The halls and lunchroom of Hudson’s Bay High School were bustling Wednesday, filled with eager kids and smiling adults.

Don’t fret over your calendar. You’ve still got about two weeks before students are back in school. But Vancouver Public Schools is working to make sure that when that day comes, students “Go Ready!”

The school district hosted its fifth annual back-to-school fair, a blowout event attracting thousands of families. The “Go Ready!” event mixes a resource fair with a medical clinic and adds a dash of shopping center to round out the experience. Students picked out clothes, got a haircut, caught up on their immunizations and had their ears, teeth and vision checked — all for free. Parents perused booths staffed by nonprofit organizations such as Lifeline Connections, Partners in Careers and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, learning about social services, job opportunities and after-school programs.

And because it’s still summer, at least for a little longer, there were free hot dogs and ice cream.

Jan Redding, the district’s director of public engagement, said it’s a break from the chaos of back-to-school season for families, and a reliable place to find most necessities for the season.

“They’re coming for the basic needs for their kids,” Redding said as hundreds of families milled around. “It takes a lot of anxiety out of being ready for the first day.”

Take Ashley Tarkong, for example. The Vancouver mom took a brief respite from her 7-year-old son’s high energy to play a few rounds of a game on her phone. Her son, Kannon Davis, who is going into second grade, played nearby as the pair waited for him to get a haircut. Just a little off the top, said Tarkong, running her fingers through her son’s curls.

“We want to know what’s going on, what opportunities are out there,” she said, adding that this time of year “is kind of crazy.”

Kannon announced “break time” as his favorite part of the school day to a laugh from his mom.

“He’s really a good student,” she said.

In the school’s gym, meanwhile, families sorted through donated clothes to pick out outfits, leaving with sacks full of shirts, pants and warm winter coats. The district gave out 850 bags of clothes at last year’s event.

“I found a green dress!” announced Aurora Nowak, 6. She rummaged through a bag full of clothing to hold up the forest green, velvet dress. Is it her favorite? Yes, she signaled with a nod. Is she going to wear it on the first day of school? Again, she nodded and hugged it close to her. That’s a definite yes.

Aurora was accompanied by her aunt, Jessica Simon, who laughed at her niece’s antics. Like Tarkong, Simon noted what a hectic time of year this is.

“This makes it a lot easier,” Simon said.

Back in the halls, Redding was rushing from location to location, helping blue-aproned volunteers and greeting families. The controlled chaos of the day has become a summer tradition for her, but it’s worth it to hear from dozens of families who tell her, “thank you.”

“It’s such a good feeling, how we’re helping,” she said. “It’s a very fulfilling day.”

Plans for improved trail access and other amenities at Lower Daybreak Park on the East Fork of the Lewis River will be the subject of an open house Tuesday.

Clark County Public Works will host the open house from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday in the commons area for Daybreak primary and middle schools, 1900 N.W. 20th Ave.

Residents can stop by anytime during the open house to discuss the project, ask questions of county employees, and offer comments and suggestions.

The project, which is scheduled for construction in summer 2020, includes installing an accessible trailhead, multiuse paths, a river overlook and informational signs. The project is scheduled to be complete in spring 2021.

More information is available on the county’s website, www.clark.wa.gov/public-works/lower-daybreak-trail-improvement-project.

Daily Agricultural and Educational Display Awards

4-H Swine, Agriculture and Education Winner.

4-H Robotics, Educational Display Award.

4-H Pigeons, Agricultural – Special Award.

4-H Horse – Junior Performance

Novice Fitting and Showing

Champion, Addison Miller, Battle Ground.

Reserve Champion, Grace Styx, Ridgefield.

Novice Hunt Seat

Champion, Addison Miller, Battle Ground.

Reserve Champion, Evie Schubach, Vancouver.

Novice Stock Seat

Champion, Addison Miller, Battle Ground.

Reserve Champion, Susannah Nedich, Battle Ground.

Novice Trail

Champion, Grace Styx, Ridgefield.

Reserve Champion, Michelle Robbibaro, Vancouver.

Fitting and Showing

Champion, Julianna Lynch, Vancouver.

Reserve Champion, Megan Truman, Yacolt.

Bareback

Champion, Megan Truman, Yacolt.

Reserve Champion, Aubrie Wheeler, Vancouver.

Hunt Seat

Champion, Aubrie Wheeler, Vancouver.

Reserve Champion, Julianna Lynch, Vancouver.

Saddle Seat

Champion, Aubrie Wheeler, Vancouver.

Stock Seat

Champion, Aubrie Wheeler, Vancouver.

Reserve Champion, Julianna Lynch, Vancouver.

Trail

Champion, Aubrie Wheeler, Vancouver.

Reserve Champion, Olivia Alvord, Vancouver.

Hunter Hack

Champion, Mackenzie Domingos, Brush Prairie.

Reserve Champion, Aubrie Wheeler, Vancouver.

Disciplined Rail – Hunt Seat

Champion, Julianna Lynch, Vancouver.

Reserve Champion, Olivia Alvord, Vancouver.

Disciplined Rail – Stock Seat

Champion, Julianna Lynch, Vancouver.

Reserve Champion, Taryn Egan, Vancouver.

Open Class Photography

Division 1A Youth under Age 12

Best of Division, Cora Mont-Louis, Vancouver.

Special Award, Amelia Meye, Ridgefield.

Best of Class Awards

Amelia Bouslaugh, Portland.

Naomi Wainwright, Ridgefield.

Sam Grima, Washougal.

Taylor Allen, Yacolt.

Katelyn West, Vancouver.

Kloi Baker, Vancouver.

Sophia Murray, Vancouver.

Cora Mont-Louis, Vancouver.

Sophia Murray, Vancouver.

Skylar Rushton, Vancouver.

Amelia Bouslaugh, Portland.

Kloi Baker, Vancouver.

Elida Haun, Vancouver.

Taylor Allen, Yacolt.

Brody Will, Vancouver.

Best of Class Agriculture, Keegan Allen, Yacolt.

Division 1B – Ages 13-17

Best of Division, Tatum McDowell, Vancouver.

Superintendent’s Choice, Bryce Cassagneres, Vancouver.

Special Award, Ben Rembisz, La Center.

People’s Choice First Half, Angela Conrad, Vancouver.

3 Best of Class, Bryce Cassagneres, Vancouver.

2 Best of Class, Tatum McDowell, Vancouver.

Best of Class

Riley Stricker, Vancouver.

Isabela Honsowetz, Vancouver.

Kayla Russon, Vancouver.

Anna Webberly, La Center.

Tyler Bennett, Camas.

Musse Barclay, Brush Prairie.

Rylie Lowery, Brush Prairie.

Olivisa Desrochers, Ridgefield.

Emma Messer, Woodland.

Nikyla Nie, Battle Ground.

Kayla Will, Vancouver.

Best of Class Agriculture, Hannah Spicer, Battle Ground.

Division 2 – Adult Amateur

Best of Division, Stuart Riley, Vancouver.

Judges’ Choice

Margaret Waddell, Battle Ground.

Darrell Hayes, Vancouver.

Superintendent’s Award, Ivan Tshuprin, Vancouver.

Special Awards

Eric Schlosser, Vancouver.

Arianna Frye, Vancouver.

Thomas Nolan, Vancouver.

3 Best of Class, Rochelle Baker, Portland.

2 Best of Class

Jeff Haverlack, La Center.

Flynn Spicer, Battle Ground.

Dylan Taylor, Vancouver.

Tim Pearl, Woodland.

Peter Finn, La Center.

Best of Class

Holly Monahan, Ridgefield.

