The Columbian (Vancouver, WA) articles from July 2006

The Columbian (Vancouver, WA) archives from July 2006

Cultures mesh in Vancouver.
July 31, 2006... Byline: Kelly Adams Jul. 31--Those attending Sunday's International Festival in Esther Short Park got a taste of many cultures, from Scottish country dancers to Japanese-style Taiko drumming to songs sung in Spanish. It marked the first...

Rewind: Editorials from our archives - Time for healing in 2002.(Editorial)
July 31, 2006... Jul. 31--With Clark College President Tana Hasart having been eased from her post by the college board of trustees, painful wreckage has got to be cleared away fast. The two-year college is too important to the community and has too much...

Brief shower ends 18-day dry streak.
July 31, 2006... Byline: Kelly Adams Jul. 31--Sunday's brief rain shower broke an 18-day dry spell in the metropolitan area. Charles Dalton with the National Weather Service in Portland said the last measurable precipitation was on July 12. Sunday's...

Man arrested after fight on I-5.
July 31, 2006... Byline: Kelly Adams Jul. 31--Washington State Patrol troopers arrested a 24-year-old Vancouver man after he was involved in a fight outside a vehicle in the far left lane of Interstate 5 southbound. According to a patrol report,...

Refuge proposes visitor fee.
July 31, 2006... Byline: Erik Robinson Jul. 31--RIDGEFIELD -- Bird-watchers and other visitors to two popular units of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge would begin paying an entry fee in October, under a proposal floated Friday by the refuge. ...

One on One with Dana Layon - Owner, Satsang Yoga in Orchards.
July 31, 2006... Byline: Jonathan Nelson Jul. 31--You have a business background, yet you now operate a yoga studio. How do those two fields mesh? It (the business training) has had a huge impact on what I do now. It gave me the experience in basic...

EDITORIAL: Wait on B&O Tax.(Editorial)
July 31, 2006... Jul. 31--Some things need doing before city seriously considers this tax For more than a year now, the Vancouver City Council and staff have been wrestling with the problem of maintaining services at a time revenues are not keeping pace....

Ship grounded near Vancouver.
July 31, 2006... Jul. 31--A 560-foot commercial cargo ship was grounded for about three hours Sunday in the Columbia River near its confluence with the Willamette River. According to a press release from the U.S. Coast Guard in Portland, the vessel...

Free mental health clinic slashes services.
July 31, 2006... Byline: Tom Vogt Jul. 31--Vancouver's beleaguered free mental health clinic is dealing with staffing and scheduling cuts, but officials hope the Wellness Project will survive as a more stable operation. The clinic is losing a big...

The Columbian, Vancouver, Wash., Bits 'n' Pieces column: Bits 'n' Pieces: Local pair run with bulls.
July 31, 2006... Byline: Tricia Jones Jul. 31--Jackie Steiner says she's competed in one Iron Man competition and "dozens" of triathlons. But the Vancouver woman was never more in need of speed and strength than when she had a dozen bulls thundering...

Youth ball: Hockinson in must-win sitation at Legion state.
July 31, 2006... Jul. 31--Hockinson's offense was sut down on Sunday. Now the team is down to must-win baseball to keep its season alive at the Junior American Legion Washington State tournament. Mount Vernon blanked Hockinson 4-0 on Sunday in a...

Washougal MX National - Villopoto denied Washington win as Short takes Lites race.
July 31, 2006... Byline: Paul Valencia Jul. 31--WASHOUGAL -- Ryan Villopoto disappeared in Area 51. Villopoto, who came into Sunday's action as the Motocross Lites points leader, will have to wait to win a Toyota AMA Motocross event in his home...

Washougal MX National - New champ in town.
July 31, 2006... Byline: Paul Valencia Jul. 31--WASHOUGAL -- Even when he loses, he inspires. "Ricky, we love you," a fan yelled out. "Don't worry about it, Ricky. That was still awesome," another screamed. If Sunday's Washougal MX National...

