Washougal
Household waste collection site closing
Residents of east Clark County who need to dispose of household hazardous waste will no longer be allowed to drop it off at Philip Services in Washougal.
The collection site is being phased out following the June opening of the Washougal Transfer Station, 4020 S. Grant St. The transfer station accepts household hazardous waste from Clark County residents at no charge on the third Saturday of each month, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Philip site, at 625 S. 32nd St., has collected waste on the first Tuesday of each month from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The last collection day will be Dec. 1.
Besides Washougal, the county has two other locations where residents can haul household hazardous waste: Central Transfer and Recycling Center, 11034 N.E. 117th Ave., from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays; and West Van Materials Recovery Center, 6601 N.W. Old Lower River Road, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Olympia
WSP breath test program accredited
The Washington State Patrol has received international accreditation for its breath-alcohol program, which installs alcohol breath test instruments for every police agency in the state and is responsible for maintaining them and keeping them accurate.
The test results are used to prosecute DUI and other cases. Last year, however, some judges disallowed the results after a former State Patrol manager was accused of certifying the machines as accurate without actually testing them. Some Clark County cases were affected by the rulings.
The accreditation is from the American Society of Crime Lab Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board, the WSP said in a bulletin Tuesday.
The bulletin said the board’s evaluators spent a week observing work in the lab, and reviewed the WSP’s documents for months.
“As with most situations that challenge an organization, we are now better for the experience,” WSP Chief John R. Batiste said in the bulletin. “We firmly believe that prosecutors, judges and jurors can rely on results they get from this lab.”
The evaluators also looked at how the lab keeps track of its evidence, the bulletin said.
Next step: The WSP will show its accreditation to prosecutors, who may ask judges to consider admitting breath-test results again.