Pam Schwartz, Vancouver.

Sheri Whitman, Molalla, Ore.

Joe Schwartz Jr., Vancouver.

Stuart Riley, Woodland.

Carol Brown, Vancouver.

Kevin Frazier, Vancouver.

Andrew Gerske, Vancouver.

Best of Class Agriculture, Joe Schwartz Sr., Vancouver.

Best of Class Historical, Rochelle Baker, Portland.

Division 3 – Professional

Sweepstakes Award, Marcus Heinrich, Vancouver.

Superintendent’s Choice, Renae Smith, Brush Prairie.

Judges’ Choice, Jimmy Fulleylove, Camas.

Special Awards

Jen Wolfe, Vancouver.

Marcus Heinrich, Vancouver.

Joy Wagner, Ridgefield.

2 Best of Class, Tim Padget, Battle Ground.

Best of Class

Kevan Bowker, Vancouver.

Jimmy Fulleylove, Camas.

Renae Smith, Brush Prairie.

Dimitriy Mazurenko, Vancouver.

Jen Wolfe, Vancouver.

Marcus Heinrich, Vancouver.

Jen Wolfe, Vancouver.

Carl LaCasse, Ridgefield.

Katherine Fennelly, Vancouver.

Marcus Heinrich, Vancouver.

Renae Smith, Brush Prairie.

Joy Wagner, Ridgefield.

Dave Dahlberg, Ridgefield.

Kim Blautuss, Woodland.

Grant Hatton, Vancouver.

Best of Class Historical, Ruth Brown, Ridgefield.

4-H Horse – Reining

Junior

Champion, Aubrie Wheeler, Vancouver.

Reserve Champion, Alisa Shaw, Woodland.

Senior

Champion, Daphne Tuttle, Vancouver.

Reserve Champion, Madeleine Sheppard, Camas.

Junior – Level I, Champion, Olivia Alvord, Vancouver.

Intermediate – Level I

Champion, Tahlinna Kerr, Brush Prairie.

Reserve Champion, Madelyn Molyneux, La Center.

Senior – Level I, Champion, Lydia Wainwright, Ridgefield.

Junior – Level II

Champion, Mackenzie Domingos, Brush Prairie.

Reserve Champion, Ethan Wilcox, Battle Ground.

Intermediate – Level II

Champion, Hailey Saeman, Brush Prairie.

Reserve Champion, Kaleigh Finklein, Brush Prairie.

Senior – Level II

Champion, Mikayla Alley, Camas.

Reserve Champion, Hailey Whidden, Vancouver.

4-H Livestock Judging

Junior

First, Champion, Sydney Boyse.

Second, Reserve Champion, Jonah Cady.

Third, Addyson Currier.

Fourth, Sharon Clark.

Fifth, Lauren Guinn.

Sixth, Jack Glackler.

Seventh, Aiyana Hann.

Eighth, Faith Roberts.

Ninth, Payton Bybee.

Tenth, John Souders.

Intermediates

First, Champion, Best Oral Reasons, Meredith Meats.

Second, Reserve Champion, Raegan Boyse.

Third, Mason Klein.

Fourth, Lane Roberts.

Fifth, Logan Gwinn.

Sixth, Wyatt Ballard.

Seventh, Reagenne Perin.

Eighth, Lanelle Clark.

Ninth, Hope Roberts.

Tenth, Evelyn Mitchell.

First Alternate, Emerson Forrester.

Second Alternate, Willow Babcock.

Third Alternate, Madeline Coder.

Fourth Alternate, Trinity Caldwell.

Seniors

First, Champion, Randi Richards.

Second, Reserve Champion, Megan Klein.

Third, Hunter Ball.

Fourth, Nicole Hayes.

Fifth, Clay Roberts.

Sixth, Best Oral Reasons, Jared Wallingford.

Seventh, Sarah Baldwin.

Eighth, Hunter Babcock.

Ninth, Jed Mitchell.

Tenth, Elsa Helmes.

First Alternate, Riley Shirley.

Second Alternate, Sierra House.

Cheesecake Contest

Youth

First, Clara Smith, Battle Ground.

Second, Breslyn Royle, Ridgefield.

Third, Sara Bradshaw, Ridgefield.

Adult

First, Suzette Pump, Vancouver.

Second, Dianna Roberts, Vancouver.

Third, Jani Pernicorie, Vancouver.

Open Class Baking

Bread, Best of Class, Marilyn Duensing.

Quick Bread, Carolyn Hayden.

Bars, Nina Rouch.

Cookies, Debi O’Dell.

Cakes, Pie, Esther Tully.

Candy, Hannah Graham.

Cupcakes, Nicole Breigenzer.

Yeast Bread, Colleen Horrocks.

Superintendent’s Awards, Cathy McGuire and Marilyn Duensing.

Judges’ Awards, Debi Odell and Esther Tully.

Red Star Yeast Award, Best Use of Yeast, Hannah Tully.

King Arthur Awards

Adult

First, Dewena Carlson.

Second, Holly Crouse.

Third, T. Anderberry.

Youth

First, Amanda Crouse.

Second, Lucy Crouse.

Cocoa Classic

Adult, First, Dewena Carlson.

Youth, First, Elsie Kakka.

Open Class Food Preservation

Clark County Food Preservations Awards

Superintendent’s Awards, Dewena Carlson and Kieran Harwood.

Best of Class – Youth

Julie Stanton.

Thayne Carlson.

Kieran Harwood.

Liliana P.

Best of Class – Adult

Dewena Carlson.

Judie Stanton.

Markey Dueising.

WASHOUGAL — While this summer hasn’t been filled with contract negotiations and labor strikes for school districts around Clark County, district officials are still working to navigate the post-McCleary world, the court decision that has altered how school funding works.

Washougal’s school board received a preliminary presentation for the district’s 2019-2020 school year at its meeting Tuesday evening. The presentation included three promises for the upcoming school year: maintain programs, maintain staff and tap the district’s reserves to “‘weather’ the post-McCleary storm.”

“We’re still facing trouble from McCleary,” Superintendent Mary Templeton said at the meeting. “We have a four-year plan we’re working through.”

The school board will continue to discuss the budget before adopting it prior to the upcoming school year. The district’s estimated budget for the 2019-2020 school year is $45.8 million.

The 2019-2020 school year is the first year in the district’s four-year plan, which will see the district’s spending deficit drop from an estimated $835,807 for the upcoming school year to an estimated $53,036 in the 2022-2023 school year. The district’s plan is to look for efficiencies to save money and to increase the local levy while weening itself off general fund spending. The estimated deficit for 2020-2021 is $424,974 and $61,592 for 2021-2022, according to the presentation made by Kris Grindy, the district’s business services director.

One change resulting from McCleary that provided some financial difficulty for Washougal was capping the local levy amount at $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value. Prior to 2019, the local levy brought in $2.74 per $1,000 of assessed property value in 2017 and $2.78 per $1,000 in 2018. Combining the local levy with the district’s bond levy, technology levy and state levy, Washougal residents were paying the district a total of $7.13 per $1,000 in 2017, $8.06 per $1,000 in 2018 and $6.56 per $1,000 in 2019.

Earlier this year, the state Legislature raised the cap on levies to $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value. Washougal officials plan to increase the 2020 levy to $1.98 per $1,000 with the new cap, which would bring in a total of $7.02 per $1,000 of assessed value. The district doesn’t have to go to voters to raise the levy because the most recent voter-approved levy is greater than $1.98.

Templeton said the district will have to go to voters in February to approve a renewal levy to start in 2021. The district plans to ask for about $2 per $1,000 of assessed property value.

