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Wednesday April 23, 2025 | Volume 150, Issue 17 www.polkio.com

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Dallas resident sounds the alarm on cougar population

Polk IO moving out of its city owned building

By DAVID HAYES I-O Editor

Tina Smith’s 18-acre property off Southwest Illihe Road abuts Rickreall Creek, which itself flows through the center of Dallas. When she and her husband, Bruce, bought the property in 1991, the neighbors told them to beware of the wildlife. While her undeveloped property does attract a lot of wildlife, including deer, turkeys, coyotes and even the occasional bobcat, it’s the cougars that has her most worried. “So, basically, the city is on the other side of that creek,” Smith said, pointing down the hill from her back porch. It was last fall while sitting in her rocking chair on said back porch, enjoying dusk setting in, when she heard the tell-tail signs of a nearby cougar momma. Because they didn’t develop the land, raise any livestock, or sell off pieces to pay for their two daughters to attend college, the undeveloped acreage became fertile roaming ground for cougars. “I was sitting out here one dusk, waiting for a thunder and lighting storm,” Smith recalled. “So, it was

Staff

PHOTO BY DAVID HAYES

Dallas resident Tina Smith regularly sees and hears from her back porch signs of cougars passing her property on Illihe Road. quite, nice, warm, when I hear ‘raaawr.’” At first, she chocked it up to a funny sounding owl. Then she heard it again not 20 yards away. “Then I began thinking, that’s not even a bobcat. That’s a cougar. A mom, talking to her kids,” she said. An ODFW biologist would later find tracks about 20 yards down the hill from her back porch, belonging both to a huge adult female and

several smaller ones confirming a pack of cubs. She has since set up motion sensors that light up the paths around her house and four trail cams around her property, that somehow, the cougars have avoided being captured on so far. Also so far, Smith said the cougars have avoided the smaller pray on her property, including her pet duck Bob, her two goats and one

sheep, which she keeps locked up safely in the barn at night. She has seen a couple deer carcasses killed and left behind by hungry cougars. Smith said the danger for pet owners who leave their dogs or cats outside at night, especially those who live along Rickreall Creek. “The wildlife biologist told me, if you’re within 100 yards of the See COUGAR, page A2

Dallas grad returns to open chiropractic clinic

work in a practice in the Beaverton area. Having served in the paramedic Dr. Kyle Padilla may not wear his community, and experiencing their religious devotion on his sleeve. But trials and tribulations first hand, he does have it in the name of his Padilla looks forward to offering his new practice in Dallas - Imago Dei, services to their members now that Latin for Image of God. he’s here in Dallas. “It comes from the idea that “I grew up being adjusted. I was humans have been made in the a lifelong chiropractic patient. Had image of God,” Padilla explained. a deep respect for the profession. I “So for me, it carries with it this knew I loved working with people. beautiful understanding that humans When I knew I didn’t want to purhave potential and worth and value. sue paramedic medicine any more, And that’s the kind of care I’ll bring chiropractic was the natural choice to my practice. Helping people for me,” he said. thrive through drug free chiropractic Padilla gives the most credit to PHOTO BY DAVID HAYES care.” his completing chiropractic school Kyle Padilla cuts the ribbon at the grand opening of his chiThe community welcomed his to his wife, Savanna, who worked ropractic clinic Imago Dei in Dallas on April 12. new practice April 12 when Padilla full time while he studied. and his wife cut the ribbon to offiworking in the family landscaping “But after a number of years, I “She is a party planner and orgacially open the doors to his clinic, business for a long time. While he realized I don’t like getting up in nizer. She has been instrumental in located at 289 Ellendale Avenue, loved working with his family, he the middle of the night,” Padilla putting events like this together,” Suite 701. knew it wasn’t for him, longterm. said. Padilla said. Padilla, 33, said it was quite the So he pursued his next passion, the His dad was diagnosed with He explained his new practice, winding journey that led him back fire service. After stints as a volunterminal cancer at that time, so he Imago Dei, joins about six others to his hometown to start a practice teer firefighter in Falls City and as chose to pursue chiropractic instead. within the Dallas area. But he’s he originally never set out to pursue. an EMT for Dallas Fire & EMT, he After graduating from Life placed his shingle out at the right He graduated from Dallas High went off to college to earn a degree University in Marietta, Georgia, he School in 2009, earning his degree in paramedic medicine. returned to the Pacific Northwest to See CLINIC, page A2 through homeschooling, before By DAVID HAYES I-O Editor

The Polk County ItemizerObserver is moving out of the office it leases from the City of Dallas due to the city’s need to expand its police department. The newspaper will continue to be published each Wednesday, although beginning May 1 its employees will be working remotely from home offices or from other Country Media locations. Country Media is the parent company of the Itemizer-Observer and based in downtown Salem. “Far fewer of our customers are coming into our local offices to do business,” said Country Media’s chief executive, Joe Warren. “Classified advertising and legal notices, obituaries and subscriptions increasingly are being placed online.” Country Media owns nine community newspapers in Oregon and one in Northern California. “Within our group of newspapers, we’re beginning to create a small number of hub locations where we can produce multiple publications,” Warren said. “In Tillamook, for example, we oversee news reporting and ad sales not only for the Headlight Herald, but also for our newspapers in Cannon Beach and Manzanita.” Meantime, allowing certain numbers of its employees to work remotely “will make it easier for Country Media to recruit new workers and also to share resources within the company,” said Warren. “It’s increasingly hard to recruit new employees and independent contractors to the small towns where we’re located,” Warren said. “Many of them now want to work remotely from home. “As it is, all of the company’s accounting, circulation and human resources functions already are going through our central office in Salem, so this move will be of little disruption to our readers and advertising customers.”

Spring Advertising Special Special pricing on print and digital ads Call or email Karen Sanks for more information: 541-951-4869 ksanks@polkio.com

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