Top Stories: LA Fitness pools; Johnston Ridge closure; Lexus dealership on Mill Plain

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Here are some of the top stories on columbian.com this week:

1. Clark County Public Health closed LA Fitness’ pools last year due to health hazards

A representative from Clark County Public Health said Thursday that the department issued pool closures at the county’s two LA Fitness locations last year due to “imminent health hazards.”

The closure notice for the pool at the Orchards location at 11505 N.E. Fourth Plain Blvd. was issued Feb. 16, 2023. The closure notice for the pool at the Hazel Dell location at 7607 N.E. Fifth Ave. was issued Sept. 1, 2023.

• ‘Both pools were closed due to facility HVAC systems not providing adequate ventilation, which had caused mold accumulation’
• Previously: LA Fitness customers frustrated they are paying full price when both Clark County location pools have been closed for months

2. Mount St. Helens’ Johnston Ridge Observatory won’t reopen until at least 2026

Mount St. Helens’ Johnston Ridge Observatory will remain closed to the public until at least 2026, a U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman said Monday.

A landslide last year damaged the only road to the observatory, state Highway 504, also known as Spirit Lake Highway. The massive slide on May 14 blocked the highway at Milepost 49 and caused catastrophic damage to the Spirit Lake outlet bridge.

• “This is our best estimate based on what we know right now”

3. Portland woman faces vehicular homicide in wrong-way crash on I-5 that killed another driver

Investigators said a Portland woman’s blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit when she crashed into another car, killing the other driver, early Saturday on northbound Interstate 5.

Amy Marie Gaudette, 43, appeared Monday afternoon via Zoom in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of vehicular homicide. She wore a suicide-prevention smock, given to inmates who may try to harm themselves with standard jail clothing.

• Judge Jennifer Snider set Gaudette’s bail at $90,000
• Previously: Vancouver man killed in collision with wrong-way driver on Interstate 5

4. Lexus dealership eyes site off Mill Plain Boulevard in east Vancouver

A Lexus dealership is in the works off Mill Plain Boulevard in east Vancouver.

New Jersey-based Holman Automotive Group proposed the dealership in January, according to planning documents submitted to the city of Vancouver.

• New Jersey-based Holman Automotive Group submits plans for property at the Landing at Vancouver

5. Schools in Washington are required to recite the Pledge of Allegiance daily

SPOKANE — Across the nation, school children share the ritual of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance every morning before class as they have done for decades, likely as long as anyone alive today can remember.

Although it’s been a practice for generations, a group of middle-schoolers in Eatonville, Washington, realized that while they’re expected to say the words, they don’t know the intention or the history of the saying that kicks off their school day.

• A new bill would make sure students actually understand what it means