“We don’t need $2.50 because we have this efficiency plan,” she said.

Some of those efficiencies included getting rid of an administrative position, eliminating a central office position and reductions in leadership stipends, overtime and building budgets. Templeton said that reductions and cuts affected every department in the district, and “with unintended challenges come unintended benefits.” She said those benefits were people around the district working together to make sacrifices while trying to avoid a scenario where Washougal would have to cut services for students.

Other plans for moving forward include seeking more funding opportunities and reducing a reliance on contracted services.

District officials also know that Legislative changes can affect their budget. Two services the district is mandated to supply that aren’t fully funded are special education and school employee health care plans, which have undergone some major changes recently. The district anticipates paying about $900,000 for each of those in the coming year.

School board chairman Cory Chase said he’s not a fan of how McCleary played out, but there’s not much to do about it now.

“We’re left to work within the framework they set at the state level,” he said. “It greatly impacts us here at the local level.”

Board members Angela Hancock and Donna Sinclair praised previous board members for operating with large reserve funds so if the district ever faced a financial situation like the current one, they could use reserve funds to keep programs steady while searching for more long-lasting solutions. Templeton said the district tries to operate with a reserve fund of about 10 percent of the budget. The lowest the reserve fund drops in this four-year plan is an estimated 9.4 percent in the last year.

Templeton said anything between 9 and 11 percent allows the district to maintain services without wiping out its reserve cash.

“We cannot sacrifice student achievement in these challenging times,” she said. “Our student achievement increased last year, and I’m confident we’ll do so again this year.”

Clark County Treasurer Alishia Topper, who began her four-year term in January, will host a public reception for state Treasurer Duane Davidson.

The event will be from 2 to 3 p.m. Wednesday in the second-floor lobby of the Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St. Light refreshments will be served.

The reception will highlight the work of the county’s joint services lobby, which provides services from the county’s Assessor, Auditor and Treasurer offices. The joint lobby serves nearly 36,000 in-person customers and another 38,000 telephone customers each year.

Assessor Peter Van Nortwick and Auditor Greg Kimsey are scheduled to attend Wednesday’s reception.

“It’s an honor that state Treasurer Davidson is making a stop at our Clark County offices,” Topper said in a news release. “His office has provided valuable service to me as I settled into the treasurer position over the past several months, so I want to ensure he receives a warm welcome.”

Vancouver fell one degree short of 90 degrees on Tuesday and as I write this Wednesday afternoon it was in the mid- to upper 80s. We enjoy another day around 80 degrees today and if you like it slightly cooler, we go for the 75- to 80-degree range Friday through the weekend.

Marine air will filter in each day with varying amounts of morning clouds that influence the afternoon high temperature. The chance of rain this weekend has evaporated so more pleasant weather on tap. Early next week we see high pressure building and highs back in the mid- to upper 80s. Summertime continues.

The weather system that we thought could bring a few showers this weekend is dropping down into Eastern Washington and on to Idaho and Montana. I see little chance of thunderstorms the next few days across the state, which is good news. It is possible for some on the Idaho border.

We have had two 90-degree days this month and six so far this summer. In August 2018 we had 10 90-degree days. Even with two weeks to go I highly doubt we can catch up to that. Outside of a few ups and downs, temperatures the rest of the month look seasonal. How normal can you get?

How is the fall and winter shaping up? Right now, we are expecting neither a El Nino nor La Nina winter so it will be an “ENSO Neutral” year. Going back through years of weather records, I see we have had some good low-elevation snowfall in neutral years. For more explanation of El Nino, La Nina and Neutral, go to https://www.weather.gov/mhx/ensowhat.

Aug. 4, 2018 — Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Portland

The summer of protest is coming to an end.

Three friends are standing at a distance, the way one does with paintings in a museum, making observations. “They’re both shouting at each other,” says Aiden Langsing.

They’re here instead of at brunch — at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, like Harcourt Road in Hong Kong or Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City, a site of protest and bloodletting — wanting to see it.

“We came to see a fight, but nothing has happened,” Langsing says, standing on the perimeter of a rally. They contemplate getting Thai food. “I wish we had more exciting stuff to say,” he tells me.

Portland rallies are at their most dangerous when both sides get bored. By late afternoon, several people will end up in the hospital, dozens will have to wash pepper spray out of their eyes and police officers will discover four Patriot Prayer members in a parking garage nearby, three unloaded rifles between them, overlooking part of the protest route.

They’re “a quick extraction team,” they tell police, on hand in case someone on their side gets hurt. The police note that they have all the right permits, and the rifles are in cases, and so they let them be.

Thousands of people protest in the streets below, unaware of who’s watching above.

Watching from the sidelines

“I can feel him pulling me towards him,” Chelsea Thorkildson says, looking at Langsing, her boyfriend. “He’s more worried about me here.” She’s wearing a sweater over a sundress, holding a reusable water bottle.

“There’s a lot of sexually deprived men, especially on this side,” she says, arching her eyebrows toward a cluster of Patriot Prayer supporters. “One of them had all this armor and walked by, staring at me,” she says, laughing. She re-enacts the encounter for the group, widening her eyes and falling over herself. They all laugh.

These rallies straddle the line between the absurd and serious.

Hundreds of Patriot Prayer attendees, mostly men, are mingling around the waterfront. Some are wearing the Proud Boy Fred Perry polos. Others are dressed in protest regalia: homemade shields, gas masks and American flags sometimes used as batons. GoPros and iPhones stream to thousands who attend online, vicariously. A significant number have shown up to downtown Portland looking like special forces soldiers in the desert, with helmets and bulletproof vests in the color tones of the last war.

Spectator sport

At the edge of the crowd, looking on, is a 17-year-old girl wearing a Make America Great Again hat.

“It’s exciting to watch,” says Skylar Mcloud. “They’re mad; they’re passionate.”

She’s short, standing on her tiptoes at times to see what antifa is doing. They’re across the street, chanting in unison, things such as “No Trump, No KKK, No Fascist USA.” The counter-protesters number in the thousands; most of them came to this protest dressed no differently than if they were running an errand at Whole Foods.

There’s a subgroup within the larger group, inkblots in a larger picture, dressed in black and covering their faces, making it difficult to distinguish one from another. They’re a Rorschach, and the group moving in phalanx toward the front now, wearing helmets and carrying oil drums as shields, moving into the cover of an upcoming edition of National Review. The subgroup will soon become all that some people will see on that side of the street.

“I came here alone,” Mcloud says. Her parents don’t like it, she tells me. She goes to high school “outside of Portland, but not far,” she says.

Many of the attendees are from outside Portland. Patriot Prayer is based in Vancouver. Anti-fascist group Rose City Antifa is its foil.

Matt Hayes, a 54-year-old Tigard, Ore., resident, is standing beneath a tree at the edge of the park, smoking a cigarette. “I was at home and my girlfriend told me to get out of the house,” Hayes says, whiskey on his breath. “So I came down to see if there was a melee.”

He’s wearing a plaid shirt and a baseball cap. He’s taking laps around the rally and popping into Kells Irish Pub on Second Avenue, watching some of the ballgame with a Makers Mark neat, and coming back for the action.

“I’ve only got four hours of parking,” Hayes says, contemplating the drive back to Tigard if nothing happens. It’s a hot summer day. He’s not the only person who’s antsy.

“I’m going to take a shot,” he says. He puts out his cigarette and walks back to Kells.

They’ve all come to see it.

