YAKAMA CLAIMS HOMESTEAD LAND NEAR BG FOR CASINO
Heidi Wallenborn, news director
If voting members of the Yakama Indian Nation approve, Battle Ground could be the site of a tribal casino.
Louis Cloud, chairman of the Yakama Nation, said about 70 acres of land is owned and held in trust near Battle Ground for his tribe, and eligible for a casino.
Cloud declined to give a specific location, only saying it is part of an 1855 land homestead that the tribe owns outright. The tribe also owns trust land near Oregon City, OR, he said, which is also under consideration for a gaming house.
However, Greg Argel, realty officer with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, believes Cloud "is misinformed."
"I don't know what they're talking about, really," Argel said. "There is no Yakama trust land in or near Battle Ground or Oregon City."
A meeting of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Indian Nation to choose the preferred site has been postponed due to bad weather, Cloud said. He believes the group will choose Battle Ground because it's more economically viable and a fast-growing area.
If a Battle Ground casino prevails, it would be in competition with a proposed mega casino by the Cowlitz Tribe near La Center.
Cloud said someone from the Cowlitz tribe has contacted him and said they will "do battle" over the Yakamas' bid for a casino. Cloud would not say who contacted him.
Dave Barnett, spokesman for the Cowlitz tribe, said, "I don't have enough information to comment at this point, but I'm not concerned."
The Yakama tribe already owns the Legends Casino in Toppenish.
Battle Ground city manager Eric Holmes said he's baffled.
"This took us completely by surprise," Holmes said. "We were not contacted at all by anyone. I'm trying to learn everything I can."
KENT WINS RECOUNT
Richard C. Kent has been elected to the Battle Ground school board by nine votes.
Officials of Clark County elections manually recounted the race between Kent and John Karvonen because the margin was less than one half of one percent.
Officials issued final results Nov. 29 and manually recounted the Kent-Karvonen race the same day. In the recount, Kent gained one vote and Karvonen gained three votes.
Kent is set to be sworn into office this month.
WINNERS NAMED IN COOKIE CONTEST
Twelve winners have been selected from the 53 entrants in The Reflector's second annual cookie contest.
Judges Fran Gillette, Bob Peck and Debbie Gage, all with years of experience in food preparation, selected first, second and third place winners Dec. 2 in each of four categories--drop cookies, cut out cookies, bar cookies, and no-bake cookies.
Judging criteria were appearance, texture and flavor.
Two entrants won twice: Ashlyn Mattila of Brush Prairie took two first place prizes, and Melanie Kennedy of Battle Ground took two second place awards.
First place winners earned $25, second place $15 and third place $10.
Winners in the drop cookies category (24 entries) were Clara Sundqvist of Brush Prairie, first place, followed by Melanie Kennedy and Virginia Grimes, both of Battle Ground, in second and third.
Winners in the cut out cookie category (6 entries) were Ashlyn Mattila of Brush Prairie, first place, followed by Melanie Kennedy and Sandi Bennett, both of Battle Ground.
Winners in the bar cookie category (16 entries) were Susanne Wolden of Yacolt, first place, followed by Janet Tonn and Karen Holcomb, both of Ridgefield.
Winners in the no-bake category (7 entries) were Ashlyn Mattila of Brush Prairie, first place, followed by Karla Matson of La Center and Andy Stray of Vancouver.
The judges offered suggestions for future entrants. All three judges said that several entries were under-baked. Bob Peck said the evaluation process included an examination of both the tops of the cookies and their bottoms.
The judges said that appearance is important, and that the cookies should look festive. "Looks is an important part of it," said Peck.
In some cases, attractive cookies ended up among the winners.
Fran Gillette noted that if cookies are freshly baked and then placed in ziplock plastic bags, frosting can melt and the cookies can "sweat."
Debbie Gage suggested that bakers prepare cookies from recipes they know well and should not try out something new for this contest. If family members consistently enjoy a certain cookie, said Gage, that's the one to bake.
Peck is a retired high school teacher who has been active in 4-H programs. He was recently inducted into the Washington State 4-H Hall of Fame.
Gage has taught creative cookery at Battle Ground High School for 17 years.
Gillette is the author of several cook books.
The judges suggested that next year, the contest included another award for the overall top cookie.
WALK AND KNOCK FOOD DRIVE SAID SUCCESSFUL
"Overall, it went very, very well," said Stacy Walters, chair of the annual Walk and Knock Food Drive that took place Dec. 3 throughout much of Clark County.
