The Clark Public Utilities board of commissioners will not meet at their regularly-scheduled meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 4.

Kazoodles getting ready to count.

Luna Weiner-Nesbit recovering.

Scott Hewitt embracing his Jersey roots.

A goodbye party is planned for Donna Mason, the longtime director of CVTV and the manager of Vancouver’s Media Services department this afternoon.

The event will be from 4 to 6 p.m. today at the Water Resources Education Center, 4600 S.E. Columbia Way on Vancouver’s waterfront.

Donations to Mason’s favorite charity, the Humane Society for Southwest Washington, will be accepted.

Fort Vancouver Regional Library District launched its 2011 Bookmark Contest on Sunday, Jan. 2. The popular contest, held every other year, is open to children in kindergarten through eighth grades. Entry forms for the contest are available in English, Spanish and Russian at the district’s website, www.fvrl.org. The deadline for submissions is Monday, Jan. 31.

High school sophomores and juniors are invited to attend one of two information sessions about Running Start.

Running Start allows eligible juniors and seniors to take classes to earn college credit while they fulfill their high school graduation requirements. Running Start students attend regular Clark classes during the day or in the evenings. Students pay for books, transportation, and some fees. Fee waivers and limited textbook assistance are available for those demonstrating financial need.

The identical sessions will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 12, and Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2011 in the Clark College gymnasium in the O’Connell Sports Center. The O’Connell Sports Center is located on the southwest corner of Clark College’s main campus. Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver. Parking will be available in the college’s red lots on the east side of Fort Vancouver Way and in the purple lot on the west side of Fort Vancouver Way.  Driving directions and parking maps are available on the college’s website at www.clark.edu/maps.

For more information on Running Start, visit the Clark College website at www.clark.edu/runningstart. For information about “Running Start Information Nights,” call 360-992-2366.

The Daily Insider will not be published tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 31. Regular, five-day-a-week publication will resume on Monday, Jan. 3.

Best wishes for a peaceful and prosperous New Year.

Friends of William Stafford are presenting their annual celebration of the late Oregon poet at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2011, at the Vancouver Community Library, 1007 E. Mill Plain Blvd. The event will be in the hall downstairs.

For more information, contact Christopher Luna at 360-910-1066 or the library at 360-695-1566.

Several service adjustments on C-TRAN bus routes will go into effect starting Sunday, Jan. 9.

• The first trip of the day on the Number 9 – Felida will begin three minutes later, at 6:27 a.m.
• A long-term detour will cause the Number 41 – Camas/Washougal Limited to travel on C and Main Streets.
• A long-term detour on the Number 92 –  Camas/Washougal will route the bus to travel on Lechner and C Streets, as well as Highway 14. The arrival time at Addy Street will be two minutes earlier than printed on the schedule.
• The current detour within Portland’s Lloyd District on the Number 157 – Lloyd District Express will become permanent, routing the bus on Northeast 11th Street.
• On the Number 164- Fisher’s Landing Express, one trip has been added between 4:30 and 5 p.m. and the frequency of trips has been increased to every 10 minutes during that time frame.
• A long-term construction detour removes service from 18th Street to Mill Plain Boulevard on the Number 177 – Evergreen Express.
• There are new scheduled stops along Hiddenbrook Drive for Hewlett-Packard at 6:20 and 7:13 p.m.,  as well as 2:03 and 6:03 p.m. on the Camas Connector. The first trip of the day will be three minutes earlier, to begin at 6:17 a.m. from the Fisher’s Landing Transit Center.

For more information, visit www.c-tran.com.

MacKay & Sposito gifting.

Courtney Sherwood experiencing snow envy.

Fort Vancouver Library resolving.

The next RTC Board of Directors meeting is today, Tuesday, Jan. 4, at 4 p.m. on the sixth floor Training Room of the Clark County Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St. in Vancouver. For more information, visit http://www.rtc.wa.gov.

An oath of office ceremony has been scheduled for Monday, Jan. 3, 2011, to provide an opportunity for newly elected County and Public Utility District officials to take oaths of office and receive certificates of election.  

The warning signs for alcohol and drug abuse will be the focus of the first winter quarter lecture in the heralded discussion series.

