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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 2, 2017)
SUMMERFEST: A SPACE SUMMERFEST KIDS’ ADVENTURE Page 8A TRIATHLON Page 12A Volume 142, Issue 31 www.Polkio.com $1.00 August 2, 2017 Excessive heat warning issued for Polk County “We want people looking out for those who can’t protect themselves,” mete- orologist Gerald Macke said. “That includes chil- dren and pets. We also want people to stay hydrat- ed with non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated beverages. If you don’t have AC, maybe it’s time to go somewhere that does. Itemizer-Observer staff report POLK COUNTY — Polk County is feeling the heat this week — though some relief is on the way soon. An excessive heat warning is in effect through 11 p.m. Friday, with temperatures predicted to reach as high as 105 on Wednesday (today), according to the National Weather Service. Maybe go see a movie or something else. These tem- peratures can be potential- ly life-threatening.” Temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday in particular are expected to be the hottest days with poor nighttime recovery, he said. “If you can limit physical activity during the after- Macke said knowing the symptoms of heat exhaus- tion and heat stroke is im- perative to staying safe. “When someone stops sweating, that’s an emer- gency situation,” Macke said. “As long as someone is sweating, the body is doing what it’s supposed to do.” See HEAT, Page 7A noon, it’s a good idea if you are able to,” Macke said. “If you have work to do, if you can do it at 7 a.m. as op- posed to 2 p.m., that would be smart.” In addition to highs near- ing or breaking records, low temperatures are expected to remain warm, dropping only into the mid-60s or lower 70s. IN YOUR TOWN DALLAS Business registration back on the agenda for Dallas City Council. The next total solar eclipses »Page 2A Eclipse: Why all the fuss? 2045 Northern California to Florida 2044 Montana 2037 Australia to New Zealand By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer 2034 China to Japan 2034 Africa to China 2033 North Alaska 2030 South Africa to Australia 2028 Australia 2027 Spain to Egypt 2026 Greenland to Spain 2024 Texas to Maine 2021 Antarctica 2020 Southern South American 2019 Southern South American POLK COUNTY — The moon will cast its shadow over Polk County the morning of Aug. 21 during the Great American Eclipse. But what’s the big deal? The eclipse will take nine minutes to cross the state of Oregon. It will be done in less than two minutes in Polk County — so why all this excitement? Eclipses happen all the time on earth — a lot of times, a total solar eclipse happens over the ocean, so just the whales can enjoy it, said John Farmer, market- ing and communication manager for the Oregon Museum of Science and In- dustry. “Leave it to America,” Farmer said. “We’re call- ing it ‘the Great American Eclipse.’ The last time we had a ‘Great American’ eclipse was in 1919, but it’s been a while since we had a total solar eclipse basically traverse the en- tire country.” When it comes to an eclipse, timing is every- thing. The total solar eclipse on Aug. 21 has it all. “For people who do this sort of thing, it’s a big deal,” Farmer said. “This is like the World Cup. It only comes so often.” A couple factors con- tribute to making this eclipse so special. The first one is because it is in Oregon — and Oregon will see it first, Farmer said. “In 1979, it went through Oregon, hit the tip of Idaho, Montana, and then went into Canada,” he said. “Another reason this is spe- cial is because the weather in the Willamette Valley is generally favorable. August is generally good. This time of year is super favorable to viewing.” The time of day — 10:18 a.m. in Salem — is also good, Farmer said. “It’s prime viewing time,” he said. “It’s not happening super late or super early. The huge tourism boost from Oregon — Oregon’s expecting 1 million visitors.” Another factor is loca- tion. Cities in Polk County FALLS CITY Falls City to celebrate Arbor Day on the sec- ond Saturday of Sep- tember. »Page 6A INDEPENDENCE will be in the moon’s inner shadow, or the direct path of totality, when the moon will completely eclipse the sun. “Cities like Portland and Eugene will be about 99 percent (eclipsed),” Farmer said. Anyone who views the eclipse from outside of to- tality will need to wear eye protection the entire time — and 99 percent totality is not 99 percent of the fun. Part of the excitement is what you will be able to see while the sun’s surface is blocked, said Jim Todd, OMSI director of space sci- ence education. “When