Cheers: To Clark College. Administrators report that enrollment has increased this year, surpassing the community college’s goal of 5 percent growth over the past three years. More than 9,400 students are enrolled at Clark, including high school students in the Running Start program. Enrollment remains below pre-pandemic levels, but the increase is an encouraging sign for an educational entity that provides many benefits throughout Clark County.
Meanwhile, college officials have announced a surgical technology program to start in the fall. The two-year program will teach skills to support surgeons and nurses in operating rooms, and one administrator said, “The program came from a recognition, both from our college administration and local employers, that there was a real need for surgical technologists in the region.” As demonstrated by the new program, community colleges are well-equipped to meet the needs of our community.
Jeers: To declining vaccination rates. Clark County Public Health reports that fewer schoolchildren are receiving the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine, with the rate for Clark County kindergartners falling to 89.9 percent in the 2023-24 school year. In 2019, the rate was 92.1 percent.
“Measles is extremely contagious and can spread from an infected person who is breathing, talking or coughing. … The virus can linger in that area, such as in the air, for up to two hours,” Public Health Director Dr. Alan Melnick said. But widespread misinformation about the vaccine has led to increased reluctance, both locally and nationally. Nearly 300 measles cases have been reported this year in the United States — a disturbing trend for a disease that was considered eradicated in 2000.
Cheers: To returning workers. Gifford Pinchot National Forest employees have returned to work, weeks after being fired by the Trump administration. Employees in other departments also have been rehired after being let go in cuts instituted by the Department of Government Efficiency.
Courts and administrative agencies have ruled in several cases that the firings are illegal or improper. The indiscriminate nature of the actions has been disturbing, but the return of the employees will serve visitors to Gifford Pinchot and other sites operated by the federal government.
Jeers: To a misguided lawsuit. Clark County Councilor Michelle Belkot recently was removed from the C-Tran Board of Directors by her fellow county councilors. After Belkot voted against the council’s wishes, she was replaced as one of two Clark County representatives on the board. Now, a lawsuit filed by a Ridgefield resident is challenging that decision.
The lawsuit warrants discussion; it involves important issues such as free speech. But the suit was filed in Skamania County, which should have no input on Clark County governance or C-Tran’s management. The effort does little to establish faith in local rule.
Cheers: To the Bikers Outreach Organization. As detailed in an article by Columbian reporter Mia Ryder-Marks, the volunteer group delivers food and clothing to unhoused people and supports domestic violence survivors.
“We are basically just a bunch of people who got together to do good in the world, but it was difficult to do on our own,” the organization’s president said. “So we create a family where all of us have the same ideals in life and want to make the world a better place.” The group’s motto, “Bringing comfort to the uncomfortable,” reflects the work performed by many people in our community.