Vancouver Crit enjoys growth.
July 31, 2006... Byline: Brian Hendrickson Jul. 31--Mark Steger understands why the Vancouver Courthouse Crit has experienced rapid growth in only its second year. A challenging, technical course set in an unusual figure-eight form within close...

RyderShowtime comes up short in championship game.
July 31, 2006... Jul. 31--CAMAS -- RyderShowtime of Vancouver couldn't match the punch of North Kitsap in Sunday's championship game at the Babe Ruth 16-year-olds Pacific Northwest Regional Tournament. The North Washington champions from Poulsbo used a...

Jack: Blazers dealing three players for Bucks center Magloire.
July 31, 2006... Byline: Brian Hendrickson Jul. 31--The news of the Portland Trail Blazers' latest move stunned Jarrett Jack Saturday. Earlier that morning, while working out with fellow Blazers point guard Steve Blake, the two discussed rumors that...

House bill wouldn't derail Cowlitz casino.
July 27, 2006... Byline: Jeffrey Mize Jul. 27--A congressional committee approved legislation Wednesday that aims to end "reservation shopping," but the bill would not block the Cowlitz Tribe from building a casino near La Center. Heather Sibbison, a...

One for the Road.
July 27, 2006... Byline: Tom Vogt Jul. 27--As Gracie Sorbello wheeled from the Atlantic to the Pacific, one familiar element kept popping up. She learned to recognize the look on people's faces. "People are really confused: dropped jaws, confused...

Water alert relaxed.
July 27, 2006... Byline: Erik Robinson Jul. 27--Cooling temperatures and strong citizen response allowed the city of Camas on Wednesday to rescind its Tuesday order calling for a week of mandatory water restrictions. The city's reservoirs had been...

Vancouver chamber backs vote for library.
July 27, 2006... Jul. 27--The Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors voted Wednesday to endorse the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District's $43 million bond issue, which will appear on the Sept. 19 ballot. In announcing the...

Police Report:.
July 27, 2006... Byline: John Branton Jul. 27--Missing man calls in, says he's OK A Vancouver man who disappeared July 9 has spoken on the phone to his son, saying he "just needed time away" and will return home when he's ready. Dennis R. Carter,...

Testing the Waters.
July 27, 2006... Byline: Erik Robinson Jul. 27--Brion Lutz angled the motorboat into the flushing channel linking the Columbia River to Vancouver Lake on a recent morning, centering the boat roughly in the middle of the narrow channel. Longtime Vancouver...

Revving up Washougal.
July 27, 2006... Byline: Jonathan Nelson Jul. 27--Brett Scott's list of whom to root for during this weekend's Washougal motocross events goes something like this -- local riders, Team Honda riders and local businesses. "It's probably the biggest revenue...

Mall bookstore B. Dalton plans Aug. 19 closure.
July 27, 2006... Byline: Julia Anderson Jul. 27--B. Dalton bookstore, which has operated at Westfield Vancouver mall for the past 29 years, will close next month and be replaced by a women's clothing store geared to younger shoppers. The bookstore,...

EDITORIAL: 'Marriage' Blocked.(Editorial)
July 27, 2006... Jul. 27--Even if inevitable, the time apparently is not right for same-sex marriage law 'No law shall be passed granting to any citizen, class of citizens, or corporation privileges or immunities which upon the same terms shall not...

EDITORIAL: Legal Overkill.(Editorial)
July 27, 2006... Jul. 27--Here are two smoking bans we don't like In April, Arkansas made it illegal to smoke in a car with a young child. Sound good? A lot of people think it is. So why aren't as many people on board with another proposal in Arkansas...

Gay Marriage: Moeller vows to keep issue alive in Legislature.
July 27, 2006... Byline: Kathie Durbin Jul. 27--State Rep. Jim Moeller promised Wednesday that he will introduce legislation next year guaranteeing full marriage equality for gays and lesbians, though he conceded that achieving the goal may take years....

Election 2006: Olympia resident files to run as Republican against Brian Baird.
July 27, 2006... Byline: Kathie Durbin Jul. 27--Daniel R. Miller, a 36-year-old graduate of The Evergreen State College, wants a shot at running for Congress. Miller, an Olympia resident, filed this week to run for the Republican nomination for the...

