Stories for March 1, 2010

Theft victim watches as 2 relatives sent to prison

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- An 83-year-old woman was in court to watch as two relatives who wiped out her savings and sold her home were sent to prison.

Sheriff's office: Missing Oregon family found OK

ROSEBURG, Ore. (AP) -- A Douglas County sheriff's spokeswoman says an overdue Roseburg family has been found in the Burnt Mountain area. Spokeswoman Andrea Zielinski said Tuesday that the family is OK.

Sheriff's office: no sign of overdue Ore. family

ROSEBURG, Ore. (AP) -- A Douglas County sheriff's officer says a search of part of the Umpqua National Forest with four-wheel-drive vehicles has failed to turn up any sign of an overdue Roseburg family.

Blazers to add Diener

Addition of guard will fill team’s roster

The Portland Trail Blazers are expected to soon sign veteran guard Travis Diener to fill the team’s 15th and final roster spot, general manager Kevin Pritchard said Monday.

1 Wash. Hit 5 winner; next Lotto $8.1M

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) -- One winning ticket was sold for Monday's Washington State Lottery Hit 5 cashpot, worth $340,000. No winning ticket was sold for the $8 million Lotto jackpot so Wednesday's Lotto will be worth $8.1 million.

Female robber hits same bank 3 times

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) -- Tacoma police are trying to catch a female bank robber believed responsible for holding up the same bank branch three times over the past nine weeks.

1 eagle needs aid after fight with another

LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. (AP) -- The fight between two bald eagles was so loud and sounded so painful that nearby homeowner Teresa Dir called 911. A short time later, police in the Portland suburb of Lake Oswego and Oregon State Police used leather gloves and a heavy blanket to capture the loser. The bird was lying under a rhododendron bush. The other eagle flew off.

Police: WA teen arrested in school shooting plan

BREWSTER, Wash. (AP) -- Police in the northcentral Washington city of Brewster say they've arrested a 17-year-old boy and seized guns after investigating a tip that he wrote on Facebook about plans for a school shooting in 2011.

Coming to the aid of a rocker

Musicians to stage Saturday fundraiser for injured bassist.

Woman faces hindering charge in Ore. deaths

COOS BAY, Ore. (AP) -- The wife of a man arrested in the Bandon, Ore., deaths of his mother and her boyfriend has been charged with hindering prosecution.

Asian markets move in tight range after Fed report

NEW YORK (AP) -- Asian markets traded in a tight range early Thursday after the latest Greek budget cuts offered hope it would get a bailout and the Federal Reserve signaled that the U.S. economic recovery will be slow.

Garber: No players' deal just to avoid strike

MANCHESTER, England (AP) -- Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber is confident the start of the season will not be affected by a potential strike.

Smithsonian refuses OJ Simpson Suit

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Smithsonian Institution has rejected a donation of the suit O.J. Simpson wore when he was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife and her friend.

Wash. to intervene in Yucca Mountain case

YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) -- Washington state plans to intervene in the federal government's decision to withdraw its license application for a Nevada nuclear waste repository.

Federal court awards damages to utility

YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) -- A federal court has awarded a Northwest utility nearly $57 million in damages from the federal government for breach of contract involving the Yucca Mountain nuclear repository.

OR woman frustrated by drug packaging policy

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) -- A Medford woman says she's frustrated by policies on how drugs should be packaged for her 92-year-old father, a World War II veteran.

Obama calls for adding GOP ideas to health plan

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama said Tuesday he was open to four new Republican proposals on health legislation in a gesture of bipartisanship meant to jump-start his stalled overhaul drive.

Portland dance party still swings after 75 years

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- A Portland dance party that started 75 years ago is still swinging.

Dog kills Ore. reality show star daughter, 4

ASTORIA, Ore. (AP) -- Oregon authorities say the 4-year-old daughter of a reality TV show star was mauled to death in Astoria by the family's Rottweiler.

'Ax Men' star's daughter mauled to death by dog

ASTORIA, Ore. (AP) -- Oregon authorities say the 4-year-old daughter of a reality TV show star was mauled to death by the family's Rottweiler.

$84 million grant to expand Internet in Washington

SEATTLE (AP) -- An $84 million Recovery Act grant will add 830 miles of fiber and eight new microwave sites to a high-speed network to help bring high-speed Internet access to some remote parts of Washington.

Elma man electrocuted by urinating on power line

MONTESANO, Wash. (AP) -- An Elma man was killed by accidentally urinating on a downed power line after a one-car crash near Montesano.

