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Local News
 Lawmakers weigh in on state redistricting issues
The failure for the Washington State Redistricting Commission to come up with new maps for Congressional and state Legislature districts has local lawmakers disappointed that the decision is now up …
Battle Ground resident crowned Miss Greater Vancouver 2022
Battle Ground resident Natalie Worthy was recently crowned Miss Greater Vancouver 2022 after serving as Miss Battle Ground’s Outstanding Teen from 2020-2021. Worthy, 18, is excited about the …
Overflow shelters now open for winter
The Council for the Homeless has announced Clark County’s Winter Hospitality Overflow (WHO) and the Satellite Overflow Shelters (SOS) are now open to provide additional nightly shelter space …
New offerings at Woodland Planters Days will include Junior Royal Court
In celebration of its 100th year, the Woodland Planters Days celebration is expanding its offerings by launching its first ever Junior Royal Court.   Applications for the court, which …
Walk & Knock to be held in a ‘drive and drop’ format this year
The nation’s largest local one-day food drive is asking participants to “drive and drop” off donations this year. Non-perishable food or toiletries can be dropped off at 10 sites …
BGPS moves forward with new process to pick sex ed curriculum
Battle Ground Public Schools is taking another stab at implementing state-required comprehensive sexual health education in the district, as it got the OK to explore new curriculum at both the middle …
Battle Ground and Prairie athletes make 2021 fall All-League teams
A number of students from Battle Ground High School and Prairie High School have been chosen to be on the fall 2021 All-League teams from Southwest Washington.  According to a news release, …
Community Calendar, Dec. 1 edition
Toastmaster meetings: 7 p.m. every Tuesday online. Toastmasters holds meetings for people who want to improve their communication skills for business or career development. Meetings are on Zoom. Use …
Brush Prairie resident continues childhood dream with her horse farm
Brush Prairie resident Erica Trager is the owner of Stone Temple Farms, which is a horse riding and training facility that she has owned for nearly 20 years.  The idea for the farm came to …
Business
County seeks business community member to serve on the Arts Commission

Clark County is looking to fill a volunteer position on the Clark County Arts Commission. The position is open to all members of the business community. The term is four years in length and begins …

State & Regional News
Survey: More than 6,000 nurses are needed in hospitals throughout Washington
The nursing shortage is a pressing reality for hospitals across Washington. A recent survey from the Washington State Hospital Association, which included responses from 80 hospitals that have 85% …
As opposition grows, Washington's long-term care tax to see fixes in Legislature this session
Support for Washington state's long-term care benefit program is divisive, but 51% of Washington residents support the program, according to an AARP poll published this fall. A third of residents …
Steve Hobbs sworn in as Secretary of State as Kim Wyman departs for Biden administration
OLYMPIA — Washington has a Democratic secretary of state for the first time since 1965. Former state Sen. Steve Hobbs was sworn in Monday as Washington's 16th secretary of state by …
Bridges, roads likely to hold up during Cascadia earthquake, but may take time to fully reopen
OLYMPIA — The big one. The 9.0 magnitude Cascadia earthquake that experts say will change the West Coast forever. No one knows when, but scientists are pretty certain it will hit. Since the …
Outdoor recreation's contribution to Washington, national economy dips during pandemic
The outdoor recreation's contribution to the U.S. economy shrank 19%  from 2019 to 2020 and employment in that sector fell by 17.1%, according to a report conducted by the Bureau of Economic …
Staffing shortages at DOT could mean closed roads, decreased service this winter
OLYMPIA — This winter,  cold, snowy weather is in the forecast. Now add long road closures. Staff shortages have hit the Department of Transportation, which is down about 300 people. …
State Sen. Hobbs to replace Wyman as Secretary of State
OLYMPIA — State Sen. Steve Hobbs will be the new Washington Secretary of State. Hobbs, a Democrat from Snohomish County, will take over for Kim Wyman Nov. 22 as she begins her job in the …
More than 10 million COVID-19 doses administered in Washington
Washington state's public health system has administered more than 10 million COVID-19 vaccine doses this year, with those numbers continuing to increase as children ages 5 to 11 can now get …
Maria Cantwell wants to build journalism back better with social spending bill
Tucked into President Joe Biden’s proposed nearly $2 trillion social spending bill is a provision to boost local media through tax incentives meant to help an industry battered by the …
WDFW encourages people to fish instead of shop on Black Friday
Waiting in line for Black Friday deals can be a tedious process for many, but the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has another option.  The WDFW instead said people can go …
Opinion
Editorial

Brunell commentary: ​​Ignoring debt is not an option

Remember the television ad where the auto mechanic looks viewers straight in the eye and says: “You can pay me now or pay me later.” The message: if you change your car’s oil and …

Opinion

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Community
 Community calendar: Week of July 28
Community events HOPE Dementia Support: 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, July 28 on Facebook Live and YouTube Live. Join international dementia expert, Joao Partel Araujo, for “Answers with …
Clark County COVID-19: county in range for rollback to Phase 2 next week
Both Clark County’s recent COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are high enough that the county would move back into Phase 2 of “Healthy Washington” reopening if numbers don’t drop. Clark …
Inslee visits Fort Vancouver to promote ‘Take It Outside’ campaign
Gov. Jay Inslee urged local residents to “Take It Outside” and visit Washington’s state and national parks as a free way to weather the COVID-19 pandemic this summer. In a statement to the …

