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Wednesday October 22, 2025 | Volume 150, Issue 43

Dallas names Matt Woolsey as new board member

The Dallas School District Board of Directors has appointed Matt Woolsey as its newest board member, filling the vacancy created by the recent resignation of Ed Dressel. The board interviewed five highly qualified community members – Matthew Woolsey, Matt Woolsey Jeffrey Hernandez, Michelle Bleth-Weber, Walt Markee and John Beck during an open session on Oct. 13. After careful consideration, the board voted unanimously to appoint Woolsey, who was immediately sworn in and will serve the remainder of the term. “We are excited to welcome Matt to the board,” said Superintendent Steve Spencer. “We appreciate his commitment to public education and look forward to the perspective and leadership he will bring as we continue our work. The Dallas School District Board of Directors meets twice monthly and welcomes community participation. More information about board meetings and district initiatives is available at www.dallas.k12.or.us.

County assessor certifies 2025-26 tax roll

Tax revenue up six percent Staff REPORT

The Polk County Assessor’s Office certified the 2025-26 Tax Roll to the county clerk. This authorizes Katlyn D’ Agostini, county tax collector, to start the process of mailing tax statements and collection of taxes. Agostini started mailing statements Oct. 17, and taxes are due Nov. 17. The assessor reports the total real market value in Polk County increased by over 1.5% from last year to $17.6 billion. The overall assessed value of Polk County grew by approximately 4% over last year to $8.3 billion. The total amount of taxes, special assessments, fees and charges to be collected for all districts in Polk County is approximately $133.8 million for the 2025 See TAX PAGE A2

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Carlos Barrientos to challenge for county seat

No Kings Protest

By DAVID HAYES I-O Editor

soups. Make it a little more involved with the business community.” For the eight soups in the competition, they received a wide variety, including gluten free and vegan. “Honestly, there were more than I thought. I thought that I knew how many were coming, then more showed up. So I was happy,” James said. Only ground rules were that soups had to be scratch made and no overlaps. They coordinated with participants so there were only one of each kind. Here’s the soup and how much revenue it generated by vote: Zuppa Toscana: $74 - Pumpkin Soup: $53 - Brisket chile: $25

Dallas City Councilman Carlos Barrientos has announced his candidacy for Polk County Commissioner Position 3. Barrientos said while he has enjoyed working within local government on the city council, he is ready to take Carols it to the next Barrientos level with the county. “I feel like my efforts in city council could be well spent on a wider range of concerns, be it the economy, homelessness, both juvenile and adult, and continue the trend of making Polk County a place where people feel safe and secure and enjoy the environment,” Barrientos said. He and his wife have lived in the Dallas community for more than 23 years, where they raised their two children. Barrientos said after moving to Dallas in 2002, he quickly learned that Polk County residents are social people who enjoy good conversations. “I want to know what their life experiences are. I always try to find commonality in people. I find it’s a great way to start a conversation,” Barrientos said. “I always try to find a good balance of humor with each citizen’s contact. Because if not, I may take myself too seriously and miss out on what makes other people in Polk County so unique.” As one of nine members on the Dallas City Council, Barrientos is the Chairman of the Public Works committee and past Chairman of the Public Safety Committee. He said there are a wide range of implied duties on the council. “First and foremost is maintaining a budget each year and collaborating with others to provide services to the citizens of Dallas,” Barrientos said. He also volunteers on the executive board of the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency (MWVCAA). The agency is responsible for working with rural and urban communities throughout Marion-Polk counties, while offering limited assistance to other counties. He serves as an executive member of MWVCAA’s Programs Committee. Barrientos said MWVCAA is a vital organization that provides programs such as improvement projects by weatherization for homes, providing nutrition, and care for children in Marion and Polk counties. Barrientos brings to his leadership roles two decades of experience in law enforcement with the Oregon State Police (OSP), rising through the ranks as trooper, senior trooper, detective and sergeant. His career

See SOUP PAGE A2

See COUNTY, page A3

PHOTO BY DAVID HAYES

Barbara Moore, of Dallas, and another unidentified protester got silly, dressed as mythical creatures while protesting at the serious No Kings Rally Dallas. About 370 attended the rally at the corner of Ellendale and Main Street.

Soup competition serves up funds for food bank By DAVID HAYES I-O Editor

A trio of friends took their competitive spirit to Benedetto’s Vineyard last Friday, inviting the community to see who could brew up the best batch of soup. The results, besides bragging rights, would also go back to help the community. “We invited people to make soup anonymously to raise funds for the Dallas Food Bank. Benedetto’s hosted and provided raffle prizes,” said Keara James, owner of New Morning Bakery. She and her two besties Linda Simpson and Lauren May have been battling between themselves over best baking bragging rights. “We’ve done this for three years,” Simpson said. “We’re wine club members and we’d be like, hey it’s fall. Let’s have a fall chile cookoff.” “Just for fun,” James interjected. “It grew and grew. We’re a part of the community. Hey, this is getting bigger. Let’s create a fundraiser out of it,” May added. They decided to collaborate and consolidate their competitiveness at their favorite hangout, Firepit Friday at Benedetto. Meanwhile they figured it would be the perfect opportunity to help a struggling food bank. “They’ve gotten federal grants that haven’t been coming their way,” May said. “We want to support them as much as we can through these times.” So, they went to social media, seeking participants and donations of non-perishable food donations, with each getting a raffle ticket. “Soups get votes by cash donation,” James explained. “You can try for free, but you put up to vote. But

PHOTO BY DAVID HAYES

Friends (from left) Linda Simpson, Lauren May and Keara James go in for one last cup of soup at the end of their fundraiser competition Friday at Benedetto’s Vineyard. The event raised $300 for the Dallas Food Bank. you want to vote, because you want to help the food bank.” In their prior, private competitions, they battled over the best chile. “We decided to do soup this year because Benedettos has done a chili cookoff in the past,” James said. “Talking to them, we said let’s make it a little different so there is not an overlap between what they do and this event.” In their trial run, they had eight submissions to be judged anonymously. “Next year we’re hoping to make it bigger and better. This is kind of the trial, to see what the community thinks. How the turnout is,” James said. “Next year, we want to reach out to the restaurants in town and try to get them to put forth their favorite

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