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Here are some of the stories that you may have missed from over the weekend.
For many, living in Clark County today can be either good or frustrating: there are a lot of new jobs out there, people and developers are flocking to the area, and housing remains scarce.
But there is little doubt the local economy is expanding and will likely continue to do so through 2018, experts say.
“Everything seems to be improving at a moderate rate,” said Scott Bailey, regional economist for the state Employment Security Department. “So, you know, I don’t see anything on the horizon that says caution, look out. If we keep on this path, it bodes well.”
A Clark County deputy prosecutor said during an initial appearance hearing Friday that the state may file more serious charges against a 21-year-old man from Battle Ground accused of attacking his family with an 8-inch serrated bread knife.
Colin Dixon was arrested on suspicion of assault following the Wednesday morning incident at the family’s Battle Ground home.
But Deputy Prosecutor Greg Harvey told Superior Court Judge Bernard Veljacic that Dixon was facing allegations of attempted second-degree murder.
Harvey indicated the state may file attempted first-degree murder charges.
The judge accepted the prosecution’s bail recommendation of $750,000. If released, Dixon is also barred from possessing firearms or contacting his alleged victims — his father, mother and sister.
Three men are headed to prison for their involvement in two shootings in September 2016 — one at a Vancouver house party and the other at Vancouver’s Marine Park in which two teens were wounded.
Dmitriy Yurchenko, who prosecutors say was the primary culprit in the Marine Park shooting, was sentenced Friday in Clark County Superior Court to 20 years in prison between the two cases. He pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree assault in the house party shooting and two counts of first-degree assault in the park shooting.
Yurchenko, 21, of Portland was facing attempted murder charges for shooting a 16-year-old boy and 15-year-old girl during a dispute Sept. 29, 2016, at the park, 4501 S.E. Columbia Way.
A co-defendant in both shootings, 21-year-old Mykola Kovalchuk, of Gresham, Ore., was also sentenced Friday to seven years in prison. Kovalchuk pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree assault in the house party shooting and six counts of second-degree assault in the park shooting.
Despite dangerous conditions, trespassers continue to venture into areas of the Columbia River Gorge closed after the Eagle Creek Fire.
Authorities in Oregon have handed out $280 trespassing citations to 49 people and let hundreds go with a warning, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported this week.
The fire, allegedly set by a Vancouver teen, burned nearly 77 square miles, mostly on the Oregon side of the river. The early September blaze forced evacuations, caused an extended shutdown of Interstate 84 and choked Portland and Vancouver with smoke and ash.
Many popular trails and landmarks remain closed.
John Bishop, the former lead pastor of Vancouver’s Living Hope Church, is facing a federal drug charge in U.S. District Court in Southern California for allegedly trying to smuggle more than 280 pounds of marijuana into the country from Mexico.
The 54-year-old was arrested Dec. 11 after he was stopped about 5:25 a.m. by U.S. Customs and Border Protection while re-entering the country through the port of entry at San Ysidro, Calif. Bishop reportedly told border patrol agents he was driving to Chula Vista, Calif., according to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case.
While conducting a routine inspection of Bishop’s gray Volkswagen Jetta, the officer found packages hidden in a wheel well. A narcotics detection dog was summoned and subsequently alerted officers to the undercarriage and trunk of the car, the affidavit states.
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