The Morning Press: County audit; new year’s baby, resolutions, walks

We rang in a new year this week. Here is some of the week’s top stories and news you may have missed:

County agrees: No more sales of old wares

Clark County will no longer sell surplus computers — a result of an investigation into employees posting surplus computer equipment on Craigslist and buying it themselves or selling it to other county employees.

County Administrator Mark McCauley said Thursday no employees were disciplined over the practice, although using Craigslist violated the county’s policy of auctioning old equipment on sites such as eBay.

Instead, the decision was made to bar employees from buying surplus equipment and to simply dispose of old computers rather than try to make a small profit.

The practice came to light during a routine county audit, the findings of which were released Tuesday by Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey.

Read the full story here.

Health conscious for the new year? Exercise is a crucial way to improve wellness

Those resolving to get healthy in 2014 may be relieved to know they need only one resolution for the new year.

And that resolution is an oldie but a goodie: exercise.

“If you’re looking at the general population, exercise would be one of the most useful things,” said Dr. Tony Daniels, a family practitioner at the Kaiser Permanente Cascade Park office. “Exercise has clinically proven benefits.”

In fact, only a few lifestyle choices have as large an impact on your overall health as physical activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People who are physically active for about seven hours per week have a 40 percent lower risk of dying early than those who are active for less than 30 minutes per week, according to the CDC.

Exercise has been proven to help improve blood pressure, manage arthritis, control appetite, improve mood and reduce the risk of diabetes, Daniels said. Exercise can also be therapeutic for people with chronic pain; exercise increases endorphins, which have natural pain-killing properties, he said.

“We encourage all of our patients, even very fit ones, to exercise for these benefits,” Daniels said.

Read the full story here.

A meditative journey into the new year: People walk labyrinth at First Presbyterian Church

Diane Weber approached the exit of the labyrinth, marked with a small rug and two candles. She paused, put her hands together, then stepped into 2014.

“It’s very centering,” Weber, a Vancouver resident, said of the experience. “I feel like my year starts off on the right foot.”

Wednesday’s participants proceeded at varying speeds. Many stopped at times. Some kept their arms folded; others held their hands out as they walked. Only the sound of soft music and shoeless feet gently shuffling on canvas settled over the room.

Read the full story here.

Traffic center keeps eyes, ears on the road

When a car fire erupted on state Highway 14 recently, the Traffic Management Center began buzzing immediately.

Washington State Department of Transportation dispatcher Dan Lee snapped the nearest traffic camera toward the incident. The image appeared on one of the two dozen screens on the wall in front of him.

Traffic, already heavy in the pre-dawn morning commute, started backing up. The car was engulfed in a glowing fireball as other vehicles crept by — some too close for comfort.

Email and text alerts went out within minutes. Another WSDOT employee in the room fired off a message on Twitter. Radios

chattered as highway crews and Washington State Patrol troopers responded on the ground. Another dispatcher described the location to an officer.

“You can’t miss it,” she said.

The Traffic Management Center is a joint operation shared by WSDOT and Washington State Patrol, housed in the Vancouver office building the two agencies also share as their regional headquarters. It’s the nerve center where dispatchers keep watch over state highways in seven counties across Southwest Washington, and where troopers coordinate their own resources in the region.

Read the full story here.

Burgerville to lower prices, eliminate rewards program

VANCOUVER — Burgerville announced Monday it will lower prices of popular menu items and discontinue its rewards card program to better compete for customers.

Starting Jan. 7, Burgerville is cutting 20 cents from the price of its Tillamook cheeseburger and 1/4-pound Colossal burger, to $3.99; its cheeseburger with fries and a drink to $4.99 and the hamburger meal to $4.79. And Burgerville will no longer charge for sides of its special sauce.

Read the full story here.

Camas rallies to replace vandalized headstone

A name, dates of birth and death, and a quote from the Bible: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” Timothy 4:7.

That’s most of what anyone knows of Alexander Stuber, the man whose gravestone was smashed into pieces last fall.

Police were called at 11:40 p.m. Oct. 23 and found that 15 headstones in Camas Cemetery had been toppled.