Seattle Public Schools excluded hundreds of students who couldn’t demonstrate complete vaccination records last week. Here in Clark County, the largest school districts are, for the most part, taking a softer approach to new state rules on vaccines.

School districts in Washington are supposed to exclude students who cannot demonstrate up-to-date vaccinations, immunity to certain diseases or an allowed exemption to vaccinations. The scope of allowed exemptions narrowed last year, when the Legislature passed a bill removing personal and philosophical exemptions to the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine.

The decision followed a 2019 measles outbreak epicentered in Clark County, where 71 people became sick with the highly contagious, but preventable, virus.

Seattle Public Schools responded with a hard-line approach on Jan. 8, initially keeping 565 students out of classes because they were missing the required paperwork, The Seattle Times reported. Evergreen Public Schools officials, meanwhile, say they’re accepting documents on a rolling basis, and are communicating with families about the changes.

“We are currently informing and working with the families to ensure they know what the requirements are, as well as provide the (referrals, resources and sufficient time) to get students vaccinated and/or records in to the district,” Evergreen spokeswoman Gail Spolar said by email.

In December, the district’s most recent count, about 16 percent of the district’s estimated 25,000 students were missing the required records. Evergreen will start excluding students outright beginning in the 2020-2021 school year.

In neighboring Vancouver Public Schools, spokeswoman Pat Nuzzo was unable to give a full count of the number of students who have been excluded from school.

“We don’t have hard numbers of exclusions because the nurses at the schools work with the families directly,” Nuzzo said by email. “A student could be excluded and back the next day after getting a needed vaccine or the paperwork showing compliance.”

Students who are in the process of getting a series of shots are also not prevented from attending school, she said. Homeless students, under federal law, cannot be kept from attending school, so those who are missing paperwork or vaccines are also permitted to attend.

Battle Ground Public Schools took a similar approach to Seattle, setting a date of Sept. 26 for students to turn in their required records. District spokeswoman Rita Sanders could not provide a number of students who were withheld from school, but said by Oct. 8, 26 were excluded because they were out of compliance with the MMR laws.

The state Auditor’s Office found last year that some school districts are not collecting accurate immunization data, nor are they properly excluding students who fail to provide proof of immunity. That means the Department of Health cannot accurately report the “state’s true immunization rate.”

Washington will join the ranks of early voters in the upcoming presidential primary.

For the first time, the state’s Democrats are ditching caucuses in favor of mail-in primary ballots to pick their party’s nominee. Republicans, who made the switch from a caucus system to a primary election in 2016, will do the same this year.

And for both parties, the timeline has been accelerated — Washington will vote on candidates in March, two months earlier than in 2016.

Secretary of State Kim Wyman certified a list of candidates Tuesday who will appear on the March 10 primary ballot. The list includes a single Republican, President Donald Trump, along with 13 Democrats: Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Andrew Yang, Pete Buttigieg, Tom Steyer, Tulsi Gabbard, Joseph R. Biden, Cory Booker, Michael Bennet, John Delaney, Deval Patrick and Michael Bloomberg. Both parties will also provide a write-in option.

“Holding the presidential primary earlier in the year is a boon for Washington as it gives our voters a greater voice in the nomination process for U.S. president,” Wyman said in a media release. “By making Washington more relevant in this process, I’m optimistic we’ll see record-breaking turnout in March.”

Here are answers to some common questions about this year’s presidential primary:

Why is it being held so early?

By the time parties in Washington had picked their presidential contenders in 2016, their decision was irrelevant.

Trump won the Republican state primary, but his last remaining rival, Sen. Ted Cruz, had dropped out of the election weeks earlier. Hillary Clinton won the state primary, but she’d already lost the caucuses that had been held two months prior and used to award delegates to the national nominating convention.

As a result, Washington spent $9 million on a primary process that proved essentially meaningless.

In early 2019, the Legislature passed a bill that moved the primary from the fourth week of May to the second week of March — just one week after so-called “Super Tuesday,” when nine states, including heavyweights like California and Texas, pick their candidates.

The move makes Washington one of the earlier states to vote, behind 20 or so others. The change will have a bigger impact on Democrats than on Republicans, who already have a presumptive nominee in Trump.

“I think that it’s good for Washington state to have a voice in the national selection of the candidate,” said Earl Bowerman, chair of the Clark County Republicans.

