As if on cue, the sun began to peek through the clouds just in time for the annual Memorial Day event at the Washougal Memorial Cemetery on Monday. The rays highlighted the hundreds of tiny American flags marking the graves of those who served their country, and flowers placed to honor loved ones who have passed away.
Bridging the Gaps over the river A public forum, "Bridging the Gaps", to discuss options for bridges across the Columbia River, will be held on Saturday June 4 at 1 PM at the LifePoint Campus, next to the new Costco. Experts and elected officials from both states will participate, and questions from the public are encouraged.
It's often been said that in the course of a heated debate, the fewer words spoken the better. Especially when everyone wants to weigh in for as long as they can, fewer words, written or spoken, can have more impact. So, from my chair in the peanut gallery, I offer just five words of advice to those anguishing through the final process of hiring a director for the Camas-Washougal Economic Development Association.
"Girly photo shoots," "big girl panty decorating," and "shooting hoops for boas," don't sound like typical activities one would find in downtown Camas on a Thursday night. But this week it's all part of the fun during the second annual Girls Night Out event.
In his state of the union address, President Obama stated he wants 80 percent of our electricity to come from "clean sources" by 2035. That is a tall order. Credit Suisse estimates it will take $750 billion in capital expenditures to supply just 20 percent of our nation's power demand from renewable sources. Needless to say, coming anywhere near the president's goal will require us to rethink our energy policy.
"From tragedy sometimes comes opportunity," and the current owners of the partially completed building that was supposed to become the community's signature Black Pearl on the Columbia restaurant hope this becomes this statement will soon ring true.
During the 2008 presidential campaign, candidate Barack Obama promised organized labor that he would support their agenda. Having failed to get labor's priorities through Congress, the Obama administration is seeking to achieve the same goal through regulation.
The West Columbia Gorge Humane Society has been an integral part of the local community for many years. Despite having to deal with a number of financial ups and downs over the years, this vital organization has continued to survive, and maintain its focus of helping care for and find home for dogs, cats and other domestic pets that are often times unwanted, lost or carelessly discarded.
Scale back Washougal zoning plan My wife and I have owned our home, here in Washougal, for the last 25 years. A couple of years back when the Washougal City Council were debating the "E" Street improvements, we were very interested and attended some of those meetings and stood up to speak in favor of these improvements. We were for them because what we were hearing was a vision of a safer more attractive "E" Street, with new sidewalks, a center turn lane and bike lanes. Residents would be able to walk, bike and drive to the new shops, restaurants and services that would want to locate there.
The Camas and Washougal city councils are going to have some tough decisions ahead, when it comes to the method of providing emergency medical services in east Clark County. For more than 30 years, EMS services in Camas, Washougal and the East County Fire and Rescue district have been supported through a voter-approved levy. Up until recently, monies from this source were reliable and relatively stable. This year, however, the fund is facing a $310,000 deficit, with the primary culprit being a reduction in assessed property values.
