In Our View: Light rail on new I-5 Bridge: To be or not to be? The Columbian
Share:
Most of us learned an important life lesson years ago: When facing difficult tasks, do the hardest part first. As Mark Twain quipped: “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.”
While we would not recommend eating a live frog at any time of day, the point is well taken. Get the hard part out of the way, and the rest is relatively easy.
Which ties into discussions about a replacement for the Interstate 5 Bridge and the inevitable debate over light rail. The possible extension of Portland’s MAX system to Vancouver is likely to be the definitive issue for any eventual proposal; as such, it can be ignored for only so long as a bistate bridge replacement committee delves into its work.
Prosecutors from across Washington will examine killing of Jenoah Donald By Jessica Prokop, Columbian Assistant Metro Editor
Published: April 28, 2021, 6:56pm
Share: Clark County Sheriff s Deputies respond to a shooting in Hazel Dell on Feb 4, 2021. The incident started as a traffic stop according to dispatch logs. (Courtesy of KATU)
The investigation into the shooting of Jenoah Donald, a Black motorist killed by a Clark County deputy, will be examined by a statewide panel of prosecutors, in a new move to create independence in the review process.
The panel was created by the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys to help assess whether the deputy’s actions were legally justified. Donald’s case will be the first reviewed under the new model. The panel includes the elected prosecutors from Lewis, Yakima, Pend Oreille, Snohomish and Pierce counties.
Vancouver City Council agrees to sell old Fire Station 1
Hi-School Pharmacy owners purchase 1968-era facility for HQ expansion
Published: April 5, 2021, 7:18pm
Share: The old Fire Station 1 building pictured Dec. 17. The Oliva family, who owns the neighboring Hi-School Pharmacy headquarters, purchased the property from the city for $1.25 million. (Joshua Hart/The Columbian) Photo
The Vancouver City Council finally offloaded a 53-year-old asset Monday evening when the council agreed to sell the original Fire Station 1 property for $1.255 million.
Josh Oliva, whose family owns Hi-School Pharmacy, purchased the building after three years of negotiations. He told The Columbian in December that the company planned to extend its neighboring headquarters into the property and lease out the remainder of the building as flexible office space.
The rocky history of the Navigation Center the city of Vancouver’s effort to serve unhoused people offers numerous lessons. Providing services for a needy population and balancing that with the concerns of neighborhood residents is a difficult task, and the attempt should guide future policy.