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April 17, 2012

Credit union sponsors free ‘shred days’ in May

In an ongoing effort to help people protect their personal information, Lacamas Community Credit Union is sponsoring two free shred day events in May. The Vancouver area Shred Day will be Saturday, May 5, at LCCU's Terrace Branch, 19200 S.E. 31st St., in Camas, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Skamania County Shred Day is scheduled for Saturday, May 19, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Stevenson Branch, 147 S.W. First St., in Stevenson. Both events are free and open to the public.

April 17, 2012
Linda Haines (seated) enjoys a laugh with several fifth-grade girls from Hathaway Elementary School during her "bad manners" skit at K'Syrah restaurant in Camas.

Young Women in Action helps fifth-grade girls realize their potential

Talking on your cell phone during lunch? Being rude to the server? Wrinkling up your nose while looking at the menu? While this may sound like an episode of a bad reality television show, it was actually a demonstration of what not to do while dining out.The lesson about appropriate (and inappropriate) restaurant manners was conducted by Linda Haines and Jocelyn Lindsay, who are spearheading a program for fifth-grade girls at Hathaway Elementary School in Washougal.

April 17, 2012

BPA discussions expected Monday

The issue of new, bigger and higher transmission towers will be on the next Washougal City Council workshop agenda. The workshop will be held Monday, at 6 p.m., in the council chambers at City Hall, 1701 "C" St.

April 17, 2012

New employees join Skamania Lodge team

Skamania Lodge recently added two new employees to its executive team. Todd Gillespie has assumed the role of director of sales and marketing, while Karlyn Dewald is the new revenue management director.

April 17, 2012
Kirsten Muskat, founder and president of the Camas Camera Club, took this "Family Moment" photo of her husband Richard Kurczak and their border collie Elmo, on Strawberry Island in the Columbia River Gorge, in May 2011. They moved from Tanzania to Camas in 2007. "I looked at this scene before me, and everything had just come together," Muskat said. "I could feel this image before I took it. It gave me the feeling of our little tribe having arrived, of being at home now in a new place that we love."

Camas Camera Club promotes creative photography projects

Individuals interested in improving their photography skills are invited to participate in Camas Camera Club meetings and assignments. The meetings are open to photographers of all skill levels, ages 16 and older. Individuals are invited to bring a couple of recent images to the meetings. The club was officially founded by Kirsten Muskat in June 2011, after she and a few photographer friends had met sporadically along trails, workshops and in local homes. Muskat, who now serves as club president, said the meetings are enjoyable and informative. "It's fun to see everyone's images, watching people's skills grow, seeing some really creative and brilliant work, and we have some great banter," she said. "We have short, informative photo talks every month, and I got some great pointers and ideas on how to present slide shows, new photo editing software and High Dynamic Range photography."

April 17, 2012

District saves money on tech upgrades

By ordering computers earlier in the year, using open-source software and purchasing larger servers, the Camas School District saved approximately $230,000 in technology costs. "Thinking outside the box this year has saved hundreds of thousands and has increased our student-to-computer ratios district wide, allowing students more access to technology at school and from home," said Sherman Davis, server administrator for the district. Davis gave a technology update at a recent School Board meeting.

April 17, 2012

Case is still under investigation

One man was arrested over the weekend after police surrounded a Camas home, but the person they were actually looking for remains at large. On Friday at approximately 8:30 p.m., Camas Police responded to a complaint of a wanted person at 4245 N.W. 12th Ave. Officers were trying to apprehend 22-year-old Husam Z. Al-Ani on an outstanding felony warrant pertaining to weapon and drug charges.

April 17, 2012

Celebrating Earth Day

Local residents will spend the weekend learning, planting, weeding, hauling and sprucing up during Earth Day focused activities and cleanup events. The Downtown Camas Association will hold its inaugural Clean-Up and Planting Day on Sunday. The event will begin at 1 p.m., when those who would like to volunteer to help out should meet at the corner of Northeast Fourth Avenue and Cedar Street.

April 12, 2012

Camas police, fire departments negotiate new contracts

The Camas City Council has approved one-year contracts with the city's police and firefighters' unions. Members of both groups will receive raises this year, after going without in 2011. A contract for 2012 was approved with the International Association of Fire Fighters Local No. 2444. Highlights include a one percent wage increase effective Jan. 1, 2012; 24 hours of "flex time" to be used in 2012 (with conditions that it cannot be cashed out, carried over or cause overtime); and a limit to 200 hours for the amount of vacation time that can be cashed out annually. The new contract also included elimination, as of March 1, of positions classified as "firefighter engineer" and "paramedic engineer."