Volunteers collected about 114 tons of food on the day of the drive, compared to 108 tons last year.
Walters said he expects another 14 tons of food to add to the total when food left at various drop-off sites is picked up.
Walters said he had feared a decline in collections this year, due in part to several other food drives underway.
Food collections in the Hazel Dell-Salmon Creek area were up sharply from last year. In that area, volunteers pickup up more than 27 tons of food, compared to 21.5 tons last year.
Walters credited volunteers who made the food drive successful. He said 4,350 volunteers were involved in the drive, of whom 2,700 were Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.
Walters put the value of this food collections at $365,000. In 21 years, the food drive has collected 4.9 million pounds of food with an estimated value of $6 million.
Walk and Knock food collections are taken to a warehouse at the Port of Vancouver, then distributed to the 10 members of the Clark County Food Bank Coalition. Walters said cash donations to the drive totaled $3,500, of which $1,000 came from the 40 et 8 Bingo organization in Vancouver. All cash donations are used to buy food, said Walters.
"It was the hardest year I've had," said Walters, who has headed the drive for three years and been involved for 14 years.
Walters said he had worried about an insufficient number of volunteers, but about 16,000 volunteers came forward at the last minute. ROTC cadets from Battle Ground and Prairie high schools took part as well. And the weather cooperated, said Walters.
Donations are still welcome, said Stacy. Arrangements can be made for food pick up by calling (877) 995-6625.
BAIRD NOTES PROGRESS AGAINST METH EPIDEMIC
"We had a turn-around in the U.S. Congress on meth," reported U.S. Rep. Brian Baird (D-Vancouver) during a town hall meeting Dec. 3 in Battle Ground.
Baird said the Congress added $54 million to a previously-planned budget to fight methamphetamines, which Baird described as a dangerous drug.
Baird said there has been a reduction in the number of meth cooking labs closed by police, which indicates progress against the drug, he said. But the number of users has remained about constant, he said.
Baird said he has sponsored a bill to deal with international sources of the ingredients of methamphetamine.
Sales tax
Baird said he is working to extend the current sales tax exemption for federal income taxes. That exemption will expire Dec. 31 unless Congress acts, he said.
If the exemption is not extended, said Baird, people might want to consider buying a new car before the end of the year.
Baird said he opposes a proposal for $70 billion in tax cuts because the federal budget is already running a $500 billion deficit.
Regarding the war in Iraq, Baird said he prefers a "benchmark" strategy rather than a fixed timetable to remove American troops. "There are some good things that are happening (in Iraq)," he said.
Asked about proposals for casinos in the La Center and Battle Ground areas, Baird said he is working to provide the public with information about how federal officials make decisions on Indian trust lands.
"I think there should be a clear-cut historical connection between the tribe and the casino area," said Baird.
Some of the 200 people attending the town hall meeting said casinos attract drugs and crime, while others in the audience disagreed.
Baird said he advocates improved relations with Cuba because sanctions have not worked.
Baird praised Pres. Bush for taking on the touchy immigration topic. He said the Congress may approve some sort of a "guest worker" program in which illegal immigrants can work 1-3 years and then go home.
Baird said illegal immigrants should not be allowed to vote.
EAGLE MEMORIALIZES FALLEN SOLDIER
Heidi Wallenborn, news director
An 18-inch gold-plated eagle topped the flagpole Nov. 30 at Pleasant Valley Middle School in Salmon Creek, courtesy of Vancouver Fire and Rescue.
The eagle is a memorial to former student Cedric Bruns who perished in Iraq in 2004. It was given by an anonymous donor and presented to Bruns' parents at a Nov. 9 Veterans Day ceremony at the school.
On Nov. 30, members of Vancouver Fire and Rescue, led by captain Greg Weber, installed the eagle, but it was no small effort.
It was discovered that the eagle would not fit into the current halyard at the top of pole that supported ropes to hold flags.
A firefighter sawed off the top portion of the pole to fit a new halyard and ropes, but the diameter of the pole was too wide.
After a nearly two-hour effort of filing and grinding while perched at the end of a fire engine ladder, a firefighter finally got the new piece to fit, and America's bird sat perched, wings suspended in permanent flight.
Principal Ward Holcomb said he appreciated the Vancouver Fire and Rescue Department's effort and creativity.
Also as a memorial to Bruns, a Marine flag will fly under the U.S. flag rather than the state flag that was there before, Holcomb said.
Lance Corporal Cedric Bruns graduated from the middle school in 1996. He was a 2000 Prairie High School graduate.
