Cheers: Officials at Clark College have put the wraps on a major fundraising campaign, announcing that they have brought in $26.6 million. That far exceeds the goal of $20 million that accompanied the launch of the campaign five years ago, with the money earmarked for key teaching areas and scholarships.
The success of the college’s first large private fundraising effort, which was led by the Clark College Foundation, reflects the school’s importance to the community. More than 4,000 people donated to the campaign over the years, helping to ensure Clark College’s continued presence as a linchpin to a successful future for thousands of students.
Jeers: The oil and railroad industries are urging federal regulators to allow up to seven years for the upgrade of existing tank cars. Those would be the same tank cars that have a penchant for exploding, the same kind that roll through Clark County each day and would greatly increase in number if an oil terminal at the Port of Vancouver is approved.
Not that any of that matters to the American Petroleum Institute or the Association of American Railroads. Those officials would like extra time for tank-car manufacturers to gear up production and for their industries to put new cars in place. We have another suggestion: Expressing urgency and pledging to make cars as safe as possible as quickly as possible would go a long way toward appeasing public concerns. Throughout the discussion about the proposed Vancouver terminal, the rail and oil industries have demonstrated an egregious tone-deafness. They might be good at making money, but they consistently fail in the realm of public relations.
Cheers: As chronicled in a recent story from Columbian reporter Stephanie Rice, the numbers spell out the need for the Clark County Mental Health Court. Consider: In 1955, there was one psychiatric bed for every 300 Americans; by 2005, there was one psychiatric bed for every 3,000 Americans. That is one reason the judicial system has seen an epidemic of mentally ill people making repeat appearances in the courts.
Clark County, however, is one of 10 in the state that have a mental health court, paid for largely by a 2006 sales-tax increase of one-tenth of 1 percent. The need for mental health care is vast, and such a court can keep tabs on those who need help. It also can save money by helping to keep patients from cycling through the judicial and correctional systems.
Jeers: OK, now can we move on? County Commissioner Ed Barnes engaged in a fit of grandstanding this week in pushing for a resolution that would offer formal thanks to those who worked on the now-defunct Columbia River Crossing. Barnes stepped down from the dais to address his fellow commissioners from the public testimony table in urging them to support the resolution.
Fellow commissioners David Madore and Tom Mielke, who had vociferously opposed the CRC, declined to go along, as it would have been disingenuous. Barnes made his point; Madore and Mielke stood their ground. It’s time to move past the CRC debacle.
Cheers: And finally, from this week’s pay-it-forward file, kudos go to Kimberly Butterfield of Camas and to Vancouver police Lt. Scott Creager. Butterfield’s truck ran out of gas in the middle of traffic recently, and Creager stopped to help push her safety. He also handed her a bottle of water and some napkins for 4-year-old Kiley, who had made a mess of some ice cream.
A few days later, Butterfield stopped by the precinct with two bottles of water — one to replace the one she took, and one for the next person who needs help. The incident serves as a reminder that a little kindness can beget more kindness.
