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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 25, 2017)
Polk County Voices Polk County Itemizer-Observer • October 25, 2017 4A How to Contact Officials EDITORIALS Keep Halloween safe for everyone Tuesday is Halloween, and with the leaves changing color and chill in the air, it seems a perfect time for some spooky fun. As you celebrate the holiday that is all about candy, cos- tumes, haunted houses and creepy stories, remember to stay safe. Halloween is the one night that we encourage children to walk around in the dark, go to strangers houses and ask for candy. It’s a good tradition, rooted in community trust, that we shouldn’t be afraid to participate in. Be smart about it, though, and here is why: Roughly two times as many children aged 5 to 14 are killed while walk- ing on Halloween evening compared with other evenings of the year. Falls are a leading cause of injuries among chil- dren on this one night. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Safety Council have compiled tips for parents to keep in mind. Children should: • Go only to well-lit houses and remain on porches rather than entering houses. • Travel in small groups and be accompanied by an adult. • Know their phone numbers and carry a cell phone for an emergency phone call. They also should carry a note in their pocket with their name and address. • Bring treats home before eating them so parents can inspect them. • When using costume knives and swords, ensure they are flexible, not rigid or sharp. When walking in neighborhoods, children should: • Use flashlights, stay on sidewalks and avoid crossing yards. • Cross streets at the corner, use crosswalks and don't cross between parked cars. Children should stop at all cor- ners and stay together in a group before crossing. • Wear clothing that is bright, reflective, and flame re- tardant. Consider using face paint instead of masks. • Avoid wearing hats that could slide over their eyes. Avoid wearing long, baggy, or loose costumes or oversized shoes to prevent tripping. Parents and adults should: • Supervise the outing for children younger than 12 and establish a curfew for older children. • Prepare homes for trick-or-treaters by clearing porch- es, lawns, and sidewalks and by placing decorations away from doorways and landings. • Avoid giving choking hazards such as gum, peanuts, hard candies, or small toys as treats to young children. • Inspect all candy before children eat it. To ensure the safety of pedestrian trick-or-treaters: • Drive slowly, watch for children in the street and on medians and exit driveways and alleyways carefully. • Have children get out of cars on the curbside, not the traffic side. And remember, have a fun and happy Halloween. 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, OCT. 25 • Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, first floor conference room, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. THuRSDAy, OCT. 26 • Monmouth-independence networks Board of Direc- tors — 7:30 a.m., Henry Hill Education Support Center, 750 S. Fifth St., Independence. 503-837-0700. TuESDAy, OCT. 31 • Polk County Board of Commission work session — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, BOC office, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503- 623-8173. WEDnESDAy, nOV. 1 • 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 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 Dallas shines at Glow Run The Dallas Glow Run Committee would like to ex- tend a heartfelt thank you to the volunteers, sponsors and participants that came out in support of the 2nd annual Dallas Glow Run held on Oct. 14 at the Acad- emy Building. Over 100 vol- unteers lined the course to cheer and guide runners and walkers and make sure the event ran smoothly. This year's event included a newly added Kid's Dash for children ages 6 and under. The young partici- pants enjoyed the party at- mosphere and were greeted by glow-in-the-dark batons from the Anytime Fitness mascot and a finisher's metal that was proudly dis- played to family and friends. Next, more than 400 run- ners and walkers, many of which were dressed in cos- tume, completed the 5k fun run through Downtown and the Dallas City Park to the illumination of 2,500 led twinkling lights. The event raises thousands of dollars each year for Christmas Cheer, a local non-profit that provides food assis- tance to families in need. The Dallas Glow Run Committee would also like to thank staff from the City of Dallas Parks and Recre- ation Department, Police and Community Develop- ment for their support with the event. Dallas is fortunate to have so many caring people to create a fun, family- friendly activity that show- cases why it's so great to live in a small town. We look forward to an even bigger and better Glow Run in Oc- tober 2018 and hope that you'll be there to celebrate it with us! Suzanne Dufner Dallas WANT TO WRITE A LETTER? Letters to the editor are lim- ited to 300 words. Longer letters will be edited. Each writer is restricted to one letter per 30-day period. The Itemizer-Observer does not guarantee the accuracy of facts presented by letter writers; dissenters are welcome to re- spond. Letters, like all editorial material submitted to the news- paper, are edited for length, grammar and content. Letters must include the au- thor’s name, address and tele- phone number. This includes letters submit- ted via the I-O’s website. Names and cities of residence are pub- lished. 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. Email: ionews@polkio.com. SUPERINTENDENT’S CORNER As I was driving down 16th street between Central High School, Talmadge Mid- dle School, and Ash Creek Elementary, I was reflecting on my first three months in the Central School District community. I kept reflecting on the word community. When key words resonate with me, I refer back to their definitions to indulge my re- flective connection to that word. There are several dif- ferent definitions of com- munity: A group of people living in the same place; a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals; or an interacting population of various kinds of individuals in a common location. In this reflection of the different definitions, I re- alized that many of us live each day in several commu- nities. For example, our family community, school commu- nity, and work community, to name a few. Some may have connections to one another and some may not. Through- out my first three months, I have had the opportunity to see and learn about the dif- ferent communities within each of the five schools, dis- trict departments, as well as the greater Independence and Monmouth communi- Kubista ties. These connected make up t h e g re a t community I have the honor of serving each day as the super- intendent. As one of the educational leaders within this commu- nity, it is vital we continu- ously foster environments where learning, growth, working, and leading are prevalent. As I have met with stu- dents, staff, families, and community leaders it is clear this type of environment is being fostered. Within any community, it is important that we build a culture of trust, we build a culture of relationship, we build a cul- ture of communication, and we build a culture of under- standing. Please know, within these different communities, there will be times we will agree to disagree and view things dif- ferent. That is always a great way to learn and grow, by lis- tening to understand and re- flecting on those differences. But, the capacity of a human community, is people living and working together, learn- ing, growing, and leading, to 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 bring forth new realities, for the success of Central School District, students, families, staff, and the greater com- munities we are in. To close, I want to share a few anonymous quotes from Central staff as I asked them to reflect on their dreams for students, families, and the greater Central community. In regard to students: That they “love to learn.” That they “experience the joy of realizing they can be suc- cessful beyond their wildest imagination,” and “have a feeling of accomplishment in whatever they do.” In regard to families: That they “feel welcome and in- volved within the schools.” In regard to community: That we “work together to support the needs of stu- dents, families, staff, and the greater community.” Our work together has just begun in Central, a gem of a school district, located in the beautiful Willamette Valley. I look forward to working with the many communities that make up Central as we continue to polish this gem in support of our students, staff, and families. Jennifer Kubista, Ed.D. Superintendent, Central School District 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 nEWSROOM Emily Mentzer ..............Editor/Monmouth/Independence Reporter ....ementzer@polkio.com Vol. 142, No. 43 (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 (ext.115).................hleppin@polkio.com Rachel Best ....................Display Advertising (ext. 110) .........................................rbest@polkio.com Karen Sanks...................Client Services (ext. 118)...............................................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.