Election 2006: Two local races remain vacant.
July 27, 2006... Byline: Tom Vogt Jul. 27--Only two races on the local ballot remain without a candidate as the end of the filing period approaches. Tim Likness, Clark County elections supervisors, said he expects only five or so more candidates to...

Dusting off a dream.
July 27, 2006... Byline: Tricia Jones Jul. 27--Susan Sarandon gets a lot of the credit for launching Larry Blakely's writing career. Not that she'd know about it. But former trial lawyer Blakely, now a Clark College English composition teacher, is...

RyderShowtime opens with victory.
July 27, 2006... Jul. 27--RyderShowtime of Vancouver amassed 19 hits against Idaho for a 24-3 five-inning victory Wednesday at the Pacific Northwest Regional Babe Ruth 16-year-old baseball tournament at Louis Bloch Park in Camas. Charles Pollock...

Changes for Washougal MX National.
July 27, 2006... Byline: Paul Valencia Jul. 27--The track will be different, and getting to the track from the parking area will be different, too. The 26th Washougal MX National is Sunday in east Clark County, with the motocross park expecting a...

LaFrentz presents options.
July 27, 2006... Byline: Brian Hendrickson Jul. 27--CLACKAMAS, Ore. -- Raef LaFrentz doesn't yet know what his role on the Portland Trail Blazers will be next season. But he does know what he can offer: versatility, size and perimeter shooting. ...

Gay-marriage ruling due out today.
July 26, 2006... Byline: Stephanie Rice Jul. 26--A long-awaited ruling from the Washington Supreme Court on gay marriage will be filed today, Chief Justice Gerry Alexander said Tuesday. Alexander made the announcement while at a lunch at the...

'Indian economy' worth millions to state.
July 26, 2006... Byline: Jeffrey Mize Jul. 26--TACOMA -- Washington's "Indian economy," encompassing everything from tribal casinos to individual businesses, employed 30,500 people and generated an estimated $141 million in state and local taxes in 2004,...

Man struck by tree clings to life.
July 26, 2006... Byline: John Branton and Howard Buck Jul. 26--Simonn Marsh was fighting to stay alive Tuesday, with family members and friends gathered around him in a hospital, three days after a large tree fell on him while he was trout fishing in the...

Neighbors welcome new precinct, park.
July 26, 2006... Byline: Justin Carinci Jul. 26--David and Kimberly Drew were so excited to see the new neighbors' place that they waited in line for a tour Saturday. And they weren't disappointed high ceilings, natural light, and a few locking...

Jobs, building boost area retail sales.
July 26, 2006... Byline: Jonathan Nelson Jul. 26--An improving job market and continued growth in Clark County's construction industry pushed retail trade sales in the first quarter to $456.4 million, an 8.8 percent increase from the same three-month...

EDITORIAL: A Better View.(Editorial)
July 26, 2006... Jul. 26--Conservation groups protect forests, greenways and clifftops for the public Past Columbian editorials have proclaimed one of the state's 10 best viewpoints to which hiking is not required is Cape Horn on state Highway 14 in the...

The Columbian, Vancouver, Wash., Tom Koenninger column: Opinion - Ridgefield must put woes in past.
July 26, 2006... Byline: Tom Koenninger Jul. 26--"There's a little bit of heaven this side of hell. "This little bit of heaven is the place in which we dwell. "The grass is rather shaggy and the fish ponds nearly dry. "But I wouldn't change...

Fuel costs hurt food banks.
July 26, 2006... Byline: Kelly Adams Jul. 26--Clark County food banks are feeling the pinch from gas prices. Employees drive large trucks to take food from warehouses. Volunteers use their own vehicle to collect and distribute food. Clients of the...

La Center regains control of sewer.
July 26, 2006... Byline: Erik Robinson Jul. 26--Commissioners for Clark Public Utilities on Tuesday relinquished the utility's sewer plant in La Center, potentially unlocking the key to future growth for the city of 2,315 in north Clark County. The...

