Vancouver’s Magenta Theater is offering several summer workshops for children and adults ages 11 and older.

Offerings include a script writing class with drama teacher Aleks Merilo and a stage combat course with certified instructor Melissa Barnick. Amanda Goff is teaching Masks: Making and Using Onstage.

Participants are asked to register in advance. Scholarships are available. For more information,  visit www.magentatheater.com.

Nine local gardens maintained using natural techniques will be featured on the Sunday, July 10, garden tour sponsored by Clark County Environmental Services and the WSU Master Gardener program. The tour,  from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., will visit private and public gardens in the Ridgefield, Brush Prairie and Vancouver areas.

The event is free, but tickets are required. They are available at Shorty’s Nursery in Vancouver and Ridgefield, Bird’s English Garden & Nursery in Ridgefield, The Reflector in Battle Ground, Hidden Gardens Nursery in Camas, and the 78th Street Heritage Farm at 1919 N.E. 78th St., Vancouver.

Participants will meet host gardeners and have a chance to gather ideas about beautifying their gardens and yards without chemicals. Among other things, visitors can see how to attract wildlife, encourage beneficial insects and create compost. For more information, contact the Master Gardener program at 360-397-6060 ext. 5738 or gordonc@wsu.edu.

The Fort Vancouver Regional Library District has selected Thatcher’s Coffee to operate Atrium Coffee Corner in the new Vancouver Community Library on C Street in downtown Vancouver. The Coffee Corner, which will be managed by Thatcher’s General Manager Jamie Erdman, will feature Ristretto Roasters hand-crafted coffees, seasonal pastries baked by Thatcher’s bakers, and other locally-produced food. The business will also offer a children’s menu and gluten-free products. Atrium Coffee Corner is the first food-service facility to be located inside an FVRL library.

Opening the day after the new library’s  Sunday, July 17, Grand Opening, on Monday, July 18, Atrium Coffee Corner is located at the east end of the first floor of the library. It will be open seven days a week: Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Established in 1950, the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District (FVRL) provides a vast range of information and cultural services to more than 436,000 Southwest and South Central Washington citizens in Clark, Skamania and Klickitat Counties and the city of Woodland and Yale Valley Library District in Cowlitz County.

The schedule of summertime concerts has been announced by the city of Vancouver.

This year, the Riverview Six to Sunset concerts will celebrate 25 years of music in the park. Concerts start Thursday, July 7, and run for six consecutive weeks. These free concerts begin at 6 p.m. and end at 8 p.m. The concerts are presented by Riverview Community Bank, with support from Dr. Bonny Lund, and contributions from the Port of Portland, Stanford’s Restaurant & Bar, Waste Connections, the Columbian and Corwin Beverage Company.

Riverview Six to Sunset 2011 Concert Schedule:

• July 7 GrüVbox
• July 14 5 Guys Named Moe
• July 21 Patrick Lamb Band
• July 28 Quarterflash
• August 4 The Antics
• August 11 Hit Machine

The Terry Lee Noon Concerts start Wednesday, July 6, and run for six consecutive weeks. These free concerts begin at noon and end at 1 p.m. Science in the Park kids’ activities will be provided by the Water Resources Education Center. History in the Park kids’ activities will be provided by the National Park Service. These concerts are presented by Vancouver attorney Terry Lee and are supported with contributions from The Columbian and Corwin Beverage Company.

Terry Lee Noon Hour 2011 Concert Schedule:

• July 6 Vancouver Pops Orchestra
• July 13 Justin Klump
• July 20 Key of Dreams
• July 27 Flexor T
• August 3 Tom May
• August 10 Misty Mamas

Three Clark County Skills Center students recently returned from  competing in last week’s SkillsUSA 47th Annual National Leadership and Skills Conference in Kansas City, Missouri.

Columbia River senior Thomas Kaczmarek, from the Diesel Technology program, finished as the eighth-best Diesel Equipment Repair Technician in the country. Home-School junior Devin Hicks, from Automotive Technologies, was named the fifth-best Job Interview Candidate in the nation.  Skyview senior Jackson Tate, from the Electro-Digital Technologies program, returned with certification as an  A+ Certified PC Repair Technician while ranking in the top two percent in the Computer Maintenance competition.

Opened in 1983, the Clark County Skills Center is owned and operated by ten southwest Washington school districts providing technical and professional training programs that prepare Clark County high school and college students for the workforce.

