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Here’s a look at some of this week’s top stories:
State Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, announced Tuesday that she would run for the chairperson position of the newly formed Clark County council.
If elected as county chairperson, Rivers said, she anticipates continuing to work as a state senator. She referred to both jobs as being part time.
“After all, the very nature of the chair position is part time, like all the councilor positions,” Rivers said in a written announcement. “That is what the people have demanded through their vote on the charter; I intend to honor their wishes and look forward to serving all the people of Clark County.”
She is the third person to disclose her intent on running for the position following the announcements of Marc Boldt, a former Republican county commissioner and state legislator, and Commissioner Tom Mielke, also a Republican and former state legislator.
The election of the chairperson will take place in 2015 as part of the county’s transition to a charter form of government.
Read more about River’s bid for job.
State Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver, was ousted as majority deputy leader by his fellow Republicans in the upper chamber after a closed-door caucus vote Monday.
Although he ran for re-election to the leadership position, Benton said he made it clear to his colleagues in the meeting his “preference would be to chair a committee.”
“Our caucus is expanding, we have more people and we need to make sure everyone has a position. Those of us who were doing multiple jobs don’t have to work as hard,” said Benton, adding he feels comfortable taking on a policy role now that the caucus is on “stable ground.”
Republicans gained control of the state Senate in the November election. In the previous legislative session, two Democrats switched sides to caucus with Republicans and form the Majority Coalition Caucus.
“It’s like in Boy Scouts,” Benton said. “I can remember when I was the troop leader, the awards chairman and lot of other jobs. And as we got more parents involved I didn’t have to do as much. It’s kind of the same type of situation.”
Learn more about Benton’s work in the state Senate.
Judge upholds ban on marijuana businesses in Clark County
A Cowlitz County judge upheld Clark County’s ban on marijuana businesses Wednesday, making it the fourth court in Washington to uphold local government bans on those types of businesses.
In the court case, Emerald Enterprises and John M. Larson v. Clark County, the judge agreed with an Attorney General’s Office opinion earlier this year that concluded there is nothing in Initiative 502, which legalized recreational marijuana in the state, that overrides local government authority to ban such businesses.
The county ban covers unincorporated parts of Clark County but not cities in the region, which each have authority over their own territory. Vancouver, Battle Ground and parts of Woodland, for instance, allow some marijuana businesses. Other towns, such as Camas and Washougal, have their own bans.
Read more about the marijuana ban.
Why: Steakburger fans far and wide will be happy to learn Steakburger on the Go carries on the burger tradition the Condon family began in 1962 with the opening of their restaurant on Highway 99. Now the brick and mortar is gone, and they’ve taken it to the streets with a food truck just around the corner, not too far from their former digs. The red, white and blue outfit is easy to spot next to The Museum Cars by Ron Wade. The food truck is bright and shiny with a straightforward menu posted above the help-yourself ketchup and mustard station sheltered by a jumbo umbrella.
Menu selections include the restaurant’s classic burgers and the Hawaiian Chick burger. There’s also the Ultimate Dog hot dog, French fries, and bottled water and Pepsi products to drink.
Read the rest of the Steakburger review.
The longest-running nuisance case in Vancouver’s history is winding down at last.
The Fruit Valley house that used to belong to Ted Pyle, and was the subject of decades of conflict that repeatedly landed in front of city hearings examiners and county judges — and landed Pyle himself in jail at least once — was demolished on Tuesday.
Over the years the house at 4416 N.W. Fruit Valley Road became a potent symbol to many, but what it symbolized depended on your point of view. For the former and current owner and a handful of supporters it represented private property rights, but for neighbors and passers-by it was an eye-catching example of blight and danger. The smirking character graffitied onto the front of the fenced-off building a few years back — holding a sign reading “Welcome to Fruit Valley” — seemed to imply something menacing.
In 2007, longtime owner Pyle finally gave up on his yearslong battle with the city and signed the property over to his silent partner, Paul Johnston. Johnston, now listed as the sole owner, fenced the place off and moved slowly toward asbestos abatement and the final demolition that took place this week.
Learn more about the house.
BOZEMAN, Mont. — Bo Beck remembers Odin Coe as a defensive force who immediately stood out on film because of both his athleticism and those distinctive golden locks.
Montana State’s defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator could not help but a notice a change in the Camas native when Coe ventured to Bozeman for his official visit.
“I asked him, ‘Why’d you cut your hair?'” Beck recalled Monday. “He said, ‘I didn’t want it to define who I am.'”
Coe shed the long mane once more shortly before Saturday’s FCS playoff opener against South Dakota State. One day later, after a 47-40 defeat, player and position coach gathered for an emotional meeting.
The 21-year-old informed Beck he was foregoing his final season of eligibility and joining a Navy officer-training program.
Learn more about Coe’s decision.
