INDEPENDENCE — Work crews have started cleaning up the structure on the corner of Monmouth and Second streets.

MONMOUTH — “Who do you want to be?”

DALLAS — Mint Valley Paper, the company proposing to build a $300 million paper production plant near Godsey and Monmouth Cutoff roads in Dallas, is now in the process of securing financing.

INDEPENDENCE — it’s been about nine years since the last franchise agreement between the city of Independence and Brandt’s Sanitary Service was agreed upon.

DALLAS — The Dallas City Council approved giving the Dallas Area Visitors Center $15,000 to help keep the organization open for the next seven months.

DALLAS — The recently completed facade improvement at Corby’s Public House, 962 Main St., in Dallas won Oregon Main Street’s 2019 “Best Facade Improvement” award.

DALLAS — Salt Creek Cider House has been a dream in the making.

MONMOUTH — The buildings at Ash Creek Station, the development at the S-Curves, are starting to take shape.

DALLAS — John Hancock and his firm, Ozone LLC, want to keep Opportunity Zones straightforward for investors and property owners in Polk, Marion and Yamhill counties.

DALLAS — Heidi Kessel, the long-time owner of Heidi’s Barbershop on Main Street in Dallas, didn’t go to work for the money, but for her friends.

DALLAS — Lyle Thomas likes his eggs “burned and turned,” and at Washington Street Steakhouse & Pub, that’s how he gets them.

MONMOUTH — From his classic Looney Tunes characters to his lesser-known fine art, animation director Chuck Jones’ work is on display in Monmouth.

DALLAS — If you are looking to plant something in your garden that will catch the eye of guests and neighbors, you don’t have to search online for unique flora.

DALLAS – Rick Hilker, the owner of Dallas City Barbershop, has a simple recipe for keeping his doors open.

MONMOUTH/INDEPENDENCE — Discover MI Town is a choose-your-own-adventure style tour of Monmouth and Independence businesses, said Vikkye Fetters-Delfino, MICC executive director.

INDEPENDENCE — Rogue Farms in Independence is a destination for anyone who loves beer, likes to learn how things are made, or just enjoys a beautiful setting.

DALLAS — Bob Collins, the owner of the Blue Garden at 827 Main St. in downtown Dallas, likens the restaurant’s revival to the mythical rise of the phoenix from the ashes of its own destruction.

DALLAS – The Dallas Downtown Association and a building owner Marlene Cox received a $200,000 Main Street Revitalization Grant help build a bike hostel on the upper floors of Latitude One restaurant and a yoga studio in downtown Dallas.

MONMOUTH — Construction at the S-curves is expected to start this summer.

INDEPENDENCE — The Independence Grill and Bar started out as a 9-year-old’s dream.

DALLAS — Mint Valley Paper is awaiting a decision on its Department of Environmental Quality air contaminant discharge permit.

DALLAS — The Murphy’s Grill sign was taken down Monday, as the now-closed restaurant is in the process of transforming into the new office of Dallas-based OpenRoad Transportation.

DALLAS – Twenty-five years ago, Rachel Greco was between jobs and standing in an empty building.

Mint Valley gets approved

INDEPENDENCE — Martha Lesmeister joined the Pfaff-Karren Insurance team in December, but she’s been serving people in Monmouth and Independence for almost two decades.

DALLAS — Dallas recently learned that Mint Valley Paper, a paper products manufacturing company, is making a serious move to come to town, but that may not be the only industrial interest the city’s seeing.

Mint Valley Paper, which manufactures tissue and other paper products, is considering building a facility on 55-acres near Godsey Road and Jonathan Avenue in Dallas.

Marlene Cox, the owner of Latitude One in Dallas, will apply for a Main Street Revitalization grant to transform the second story of the restaurant building into a hostel catering to bicyclists.

The American Gas & Technology building on Monmouth Cutoff in Dallas escaped going to auction on Friday, but plans to secure loans for production are not final yet. AG&T chief executive officer Ray Tate Jr. said the building, which was in foreclosure, was pulled from the auction by the mortgage holder.

Downtown Dallas businesses Some Things and the Dallas Main Street Emporium will be shuffling locations in the coming months after Some Things owner Mike Berkes found a building to expand his store.

The Grocery Outlet in Dallas won’t open until Feb. 14, but part of the store’s crew was already at work at the Dallas Food Bank and Polk County Resource Center warehouse last week.

Pets Unleashed has been open since early October, and owner Jayden Jones said he only wants one thing for it: To serve the people of Dallas by offering them quality products for their pets.

The Dallas Forty in downtown is steadily making its way back to Corby’s, both in name and appearance.

Mother and daughter pair Julie Hertel and Amanda Warren wanted to create a neighborhood gathering place when they opened Karma Coffee Bar & Bakery in Dallas in November.

ACProducts Inc. announced on Nov. 15 that it entered into an agreement to acquire Elkay Wood Products Company, a leading manufacturer of kitchen and bath cabinetry, according to a news release.

The American Gas & Technology building in Dallas is in foreclosure and slated for auction on Jan. 11, 2019, but CEO Ray Tate Jr. said the company is seeking refinancing.

Holly Partridge grew up immersed in the restaurant business, so it seems fitting that she is the new owner of a popular Dallas coffee shop and eatery at 156 S.E. Mill St.

Expect a friendly phone call from a Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce member next month.

The owners of Petals & Vines have decided to take a historical approach when repairing the main entrance to the shop.

Happiness in a cup.

Mark and Liz Weisensee started a business with a vision and a home equity loan.

Jiffy Lube isn’t just about oil changes anymore, and the new Dallas location features the expanded services offered at the chain’s “multi-care” centers.

When Jim Davis speaks, it’s soft, making you lean in a little to make sure you catch everything he is saying.