Around the Area Dec. 2

VANCOUVER

Board mulls cutbacks at community colleges

Facing a bleak state budget for 2009-11, Washington’s community college leaders must pursue aggressive cost-cutting while they attempt to keep expansion plans afloat.

Survival options top the agenda when Clark College hosts the monthly meeting of the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges this week.

The state board will gather 2 to 5 p.m. Wednesday and 8:45 to 11:45 a.m. Thursday at the Ellis Dunn Community Room in Gaiser Hall, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way.

Members will discuss probable spending cuts of 20 percent or more, and explore use of Certificates of Participation to pay for capital projects, in place of traditional state capital budget construction bonds.

The full board agenda is at: www.sbctc.ctc.edu/general/_a-agenda.aspx.

BATTLE GROUND

Holiday tree lighting scheduled for Friday

The city of Battle Ground will present the 19th Annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony & Celebration at 6 p.m. Friday at Fairgrounds Park and the new Battle Ground Community Center, 912 E. Main St.

Santa and Mrs. Claus will be escorted in at 6:15 p.m. by a Clark County Fire & Rescue engine. Photos with Santa cost $5 and proceeds benefit the North County Community Food Bank. The food bank will also take donations of new, unwrapped toys and nonperishable food for local families.

VANCOUVER

Holiday shopping spree for needy children set

Nautilus Inc. and the Vancouver Police Department are working together again to help needy children.

Early Saturday at the fifth-annual Nautilus Holiday Helpers event, company and department employees will take children shopping for presents, using money the company donated.

Police consulted with social services agencies to choose the children, according to police spokeswoman Kim Kapp. The event, at the Target store in Fisher’s Landing, isn’t open to the public.

LA CENTER

Christmas celebration will feature fireworks

La Center will host its public and free Christmas Festival at 5:30 p.m. Sunday in the downtown area. Santa will start the countdown to the tree lighting and fireworks display. The festival will take place regardless of weather conditions.<

VANCOUVER

Columbia Springs offers free compost training

Free training for prospective master composters and recyclers will be offered in a two-month course starting in late January.

The Columbia Springs Environmental Education Center will offer the training each Thursday evening from Jan. 29 through April 2. The course runs from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Vancouver Fire Station 83, 213 N.E. 120th Ave.

In return for the training, volunteers will be asked to dedicate 30 hours to community service during the year.

Space is limited and pre-registration required. Find more information at columbiasprings.org/mcr, 360-882-4567, or mcr@columbiasprings.org.