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Working in Clark County

Pete Roberts, foreground, saws into PVC pipe during the installation of a septic tank at a home in Amboy last week. Roberts has owned Bloomquist Septic Inspections since 1997, after spending more than 10 years in the military. He never set out to work in the septic business, and acknowledges that it’s a dirty job.

Working in Clark County: Pete Roberts, owner of Bloomquist Septic Inspections

Pete Roberts, foreground, saws into PVC pipe during the installation of a septic tank at a home in Amboy last week. Roberts has owned Bloomquist Septic Inspections since 1997, after spending more than 10 years in the military. He never set out to work in the septic business, and acknowledges that it’s a dirty job.

July 29, 2019, 6:00am Business

The scene at a rural Amboy property last week looked like it could have been an archaeological excavation. Read story

Simon Rommel, 15, left, completes a walk-around of the Wake´s Driving School car before sliding behind the wheel.

Working in Clark County: Larry Bowman, driving instructor at Wake’s Driving School

Simon Rommel, 15, left, completes a walk-around of the Wake´s Driving School car before sliding behind the wheel.

July 15, 2019, 6:02am Business

Many of us can recall preparing for our first driving test as a teenager. It’s often a cocktail of excitement and agony — why, oh why, our teenage-selves lament, can’t we just jump in the car and go? More tests? Read story

Melonie Nielson, owner of Vancouver Yoga Center, center, leads a Yoga Refinements course last month. “The yoga studio came about out of love and passion for yoga and did not start as a plan to open a yoga business,” she said.

Working in Clark County: Melonie Nielson, Vancouver Yoga Center owner, instructor

Melonie Nielson, owner of Vancouver Yoga Center, center, leads a Yoga Refinements course last month. “The yoga studio came about out of love and passion for yoga and did not start as a plan to open a yoga business,” she said.

July 8, 2019, 6:00am Business

Vancouver Yoga Center owner Melonie Nielson, 45, can recall the first time she tried yoga. It was long before the United States experienced a recent onslaught of yoga studios, and with it gimmicky trends like yoga with cats, goats, or even with beer. Read story

Nate Habtom laughs while riding a C-Tran bus bound for Portland with C-Tran Travel Trainer Jade Dudley, far right, during a training session last week. The two have become friends over the last year that Habtom has trained with Dudley, who focuses much of her work on helping seniors and those with disabilities. “It’s helping them gain or maintain independence. There’s really no greater gift than seeing that spark for them,” Dudley said.

Working in Clark County: Jade Dudley, travel trainer at C-Tran

Nate Habtom laughs while riding a C-Tran bus bound for Portland with C-Tran Travel Trainer Jade Dudley, far right, during a training session last week. The two have become friends over the last year that Habtom has trained with Dudley, who focuses much of her work on helping seniors and those with disabilities. “It’s helping them gain or maintain independence. There’s really no greater gift than seeing that spark for them,” Dudley said.

June 24, 2019, 6:05am Business

Public transit. We all know it's available. But not everybody uses it, despite the benefits to the environment from fewer cars on the road, especially as cities electrify their fleets. Read story

Gabe Duarte, a residential garbage truck driver with Waste Connections, collects garbage in an east Vancouver neighborhood last week. August will mark 15 years on the job for Duarte. The Los Angeles native moved to the area with his father in 1989. He never set out to be a garbage collector. “I think it’s decent. I’ve been able to raise my family, my two kids. The benefits are good, I believe. My wife and daughter have different medication they need. It’s helped with that,” Duarte said.

Working in Clark County: Gabe Duarte, residential garbage truck driver with Waste Connections

Gabe Duarte, a residential garbage truck driver with Waste Connections, collects garbage in an east Vancouver neighborhood last week. August will mark 15 years on the job for Duarte. The Los Angeles native moved to the area with his father in 1989. He never set out to be a garbage collector. “I think it’s decent. I’ve been able to raise my family, my two kids. The benefits are good, I believe. My wife and daughter have different medication they need. It’s helped with that,” Duarte said.

June 17, 2019, 6:01am Business

One man’s trash is another man’s, well, job. Read story

Washington State Parks Area Manager Heath Yeats oversees Battle Ground Lake State Park, where new projects are on the cusp of completion. Three piles are visible in the water behind Yates that will be used for a new ADA-accessible floating dock that will be installed this month. “Folks with limited abilities will be able to go out there and fish,” Yeats said. “It’s a brand-new feature for this park.

