On Wednesday, four applicants hailing from Washington, California and Idaho will begin an interview process that will ultimately result in one of them being selected as the next Camas city administrator.
Marijuana possession is now legal in Washington, but local officials say there are still many more questions than answers surrounding the implementation of this controversial ballot measure passed by voters in November. "There's still a lot about the new law that is pretty cloudy," said Camas Police Chief Mitch Lackey of the impacts of Initiative 502, which deals with recreational marijuana use. "People are not sure what it means and how to enforce it." As of Dec. 6, it became legal for adults older than 21 to possess up to an ounce (28 grams) of marijuana. And although I-502 also establishes precedent for growing, processing and retailing recreational marijuana, it provides the state's Liquor Control Board until Dec. 1, 2013, to create the system that will ultimately regulate it. The new system would be similar to the one used to control alcohol. "We expect that it will take the full year to craft the necessary rules which will provide the framework for the new system," the WSLCB said in a statement. "As we develop the rules we will keep in mind our top priority, public safety."
Port of Camas-Washougal leaders have been making many important, strategic and smart decisions during the past few years, and recently agencies beyond the borders of Camas and Washougal have taken notice. It was announced last week that the Port of C-W had been named "Port of the Year" by the Washington Public Ports Association, which consists of 76 port districts across the state.The award, voted on by the six-member WPPA executive committee, was presented during the organization's annual meeting in Seattle. It recognizes the C-W Port's strategic planning, acquisition and development milestones.
Finalists who hope to become the next Camas city administrator will go through the interview process next week. After initially receiving 70 applications, consultants from Waldron -- firm hired by the city to help with the effort -- has narrowed the pool to the top 10 applicants. A selection committee, made up of Mayor Scott Higgins, Human Resources Director Jennifer Gorsuch, City Administrator Lloyd Halverson, retired Public Works Director Monte Brachmann, and Councilman Greg Anderson, are in the process of reviewing the qualifications of the top 10 and will select the four to six people who will be invited to Camas for formal interviews.
Drivers planning to travel State Route 14 near Camas on Saturday will encounter delays during an inspection of the West Camas Slough Bridge.
In Clark County's largest food drive on Saturday, thousands of pounds of food will be collected in an event that is made possible by the efforts of thousands of volunteers. Inside today's Post-Record, readers will find a Walk & Knock grocery bag that can be filled with non-perishable food and left on front doorsteps Saturday by 9 a.m. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., volunteers will go door-to-door to collect the bags, and deliver the food to one of 10 drop-off locations, including the Tidland Corp. parking lot in Camas.
The suspect in a Camas burglary has been captured and booked in jail on multiple charges following a manhunt on Monday that lasted several hours. Camas Police Department Sgt. Scot Boyles said the incident came to a close just after 1 p.m. when a resident called 911 to report that the suspect had been spotted in a backyard at the 2500 block of Quartz Street. A chase with officers ensued and the man, identified as 24-year-old Bradley Eric Jensen, of Arlington, Wash., was caught. "The K-9 unit got him," Boyles said, "and the officers were able to apprehend him."
The Bonneville Power Administration announced Wednesday that it has identified the "Central Alternative" using Central Option 1 as its preferred alternative for the I-5 Corridor Reinforcement Project. "We have heard from many people their desire for us to identify a preferred alternative sooner rather than later," said BPA Administrator Steve Wright. "The preferred alternative represents a healthy balance of our accountability to the region, particularly to those who participated in the public process; our responsibility to manage costs for regional ratepayers; our role as responsible environmental stewards and our goal of operating a reliable transmission system." To view a map of the alternatives and the draft environmental impact statement, visit www.bpa.gov.
Most of us of us have seen the deluge of national commercials advertising "door buster sales," and heard catchy slogans designed to lure shoppers to buy, buy, buy. It's holiday shopping season, and the multi-million dollar companies are all competing for the money in our pockets.
An annual food drive that brings together hundreds of kids to help generate thousands of pounds of food for the needy is underway. Stuff the Bus, organized by the Camas-Washougal Business Alliance, is a friendly competition between Camas and Washougal high school students. Each and every school in both cities' school districts participate by collecting donations. Last year, 61,000 pounds of food was raised, and organizers are hoping to top that this year.
heather.acheson@camaspostrecord.com
