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

Herrera Beutler questions CRC expenses

U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, on Wednesday asked for a better explanation of several Columbia River Crossing expenditures in a letter to project director Nancy Boyd.

The letter comes less than a week after an influential group of high-tech employers in Clark County lobbied Gov. Jay Inslee in support of the $3.4 billion project in a letter of their own.

Both letters were obtained Wednesday by The Columbian.

Read the full story here.

ILWU supporters picket in downtown Vancouver

A group of several hundred demonstrators converged on downtown Vancouver this morning on behalf of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.

The protest began about 10 a.m. in Esther Short Park. It's related to a lockout at the United Grain export terminal at the Port of Vancouver, which began last week.

It ended peacefully after about 90 minutes. At one point the crowd, which included several hundred people, marched from the park to the Riverview Tower on Washington Street, home of United Grain's Vancouver office.

Read more on the lockout here.

Victim, driver identified in Hockinson-area crash

A Vancouver man was arrested Tuesday afternoon in connection with a car accident that killed his 18-year-old passenger east of Hockinson earlier that morning.

Yuri Tasmaly, 18, of Vancouver faces charges of vehicular homicide, felony hit and run and vehicle theft. Additional charges of driving under the influence of intoxicants and driving with a suspended license were referred to the Clark County Prosecutor’s Office, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

Read the full story here.

Some things you may have missed:

WSUV researchers trace the ancient origins of curry

The love of eggplant goes way back for Arunima Kashyap. It was the only food she'd eat when she was little, and it's still her favorite, she said.

For a long time, that love was a one-way street. The eggplant gave, and Kashyap ate.

But then the scientist, who grew up in India, found a way to give back to the humble eggplant, and to some of the other plants and curry spices she adores.

Working with Steven Weber, an archeologist and associate professor at Washington State University Vancouver, Kashyap was able to track down some of the plants' ancient lineage and uses.

Read the full story here.

Same-sex couple's future in legal limbo

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Same-sex couple faces legal limbo

One of the first same-sex couples married in Clark County now faces uncertainty about whether they can legally remain together in the country.

One of the first same-sex couples married in Clark County now faces uncertainty about whether they can legally remain together in the country.

After a long-distance romance of 16 years, Shawn Sanders, 49, of Anchorage, Alaska, and Jocelyn Guzman, 45, of Mexico City, Mexico, married Dec. 9 in Vancouver, the first day it was legal to do so in Washington state.

But their celebration turned to distress Feb. 13 when the couple attempted to return to Portland from their honeymoon in Mexico.

"Because the federal government does not legally recognize same-sex marriage, the visa document required for her to enter and stay in the U.S. does not yet exist," Sanders said. "We found this out the hard way."

Read the full story here.

Blog Spotlight: Orcutt apologizes after saying bicyclists pollute by breathing

Politics reporter Stevie Mathieu blogs about a comment by Rep. Ed Orcutt on Political Beat

Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, faced quite the backlash over the weekend when he was quoted as saying that perhaps bicyclists contribute to climate change by breathing heavily and therefore emitting carbon dioxide into the air.

Orcutt made the comment in an email, which soon appeared on the Bike Portland blog. The story was picked up by many media outlets in the Seattle area and even by The Huffington Post.

Read the blog post here.