Cheers: Kudos are in order for everybody involved with the inaugural gathering of the Mill Creek Supper Club, providing a slice of dignity for those suffering from dementia and a respite for their caregivers. Owner Russell Brent and his staff at Mill Creek Pub in Battle Ground underwent training for dealing with those afflicted with Alzheimer’s, dementia or related diseases, and then set about creating a welcoming and safe place for them.
The meal was as meaningful for caregivers as it was for those who receive care. As Mary Senescu, who cares for her husband, Larry, said: “We’ve been on this journey for six years. My world became smaller. You’re not doing things; you’re not keeping up with your friends.” Brent said that creating the Supper Club makes good business sense. More important, it provides a slice of humanity for all involved.
Jeers: County officials need to pay a little attention to Northeast 50th Avenue and the adjacent King’s Pond. According to a recent article by Columbian reporter Adam Littman, neighbors are fed up with illegal activity from intruders to the cul-de-sac and the pond — sex, drug use and the dumping of garbage into the water.
Last month, for example, hundreds of fish in the pond died, becoming scattered around the shore or floating belly up in the water. “I know bad things can happen anywhere,” one resident said. “But it’s just so frequent and obvious here.” Neighbors have banded together to help clean up the area, but they could use some assistance from county officials and local law enforcement.
Cheers: One of the more harrowing roads in Clark County is getting a facelift, as a 7-mile stretch of Highway 502 is undergoing an $84 million widening project. The road, which runs between Interstate 5 and Battle Ground, long has been too narrow to accommodate increasing traffic in the area.
One of the benefits will be improved access for the city of Battle Ground, and local leaders hope that will lead to economic growth commensurate with population growth in the area. Perhaps more important, the modern highway will lead to improved safety on a stretch of road that often is distressing to motorists.
Jeers: As if lawmakers were not facing a big enough burden when it comes to the state budget, the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council now says the projected 2017-19 budget faces a $500 million shortfall. Officials say that since the current budget was approved in June, state costs to maintain current services and other mandatory expenditures for the current biennium have grown by nearly $700 million.
The Legislature’s first task when it returns to work in January will be to determine where costs have expanded and where cuts can be made. But with the state facing a looming bill for increased education funding, negotiations for the 2017-19 budget already appear difficult.
Laughs: OK, this is not really a cheer nor a jeer, but it is worth sharing. After all, a headline that reads “Spokane neighbor gets out Klingon sword after trash dispute” is an eye-grabber. That’s Klingon, as in the fictional race from the Star Trek series.
A 50-year-old Spokane man is facing assault charges after allegedly swinging a bat’leth — a weapon that was created for “The Next Generation” version of the franchise — at a neighbor. That is worth a chuckle until you realize that a bat’leth is a curved blade about 5 feet long. All of this brings up questions about why anybody should be allowed to own such a weapon, but when bat’leths are outlawed, only outlaws will have bat’leths.