Trio douse downtown fire with survival-kit water packs.
July 26, 2006... Byline: Tom Vogt Jul. 26--It was a bit like fighting a fire with squirt guns, but three friends used packets of water from a survival kit to douse a fire early Tuesday morning before it could develop into a major downtown blaze. "If...

Crews contain fire near Ape Cave.
July 26, 2006... Jul. 26--Fire crews gained control of a three-acre blaze near the popular Ape Cave at about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. The fire started on a hot, dry Monday afternoon a mile north of the ancient lava tube of Mount St. Helens. A 3,000-gallon air...

Corrections.
July 26, 2006... Jul. 26--One on One: A Monday headline on page E1, the business section cover, contained a misspelled name and should have read, "One on One with Dalene Schafer." Ho'ike and Hawaiian Festival: The July 21 Weekend and Beyond section...

Community watch.
July 26, 2006... Byline: John Branton Jul. 26--Car crashes into cow-hoisting forklift NEAR SALMON CREEK A Battle Ground woman crashed a car into a forklift whose operator had been trying to pick up a dead cow that had been hit by another vehicle an...

Turtles Find Refuge in the Gorge.
July 26, 2006... Jul. 26--An endangered western pond turtle, top, prepares to taste freedom while squirming in the hand of 14-year-old Stevenson High School student Justin Stratton at a release site on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge. Since...

Opponents of Camp Bonneville sound off.
July 26, 2006... Byline: Thomas Ryll Jul. 26--The next child to venture into Camp Bonneville will almost certainly be blasted into bits. The next person to punch a well nearby will almost certainly pump contaminated water. To hear opponents of...

Felida Neighborhood: Honoring a protector.
July 26, 2006... Byline: Stephanie Rice Jul. 26--New park will contain memorial to slain sheriff's deputy To Clark County at large, Bradley W. Crawford was a law enforcement officer killed two years ago. To friends, family and neighbors in...

Neighborhood News - Fircrest: For good or ill, Ninth Street opens.
July 26, 2006... Byline: Scott Hewitt Jul. 26--This is the week Northeast Ninth Street finally goes from country lane to urban streetscape. The formerly quiet dead-end street is brimming with new traffic humps, pedestrian islands, yellow signs and...

Thinking small.
July 26, 2006... Byline: Courtney Sherwood Jul. 26--Nano, nano. It may have looked like the Hilton Vancouver Washington, but the words drifting through the air at the three-day Micro Nano Breakthrough Conference there had a distinctly alien ring. ...

EDITORIAL: Support TVW.(Editorial)
July 26, 2006... Jul. 26--Gavel-to-gavel coverage valuable Many local and state governments operate cable channels that highlight government doings much like C-SPAN gives citizens a front-row view of Congress in action. Government programming is a...

Election 2006: Hagensen files to challenge Stuart.
July 26, 2006... Byline: Tom Vogt Jul. 26--The stage was set Tuesday for the biggest race on the local ballot when former Vancouver mayor Bruce Hagensen took aim at Steve Stuart's seat on the Board of Clark County Commissioners. Hagensen, a...

What's Up With That? Those railroad tracks not just for looks.
July 26, 2006... Jul. 26--On Highway 503, those railroad tracks that cross at Brush Prairie aren't being used. They should have an "exempt sign" put up so we all don't have to stop while school buses and hazmat trucks check for imaginary trains....

The Columbian, Vancouver, Wash., Bits 'n' Pieces column: Bits 'n' Pieces: First came Vancouver, then 'World'.
July 26, 2006... Byline: Tricia Jones Jul. 26--Daytime television hasn't been a priority for Vancouver School of Beauty owner Jean Banks. But she made sure to catch "As the World Turns" on July 19. That's when her daughter, Bonnie Root, began a recurring...

Hazel Dell all-stars remain alive at state.
July 26, 2006... Jul. 26--The Hazel Dell Little League 11-year-old all-stars forged on through the bracket at the state tournament in Shoreline on Tuesday with a 3-2 win over Richland National. Reid McKinney pitched a six-inning complete game, striking...

