Morning Press: Homeless camp removed; Special election; Camas High racist incident

By Amy Libby, Columbian Web Editor

Published: April 30, 2022, 6:02am

Because the camp was located on a lot surrounded by private property, the city could not offer or provide hygiene or sanitation services -- chemical toilets, hand washing stations, dumpsters -- at or near the camp, said Spinelli in an email. "Overall, it just wasn't healthy or safe for the individuals camping there or the surrounding community," she said. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)

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Here are some of the stories that were most popular this week with Columbian readers.

City removes large homeless camp in east Vancouver

A large homeless camp north of Southeast Mill Plain Boulevard, where Northeast Chkalov Drive turns into 112th Avenue, was removed by the city of Vancouver last week.

Plans to remove the camp were in place for more than six weeks due to health and safety concerns, according to Jamie Spinelli, Vancouver’s Homeless Response Coordinator.

Ridgefield bond still short; Evergreen levy certain to pass

Thursday’s round of ballots in the April 26 special election provided marginal shifts in voting trends for two critical school funding measures in Clark County.

After a dramatic surge of “yes” votes on Wednesday, support for the Ridgefield School District’s proposed general obligation bond plateaued on Thursday — now with 59.11 percent voting to approve. In order to pass, the bond must have 60 percent approval. If it fails, it will be the fifth consecutive bond failure for Ridgefield since 2019.

Just 250 votes left to count on critical schools funding measures

Camas High School officials acknowledge ‘inappropriate behavior’ by baseball players

Administrators from Camas High School admit a number of Papermaker baseball players engaged in “inappropriate behavior” during last week’s junior-varsity contest between Camas and Skyview high schools.

In a Tuesday email sent to the Camas community, principal Tom Morris included information shared with Camas’ JV baseball families that read, “Through our conversations with our players, parents, coaches, as well as Skyview coaching and administrative staff, we know that some of our team members engaged in inappropriate behavior” at the April 20 contest at Camas High.

Vancouver man gets 120 days on work crew for stealing nearly $90,000

A Vancouver man was sentenced Tuesday to 120 days on a work crew for stealing tens of thousands of dollars from local construction companies and clients.

Travis W. Saban, 48, pleaded guilty in Clark County Superior Court to two counts of first-degree theft and two counts of second-degree theft. Three additional counts of second-degree theft were dismissed as a part of a plea agreement.

Defense attorney Megan Peyton said Travis W. Saban, 48, has already paid back between $15,000 and $20,000

Multiple semis crash on I-5 southbound north of Woodland

Multiple tractor-trailer rigs were involved in a crash Tuesday afternoon on southbound Interstate 5, north of Woodland — blocking lanes and snarling traffic.

The Washington State Department of Transportation reported the collision was at Milepost 23 near Dike Road at about 1:36 p.m.