Do I need to register with a party to vote in a primary?

Not exactly. A presidential primary is the only election in Washington that requires voters to declare a party preference, but it doesn’t require you to fill out any paperwork ahead of time.

However, in order for their vote on a primary ballot to count, voters need to check a box indicating their party preference. The question is part of the ballot.

“It doesn’t mean that they are registered with the party, it simply means that they have a preference for that political party,” said Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey. “They’re not taking any action to formally register.”

Once you check the box, your party affiliation is a matter of public record.

All registered voters will receive a primary ballot. To register to vote, you have a few options. You can visit voter.votewa.gov/WhereToVote.aspx if you have a current Washington driver’s license or a state-issued identification card.

Alternatively, you can register to vote in person at the Clark County Elections Office at 1408 Franklin St., as well as by mail with a voter registration form available at all local library branches, public schools, city and town halls and driver’s licensing offices.

“You can register to vote up to and including Election Day,” Kimsey added. Election Day registration requires a voter to visit the elections office in person.

The first ballots will start showing up in Clark County mailboxes on Feb. 22, Kimsey said.

What happens if I vote early, and then my candidate drops out before the election?

Then unfortunately, your vote won’t count, Kimsey said.

It’s possible that some of the many Democratic candidates will drop out of the race between Feb. 22 and when the votes are tallied on March 10. In that case, Kimsey said, the ballot will be reviewed by a canvassing board and likely discarded.

Drew Estep, party affairs director for the Washington State Democrats, said it may be useful to wait until after March 3’s Super Tuesday before casting a vote to minimize the chance of a wasted ballot. Washington Democrats will have a better chance of endorsing a viable candidate if they wait to see how the biggest primary voting day of the election cycle shakes out, he added.

“We anticipate a larger percentage of the electorate than normal to be voting late in the voting period,” Estep said.

Why am I still hearing talk about 2020 caucuses?

Unlike in years past, caucuses will not be used to select the state’s favored presidential candidate. They will, however, still be used to select the delegates who will represent each district at the political party conventions.

“Caucuses are still present in the system, but not for voting purposes,” Estep said.

On May 30, the Democratic district caucuses will meet to select national convention delegates. The number of delegates who support any given candidate at the convention will have already been decided by the primary election. To qualify for a delegate within a district, a Democratic candidate needs to have garnered at least 15 percent of the primary election vote within that district.

The delegates will attend the Democratic National Convention on July 13 in Milwaukee to formally select the party’s presidential candidate. Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, where Clark County voters reside, is sending five people to the DNCC out of the 107 who will represent the entire state.

The Republican National Convention will be held Aug. 24 in Charlotte, N.C., and feature 44 delegates from Washington, including three from Washington’s 3rd Congressional District. They’ll start their delegate selection process in precinct caucuses on Feb. 29, then decide who to send to the RNC at the GOP state convention on May 14.

“We hope that all of our Republicans participate in the caucus,” Bowerman said.

Both U.S. senators from Washington are urging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to allow testimony from firsthand witnesses during President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. Democratic House leadership announced Friday that they would move to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate this week.

Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, both Democrats, expressed a desire to hear from more people in the president’s inner circle before casting their vote in Trump’s trial.

“In spite of President Trump’s efforts to block key evidence and witness testimony, the House gathered the facts carefully and thoroughly during its investigation of the president’s actions before voting to pass articles of impeachment,” Murray said in a written statement to The Columbian.

She added that she stood by Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the house, in her decision to delay sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate. The House voted on Dec. 18 to charge Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of justice.

McConnell has said he does not plan to call further witnesses, and has projected that he has the votes in the Republican-controlled Senate to acquit the president quickly and without a drawn-out trial. He’s also said that he plans to work in tandem with Trump’s legal team.

Pelosi’s decision to withhold the articles of impeachment from the Senate was an attempt to pressure the leadership to call additional witnesses.

“Now, in light of Leader McConnell’s deeply troubling decision to put party over country and work in lockstep with the White House, I trust Speaker Pelosi is doing everything in the House’s power to ensure a fair and honest trial in the Senate so that as jurors we have all of the relevant information to pursue the truth and do impartial justice,” Murray wrote.

