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May 22, 2025
Camas Pride Committee chairs Brie Hilliard, left, and Jacquie Hill discuss the 2025 Camas Pride block party poster inside LiveWell Camas on May 8, as Emma Hilliard, 11, runs past them. (Kelly Moyer/Post-Record)

Camas Pride Block Party expands

As Pride celebrations across the country report a lack of sponsorship, funding and support in the wake of a presidential administration that has cracked down on LGBTQ rights, the annual Camas Pride Block Party stands out.

May 22, 2025
A tower crane pierces the skyline at the Hyas Point construction site along the Washougal waterfront May 13. (Contributed by Central Bethany Construction)

Crane arrives at Washougal’s waterfront

Construction on the Hyas Point mixed-use development on the Washougal waterfront hit a public milestone last week with the May 13 arrival of a tower crane.

May 22, 2025
Mount St. Helens, seen here from Ridgefield in 2022, continues to draw interest 45 years after its cataclysmic 1980 eruption. (Taylor Balkom/The Columbian files)

‘A unique and powerful story’

Since 1996, scientists, researchers, staff and volunteers at Mount St. Helens Institute have been working to educate students and visitors about the mountain’s unique volcanic landscape. Despite recent staffing and budget cuts at the U.S. Forest Service, which oversees management and operations of the national monument, the institute remains committed to providing educational resources to visitors.

May 15, 2025
Clark County Chief Public Defender Christopher Swaby, center, reaffirms his professional oath, along with other Clark County attorneys for National Law Day of Action on May 1. The new state budget roughly doubles funding allocated to counties for public defense services, but Swaby said he still wishes the state would do more. (The Columbian files)

Washington’s budget boosts public defense funding

While Clark County’s chief public defender says he’s grateful the Legislature more than doubled funding for public defense services in its new budget, he still wishes the state would do more.

May 15, 2025
Officer Casey Handley of the Camas Police Department joins fellow participants in a “Mindful Agility” workshop as they meditate at Lacamas Lake Lodge on April 30. Members of the Camas Police Department trained with a mindfulness instructor during the two-day class to help improve mental and emotional health. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)

Refocusing with Mindfulness

The dashcam inside Camas police Officer Casey Handley’s patrol vehicle showed the Sept. 8 collision in real time. One minute, Handley was approaching a seemingly vacant intersection. The next minute, a vehicle coming from the opposite direction was turning into Handley’s path, giving the on-duty officer a split second to react.