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Wednesday June 24, 2026 | Volume 151, Issue 25 www.polkio.com
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Dallas finally approves lower increase to waste collection rates
Dad and donuts debuts
By DAVID HAYES I-O Editor
PHOTO BY DAVID HAYES
Nathan Tipton hands wife Rose a donut at Bambino’s inaugural Dads and Donuts event June 20 in honor of Father’s Day. Bambinos board president Cloie Basey (right) and board member April Chapman were among the dozen or so volunteers who helped shift the organization’s focus for a day from moms to dads. In addition to the Roth’s donuts and Starbucks coffee, dads were also given a choice of giveaways from Good 360. Basey said 15 dads signed up for the event with 51 total family members participating.
One Fest promises action packed expanded focus on unity Dallas Ministerial Association’s community event One Fest on June 28. It better, because the event features a motorbike show, food vendors, a bouncy house, an international traveling evangelist Reid Saunders and capped off with a performance by award-winning
By DAVID HAYES I-O Editor
Chris Barker has been carefully surveying the available space at Roger Jordan Park adjacent to the Dallas Aquatic Center over the last several weeks. He figures it has the acreage needed to host the
Christian singer-songwriter Jason Gray. Barker, lead pastor at Valley Life Center, said the association has been hosting One Worship the last couple years at Dallas High School. He said when you invite members from the 20-plus churches and
PHOTO COURTESY DALLAS MINISTERIAL ASSOCIATION
International traveling evangelist Reid Saunders returns to Dallas to be a part of the Dallas Ministerial Association’s expanded community event One Fest on June 28.
IN THIS ISSUE
chapels that encompass Dallas Ministerial Association, they quickly outgrew the confines of their previous location at Gallaspy Stadium. “We started with several services at the high school stadium with churches coming together with a focus of unity,” Barker said. “We started changing up last year, making it more of a gift to the community, bringing in more for the kids and youth, with concerts and a good opportunity for the whole family.” Barker figures the Dallas Ministerial Association has brought the area’s worship communities together for nearly four decades. “It’s been really good. As pastors all of us try to communicate the importance of ministry of the community and the love of Jesus,” he said. “We’ve never been in competition with each other. We help more together than separately.” He added the Dallas Ministerial Association has had many events over the years, most recently a multi-church Christmas musical last year and prayer gatherings at the Courthouse plaza. They’ve also embraced membership from churches in Monmouth, Independence and Falls City. Barker expects One Fest to See FEST, page A8
The Dallas City Council on June 15 finally approved a 3 percent hike to its solid waste collection rates for residents after months of discussion. Republic Services had sought a much higher increase of 10 percent at their June 1 meeting but the council had compromised at 5 percent. Now, however, a 3 percent increase for residents, say with a 64-gallon bin, can expect their rates to increase July 1 from $35 to $36.05, rather than $36.75 at the 5 percent rate increase. The annual review of current rates began in February when council members voted to leave them unchanged. Instead, they wanted service provider Republic Services to come back in June with a mid-year review of their operational costs to better justify a rate increase for 2026. Because he was not present for Republic Services’ See INCREASE, page A8
Perrydale Road/ Kings Valley Highway project starts this week By DAVID HAYES I-O Editor
Starting this week, Perrydale Road will be temporarily closed to motorists south of Highway 22. ODOT crews have begun work to improve drivers’ safety at Highway 22’s busy intersections at Perrydale Road and Kings Valley Highway. Only local traffic will have access to Perrydale Road during construction. All other traffic will have to detour to Kings Valley Highway. ODOT’s partners have been moving utilities over the past few months in preparation for the project. Motorists will see the work zone getting set up this week, with crews starting work next week. The same motorists can expect changing impacts through the region as the project progresses. When work starts, you can expect: See PROJECT, page A8
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