Polk County
Voices
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • November 29, 2017 4A
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EDITORIALS
Sometimes it really
does take a village
As we are busy investigating our local Community
Champions, digging up all the good things our neighbors
are doing in our communities, organizations and groups in
Dallas, Falls City, Independence and Monmouth are put-
ting the finishing touches on plans to host Santa and light
trees.
It takes a crew of volunteers to make our towns festive,
from Dallas Downtown Association collecting sponsor-
ships to light up downtown Dallas, to the Independence
Downtown Association Parade of Lights committee chang-
ing lights on the wreaths that adorn Independence Main
Street.
The Dallas Area Visitor’s Center and volunteers from
Morrison Campus Alternative School recreate Santa’s Vil-
lage right on the Polk County Courthouse lawn, while vol-
unteers in the WOU Athletics Department prepare to en-
tertain kids and families with crafts in the Werner Univer-
sity Center.
This year we’ve noticed a new group of faces in Inde-
pendence who worked quickly to bring back a tradition we
thought we’d lost.
Cynthia Jaramillo started a beautiful tradition of the
Santa Train in Independence. She was an engineer for Port-
land & Western, and made the connections to bring Santa
to town in style, giving children a chance to visit with the
big man himself, get photos with him and receive small
gifts. The event expanded to include hot chocolate, pop-
corn, hot dogs and music. She moved to New Mexico earli-
er this year. We thought that was the end of Santa Train.
But thanks Traci Cathcart, Kim Hanson, and a handful of
people making connections, Portland & Western engineer
Zach Van Patten will pick up where Cynthia left off, driving
the train to bring Santa to Independence Cinema for the
seventh year. The energy brought by these volunteers and
passion for the event will help Cynthia’s legacy live on to
bring Christmas joy to all the good boys and girls in Inde-
pendence.
The Parade of Lights committee jumped in to help raise
donations and collect toys for Santa to hand deliver to chil-
dren at the event. The Monmouth-Independence YMCA
stepped in to help kids write letters to Santa. The city of In-
dependence acquired a special mailbox for said letters.
The entire community came together to donate toys and
trinkets to the event so that children who otherwise may
not have a gift will get one on Saturday at Santa Train.
The spirit of giving resonates throughout our county
through volunteers such as those responsible for bringing
the season to light. We hope you’ll bundle up and bring the
family down to celebrate the tree lightings, parades, and
hot chocolates, and thank the ones who made it happen.
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, nov. 29
• Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk Coun-
ty Courthouse, first floor conference room, 850 Main St., Dallas.
503-623-8173.
MondAy, deC. 4
• Central school district Board of directors — 6:30 p.m.,
Henry Hill Education Support Center, 750 S. Fifth St., Independ-
ence.
• Independence Planning Commission — 7 p.m., Independ-
ence Civic Center, 555 S. Main St., Independence. 503-838-1212.
• dallas City Council — 7 p.m., Dallas City Hall, 187 SE Court
St., Dallas. 503-831-3502.
TuesdAy, deC. 5
• Monmouth City Council — 7 p.m., Volunteer Hall, 144 War-
ren St. S., Monmouth. 503-838-0725.
• Polk County Board of Commission work session — 9 a.m.,
Polk County Courthouse, BOC office, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-
623-8173.
WednesdAy, deC. 6
• 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
Be mindful on your
daily commute
On Friday, Nov. 10, I was
working in the Monmouth
Montessori School at 1140
E. Main St. when I heard a
crash outside.
I looked out the front
door and saw the last kicks
of a big orange kitty that
had been hit by a car.
(Are you missing your
kitty?)
While I stood frozen in
shock with tears in my eyes,
my partner arrived at the
perfect time and jumped
into action.
He removed the cat from
the side of the road and put
it in a box. We took the cat
to Ash Creek Animal Clinic
where they scanned it for a
chip; there was none.
Thankfully they were kind
enough to take care of the
body for us.
Have you ever noticed
that there is not a sidewalk
for pedestrians along East
Main Street as you head to-
ward the S Curves?
Instead, there is a path
that gets covered in mud
puddles as soon as it rains,
making it impassable. The
only dry place to walk is in
the bike path, right next to
the speeding cars.
Every day I have to make
the trek across that busy
street with my new baby in
tow to check the mail.
Every day I watch as peo-
ple fly past me while I wait
to cross, without giving me
a second thought.
Unfortunately, the sound
of a crash in front of the
Montessori School is not
uncommon.
Please bring mindfulness
into your commute. I ask
that you please slow down
and use more caution as
you drive, no matter where
you are.
Juliet Sloan
Monmouth
SUPERINTENDENT’S CORNER
We have exciting news to
share; distinguished educa-
tors and a Polk County Com-
missioner’s grant.
First, this
year we
have cele-
brated two
distin-
guished ed-
ucators.
Mrs. Peder-
sen, who
Johnstone
teaches
third grade
at Lyle, was recognized in Sep-
tember. She inspires and helps
students achieve their goals.
Mr. Hughes teaches math
at La Creole Middle School.
He motivates students to do
their best in math. Great work
Mrs. Pedersen and Mr. Hugh-
es. Thank you to our commu-
nity sponsors of this award.
Please consider nominat-
ing a distinguished educa-
tor. The nomination process
is simple, and the form can
be
found
at
www.dallas.k12.or.us/distin
guished-educator-award.
We have received a grant
in the amount of $24,700
from our Polk County Com-
missioners to try a new idea.
The grant will create 38
job opportunities for high
school youth to earn direct
experience in future career
areas within Polk County.
There will be up to eight
positions at a time, each
running for eight weeks.
Upon completion, students
will receive a stipend.
Business partnerships will
provide opportunities for
students to be exposed to
various industry jobs. We
will report back how this is
going. Thank you Polk
County Commissioners.
Lastly, let’s talk about
school safety. We recently
had a “lock-out” situation at
Dallas High School. There
were concerns expressed
over communication during
the lock-out.
A “lock-out” drill means
we are keeping business as
usual inside; however, not
allowing students to leave or
people to enter the school.
In this instance, as the po-
lice department conducted
their search, we didn’t want
to place students heading to
lunch in the middle. We al-
ways work hand in hand with
Dallas Police Department.
There is no communica-
tion going out from the
school or district during the
emergency unless we have
evacuated the school and
need parents to pick stu-
dents up. We don’t want par-
ents in harm’s way either.
Once the emergency was
concluded, Dallas Police De-
partment quickly provided
the communication mes-
sage. Dallas Police Depart-
ment knows the best way to
communicate the informa-
tion. Thank you Dallas PD.
We did have communica-
tion from the district follow-
ing via email and Facebook.
We do value the feedback we
received.
Thank you for supporting
Dallas School District.
— Michelle Johnstone
Superintendent
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
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 newspaper,
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
neWsRooM
Emily Mentzer ..............Editor/Monmouth/Independence Reporter ....ementzer@polkio.com
Vol. 142, No. 48
(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
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Polk County — One Year $35
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Jolene Guzman............Dallas/Falls City/Polk County Reporter ................jguzman@polkio.com
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