The Vancouver Comprehensive Plan, which guides long term growth management, land use development and public services in the City of Vancouver is being updated in 2011.

A panel of land use planners and public health officials will discuss the proposed updates at the First Tuesday event from 4 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 7, at Vancouver City Hall, Council Chambers, 210 E. 13th St. Audience questions will be taken.

Rep. Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver

State Rep. Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver, said Wednesday that he is pleased with “the compromise carved out in House Bill 2123 on injured-workers’ compensation.”

The new capital budget, which is contained in House Bill 1497, was unanimously approved by the full House Wednesday morning, Moeller said in a statement released Wednesday.

The negotiated agreement sets up a system of optional, structured settlements for workers 55 years old and older who have been injured on the job.

Funding for continuing construction of the food bank warehouse in Clark County is an example of local projects included in this new capital-construction budget. Other projects include work at the School for the Blind and the School for the Deaf, Waterfront Park, Officers Row, Clark PUD, and Clark College.

Moeller added that this construction budget also funds public K-12 schools, environmental and natural resource developments, such as parks and recreational facilities, and art and historical projects.

“We’re talking about thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in this capital budget,” Moeller said.

Jenipher Storms from Legacy Salmon Creek's Surgical Services Department helps children operate on Suzi Surgi-Duck at the 2010 Healthy Kids Fair.

The Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center’s annual Healthy Kids Fair is set from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 11, at the hospital, 2211 N.E. 139th St. Admission is free, with plenty of free parking as well. Last year’s fair attracted more than 1,500 people.

The Healthy Kids Fair will also offer low-priced bike and snowboard helmets, with fittings; child safety seat checks; a recycling center for used child safety seats; ambulance tours; Fire District 6’s EDITH Fire Safety House; face-painting by Salmon Creek Lions Club; and hands-on Surgi-Duck surgery, where children can “operate” on a stuffed duck.

New this year will be Germ City, a WSU Cooperative Extension activity designed to teach children about hand-washing hygiene; and an “Ask a Doc” booth featuring family doctors from Legacy Medical Group who can respond to general questions about children’s health.

Also new this year is a food drive, to benefit the families served by The Children’s Center.

Julie Kummer

Julie Kummer has joined the Fort Vancouver National Trust as Event Facilities Manager. She will oversee and market all Trust event rentals and manage daily rental operations at the Artillery Barracks, the Red Cross Building and the O.O. Howard House.

A longtime Vancouver resident, Kummer worked at the Club at the Historic Reserve and at Beaches Restaurant and Bar, where she most recently opened Beaches at PDX.

To plan an event at the Artillery Barracks, the Red Cross Building or the O.O. Howard House, contact Kummer at julie.kummer@fortvan.org or 360-828-5237.

The National Weather Service is predicting the Columbia River will slowly rise over the next few days in Clark County, remaining above flood level for the remainder of this week.

That has prompted Clark County officials to warn residents to exercise caution during Memorial Day weekend.

Those engaging in outdoor activities near the Columbia River should take special precautions to stay away from the water and postpone swimming and boating activities. The river is running cold and fast, carrying debris and causing some flooding at local beaches and other low-lying areas. For updated flooding information, see www.wrh.noaa.gov/pqr.

East County Fire & Rescue recently received a $299,500 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to recruit and retain volunteer firefighters.

The money will allow the small district to add 20 new volunteers and help staff the 24-hour stations at Fern Prairie and Mount Norway.

Those interested in applying to be volunteer firefighters may call 360-834-4908 or visit www.eastcofire-rescue.org.

Despite above-normal snowpack, much of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest will be open Memorial Day weekend.

Some campgrounds open for Memorial Day weekend include: Beaver, Government Mineral Springs, Iron Creek, Kalama Horse Camp, La Wis Wis, Lower Falls, Mt. Adams Horse Camp, North Fork and North Fork Group Site, Pacificorp Campgrounds, Lewis River Reservoirs, Panther Creek, Paradise Creek, Sunset Falls, Tower Rock, and Trout Lake Creek.

An Interagency Recreation Pass or Northwest Forest Pass is needed where there are facilities or trailheads.These can be purchased at Forest Service offices or local vendors.

Travelers should drive cautiously on all forest roads and be prepared to encounter sections of roads damaged this past winter.

For more information, call the Gifford Pinchot Forest Headquarters at 360-891-5001. Additional information is available on the new Gifford Pinchot National Forest website at www.fs.usda.gov/giffordpinchot.

In honor of Memorial Day, C-TRAN buses will operate on their Sunday schedules on Monday, May 30.

Buses that don’t normally operate on Sundays will not provide service on Monday.

No service will be available on the following routes: Connector, Express, Number 9 Felida, Number 19 Salmon Creek, Number 35 Tech Center, Number 39 VA/NE 87th Avenue, Number 41 Camas/Washougal Limited, Number 44 Fourth Plain Limited, Number 47 Battle Ground Limited, and Number 65 Parkrose Limited.

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

Inside the CRC has new name, new information.

Rotarians getting verklempt.

Arch Miller advocating for baseball and free speech.

