Police Chief Robert Mason shares crime statistics that show an upward trend in youth offenses
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, Dec. 1, 2023
An increase in the number of juvenile offenses is a cause for local concern, though strategies to lessen the impact in certain neighborhoods has proven successful over the past year, Independence Police Chief Robert Mason reported at the mid-November city council meeting.
The final crime count involving young offenders isn’t yet available since the end of 2023 hasn’t yet been fully reached. “But I will say those numbers are trending up,” said Mason, who described efforts to address the problem as a “struggle.” The situation “really made some neighborhoods feel unsafe,” he said.
By placing more-intense police focus on areas in which more fights and drug use were reported among youth, such incidents have significantly declined, he noted. Some of the perpetrators have relocated, he said.
Mason offered no potential explanation for what he described as an upward trend, but it coincides with reports from the Central School District that absentee rates of CSD students are higher than the state average, prompting school officials to begin new approaches to combat the findings. This past week, the Oregon Department of Education released a report that included discipline events for the 2022-23 school year -- nearly nine percent of Oregon students had to undergo such measures, constituting another troubling trend.
Both juvenile delinquency and school discipline occur more often in economically disadvantaged groups, according to both the ODE report and the National Center for Health Research. The latter organization hasn’t linked poverty to such youth-related incidents in less populated cities, but in small towns housing and family instability are known to be associated with more crime in adolescents and young adults.
Historically, Oregon has had a relatively high Property Crime Index in its youth population, a reference to a nationally-used number that reflects burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft and arson. ▪
Polk County Fair officials report unprecedented participation by 4H and FFA youth at the county fair
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, Dec. 1, 2023
This year’s 4-H and FFA entrants to the Polk County Fair helped make it the biggest success in years -- the youth livestock auction raised nearly $596,000 in revenue – and the efforts of these young participants appear to be rivaling the rodeo as a draw for fairgoers.
As Polk County Fair Manager Tina Andersen put it: “These kids rock!”
Do they ever. The 4-H groups came within a hog’s tail of completely doubling their exhibits compared with last year.
At a recent meeting of the Polk County Board of Commissioners in Dallas, Andersen and Fair Board chair Tim Ray reported that the two groups – FFA and 4-H – were responsible for helping make the fair bigger and better than the one in 2022 – there was an increase of 11.5% over the last one.
FFA had 116 exhibitors, a 23% increase, as well as 202 exhibits, an uptick of 1%; 4-H had 234 exhibitors, up 31.5%, along with 2,206 exhibits, which translates to a whopping increase of 90%.
The youth auction played a starring role: there were 212 animals, up 14% from 2022. All those hand-raised goats, sheep and other animals resulted in a jump of overall revenue at the auction, by 16.5% with a total that reached $595,779.
Outside the meeting, Andersen and Ray confirmed that many of the teen contributions were from Central High School, which has an expanded greenhouse and a thriving student agricultural community.
Costs for participation by 4H, FFA and open-class youth were covered by donations from the Polk County Farm Bureau, according to a list of donors to the Polk County Fair. ▪
All over town, residents and the city are lighting up the town with illuminated holiday decorations
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, Dec. 1, 2023
From a home-based light show on Williams Drive that becomes a popular cruising destination this time of year to a tree along Highway 51 all dressed up for holiday cheer, it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Independence.
When darkness descends, a drive-by to some parts of town this time of year is making spirits bright.
For anyone who wants to see holiday scenes ablaze in color and light, the front yard of 1365 Williams Drive, where the Aldrich family puts on a display that can only be called an extravaganza, is a good place to start. The show starts Saturday, Dec. 2, beginning at sundown, and continues nightly.
Not far away, on Gun Club Road, is the unofficial city Christmas tree. On the west side of the street about a block from the intersection with Hoffman Road, one of the town’s tallest evergreens is festooned with multi-colored lights. It is not only a sight to see, but hard to miss.
A tree that looks like it could be a twin is along the west side of Highway 51 near Marker 3. Both big trees have been made available for viewing by families that decorated them all the way up to the top of their gigantic branches.
In Riverview Park, the Glow Walk is not to be missed. Stroll under an archway with winking-blinking lights and take in the illuminations on king-sized Christmas ornaments.
