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Southwest Washington's Community News Service

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

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Barnett suspends campaign, endorses Brandon Vick

Shannon Barnett endorses Brandon Vick as he ends his own bid to win the Republican nomination for the State House of Representatives, 18th Legislative District, Position #1.

"This has been an agonizing decision for me and my family," Barnett said Tuesday. "Together we have decided that for personal reasons I must withdraw from the race. I have looked at all the other candidates running for the Republican nomination and I have decided to endorse Brandon Vick. I believe Mr. Vick has the integrity and core values necessary to represent the 18th District. I have also encouraged all of my staff, volunteers and campaign supporters to assist him with his campaign to be your next representative."

Writer Heidi Durrow to deliver Clark College commencement address

Heidi Durrow

Award-winning writer Heidi W. Durrow will be the keynote speaker at Clark College’s 2010 commencement ceremony. The commencement ceremony begins at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 17, at the Sleep Country USA Amphitheater (formerly the Amphitheater at Clark County), 17200 NE Delfel Road, Ridgefield. The event is free and open to the public.

During the 2009-2010 academic year, 1,305 men and women have earned degrees and certificates from Clark College. Approximately 390 graduates are expected to take part in the commencement ceremony. Clark is the second largest community-technical college in the state of Washington.

Durrow is a graduate of Stanford, Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism and Yale Law School. Originally from Portland, Oregon, Durrow has worked as a corporate litigator and as a consultant to the National Football League and National Basketball Association.

She is the co-host of the award-winning weekly podcast Mixed Chicks Chat. She received writer Barbara Kingsolver's 2008 Bellwether Prize for Literature of Social Change for The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, her first novel.

Information about Durrow is available at http://heidiwdurrow.com/.

Northwest Author to Read from Newest Book of Essays

Robin Cody

Acclaimed nature writer Robin Cody will read from his newest collection of essays Thursday, May 20.

In his book, Another Way the River Has: Taut True Tales from the Northwest, Cody writes about time spent leisurely navigating the area’s changing rivers and streams. The book is Cody’s first in 13 years, and features two dozen stories, some of which have previously appeared in The Oregonian and other local publications.

In an April 10 review for The Oregonian, Peter Sleeth called the collection "a homecoming to a place millions of us share."

Guests are invited to the free reading beginning at 6:30 p.m. at The Water Resources Education Center, located at 4600 SE Columbia Way.

The event is sponsored by the Vancouver Watersheds Council, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing together and engaging the community to protect and enhance the natural environment of Vancouver watersheds.

For more information, contact Gary Bock at 360-356-4130.

ESD 112 Partnership starts college prep in sixth grade

Southwest Washington Child Care Consortium (SWCCC) and Northwest Service Academy, both programs of Educational Service District 112, in partnership with Vancouver Public Schools, will receive $147,900 over three years to institute an after-school college readiness program for sixth graders at McLoughlin Middle School.

The College Spark Washington grant will fund the College Compass Club (CCC) and will provide 40 income-eligible students access to tutoring services, service-learning projects, peer mentors, and a variety of enrichment activities. Students will go on field trips to local businesses and college campuses.

Another grant partner, Northwest Service Academy, will provide AmeriCorps service members to work with students through the club, providing support through tutoring, mentoring, planning field trips, engaging guest speakers, and coordinating volunteers, among other activities.

"We are pleased about the prospect of using AmeriCorps members to support middle school students in gaining college readiness skills," said Jada Rupley, associate superintendent, ESD 112. "This is a new focus area for the members and will provide a much needed service to this student population."

The project begins in August 2010 and will continue through July 2013.
Headquartered in Vancouver, ESD 112 provides local and regional cooperative programs and services to school districts and communities in the six counties of Southwest Washington. ESD 112 was established by the Legislature in 1969.

Lawmaker appointed to transportation group

Rep. Jim Moeller

State Rep. Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver, 49th Legislative District, was recently appointed to the National Governors Association Transportation Academy on Best Practices.

Washington was one of five states last month selected by the Governors Association to participate in the NGA Policy Academy. The group is charged with finding new ways to implement land-use and transportation planning.

A former Vancouver city councilman, Moeller is the Deputy Speaker Pro Tempore of the Washington State House of Representatives. He is a member of the House Transportation Committee and the House Rules Committee, and several other legislative panels.

"The goal isn’t to throw together yet another study-on-governance report and stuff it into an attractive binder and have folks proudly display said report in their bookshelves, and then promptly forget all about it," Moeller said when the appointment was announced this week. "We want to identify strategies that unite various levels of the transportation and land-use decision-making process."

Moeller will be working with representatives from the governor’s office, the Washington State Departments of Commerce and Transportation, and other regional and state organizations.

Council for the Homeless seeking award nominees

The Council for the Homeless is seeking nominees for its 11th annual Hope & Action Recognition Awards. The awards recognize people who advocate, support, volunteer, or partner to end homelessness. A one-page nomination form is available at www.icfth.com or by calling (360) 993-9561. Nominations are due by Saturday, May 29, 2010. Award winners are notified in July and awards are presented at the Council for the Homeless Hope & Action Recognition Luncheon on Friday, Sept. 24, at the Hilton Vancouver Washington.