Insanity hearing under way for murder suspect

Mental state of Vancouver man accused of fatally stabbing sister declined in recent years, family says

A judge will decide whether a Vancouver man accused of fatally stabbing his sister last year should be acquitted on grounds he was legally insane.

Wash. House Dems detail $860M tax plan

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) -- State House Democrats want to raise about $860 million in taxes by closing a long list of exemptions and collecting more money from smokers, banks, lawyers and accountants.

WA Gov. Gregoire wants $4.1 million for droughts

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) -- Gov. Chris Gregoire is asking the Legislature to set aside $4.1 million for drought-relief projects that may be needed to counter below-average mountain snowpack this winter.

Kitzhaber favorite in Dem. governor race, for now

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Political observers say John Kitzhaber right now is the odds-on favorite to win the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in May. But they also say that could change.

Sunken tug raised from Seattle's Duwamish River

SEATTLE (AP) -- The Washington Department of Ecology says a diving and salvage company has been able to raise a sunken tugboat in Seattle's Duwamish River with minimal environmental damage.

OR woman acquitted of phone harassment of feds

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- A Gresham woman who estimates she has made 75,000 phone calls to public officials and journalists over the past 20 years has been found not guilty of harassing the federal government by telephone.

BG police search for suspicious man

BG police try to catch burglar

Brave Spokane barista sprays would-be robber

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) -- A man who attempted to rob an espresso stand in Spokane got a face full of irritating spray instead of cash.

4 more red light camera intersections in Spokane

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) -- Red light cameras are going into operation at four more intersections in Spokane.

Pedestrian killed by tour bus near Bellingham

BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) -- A man who stepped in front of a tour bus was struck and killed on Interstate 5 near Bellingham.

FDA's top medical device reviewer joins Microsft

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration's top medical device reviewer is stepping down to take a job in Microsoft's lobbying office.

Oregon starts online voter registration

SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- Would-be Oregon voters can now register online.

1 dead, 4 wounded in Yakima night of violence

YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) -- One man was killed and four others wounded in four separate shootings that took place Saturday night or early Sunday in Yakima, Toppenish and Wapato.

Shooting closes Tacoma school until Wednesday

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) -- Classes won't resume until Wednesday at Birney Elementary in Tacoma where a teacher was shot to death.

OR man files lawsuit over flipping off deputies

CLACKAMAS, Ore. (AP) -- A Clackamas, Ore., man has filed a federal lawsuit over what he says is his First Amendment right to express himself by giving the finger to sheriff's deputies.

Vancouver stabbing suspect arrested in Portland

Joshua Stranz was taken into custody near Portland’s Delta Park area at about 8:30 a.m. after an overnight search that included K-9 teams.

Well-adjusted rookie

Dante Cunningham brought a strong work ethic from Villanova to Portland

Where most rookies spend their entire first season wondering when life on and off the court is going to slow down, Dante Cunningham's initial campaign has been different.

Prairie girls have been all about charging ahead

Tim Martinez: High schools

In a game that was in many ways a microcosm for the Falcons' season, Prairie fended off a late charge from White River of Buckley on Saturday and clinched its 14th consecutive trip to state.

Weekly prep sports schedule

Weekly prep sports schedule for March 1-6

Blazer Profile: Pam Donegan

Blazer profile Pam Donegan

Clark baseball team splits

Penguins notch first victory as club team

Clark College’s baseball club team picked up its first victory Sunday during the first game of a doubleheader against Seattle University’s club team.

Real estate roundup, March 1

Recent commercial real estate transactions as reported by area brokerage firms: BG Sporting Goods and Trophies has leased 1,685 square feet of retail space at Gardner Center, 1710 S.W. Ninth Ave., Suite B-108, Battle Ground. Brett Irons and Brian Sullivan of Coldwell Banker Commercial Jenkins-Bernhardt Associates represented the landlord; Brett Irons also represented the tenant.

Liquor licenses, March 1

The following have applied to the Washington state Liquor Control Board: Anton Farran, for a license to sell beer and wine at Anton M. Restaurant, 516 S.E. Chkalov Drive, Suite 45, Vancouver.

Clark County building permits, March 1

Building permits over $25,000 issued by Clark County’s Department of Community Development for Feb. 15-22.