Steve Drury watches it on the news and social media. He lives in Vancouver. He’s a 55-year-old man out of work. He doesn’t have many friends. He describes himself as antisocial. “I hate everybody,” he likes to say.

He said he’s never met anyone from Patriot Prayer, but he’s intrigued by what he sees.

“We’ve got people brawling in the streets,” Drury says, “and I really kind of want to know what’s going on.”

In a couple months, Drury will come out from behind the keyboard and show up to a Patriot Prayer event, a pro-gun rally at Clark College, and will have a hard time walking away from it.

“My Facebook friends went from 500 to 5,000,” Drury says.

March 14, 2019 — A bar in Vancouver

It’s nearing midnight and Patriot Prayer founder Joey Gibson is sipping Patron on ice and exploring the idea of the cage match. Drury — now one of his two informal lieutenants, along with Russell Shultz — is sitting one table over, listening to him speak.

“Patriot Prayer vs. antifa,” Gibson says. “We could sell tickets.”

Something changes in Gibson’s face, as if he is realizing how that sounds. “Each side picks its own charity,” he adds.

Shultz is at Gibson’s elbow, drinking a beer. Drury is sitting farthest away, an iced tea in front of him — he doesn’t drink alcohol. Gibson is contemplating the cage match, the spectacle of its conflict, seeing another way to sell access to it.

“You set it up,” Gibson says to me.

I explain that journalism ethics prohibit me from that kind of thing, but I mention that the mayor of Portland hinted at something similar.

“(Ted) Wheeler didn’t say that,” Gibson says.

I pull up a Willamette Week article on my phone and he reads Wheeler’s exact words at a press conference, three days earlier:

“If you want to come here and fight somebody, and you’ve got somebody in mind, and they agree, can you do us all a favor? Rent a boxing ring. They’re available. The streets of our community are not a boxing ring.”

Gibson returns my phone and leans back, taking a sip of his tequila. He’s reveling in it. Shultz and Drury are looking on, Gibson is staring straight ahead, the relevance and alcohol intoxicating him.

Ever wondered about the old buildings on the Providence Academy grounds? How about the signs that seem to be everywhere in rights of way? Or what happens to the money left over in candidate coffers after an election?

You have a chance to find out.

The questions for this month’s voting round come from three readers who reached out through our Clark Asks page to take part in our community-led reporting project.

Voting continues until Aug. 21 at www.columbian.com/clark-asks/. We will announce the winner once the voting is done.

The questions are:

• What’s with the creepy, abandoned building in the Providence Academy parking lot?

• On rights of way throughout the city, there are signs advertising things like roofing, gutter cleaning, painting, etc. Aren’t these against code?

• What happens to campaign money after the elections? Who monitors these funds and how often? Is that information available to the public?

If your favorite doesn’t get the most votes, don’t worry. We often pursue second- and third-place stories, as well.

Readers can also submit questions about things they are curious about in Clark County at the link above.

And while you’re visiting the Clark Asks page, check out the “What’s that Weird Thing in Clark County?” map. We’ve mapped some of the stories generated by reader questions and included follow-up stories.

After bargaining through the wee hours of the morning, Vancouver Public Schools on Thursday announced a settlement agreement with the Service Employees’ International Union, Local 925, on a three-year contract.

SEIU represents 506 bus drivers, maintenance crew, custodial workers, groundskeepers and cafeteria workers in the Vancouver school district.

Bargaining has been ongoing since April. The two sides negotiated through Wednesday night, finally settling at 6 a.m. Thursday.

“These professionals are critical to the operation of our schools,” district Superintendent Steve Webb said in a news release. “They drive our buses; cook and serve student meals; maintain our grounds, schools and equipment; and keep our students and staff members safe. They are integral members of our district and valued employees.”

The announcement comes two days after purple-clad SEIU members packed the school board meeting to urge the board to come to a contract settlement. Details of the settlement, including the cost, were not available Thursday and will be released after a ratification vote. But union leaders said the last sticking point — and the most important — was ensuring the district wouldn’t eliminate employees by contracting with third-party companies to provide services. Neighboring Evergreen Public Schools, for example, contracts with Chartwells Dining Services and ABM Janitorial Services to provide dining and janitorial services, respectively.

Judy Amituanai, a kitchen manager for Vancouver Public Schools and union vice president, said that’s critical for employees, like herself, who have worked for the district for many years and are nearing retirement.

“I’ve got eight years to work,” Amituanai said. “I don’t want to be looking for a job when I’m 60.”

Vancouver Public Schools, like other districts in the region, has faced several tough bargaining sessions with its various union-represented groups in the last year. Most notable were last year’s negotiations between the teachers and other certificated staff with the district, which resulted in a teacher strike. In January, the school district ratified a contract with its paraeducators, clerks, secretaries, technical support and other classified staff after months of bargaining.

Though Vancouver Public Schools offered no details of the cost of the contract on Thursday, the district has noted that increasing labor costs, along with declining enrollment and other factors, are straining the district budget. District budget staff say changes to the state school funding model have left it without enough revenue to keep up with the increasing costs to deliver public education, particularly in special education. The district is eyeing running a levy in February 2020 to drive additional local revenue.

For now, Amituanai is just glad that the months of bargaining have come to a close.

“Overall, this is the best negotiation we’ve ever had,” she said. “We’re happy. We’re happy overall with what we got, and I think our members will see that.”

PORTLAND — Joey Gibson has been charged with rioting in connection to a May Day incident at Northeast Portland’s Cider Riot cidery, according to his attorney.

Gibson, the leader of the conservative group Patriot Prayer, is preparing to turn himself into authorities Thursday, a law enforcement source confirmed to The Oregonian/OregonLive.

“I think it’s a shame,” Gibson said on Lars Larson’s radio talk show Thursday. “This is a complete attack on the First Amendment. I literally stood on a sidewalk and got attacked.”

Gibson told KOIN that he believes the charge is politically motivated and an attempt to keep him from planned rallies this weekend in Portland.

According to The Oregonian, the charge against Gibson comes months after a lawsuit was filed by Cider Riot’s owner, who says Gibson and several other right-wing protesters arrived at his business May 1 and fought with customers, causing mayhem and physical injury to at least one person.

Five men face criminal charges in the incident at the Northeast Portland bar, according to Willamette Week. Video shows people using chemical spray and several people fighting.

Gibson’s lawyer, James Buchal, who also chairs the Multnomah County Republican Party, said in a statement that none of the multiple videos from the Cider Riot altercation shows Gibson being violent. He said Gibson faces a charge of felony riot.

“These charges represent a total failure of the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office to distinguish between violent conduct and the exercise of First Amendment rights.  Worse still, by arresting only one side of the alleged ‘riot,’ the District Attorney of Multnomah County is by all appearances acting as a special prosecutor for antifa,” Buchal said in the statement.   

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office declined to confirm the existence of a warrant for Gibson’s arrest to Willamette Week.

Also Thursday, the Portland Police Bureau announced the arrest of two men related to the Cider Riot incident. Russell E. Schultz, 50, of Washougal was taken into custody by the United States Marshals Service on a warrant on a charge of rioting. Matthew D. Cooper, 24, was also taken into custody on a warrant for the same charge.

“We’re encouraged that Patriot Prayer leader Joey Gibson is finally being held accountable for his actions,” Amy Herzfeld-Copple, deputy director of Western States Center said in a statement released Thursday. “In recent years, he has intentionally and repeatedly sown violence and chaos in Portland’s streets.”

Clark County Public Health has upgraded its advisory on Vancouver Lake from a caution to a warning, after results discovered elevated cyanotoxin levels in the water.

