Cheers: To financial literacy. Today wraps up “Financial Literacy Month,” and more attention needs to be paid to this topic. As the recession has amply illustrated, few topics are as important as learning about saving, investing and managing debt. Unfortunately, the nonprofit Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy coalition says knowledge among young people is dropping. The group estimates that three-quarters of young people are ill-equipped to make proper financial decisions. Schools are doing their part to provide at least some education — Camas High School, which offers a Financial Fitness class and a student-staffed credit union, stands out — but the surveys also suggest the best education begins at home.
Jeers: To Clark County’s continuing problem with obesity. A recent survey finds 64 percent of local adults and 23 percent of 10th-graders are obese. Here’s one likely reason: While 35 percent of all residents live within a half-mile of fast food or a convenience store, only 15 percent live that close to a supermarket or other source of fresh food. No wonder too many of us hear the chocolate calling; it doesn’t have to shout as loudly as the apples. To help address the obesity crisis, the county health and planning departments are getting together to draft a health element to the county growth plan. Public participation is encouraged; a meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. May 25 at Vancouver Housing Authority, 2500 Main St. (12 blocks from a supermarket, but less than three blocks from at least two convenience stores and a fast-food restaurant).
Cheers: To Hal Dengerink, recently named Clark County’s First Citizen for 2011. The award has been presented annually for more than 70 years, so Dengerink joins a long list of community achievers. As campus dean and now chancellor at Washington State University Vancouver almost since its beginning, Dengerink has been the key player in bringing bachelor’s degree and higher level programs to the region. From a handful of students in rented space, WSU Vancouver now serves 3,000 students in nearly 40 fields of study on its own modern campus in Salmon Creek. Dengerink will be feted at 4 p.m. June 1 at the Hilton.
Jeers: To renewed interest in mining near Mount St. Helens. Incredibly, a representative for the Canadian mining company claims the environmental damage would be “zero” because the area already looks “like a bomb went off.” He ignores 30 years of natural recovery and the opportunities the mountain offers for continuing research in geology, volcanology and forestry. Unfortunately, Congress has dragged its feet on reforming an 1872 law the puts mining first when the modern era calls for a more balanced approach to land use.