Cantwell, too, urged her colleagues to call on the president’s close advisers to testify. Most of the president’s immediate circle — including acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security adviser John Bolton — stonewalled the House hearings at the direction of the White House. Some ignored subpoenas, the basis for the obstruction of justice charge.

In a legal statement last week, Bolton indicated that he would testify before the Senate if subpoenaed.

“We need to have a trial that includes seeing the evidence and hearing from witnesses with firsthand knowledge who have not testified,” Cantwell wrote.

The House voted to impeach Trump following an investigation that centered on a phone call with Ukraine’s new president. On it, Trump allegedly pressured the Ukrainian president to publicly open an investigation into the Biden family while simultaneously withholding nearly $400 million in Congressionally approved aid to the war-torn country.

The House found that Trump’s purported actions amounted to an illegal use of the levers of the presidency, soliciting a foreign power to bolster his re-election effort.

Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, the Republican representative from Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, voted against both articles of impeachment.

I noticed that the grocery stores were a bit on the busy side here in Clark County on Saturday with the threat of snow in the air. My last writing gave the potential for a good cold and snow event but no solid bets. Why?

Forecast charts often bring the cold and snow too fast and too intense. So, as I looked at things Saturday afternoon, it appeared this way. Listen to forecasts tonight as I’m sure the details will need fine tuning. Rain or showers today, no worries.

Monday morning will have showers and snow levels dropping to 800 feet in our foothills.

The bulk of the modified arctic air will stay north of us. Seattle is forecast to have highs Monday through Wednesday below freezing. Locally, unless we get some strong east winds, we will remain around freezing or above. That makes any snow falling difficult to stick and pile up.

A weather system moves inland over Oregon Monday night and could give some snow showers but again no subfreezing temperatures below 200-500 feet. Possible light local accumulations. Tuesday’s high will be in the thirties with possible flurries or sprinkles.

The best chance of winter weather will be Wednesday and Thursday. Cold air will have settled down east of the Cascades in the Columbian Basin. A strong storm is forecast to reach the northern Oregon coast Wednesday. That would bring cold air down the Gorge over us and with warmer moisture overriding it, bingo, a good snowstorm with 4-8 inches of snow. The storm may move more northward, which would turn our winds around from the south.

Bottom line, life is pretty much normal until Wednesday. Probably a closed school day if all works out. The cold air is now forecast to move out by Friday and we go back in a split flow situation like we have had all fall and winter. The doldrums. So, this snow appears to be a short-lived event.

However, it is still four days out as I write this, a lot will change so keep informed.

Monday

Clark College Board of Trustees, Clark College, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver.

• 7:20 a.m., executive session: Agenda includes discussion of potential litigation or legal action, and adoption of a strategy in collective bargaining.

• 8 a.m., executive session: Agenda includes discussion qualifications of an applicant for public employment.

Urban County Policy Board, Public Service Center, Conference Room 679, 1300 Franklin St., Vancouver.

• 8:30 a.m., regular meeting: vice-chair elections, 2020 available funding, overview of submitted proposals, third-quarter reports, bus tour date availability, 2020 draft work plan.

Clark County Breastfeeding Coalition, Sea Mar WIC, 5411 E. Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver.

• 12 p.m., regular meeting: impromptu networking activity, review strategy map 2020, work plan, breastfeeding training update.

Vancouver City Council, City Hall, 415 W. Sixth St.

• 4 p.m., workshop: Capital projects and revenue options in A Stronger Vancouver.

• 6:30 p.m., regular meeting: Leadership award for Councilor Ty Stober, acceptance of West Curb Ramps Project construction, acceptance of Southeast 164th/162nd Avenue resurfacing project, acceptance of Joint Agency Preservation Project, bid award for Mill Plain and 104th Avenue Transportation Project, bid award for Northeast 32nd Street sewer and water improvements, temporary construction and tieback easement agreement on Block 20, shelter awards from Affordable Housing Fund, citizen forum.

Camas School District Board of Directors, Zellerbach Administration Center, 841 N.E. 22nd Ave.

• 4:15 p.m., workshop: Seeing and Serving Each Student.

• 5:30 p.m., regular meeting: Agenda includes Doc Harris Stadium Emergency Power Project.

Battle Ground Public Schools Board of Directors, Lewisville Campus, 406 N.W. Fifth Ave., Battle Ground.