Working in Clark County: Heath Yeats, Washington State Parks Area Manager

Washington State Parks Area Manager Heath Yeats oversees Battle Ground Lake State Park, where new projects are on the cusp of completion. Three piles are visible in the water behind Yates that will be used for a new ADA-accessible floating dock that will be installed this month. “Folks with limited abilities will be able to go out there and fish,” Yeats said. “It’s a brand-new feature for this park.

June 10, 2019, 6:05am Business

Not quite noon on a recent spring Tuesday, and the main parking lot at Battle Ground Lake State Park was filling up. Read story

Margo Priebe, a legal advocacy specialist at YWCA Clark County in Vancouver, fills her office with plants, paintings and things that bring her joy. “It’s really, really hard work, so you need to have a beautiful environment,” she said. Priebe was a victim of domestic violence when she was a child and was drawn to the job to try to heal herself as well as others.

Working in Clark County: Margo Priebe, YWCA legal advocacy specialist

Margo Priebe, a legal advocacy specialist at YWCA Clark County in Vancouver, fills her office with plants, paintings and things that bring her joy. “It’s really, really hard work, so you need to have a beautiful environment,” she said. Priebe was a victim of domestic violence when she was a child and was drawn to the job to try to heal herself as well as others.

June 3, 2019, 6:02am Business

On any given day, Margo Priebe can most likely be found attached to her telephone headset, working YWCA Clark County's 24-hour hotline for domestic violence. Read story

George Brereton started Gifts of the Planet Farm in 2007 after retiring from a career as a ship captain in Alaska. At 2 acres, his farm is small but produces about 10,000 pounds of fruit a year, he said. However, he concedes he doesn’t turn a profit. “I’ve only made a profit one year and that’s when I took a couple trees off the top of my hill up there and sold them,” he said.

Working in Clark County: George Brereton, farmer, owner of Gifts of the Planet Farm

George Brereton started Gifts of the Planet Farm in 2007 after retiring from a career as a ship captain in Alaska. At 2 acres, his farm is small but produces about 10,000 pounds of fruit a year, he said. However, he concedes he doesn’t turn a profit. “I’ve only made a profit one year and that’s when I took a couple trees off the top of my hill up there and sold them,” he said.

May 13, 2019, 6:02am Business

Only mid-May, and Woodland farmer George Brereton is already worried about his berries. Read story

Gail Horn moves bars of soap from a curing rack while preparing to cut them into their final size. Horn makes around 112 bars of soap a day. They have to cure for four weeks before being sold. The process includes melting oils, such as avocado oil, and mixing lye and water. “What’s happening is saponification. The chemical reaction for lye and water and oils becomes soap. You blend it until it’s thick like pudding, and pour it into a mold,” she said.

Working in Clark County: Gail Horn, soap-maker and owner of The Soap Chest

Gail Horn moves bars of soap from a curing rack while preparing to cut them into their final size. Horn makes around 112 bars of soap a day. They have to cure for four weeks before being sold. The process includes melting oils, such as avocado oil, and mixing lye and water. “What’s happening is saponification. The chemical reaction for lye and water and oils becomes soap. You blend it until it’s thick like pudding, and pour it into a mold,” she said.

May 6, 2019, 6:02am Business

Hand-crafted soap. Kind of like do-it-yourself beer brewing and kombucha, homemade soap is everywhere these days. Read story

Fishmonger Mace Bollens loads a rack of Alaskan salmon fillets before moving them to the smoker at the Pacific Northwest Best Fish Co. Bollens, 57, grew up in Redwood City, Calif., and worked in the San Francisco Bay area for 20 years before moving to Washington in 1996. He started working at the Ridgefield fish market in 2002.

Working in Clark County: Mace Bollens, fishmonger at Pacific Northwest Best Fish Co.

Fishmonger Mace Bollens loads a rack of Alaskan salmon fillets before moving them to the smoker at the Pacific Northwest Best Fish Co. Bollens, 57, grew up in Redwood City, Calif., and worked in the San Francisco Bay area for 20 years before moving to Washington in 1996. He started working at the Ridgefield fish market in 2002.

April 22, 2019, 6:00am Business

Just over 20 years ago, Mace Bollens was using his burly hands to weld, shape and form bronze and stainless steel metals for an architecture firm in San Francisco. Read story