Cheers: To perseverance. Last week provided Clark County with this winter’s first severe weather event, closing schools, knocking out power in some areas and making it difficult to traverse the roads. Snow on Thursday and Friday combined with icy conditions to remind us that we occasionally are at the mercy of Mother Nature.
But the storm also served as a reminder of the many people in our area who strive to keep things running. Teachers provided remote lesson plans. Government employees worked to keep roads safe and clear accidents. Clark Public Utilities worked to restore power where necessary. As a spokesperson said: “Servicemen are staffed around the clock and they take care of individual outages and smaller damage.” Most importantly, we encourage all to check on neighbors and family members to ensure we weather the storm.
Jeers: To low achievement. The latest report of academic achievement indicates that the reading and math skills of Clark County students are below average. “The losses are not just due to what happened during the ’20-’21 school year, but the aftershocks that have hit schools in the years since the pandemic,” a Harvard University professor said about the Education Recovery Scorecard.
Statewide, Washington’s academic recovery from the pandemic ranks 34th in math and 26th in reading. While education leaders at both the state and local levels often highlight funding shortfalls, more attention must be given to improving student achievement.
Cheers: To the Heights. Plans have been submitted for the first building in central Vancouver’s Heights development. Meanwhile, the Vancouver City Council has approved a Heights Business Improvement Area, with developers expected to help cover costs for services within the area.
Progress on the development is most welcome. The site of the former Tower Mall long has been a neglected part of the city and offers great promise for residential, retail, office and recreational activity. Full development is expected to take 20 years, but each step of the process will help transform the area along Mill Plain Boulevard.
Jeers: To John Ley. The state representative has entered a guilty plea to two misdemeanor charges of attempted voter violations, relating to knowingly providing false information and candidacy declaration. Ley, a Vancouver Republican, was facing felony charges but entered an “in re Barr” plea – confessing to crimes he did not commit in order to avoid more serious charges.
The charges relate to Ley’s 2022 campaign in the 18th Legislative District, when election officials determined that he did not “state or otherwise provide evidence” that he lived in the district. Ley ran again last year, claiming he lived at an apartment in the district rather than his longtime Camas home, and was elected. The chicanery poorly reflects on Ley and poorly serves the voters of the 18th District.
Cheers: To voters. Clark County residents were called back to civic duty last week, with most school districts in the region having levies and/or bonds on the ballot. There also was a proposition in the city of Camas. Measures in the Evergreen, La Center, Mt. Pleasant, Ridgefield and Vancouver districts appear to have passed, while a levy in Battle Ground and a bond in Hockinson are failing.
Approximately 30 percent of eligible voters took part in the special election, returning nearly 100,000 ballots. While the turnout is disappointing, rather than focus on those who did not vote, we offer cheers to those who participate in our democracy.