The Marshall Public Leadership Award selection committee is seeking nominations for the 24th annual General George C. Marshall Public Leadership Award. This award is one of the Celebrate Freedom programs organized by the Fort Vancouver National Trust. Nominees must be residents of Clark County, be 35 years of age or under and have completed a four-year college degree. Selection is based on demonstrated leadership ability, commitment to public service, academic achievement and potential for an ongoing active role in public service.

Nominations may be submitted by individuals or organizations and must be received by 5 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 25. Nomination forms are available at the Fort Vancouver National Trust’s website at www.fortvan.org or may be picked up at the Trust’s offices, General O.O. Howard House, 750 Anderson St., Vancouver. For details, call the Trust at 360-992-1804.

Krissa Deans

The Southwest Washington Contractors Association (SWCA)has awarded Krissa Deans of La Center with a $1,000 scholarship. Deans has just completed her first year at Clark College and is planning to attend a four-year university after completing her associates degree. She remains undecided on her major but has a strong interest in pursuing a medical degree. She is involved in the Science Club and Honor Society and has worked as a camp counselor and a Washington State Senate page.

Southwest Washington Contractors Association awards scholarships to Association member employees and their children who are enrolling in full-time secondary education. For more information on the SWCA’s Scholarship Program and future opportunities, visit www.swca.org/community/swca-scholarships.

The Southwest Washington Contractors Association is a 205 – member trade association that provides contractors with the professional resources to build a stronger community through growth and development.

C-TRAN has launched NextRide,  a new system providing riders with estimated real-time bus arrivals for every C-TRAN bus stop. The technology is based on GPS information which tracks the bus’s current location and its rate of speed to give an estimated arrival at the passenger’s bus stop of choice.

To use NextRide, call 360-695-0123 and choose “Option 1 at the prompt, enter the four-digit stop ID number found on the bus stop sign. NextRide provides the estimated time a bus arrives at that stop, based on GPS real-time information. It also provides the next four scheduled arrival times which are published in the route’s schedule brochure.

Sue Coates

Sue Coates has been appointed assistant governor of the Clark County region of District 5100 by District Governor Mike Caruso beginning Friday, July 1.  Coates was the 2009-10 president of the Lewis River Rotary club in Battle Ground.  She will oversee seven Rotary clubs and one Rotaract club (ages l8-30), encompassing over 500 Rotarians in Clark County.

There are over 4000 Rotarians in District 5100, in clubs meeting in Southwest Washington and Northern Oregon. Coates is a 7-year member of Rotary International. Coates succeeds Keith Upkes of the Vancouver Rotary club in this position.

Gary Bock vs. Jim Mains reach goal, Children’s Justice Center to get donation.

Inside the CRC offers new information for bicyclists and pedestrians.

Larry Smith off to Olympia seeking balance.

The Fort Vancouver National Trust has announced July 4th street closures. The traffic flow on some streets will be temporarily closed, while others around the event site will be closed to traffic or be under traffic control all day.

On Fort Vancouver Way from Mill Plain to Fourth Plain, including the median strip, a “no parking/tow away zone” will be in effect from July 2 through July 4. After the fireworks, all traffic leaving the area will travel north on Fort Vancouver Way until midnight.

Highway 14 will have access to the Columbia River waterfront trails, parks and restaurants until 9 p.m., an hour before the fireworks. Access will reopen immediately following the conclusion of the fireworks show. Boaters are not affected by the fireworks.

For a full list of street closures and parking restrictions, call the Fort Vancouver National Trust at 360-992-1808, or visit www.FortVan.org/fourth.

Innovative Services NW has received a $10,000 Community Giving Fund grant from the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington.  The money will fund a childcare staff skills enhancement project- a professional training program to help staff meet the special needs of all children served.

Working parents of children with special needs and low income families have few options for quality licensed childcare in Clark County. Innovative is one of the few inclusive programs that provides services to a significant number of children who are placed in the foster care system, are from low-income families, or are on Individualized Family Services Plans because of a developmental delay or diagnosed disability.

Innovative Services NW is a 48-year-old local nonprofit that currently serves over 1,100 children, adults, and families with disabilities and other types of disadvantages in Clark County each week. For more information about the Innovative Services NW’s Children’s Services, visit www.innovativeservicesnw.org.

The Vancouver Planning Commission meets at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, June 28, in the City Council Chambers, 210 E. 13th St., Vancouver.

Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna was recently named president of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG).

