<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=192888919167017&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">
Monday, March 18, 2024
March 18, 2024

Linkedin Pinterest

The Morning Press: A review of the week’s news

The Columbian
Published:
5 Photos
Test Caption
Test Caption Photo Gallery

A look back at some of this week’s top stories:

Interactive map offers look at neighborhood crime

Using data from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, The Columbian has built a new interactive map, providing you with a look at the crime experienced in the area’s neighborhood associations.

The map shows which areas reported the most crimes per 1,000 residents, but you can also click on a neighborhood for more detailed numbers on individual types of crimes, ie, assault or burglary.

See the map and story here.

Another top county official gives notice

Bronson Potter, who, as Clark County chief civil deputy prosecutor serves as top legal adviser to the county commissioners, has given his notice.

Potter, 60, told Clark County Prosecutor Tony Golik on May 31 that he accepted a job as chief assistant city attorney in Vancouver, a job that means a $15,000-a-year pay cut.

Potter replaces Judy Zeider, who retired.

Potter’s news follows retirement announcements by Clark County Administrator Bill Barron, 68, who said he’ll leave this year before his contract expires in 2014, and by Deputy Administrator Glenn Olson, who had been mentioned as a candidate to replace Barron. Olson, 57, said last week his retirement will be effective July 1.

In an email June 2 to several top county managers, Potter wrote, “I will be leaving the county after 22 enjoyable and rewarding years. I have accepted an offer to serve as Vancouver’s Chief Assistant City Attorney. My last day of service with the county will be June 28. I have enjoyed working with you and I’m hoping we’ll have occasion to work together in the future.”

His first day with the city will be July 1.

Read the full story here.

Wine and Jazz Festival sues Winefest over name

Vancouver Winefest, a three-day charitable event being held this month in Esther Short Park, has been renamed Vancouver Craft Winefest in an attempt to settle a lawsuit filed by Bravo! Vancouver.

Michael Kissinger, president of Bravo and artistic director of its signature festival, filed a declaration in court saying the Vancouver Winefest was causing too much confusion with his nonprofit organization’s annual “Vancouver Wine & Jazz Festival,” which started in 1998.

A lawsuit filed in Clark County Superior Court has been moved to U.S. District Court in Tacoma.

“We were very surprised to receive this lawsuit without any warning or communication from Bravo! Vancouver,” said Cody Gray, co-owner of Choice Events, the company behind the Vancouver Craft Winefest, which will be June 21-23 in Esther Short Park. The inaugural event will feature wines from 20 local craft wineries and local musicians, and will benefit the Greater Clark County Rotary Foundation.

Bravo’s August event in Esther Short Park, meanwhile, features wines from Washington, Oregon, California and abroad, beer, food and “internationally renowned jazz, blues, pop, rock, gospel and other musical artists,” according to the lawsuit.

Read the full story here.

Some things you may have missed:

E. Vancouver Tommy O’s restaurant closing its doors

The Tommy O’s restaurant in east Vancouver will close for good after business hours on Saturday, allowing owner and longtime local restaurateur Tom Owens to focus on his flagship downtown venue.

“It’s time for me to get back to my roots downtown. I love what I do. It will all work out,” said Owens, known by patrons for his laid-back, surfer dude persona.

He listed faltering sales and higher leasing costs on the east side as the primary reasons for closing the site, which opened in December 2008 as Tommy O’s Pacific Rim Grill. The restaurant employs a staff of 25 people at 4101 S.E. 192nd Ave., in the QFC-anchored Fisher’s Terrace retail complex. Killian Pacific, Vancouver-based owner of the property, could not be reached for comment about plans for the building.

Looking back, Owens said he would change very little about his decision to open the second restaurant. He signed the lease just after the stock market took a nose dive in October 2008.

Read the full story here.

Herrera Beutler, husband share sad news

U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler recently received difficult news that the unborn baby she’s carrying has an often-fatal condition affecting its kidneys and lungs.

“Our baby has a serious medical condition called Potter’s Syndrome,” Herrera Beutler announced Monday on Facebook. “We have had a second opinion and the medical diagnosis was consistent with the initial news: there is no medical solution available to us. We are praying for a miracle.”

Potter’s Syndrome prevents an unborn baby’s kidneys from developing normally, which reduces the amount of amniotic fluid in the womb and prevents adequate lung growth. The condition is almost always fatal, and babies with Potter’s Syndrome typically die within a couple days of being born.

Herrera Beutler said she became aware of the problem during a routine ultrasound test.

Read the full story here.

Stickers keep thieves from monkeying with bikes

Vancouver cyclists now have a new way to combat theft: a silver sticker bearing the face of an angry monkey.

The program, called “Monkey Shield,” was launched last week after months of collaboration between the Vancouver Police Department, Bad Monkey Bikes and Bike Clark County.

The program allows bicycle owners to register their bikes at the downtown Vancouver bike store, allowing the store to keep track of the brand, model and serial number of the bike, along with the owner’s contact information. A theft-resistant sticker is applied to the frame of the bike, so if it is stolen and later recovered, police have a quick way of finding the owner.

The idea for the program was born a few months ago when Vancouver Police Officer Drue Russell walked into Bad Monkey Bikes with a problem: two dozen stolen bicycles that had been recovered sat in the agency’s evidence warehouse.

Read the full story here.

Graduates take on worlds: 6 local teens take roads less traveled

There have been easier times for graduating high school seniors. College tuition is rising as career options are plateauing.

But for many teens nowadays, the future doesn’t depend on attending college straight out of high school, accepting an internship or finding a lifelong 9 to 5 job. The Game of Life model for prosperity — go to college, get married, find a job and die happily at Millionaire Acres — doesn’t hold the same sway it once did.

Facing down that first, pivotal crossroad of life, some high school graduates say they’re sidestepping the road more traveled. These teenagers, marching to the beat of a different drummer, heed the call to service, travel and real-world experiences.

Reade their stories here.

Loading...