In case you aren't aware, on Nov. 9 the Camas School Board will be holding a workshop open to the public at Zellerbach Administrative Center to put the finishing touches on a $120 million school construction bond. That school bond will then be voted on by our School Board members at their Nov. 23 board meeting. After the Board approves it, the bond will be put before us voters in February.
Another school shooting frays our communal nerves. While tragedies involving violence grab the public's attention, there is a quieter story that plays out in homes across the nation. Frequently, and out of public view, families watch as loved ones deteriorate before their eyes, spiraling deeper into delusion and dysfunction. As they lurch from crisis to crisis, family and friends are helpless to intervene; frustrated by a system that gives them few options.
The Tenth "Sunshine Week" ended about six month ago, on March 21. This annual celebration of open government was created by the American Society of News Editors with a grant from the John L. and James S. Knight Foundation. Now co-sponsored by ASNE and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Sunshine Week is intended to highlight the importance of open government around the country. All indications pointed to the fact that this year's Sunshine Week was one of the best yet. In Washington, DC and throughout the country, people found new and innovative ways to make people think about transparency (my personal favorite was the brewing of "Sunshine Wheat" beer - the first beer of Sunshine Week).
'The Washington Constitution imposes only one "paramount duty" upon the State: "to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders, without distinction or preference on account of race, color, caste, or sex."' (McCleary 2015, p 1) That is the first sentence of the Supreme Court of Washington's filing on Aug. 13, 2015. And this "paramount duty" has been and is chronically violated by the Washington legislature.
Several years ago, the Post-Record ran a letter to the editor from a Washougal resident who recounted a traumatic childhood experience involving a serious collision between a child and a vehicle. The driver behind the wheel did not obey laws aimed at protecting youngsters as they board and disembark from the school bus.
It is an honor to join in the nomination of Nan Henriksen for high recognition as the 2015 First Citizen of Southwest Washington.
In approximately 19 days, I will be moving my youngest offspring to college. He is a locally grown and sustainable product of the Camas area. Even though my oldest has been in college for three years and also a product of Camas, the last little birdie to leave the nest always has a lingering significance.
The bipartisan Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act, HR2646, introduced in June by Rep. Tim Murphy and Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, has come under attack. The purpose of the legislation is to resolve a number of problems within our mental health care system, particularly for the treatment of America's seriously mentally ill. The measures within this legislation would effectively improve treatment and outcomes for those with severe brain diseases ultimately resulting in a significant reduction in homelessness and incarcerations.
Over the last few years, Washougal has struggled in three important areas: street maintenance, adding an additional police officer and securing funding for a badly needed second railroad overpass. All…
On July 9, Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA) appealed to congress, "Let's no longer turn a blind eye and instead help those who need it the most."