• 4:30 p.m., special meeting: Discussion of the state school directors’ association legislative priorities.

• 6 p.m., regular meeting: Agenda includes discussion of new high school courses, including a version of health education including comprehensive sexual health.

Washougal City Council, City Hall, 1701 C St.

• 5 p.m., workshop: animal shelter service update, personnel update changing police commander to captain.

• 7 p.m., regular meeting: selection of mayor and mayor pro tem, council member oaths of office, resolution on personnel update changing police commander to captain.

Woodland School District Board of Directors, Woodland High School, 1500 Dike Access Road.

• 5:30 p.m., regular meeting: Agenda includes adoption of Naviance.

Woodland City Council, City Council Chambers, 200 E. Scott Ave.

• 7 p.m., workshop: chamber of commerce budget presentation, visitor center options presentation.

Tuesday

Port of Vancouver Board of Commissioners, port offices, 3103 N.W. Lower River Road.

• 8:30 a.m., regular meeting: Election of board officers, 2020 organizational assignments, Erickson Farm Properties Tidelands easement, lease agreement with Vancouver Warehouse and Distribution Co., lease agreement with Mark’s Design and Metalworks, fuel supplier contract with Wilcox and Flegel.

Clark County Parks Advisory Board, Clark County Operations Center, Building B-1, 4700 N.E. 78th St.

• 4 p.m., regular meeting: 2020 election of officers, Lewis and Clark Trail, Heritage Farm, Curtin Creek.

Clark Regional Wastewater District Board of Commissioners, district offices, 8000 N.E. 52nd Court.

• 4 p.m., regular meeting; present 20-year service award to Alan Johnson, maintenance specialist; authorize $3,035 reimbursement to Romano Properties for installation of sewer laterals; adopt resolution approving oversizing cost for Austin Heritage PUD Phase 1A sewer trunk line; approve $447,726 final cost for Teal Crest pump station; authorize Feb. 11 hearing on Whipple Creek annexation; commissioner, district staff and legal counsel reports.

Camas Parking Advisory Committee, City Hall, 616 N.E. Fourth Ave.

• 5 p.m., regular meeting: three-hour parking request at 217 N.E. Third Ave.; election of chair and vice-chair.

Vancouver Public Schools Board of Directors, Robert C. Bates Center for Educational Leadership, 2921 Falk Road.

• 5 p.m., regular meeting: Agenda includes approval of new high school courses and material.

Ridgefield Public Schools Board of Directors, Ridgefield Administrative and Civic Center, 510 Pioneer St.

• 5 p.m., regular meeting: Agenda includes a transfer of general fund money to the capital fund for fire system improvements for the administrative offices.

C-Tran Board of Directors, C-Tran administrative offices, 10600 N.E. 51st Circle.

• 5:30 p.m., regular meeting: reaffirm C-Tran code of ethics; approve resolution for C-Tran officials to receive all claims and notices of civil suits against C-Tran pursuant to state law, RCW 4.96; authorize annual maintenance and support service agreements with Motorola Solutions for the P25 radio system.

La Center Planning Commission, City Hall, 214 E. Fourth St.

• 6:30 p.m., regular meeting: Cottage Housing public hearing, Timmen Historic Downtown, accessory dwelling units code, Planning Commission election, community development report.

Wednesday

Vancouver Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission, City Hall, 415 W. Sixth St.

• 3 p.m., regular meeting.

Clark County Commission on Aging, Public Service Center, sixth floor, 1300 Franklin St., Vancouver.

• 3:30 p.m., work session: April 9 summit update, 2020 Community Engagement & Advocacy Update, award update.

• 4:30 p.m., regular meeting: annual report, April 9 Healthy Communities Summit.

Vancouver Urban Forestry Commission, City Hall, 415 W. Sixth St.

• 6 p.m., regular meeting: Arbor Day preparations, program updates, Urban Forestry Report, communications.

Ridgefield Planning Commission, Ridgefield Administrative and Civic Center, Columbia Assembly Room, 510 Pioneer St.

• 6:30 p.m., regular meeting: no agenda provided.

Woodland Planning Commission, City Council Chambers, 200 E. Scott Ave.

• 7 p.m., regular meeting: continued hearing for self-service storage facility zoning text amendment, appeal refund letter, Exit 21 study, code retooling discussion.

