May 14, 2013
Outstanding contributions
The Camas-Washougal area is home to many fundraisers that aim to generate money and awareness for any number of worthy causes.
The Camas-Washougal area is home to many fundraisers that aim to generate money and awareness for any number of worthy causes.
Children in Third-World countries often live lives that most of us couldn't even imagine.
Nearly one year ago, the mayors of Camas and Washougal, along with nearly 500 residents of the local communities, embarked on a weight loss challenge and friendly competition between the two cities. "Camas and Washougal on a Diet" began with an event at Capt. William Clark Park. Mayors Scott Higgins and Sean Guard stepped up to do what most of us wouldn't dream of -- get weighed in public, and then have those numbers announced over a loud speaker for all to hear. For that alone, these two people deserve a round of applause.
Yesterday, an event that took place thousands of miles away, shook this country -- deeply. As of this morning, reports are that three people were killed, including an 8-year-old boy, and more than 175 people were injured when two bombs detonated near the finish line of the popular Boston Marathon.
Ninety years ago, when the Washougal Women's Club opened the first library in downtown Camas, they may not have known the impact they would be making on future generations of Camasonians. That first library was housed in Arthur Thayer's drug store, located across the street from the paper mill's offices. The facility loaned out books donated by local residents, and the state's traveling library.
The Gibbons Creek Wildlife Art Trail, a true treasure in our community, re-opened to the public on Friday, nearly six months after a fire burned 148 acres of the 1,049-acre Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Washougal.
"There is no positive thing that could happen from taking a position [on the Columbia River Crossing]."
This past week, the first signs popped up indicating that election season isn’t too far away. Port of Camas-Washougal Commissioner Bill Macrae-Smith, wanting to get an early start, announced that he will be running for re-election. Although many of us are still making the transition to a new year and getting used to the handful of new elected officials who just took office in January, the truth is, the filing period is right around the corner. Filing week begins May 14, and the Primary Election is on Aug. 6. Now is the time for those who may have casually thought about running for local public office to seriously consider doing so, and there will be many seats to choose from this year.
During Women's History Month in March, we're often encouraged to remember the people who have left their imprints on the world on a national scale. The names that often come to mind are that of Rosa Parks, Marie Curie, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Eleanor Roosevelt, Geraldine Ferraro, Gloria Steinem, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Harriet Tubman, Maya Angelou, Amelia Earhart, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. And the list goes on and on.
There is no greater resource and asset in our community than our children. As parents, they are our everything. They add a new sense of purpose and meaning to our lives. And as a community, children are the future. The quality of their lives today have a very good chance of impacting how Camas and Washougal will look into the future and beyond.
