Marj Casswell’s first
novel published

Vancouver’s Marjorie Casswell’s first novel, A Place to come Home To, is being published under the name Marj Casswell, and it is expected to be in book store in December.

The novel was a semifinalist for both the William Faulkner/Wisdom Competition, and the Lewis and Clark Expedition Award.

Casswell is generally known as a non-fiction writer and recently has retired from a career working with non-profit organizations. Caswell is one of the founding members of the board of directors of InterACT Clark County’s public opinion forum.

The novel is about a woman returning to her ancestral Virginia tobacco farm, who discovers her childhood diary, which discloses the causes of her present-day regrets.

Casswell lives in Vancouver with her partner, Walt Griffith, and, in publishing house promotion parlance, “her somewhat nutty cat, Shima.”

Columbia Credit Union’s membership
to decide whether to expel directors

Columbia Credit Union is holding a special membership meeting Wednesday, Nov. 15, to decide whether the largest credit union in southern Washington should remove two former dissident directors and one supervisory committee member from their positions and expel them from the credit union.

The three, directors Cathryn Chudy and Kathryn Edgecomb, and supervisory committee member Lloyd Marbet, were elected to the credit union last year on a platform that prevented the credit union from reforming itself as a bank.

The meeting in Skyview High School, 1300 NW 139th Street, opens with registration at 4 p.m. Voting begins at 5 p.m. Members must present photo identification.

Nonprofit Network luring prospective
volunteers with food and drink

Persons who think they might want to volunteer for local nonprofit organizations are invited to a Tuesday, Nov. 14, mixer in Devine Consign, 904 Main Street.

The event is under the aegis of the community Nonprofit Network and is sponsored by the local advertising agency Rocketshop.

Representatives of most of Clark County’s nonprofit community organizations will be on hand to greet and meet prospects. Hors d’oeuvres and wine will be provided. The event opens at 5:45 p.m. Required registration can be made by calling 695-6443, extension 13, or going to www.npnnw.org/wa/network/nw/C77.

Today’s college students
plugged in and interacting

Communications technology is pervasive among Clark College students, according to a piece in the Winter 2007 edition of Clark College Connections, which catalogs thousands of classes available to students for the winter quarter.

Today’s students differ from those of only a few years ago in terms of their electronic gear, according to the article describing a recent scene:

In the lounge area of the Penguin Student Union Building overlooking the Fireside Room in the Penguin Student Union Building sat ten students. Between them they were using four laptops, three MP3 players and one digital camera—and it is likely that each had a cell phone.

“...despite the laptops and the MP3 players, they were still interacting with one another, sharing laptop contents.”

Being left to one’s own devices has taken on an entirely new meaning.

News brief

The biggest Christmas party of the year, the 26th annual Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce breakfast is 7:30 to 9 a.m. Friday, Dec. 1, in the Hilton Vancouver Washington. Sponsored by the West Coast Bank, admission to the Christmas breakfast is $25 each. Donations will also be accepted for People in Need. Registration is required. For further information, call 694-2588, or go to www.vancouverusa.com.

Calendar

The Vancouver City Council meets in workshop session, at 4 p.m. today. At 6 p.m. the council convenes a consent agenda session during which the final reading of a proposed ordinance modifying the city's business and occupation tax will be considered. n The Neighborhood Associations Council of Clark County meets at 7 p.m. this evening in the Public Works Conference Room, 4700 NE 78th Street.  n Clark Public Utilities’ commissioners meet in regular session at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14. n Port of Vancouver commissioners meet in regular session at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14. n  Clark County commissioners meet in regular session at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14.

Monday headlines

Wind knocks out power for 3,702 customers but Clark Public Utilities has all the lights back on by 10 a.m. this morning--Columbian, Courtney Sherwood

Another 300 soldiers from 104th division, including many from Vancouver, to deploy to Iraq--Columbian, Dean Baker

Vancouver Symphony displays power, depth--Oregonian, Dave Stabler

Mayor Pollard got PDX to quiet down during concert, but it may not have set a precedent--Oregonian, Bill Stewart

Medical marijuana law leaves patients in a fog--Seattle P-I, Claudia Rowe

Giuliani takes first step in run for president--Washington Post

Bush open to new ideas from bipartisan group--Washington Post, Bill Brubaker