Area coaches stunned by penalties against Chief Sealth High.
July 26, 2006... Byline: Brian Hendrickson Jul. 26--Nancy Boone gasped when first told of the penalties enacted against Seattle's Chief Sealth High School on Tuesday. Four years of games -- forfeited. Two district and state 3A championships --...

EDITORIAL: Change of heart?(Editorial)
July 25, 2006... Jul. 25--Last month, Washington state pharmacy regulators incorrectly recommended that pharmacists should be allowed to refuse to fill medical prescriptions that they don't like. That's an unacceptable breach of the pharmacist's role: to...

Burning book tossed from car blamed for fire at Highway 14-Lieser Road.
July 25, 2006... Byline: John Branton Jul. 25--In an accidental grass fire Monday afternoon, an official said a man flicked cigarette ashes out his car window while driving on state Highway 14 and an ember blew back inside the car and caught his book on...

Group protecting views of gorge.
July 25, 2006... Byline: Kathie Durbin Jul. 25--CAPE HORN -- Even on a hot and hazy day, the view from the rim of the Columbia River Gorge above this scenic viewpoint is dazzling. On Sunday, members of Friends of the Columbia Gorge got a chance to...

After almost 6 years on job, police chief quits to fill same post in Kalama.
July 25, 2006... Byline: Jose Paul Corona Jul. 25--The Ridgefield Police Department lost another member of its force Friday when Chief Bruce Hall resigned. Hall, chief since October 2000, had been on paid administrative leave since May 18 for reasons...

Ex-city manager's health woes leave him in no shape for depositions, motion says.
July 25, 2006... Byline: Jose Paul Corona Jul. 25--Former Ridgefield City Manager George Fox says he's in no shape to be questioned. That's according to a legal motion for a "protection order barring any party from deposing him before October 13,...

City looks at heftier B&O tax.
July 25, 2006... Byline: Jeffrey Mize Jul. 25--The pile of money that could be raised by a Vancouver business and occupation tax has increased by $5 million, even before the city council receives a formal proposal to resurrect a tax it abandoned 14 years...

Private contracts won't be granted.
July 25, 2006... Byline: Erik Robinson Jul. 25--Finding no moneymaking ventures to its liking, the Gifford Pinchot National Forest on Monday rescinded a proposal seeking entrepreneurs willing to pay the Forest Service to operate private concessions...

Police Report: Bank fisherman hurt by falling tree.
July 25, 2006... Byline: John Branton Jul. 25--A Vancouver man remained in critical condition at Southwest Washington Medical Center on Monday, two days after being struck by a tree while fishing in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Skamania County....

Heat keeps grip on West Coast.
July 25, 2006... Byline: Erik Robinson Jul. 25--Five consecutive days of broiling heat prompted mandatory water restrictions in Camas, strained the region's electrical system and resulted in at least one death in Vancouver. Cooler marine air should...

Quartarolo to replace McKibbin at chamber.
July 25, 2006... Byline: Julia Anderson Jul. 25--"It's great to be back." That's the way Beth Quartarolo put it Monday as she responded to the announcement that she will replace John McKibbin as president and chief executive officer of the Greater...

EDITORIAL: Keep the Option.(Editorial)
July 25, 2006... Jul. 25--In the movie "Patton," George C. Scott, who played the famous World War II U.S. Army general, said, "Fixed fortifications are monuments to the stupidity of man." Better to be mobile, he said, than be locked into a position. Like...

Election 2006: Three contested races appear on first filing day.
July 25, 2006... Byline: Tom Vogt Jul. 25--The races are on. With Monday's start of filing week, local races for the fall election season began to take shape. There are three contested positions so far, including the race for Clark County assessor,...

Youth ball: Highlands all-stars remain alive at state.
July 25, 2006... Jul. 25--Connor Perry pitched a one-hitter with 11 strikeouts Monday as Highlands Little League of Battle Ground stayed alive in the Little League Baseball State Tournament by beating Sammamish 6-1. The tournament for players ages 11-12 is...