These spots are surefire bets to awaken your inner ho-ho-ho. And keep an eye out for Santa and Rudolph, who are all lit up and temporarily occupying the yards of many houses this year, as Indies of Indy offer a highly visual and luminous way to offer season’s greetings. ▪
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, Dec. 1, 2023
An increase in the number of juvenile offenses is a cause for local concern, though strategies to lessen the impact in certain neighborhoods has proven successful over the past year, Independence Police Chief Robert Mason reported at the mid-November city council meeting.
The final crime count involving young offenders isn’t yet available since the end of 2023 hasn’t yet been fully reached. “But I will say those numbers are trending up,” said Mason, who described efforts to address the problem as a “struggle.” The situation “really made some neighborhoods feel unsafe,” he said.
By placing more-intense police focus on areas in which more fights and drug use were reported among youth, such incidents have significantly declined, he noted. Some of the perpetrators have relocated, he said.
Mason offered no potential explanation for what he described as an upward trend, but it coincides with reports from the Central School District that absentee rates of CSD students are higher than the state average, prompting school officials to begin new approaches to combat the findings. This past week, the Oregon Department of Education released a report that included discipline events for the 2022-23 school year -- nearly nine percent of Oregon students had to undergo such measures, constituting another troubling trend.
Both juvenile delinquency and school discipline occur more often in economically disadvantaged groups, according to both the ODE report and the National Center for Health Research. The latter organization hasn’t linked poverty to such youth-related incidents in less populated cities, but in small towns housing and family instability are known to be associated with more crime in adolescents and young adults.
Historically, Oregon has had a relatively high Property Crime Index in its youth population, a reference to a nationally-used number that reflects burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft and arson. ▪
Polk County Fair officials report unprecedented participation by 4H and FFA youth at the county fair
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, Dec. 1, 2023
This year’s 4-H and FFA entrants to the Polk County Fair helped make it the biggest success in years -- the youth livestock auction raised nearly $596,000 in revenue – and the efforts of these young participants appear to be rivaling the rodeo as a draw for fairgoers.
As Polk County Fair Manager Tina Andersen put it: “These kids rock!”
Do they ever. The 4-H groups came within a hog’s tail of completely doubling their exhibits compared with last year.
At a recent meeting of the Polk County Board of Commissioners in Dallas, Andersen and Fair Board chair Tim Ray reported that the two groups – FFA and 4-H – were responsible for helping make the fair bigger and better than the one in 2022 – there was an increase of 11.5% over the last one.
FFA had 116 exhibitors, a 23% increase, as well as 202 exhibits, an uptick of 1%; 4-H had 234 exhibitors, up 31.5%, along with 2,206 exhibits, which translates to a whopping increase of 90%.
The youth auction played a starring role: there were 212 animals, up 14% from 2022. All those hand-raised goats, sheep and other animals resulted in a jump of overall revenue at the auction, by 16.5% with a total that reached $595,779.
Outside the meeting, Andersen and Ray confirmed that many of the teen contributions were from Central High School, which has an expanded greenhouse and a thriving student agricultural community.
Costs for participation by 4H, FFA and open-class youth were covered by donations from the Polk County Farm Bureau, according to a list of donors to the Polk County Fair. ▪
All over town, residents and the city are lighting up the town with illuminated holiday decorations
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, Dec. 1, 2023
From a home-based light show on Williams Drive that becomes a popular cruising destination this time of year to a tree along Highway 51 all dressed up for holiday cheer, it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Independence.
When darkness descends, a drive-by to some parts of town this time of year is making spirits bright.
For anyone who wants to see holiday scenes ablaze in color and light, the front yard of 1365 Williams Drive, where the Aldrich family puts on a display that can only be called an extravaganza, is a good place to start. The show starts Saturday, Dec. 2, beginning at sundown, and continues nightly.
Not far away, on Gun Club Road, is the unofficial city Christmas tree. On the west side of the street about a block from the intersection with Hoffman Road, one of the town’s tallest evergreens is festooned with multi-colored lights. It is not only a sight to see, but hard to miss.
A tree that looks like it could be a twin is along the west side of Highway 51 near Marker 3. Both big trees have been made available for viewing by families that decorated them all the way up to the top of their gigantic branches.
In Riverview Park, the Glow Walk is not to be missed. Stroll under an archway with winking-blinking lights and take in the illuminations on king-sized Christmas ornaments.
These spots are surefire bets to awaken your inner ho-ho-ho. And keep an eye out for Santa and Rudolph, who are all lit up and temporarily occupying the yards of many houses this year, as Indies of Indy offer a highly visual and luminous way to offer season’s greetings. ▪
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