Tickets are still available for the Hough Foundaton Benefit Fashion Show, planned from 2:30 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 1, in the Vancouver Marketplace Courtyard, 210 W. Evergreen Blvd.

Tickets are $40, available online at https://houghfnd.ejoinme.org/fashionshow.

The show will feature KPTV News anchors Stephanie Kralevich and Julie Grauert, modeling Willows’ Spring fashions.

The event is catered by Tommy O’s Pacific Rim Bistro, Treat Cupcakes, and Java House. Wine and champagne provided  by the foundation. Live music will be provided by North by Northwest and there will be a  silent auction featuring packages from a dozen local businesses. A private sale at Willows will follow the event.

All proceeds from the event will benefit hundreds of students and families in downtown Vancouver through the Hough Family Services Center, funded exclusively through individual and corporate donations.

Ken Fisher, founder and chief executive officer of Fisher Investments, will talk about “Building a Company for the 2030 Business Environment” at a luncheon sponsored by the Columbia River Economic Development Council and the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce.

It is planned from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, June 7, at the Hilton Vancouver Washington.

Tickets are $35 per person and are available from the Chamber by calling 360-694-2588 or visiting www.vancouverusa.com.

The Clark County Historical Museum’s annual dinner and auction fundraiser will be in  Gaiser Hall at Clark College, on Saturday, May 21.

A series of three YouTube videos are online now to publicize the event. They can be viewed at www.youtube.com/clarkchm.

The evening starts at 5 p.m. with appetizers, beverages, wine, chocolates, live music and the silent auction. Dinner, featuring roast beef and sockeye salmon, and the live auction will follow.

Seating is limited and reservations are required. Tickets are $75 a person or $65 for members; tables of six are $390. To make a reservation, call 360-993-5679. There will be open seating for the event this year.

The International Code Council recently selected Clark County’s Building Safety program as winner of the group’s 2011 Raising the Profile Award in conjunction with Building Safety Month in May.

This year, outreach efforts expanded to include a new energy efficiency program funded by the federal Department of Energy.

The focus of the new program is air duct sealing, which can lower heating and cooling costs. The program has tested more than 250 Clark County homes for free. When leaks and other problems are found, homeowners receive a $100 rebate to hire contractors to make repairs.

More information about Clark County’s Building Safety program is available at www.clark.wa.gov/commdev and www.PlanetClark.com.

Left to right: Radmila Ballada, Deborah Hendrickson, Katy Washburne, Michelle Mallory, Deena Bisig, Nicoleta Sharp and Elizabeth Ubiergo. Not pictured: Erika Nava.

Eight Clark College faculty members have been granted tenure by the college’s Board of Trustees this academic year.

Radmila Ballada (Library Services), Deena Bisig (Communications Studies), Deborah Hendrickson (Nursing), Michelle Mallory (Family Life and Early Childhood Education), Erika Nava (Spanish), Nicoleta Sharp (Physics), Elizabeth Ubiergo (Spanish), and Katy Washburne (Adult Basic Education) were honored at a reception on Monday, April 25, in the college’s Gaiser Student Center. The reception was sponsored by the Clark College Board of Trustees and the college’s Office of Instruction.

Tenure is awarded to faculty members who have exhibited professional excellence and outstanding abilities in their disciplines.

Tim Buckley making motion.

Nancy Miller hosting lunch.

Lee Davis confirming home schooled numbers.

Karen Read getting certified.

Les Ham enjoying Uptown Village coffee break.

Photo by Katie Watson

A reception at the Battle Ground Community Library will kick off a month-long exhibit by 16 Battle Ground High School advanced-photography students.

The public reception is 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday, May 13, at the library, 1207 S.E. Eighth Way in Battle Ground Village.  The library is open Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Photo by Margaret Smith

The young photographers are students of Emmy Pellico and Robert Pollock. Their medium is “high dynamic range” photography, which Pollock describes as “an image typically comprising three or more photos of the same scene, taken at different exposures.”