Thursday

Vancouver Downtown Redevelopment Authority, City Hall, 415 W. Sixth St.

• 11:30 a.m., regular meeting: Officer elections, year-end financial reports, manager reports, 2020 meeting and work plans, possible executive session.

Camas Parks and Recreation Commission, Lacamas Lake Lodge, 227 N.W. Lake Road.

• 4 p.m., special meeting: no agenda provided.

Clark County Planning Commission, Public Service Center, sixth-floor hearing room, 1300 Franklin St., Vancouver.

• 6:30 p.m., public hearing: biannual code changes.

Vancouver Community Task Force on Council Representation, City Hall, 415 W. Sixth St.

• 6:30 p.m., regular meeting.

Got a great love story? We’d love to read it.

In honor of Valentine’s Day, The Columbian’s Feb. 9 “Everybody Has a Story” column will feature as many true tales by readers about love as space will allow.

We’re talking about love in all its permutations. Romance is one aspect, of course, and romantic tales are perfectly welcome — but what else might love mean to you?

The main “Everybody Has a Story” rule still applies: Your story must be true and first-person, that is, it happened to you. The other usual rule is stricter: Keep it concise, so we can print lots of them. (If we spill way over, we’ll post the extras online.) Expect a little kindly editing. The deadline is 9 a.m. Jan. 31.

While you’re at it, don’t forget that general “Everybody Has a Story” submissions are always welcome — and the cupboard is close to bare now, so we’re eager to see them. “Everybody Has a Story” permanently relocates to the front of our Sunday Life section Jan. 19.

Send all “Everybody Has a Story” submissions to: neighbors@columbian.com. Call “Everybody Has an Editor” Scott Hewitt with questions at 360-735-4525.

Clark County legislators will debate a number of divisive topics during a short but intense 60-day session of the Legislature that starts Monday.

Bipartisan consensus may emerge on domestic violence and vaping, but battle lines already have been drawn on sex education, climate change and fallout from Initiative 976’s limits on car tab fees.

Democratic legislators from the 49th Legislative District fall in line with their party and Gov. Jay Inslee. Republican legislators from the 17th and 18th legislative districts are fairly united in their opposition.

Rep. Paul Harris, R-Vancouver, may come the closest to providing a swing vote among the nine legislators representing most of the county. The sprawling 14th and 20th legislative districts also take in slices of east and north Clark County.

Clark County’s delegation primarily consists of Republicans, but Democrats enjoy comfortable statewide majorities in the House and Senate.

Here are seven issues to watch during the session.

Sex education

Battle Ground Public Schools was scheduled to adopt a custom sex ed curriculum in October. Instead, the school board eliminated requirements for teachers to address the topic, except for lessons on puberty and human development. The board later revised that policy, allowing teachers in high school electives to address topics that overlap with sexual health education.

Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver, and Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, D-Seattle, chair of the House Education Committee, will sponsor legislation mandating comprehensive sex education. Washington is one of 21 states that do not mandate sex ed, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Rep. Vicki Kraft, R-Vancouver, was a frequent attendee at Battle Ground school board meetings and frames the issue as a matter of “parents’ rights.” Even with an opt-out clause in upcoming legislation, Kraft said there are no assurances that students won’t be exposed to sex ed.

Other Republicans, although not nearly as outspoken as Kraft, argue that local school boards, not state legislators, should decide.

“If the system is not broken, then why fix it?” asked Rep. Brandon Vick, R-Vancouver. “Does that mean the system is broken or the school board listened to its voters?”

“I’m opposed to mandatory sex education,” Rep. Larry Hoff, R-Vancouver, said. “I believe it works to take parents out of the equation.”

Harris, however, urged his Republican colleagues to keep an open mind.

“I hope the Republicans haven’t said ‘no’ because Monica hasn’t even finalized the bill,” he said. “I hope my constituents would agree with me that I should read the bill first before I pass judgment.”

Stonier said she is trying to incorporate input from constituents and school districts in developing a bill that will garner bipartisan support. At the same time, she decried Republican “talking points” based on misinformation, adding that she would not support a bill without an opt-out provision.

“The idea that we are trying to block parents from being the first teachers of their children is absolutely incorrect,” she said.

Stonier declined to name another local Republican lawmaker, aside from Harris, who she thought would support her legislation.