Clark College’s “Mental Health Mondays” series returns in 2011. The discussions take place from noon to 1 p.m. in the Penguin Student Lounge, located in the college’s Penguin Union Building on Clark’s main campus. All events are free and open to the public. Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver.

The winter quarter series will begin on Monday, Jan. 10,when Stephanie Spak, LMHC, discusses “Warning Signs: Alcohol/Drug Abuse.”

The series will continue each Monday through March 7, except for Jan. 17 and Feb. 22, when the college will be closed in observance of federal holidays.

The schedule:

• Jan. 10: Warning Signs: Alcohol/Drug Abuse, Stephanie Spak, LMHC
• Jan. 24: Suicide Prevention, Veterans Administration Medical Center representative
• Jan. 31: Asperger’s & Autism, Michael Brooks, Ph.D. 
• Feb. 7: The Therapist’s Role in Gender Transition, Reid Vanderburgh, LMFT
• Feb. 14: Cultural Differences and Mental Health, Christine Lau, Asian Health & Service Center
• Feb.28: Warning Signs of Threatening Behavior, Cpl. Duane Boynton, Vancouver Police Department
• March 7: Group Therapy in Daily Life, Nan Narboe, MSW

For more information, call 360-992-2902.

The Southwest Washington Contractors Association (SWCA) named six new board members this week: Ron King, 3 Kings Environmental; Randy Jones, Dan Jones Conveyor Trucks; Jon Yamashita, MacKay & Sposito; Tyler Young, NW Accounting Professionals; Tracey Malone, Schlecht Construction; and Kelly Walsh, Schwabe,Williamson & Wyatt, PLLC

These leaders were elected at the board’s regular meeting in November. The following 2011 executive board was also elected at that meeting:

Amy Davis (West Coast Bank), President
Dan Goff (DK Contracting, LLC), Vice-President
Katie Gough (NW Natural), Associate Vice-President
Bryce Sinner (Duggan, Schlotfeldt & Welch, PLLC), Secretary
Tyler Young (NW Accounting Professionals), Treasurer

The 16-member Board is charged with carrying out the goals of the Association’s Strategic Plan, including increasing member benefits, improving the SWCA’s Plan Center and Plans Online system and offering quality professional development opportunities for the industry.

The Southwest Washington Contractors Association is a 200–member trade association that provides contractors with the professional resources to build a stronger community through growth and development.

Vancouver poet Christopher Luna will host a special open mic poetry reading and celebration of the late poet Richard Brautigan at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 13, at the Clark County Historical Museum, 1511 Main St. in Vancouver. Admission is free.

For more information, contact Luna at 360-910-1066 or christopherjluna@gmail.com.

Art on the Boulevard, a fine art gallery in the Vancouver Marketplace, will open “New Works” on Friday, Jan. 7. The show will feature new work by several artists, including Jennifer Williams, Steve Hill, Marilyn Hocking, Christopher Mathie and Janet Ekholm.

The First Friday reception will be from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 7, at the gallery, 210 W. Evergreen Blvd. in downtown Vancouver. For more information, call 360-750-4499 or visit www.artontheboulevard.org.

Dining for Women, a nonprofit national giving circle with more than 150 registered chapters, is forming a new chapter in Clark County. The chapter will meet on the second Tuesday of the month in downtown Vancouver.

The first meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. tonight, Tuesday, Jan.11, at the offices of Alling Henning Associates, 415 W. Sixth St., Suite 605.

Each month, Dining for Women chapter members gather for a potluck dinner and educational program. They donate the money they would have spent dining out to international organizations that serve impoverished women in developing countries.

For more information about Dining for Women, visit www.diningforwomen.org.

For information about the new Vancouver chapter, contact Katlin Smith at 360-699-7234.

Mount St. Helens scientist Peter Frenzen was bestowed the US
Forest Service’s 2010 Gifford Pinchot Award for Excellence in
Interpretation and Conservation Education at the annual meeting of the
National Association of Interpretation in Las Vegas, Nev. in November.

The award recognizes Frenzen’s dedication to sharing the knowledge of
scientific discovery and nature with volcano visitors, educators and
students. Frenzen has led efforts to develop award-winning exhibits,
educational programs, documentaries and news stories at North America’s
youngest and most celebrated volcano.

Olivia Mitchell spending an unplanned Parisian holiday.

Vancouver Pizza hosting a reality star.

Muller Design sharing great photos.