The exhibit runs through Friday, June 10.

Portland-Vancouver metro area residents may notice a temporary change in aircraft noise due to the Oregon Air National Guard 142nd Fighter Wing performing evening training operations every evening through Friday, April 29.

Evening training is required to ensure pilots are fully prepared for both day and night operations. It is anticipated most flights will be completed by 10 p.m. on all dates.
For further information, please contact: Port of Portland – Noise Management Department, 503-460-4100, pdxnoise@portofportland.com or www.portofportland.com/Noise_Mgmt_Home.aspx.

The Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council meets at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 3, in the sixth floor training room of the Clark County Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St., Vancouver.

For more information, visit www.rtc.wa.gov or call 360-397-6067.

2011 First Citizen H. A. "Hal" Dengerink

On Monday, the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington announced that Dr. H. A. “Hal” Dengerink, chancellor of Washington State University Vancouver,  has been selected as Clark County’s First Citizen for 2011.

Dengerink first arrived in Vancouver in 1989 and helped found WSUV, where he has served as chancellor for 22 years. The college now offers nearly 40 fields of study on a 351-acre Salmon Creek site.

In 2004, there was an 85 percent increase in Southwest Washington students pursuing higher education degrees. Of those, more than 8,600 are WSUV alumni, with 75 percent remaining in the region.

During his time in Clark County, Dengerink has been a catalyst for several community initiatives.

His involvement with the Chamber of Commerce spawned Leadership Clark County. While serving on the Board of Directors of  Southwest Washington Medical Center, Dengerink championed patient safety. Working to establish the Fort Vancouver National Historic Reserve, he helped instill a strong sense of pride and place in Vancouver.

Most recently, he was appointed by Governor Chris Gregoire to co-chair the Project Sponsors Council for the Columbia River Crossing.

The award will be presented at an event planned from 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 1, at the Hilton Vancouver Washington.

Regents Bank is the presenting sponsor, in partnership with The Community Foundation for Southwest Washington and The Columbian. Hors d’oeuvres, desserts, and beverages will be served. Tickets are $35 per person and can be reserved by contacting the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce at 360-694-2588 or visiting  www.vancouverusa.com.

Susan Parrish finding joy in dirt.

Tommy O. taking his computer to the doctor.

Jeanne Kojis schmoozing at Starbucks.

The last in a scheduled series of forums will explore the home rule charter process proposed for Clark County from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, May 5, in the commons of Union High School, 6201 N.W. Friberg-Strunk St., Camas.

County Administrator Bill Barron will lead a presentation and discussion about how Washington state law treats both charter and non-charter counties and the scope of work freeholders could expect.

More information about the home rule charter process is available at www.clark.wa.gov/bocc/home_rule/index.html.

A trip back to the 1970s is offered by Battle Ground and Prairie high school students.

The first-ever dinner theater offered by student performers at the two schools will be presented at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 28, and Friday, April 29, at Battle Ground High School, 300 W. Main St., Battle Ground.

Life Is a Rock: a 1970s Musical Revue will include the music of Simon and Garfunkel, Elton John and Carly Simon. The show also includes remembrances of the Vietnam War, Watergate and the Apollo Space missions.

Tickets, which include an Italian dinner, are $22 each or $120 for a six-seat table. They are available online at www.seatyourself.biz/bghs.

The Johnston Ridge Observatory will reopen for the 2011 season on Monday, May 15. The Visitor Center will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through October. Admission to Johnston Ridge and Coldwater Lake is $8 per person and kids 15 and under are free.

For the 31st anniversary on Wednesday, May 18, admission to Johnston Ridge Observatory and Coldwater Lake will be free.

A newly remodeled high definition theater with surround sound will enhance visitor movie-viewing experiences. Interactive touch screens, audio translation devices, as well as new interpretive signs, facilities and presentations are some of the new amenities guests can expect.

For more information, including road conditions, visit http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/04mshnvm/attractions/johnston-ridge.shtml.

