dailyinsider

Southwest Washington's Community News Service
Friday, July 30, 2010

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Vancouver FASTSIGNS® offers free “Welcome Home” banners

In recognition of those who serve in our military, Vancouver FASTSIGNS® sign and graphic center is offering military families free "Welcome Home" banners through the end of September.

"Our soldiers and their families have sacrificed much in the way of protecting our freedoms, and we feel this is the least we can do to express our gratitude and support," said Barry Leung, owner and general manager.

As small business owners, Leung and his wife and co-owner Teresa Kung have made community outreach and charitable support a priority.

"FASTSIGNS amazed me with their generosity, loving kindness and professionalism—I contacted them to have a banner made for my returning soldier and was in tears of gratitude when they told me it would be free," said Kryssi Nelson. "

I designed the sign, but FASTSIGNS made it possible."

Located at 14415 SE Mill Plain Blvd, Vancouver FASTSIGNS® can be reached by phone at 360-567-3313 or on online at www.fastsigns.com/524.

Vancouver woman becomes first to use Section 8 to buy a home

Sharisha Hicks in front of her new home

A Section 8 Housing Choice voucher participant with Vancouver Housing Authority (VHA) has just moved into a new place—a home she now owns.

Sharisha Hicks is the first Section 8 Housing Choice voucher holder in Vancouver to use the VHA’s new program that allows her to use her subsidy voucher to pay her mortgage instead of paying rent. According to Don Adams, homeownership program manager for the housing authority, the monthly cost of a mortgage may actually be less than the cost of renting for many households.

To be eligible, the potential homeowner must be working full time and qualify with the bank for a home loan in the same way that any potential homebuyer would have to meet income and other criteria to gain approval for a loan. Program candidates are required to take homeownership classes offered at the Community Housing Resource Center. Most prospective homebuyers under the program will also use the First Home Loan down payment assistance program administered by Columbia Non-Profit Housing, a program available to low-income households in Clark and Cowlitz counties who are buying their first homes. Down payment assistance is in the form of a secondary loan against the home, to be paid back when the home is sold or refinanced.

Currently there are about 20 households in the pre-qualification stage for the program. The VHA has authorized up to 50 of its approximately 2,200 vouchers for the Homeownership Voucher Program.

The Vancouver Housing Authority serves more than 7,500 very low-income children, parents, elderly, and disabled people with subsidized housing. The VHA also contributes to the sustainability of Clark County with non-subsidized affordable workforce housing and community development activities that provide homes for an additional 5,000 people.

Legacy seeks study participants

Legacy Health physicians and researchers hope to determine if Vitamin E and Trental (a drug used to improve blood flow) can lessen complication rates when radiation is used in conjunction with breast implant reconstruction. Women age 18 and older are candidates if they have had a mastectomy with expander or implant reconstruction after a diagnosis of breast cancer and are receiving or have recently completed radiation therapy.

The main purpose of the study is to determine if the use of Trental and Vitamin E, compared with a placebo, will decrease the incidence and severity of shrinking and/or hardening of tissue surrounding the implant associated with breast implant reconstruction. Another goal is to find out the impact that Trental and Vitamin E, compared with a placebo, may have on implant loss or need for surgical intervention in the setting of chest wall radiation after reconstruction.

Participation in the study will begin within two weeks of completing radiation treatment and last a total of 18 months.

Those interested in learning more about this study or other studies can call 503-413-8199, or Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center at 360-487-1000, and ask to be transferred to Cancer Research at Legacy Good Samaritan. Study participants can receive treatment at Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center in Vancouver, Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center in Portland or Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center in Gresham.

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Campaign Events

Heck Birthday Party: Al Bauer, Dena Horton, Royce Pollard and Rep. Deb Wallace will be among the guests celebrating Denny Heck’s 58th birthday and supporting his congressional campaign. The party is from 5 to 7 p.m. tonight at the home of Ralph Olsen, 3919 N.E. 50th Ave. in Vancouver. RSVP to Jessica at 360-481-6553 or via email Jessica@DennyHeckForCongress.com. More information is available on Heck’s website, www.DennyHeckForCongress.com.