McKenna’s new responsibilities at NAAG come as state attorneys general deal with a powerful industry: the nation’s largest banks. Many of the attorneys general believe that faulty foreclosure practices illegally impacted a significant number of Americans.

McKenna recently announced a national initiative to combat human trafficking.

The Bellevue Republican recently launched a campaign to run for governor.

The State Auditor’s Office has completed its annual audit of the city of Battle Ground for 2010.  Results show a clean audit of the city’s financial reports and practices with no findings and no management letters.  The audit included a single audit of American Recovery & Reinvestment Act funds as well as financial and accountability audits.  This is the 10th subsequent year that the City has received a clean audit.

The city’s 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report is available at www.cityofbg.org.

Marble Mount Sno-park shelter

Volunteers have launched an effort to rebuild the Marble Mountain Sno-park shelter at Mount St. Helens. The shelter was destroyed in a fire in April 2011. It had provided a gathering place for 20 years.

The Trac Riders have joined forces with the Mount St. Helens Institute, U.S. Forest Service and other recreational user groups to rebuild the facility by November 2011.

Clean-up of the site has already occurred.  To complete this project, the groups have set a goal of raising $130,000 plus materials and volunteer labor.

To make a financial donation online, visit mshinstitute.org/index.php/donate/index.  To obtain a list of needed materials or to donate volunteer services,  e-mail marblemountain@mshinstitute.org.

For a second year, the Clark County will not provide lifeguards or operate the children’s “spray ground” water feature at Klineline Pond in Salmon Creek Regional Park, 1112 N.E. 117th St., Vancouver. Swimmers, parents and anyone else using the park should review water safety guidelines and pay attention to warning signs at Klineline Pond.

The park’s spray feature requires regular chlorine testing and supervision, tasks performed by trained lifeguards. But lifeguards were eliminated in December 2009 in a series of spending cuts to balance the county’s budget, cuts that also eliminated all maintenance and parking lot access at 10 regional parks, boat launches and trailheads in January and February 2010.

County parks continue to cope with budget and service reductions. In mid-April, the county announced that a potential reduction in future property tax collections for the Greater Clark Parks District would delay construction of some of the district’s remaining parks and reduce some maintenance activities.

For more information about swimming and water safety in parks, please visit www.cityofvancouver.us/parks-recreation/parks_trails/swimming.asp.

Students from Image Elementary School received free Seattle Mariners tickets in recognition of their work to promote waste reduction and resource conservation.

Six students and two teachers representing the school’s “Green Team” attended Sunday’s game against the Florida Marlins at Safeco Field in Seattle. During the game, the Image Green Team received its second level of certification from Washington Green Schools, along with a Washington Green Schools flag.

Image’s Green Team received the free tickets after winning a drawing among eligible Green Schools participants. The Image Green Team is one of only nine Washington schools, and the first elementary school in Clark County, to receive the second-level certification. The team qualified by completing an in-depth waste audit of the garbage generated at the school and by making a series of changes to improve recycling efforts.

Jaime Herrera Beutler

Last week, U.S. Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler, R- Washington, released the following statement after voting for H. Res. 2278, legislation that would cut off U.S. funding for further combat-related involvement in Libya:

“When the president committed the U.S. to this war in Libya back in March, I raised six questions that needed to be answered before I could support this action. Earlier this month, I supported a resolution requiring the President to finally provide those answers within 14 days. The response from the administration was simply not sufficient to answer these questions and justify our country’s involvement in yet another war.  I do not find the President’s argument that we are not engaged in hostilities with Libya persuasive, and I am unconvinced it is in America’s best interest to further pursue this war.  Therefore, I voted to bar funding for any further combat operations in Libya.”

Kim Agnew, Sherri Bennett, Kelly Walsh and Virginia Hensen.

YWCA Clark County recently received $340,000 from the 27th Annual Classic Wines Auction. This year, the auction raised $2.2 million to benefit five local charities serving children and families: Metropolitan Family Service, New Avenues for Youth, Friends of the Children, Trillium Family Services and YWCA Clark County.

The gala auction is part of a week of “Wine Working Wonders,” which includes three days of winemaker dinners, an ambassador dinner and the auction itself. Over 750 people attended the black-tie fundraiser.

Classic Wines Auction, Inc., is a nonprofit organization based in Portland. For more information, visit www.classicwinesauction.com or call 503-972-0194.

YWCA Clark County serves more than 11,000 people each year who are victims of domestic violence, homelessness, sexual assault, child abuse and neglect, and oppression, as well as youth in foster care and incarcerated women.