The testing was conducted on Monday. Caution signs are being replaced with warning signs. Vancouver Lake Regional Park remains open. Water in park restrooms and shelters is not affected by lake water and remains safe to drink, according to a Public Health news release.

Public Health advises people to avoid direct contact with all water at the lake, according to the news release. Cyanotoxins can be harmful to people, especially young children, and deadly for small pets that drink the water.

Public Health has been monitoring blooms of cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, at the lake since June 12, and the lake has been closed twice — once for cyanotoxins and once for E. coli bacteria.

Public Health will continue to monitor Vancouver Lake throughout the summer. Signs will be updated as conditions change.

Additional information about blue-green algae and current advisories are posted on the Public Health public beach website. To report algae blooms in other bodies of water, visit the Public Health website.

Aug. 10

Daily Agricultural and Educational Display Awards

Farm Bureau, Agriculture and Education Winner.

Bee Barn, Educational Display Award.

4-H Dairy, Agricultural – Special Award.

4-H Horse – Junior Performance

Novice Fitting and Showing

Champion, Addison Miller, Battle Ground.

Reserve Champion, Grace Styx, Ridgefield.

Novice Hunt Seat

Champion, Addison Miller, Battle Ground.

Reserve Champion, Evie Schubach, Vancouver.

Novice Stock Seat

Champion, Addison Miller, Battle Ground.

Reserve Champion, Susannah Nedich, Battle Ground.

Novice Trail

Champion, Grace Styx, Ridgefield.

Reserve Champion, Michelle Robbibaro, Vancouver.

Fitting and Showing

Champion, Julianna Lynch, Vancouver.

Reserve Champion, Megan Truman, Yacolt.

Bareback

Champion, Megan Truman, Yacolt.

Reserve Champion, Aubrie Wheeler, Vancouver.

Hunt Seat

Champion, Aubrie Wheeler, Vancouver.

Reserve Champion, Julianna Lynch, Vancouver.

Saddle Seat

Champion, Aubrie Wheeler, Vancouver.

Stock Seat

Champion, Aubrie Wheeler, Vancouver.

Reserve Champion, Julianna Lynch, Vancouver.

Trail

Champion, Aubrie Wheeler, Vancouver.

Reserve Champion, Olivia Alvord, Vancouver.

Hunter Hack

Champion, Mackenzie Domingos, Brush Prairie.

Reserve Champion, Aubrie Wheeler, Vancouver.

Disciplined Rail – Hunt Seat

Champion, Julianna Lynch, Vancouver.

Reserve Champion, Olivia Alvord, Vancouver.

Disciplined Rail – Stock Seat

Champion, Julianna Lynch, Vancouver.

Reserve Champion, Taryn Egan, Vancouver.

4-H Kitchen

Pies, Blue, Nicole Hayes, Vancouver.

Lunch on the Go, Blue, Rielei Polka, Camas.

Participation, Hastin Polka, Camas.

Quick to Fix, Red, Rykker Polka, Camas.

Blue, Marah Klemz, Battle Ground.

4-H Dogs

Senior Showmanship

Grand Champion, Megan Dollar, Vancouver.

Reserve Grand Champion, Taylor Rhodig, Washougal.

Special Awards

Sierra Story, Vancouver.

Jordan Wilkinson, La Center.

Madison Goetz, Battle Ground.

McKenna Hobson, Vancouver.

Blue

Taylor Carey, Battle Ground.

Julia Griffin, Vancouver.

Ilianna Aguirre, Vancouver.

Alissa Avery, Ridgefield.

Kenzie Barleen, Vancouver.

Sadie Brackeen, Ridgefield.

Mason Clark.

Madison Davidson, Vancouver.

Emily Dodge, Battle Ground.

Ayden Gardener, Battle Ground.

Sarah Jenson, Ridgefield.

Daniella Magnusson, Vancouver.

Morgan Schram, Vancouver.

Gracie Shoemaker, Woodland.

Intermediate Showmanship

Grand Champion, Maddison Barnhart, Camas.

Reserve Grand Champion, Sarah Child, La Center.

Special Awards

Ella Gardner, Woodland.

Tailyr Gromelski, Vancouver.

Logan Guinn, Brush Prairie.

McKenzi Sieng, Vancouver.

Blue

Jacinta Hendels, Vancouver.

Alyse Webberley, La Center.

Olivia Allison, Camas.

Max Anderson, Vancouver.

Brooklyn Baxter, Battle Ground.

Helen Browne, Battle Ground.

Breanna Bullion, La Center.

Anna Denfeld, Battle Ground.

Emily Denfeld, Battle Ground.

Jacob Dodge, Battle Ground.

Sierra Gramm, La Center.

Emma Hagedorn, Amboy.

Kevin Kullberg, Camas.

Maddie McCarty, Battle Ground.

Magdelana Morrow, Vancouver.

Gavin Shoemaker, Woodland.

Joshua Sieng, Vancouver.

Trenton Stevens, Ridgefield.

Evelyn Vossler, Brush Prairie.

Lily Weatherly, Camas.

Obedience

Intermediate Novice, Grand Champion, Tailyr Gromelski, Vancouver.

Intermediate Pre-Novice

Grand Champion, Alyse Webberley, La Center.

Reserve Grand Champion, Sierra Gramm, La Center.

Sub-Novice

Grand Champion, Evelyn Vossler, Brush Prairie.

Reserve Grand Champion, Magdelana Morrow, Vancouver.

Intermediate Beginner Novice, Grand Champion, Jacinta Henkels, Vancouver.

Intermediate Brace Showmanship

Grand Champion, Sarah Child, La Center.

Reserve Grand Champion, Trenton Stevens, Ridgefield.

Junior Pre-Novice, Grand Champion, CJ Lindell, Battle Ground.

Junior Sub-Novice, Grand Champion, Ava Linton, Vancouver.

Junior Beginner Novice, Grand Champion, Addison Thompson, Vancouver.

Senior Rally Excellent, Grand Champion, Megan Dollar, Vancouver.

Advanced Grand Champion, Sierra Story, Vancouver.

Intermediate Grand Champion, Gracie Shoemaker, Woodland.

Novice B

Grand Champion, Julia Griffin, Vancouver.

Reserve Grand Champion, Sadie Brackeen, Ridgefield.

Blue, Daniella Magnusson, Vancouver.

Novice A

Grand Champion, McKenna Hobson, Vancouver.

Reserve Grand Champion, Emily Dodge, Battle Ground.

Blue

Taylor Carey, Battle Ground.

Madison Davidson, Vancouver.

Kenzie Barleen, Vancouver.

Intermediate Rally – Novice A

Grand Champion, Ella Gardner, Battle Ground.

Reserve Grand Champion, Anna Denfeld, Battle Ground.

Blue

Sarah Child, La Center.

Sierra Gramm, La Center.

Alyse Webberley, La Center.

4-H Table Settings

Junior – Blue

Addie Cummins.

Aliza Cummins.

Blakely Gardner.

Jalise Chatman.

Blue, Special Award, Karoline Loose.

Intermediate Blue, Janessa Chatman.

Red, Payton Null.

Senior Blue, Judges’s Award, Jordan Mann.

Blue, Judges’ Award, Makayla Loose.

Primary Awards, Willow and Cecilia Robinson.

4-H Performing Arts

Senior

Grand Champion, Champion, Makayla Loose.

Reserve Champion, Blue, Bridgette McCarthy.

Blue, Bethany Tuchardt.

Intermediate

Champion, Reserve Grand Champion, Catherine Hartrim-Lowe.

Reserve Champion, Blue, Gabrielle Sanseri.

Red

Cora McGill.