News Briefs

Mount St. Helens Benefits: Two benefits are planned in August for the Mount St. Helens Institute. The first is at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 11, at Portland Timbers game at PGE Park. The “Awesome Hike” is planned to start at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 14, at the Johnston Ridge Observatory. More information is available at http://mshinstitute.org/index.php/events/.
Fire Restrictions: Gifford Pinchot National Forest officials announced the Industrial Fire Protection Level is increasing to Level II today, which changes the restrictions on work in the forest. The general public is affected only through the power-saw use restriction. Chainsaws may be run from 8 p.m. to 1 p.m. only. Camp fires should be completely extinguished before departing camp at any time. For more information, see the Gifford Pinchot website Fire page at http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/fire/current-restrictions.shtml.
Poetry Night: The Paper Tiger is hosting a Poetry Night at 7 p.m. on Aug. 19. The coffee house is at 703 Grand Blvd. in Vancouver. Writer Kori Sayer is scheduled to appear. An open mic will be offered before and after her appearance.
Six Confusion: As reported recently, Vancouver Fire Department will close Station 6 on 112th Ave. near Burton Road in December. Because Fire District 6 and Station 6 share a similar name, many citizens have confused the two and now believe that Fire District 6 is closing its department, which is not happening, said Dawn Johnson with Fire District 6.
Bike There: The City of Vancouver, Bike Me! Vancouver and the Riverview Six to Sunset concert series have partnered to provide staffed bicycle parking for the Six to Sunset concerts on Thursday evenings at Esther Short Park. The staffed bike parking will be located at the northeast corner of Esther Short Park in the grassy area near the stage. The free bike parking will be available from 5 p.m. until after the concert. Riders are asked to provide their own bike lock. For more information, visit www.cityofvancouver.us/concerts.
Summer Playground program: The Battle Ground Parks & Recreation traveling Summer Playground program will be held at four local neighborhood parks this summer. The free 10-week drop-in program is designed for children ages 4 to 10 and will bring a variety of arts, crafts, games and sports to local neighborhoods in the City of Battle Ground. For more information about the Summer Playground Program or the Battle Ground Parks & Recreation Department, visit the City’s website at http://www.cityofbg.org or call 360-342-5380.
Youth drug prevention team seeks new members: The Clark County STASHA (Strong Teens Against Substance Hazards and Abuse) Peer Education Program is recruiting youth to fill vacant positions for the 2010-11 program year. Clark County peer educators are dedicated to addressing alcohol and other drug issues among youth in Clark County. To be eligible, youth must be Clark County residents and have an interest in sharing their opinions and perspectives about substance abuse prevention. Training is provided. The deadline for applications is Wednesday, August 4. Applications are online at http://www.clark.wa.gov/youth-family/prevention.html. For more information or to request an application, please contact Angela McKinney, peer education coordinator, at 360-397-2130, ext. 5841 or angela.mckinney@clark.wa.gov.
Art in the Heart: Thirteen Downtown Vancouver art galleries and Vancouver’s Downtown Association have joined forces to bring a free, family-friendly community event to Downtown Vancouver streets the first weekend of August. The “Art in the Heart” event kicks off Friday, Aug. 6, at 5:30 p.m. After the free concert, many local restaurants and bars will also have live music. The galleries will be open again on Saturday, Aug. 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Evergreen Public Schools Registration: Families with students new to Evergreen Public Schools or who have moved to a new school area can now take advantage of centralized school registration hours starting this week. The registration will take place at Evergreen Public Schools Administrative Service Center located at 13501 NE 28th St., Vancouver, in the Home Choice/IQ Internet Academy Building. Registration forms can be found online at http://www.evergreenps.org/AboutEPS/Pages/CentralizedStudentRegistration.aspx or picked up at the registration desk. More information is available at www.evergreenps.org or by calling 360-604-4163.
Burn Ban: In cooperation with the Washington Department of Natural Resources, Clark County enacted restrictions on all outdoor burning effective July 15. All land clearing and residential burning will be restricted until further notice.
192nd Ave. signals: A new fiber optics communication system will better coordinate traffic signals along Southeast 192nd Avenue. Drivers along the road should experience smoother traffic, but motorists approaching from side streets may notice slightly longer signal delays.

Calendar

July 31: The Con Grazia Wind Quintet will perform an “Oooh La La Concert” at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 31, at the Magenta Theater, 606 Main St in downtown Vancouver. Jill Coykendall, clarinet; Annie Brown Kosanovic, bassoon; Rebecca Olson, flute; Wendy Peebles, French horn and Victoria Racz, oboe will play music from French composers Arrieu, Debussy, Faure and Pierne. Tickets are $12 and are available at the door.
Aug. 3: The Clark Public Utilities board of commissioners will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 3. The meeting will be held at 1200 Fort Vancouver Way beginning at 9 a.m.
Aug. 3: Gov. Chris Gregoire has directed that flags at all Washington state agency buildings be lowered to half-staff Tuesday, August 3, in memory of U.S. Army First Lieutenant Robert N. Bennedsen of Vashon Island. Bennedsen died July 18, in Afghanistan, of injuries he sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his convoy. Flags should remain at half-staff until close of business Tuesday, or first thing Wednesday morning, August 4.
Aug. 7: Clark County residents can recycle block foam for free from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 7, at the Fisher’s Landing Transit Center, 3510 S.E. 164th Ave. Residents also can drop off computers and other electronic devices for free recycling. No televisions, computer monitors or microwave ovens will be accepted.
Aug. 14: On Saturday, Aug. 14, the Vancouver Fire Fighters Union will take over Esther Short Park to raise money for Share and the hungry and homeless in Clark County. Fire in the Park II is planned from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. More information is available at www.sharevancouver.org.
Aug. 19: Columbia Springs is hosting a fundraiser from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 19, at the environmental education center, 12208 S.E. Evergreen Highway, in Vancouver. Tickets are $50 per person or $750 for a V.I.P. package that includes 10 tickets. Tickets are available at the Columbia Springs website, http://www.columbiasprings.org/events/hooked.html#.
Aug. 27-29: The 13th Annual Vancouver Wine & Jazz Festival is Aug. 27-29 at Esther Short Park in downtown Vancouver. Ticket prices are: Friday, $20; Saturday $25, Sunday, $25. Three-day passes are $50 in advance, $60 at the gate. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.vancouverwinejazz.com or through TicketsWest, http://www.ticketswest.com. Tickets can also be purchased by calling 503-224-8499 or 1-800-992-8499.
Sept. 16: The Port of Vancouver is offering one more "V.I.P. family tour" at 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 16. To reserve a spot, contact Andrew Ness at 360-992-1137 or amness@portvanusa.com.