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County growth still strong in 2004
By the end of May 2004, Clark Public
Utilities had hooked up 1,236 new residential customers in 2004,
compared to 1,171 for the first five months of 2003.
For the electric utility, every new hook-up
represents a brand new customer. People moving from place to
place within the county don’t count as new hook-ups.
The utility estimated the number of
customers would increase by 2 percent during 2004, and so far is
just about on target with an actual annual growth rate of 1.95
percent.
During May, 344 new families moved into
Clark County.
Becky Fleming earns
National
Excellence in Education Award
Becky
Fleming, assistant superintendent for Elementary
Education for Evergreen Public Schools, has been named one of 50
outstanding educational leaders across the country to receive
the National Excellence in Education Award from the University
Council for Educational Excellence.
The award specifically highlighted Evergreen
Public Schools’ Administrative Internship Program that Fleming
has supervised for the past ten years.
Fleming was previously a teacher and
principal in Evergreen Public Schools.
Fleming was nominated by Washington State
University Vancouver faculty member
Gary Selby.
Medical Center lays
claim to most advanced laparoscopic surgery suite in the
Northwest
Southwest Washington Medical Center,
according to Vancouver Clinic laparoscopic surgeon
Leslie Cagel, is now home
to the most technologically advanced laparoscopic operating
suite in the Northwest.
Presaging its expansion slated to begin in
2005, the medical center last week opened the new surgical suite
in which most of the service gear has been moved from the floor
to the ceiling and much of the computer system operation is
voice-actuated.
With voice commands surgeons can now
manipulate all the critical camera functions connected with a
laparoscopic procedure and capture digital quality images of the
procedure. The images are stored and can be shared over the
medical center’s new Picture Archiving Communications System.
Laparoscopic surgery is used at the medical
center to treat a variety of conditions, including gastric
by-pass surgery, gall bladder surgery, esophageal surgery,
stomach surgery, colon surgery and splenectomies. Laparoscopic
surgery, sometimes referred to as “keyhole” surgery, uses tiny
video cameras inserted through small incisions to guide surgeons
in making internal repairs or in removing such things as a
ruptured appendix. Far less damaging to skin and muscle tissue
the small incisions repair faster and allow patients to leave
the hospital much sooner than otherwise.
The medical center has eleven operating
suites, to be increased to 15 after expansion, including
dedicated operating suites for open heart, neurosurgery and
orthopedic surgery.
People
Jack
Bothwell, Ridgefield, vice president of Wells Fargo’s
Asset-Based Lending Group, Portland, was one of the bank’s 214
top sales and service leaders from a total of 14,000 to earn the
company’s Golden Spoke Award.
News briefs
Southbound traffic on Interstate-205 near
NE 134th street will be closed between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
tonight. Detours are available.
nnn The Fort
Vancouver Regional Library District is holding a public forum at
6 p.m. this evening to interview two finalists for the position
of Vancouver Community Librarian. The candidates are
Christina Smith, a former
Ridgefield community librarian and currently assistant manager
of district information services, and
Wyma Rodgers, with
library experience in Eugene, Corvallis and Newport.
nnn The Clark County
Animal Control office has been relocated to the Public Service
Center, 1300 Franklin Street, from the Hazel Dell Sewer District
offices. All monetary transactions can be handled at the new
office. Pet licenses, are available at several locations
throughout the county, also can be purchased in the Public
Service Center.
Fourth of July festival almost flawless--Columbian, Jeffrey
Mize
Post fireworks boat race home chaotic--Columbian, John
Branton
Southwest Washington Medical Center's high-tech laparoscopic
suite a surgeon's dream--Columbian, Tom Vogt
Ed Firstenburg's new branch dynamic--Columbian, Jonathan
Nelson
Churches struggle to help mentally ill--Oregonian, Holley
Gilbert
Workers
approve Freightliner Contract--KATU
Portland
Archdiocese to file for bankruptcy, KATU, Aviva L. Brandt
South-central Oregon earthquakes have local officials on
edge--KATU, Kevin Hays
Kerry picks Edwards to be running mate--USA TODAY, Susan Page
and Jill Lawrence
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