Just in time for Mother’s Day, the Clark County Employee Picnic Committee will be holding its annual plant sale starting at 9 a.m. on Thursday, May 5, in front of the Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St., Vancouver.

The large hanging baskets will sell for $30 each or two for $50. The zonal geraniums are $5 each. All proceeds from the plant sale will benefit
the Clark County Employee Picnic Fund.

Dr. Suzanne Zamberlan

Dr. Suzanne Zamberlan, a Vancouver optometrist who volunteered at Project Homeless Connect and Educational Service District 112’s School Nurse Corps (SNC), will receive the 2011 Clark County Public Health Community Awards in a ceremony before the Clark County Board of Health at 8:15 a.m., Wednesday, April 27.

The ceremony will take place in the sixth-floor hearing room of the Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St. The ceremony will open the Board of Health’s monthly meeting and is open to the public.

Zamberlan is recognized in the individual category for her commitment to helping vulnerable populations by providing free eye exams for homeless persons who attended Project Homeless Connect in January.

She partnered with Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services to provide custom eyeglasses to Project Homeless Connect clients, supplementing limited state dollars with her own money. Zamberlan remained long after the event ended to ensure clients found appropriate eyeglasses.

The group category award will be presented to SNC, which provides nursing services in three small school districts in Southwest Washington. SNC nurses work closely with teachers, parents, doctors and children to help manage chronic health conditions among students. They teach students healthy practices and meet with families to connect them to local and state resources.

iQ Credit Union held its 70th annual meeting recently to recap 2010, preview plans for 2011, and elect board members. Led by Dr. James Sork, chairman of the Board of Directors, the meeting was held at Hudson’s Bay High School.

Board members Evie Grendahl and Steve Porter were re-elected for an additional board term.

Board members Jil Click and Brad Lothspeich were re-elected to the Supervisory Committee.

Washington Governor Chris Gregoire and Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber today announced their plan to take advantage of federal funding opportunities and break ground on the Columbia River Crossing project in 2013.

Standing with community leaders, the two governors identified the deck truss bridge as the best replacement structure for the aging Interstate 5 bridge because it provides the most certain path to keep the project on schedule and on budget. The other bridge options under consideration would require delays for additional design work and environmental analysis, which would add time and cost to the process.

CRC is a long-term, comprehensive project to reduce congestion, enhance mobility and improve safety on I-5 between SR 500 in Vancouver, Wash., and Columbia Boulevard in Portland. The project will replace the I-5 bridge, extend light rail to Vancouver, improve closely-spaced interchanges and enhance the pedestrian and bicycle path between the two cities. The project will be funded by federal and state sources, as well as future tolls.

Additional project information may be found online: www.ColumbiaRiverCrossing.org.

The Mount St. Helens Institute is seeking volunteers to participate in the 2011 Conservation Corps program.  Volunteers of all ages and experience levels are invited for a day, weekend or a week at a time.

Volunteers will help maintain recreational trails by repairing trail tread, removing invasive species and building retaining walls. The first project this year will be preparing the volunteer work center at Pine Creek on Saturday, April 30. For more information, visit www.mshinstitute.org or contact Hailey Heath at 360-449-7826.

The Mount St. Helens Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people of all ages gain an understanding of the natural processes and cultural heritage of the Pacific Northwest’s volcanic landscapes. The Institute promotes stewardship, science and appreciation of the Northwest.

This month, the law firm Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt announced a new collaboration with Taylor Global Law Office that will provide comprehensive legal services to Japanese companies investing in the United States.

Taylor+Schwabe America Access focuses on assisting Japanese companies with their business needs in the United States and is the team leader for Taylor+Schwabe America Access.

Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt is a multiservice law firm serving the needs of businesses in the Pacific Northwest, as well as U.S. and international clients.  The firm has more than 165 attorneys in Portland, Bend and Salem, Ore.; Seattle and Vancouver, Wash.; and in Washington, D.C.

For more information, visit www.schwabe.com.