Bruns was 22 years old when he was killed in a non-hostile vehicle accident May 9, 2003, in Kuwait.
According to official reports, Bruns was driving a Humvee pick-up truck when it was hit on the driver's side by a logistics support vehicle, similar to a flat-bed truck.
Bruns, who was a reservist assigned to the 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Force Service Support Group out of Eugene, OR, had been in Kuwait since January 2003. It was his first tour of duty overseas.
Gunnery Sgt. Rick Nelson had said that Bruns was a combat engineer in a unit trained to do "anything from demolition to building."
Bruns enjoyed camping trips and his pet duck, and looked forward to going to college, buying a house, and getting into family history.
An online letter at www.fallenheroesmemorial.com from Kristin Scott of Brush Prairie states that Bruns "was a beautiful person inside and out. For months he went out of his way to pick me up on the way to school when my car was broken down. When I offered him money, he would not accept it. Cedric, being so full of life and spirit, could always put a smile on my face no matter what type of mood I was in. He was a proud man with strong morals and somebody I looked up to."
RIDGEFIELD CHARGED IN CIVIL RIGHTS SUIT
Council suspends city manager as probe widens
Bill Myers, staff reporter
A Ridgefield police officer is suing the City of Ridgefield for violating his civil rights.
In a lawsuit filed Dec. 1 in the U.S. District Court in Tacoma, officer Carl Mealing contends that city manager George Fox fired because of his race.
The suit, filed by Vancouver attorney Jay Trumble, alleges employment discrimination on the basis of race and wrongful discharge, and seeks attorney's fees and unspecified punitive and compensatory damages.
Mealing, fired Sept. 28, was reinstated retroactively on Nov. 8 after Civil Service Commission hearings, and placed on paid administrative leave.
Fox, hired as city manager earlier this year after serving as a consultant, has declined comment. He said the time will come when he can give his side of the story.
Ridgefield police chief Bruce Hall, who fired Mealing, said in a deposition contained in the federal lawsuit that Fox told him Mealing had to go because he is "scary," and "people are afraid of him," and "he's creepy."
In another deposition, Ridgefield citizen Jaclyn Emter said Fox told her that he fired Mealing "because he's black."
The lawsuit names the City, police chief Bruce Hall and Fox as defendants.
The evening the suit was filed in Tacoma, council members unanimously suspended Fox pending the outcome of an investigation.
Council members approved a resolution instructing city attorney Mike Wynne to present Fox with a letter outlining restrictions and terms of a temporary, indefinite suspension with pay.
The letter advises Fox that Olympia attorney Eileen Lawrence will investigate Mealing's allegations and other matters pertaining to the city manager's performance, including:
** Fox's personal financial dealings, business interests, business relationships, clients and client services for potential conflicts of interest.
** Fox's representations as to expertise when he offered services to the city, including representations in the process of securing employment.
** The legal validity of Fox's employment and contract and available options to void a current four-year contract and other contractual issues.
The letter said the Council has authorized an investigation by the State Auditor of the City's budget and financial status.
The letter bans Fox from city hall, and restricts him from access to City records and documents and directs him not to have contact with any potential witness in the investigation.
A four-year employment agreement approved by council members in February said Fox can be terminated for public convenience if he is convicted of a felony or gross misdemeanor, or if he commits material acts of fraud in his official duties.
Fox is paid a salary of $10,811 per month plus a monthly auto and cell phone allowance of $650. Effective Jan. 1, 2006, his salary is scheduled to increase to $11,892 per month.
Council member wonders
Council member Gary Holmberg, who on several occasions over past months has asked for details of budget expenditures, said bad news keeps coming.
Holmberg said the city finance officer projects a year-end budget shortfall of $1.3 million.
"My questions aren't getting answers," said Holmberg. "Is there money in the general fund that doesn't belong there?"
Holmberg asked finance director Gaylynn Brien to bring details of over-budget expenditures for 2005 and details of employee salaries, raises and benefits to a Dec. 5 budget workshop.
Mayor Gladys Doriot removed 2006 budget items from the Dec. 1 agenda pending the workshop.
BG MAN SAYS NOT GUILTY IN MURDER
Heidi Wallenborn, news director
A 29-year-old Battle Ground man accused of killing his wife with two rifle shots to the head pleaded not guilty Nov. 29 in Clark County Superior Court.
Brent Allen Heath is being held on $500,000 bail in the County jail while awaiting a Jan. 30, 2006 trial with judge Robert Harris.
