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Monday, March 18, 2024
March 18, 2024

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In Our View: Just Cheers

In honor of the Christmas season, The Columbian offers only glad tidings

The Columbian
Published:

Cheers: This being the Christmas season of glad tidings, we at The Columbian are feeling nothing but cheer, so allow us to eschew the jeers for this week. We begin with Jeanne Stewart and David Madore, who had the good sense recently to reject the nonsense of fellow Clark County Commissioner Tom Mielke. The commissioners, by a 2-1 vote, rejected a Mielke-backed proposed county ordinance that would have limited the powers of the county manager when a voter-approved home-rule charter goes into effect Jan. 1.

We could jeer this sordid episode that was a silly waste of time for the commissioners and the public. Mielke never should have considered overriding the will of the voters — in a move many believe was designed to preserve the job of Environmental Services Director Don Benton — during the eight weeks between approval of the charter and its implementation. And the lengthy public meeting leading up to the vote was not a glowing example of efficient government. But, in the end, commissioners got it right.

Cheers: The plight of residents at the Courtyard Village Apartments has brought out the compassion of Vancouverites. Residents of the apartments have been told they must vacate the premises, as new owner MF Parc Central plans renovations and upgrades to the 151-unit complex. The owners are within their rights, although the timing of the order — around the holidays — seems particularly callous.

Several organizations, foremost among them Vancouver First United Methodist Church, have come to the aid of the residents, providing services and fund-raising assistance. The situation remains unresolved and highlights the hardships of the poor, but the local efforts are a reminder that our community has many caring people.

Cheers: Nolan Henry, a senior at Union High School, is this year’s recipient of the High School Heisman award. Unlike its namesake, the Heisman Trophy, which goes to the best college football player in the country, the High School Heisman honors the whole person.

Henry, a three-year starter at quarterback for the Titans, organizes a food drive every year to benefit the Clark County Food Bank. He also raised more than $21,000 last year for a trip to Africa to help a poultry farm and build a sports court for a school. Henry’s accomplishments on and off the field are a tribute to his family and to all of Clark County, resulting in a well-earned award.

Cheers: We might disagree with them, but cheers go to the 1,000 or more people who gathered at the state Capitol to protest Washington’s new gun-control law. Initiative 594, which expands background checks for gun sales, was passed by voters in November and went into effect Dec. 4.

Gun-rights supporters gathered peacefully last weekend to exchange weapons, intentionally violating the law. We feel their fears of the new law are unfounded, but we respect and support the right of the people to protest. Moving forward, we hope challenges to I-594 are in the courts in the form of questions about the law’s constitutionality, not on the steps of the Capitol or through legislative means that would undermine the vote of the people.

Cheers: Santa Claus is coming to town. In what has become a Christmas tradition in Vancouver, the jolly man will arrive at the BNSF Railway facility, adjacent to Vancouver’s Amtrak station, aboard a 1938 oil-fired steam locomotive this morning.

Scheduled to take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the chance to see an awe-inspiring steam engine and the awe-inspiring gift-giver will include hot chocolate and cider, cake and cookies. The event is free, but attendees are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy to be donated to the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots campaign.

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