Cheers: Kudos to voters in Ridgefield, who two years ago passed a $47 million bond measure for local schools and now are seeing the fruits of their contributions. The district is putting the finishing touches on vast school expansions and improvements that will enhance the educational experience for both students and teachers.
“I just think there’s a lot of excitement in the community, and I’ve already heard it from parents and students,” high school Principal Tony VanderMass told Columbian reporter Justin Runquist. “Our goal is to become a premiere school district, and I really think these facilities are going to help us on that road.” National studies have demonstrated that new or updated schools actually improve student performance. Developing top-notch public schools requires a communal effort, and Ridgefield has made a worthy investment in the future of its children.
Jeers: It’s not unusual for elected officials to try to gobble all they can out of the public trough, so it’s probably no surprise that Clark County Commissioner Tom Mielke thinks a $700-a-month vehicle reimbursement isn’t enough. Mielke recently argued that the monthly stipend should be increased to $800 a month, which led fellow commissioner David Madore to say, “That’s getting up there, Tom,” while advocating a reduction to $600 a month.
Eventually, the commissioners decided to leave it at $700, but Mielke’s proposal is noteworthy for the fact that it was completely tone-deaf to the concerns of the public. Way too many people can barely get by these days and Mielke — who makes more than $100,000 a year along with a rich health-care package and pension package — should show a little more respect for his constituents.
Cheers: Years ago, Dee Williams altered her lifestyle in a fashion that could pay dividends for homeless people across the nation. Williams eschewed the rat race in favor of an 84-square-foot home, and since then she has written a book, become a public speaker and started a company called Portland Alternative Dwellings that can help others embrace a tiny house. She will appear today at Vintage Books, 6613 E. Mill Plain Blvd., with the house on display from 2 to 3 p.m., followed by a reading from her book.
Now, some cities are considering the idea of no-frills tiny houses as a way to provide shelter for people who don’t have any, and the idea has some merit. While there are many factors and many consequences involved with homelessness, one of the most important is the dignity that comes with having a place to call your own.
Jeers: A report from The Columbian’s Patty Hastings serves as a reminder of the importance of locking up bicycles — as cycling has grown in the community, so has bike theft. Last year, 165 bikes were reported stolen in Vancouver, according to police, a number about three times higher than a few years earlier; this year, 92 thefts had been reported as of Aug. 1.
The lesson — owners should have sturdy locks and should use them any time a bike is unattended. But the real jeers go to the bike thieves, who often are stealing a person’s only means of transportation.
Cheers: And, finally, this week’s offbeat story — veterinarians in Portland performed surgery that removed 43½ socks from the stomach of a Great Dane in Portland.
The 3-year-old dog had been rushed by his owner to an animal hospital, where X-rays revealed a stomach full of a “large quantity of foreign material.” There’s no word yet on how the owners didn’t notice that they were missing 43½ socks.
