RealWear, a rapidly growing Silicon Valley company, has signed a letter of intent with the Fort Vancouver National Trust to occupy 12,000 square feet in the newly renovated Artillery Barracks at the Fort Vancouver National Site. The announcement was made Thursday during Mayor Tim Leavitt‘s State of the City address, held in the space that RealWear will occupy.

RealWear is building the world’s first voice-powered, hands-free and fully rugged, head-mounted tablet solution for connected industrial workers, the HMT-1. The move is in response to early significant industry demand for the device. It is the company’s first major North American expansion, and will serve key corporate functions in anticipation of the general availability launch of the HMT-1 in July 2017.

RealWear’s expansion comes as the company has built increasing momentum of its own in 2017. Awarded “Best Enterprise Solution” at Wearable Technology Show 2017 in London, England, the RealWear HMT-1 has received global acclaim for its innovation. More than 60 major industrial enterprises, channel partners, integrators and software solution partners including American Airlines, Boeing, Canon, and Hewlett Packard Enterprises have signed on as Pioneer Partners and are already using the HMT-1 in real-world scenarios.

Gretchen Brandenburg McLellan, former Learning Assistance Program teacher at Dorothy Fox Elementary, has become a published children’s author. Her debut book, Mrs. McBee Leaves Room 3, is now everywhere from Amazon to Barnes & Noble. Families are invited to a book launch celebration this Saturday, April 1, at Camas Public Library, from 3 to 5 p.m. The event features activities, drawings, a reading, pictures with a giant pencil, autographs, and opportunities to win prizes from participating Camas merchants including Cake Happy, Caffe Piccolo, The Soap Chest and Lizzabeth A’s. Books will be available for purchase at Lizzabeth A’s. RSVPs are requested to https://gretchenmclellan.com/events/.

Washougal Arts & Culture Alliance (WACA) has announced a Call for Artists for the 2017 Washougal Art Festival to be held on Saturday, Aug, 12, at Reflection Plaza. The festival is open to visual artists working in all media and is intended for professional artists who are actively producing and exhibiting their work to sell. All entries will be juried based on originality, creativity, craftsmanship, and professionalism. Judging will also consider the expression of a unique vision and style, and the mastery over the artist’s chosen medium. Festival and entry information is available for artists on the WACA website at www.washougalarts.org. The entry deadline is May 1.

The Clark Public Utilities Board of Commissioners will hold a regular meeting at 9 a.m., Tuesday, April 4, at Operations Service Center – Education Center, 8600 NE 117th Ave., Vancouver.