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DHS Receives MAPS Grant

Prep Basketball In full Swing See B1 & B8

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Wednesday December 18, 2024 | Volume 148, Issue 51

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Guthrie ‘family’ joins Christmas music jam Council narrowly approves 2025 refuse rate hike By DAVID HAYES Editor

For 37 straight years, Sally Clark has invited her extended “family” of amateur musicians to jam at the Guthrie Park Community Center on Friday nights. On Dec. 13, the small, former private school house in rural Polk County between Dallas and Falls City was filled with more than 100 family and friends for a Christmas Jam fundraiser. Clark said the annual event brings in enough to pay to keep the lights on and the heater going. Their annual Holiday Fundraiser usually brings in around $3,000. “I have people from California that used to come here all the time but still send me donations,” Clark said. Luann Ritts, from Dallas, performed solo while folks were still shuffling in for the main acts for the evening. She’s been playing and running the jam circle for 23 years. “I learned about the Friday night jams from a little newspaper article See MUSIC, page A3

By DAVID HAYES Editor

PHOTO BY DAVID HAYES

Three generations of the Stutzman family (from left) Robyn, Nora, 10, Janet, Danna, 12, and Bailey, perform as the first act at the annual Christmas Jam at Guthrie Park Community Center Dec. 13.

Dallas Fire & EMS places new engine into service Carlos Barrientos; and City Manager Brian Latta. The city used ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds to Dallas Fire & EMS placed a new purchase the engine. engine into service last week. Their Dallas Fire & EMS also thanked new 2024 Spartan S-180 will replace the city of Dallas Fleet Maintenance an almost 30-year-old fire engine. personnel “who tirelessly worked on Dallas Fire & EMS has been in the getting all the parts and pieces workprocess for over a year to get this new fire engine into service. Between ing along with our deputy and division brainstorming, conceptualizing, order- chiefs who finalized all of the details.” “Keeping our fleet up to date with ing, and then completing the final current fire standards and safety regtouches, many individuals have put countless hours into this new piece of ulations is of the utmost importance to Dallas Fire and EMS. This new equipment. apparatus will help our agency serve Dallas Fire and EMS thanked the citizens of Dallas for many years.” everyone that had a hand in getting said Fire Chief April Wallace. this project completed and in securApparatus Specifications: ing funds to get this project off the 2024 Spartan S-180 3114 ground, including Mayor Ken Woods; Pump Capacity: 1500 gpm city councilors Michael Schilling, Water Tank Size: 750 gallons Larry Briggs, Micah Jantz, David Foam Tank: 20 gallons Schein, Nancy Adams, Kim Fitzgerald, Seats 5 Personnel Kirsten Collins, Debbie Virden and Staff

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By a slim majority, the Dallas City Council voted 5-4 to approve a 4.1% rate increase in refuse and recycling services at their Dec. 9 meeting that will go into effect Feb. 1. Republic Services had pitched the rate increase at the council’s Nov. 18 meeting, citing increases in its refuse rate index, the 11th year the company has used the calculation mechanism. Republic Services has an exclusive franchise agreement with the city of Dallas to provide refuse and recycling services. Annually, the company evaluates its rates and requests the City Council approve adjustments to the rates it charges Dallas customers. The rate increase of 4.1% follows a hike of 5.4% last year. Julie Jackson, Republic Services Municipal Manager, told the council on Nov. 18 the company is aware they came in last year and asked for a big increase. “That was for service level increase. The CPI increase was also larger,” Jackson said. “I think we’re starting to see CPI level off. We would anticipate it to be even lower next year.” She explained in addition to a increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), this year’s increase was also the result of higher disposal rates that Republic Services must pay. “We come in every year and ask for these small increases so that so that we don’t end up every two or three years asking for 7 or 9 or 10 percent increases, because we think those are really hard on people,” Jackson added.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

Dallas Fire & EMS personnel conduct a “push-in” ceremony, officially entering their new 2024 Spartan fire engine into service.

See RATE, page A2

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IN THIS ISSUE Voices Corrections Obituaries Puzzle Solutions Social Public Records Classifieds Puzzles

A4 A4 A6 B2 B2 B6 B8 B8

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