Janessa Chatman.

Junior Champion, Blue, Karoline Loose.

Red

Harrison Hartrim-Lowe.

Jalise Chatman.

Evelyn Grabenkort.

4-H Baking

Judges’ Awards

Emily Graham, La Center.

Lucy Crouse, Vancouver.

Evelyn Mitchell, Brush Prairie.

Aaron Pierson, Camas.

Superintendent’s Award

Clara Smith, Battle Ground.

Evan Fish, Camas.

Special Awards

Jalise Chatman, Ridgefield.

Aaron Pierson, Camas.

Grady Gardner, Ridgefield.

Karoline Loose, Battle Ground.

Jalise Chatman, Ridgefield.

Janessa Chatman, Ridgefield.

Rielei Polka, Camas.

Catherine Hartrim-Lowe, Vancouver.

Hannah Graham, La Center.

Blue

Kate Bias, Vancouver.

Lily Chamberlain, Camas.

Sara Chamberlain, Camas.

Jalise Chatman, Ridgefield.

Janessa Chatman, Ridgefield.

Lucy Crouse, Vancouver.

Addie Cummins, Vancouver.

Aliza Cummins, Vancouver.

Evan Fish, Camas.

Alyssa Franklin, Vancouver.

Blakely Gardner, Ridgefield.

Ellie Gardner, Ridgefield.

Grady Gardner, Ridgefield.

Emily Graham, La Center.

Hannah Graham, La Center.

Catherine Hartrim-Lowe, Vancouver.

Dayna Hines, La Center.

Collin Horrocks, La Center.

Hadley Horrocks, La Center.

Karoline Loose, Battle Ground.

Makayla Loose, Battle Ground.

Evelyn Mitchel, Brush Prairie.

Faith Peterson, Battle Ground.

Aaron Pierson, Camas.

Abigail Pierson, Camas.

Rielei Polka, Camas.

Trent Roth, Brush Prairie.

Clara Smith, Battle Ground.

Senior

Champion, Evan Fish, Camas.

Reserve Champion, Makayla Loose, Battle Ground.

Intermediate

Champion, Catherine Hartrim-Lowe, Vancouver.

Reserve Champion, Collin Horrocks, La Center.

Junior

Champion, Blakely Gardner, Ridgefield.

Reserve Champion, Karoline Loose, Battle Ground.

4-H Wool

Fleece

Grand Champion, Reagenne Perin, Battle Ground.

Reserve Grand Champion, Scarlett Perin, Battle Ground.

Champion Showman, Clay Roberts, Amboy.

Ewe Fleece

Champion, Reagenne Perin, Battle Ground.

Reserve Champion, Hope Roberts, Amboy.

Lamb Fleece

Champion, Sharon Clark, Camas.

Reserve Champion, Randi Richards, Ridgefield.

Ram Fleece

Champion, Scarlett Perin, Battle Ground.

Reserve Champion, Clay Roberts, Amboy.

Market Fleece

Champion, Scarlett Perin, Battle Ground.

Reserve Champion, Lane Roberts, Amboy.

4-H Brown Bag

Blue, Aaron and Abigail Pierson, Camas.

4H Rabbits

Rabbit Market Show

Champion Fryer, Hannah Gillock.

Reserve Fryer, Maliea Smith.

Champion Meat Pen, Erin Marble.

Rabbit Breed and Variety Show

Best in Show, Makenna Conner.

Reserve in Show, Kate Bias.

Honorable Mentions, Luke Dahl and Makenna Conner.

Rabbit Breed and Variety Show

2 Best of Breed, Makenna Conner.

3 Best of Breed, Kadence Wiemer.

Best of Breed

Makenna Conner.

Cheyenne Coss.

Josh Gillock.

Cheyenne Coss.

Nathan Gillock.

Alessandra Aiello.

Aquoia Coss.

Victoria Labadorf.

Kate Bias.

Tabitha Gillock.

Luke Dahl.

McKenna Kessinger.

Summer Richardson.

4-H Fiber Arts

Llama Fleece, Champion, Abigail Pierson, Camas.

Alpaca Fleece, Champion, Olivia Labadorf, Brush Prairie.

Rabbit Fiber, Champion, Victoria Labadorf, Brush Prairie.

Yarn, Champion, Reserve Champion, Catherine Hartrim-Lowe, Vancouver.

Fiber Craft

Champion, Catherine Hartrim-Lowe, Vancouver.

Reserve Champion, Aiyana Hann, Vancouver.

Special, Madeline Coder, Battle Ground.

Superintendent’s Award, Dario Pfenning, Vancouver.

Prepared Fiber, Judges’ Award, Victoria Labadorf, Brush Prairie.

Winners of the Clark County Fair Passport to Fun Drawing

Grand Prize, Jessa Olin.

Second, James Fleek.

Third, James Butler.

Vancouver workers, business owners, unions and business organization representatives gathered Thursday for a public hearing on a proposed set of changes to Washington’s rules governing salaried, overtime-exempt workers.

The changes have the potential to affect workers across many industries, and that was reflected in the audience of roughly 70 people who attended the hearing at Clark College’s Columbia Tech Center building.

The proposed changes would alter several criteria for whether salaried employees can be considered overtime exempt, meaning an employer does not need to pay them extra if they work more than 40 hours in a given week.

The biggest change would be to raise the minimum required salary for exempt workers from its current rate of $13,000 per year, which was set in 1976, to a new rate of 2.5 times the state’s minimum wage. The minimum wage is set to be adjusted annually based on the consumer price index starting in 2021. (Washington’s minimum wage is currently $12 per hour, so if the proposed rule was currently in place, it would affect exempt workers making $62,400 or less.)

The Department of Labor and Industries released a public draft of its proposed rule changes in June. The Vancouver meeting was the last in a series of six public hearings that the department has held throughout the state.

They’ve all been well-attended, according to L&I spokesman Tim Church, some drawing as many as 150 people. The agency has received nearly 500 additional comments through its website, he said.

Business owners concerned

Reactions to the proposal at the Vancouver hearing were mixed. Of the 16 people who testified, 10 said they wanted to see the draft reworked to ease the impact on businesses.

“This will only make things more difficult for us,” said Lois Cook, who together with her husband runs a small business that sells telephone services.

John McDonagh, president of the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, presented the results of an informal poll of the organization’s member businesses. Most acknowledged the need for an update to the overtime rules, he said, but the respondents said L&I’s proposal would hamper their ability to provide benefits and bonuses, and decrease the amount of schedule flexibility available to employers and employees.

Ryan Mackinster, government affairs director for the Building Industry Association of Clark County, raised concerns about how the changes would impact industries with seasonal swings in productivity, such as homebuilders.

Partrick Farmer, an owner of several Domino’s Pizza franchises, said the increase would hamper employers’ ability to hire entry-level workers and provide them with opportunities for advancement.

The business owners and representatives also argued that the proposed six-year phase-in period for the new salary threshold would be too abrupt and could be compounded by other economic challenges.

“The next recession is on everyone’s mind,” said Nelson Holmberg, executive director of the Southwest Washington Contractors Association.

Many of the people who testified in opposition asked L&I to wait for the federal government to make a change first. The U.S. Department of Labor is currently reviewing a proposal to hike its own salary threshold, although its proposed new threshold of $35,308 per year is lower than L&I’s proposal.

Workers supportive

The other six who testified spoke in favor of the update, arguing that it’s long overdue and merely brings the state’s salary standards back in line with where they were when the current threshold was instituted in 1970.

