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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 17, 2018)
Polk County News Polk County Itemizer-Observer • January 17, 2018 3A Dallas community creates calendar Photo contest run through Facebook inspires project, fundraiser By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — Jan Ahrendt simply wanted a new cover photo for the Dallas Oregon Community Bulletin Board Facebook page. Ahrendt, an administrator for the page launched by her daughter, Cheryl Cisneros, thought it was time to give the growing board a new look. “In December, my mom said that we need to have a refreshed photo for the cover, and partly because it was a new year, and we had that one for a while, and partly because there was an- other board that was using our original version,” Cis- neros said. Cisneros is the executive director of Creating Oppor- tunities, an organization that supports people with developmental disabilities. She launched the Facebook page to survey the commu- nity ahead of her son, Steven, who has autism, opening a business in 2015. From there, the board morphed into a place local people could connect with others or seek information. Since then, the page has grown. Ahrendt, now retired, monitors the board with the help of two other adminis- trators. She said it has more than 7,000 members. “I wanted a place where community members could connect with businesses, and businesses could con- nect with community mem- bers,” Cisneros said. “It real- ly was important to me that it be positive in tone and to really enhance the commu- nity, to bring the community together.” With that mission in mind, Ahrendt said that the new cover photo needed to be a representation of Dallas. She asked Cisneros to help her find photos of the area, but it didn’t take them long to real- ize the resource they needed was at their fingertips. Complaint leads to meth bust Itemizer-Observer staff report POLK COUNTY — A citizen complaint led to the discovery of a large quantity of methamphetamine on Sunday afternoon. Authorities received a call from at 12:23 p.m. about a reckless driver traveling west on Highway 22 near milepost 15. The caller advised that the male driver was also smoking what he or she believed was methamphetamine from a glass pipe. A Polk County Sheriff Office deputy requested assistance from the Grand Ronde Tribal Police in locating the vehicle. An Oregon State Police trooper from McMinnville was also in the area. Grand Ronde Tribal Police located and conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle. The OSP trooper and Polk County deputy arrived shortly thereafter. The driver, David Edie, 38, of Portland, was arrested for DUII. Further investigation and a drug detection K-9 from the Newberg Police Department was conducted. The K-9 alerted authorities to bags in the vehicle and a search revealed about a quarter of a pound of methampheta- mine. A stolen handgun was also found with the drugs and $500 was seized from Edie. Edie was arrested for DUII (controlled substance), possession of methamphetamine (substantial quantity), distribution of methamphetamine (substantial quantity), felon in possession of a firearm and first-degree theft by receiving. A female passenger, Alicia Schier, 28, of Portland, was arrest- ed for possession of methamphetamine. Both Edie and Schier were lodged at Polk County jail. Addi- tional charges are likely, according to a press release. Citizen helps restrain suspect JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer Julie Jones, left, who helps hand out the calendars, Cheryl Cisneros and Jan Ahrendt display photos from the Dallas Community Bulletin Board’s 2018 calendar. Cisneros suggested a photo contest with mem- bers of the board as the con- testants. Ahrendt loved the idea and quickly posted a re- quest for photos, telling members the winning photo would become the new cover photo. They said the response was immediate and over- whelming. “We started getting snow- balled with all these gor- geous photos,” Cisneros said. Soon, they knew they had to expand the contest pa- rameters. “But since there were so many good ones, we thought we can’t just select one,” Ahrendt said. They decided to choose one for every month, and from that the Dallas Com- munity Bulletin Board Cal- endar was born. Cisneros and Ahrendt found that printing a calendar was cost-effective and could eas- ily be used to raise money for worthy cause. “We wanted it to be com- munity-serving, so my mom asked if I had any ideas about who it should benefit, and I immediately thought of the service integration team,” Cisneros said. The Dallas Service Inte- gration Team will receive about $1,000 in proceeds from the calendar sale. Not so easy was the daunting task of selecting 12 winning photos. They enlist- ed their family to narrow down photo submissions to 36 and let board members vote for their favorites. Ahrendt said the number of people who submitted photos wasn’t the only sur- prise during the contest. An anonymous donor, who she identified as a Dallas resi- dent and business owner, of- fered prize money for the top three winners. “He said that he was so impressed with what was going on, with what had opened up in the communi- ty and that it had united the community … that he want- The winners are: First place: Haley Snider. Second place: Delton Maddox. Third place: Ross Cadi- gan. For more information: On Facebook, Dallas Ore- gon Community Bulletin Board. ed to make a monetary gift,” she said. If you missed the calen- dar, the pair are in the process of ordering a 100- page tabletop book to fea- ture more of the photos sub- mitted for the 2018 contest. And, yes, there will be a 2019 calendar. Ahrendt said she begin the contest soon- er, so this year people can have their calendars in time to give as Christmas pres- ents. “It’s been an amazing ex- perience, and they are al- ready taking photos for 2019,” Ahrendt said. “We can’t just do this once. It’s too rewarding.” Itemizer-Observer staff report POLK COUNTY — A citizen helped Sgt. Tyrone Jenkins re- strain Hunter Merkel until further assistance arrived on Friday. Sgt. Jenkins contacted a male pedestrian, later identified as Merkel (aka Jason Feyko) on Highway 22 just east of Green- wood Road at 3:46 p.m. The man removed his hands from his pocket, which caused a small Ziplock bag to fall from his pocket onto the ground. The bag contained methamphetamine. Sgt. Jenkins informed Merkel he was being detained when Merkel pulled away and began to fight with Sgt. Jenkins. Both individuals ended up on the ground in a muddy field just off the highway. Sgt. Jenkins was able to call for assistance on his radio. Due to slippery conditions, Merkel was close to breaking free when a passing motorist, Malcom Mespelt, of Salem, provided assistance. Deputies responded along with multiple other surrounding agencies. Deputies arrived on scene about three minutes after the fight began. A Taser was used and deputies gained control of Merkel and placed him in restraints. One deputy was treated for minor injuries sustained during the fight. Merkel was lodged at Polk County Jail on charges of interfering with a peace officer, tampering with physical evi- dence and possession of methamphetamine. Come and see me for your hearing needs. Mark Sturtevant Serving the community since 1992. 503-623-0290 • 312 Main Street, Dallas joyfulsoundhearingservices.com