Domestic violence

Two days before Thanksgiving, Tiffany Hill was shot and killed by her estranged husband outside a Hazel Dell elementary school, a tragedy that could spur changes to state law regarding electronic monitoring and bail for those accused of domestic violence.

Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, said she previously sponsored Senate Bill 5149, requiring electronic monitoring of domestic violence perpetrators so their victims would receive real-time notification should their abusers come into close proximity. She intends to rename the bill “the Tiffany Hill Act” to highlight that such a law might have prevented Hill’s death.

“I was recently told that he, her estranged husband, was sitting there for quite some time,” Wilson said. “Knowing that he was being watched, he might have not shown up at all.”

Tiffany Hill told authorities she feared for her life and reported a series of incidents that started with her husband’s Sept. 11 arrest for domestic violence. He was out on bail when he killed his wife in front of their three children.

Rep. Sharon Wylie, D-Vancouver, said she will try to tighten state law regarding bail, but she acknowledged it could be difficult because of bail provisions in the state constitution.

“I’m going to try, because I think it’s ludicrous that someone who was so clearly dangerous was out on bail,” Wylie said. “It’s possible we could get something done, but it’s probable that this will start a conversation that we need to have.”

Overall, lawmakers appear more receptive to electronic monitoring.

“I understand the details of Sen. Wilson’s legislation, and I will support that,” Hoff said. “Having the ability to post bail is one of the rights, one of the constitutional rights, we have in Washington, so we have to be careful there.”

Wilson, who saw her father repeatedly abuse her mother when she was a child, said there are “cracks” in the system and advocates getting people together to discuss what can be done with bail and other aspects of domestic violence following the session.

“I’m not someone to do something just to do something,” she said. “I would rather do it right.”

Initiative 976

Lawmakers will grapple with waiting until I-976’s constitutionality is resolved or taking action to incorporate $30 car tabs into state law.

Fifty-three percent of voters statewide and 61 percent in Clark County supported I-976. The measure passed in 33 of 39 counties, with voters rejecting it in Jefferson, Island, King, San Juan, Thurston and Whatcom counties.

On Nov. 27, King County Superior Court Judge Marshall Ferguson blocked I-976 from taking effect because of “substantial concerns” about the ballot title.

Republicans are leaning toward taking legislative action now, despite the court case, and Democrats are more willing to wait until the challenge plays out.

“I think it would be irresponsible to ignore a branch of our government like the courts,” Stonier said.

Republicans offer a different perspective.

Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, said “hiding behind the courts” is not the correct course, adding that her constituents want legislators to respect their vote.

“Let’s stop fooling around with this,” she said. “They are asking us to do the job they have sent us there to do, and that is to make hard choices and make their lives better with the dollars they have given us.”

Democrats want to sort through the financial implications of I-976.

“What I’m focused on is ensuring we continue to address our aging infrastructure,” Sen. Annette Cleveland, D-Vancouver, said.

Harris said he supports codifying $30 car tabs in state law but differs with other Republicans in recognizing the transportation shortfall.

“I still believe (we) want good roads,” he said. “If it’s not car tabs, how do we do it?”

Republicans generally support one proposal to free up some money. Wilson said she will co-sponsor legislation to use sales taxes collected on vehicle sales for transportation projects.

Climate change

Inslee has unveiled a series of climate-related proposals including limiting greenhouse gas emissions, establishing clean fuel standards, increasing the availability of zero-emission vehicles, and extending a tax incentive for community solar projects.

Cleveland said she will examine each proposal in detail, but she supports the governor’s approach.

“We have to do our part,” she said. “The onus is on states right now to take leadership because at the federal level, there hasn’t been the leadership.”

Wylie said she recently installed solar panels on her home’s roof and purchased a hybrid car.

“I’m supportive of every piece we can get done,” Wylie said. “This is the major threat to our world.”

Among local Republican law makers, Kraft took the strongest position.

“No, I don’t believe we need any legislation regarding climate change, carbon emissions, none of it,” she said. “It just destroys the business community.”

Other Republicans say they believe climate change is real and humans have contributed to it, but they aren’t ready to back Inslee’s proposals and prefer legislation that offers incentives, not penalties.

“There is no doubt in my mind that climate is changing,” Rivers said. “To say that we, as humans, haven’t had something to do with it but to ignore the fact that Washington is already a leader, I think is ridiculous.”

