Erin Middlewood
Staff Reporter
Email: erin.middlewood@columbian.com
Call: 360-735-4516
Twitter: Follow @col_trends
Erin covers family issues and sustainability
Recent Stories
Full-day kindergarten: primary equity in Clark County schools
It's universal in Evergreen district, where it has improved reading skills, but it's offered only at some schools in Vancouver
Before Evergreen Public Schools in Vancouver began offering universal full-day kindergarten, 50 percent of children in the half-day program were reaching benchmarks in reading. Now 85 percent of kindergartners do.
Taking the lead against elder abuse (with video)
'Turn Town Purple' uses dance to forge ties, raise awareness
Mary Kasper has attended several meetings on the topic of elder abuse.
Local school districts feeling pinch of fewer students
Hockinson, others see state funding disappear as their enrollments decline
Clark County schools overflowed with students throughout the two decades straddling the turn of the millennium. Districts struggled to find space for the influx of children. Now a few local school districts have to deal with the flip side: declining enrollment.
Abandoned Houses: Trouble beyond unsightliness
When nobody cares for a house, woes multiply
Neighbors all but cheered as they gathered to watch flames twisting through the roof of a vacant duplex in the Ogden area of Vancouver last month.
Ridgefield in growth spurt
City the 5th fastest growing in state; Woodland population dips slightly
Ridgefield was the fifth fastest growing city in Washington between 2011 and 2012, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released late Wednesday. City leaders say years spent laying the groundwork for business and residential development helped Ridgefield bounce back quickly from the Great Recession.
Effort to recall Madore, Mielke afoot
Meeting Saturday; successful campaigns rare in Washington
Former Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard advocated for recall of David Madore and Tom Mielke at a packed Clark County commissioners meeting earlier this week.
Deaths from firearms top car-crash fatalities in Washington
Suicides greatly exceed homicides, report says
Firearm deaths have exceeded car-crash fatalities in Washington for the first time since 1934, according to a report by the state Office of Financial Management released last week.
Beloved singing Costco clerk mending after surgery
His Facebook page is filled with posts wishing him well
Facebook is overflowing with electronic well-wishes and prayers for the beloved signing Costco clerk, Teddy Patrick of Vancouver, who was hospitalized last weekend.
Saving early for college tuition
Wary families face the challenge of daunting costs for kids' higher education
Beth Cooper helped her 9-year-old son, Jace, open his own bank account, where he stashes half his $4-a-week allowance. He was thrilled when the balance reached $100.
Tea Party reigns at GOP dinner
Stand up to government, event's speakers implore
Even though most of the 250 Republicans who attended Saturday's Lincoln Day dinner drank coffee with their dessert, it was clear the event was all about the Tea Party.