the shadow’s right over you during totality, you can look up and you can see Mercury, Mars and Venus,” he said. “You’ll see the bright stars, and maybe — if we’re lucky — we’ll see a Perseid meteor shower here and there.” Todd said the chances are slim to see a meteor — the peak of the Perseid meteor shower is Aug. 12 — but the debris path is a 14- to 20-day window, so it’s possible. See ECLIPSE, Page 7A Local cold case featured on show By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer POLK COUNTY — Detec- tive John Williams thought the Polk County Sheriff’s Of- fice had the Glenn Pennie disappearance case solved in 2013. Pennie vanished from his home on Airlie Road at some point between the evening of Oct. 3, 2004, when he made a phone call, and Oct. 5, 2004, when he was due in Oakland, Calif., for a hearing on his late father’s estate. “There’s just so many weird things. His truck was packed. He was ready to go. He was supposed to be in California,” Williams said. “He told his neighbor, you know, ‘Watch my cat, get my mail. I’m leaving in the morning.’ And he never leaves. There was no sign of a struggle. Absolutely no THE NEXT 7 DAYS PLANNING FOR YOUR WEEK COURTESY OF THE POLK COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE/Itemizer-Observer The producers of Oxygen’s “Cold Justice” looked into the case of Glenn Pennie. indication of what hap- pened to him, and nothing from him since — bank ac- counts — nothing has been touched since.” This Polk County missing person’s case sparked the interest of producers of Oxy- gen’s “Cold Justice.” The sheriff’s office had up to seven suspects at the time, but not many leads on the case, until Dean Pennie, Glenn’s nephew, started talk- ing. Dean is the son of Glenn’s brother, Dale Pennie. Dale has always been considered a prime suspect in the case, and his son had a habit of saying things that indicated he knew what happened to Glenn, especially when he was under the influence of intoxicants, Williams said. He said the Polk County Interagency Narcotics Team arrested Dean on distribu- tion of marijuana charges. He and his father lived in Coos County at the time. “We had a case that led us to him through one of our local informants. We got him arrested,” Williams said. “He’s made comments over the years, usually when he’s drunk. ‘I told dad Uncle Glenn starting to stink, you better put more lime on him,’ that Glenn was kid- napped, driven down to his dad’s place, taken to a bus that’s buried underground, tortured and killed.” See PENNIE, Page 11A wed thu fri sat sun Local libraries and senior centers, and a church in Falls City are acting as cooling stations to help es- cape the heat through Thursday. If you can brave the heat, check out a free performance of “Much Ado About Nothing” at Western Oregon University. 8 p.m. Free. Dallas Public Library, 950 Main St., will host an end of the teen summer read- ing program cele- bration. 5:30 p.m. Free. Independent Chris- tian artist Scot Rig- gan will perform at Dallas Church for a free concert that is open to the public. 7 p.m. Free. Enjoy some baked goods or find some trinkets to take home at the Rickre- all Grange Flea Mar- ket. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunny Hi: 105 Lo: 66 Sunny Hi: 104 Lo: 63 Sunny Hi: 98 Lo: 62 Sunny Hi: 92 Lo: 57 Sunny Hi: 90 Lo: 56 City launches web- site aimed at increasing transparency. »Page 3A MONMOUTH Residents encour- aged to conserve water during well repairs. »Page 6A SPORTS The Dirtbags place second at the American Legion state tourna- ment. »Page 12A EDUCATION Whitworth renova- tions will make school stoutest in district. »Page 12A Garage sale coming Itemizer-Observer staff report DALLAS — Bridgeport Chapel, 16930 Bridgeport Road, Dallas, will hold its annual garage and bake sale Friday and Saturday. The sale will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Homemade pies, cook- ies and breads will be available, as well as furni- ture, collectibles, house- wares and clothes. All proceeds go to a building project in Roma- nia. For more information: 503-623-4082. Newsletter Want to be more con- nected? Sign-up to receive the I- O newsletter. Head to www.polkio.com and enter your email address and you’re good to go! Also, be sure to follow the I-O on Twitter @PolkIONews, Instagram and like us on Facebook and check www.- polkio.com for more sto- ries and photos. mon Take a moment to celebrate the beauty and useful- ness of lighthouses for National Light- house Day. Sunny Hi: 89 Lo: 57 tue Come check out the Independence Riverview Market and find fresh pro- duce or your latest treasure. 2 to 7 p.m. Sunny Hi: 90 Lo: 57
