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Stories by Heather Acheson

email icon heather.acheson@camaspostrecord.com

August 24, 2010

Clark Public Utilities gives green light to electricity rate increase

Electric rates for Clark County residents will increase by nearly 6 percent beginning Sept. 1. On Aug. 17, the Clark Public Utilities Board of Commissioners approved the increase, which district officials say is needed because of factors including the local effects of the recession, a warm winter and higher taxes. For a typical homeowner using 1,500 kilowatt-hours a month, the average bill will increase by $6.95, from $122.75 to $129.70. Rates for commercial and industrial customers will increase by varying amounts, based on usage patterns.

August 24, 2010
The Washougal River Greenway Trail in Camas offers a 1.1 mile paved route that runs across a 370-foot pedestrian bridge. Amenities also include picnic tables and bike racks. There are trail heads at Northeast Second Avenue and Yale Street, and at Baz Park along the Northeast Third Avenue Loop.

In the shade of the old oak trees

A celebration to mark the completion and opening of the Washougal River Greenway Trail will be held Thursday, Sept. 2, at 3 p.m. The event, open to the public, will include light refreshments under the natural canopies of the Oregon white oak trees that look out onto the Washougal River at Southeast Yale Street and Second Avenue in Camas. A variety of local, county and state officials and elected leaders have been invited to attend.

August 24, 2010

Next up: The General Election

Another Primary Election has come and gone, and this time around there were only a few surprises when it came to the results. While the Washougal Emergency Medical Services levy grabbed a whopping 74 percent of the vote, the most notable local surprise was the other local levy vote. Despite a poor economy, the majority of voters voiced favor for the Fort Vancouver Regional Library levy lid lift, stating they would like to see their local libraries improve by offering additional hours and more books.

August 17, 2010

Reward offered in Klickitat Park fire investigation

Camas police are offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individuals responsible for setting a fire at a Camas park last week. The fire broke out at Klickitat Park in Northwest Camas early Thursday morning.

August 17, 2010
Hilltop Fire

Hilltop Fire is 46 percent contained

As of this morning, fire crews battling the Hilltop Fire north of Camas and 10 miles east of Hockinson have the blaze 46 percent contained. "Our crews did a fantastic job of flanking the fire and establishing a fire line today," said Incident Commander Andy Aschenbrenner. "We are very optimistic about the progress we have made on this fire." According to a press release, additional crews arrived at Larch Mountain last night to assist with suppression efforts. Today, they will initiate a controlled "burn out" of interior pockets of viable fuel still within the fire perimeter.

August 17, 2010
Pictured above is an architect's rendering of the north elevation of the future Camas Ridge apartment complex.

Camas Ridge complex construction begins this week

Crews will break ground on the 51-unit Camas Ridge mixed-income apartment complex on Prune Hill this week. The Vancouver Housing Authority recently awarded the project to KeyWay Corp., Inc., based out of Tigard, Ore., on a low bid of $5.11 million. The total construction budget is $7.56 million. Funding sources include $3.25 million in private activity bonds through U.S. Bank, $1.5 million from the Washington State Department of Commerce Housing Trust Fund, and $473,224 in loans and grants from Clark County HOME, Community Development Block Grant and 2060 funds. The Vancouver Housing Authority is providing equity of $2.33 million.

August 17, 2010
Sunni Lambert (right), 14 months, and Preslie Castellani (left), 11 months, grin for the camera while playing at Crown Park in Camas on Monday. The girls recently competed in the Clark County Fair's Pretty Baby contest. Preslie took first in her age group, while Sunni was picked first overall. They are the daughters of longtime friends Brandie Castellani, of Camas, and Megan Lambert, of Washougal.

A couple of cuties

The "cute factor" was off the charts on a recent Saturday, as 120 babies flashed their prettiest smiles as they competed at the Clark County Fair. But the cutest of them all was a true little bundle of sunshine, appropriately named "Sunni." Sunni Lambert, daughter of Megan and Travis Lambert of Washougal, took home the top prize during the fair's "Pretty Baby" contest. The proud mom said her 14-month-old daughter has a naturally outgoing nature. "We get a lot of comments on her personality," said Megan, 27. "Her dad is kind of quiet, so I guess it would have to be credited to me."

August 17, 2010

Start of Highway 14 improvements inches closer

It seems that delays, delays and more delays have been the name of the game when it comes to the Highway 14 safety improvement project. Originally, work on the heavily used Camas-Washougal roadway was supposed to begin earlier this year, but holdups in the property acquisition process pushed the project off of its original time line several times.

August 17, 2010
The USS Ranger CV-61, "The Top Gun of the Pacific Fleet," built in Newport News, Va., was first commissioned in August 1957. It is 1,071 feet long, weighs 88,000 tons, and extends 271 feet at its widest point. In its day it could hold a crew of 5,600. The massive aircraft carrier will soon have a new home along the Columbia River in Fairview, Ore.

USS Ranger finds a home in Fairview

There was a lot to celebrate on the USS Ranger's 53rd birthday. Known as the "Top Gun of the Pacific Fleet," the aircraft carrier has been the focus of a nearly decade-long effort, with the ultimate goal being to bring it from Bremerton, Wash., to the Portland-metro/Vancouver area so that the vessel could be used as a museum, tourist attraction, educational center, emergency preparedness center and military memorial.