The $13,000 threshold was equivalent to 2.7 times the state’s minimum wage at the time it was implemented, said Jack Sorensen of the workers advocacy group Civic Ventures. Historically, the ratio has been even higher, he said.

“If anything, (the current proposal) is too little after too long,” he said.

Several members of Local 775 of the Service Employees International Union testified in support of the changes and described experiences working for employers who coerce low-paid salaried employees into working unpaid overtime.

“Employers are taking advantage of low-income workers,” said SEIU member Linda Lee.

Some of the supporters pushed back on the business owners’ arguments in their own testimony, particularly the issue of schedule flexibility and the assertion that an increased salary threshold would require cuts to other benefits.

“Why do we have to choose between getting paid for our time and getting good benefits?” said Shannon Myers, president of the Southwest Washington Central Labor Council.

Sorensen also disputed the notion that the proposed change will require any businesses to raise their employees’ salaries. If businesses don’t want to pay overtime or raise salaries to an exempt level, all they have to do is send employees home once they reach 40 work hours, he said.

“If you’re saying this is going to hit you, you’re betraying the fact that you’re using free labor,” he said.

L&I’s review process

The Vancouver meeting was the final public hearing on L&I’s schedule, but the agency will continue to accept written comments about its draft proposal until Sept. 6. Comments can be emailed to eaprules@lni.wa.gov.

L&I will then spend several months reviewing the comments and deciding whether to adjust the proposed rules. The agency expects to adopt the final rules by the end of the year, Church said, with the phase-in period targeted to begin July 1, 2020.

The rule change is not a legislative process, so the final text of the rule change and the decision to move forward rests solely with L&I.

Two of the three lanes on the northbound span of the Interstate 5 Bridge will be closed for three consecutive nights starting Friday night.

The middle and right lanes on the northbound span will be closed from 11 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday and during those same overnight hours Saturday and Sunday, ending Monday morning.

The sidewalk on the northbound span also will be closed, along with the onramp to I-5 northbound on Hayden Island and the offramp onto Highway 14 eastbound at the bridge’s northern end.

The left lane on the bridge’s northbound span will remain open during the lane closures.

During these three nights, crews will repair and replace overhead signs, replace lights and repair damaged pavement.

The following weekend, all lanes on the bridge’s southbound span will be closed for eight hours, from 10 p.m. Aug. 24 to 6 a.m. Aug. 25, for bridge maintenance. The bridge’s southbound sidewalk also will be closed during that time.

Drivers needing to head south into Oregon should detour onto Highway 14 eastbound and take Interstate 205 southbound into Oregon.

Washington and Oregon jointly own the I-5 Bridge, which the Oregon Department of Transportation operates and maintains. The northbound span opened in 1917, followed by the southbound span in 1958.

A DNA analysis of a sexual assault kit from a 13-year-old rape case in Vancouver’s Fourth Plain Village neighborhood has led to the arrest of a convicted sex offender in connection with the crime.

Pablo Marquez-Garduza, 47, made an in-custody first court appearance Wednesday on suspicion of first-degree rape and first-degree kidnapping. Clark County Superior Court Judge Gregory Gonzales set bail at $300,000, and scheduled an arraignment for Aug. 28, according to court records.

On Oct. 16, 2005, a woman reported to the Vancouver Police Department that she was walking home from a friend’s house when she was grabbed from behind by her hair and pulled into a brushy area near East 33rd Street and Watson Avenue, according to the affidavit.

After the rape, the man ran away while the woman ran to a convenience store at Northeast 44th Street and St. Johns Boulevard, the affidavit said. She used a phone at the store to call a friend, who picked her up before they called 911.

In an interview with police, the woman described the man as dark-skinned; around 30 years old; 5 feet 7 inches tall with a thin build and dark, wavy hair, according to the affidavit.

“She saw his face, but due to the darkness, she was not certain of his age and race or whether she would be able to identify him,” the affidavit reads.

The woman underwent a forensic sexual assault medical examination, according to the affidavit. An officer determined through further examination of the crime scene that, after she was pulled into the brush, the man pushed her down an embankment and out of sight prior to the rape, the affidavit said.

The next development in the case that was noted in the affidavit occurred on March 20, 2018, when the woman’s sexual assault kit was sent to Utah-based Sorenson Forensics for examination. The Vancouver Police Department was not able to immediately comment on the length of time between the rape and when the sample was tested.

In April, the forensics consulting company sent a DNA analysis report to the Washington State Patrol Crime Laboratory. DNA from the kit was connected to an unknown male, the affidavit said.

The crime lab entered the DNA samples into the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System, which matched the evidence to Marquez-Garduza, according to the affidavit.

Marquez-Garduza is a previously convicted felon who had an outstanding 2016 Clark County Superior Court warrant on three counts of first-degree child rape and three counts of first-degree child molestation, according to the affidavit. Further investigation revealed that Marquez-Garduza was living under an assumed name in Novato, Calif., where he was arrested in November 2018 in connection with domestic violence offenses, the affidavit said.

He was extradited to the Clark County Jail. Evidence from a mouth swab conducted at the jail was sent to the WSP crime lab, which confirmed on Aug. 4 that it matched DNA from the original sexual assault kit, according to the affidavit.

On Aug. 13, the woman said she had never met Marquez-Garduza and was shown a booking photo of him from November 2005.

“That man does not look familiar to me at all,” the affidavit reads. “I don’t know him at all.”

Jail booking records indicate that, at the time the photo was taken, Marquez-Garduza closely matched the description provided by the victim soon after the attack, according to the affidavit.

Clark County Fire & Rescue deployed all of its resources while responding to four crashes in just over an hour Thursday morning. One crash came after an assault and car thefts in Skamania County that led to a Clark County Sheriff’s Office pursuit.

“It really depleted our resources for a little bit,” Fire & Rescue Chief John Nohr said.

One collision, at 10:20 a.m., took place at Northeast 219th Street and Northeast 29th Avenue. A van with Auto-Chlor System, a dishwashing equipment company, rolled over after being struck by a Ford Ranger and collided with a power pole, Nohr said.

All three people involved in the crash were taken to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, and the condition of the man driving the van is unknown. Responders to the crash were initially concerned, due to the company labeling, that corrosive fluids might have been leaking from the van but found that not to be the case.

Robert Pullman, 72, reported that he was assaulted at his residence 10 miles west of Stevenson nearly seven hours before the crash, according to a Skamania County Sheriff’s Office news release. After the attack, a man and woman, whom Pullman said he knew, allegedly stole two vehicles belonging to him, the release said. After providing information that led to the arrests, Pullman was taken to a local hospital for treatment, according to the news release.

One of the stolen vehicles was located by law enforcement in a Vancouver parking lot, according to the news release. The crash occurred following a brief pursuit by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

Clara M. Rood, 36, and Jasper L. Phillips, 42, — both from the Vancouver area — were taken to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center for evaluation. They were scheduled to be transferred to the Skamania County Jail on suspicion of first-degree assault, kidnapping, robbery, burglary and theft, according to the release.

Rood is believed to be related to Pullman, while Phillips is her boyfriend, according to the release. The second stolen car was recovered in a nearby neighborhood, the release said.

Other crashes

About an hour before that wreck, Fire & Rescue responded to the intersection of Northeast 72nd Avenue and Northeast 179th Street. A Chevrolet Silverado and Subaru Forester collided in a T-bone accident, Nohr said.

An elderly man, who was conscious and alert but bleeding from the head, was taken to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, Nohr said.

Two minutes after the Northeast 219th Street crash, another one occurred at 12212 N.E. 299th St. A 17-year-old girl driving a white Ford Taurus left the road and landed in a deep ditch, Nohr said. The girl was uninjured and picked up by a family member at the scene.

