Most-read stories on Columbian.com for the week of July 31:
No. 1) Beacock Music founder killed in cycling accident
Dale Beacock, a longtime musician and founder of Beacock Music, died late Thursday morning after being struck by a log truck’s trailer while riding his bicycle on Highway 101 north of Garibaldi, Ore.
No. 2) Increase in silver prices may turn consumers into metal detectors
A surge in silver prices has made the precious metal, in some instances, more valuable than the object it was crafted into. And that has folks digging out — and digging up from backyards — long-forgotten silver caches to sell for cash.