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Morning Press: Suspected serial killer in court; mental health evaluation ordered for Smith Tower shooting suspect

By Amy Libby, Columbian Web Editor
Published: January 11, 2020, 6:02am
2 Photos
Suspected serial killer Warren Forrest leaves the courtroom after appearing in Clark County Superior Court in connection with the death of 17-year-old Martha Morrison in the 1970s on Friday morning, Jan. 10, 2020. Forrest was scheduled to be arraigned Friday, but the hearing was set over to Feb. 7.
Suspected serial killer Warren Forrest leaves the courtroom after appearing in Clark County Superior Court in connection with the death of 17-year-old Martha Morrison in the 1970s on Friday morning, Jan. 10, 2020. Forrest was scheduled to be arraigned Friday, but the hearing was set over to Feb. 7. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian) Photo Gallery

Rain? Snow? Anything is possible. Check our local weather coverage.

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

Suspected serial killer, 70, in Clark County court in 1974 murder case

It was, in part, curiosity that brought Karen Gilchrist to court Monday morning to lay eyes for the first time on the man she believes killed her sister in the 1970s.

“It was frightening. We made eye contact. It felt like he knew me,” Gilchrist said of suspected serial killer Warren Forrest. She trembled as she spoke.

Competency evaluation ordered for Smith Tower shooting suspect

An 80-year-old man accused in the October shooting at Smith Tower that killed a fellow resident and wounded another resident and her caregiver, will undergo a court-ordered competency evaluation.

Robert “Bob” Breck has been charged in Clark County Superior Court with first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder. Renee Alsept, Breck’s court-appointed attorney, told Judge David Gregerson on Wednesday during a hearing that she was concerned about her client’s competency to stand trial, according to court records.

Cold Canadian air could bring snow to Clark County next week

Clark County might get its first low-elevation snow of the winter next week.

Forecast models indicate a trough of cold air will spill out of Canada’s Yukon Territory into the Northwest, bringing with it freezing temperatures and the potential for midweek snow.

Fadin’ by 9’s ‘Vancouver, Vancouver’ evokes Mount St. Helens’ 1980 eruption

The most famous phrase that’s ever been uttered about this town — a volcanologist’s cry of shock and warning — has been set to haunting music by a fellow scientist who feels the tale deeply.

Seth Moran’s original song, “Vancouver, Vancouver,” tells the story of Mount St. Helens’ 1980 eruption in classic folk-song style. The tune bursts into mournful minor-key harmonies when voicing David Johnston’s now-legendary radio alert, just before he was killed in the blast: “Vancouver, this is it!”

90-year-old Vancouver woman makes a habit of exercise

There’s a peculiar sight that Jana Wilson encounters on afternoons occasionally.

In her job as a recreation specialist at Firstenburg Community Center, Wilson will sometimes spot a group of teenagers working out across from 90-year-old Olga Vilen.

“She could be doing an arm exercise, and the teenagers across from her are talking and having a good time next to her, and she fits right in,” Wilson said of Vilen, a Vancouver resident.

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