Erin Middlewood

Staff Reporter

Erin covers family issues and sustainability

Recent Stories

Man’s desire to aid Storro backfires

Fundraiser, first considered a scam, withdrawn at family’s request

When a Brush Prairie church received a letter from a man identifying himself as “Reverend Garner” pleading for money for Bethany Storro’s medical expenses, the church’s business administrator smelled a scam. Instead, the letter seems to be a well-meaning but misguided effort by someone Storro met at Elahan Place, a Vancouver rehabilitation program operated by Columbia River Mental Health Services.

The best medicine

Look in kitchen cupboards for health

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St. Johns-Highway 500 interchange project gears up

Officials break ground on $49 million project

The Washington State Department of Transportation took another step toward removing traffic signals from state Highway 500 on Tuesday when it broke ground on a $49 million interchange at St. Johns Boulevard.

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Clark County homeownership rate plunges

While it dropped in past decade, it’s still higher than state’s

The American dream of homeownership has become more elusive in Clark County over the past decade, no surprise to anyone who has watched foreclosure rates here skyrocket during the Great Recession. The homeownership rate dropped from 67.3 percent in 2000 to 65.8 percent in 2010, but remains higher than Washington’s rate of 63.9 percent, according to U.S. Census figures released today.

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Older and out of a job

For many, the consequences of late-career layoffs are dire

Vancouver residents Mark McCloud and Fred Schwarz represent the two — what seem to be inevitable — outcomes of late-career job loss. McCloud, 63, hasn’t been able to find another job, and is at the brink of a retirement he wouldn’t have chosen and might not be able to afford.

County to buy landfill for $1.5M

Part of 74-acre site, closed since 1991, will be used for road

Clark County commissioners Tuesday approved the purchase of the closed Leichner Landfill and surrounding land for $1.5 million. “By moving ahead now, we can bring this land into productive re-use,” said Jeffrey Mize, a spokesman for the county public works department.

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Ridgefield military wife’s blog a ‘secret’ no more

Lori Volkman started a blog to cope with her husband’s military deployment last September. “It started out just as a diary,” the Ridgefield resident said. She gave little thought to the fact that people might actually read it. In less than a year, the blog has garnered almost 25,000 hits.

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Fatal house fire stuns neighbors

Details about homeowners emerge; identities of six victims still unconfirmed

As arson investigators dug through the rubble of Vancouver’s deadliest fire in a half-century Monday, residents of Northeast 13th Circle in Vancouver questioned how such a horrific event could happen in their quiet neighborhood.

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Money matters for students

Camas High School adds a class called Financial Fitness to teach students how saving can be fun

Students in Camas High School’s Financial Fitness class huddled to craft campaigns touting the importance of saving. Christine Moss, 17, and her group planned a video spot to explain the rule of 72 and other key formulas.

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Discover family fun of Discovery Walk

Annual festival also includes bicycling and swimming activities

This weekend, a scaled-back International Discovery Walk Festival returns for its 15th year. The economic downturn didn’t spare the beloved celebration of walking. International participation fell last year, and so did sponsorships. Organizers are weary, and ready to hand on the baton. Sound like bad news?

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