|
Gubernatorial candidates exchange
views at Vancouver forum
Dino Rossi,
Republican candidate for Washington State governor, told the audience at a
Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce luncheon today that Mount St. Helens,
erupting during the forum, could predict the outcome of the gubernatorial race.
“The last time the mountain blew,
a Republican was elected governor,” Rossi quipped.
More than 300 people attended the
joint appearance of Rossi and Attorney General
Christine Gregoire held by the Chamber at the Red Lion Hotel at the Quay.
The candidates each answered 10 questions presented by moderator
Beth Quartarolo of Hewlett Packard. The
forum will be aired on CVTV, Channel 23, and TV Washington.
The candidates shared their views
on a variety of issues, from health care to education, to what they will do to
fund transportation.
On education, Rossi said he is in
favor of “achievement and accountability before dollars.” Gregoire said her top
education priority is to stop the dropout rate.
On how to make Washington more
competitive, Gregoire said she favors revising the Business & Occupation tax
structure to allow small business “to grow and expand…Every region has an
economic engine. We need to find it in every region,” Gregoire said.
Rossi offered a different solution.
“The only thing in our way is us. We’re the fifth most regulated state in the
nation,” he said. “I’m running for governor because this state can do better,”
said Rossi. He said his opponent has only two connections to the business
community: lawsuits and government regulation.
Gregoire countered, saying she
supports a platform of working with government to “break down barriers and
provide incentives.” She said she is in favor of investing in “life sciences and
stem cell research” and development of alternative energy. “Washington will lead
the nation,” she said.
Leadership Clark County
class of 2005 selected
Twenty-three applicants have been
accepted for the Leadership Clark County class of 2005, reports LCC board chair
Gail Spolar.
Leadership Clark County is in its 12th
year, having graduated 310 participants in the nearly year-long session of
classes designed to enhance leadership skills.
Attending classes that begin this
month are Courtney Barker, Corwin
Beverages; Shauna Care, Clark County
YMCA; Todd Coleman, Port of Vancouver;
Sharon Crouch, Clark Public Utilities;
Amber Curtin, Columbia Credit Union;
James Demmon, City of Vancouver;
Doug Dray, Key Bank;
Peter DuBois, Clark County Public Works;
Vanessa Duplessie, Balanced Just Write;
Rita Halleck, ESD 112;
Kim Hash, Vancouver National Historic
Reserve Trust; Jeff Kassel, New
Phoenix/Last Frontier Casino; Sharon Lien,
First Independent Bank; Betty Montgomery
and Paula Muller, both Hewlett Packard;
Debbie Nelson, City of Vancouver; Tabitha
Reeder, The JD White Company; Peggy
Sandberg, ESD 112; Nicolle Sicillia,
Minister and Glaeser Surveying; Cathy
Sork, Vancouver School District; Scott
Sturgeon, Hewlett Packard; Troy Thomas,
Electric Lightwave; and Karen Varkados,
iQ Credit Union.
Campaign to replace 8-track tape
player
in Clark College chime tower underway
With nearly half of the $10,000 needed
to replace the aging 8-track tape player in Clark College’s landmark chime tower
already in hand, the college alumni association is taking its fund-raising
efforts public at a 3 p.m. Monday, Oct. 4, kickoff at the chime tower near the
center of the campus at 1800 E McLoughlin Boulevard.
The brick and mortar chime tower was
built 40 years ago after the alumni association raised $10,000 and installed a
state-of-the-art 8-track tape system to peal out a few tunes.
Plans call for a compact disc system
capable of producing an infinite variety of music, and the addition of a digital
clock, according to Chuck Clemans, Chime
Tower Campaign Committee chair.
Alumni, students, faculty and
administrators will be on hand at the ceremony to accept donations from $10 and
up, just as they did 40 years ago, Clemans says. Donations may also be sent to
the Clark College Alumni Association, MS-39, 1800 E McLoughlin Boulevard,
98663.
Fire station expected to draw
thousands for open house
Last year, over 4,000 people attended
Vancouver’s annual Fire Department Headquarters’ open house. The extremely
kid-popular event is repeated from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, at the
main fire station, 7110 NE 63rd Street.
Firefighting and rescue operations are
featured. Family attractions include a Teddy Bear clinic for kids focusing on
Emergency Medical Services, provided by fire department staff, and kids photos
with VFD Dalmatian dogs on antique fire apparatus. Bicycle helmet fittings will
be provided by Southwest Washington Medical Center, and car seat safety
information will be given by the Vancouver Police Department.
People
While college president
Wayne Branch,
along with representatives of the student body and alumni, looked on, a
handful of Clark College alumni from the 1930s entertained themselves with
eminences at a small luncheon in their honor earlier this week on the college
campus.. Early graduates attending were Dollie
Johnson Beers, class of 1937, William
Farr, class of 1937, Lee Jenny,
class of 1935, and Bud and
Jeanette Schwarz, both class of 1937, who
first met at the college. The college opened in 1933, but by the time World War
II interrupted college attendance fewer than 100 persons had graduated.
News briefs
A farewell party for
John Magnano, retiring executive director
of Columbia River Mental Health Services, begins at 5:30 p.m. today in the Red
Lion Hotel at the Quay. g
A workshop, “Naturally Beautiful Backyards,” is being presented by the NE Hazel
Dell Neighborhood Association, the WSU Extension Service and Clark County Solid
Waste staff from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, in the county operations
Center, 4700 NE 78th Street. The workshop is free.
|
MIRIAM GREEN 
"Working to help you!"
