 S. Third St., Independ- ence. 503-838-1212. • Monmouth Library advisory Board — 7 a.m., Monmouth Public Library, 168 Ecols St. S., Monmouth. 503-838-0725. • Monmouth Parks and Recreation Board — 7 p.m., Volun- teer hall, 144 Warren St. S., Monmouth. 503-838-0725. • Polk County Board of Commissioners —9 a.m., Polk Coun- ty Courthouse, ﬁrst ﬂoor conference room, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. 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 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Cyclists should follow safe distance On Sunday, June 25, about noon, I observed two bicyclists riding east on East Ellendale. They were just east of the Polk Veterinary Clinic when I saw them. They were both wearing helmets, and at least the second rider had on a bright yellow shirt to make him more visible to cars. The thing that looked un- safe to me, was that the sec- ond rider was only about one bicycle distance back from the first rider. AARP’s Safe Driving Course teaches drivers to maintain a distance of at least three seconds when it is daylight, and the pave- ment is dry. You add one second if the pavement is wet, and one second if it is nighttime. (Driving in the rain at night would require five seconds to be safe.) So, when the first vehicle passes a stationary object, you begin the count: “one- one-thousand, two-one- thousand, three-one-thou- sand” (or the appropriate number for the time of day and weather). Your car shouldn’t reach the stationary object until you get to the “three-one- thousand” (or appropriate number). Being a former registered nurse (who was raised by two very safety conscious parents), I prefer to prevent injuries by following safe practices, rather than heal them. I try to teach others to consider safer practices as well. I can just image the re- sults if the first bicyclist de- velops a problem, and the second bicyclist is following too closely. Have fun riding in this nice weather, but be safe. Barb Chrisman Dallas Brandt’s worker saves the day I’m writing to say a big thank you to employee Andy from Brandt’s Garbage Service. This kind, compassionate gentleman found me lying on the ground after a fall around 8:30 a.m. on June 14. He was on his route and heard me cry for help. He came running to me and of- fered help. I was so very grateful and appreciate his kindness and help in calling 911 for me, and he insisted on staying with me till the paramedics came. Thank you Andy from the bottom of my heart and yes, I broke my hip, but am re- covering nicely. Thanks to all concerned. Esther Misley Independence Climate affects life as we know it We need to answer four questions about climate change: is it happening, what’s causing it, what are the consequences and what can be done? For evidence, there’s gla- cier loss, rising sea levels, increasing ocean acidity, dying corals and changing migratory patterns. Also av- erage global temperatures do seem to be increasing century over century. Why now? Since the tem- perature jump started with the Industrial Revolution and because CO2 and other industrial gases are excel- lent heat absorbers, a good guess is that the jump is be- cause of industrial activity. The consequences are enormous. While I don’t think climate change will wipe out all life on earth, most likely our life will dis- appear, at least the way we want to live it. You like hunting? Fishing? Skiing? Sorry, all gone. You like good, cheap, plentiful food? Sorry, gone. How about just getting around the neighborhood? Tens of millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa will move to escape the desert. Where are they going to go? Mexico City has 21 mil- lion people and they’re run- ning out of water. Where are they going to go? Oregon has 4 million peo- ple and California 40 mil- lion. Where are they going to go when Los Angeles be- comes unlivable (please, I know …) and the tempera- ture change in the Pacific Northwest is minor com- pared to elsewhere. What to do? If nothing, you better kiss your cushy, roomy, high-tech, well-fed life good-by because the cost of living is about to go up. Or we can try to cut green-house gas emissions and hope we’re in time. Yes, cuts will cost trillions but the world we like may survive. No cuts will cost megatrillions, and our world — and maybe your grandkids — won’t survive. You choose. 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 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 Dan Farnworth Monmouth 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: 161 high St. SE, Suite 250, 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 Vol. 142, No. 27 (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 nEwSROOM Emily Mentzer ..............Editor/Monmouth/Independence Reporter ....ementzer@polkio.com Lukas Eggen..................Sports Editor......................................................................leggen@polkio.com Jolene Guzman............Dallas/Falls City/Polk County Reporter ................jguzman@polkio.com Stephanie Blair.............General Assignment Reporter........................................sblair@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 The Polk County Itemizer-Observer assumes no ﬁnancial responsibility for errors in advertise- Karyn Pressel .................................................................................................................iosales@polkio.com 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. POSTMaSTER: Send address changes to: Polk County itemizer-Observer, P.O. Box 108, Dallas, Oregon 97338