Wayne Clemetson remembering Clark County’s fallen warriors.

Ron Hart joining Shared Hope.

The Oregon Air National Guard is scheduled to conduct Memorial Day flyovers at various locations throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington.

F-15 Eagle Fighter jets from the 142nd Fighter Wing, based in Portland, will fly over Vancouver at 11:05 a.m. on Monday, May 30, then Woodland at 11:18 a.m. and Ridgefield at 11:19 a.m. All flyovers will be approximately 1,000 feet above ground level and at about 400 mph airspeed.
The Oregon Air National Guard has been an integral part of the nation’s air defense since 1941. The 142nd Fighter Wing guards Pacific Northwest skies from Northern California to the Canadian border, as part of the North American Air Defense System.

Department of Licensing Director Liz Luce announced this week that she will retire from state service at the end of June. Luce, who has been with Gov. Chris Gregoire’s administration since March 2005, told her staff she wants to spend more time with her family and at home in Vancouver.

Gregoire said she will begin searching for Luce’s successor immediately.

A public forum hosted by the City of Vancouver Parking Advisory Committee is planned at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 14, in council chambers at City Hall, 210 E. 13th St., Vancouver.

The committee provides guidance on managing the six surface parking lots and five parking garages in downtown Vancouver, which contain 1,776 parking stalls and 1,546 parking meters, plus on-street parking and parking rates. The committee is looking for input from residents as it re-evaluates the city’s parking program.

The Leadership Clark County Class of 2011 will graduate at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 7, at Washington State University Vancouver, 14204 N.E. Salmon Creek Ave. A reception will follow at 8 p.m.

The program is a 10-month training program designed to develop effective community leaders. For more information, visit www.leadershipclarkcounty.com.

On Tuesday, the National Weather Service upgraded the flood watch to a flood warning for the Columbia River. The water level will rise slowly over the next few days as increased snowmelt from east of the Cascade Mountains reaches the lower Columbia, along with predicted rainfall. The river is expected to reach 16.5 feet, above flood stage, by the end of the week.

The strong currents and cold temperatures make swimming in the river dangerous.

State Rep. Paul Harris, R-Vancouver

Rep. Paul Harris, R-Vancouver, issued the following statement on Tuesday’s budget action in the Legislature:

“I cannot support a budget that goes against my principles or those of my caucus. I know there was a concerted bipartisan effort to craft the operating budget. However, the final product is harmful to education, lacks real reform, doesn’t establish priorities and is missing long-term solutions. We are still funding partial programs and not streamlining services where we can. I am also very concerned with two areas which should be top priorities – education and public safety. The deep cuts to education and pushing the apportionment monies into the next biennium are disingenuous to teachers, school districts and taxpayers. We are also cutting 86 community corrections workers in addition to 385 community corrections employees cut over the past two years. This budget misses an opportunity to set Washington onto a path of long-term fiscal stability.”

House Bill 1087 passed the House by a vote 54-42. It now heads to the Senate for further consideration.

Spykerman household enjoying some feline energy.

Jay Swedblom and Oaks Park sharing birthday.

Dee Anne Finken proud.

A celebration of the completion of Bosco Farm Neighborhood Park is planned at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 4, at 3601 N.E. 39th St. in the Truman neighborhood, just north of the SR 500 intersection with Northeast St. Johns Road.

The event will feature a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony and light refreshments, courtesy of the Truman Neighborhood Association, Benny’s Rod and Custom Pizza Café and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.

The Bosco family operated a farm on the property for nearly 100 years before selling the property to the county for use as a public park. Construction was paid for with real estate excise taxes, which are collected whenever property is sold. The Greater Clark Parks District, a special district approved by voters in 2005, uses a property tax levy to pay for maintenance.

For more information, visit the project Web page at www.clarkparks.org/projects/bosco.htm.

The Clark County Auditor’s Office is sponsoring a campaign workshop, “Winning Ways to Run for Office – a Candidate/Campaign Worker Workshop.”

The free workshop takes place on Thursday, June 2, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Clark County Elections Office, 1408 Franklin St. An informal reception will follow the program.

The workshop will include an expert panel who will offer advice about running a political campaign. For more information, contact Susan Hopper at 360-397-2345 or susan.hopper@clark.wa.gov, or visit clarkvotes.org.

The staff of Clark College's newspaper, The Independent. Photo credit: The Independent.

Clark College’s student newspaper, The Independent, captured 20 awards in the annual statewide competition of the Washington Community College Journalism Association (WCCJA).

Clark student journalists received 18 individual awards. They earned second place in the state for general excellence and in the publication sweeps category. The awards ceremony was Saturday, May 21, at Edmonds Community College.

According to WCCJA President Michael Parks, judges reviewed 482 entries in 24 categories, including reporting, writing, photography, design and online production. Last year, the paper received 12 awards.

The Independent is published every other Wednesday during fall, winter, and spring quarters. It is available at Clark’s main campus as well as at Clark College at Columbia Tech Center, Town Plaza and WSU Vancouver. The Independent is also available online at www.clark-independent.com.