Clark County business calendar, March 1

A weekly list of business events

In Our View, March 1: Training Workers

Vancouver state rep offers twin benefits with his innovative job-training bill

Tim Probst’s background and expertise in work-force issues and job training programs are paying big dividends as the first-term state representative maneuvers through his second legislative session. One of his most promising efforts is a bill that would create an Opportunity Express program with two dramatic benefits: a tax break for small businesses and a boost in job training programs of about 10,000 positions. Probst’s House Bill 2630 is the product of innovative thinking and deserves support and expedient approval by his colleagues. The bill is as complex as the issue of work-force training, but Probst has the savvy needed to design and explain the program. In basic terms and excluding the required minutiae nestled within HB 2630, Opportunity Express would work like this:

Couple keep daffodil tradition blooming

Michelle LaLonde of Felida says she has no choice but to keep inviting the public to pick daffodils at her home. When she and husband Ed bought the house in 1988, “We were told this is something that we had to do,” she said, smiling. “People say, I’ve been coming here for 50 years.”

Child development screenings offered

Hockinson, Ridgefield — Child development screenings for children who have not yet entered kindergarten will be available in the Hockinson and Ridgefield areas this month. The screenings are available for children 3-5 years old. Children will be screened in speech and language, cognitive and motor development.

Clark County at Work: AAA Fitness Repair

Business name: AAA Fitness Repair. Owner: George Ross.

Bits 'n' pieces: Photographer’s pet focus lands her in magazines

Lara Blair started out photographing people, but came to realize they weren’t her favorite subjects. “I started looking forward to my dog sessions more than my people sessions,” said Blair, a 39-year-old Vancouver resident and owner of Lara Blair Images in Camas. The longtime animal lover has a 4-year-old beagle named Daisy.

Most Clark County elected officials report for work daily

Two say spotty records don’t reflect work done

October 2009 was an especially busy month for Clark County’s government. Commissioners announced a $12.7 million general fund shortfall, eventually settling on deep cuts to the parks budget and a round of tax and fee hikes. Other elected officials scrambled to slash their own budgets. In the county assessor’s office, trouble with new software led to an unusually long delay in calculating property valuations, which are supposed to be mailed in the summer but didn’t go out until Nov. 9.

Off beat: ‘Other Vancouver’ vexes some visitors

Another media outlet recently viewed us through the Winter Olympics lens of “the other Vancouver.” That was the headline on a Feb. 7 Chicago Tribune story that explored how people who really are supposed to be here aren’t always quite sure where “here” is.

County’s fourth WinCo opens today

94,000-square-foot store on former golf course site

At 9 a.m. today, WinCo Foods will open its fourth Clark County store, situated for convenience to north county shoppers. Built at Northeast 119th Street and 117th Avenue, the 94,000-square-foot store will eventually anchor a 10-building complex of stores and restaurants on the former site of Bowyer’s Par 3 golf course. The $40-million project is being developed by Vancouver-based Killian Pacific, which has developed several local retail projects, including the Fred Meyer-anchored Grand Central complex off state Highway 14 and Grand Boulevard in Vancouver.

Our Readers' Views, March 1

Valuable lesson for texting teens After reading The Columbian’s Feb. 21 feature “Teens disregard dangers of texting, phoning while driving,” I can only conclude that these teens have no regard for human life because that’s what texting and using a cell phone while driving boil down to — either their own or someone else’s.

Wash., Ore. to begin trapping sea lions again

Annual effort to snare, euthanize salmon eaters could begin this week

Washington and Oregon wildlife officials will resume their annual campaign to trap and euthanize salmon-munching sea lions at Bonneville Dam as soon as this week. It could be a target-rich environment.

Masala Bhangra spice of life

Increasingly popular workout mixes folk dance from India, Bollywood moves

Students in Rachelle Wish’s Masala Bhangra class are encouraged to imagine themselves at an Indian wedding or in a Bollywood movie. The Vancouver fitness instructor calls out “Bhangra Basic,” and the class responds by raising their arms in a W shape, turning their wrists like they’re screwing in light bulbs, and tapping alternate heels across their bodies. Wish calls for “Bhangra Love,” and the group begins a forward-moving pattern. “How we doing?” Wish asks.

Death notices, March 1

A daily list of death notices.

Pollard sign sat atop Afghan peak

Campaign tool was taken to the mountain by a Camas colonel

Royce Pollard’s home is packed with mementoes from lengthy stints as a U.S. Army officer and the mayor of Vancouver. Pollard donated some of his keepsakes to a fundraising auction that was part of a recent “roast and toast.” The items — including military biographies, books on Northwest history, framed artwork and a bottle of vodka from the Russian city of Chkalovsk — raised about $3,000 for the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.