Morning Press: Fatal house fire; ‘Longmire’ author; 3rd District primary

Will the weather be kind for the final weekend of the Clark County Fair? Check our local weather coverage.

In case you missed them, here are some of the top stories from the week:

Woman believed dead in Ridgefield house fire

A woman is believed dead after an early morning house fire in Ridgefield on Wednesday, according to Clark County Fire & Rescue.

John Nohr, Clark County Fire & Rescue chief, said Clark County Public Works brought a tractor to the scene to help sift through the wreckage, and fire crews recovered a body inside. Officials have not identified the victim.

A fire engine was dispatched at 3:53 a.m. to a report of a fire at 29305 N.W. 41st Ave. While en route, other callers reported a house burning rapidly at a rural property.

• Searchers recover body from burned building

‘Longmire’ author to keynote library event

Is it officially unfortunate that author Daniel Handler, aka Lemony Snicket of “A Series of Unfortunate Events” fame, won’t be the keynote speaker at the Fort Vancouver Regional Library Foundation fundraising dinner in November, as promised earlier this year?

Not when the replacement speaker is author Craig Johnson, whose “Longmire” detective novels have been translated into a popular and long-running crime drama series on A&E and Netflix.

• Craig Johnson replaces Daniel Handler for fundraising dinner

Herrera Beutler, Long have their first debate

Less than 24 hours after the primary election, U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, and Democratic challenger Carolyn Long faced off for the first time as they met Wednesday with The Columbian’s Editorial Board.

Updated election results suggest a close race for Herrera Beutler, who is seeking her fifth term in Congress. She was leading with 41.4 percent of the vote Wednesday evening, and Long followed with 36.07 percent. Five other challengers split the rest.

• Republican U.S. representative, Democratic challenger meeting with The Columbian’s Editorial Board a day after advancing in Tuesday’s primary
• More election results: www.columbian.com/news/politics/election

Girl reportedly pushed from Moulton Falls bridge

The sheriff’s office is investigating after someone pushed a 16-year-old girl from the bridge at Moulton Falls on Tuesday.

Clark County Fire District 13 Chief Sean Ford said ambulance crews responded to the Moulton Falls Regional Park around 2:45 p.m. Tuesday.

As often happens, he said, kids were horsing around and jumping off the bridge, and one was injured.

• Mother says they feel lucky that the Kalama student will not have permanent injuries
• Related story: ‘Don’t climb up there’: Girl pushed from Moulton Falls bridge recovering at hospital

Clark Asks: Why are there stairs to the river by Who Song & Larry’s?

Our most recent Clark Asks voting round ended in a tie for the first time. One of our readers asked: “Why is there an old staircase that goes down to the Columbia River by Who Song and Larry’s? What used to be there?”

The answer: It’s from a time when the U.S. Coast Guard had a station along the river.

The station was established sometime around 1940, according to Doug Wilson, archaeologist with the National Park Service and adjunct associate professor of anthropology at Portland State University.

• Photographs, building materials help historians date staircase leading to river’s edge