Finally, at 10:28 a.m., Fire & Rescue responded to Northwest 18th Avenue and Northwest La Center Road. Arriving crews found a motorcyclist being tended to by bystanders, who helped him lean against a guardrail, Nohr said.

The 22-year-old motorcyclist appeared to have hit a curb, causing him to fly off of the bike, Nohr said. The motorcycle came to rest 125 feet from where the man landed.

The man, who had facial injuries as well as leg and hand cuts, was taken to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center.

Fire & Rescue sent six units to the crashes, and Fire District 3 sent one.

“It utilized all of Clark County’s resources,” Nohr said. “It happens from time to time.”

A newly discovered fungus is thought to be causing a shell disease that is harming freshwater turtles, including western pond turtles in the Columbia River Gorge.

“It’s always exciting to identify a new organism,” said Karen Terio, chief of the University of Illinois Zoological Pathology Program. “Once you are able to culture and identify, then you can see what drugs and treatments it might be susceptible to.”

The slow-developing disease causes lesions on a turtle’s shell, softening the protective surface and eventually softening bone and affecting tissue.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife removed 13 turtles with suspected cases of shell disease from an area in Klickitat County and delivered them to the Oregon Zoo in July. All but two of them tested positive for the fungus.

Jason Wettstein, community relations manager at the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, said research on shell disease has been a group effort. It has benefited from financial support provided by The Morris Animal Foundation to the University of Illinois.

Kelly Flaminio, a veterinarian at the Oregon Zoo, said that researchers are testing different antifungals in hopes of finding a way to treat the turtles without removing them from the wild.

“I think probably not messing with them is better for them than having to handle them every day,” Flaminio said.

One approach being explored is placing time-release implants that would allow for a slow release of antifungal agents over time.

“It’s never been done in turtles,” she said.

Currently treating an infected turtle means 2 1/2 hours of surgery followed by 24 hours in a recovery tank before being returned to temporary habitat with the other turtles.

Flaminio said researchers hope the implant can eventually be administered in the field with no need for surgery. Turtles that have too much damage to their shell will still need to be cared for in captivity.

New discovery

Terio said it is common for reptiles to suffer from some form of infection on their skin or scales, but shell disease is a new discovery in turtles.

The university identified the shell disease in 2011, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife started seeing signs of shell disease the next year. Both entities referenced their archives, and through photos and tissue samples confirmed that the discovery is new but the disease is not.

According to a July 15 press release, the Morris Animal Foundation study identified a new fungus linked to freshwater turtle shell disease. The newly discovered fungus belongs to a group of fungi found to cause infection in reptiles. This fungus is distinctly different but causes a similar disease.

“What we do know is that the fungus is very highly associated with the shell lesions,” Terio said.

In order to prove that the fungus is the cause of shell disease, researchers will have to go through a process that will require them to infect healthy turtles. “We are testing cures as well,” Terio said. She said that having a cure before infecting healthy turtles is an important step in the research.

A second weekendlong closure for paving on state Highway 500 starts at 10 tonight.

The Washington State Department of Transportation will close Highway 500 eastbound, from Interstate 5 to Thurston Way. All lanes will be open no later than 5 a.m. Monday, in time for the morning commute.

During the closure, eastbound drivers should use alternate routes, such as Fourth Plain Boulevard to the south or Minnehaha-Northeast 63rd Street to the north.

Construction crews will repave the highway, install new pavement markers and widen the 90-degree turns for onramps from Northeast Falk Road/42nd Avenue and Northeast Stapleton Road/54th Avenue.

Construction is weather-dependent, and rain could cause the work to be postponed.

WSDOT previously closed Highway 500 westbound Aug. 9-12 for paving.

Following this weekend’s closure, drivers should continue to expect delays in both directions of Highway 500, between I-5 and Fourth Plain Boulevard/state Highway 503, due to intermittent overnight single- and double-lane closures.

The $6 million project is expected to continue until early fall.

Highway 500 is used by nearly 60,000 vehicles a day. The state route was last paved in 2002. Heavy use and freeze/thaw cycles have contributed to pavement deterioration.

The Columbia River Triathlon & Endurance Sports Festival will take place this weekend, beginning Friday night, Aug. 16.

Almost 1,500 athletes from the U.S. and Canada will compete and attempt to qualify for national competitions. The events take place at Frenchman’s Bar Regional Park, 9612 N.W. Lower River Road, Vancouver. There is a free kids triathlon that begins at 5 p.m. today for kids as young as 2 years old. There is also a free 5K/10K run-walk that begins at 7 tonight for those 17 and younger.

At 8 a.m. Saturday, there is a sprint and Olympic triathlon, duathlon and aquabike. And at 9 a.m. Sunday, there is a girlfriend’s triathlon, duathlon, aquabike and 5K.

The event raises funds for various local nonprofits, schools, clubs and teams.

Visit whyracingevents.com/columbia-river-triathlon for more information on costs and registration.

Oregon has provided $9 million toward operating an office to replace the Interstate 5 Bridge.

The Oregon Transportation Commission, meeting Friday in Ashland, Ore., increased a proposed $5 million contribution to underscore the project’s importance and to come closer to the Washington Legislature’s $35 million contribution earlier this year.

“I just want to make sure we are sending a message of interest and moving forward on this,” said Bob Van Brocklin, vice chairman of the five-member commission. “And not just a message to our partner state, but a message to our citizenry that we recognize this a major piece, a major element, of congestion relief.”

The 2019 Washington Legislature allocated $17.5 million for a project office and $17.5 million for planning and pre-design of a new bridge.

Friday’s decision is another indication that both states are ramping up their efforts to replace the aging bridge, which consists of two spans that opened in 1917 and 1958.

The project is being resurrected after the Washington Senate in 2013 walked away from funding the Columbia River Crossing project. That nondecision effectively killed the multiyear effort to replace the bridge, upgrade freeway interchanges and extend light-rail transit into Vancouver.

The $9 million will come from additional federal dollars coming to Oregon as part of budget deals Congress and the White House reached in the 2018 and 2019 fiscal years.

Travis Brouwer, assistant director of the Oregon Department of Transportation, told the transportation commission that the state expects to receive an additional $25 million to $30 million but won’t know the precise amount until late August.

“Those funds need to be immediately obligated,” he said. “We get a week or two to find a home for them.”

By approving the $9 million, the commission is following direction from Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, as outlined in a March 20 letter to Chairwoman Tammy Barney.

“The bridge is a seismic risk, a freight bottleneck, a barrier to effective public transportation and a source of some of the worst gridlock in the nation,” Brown wrote. “Its current condition poses a threat to Oregon’s economic vitality and is negatively impacting the livability of our state.”

Friday’s decision also will put Washington and Oregon in better position to receive a second extension on repaying about $140 million in federal funds spent on the Columbia River Crossing.

The two states faced an initial Sept. 30, 2014, deadline to get the project underway. The federal government already agreed to a five-year extension, which means the two states would be obligated to repay that money if efforts to replace the bridge were not renewed by Sept. 30.

Roger Millar, Washington transportation secretary, and Paul Mather, Oregon Department of Transportation deputy director, sent a letter to the Federal Highway Administration Friday pointing out recent progress toward reviving the project.

“With these commitments, leadership in both states have acknowledged and directed resources toward replacing the Interstate Bridge since it is a critical project for the citizens of both Oregon and Washington,” the two transportation officials wrote in their letter

The letter requests a second 10-year extension, until Sept. 30, 2029, to start construction on the megaproject.