The Council for the Homeless is a 501c(3) nonprofit organization created in 1989 by local government and the Vancouver Housing Authority. Its charge is to mobilize our community to end homelessness.

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News Briefs

Tickets are still available for the Clark County Skills Center BBQ Theme Dinner at 6:30 p.m., Friday, May 14 at the skills center, 12200 NE 28th Street in Vancouver. The menu includes BBQ Ribs, Apple Smoked Chicken, Corn Bread, Macaroni and Cheese, Caramel Apple Tart, Strawberry Short Cake and Country Lemonade. Advance tickets are required and are $25.00 per person. Please contact Robbin McColley 360- 604-1054 or robbin.mccolley@evergreenps.org.
The TC2 summit, a county-wide summit for youth interested in preventing substance abuse, is from 1 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, May 14, at Clark College, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way in Vancouver. For more information, contact Toni Eby at 360-608-3032 or Toni.eby@clark.wa.gov.
The 6th Annual Dozer Day is this weekend, Saturday, May 15, and Sunday, May 16, expanding to two days for the first time. Visit www.nutterfoundation.org for details.
Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation has released a new publication called the "Discovery Guide." The guide includes maps and offers information about free or low-cost parks and recreation in Clark County. The new guides are available for free at the following locations: Firstenburg Community Center, 700 N.E. 136th Ave.; Marshall Community Center, 1009 E. McLoughlin Blvd.; Vancouver Tennis Center, corner of 18th and Stapleton Road; Esther Short Building, 610 Esther St.; Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St.
The Mount St. Helens Institute hosts its second annual "It’s a Blast: Volcano Science in Your Backyard" on Saturday, May 15 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Johnston Ridge Observatory in the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. With the volcano as a dramatic backdrop, this day of hands-on learning will include presentations by scientists, guided walks with experts, a kid’s science discovery area, aquatics exploration and viewing of the new 2010 documentary Mount St. Helens: Life From Zero.
Bikram Hot Yoga Vancouver opened on Monday, May 10 at 1801 SE 164th Ave Ste 109 in East Vancouver. The studio offers a new student special, 2 weeks of unlimited yoga for $10. A grand opening special, half off a year of unlimited yoga runs through Saturday, May 22. More details are available at www.VancouverBikramYoga.com
Is traffic too fast in your neighborhood? The City of Vancouver is offering three free "safe streets" clinics to teach the public about calming traffic on its way through their areas. The first is Tuesday, May 18, at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall. Visit http://www.cityofvancouver.us/News.asp?submenuID=16578&Id=74049 for details.
The Clark County Board of Health is seeking applicants to fill a youth representative vacancy on the Clark County Public Health Advisory Council. The vacancy is open to representatives of the Clark County Youth Commission and Clark County Youth House as well as students from local high schools and colleges. The panel focuses on public health issues. To be considered, applicants must submit a resume and/or letter of interest to Jennifer Clark, Board of County Commissioners, P.O. Box 5000, Vancouver, WA 98666-5000. The Board also will accept applications faxed to 360-397-6058 or emailed to jennifer.clark@clark.wa.gov. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, May 14.
Tickets are still available for the Thursday, May 20 Marshall Lecture, featuring Jon Jarvis, director of the National Park Service. The Marshall Lecture is the cornerstone of the Fort Vancouver National Trust’s Celebrate Freedom programs. This is a free public event, but tickets are required. The lecture is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Hudson’s Bay High School, 1206 East Reserve Street, Vancouver. Print free tickets on the Trust’s website at www.FortVan.org/pages/Marshall_Lecture or call the Trust office at 360-992-1800.

Calendar

The Columbia River Crossing Project Sponsors Council will hold a public work session with local partner agency staff at its May 14 meeting. Progress reports will be provided on Hayden Island interchange planning, travel demand management, performance measures, and land use and transportation modeling. The work session will be held 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Region 1 office of the Oregon Department of Transportation, 123 NW Flanders Street in Portland. Meeting materials are available at: http://www.columbiarivercrossing.org/ProjectPartners/PSCMeetingMaterials.aspx.
Washington State University Vancouver will graduate 768 students at its 2010 commencement ceremony at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 15, at the Sleep Country Amphitheater. Bruce Romanish, vice chancellor of academic affairs, will preside over the ceremony. Scott Carson, alumnus, regent on the Washington State University Board of Regents, and retired Boeing executive, will be the keynote speaker. The Sleep Country Amphitheater is located at 17200 NE Delfel Road, Ridgefield. Parking and gates open at 11 a.m. The seating area opens at 11:30 a.m. Concessions will be available. Commencement is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.
The Friends of The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra present a lecture by Dr. Melissa Brotons, entitled "Music for Health and Education," on the different applications of music therapy, in education, medicine, mental health and gerontology. The lecture is at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 27, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Vancouver, 4505 E. 18th Street in Vancouver. A $10 donation per person is suggested. Proceeds from the event go to funding the symphony's concert season and music education programs in Southwest Washington.