Cheers: To Bulldogs and Ducks. Gonzaga University and the University of Oregon have qualified for the Final Four in men’s college basketball, giving the Northwest a huge presence on one of the grandest stages in American sports. Gonzaga is making the first Final Four appearance in school history today when it plays South Carolina; Oregon is playing in its first Final Four in 78 years as it faces North Carolina.
In the grand scheme of things, it’s only fun and games, but athletic success can be beneficial to a university. Gonzaga is a perfect example of this, with the Spokane school seeing its national profile expand exponentially since its basketball team became prominent two decades ago. Simply reaching the Final Four is cause for celebration, but we trust the Zags and the Ducks won’t rest upon their laurels. Here’s rooting for an all-Northwest championship game come Monday night.
Jeers: To unneighborly behavior. Residents of Uptown Village in Vancouver have raised concerns about the actions of some patrons of a nearby marijuana store. With reports of customers smoking their product on the doorsteps of homes or arriving at the store with music blaring from their cars, the nuisance level is high for local residents.
Members of the local residential association say they understand that some problems are bound to accompany a thriving business, and store owners express a willingness to work with residents. Yet while increased police patrols in the area can mitigate some of the behavior, the onus should be upon customers to act with civility. Recreational marijuana is legal in this state, but that does not eliminate the need for a little common courtesy.
Cheers: To the proposed Bridgeview Education and Employment Resource Center. The center, which would centralize many services used by low-income families, received a boost in the proposed capital budget released by the state Senate. That budget, which is separate from the larger general fund, would provide $500,000 toward construction of the center in the Vancouver Heights neighborhood.
The Bridgeview project, which has bipartisan support from local legislators and community leaders, would bring together services that currently are fragmented in order to improve access. The budget has not yet been approved but local lawmakers — particularly steering committee members Sharon Wylie and Paul Harris — are to be commended for generating support in Olympia for a worthwhile project.
Sad: To the loss of Brian Willoughby. The well-known community activist and former Columbian reporter was killed this week in a house fire at the age of 56. Many people in the community knew Willoughby through his work at the paper from 1990 to 2002, but it is what he did after leaving newspapers that will remain his legacy.
He worked for the Southern Poverty Law Center, a noted civil rights organization, for a time before returning to Vancouver, where he most recently was the director of community benefit at Legacy Health. Through it all, Willoughby remained a tireless observer of the human condition and an unfailing advocate for those in need of assistance.
Cheers: To a piece of Vancouver’s history. A dress worn by Maria Pambrun Barclay, who is regarded as one of Fort Vancouver’s founding mothers, was recently acquired by the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site and will be displayed at the site’s McLoughlin House Unit in Oregon City, Ore.
Barclay lived at Fort Vancouver until 1850, when she retired with her husband to the Oregon City site. The dress serves as another reminder of the important work being done at Fort Vancouver to preserve the fascinating history of this region.