Heath was arrested Nov. 16, five days after his wife, Heidi Heath, was found dead about 10:30 p.m. on St. Johns Rd. under the I-205 overpass. Her body was outside her Kia Sephia that had its door open, parking lights on, and engine running.
Officials believe she was shot twice in the head with a high-powered .22 rifle that was taken from a neighbor's home when Brent Heath took care of their dogs while those neighbors were out of town.
A witness said he saw Heath with a rifle earlier on Nov. 11, the day of the killing, and believed Heath acted as if he were trying to hide the weapon next to his leg while the two conversed across the street from each other.
When the couple with the dogs returned home, they reported that .22 bullets were scattered around a room that was clean when they left.
Officials said casings found near Heidi Heath's body matched those found in the neighbor's home.
Another witness said they saw a pickup truck matching the description of Heath's under the overpass about 10:21 p.m., and it appeared as if the truck were blocking the car's path.
A co-worker of Heidi Heath's at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Salmon Creek said the couple had argued earlier in the week, according to a court document. Heath told her that her husband was unhappy in the marriage, the document states.
After his arrest, Brent Heath reportedly told detectives that his wife had been cheating on him for several months.
GAY/STRAIGHT CLUB MAY FORM AT BGHS
Heidi Wallenborn, news director
On Dec. 1, students at Battle Ground High School voted in classrooms throughout the day on whether to allow a Gay/Straight Alliance Club to form as an Associated Student Body (ASB)-approved group.
Voting results won't be known until a student body meeting on Tues., Dec. 13. If students approve, the group will become official, pending approval by school principal Tim Lexow who has the final say.
Junior Rebecca Poole, president of the Club which has been dubbed GSA, was nervous on the day voting took place.
Poole said students may vote against the Club's formation because they personally don't like homosexuals, which is not what the vote is about, she said. Students were to vote "yes" or "no" based on whether the group met ASB-approved club criteria, such as having a constitution in place.
"People don't understand, and it makes them scared," Poole said.
Katie Culbertson, a senior ASB officer, said, "Some people are confused about whether they can vote on if they want it or it's legal," Culbertson said. "I don't think the student body understands what it's being asked."
Senior Katie Lang, also an ASB officer, said she had heard of several classes voting "yes" already.
However, sophomore Mandy Niehaus, who is vice president of GSA, worried that not all classes would vote because of disagreements or nervousness, and mentioned she'd heard about such an event already that morning.
"We knew by starting this we would get a lot of negatives," Niehaus said. "I know people who do support it, but I'm not hearing a lot of positive things."
"Diversity all the way around"
Poole was inspired to preside over the new club because her brother, who graduated from Battle Ground High in 2003, is gay and had to hide it through his school years, she said.
Poole met Niehaus this year when the sophomore transferred from Mountain View High School in Vancouver, where a similar club has functioned for several years, Niehaus said.
While there, Niehaus wasn't a member, but participated in a National Day of Silence and other pro-homosexual activities.
In Battle Ground, Niehaus found the atmosphere "is a lot different," she said. "They are a lot more conservative and close-minded. There needs to be diversity all the way around so we can talk."
Last year, a poster that Poole created in art class promoting gay marriage was "ripped off the wall, stomped on and thrown in the trash," she said.
"The boy's parents were concerned about his right to free speech," she said.
School officials abide by their declaration on a poster that states, "Degrading ethnic, racial, homophobic or sexist remarks are not acceptable on this campus," Lexow said.
If a staff member hears such language, a referral is written and the infraction addressed immediately, he said. There are different levels of discipline, including suspension and immediate expulsion.
Over his last five years as principal, several students have been disciplined for harassment and even bodily harm.
"Staff is concerned," Lexow said, "but this is a safe place to keep our eyes and ears open for problems and antics and to deal with them immediately."
"Like any other club"
Niehaus and Poole want the GSA to function just like any other club, they said.
If approved, they will meet during the day with one of four teacher advisors who have volunteered.
The teens want to combine social and activist activities with a support group atmosphere. They foresee participating in national awareness events, other outings such as going to the movies, and airing concerns, ideas and problems.
"We want to spread diversity and raise awareness that there are different people in the world who can't control what they will be and what they will do," Niehaus said.
The group's mission is to "create a safe place for gay and straight people to discuss emotions and to achieve acceptance of diversity within the school."
As of Dec. 1, 23 students had signed up for the club. Members will not be asked what their sexual preferences are, but the group will be accepting if they choose to share "what they are," Niehaus said.
