Polk County News 2A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • January 17, 2018 NEWS IN BRIEF Dallas chamber welcomes new board DallaS — The Dallas area Chamber of Commerce welcomes four new board members on Thursday. emily mentzer, of the Polk County Itemizer-Observer, Tammy noon, of S&T Support, maclarin Jones, of Harvest Crossfit, and Gerard Graveline, of Columbia Bank, were elected to the board in December and join current members mike Barker, of mid-Val- ley Ford, laVonne Wilson, rick young, of The Car Doctor, aJ Fos- coli (ex-officio), of the city of Dallas, and michelle Johnstone (ex-officio), of the Dallas School District. For more information on the Dallas area Chamber of Commerce: dallasoregoncham- ber.org. Orchestra offers free concert Monday mOnmOuTH — The Willamette Valley new Horizons Orches- tra will offer a free concert to the community on monday at 7 p.m. at the Smith recital Hall at Western Oregon university. The Willamette Valley new Horizons Orchestra is a communi- ty orchestra made up of volunteer players from our area. re- hearsals are held on monday evenings at the monmouth Senior Center and are open to players of all levels. There are no audi- tions or tryouts. For more information, contact Paul Doellinger at 503-838-4884. monday’s performance will feature selections from various well-known and popular operas. GaIl OBerST/for the Itemizer-Observer Michael Cairns, of Independence, talks to Sen. Ron Wyden at a town hall meeting Saturday. Wyden encourages residents to ‘step up’ By Gail Oberst For The Itemizer-Observer BUY ONE GET ONE FREE All Breakfast MENU ITEMS Offer good Tuesday-Friday 9am - 2pm Always a Favorite 503-837-0394 154 S. Main St, Independence Exp. 1/31/18. One coupon per table. Not valid on to-go orders. • MUSIC FRIDAYS • NEW MENU • BANQUET ROOM NEW MENU • OPEN MIC WEDNESDAY NIGHT • CATERING AVAILABLE • MUSIC FRIDAYS Solution on Page 8A MONMOUTH — “What can I do?” a young woman asked Oregon’s U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden at his Saturday Town Hall at Western Oregon Uni- versity in Monmouth. This town hall, the 864th of his 22-year senatorial career, drew nearly 100 people, many of whom asked about his work on national matters that impact Polk County res- idents. Communicate your wish- es to your leaders, Wyden suggested. Phone calls, let- ters, marches and rallies — all of these make a differ- ence. “Our constitution, the rule of law thrives on ac- tivism. Come forward. Step up,” he said. Western’s President Rex Fuller hosted Wyden’s visit, and Independence Mayor John McArdle moderated questions from about 15 peo- ple during the two-hour event. In addition to civil engage- ment, Wyden also answered questions on these topics: • Collusion with the Rus- sians to impact U.S. elec- tions — As one of 15 members of the bi-partisan Intelligence Committee, which oversees federal intel- ligence agencies and bu- reaus, Wyden referred to Trump’s pre-presidential business dealings in Russia and said: “Follow the money. On my watch, this investiga- tion is not going to be swept under the rug.” He also sug- gested that Oregon’s vote-by- mail would resolve foreign interference by creating a paper trail unavailable in electronic voting booths. • Taxes, federal employees and Social Security — “Enti- tlements,” Wyden suggested, is not a good word for bene- fits that workers have earned. The budget deficit should not use funds from those ac- counts to pay off the budget deficit. A link on Wyden’s w e b p a g e , http://www.wyden.senate.go v, gives residents a place to share their opinions about the Republican tax plan. • Offshore drilling — Wyden called Trump’s pro- Visit our website posal to expand offshore drilling an “… ideological trophy for the oil industry.” Furthermore, he pointed out, the proposed plan would include nearly every state with a coastline, ex- cept for Florida, home of Trump’s winter home, Mar- a-Lago. The plan’s 47 pro- posed lease sites do not include any in Oregon, but could in the future. Oregon’s Gov. Kate Brown has re- quested that Oregon’s coast be exempted from all oil drilling. • Bridges and roads — A plan to rebuild American in- frastructure should have been Trump’s first move as president, Wyden said. In- stead, the Republicans pro- pose to spend $1.5 trillion on a tax cut that goes mainly to the wealthy. Now, his admin- istration is suggesting that bridge and road improve- ments be parsed out to pri- vate companies who would then charge per use. Wyden called these “Trump Tolls.” • Republicans vs. Democ- rats — The Oregon way, Wyden said, has always been collaborative. Mark Hatfield, Tom McCall, and Vera Katz were political leaders who reached across the aisle. “That was the way we did it, Wyden said. “It’s harder now than I’ve ever seen.” Despite venom, cooperation contin- ues on bills of interest to both sides, including the Chil- dren’s Health Insurance Pro- gram, which provides coverage for more than 80,000 children and pregnant women in Oregon; the “fix for fire” legislation, which would support fire prevention measures in Oregon and other states, and net neutral- ity. He said there is also bi- partisan support to resolve immigration issues, includ- ing continuing residency status for so-called “Dream- ers,” children brought ille- gally by parents or relatives the U.S., and in some cases, have known no other home. Recent presidential tweets and insulting comments don’t help, Wyden said. “That’s not what our country is about.” To contact Wyden, visit or write his Salem office at 707 13th St. Suite 285, 97301; call 503-589-4555, or visit his webpage. Stew & Biscuits Lunch Friday, Jan. 19, 11am-1pm $ 00 per person 7 • Bowl of Stew • Biscuit • Beverage Dallas United Methodist Church 565 SE LaCreole Dr, Dallas For information 503-623-8442 Supports Projects of Dallas Naomi Chapter #22, Order of Eastern Star www.polkio.com