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Letters to the Editor

Letter to the editor: An end to 20 years of lost public benefit due to government failure

In 1992 two sisters, Virginia Durkee Richards and Dorothy Durkee Harris, gifted to Clark County the farm they inherited from their father, R.S. Durkee. The gift deed specified that the property would …

Letter to the editor: Please don’t give up on what has made this country the greatest

Are political leaders trying to change our nation? Despite all the blood that has been shed for generations to defend the liberty enshrined in our Constitution, many of those occupying the …

Letter to the editor: A year of celebrations, changes for the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership

The year 2022 is slated to be a big year of celebrations and changes for the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership. First, let’s talk about celebrations. The largest habitat restoration project in …
Life, Sports & Outdoors
Life
Tips to ensure holiday road trips are safe and stress-free

After a 2020 holiday season in which the pandemic forced the postponement or cancellation of festivities, families are planning to get together once again in 2021. Many people will head home for the …

Ridgefield School District unveils new community service recognition for graduates The Ridgefield School District recently unveiled a new community service program, which will be used as an award for graduating students who qualify. Joseph Vance, the Ridgefield School Board …
City of Battle Ground prepares for 32nd Annual Holiday Tree Lighting The City of Battle Ground will host its 32nd annual Holiday Tree Lighting event on Friday, Dec. 3 at the Battle Ground Community Center, located at 912 E. Main St. in the city’s Old Town …
Brush Prairie resident serves as judge in Westminster Dog Show Brush Prairie resident Lesley Hiltz will judge the 146th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City on Jan. 24 through Jan. 26. Hiltz will judge both varieties of beagles and all …

More Life coverage

Sports
Woodland Beavers end 2021 season with championship win

The Woodland Beavers football team, which is composed of fifth and sixth graders, have finished the season in the best way possible.  In their last game against Castle Rock, the team won …

Prairie High School slowpitch softball team wins 3A academic state title Prairie High School’s varsity slowpitch softball team was recently named the 2021 Academic 3A state champions after the team maintained a combined grade point average of …
Woodland fishing shop owner is the creator of a popular TV show Woodland resident Justin Wolff is the owner of a fishing tackle shop called Angler West. What you may not know is that the shop is named after a TV show Wolff himself started in March 2003, which …
Battle Ground slowpitch softball team places fourth at state The Battle Ground High School slowpitch softball team took fourth place at the state tournament on Oct. 29 and Oct. 30 at the Gateway Sports Complex in Yakima, marking the first time the team made it …

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Outdoors
The Ape Cave Has Reopened: Take a Trip to St. Helens for Some Bigfoot Lore and Hidden Gems

If you’re looking for some climbing, some slime and some Bigfoot lore, the recently-reopened Ape Cave at Mount St. Helens may be the sweet spot. The pitch-black cave provides a trek into where …

Mount St. Helens beckoned climbers on final day of permit free climbs Neal Kirby, an avid hiker, was among dozens of climbers to take advantage of the last day to ascend to the summit of Mount St. Helens without a permit on March 31.  Kirby, 68 of Centralia, …
Ape Cave to reopen with a new reservation system   Located on the south side of Mount St. Helens, the popular Ape Cave Interpretive Site will reopen to the public on May 18. The site was closed to the public in Spring 2020 in response to the …
Washington State Parks recruiting for permanent and seasonal Park Ranger 1 positions Washington State Parks is hiring for many different Park Ranger 1 positions across the state. Both permanent and seasonal positions are available. Those in the Park Ranger 1 position have the …

More outdoors

Obituaries
 In loving memory of Kay Spencer Beasley: 1929-2021
Kay Spencer Beasley, mom, grandma, granny passed away on Nov. 18, 2021, peacefully in her home of 70 years. She was born on Oct. 4, 1929 in Hermiston, Oregon. She was adopted to the parents of Kyle …
In loving memory of Dean Duaine Swanson: 1934-2021
Dean Duaine Swanson, a longtime La Center resident, passed away at the age of 87 on Nov. 19, 2021. Dean was husband to Delverna (Fencil) for 65 years, until her passing on June 30, 2018.  He …
In loving memory of Kay L. LaFond: 1940-2021
Kay L. LaFond, 80, of Wayne, Oklahoma, and formerly of Clark County, Washington, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center. Kay Laura Nixon was …
In loving memory of Mae Boynton: 1925-2021
Mrs. Arretta “Mae” Boynton, 96, passed away Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021 in Vancouver, Washington. She was born April 13, 1925 in Virginia to Ben and Della (Blankenship) Lavender and was …
In loving memory of Keith Kevin Stover: 1964-2021
Keith Kevin Stover was born Nov. 6, 1964 in Sandpoint, Idaho to Merrill and Connie Stover who resided in Thompson Falls, Montana.  Keith grew up in Hood River, Oregon and attended school …
In loving memory of Phyllis Cornell: 1937-2021
Phyllis Patricia (Patty) Cornell of Ariel, Washington, passed away peacefully Nov. 5, 2021.  Patty was born July 14, 1937 in Center, North Dakota to Grace and Vincent Schumsky, who are both …

More obituaries

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