Students and staff are somewhat concerned about parent response.
"Kids gain their opinions from their parents," Niehaus said. "Some parents are more against it. We anticipate problems with parents."
In fact, Niehaus told about some parents who transferred their children out of a GSA advisor's class at Mountain View.
"I'm worried about support for public schools," Lexow said. "That concerns me."
Kelly Keister, communications consultant for the school district, said District officials are "committed to provide education with the respect and dignity of all students."
Lexow searched on the Internet and found that Battle Ground is similar to other schools across the country.
"I saw a lot of "yes" and "no," he said.
Despite saying the student body is close-minded and conservative, Niehaus and Poole agreed that they have also met understanding, supportive and open-minded people on campus.
"There is harassment in every school toward gay people," Poole said, "not just ours."
What if the answer to a club is "no?"
"That's never happened before," Culbertson said. "No one's ever said "no" to a club."
ASB officers would likely try to find out what went wrong, said Butch Blue, who works with student activities and clubs. The group could also appeal to administration and to Lexow.
"We'd try again," Poole said. "We can ask for a reason. They can't vote on a personal opinion, that's in the guidelines."
"It's a matter of persistence," Niehaus said.
RANGER FINDS TRAVEL WITH CORPS II EDUCATIONAL, FUN
Alice Perry Linker, staff reporter
A Battle Ground family recently took a short trip back to the past.
The family of Ted Anderson rowed along Lake River in a dugout canoe like those used by explorers Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery.
The canoe, owned by Steve Morehouse, is accompanying Corps of Discovery II, the National Park Service exhibit now open at Fort Vancouver. The exhibit will remain in Vancouver until Sun., Dec. 11, when it packs up for the winter.
Anderson's daughter, Wanda Anderson, arranged the outing for her father. Wanda Anderson works with the Corps of Discovery II, coordinating the advance team that makes arrangements with communities to host the exhibit.
Wanda Anderson has been on the road for about 18 months.
"I love to travel," said the 15-year veteran of the Park Service.
And travel she has. She joined the Corps II in Nebraska and she's crossed the west and southwest, making plans, working with communities and reserving hotel accommodations for the 25 people who travel with the exhibit.
"Most communities have gone above and beyond to make this work smoothly," Wanda Anderson said. "It's a huge undertaking."
Stopping in Vancouver was a "thrill" for Wanda Anderson because she has had an opportunity to visit her father and step-mother in Battle Ground. She spent Thanksgiving with her family.
"I live in one hotel after the next," she said about life on the road.
So far, she hasn't tired of the living arrangements, and she said the worst part of traveling is packing and unpacking.
The exhibit members are limited in the amount of luggage they can carry, and Wanda Anderson must carry a full dress uniform, including hat, and a maintenance uniform to wear when setting up exhibits. In cold weather, she must carry three coats, one for civilian wear.
"Most of the time, it suits me, but it gets challenging," she said. "We have so many staff and we can take so little luggage."
Although packing is a challenge, Wanda Anderson is happy with her job.
"I enjoy spending time in so many different communities," she said. "We move in for 17 or 18 days and we take all our meals out. We explore all the places to eat."
While Discovery II has been entertaining Vancouver people, Wanda Anderson has traveled to Boise, ID, Bismarck, ND, and eastern Montana to prepare for the early spring tours there. Then she's back to Vancouver to help dismantle the show.
During the winter, she will be based in Battle Ground, but she'll travel weekly to begin organizing the 2006 trip back to St. Louis, MO.
Often, Wanda Anderson travels alone, making three trips to each community well ahead of the exhibit. At other times she's accompanied by Charles Lassiter of Legacy Transportation, the company that provides the semi tractor-trailer where the exhibit is set up.
In addition to the trailer exhibit, the Corps II has the Tent of Many Voices with presentations every hour.
One of the group's greatest challenges came in Oklahoma City when they discovered they could not drive the tent stakes into the ground.
"We hit solid bedrock," she said. "We spent 10-12 hours trying to put in one stake. We had to abort that site and move to another place."
Sometimes the display is set up in small remote communities, such as Eagle Butte, SD, a place with no sleeping accommodations.
"We stayed 60 miles away in Faith, SD, a town of about 4,000 people," she said.
The Corps II has visited several Indian reservations during the national tour. Beginning in March 2006, the exhibit will visit Toppenish, the Warm Springs tribe in central Oregon, and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in northeast Oregon.