Top Stories: Belkot ousted from C-Tran board; Cowlitz not buying golf course; man sentenced for threats

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1. Fellow Clark County councilors oust Michelle Belkot from C-Tran board after she broke ranks on vote

After a tense exchange Wednesday, Clark County councilors ousted fellow Councilor Michelle Belkot from her seat on C-Tran’s board of directors.

The councilors told Belkot she broke ranks the day before at a C-Tran board meeting when she objected to local taxpayer funding for light rail on a planned Interstate 5 Bridge replacement.

• Belkot went against the council with her vote against local taxpayer funding for light rail on new Interstate 5 Bridge

2. Cowlitz Indian Tribe not buying Tri-Mountain Golf Course after all

Clark County won’t be selling Tri-Mountain Golf Course to the Cowlitz Indian Tribe after all.

“The Cowlitz (tribe) did pull out of purchasing the golf course, so we do have some decisions to make about moving forward with the course,” Michelle Schuster, director of internal services, told the Clark County Council on Wednesday.

• No explanation on why deal fell through; Clark County to keep it open as public course – for now

3. Vancouver man sentenced to more than 8 years in prison for threatening Clark County judges

Before a Vancouver man was sentenced Monday to 8½ years in prison, two Clark County judges spoke from the other side of the bench, without their traditional black robes, where they took on an unusual role — that of crime victims.

Clark County Superior Court Judge David Gregerson told the Cowlitz County judge who presided over the intimidation case that it was his first time as a victim in a case.

• Two victims gave statements before sentencing

4. Vancouver teen, determined not be be defined by autism, named Division 5 Young Marine of the Year

Tristan Begines was in eighth grade when he first joined the Lewis and Clark Young Marines program. Four years later, he has risen to the top of the ranks with a distinction held by only a few: Young Marine of the Year.

The 17-year-old resident of the Curtin Creek area north of Vancouver initially had reservations about joining the Ridgefield-based program, which aims to foster the mental, moral and physical development of youth. But Begines, who is autistic, said he was determined to succeed. He didn’t want autism to define him. On Jan. 1, a special divisional board named him the 2025 Division 5 Young Marine of the Year — one of just six in the nation and the second in his unit to earn the title in 22 years.

• Tristan Begines joined the Lewis and Clark Young Marines program in eighth grade and will compete for National Young Marine of the Year in April

5. Battle Ground joins cities opposed to light rail on Interstate 5 replacement bridge

Opposition to light rail on the planned Interstate 5 replacement bridge continues to grow in Clark County’s small cities.

Battle Ground City Council members voted 4-3 at their March 3 meeting to formally oppose the expansion of TriMet’s light rail from Portland across a new I-5 Bridge and into downtown Vancouver.

• Battle Ground’s vote comes a month after the Camas City Council voted to oppose light rail