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In Our View: Cheers & Jeers

Vancouver shows its heart; Interstate 5 Bridge ranks as traffic bottleneck

The Columbian
Published: February 11, 2017, 6:03am

Cheers: To love that is in the air. With Valentine’s Day approaching, it is worth noting that Vancouver ranks among the most romantic cities in the country. At least, that is, according to online retailer Amazon, which annually ranks areas based upon per-capita purchases of romantic books, movies, or other products. Among the hundreds of cities in the United States with a population of more than 100,000, Vancouver this year stands at No. 12 on the romantic list.

That places the city ahead of Seattle, which ranks 14th, and ahead of No. 18 Portland in terms of romantic inclinations. Of course, we’ve always thought of Vancouver as simply a mini version of Paris. But that probably has more to do with hand-holding walks along the Columbia River or blanket-sharing concerts at Esther Short Park than it does with sitting in front of a computer and ordering something online.

Jeers: To traffic bottlenecks. In what will come as no surprise to anybody who drives throughout the area, the Interstate 5 Bridge is one of the worst traffic pinch points in the country. According to a recently released list from the American Transportation Research Institute, the bridge is the 36th worst bottleneck in the country. That moves it up three spots from the previous year.

Drawing attention to the problem in Olympia, however, might be difficult because of traffic backups elsewhere in the state. The Puget Sound region includes five of the 21 worst bottlenecks in the country, with the confluence of state Route 18 and state Route 167 in Auburn ranking seventh. We hope that local lawmakers find success with a bill to declare the I-5 Bridge a project of statewide significance.

Cheers: To Clark County’s very own university. Washington State University Vancouver continues its steady growth, with enrollment reaching 3,271, a high for the spring academic session. Enrollment was slightly higher in the fall, which is typical, but the school is showing strong retention rates.

WSUV was founded for juniors, seniors, and graduate students in 1989, and expanded to a four-year university in 2006. Along the way, it has ingrained itself into the culture and the economy of Southwest Washington while filling what had been a gaping void in higher education in the region. This spring’s enrollment marks a 3.2 percent increase over 2016, reflecting the university’s progress as an important educational outlet for a population that previously had been underserved.

Sad: To the death of Packy the elephant. Since his birth on April 14, 1962, Packy had been a huge draw and a beloved crowd favorite at the Oregon Zoo. He was euthanized Thursday at age 54, after suffering from a long bout with recurring tuberculosis.

Packy was a star even before his birth, since the moment it was announced that his mother, Belle, was pregnant. No elephant had been born in captivity in the United States in more than four decades, and an expected arrival became the subject of international news. Since then, Packy never relinquished his status as a local icon, becoming the foremost symbol of the zoo in the public’s mind. He will be missed.

Cheers: To the Clark County Veterans Assistance Center. Affiliated with the Veterans Assistance Fund, which is supported by county property taxes, the center at 1305 Columbia St. in downtown Vancouver has provided assistance to numerous needy veterans over the years.

From noon to 3 p.m. today, the expanded facility will host a grand reopening. The center, with much assistance from volunteers, helps veterans to connect with social services or to navigate the maze of Veterans Affairs programs as they reintegrate into the community.

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