A local man with experience in construction and ministry is using both sets of skills in his new position. Dave Gray, of Washougal, is the faith relations coordinator for Evergreen Habitat for Humanity. "I talk to area churches and let them know about Habitat," he said. "I see if there is a way to partner with them, to empower their groups - men, women and children - to help the community."
Monty Scott, Amie Beld, and Hailey Vail huddle at one end of the circular table, hovering over the small, makeshift catapult constructed with a few pieces of wood and a plastic spoon that holds the tiny, chewy, sweet smelling gummy bear. The Lacamas Heights Elementary School fourth- and fifth-graders talk quickly, bouncing around ideas for how to launch the tiny treat so that it hits just the right spot on the target. They may not always agree, but that's what science is all about: trial and error, until the desired result is accomplished. One after another, they launch and measure. Launch and measure. On one of their first practice attempts, the spoon breaks. Back to the drawing board. The trio was among nearly 300 young scientists from schools around Clark County who gathered on Saturday morning at Clark College for the annual Elementary Science Olympiad.
A Washougal City Council vote on the 2011 budget is not expected to occur anytime before Monday, Dec. 6. That is also when a public hearing regarding the budget will be continued. Several supporters of the West Columbia Gorge Humane Society spoke out during last night's council meeting regarding the potential budget decrease from $25,000 this year to $4,000 in 2011.
Camas property owners will not see an increase in the city's tax levy rate this year. Last night the Camas City Council unanimously passed the city's 2011 general fund levy. The rate will be $3.60 per $1,000 of assessed value -- the same as 2010. Also passed were the 2011 emergency rescue fund levy and library bond levy, both of which are part of packages approved by voters in recent years to fund EMS services, and the construction and renovation of the Camas Public Library (completed in 2003), respectively.
Diana Alcomendas remembers participating in a children's TV show at the age of 5, in the Philippines. She and her sister Lea, 7, performed ballet along with other children. Alcomendas, 29, still recalls seeing the "stage mothers," who attempted to convince the youngsters to smile and perform in a particular way. Then and now, Alcomendas prefers that children be allowed to enjoy their performances. As the dance director for the Virtuosity Performing Arts Studio, she can do just that.
It's a place where old computer parts come to die. At Empower Up in Vancouver, wires, mother boards, hard disks and CPUs are stripped from their plastic containers and, along with items including monitors, and dumped into one of the receptacles that neatly line the wall of the warehouse style building -- like coffins that hold the bits and pieces of what once was. But at the home of this non-profit entity, these previously unwanted parts are not forwarded on to a landfill somewhere. Instead, they are brought back to life through the organization's re-use and recycling efforts.
It looks like City of Washougal officials will not need to use $184,680 in cash reserves in order to fund expenditures in the 2011 budget. Changes to the preliminary budget - as presented to City Council last night - include the elimination of a vacant police position. According to Assistant Finance Director RJ Stevenson, the position had been included in the 2010 budget but remained vacant. A budget for next year had included $90,000 to hire a police officer who would focus primarily on traffic enforcement.
The person who will soon become the new Third Congressional District Representative in Congress is a Camas resident. Republican Jaime Herrera was elected to the position by 53 percent of voters on Nov. 2. She defeated Denny Heck, a business owner and former state legislator for the 17th District. Heck conceded the race the evening of the election. "The most powerful words of a democracy are 'the people have spoken,'" Herrera said in a statement. "Tonight the people of Southwest Washington have spoken and said that they want me to represent them, their families and communities in the Congress of the United States."
The first of five new firefighters who will be hired by East County Fire and Rescue during the next seven months will arrive for his first day of work next week. Wes Long, a former ECFR fire captain, will return to his position on Nov. 15. In addition, coming on board in early December will be firefighter/IV technicians Brad Delano and Dane Hammond. The men both currently work for the Camas Fire Department, but their positions will no longer be funded as of Dec. 3. The firefighter/IV technicians were originally hired by Camas as part of an agreement with East County Fire and Rescue. This contract approved in December 2008 stipulated that with levy lid lift funds approved by voters in February 2008, ECFR would pay for Camas to hire five firefighters. Those individuals would respond from two ECFR stations -- Orchard Hills on 39th Street in Washougal city limits and Fern Prairie on Northeast 267th Avenue near Grove Field Airport in unincorporated Camas.
Camas Police Officer Tim Dickerson remembers that he did not like to read books when he was a child. "My mother was a schoolteacher, and she made me read," he said. "My older sister read 'Gone With the Wind' in two days and 'War and Peace' in three days. I hated to read until almost 25 years ago." Dickerson was bored while on a layover at an airport, so he purchased a book related to police work at one of the stores in the terminal.