Winning from Beginning.
July 25, 2006... Byline: Paul Danzer Jul. 25--LA CENTER -- Vicki Martin chuckles as she describes looking into the back seat of the car and seeing son Ryan strapped safely into his car seat. "He's sitting in his car seat with his sippy cup, and we...

Community Sports: And they all lived to tell about it.
July 25, 2006... Byline: Paul Danzer Jul. 25--They survived. If you happened to read a month or so ago on this page about a group of friends who were preparing to take on the challenge of Ironman Coeur d'Alene, you might have wondered what happened...

Area youth teams on their way to regionals, nationals.
July 25, 2006... Byline: Paul Danzer Jul. 25--Teams from southwest Washington are scattering around the country this week and next for regional and national baseball and softball tournaments. And, for the third year in a row, state champions from...

The Columbian, Vancouver, Wash., Community Notebook column: Community Notebook: Cyclists set to invade downtown Vancouver.
July 25, 2006... Jul. 25--The Vancouver Courthouse Crit, a series of cycling races in downtown Vancouver to benefit the Washington State School for the Blind, will be held Sunday. North River Racing, a team of competitive cyclists from southwest...

Buying, selling land for conservation is a complicated process.
July 24, 2006... Byline: Erik Robinson Jul. 24--The protracted machinations over John and Claribel Chapman's property in Brush Prairie may underscore one point more than any other: Buying and selling real estate isn't for the faint of heart. That...

Rewind - Editorials from our archives - '56: Minimum wage is $1.(Editorial)
July 24, 2006... Jul. 24--More than 2,000,000 workers now getting less than $1 an hour must be raised to at least $1 by Thursday, March 1. This new minimum wage for most workers involved in interstate commerce goes into effect then, by action of Congress last...

Triple play for triple digits.
July 24, 2006... Byline: Jose Paul Corona Jul. 24--Sunday marked the second time this month and the third time this year that the thermometer hit triple digits. It was 101 degrees Sunday, as measured at Vancouver's Pearson Field, where it reached 104...

Private property, public betrayal.
July 24, 2006... Byline: Erik Robinson Jul. 24--BRUSH PRAIRIE -- It's not hard to see why the late John and Claribel Chapman wanted to conserve their property northeast of this unincorporated community. Salmon Creek curves through 5 acres covered by...

Archaeology students seek 19th-century well.
July 24, 2006... Byline: Don Hamilton Jul. 24--The busted-up 1891 toilet let them know they were on the right track. Students in the field school at Fort Vancouver found the porcelain toilet last year while digging in chief factor John McLoughlin's...

County weighs Bonneville deal.
July 24, 2006... Byline: Thomas Ryll Jul. 24--An agreement that obligates the Army for $26.9 million for the environmental cleanup of Camp Bonneville comes before county commissioners for approval Tuesday. A year in the making, the 70-page contract...

One on One with Dalene Schaefer: Billinger Berger Civil Inc. accounting clerk.
July 24, 2006... Byline: Cami Joner Jul. 24--How did you land this job? A family friend introduced me to Dipak Parekh, the company's senior vice president of operations, telling him that I have a degree in German. He asked for my resume. I took some...

EDITORIAL: Just Farm Folks.(Editorial)
July 24, 2006... Jul. 24--Wasn't that just peachy, the way Clark County commissioners campaigned so thunderously for preserving the quaint, rural charm of the fairgrounds at a meeting last Wednesday? When high-falutin' planners unveiled a draft plan for...

Medical campus planned on Mill Plain.
July 24, 2006... Byline: Courtney Sherwood Jul. 24--Redevelopment plans for the former Evergreen Airport property are drawing other projects to east Vancouver, beginning with a new medical office park that will break ground a few blocks east of the...

The Columbian, Vancouver, Wash., Bits 'n' Pieces column: Bits 'n' Pieces: Vacation is catch of the day.
July 24, 2006... Byline: Tricia Jones Jul. 24--Somewhere off the Florida coast near Key West, there's a marlin with less swim left than it suspects. So hopes Daniel Sackett, who expects to be heading there with his three buddies next month, courtesy of...