Yahn-Kun Chiou joins Southwest
Medical Group-Battle Ground

Yahn-Kun Chiou, M.D., has joined the Southwest Medical Group-Battle Ground, as a board-certified family practitioner with extensive experience in obstetrics and gynecology. As a family practitioner, Dr. Chiou’s training and expertise enable him to manage a wide scope of health conditions in adults and children.

"The addition of Dr. Chiou offer patients in the Battle Ground area the widest range of primary care services, including obstetrics and gynecology,” according to Kurt Litvin, executive director, Southwest Medical Group.

Dr. Chiou completed his medical residency at Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska. He also has fellowship training in obstetrics and gynecology form the University of Virginia. Prior to joining the SMG-Battle Ground clinic, Dr. Chiou was the medical director at Miramar Health Center in Pasco, Washington.

Clark County expected to get
$12 million in economic stimulus

Clark County administrator Bill Barron yesterday told the board of county commissioners that the county may receive an estimated $12 million in economic recovery funds from the federal government.

The board resolved to spend stimulus funds to “maximize the creation of jobs and restore local economic growth and opportunity by spending economic recovery funds on products and services that help keep Americans employed.”

At the same time, the board urged Clark County residents to help the local economy by shopping within the county.

New carts to make recycling easier,
more effective in parts of Clark County

A big change in the curbside recycling program begins Monday, April 6, for more than 40,000 Clark County households.

New rolling recycling containers will replace the three-bin recycling system. The carts will allow residents to put most recyclable items in one container.

In addition, the list of accepted items will expand to include yogurt and butter tubs, nursery pots, and plastic buckets up to five gallons. Glass bottles will be recycled separately, outside the cart, as will other materials such as used motor oil, anti-freeze and batteries.

Over the course of 10 weeks, residents in many areas will receive rolling carts to replace the three-bin recycling system currently in place.

Pilot testing in selected areas last year showed improved recycling rates, which will help to move the county closer to its goal of 50 percent recycling of the waste stream.

This spring’s recycling program roll-out will include single-family residential customers in urban unincorporated areas of Clark County, the cities of Battle Ground and La Center, and the town of Yacolt. Rural recycling subscribers will receive their new carts in August. 

The City of Vancouver, which participated with Clark County in the pilot program for the cart system, is also continuing to discuss carts and options with its contract hauler, Waste Connections.

CVTV will charge for
program copies

The 25-year policy of providing the public with free copies of CVTV programs will end April 15, Jim Demmon, CVTV manager, announced today.

CVTV will charge $25 for DVD copies and $28 for VHS tapes. DVDs and tapes will be mailed.  CVTV will offer reduced fees for multiple copies of the same programs.

Demmon said, "For the past twenty-five years CVTV has been unique among television programmers by providing individuals with copies of our programs at no charge as long as a blank tape or disk was provided. However, after an extensive business planning effort, we have come to the difficult decision that we must discontinue our practice of providing free CVTV duplications to the public.”

DVDs of the most popular CVTV programs are also available for checkout through the Fort Vancouver Library District.

CVTV cable channels 21 and 23 air on the Comcast cable system and are a joint operation of the City of Vancouver and Clark County local governments.

Clark College earns gold, silver
during diamond anniversary

During its 75th (diamond) anniversary, Clark College has earned national gold and regional silver awards for the commemorative book for the college’s 75th anniversary, and for its 2007-2008 athletics media guides.

The honors came from the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.

Clark College President Bob Knight said, “Coming during our 75th anniversary year, recognition of the high quality of this work is very exciting for our college.”

The college’s 2007-2008 athletics media guides earned a gold Paragon award, from the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations, the organization of marketing and public relations professionals at community and technical colleges, for best sports brochure The gold award indicates first place honors in the national competition.

The award-winning publications were created by communications specialist Erica Schwenneker and senior graphic designer Pat McDonald, in partnership with Lisa Quednow-Bickler and Joy Varney of Clark athletics, Charlie Warner of the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges, and photographers Ian Beckett and Eva Hershaw.

The college’s 75th anniversary commemorative book, Voices and Dreams, received a silver award from District VIII of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.

With text by former Columbian reporter Tricia Jones, the book was designed by Clark College senior graphic designer McDonald. It features photography by Clark designer/photographer Jenny Shadley. Executive director of communications and marketing Barbara Kerr served as researcher and editor.

The book will be on sale through June at the Clark College Bookstore at a cost of $7.50. Proceeds benefit the Clark College Alumni Association Scholarship Fund.

Calendar

The Southwest Washington Watercolor Society spring art show continues in the Westfield Vancouver Mall through Sunday, April 5. <> Peace Corps service information is being presented from 6 to 7 p.m. this evening in the Firstenburg Commons, conference room 104, at Washington State University Vancouver Campus. <> The Vancouver Watersheds Council meets from 4 to 6 p.m. today in the Water Resources Education Center, 4600 SE Columbia Way.  

Community Calendar Links

• Southwest Washington Center for the Arts

• Greater Vancouver Chamber Community 

• City of Vancouver Calendar