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Here’s a look at some of this week’s top stories:
By any measure, the size of the proposed oil terminal at the Port of Vancouver is eye-catching.
The oil-by-rail facility would handle an average of 360,000 barrels of crude per day, or up to four oil trains daily. The terminal would dwarf anything currently operating in Washington.
In fact, at full capacity, the proposal known as Vancouver Energy would handle more oil by rail than any single facility in the United States, according to an analysis of crude-by-rail terminals by The Columbian.
“On paper, it’s the biggest facility of that type,” said Sandy Fielden, director of energy analytics for Texas-based consultant RBN Energy. “As far as I’m aware, there’s not an existing terminal that handles that type of capacity.”
There are dozens of facilities across the country that handle oil transported on rail cars. But it’s difficult to find a comprehensive list of those operations in one place. A domestic oil boom has dramatically altered the U.S. energy landscape in recent years as regulatory agencies scramble to keep up.
Vancouver Energy, a joint venture by Tesoro Corp. and Savage Companies, is among a spate of recent proposals hoping to capitalize on the emerging trend. Some are entirely new terminals; some are expansions of existing facilities.
Read more about how the proposed terminal stacks up.
Clark County’s economy expands by 7,300 jobs
Clark County’s economy expanded in October at a pace not seen in nearly a decade, the region’s labor economist reported Tuesday, adding 7,300 jobs over the year and posting an annualized growth rate of 5.2 percent.
It’s a positive economic cycle driven by continued business investment and an uptick in consumer spending, said Scott Bailey, regional labor economist for the state Employment Security Department. “People get a bit more job security, so they’re able to spend more,” he said. And the county appears to be transitioning from the long economic recovery to expansion. “We’re pretty close to being in an expansion mode,” Bailey said.
Still, concerns linger. Some people remain on the job-market sidelines, having given up looking for work in the fallout of the Great Recession, while others are still working part-time as they seek full-time positions. And strong job growth has yet to translate to bigger paychecks.
“We still have a ways to go because of the underemployed,” Bailey said. Nevertheless, Clark County’s labor market results in October were mostly positive.
Learn more about growth in the economy.
As Northwest drivers brave slick commutes this winter, state transportation officials are preparing to spend millions of dollars repairing roads damaged by the stress of studded tires.
Each year, many drivers in Washington and Oregon use the pin-filled traction tires to safely make their way through snow and ice. The tires are permitted from Nov. 1 through March 31, but when the winter driving season comes to an end, the two states are consequently left with a hefty repair bill to patch up tattered roads and highways.
The Washington State Department of Transportation estimates the tires cause between $17.8 million and $27.3 million in damage throughout the state every year. And the Oregon Department of Transportation spends more than $11 million a year on its own road maintenance related to studded tire use.
Nonetheless, few drivers west of the Cascades are likely to rely on studded tires, and most of those who do have concerns about tearing up roads, according to a PEMCO Insurance poll on attitudes toward the tires. The company polled 1,200 drivers in Washington and Oregon, and the results showed most drivers steer away from studs, said PEMCO spokesman Jon Osterberg.
“We learned that 65 percent of Washington and Oregon drivers said, ‘Yeah, we never use studs,'” Osterberg said.
Learn more about studded tires.
BRUSH PRAIRIE — The boxes full of toys, school supplies and candy began to stack up in Sierra Swearingen’s Battle Ground home: first in her parents’ room, then her own.
By Sunday, the 15-year-old had accumulated 300 of the boxes, and it would take two vehicles to bring them to their next destination: Glenwood Community Church in the Brush Prairie area. Eventually, each shoebox-size Christmas package will make its way to an underprivileged child in another part of the world through an effort called Operation Christmas Child.
“Wow, kiddo,” volunteer Marlene Horch told Sierra as the girl and her family unloaded the boxes Sunday afternoon at the church. Hot Wheels, coloring books, head bands, stuffed animals, pencil sharpeners, water bottles and toothpaste were visible in the clear-plastic tubs, which also could be reused by the children receiving them, volunteers pointed out.
Sierra, who is home-schooled, said her family has been donating boxes since she was 3, but they usually only donated a few each year. The giving took off in 2011, when Sierra and her older brother Marshall started brainstorming ways to help others.
Read more about the donations.
10 years later: Pride of the Plainsmen
It was always possible, a state championship in football for Vancouver, a state championship for a big school from Clark County.
It just had never happened.
Not until the 2004 Evergreen Plainsmen came along and overcame every obstacle, won every game.
Ten years later, the Perfect Plainsmen are still the only ones who have made it happen from the region.
There have been a few teams that have come close. The Camas Papermakers reached at least the semifinals the past three seasons and had a big lead late in the championship game last year.
The Union Titans made it to the 2008 state title game, and then the 2009 semifinals — only to lose to national power Bellevue both years.
The Skyview Storm have knocked on the door a couple times, too, with a semifinal appearance in 2009 and a finals appearance in 2011.
All those close calls just drive home the point: Winning it all is difficult. Those were all fantastic teams. None of them, though, finished with a title.
Earlier this month, The Columbian sat down with a few members of the 2004 Evergreen team. Their memories are much more than how they won a particular game. They recall the love they shared on and off the field, how their chemistry was just as important as their talent.
Look back at the championship.