Harris said wildfires contribute to climate change and should be given more attention, instead of proposals that will make electricity more expensive for SEH America, WaferTech and other local companies.

“I want people to think about where these employers will end up if we continue to make it difficult for them, or more costly, to operate in our state,” he said.

Stonier said she understands there can be reasonable debate over how far and how fast the state should act on climate change.

“Whether you believe in climate change or not, it’s amazing to me that people don’t recognize the need to keep our environment clean and clear of poisons,” she said.

Homelessness

Inslee last month unveiled another package of proposals to spend more than $300 million over the next three years in hopes of reducing the state’s homeless population by 50 percent. To come up with the money, the governor proposes to tap the state’s emergency budget reserve, often called the rainy day fund, a provision that most local Republicans don’t support.

“The governor has a different understanding of what the rainy day fund has been established for,” Hoff said. “One of these days, our economy is going to turn, and there may be a true need for a rainy day fund as it was designed for.”

Harris said he agrees with Inslee’s proposal but not its funding source.

“I am not a big fan of one-time money,” he said. “What are we going to do next year and the year after?”

Cleveland offered a similar view.

“The rainy day fund is meant for those times when we face unexpected economic hardship and downturn,” she said. “I am not saying that homelessness is not an emergent issue and an epidemic we face, but we have to be careful in what funding we use because it needs to be sustainable.”

Legislative leaders said Thursday they don’t believe there will be enough votes to tap the budget reserve. Inslee said he was open to considering other options, as long as they do not siphon money from schools, mental health and opioid services.

“It’s a crisis right now,” Inslee said about the state’s homeless population. “Bring people inside. That ought to be the goal of the state of Washington.”

Several local Republicans say that solutions need to be developed at the local, not state, level.

“I don’t think throwing more money at the issue is going to solve the problem,” Wilson said. “Rules and regulations that hinder the ability for builders to build are a big issue.”

Rivers said the state has spent $10 billion to $12 billion on homeless programs during the past 11 years.

“And our problem is worse than ever,” she said.

Assault weapons

Partisan divisions might be the most pronounced when it comes to Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s proposal to ban assault weapons.

“Assault weapons exist to kill people,” Cleveland said, noting that her grandparents owned a sporting goods store in Cowlitz County and her father was an avid hunter.

“We did better when they were banned,” Wylie said.

Local Republicans are vehemently opposed to the proposed ban.

“All these laws are supposed to affect the actions of criminals,” Wilson said. “And criminals, by definition, don’t comply with the laws.”

Vick said these type of proposals try to make residents feel secure without providing any more security.

“I am not a gun guy in the sense that I don’t collect them. I don’t own an AR-15 or anything,” he said. “But I understand why people do, and I think they are entitled to do so.”

Vaping

Local Democrats and Republicans may come together to support further law changes to discourage children and teenagers from vaping. The 2019 Legislature approved a bill, sponsored by Harris, that raised the smoking and vaping age to 21.

Inslee is expected to propose permanently banning flavored vaping products, eliminating bulk sales and capping nicotine levels in non-THC products.

Harris said he likely will sign onto the governor’s bill. The problem, he said, is too many youth believe vaping is harmless.

Cleveland, chair of the Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee, said besides a permanent ban on flavored vaping products, she favors requirements for better labeling and additional education and prevention.

Stonier, who works as an instructional coach in Evergreen Public Schools, said vaping devices have been designed to resemble USB drives or have been built into sweatshirts.

“This is an epidemic that has been targeted to our youth,” she said. “I think it is disgraceful.”

The National Weather Service in Portland issued a winter weather advisory for the Vancouver area, with snow predicted to fall overnight into the Monday morning commute.

The advisory includes the Portland metro area, as well as Yacolt and Amboy, and remains in effect from 10 p.m. today to noon Monday.

Forecasters predict rain showers before 10 p.m. and then a mix of rain and snow to fall on the valley floor, with little to no accumulation. However, elevations above 500 feet may see 1 to 4 inches of snow accumulation.

Potentially slippery road conditions could impact the morning commute. The weather service encourages commuters to slow down and use caution while traveling.

The chances for snow accumulation at lower elevations will increase earlier in the week. Colder air and a storm coming off the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday night could bring widespread snow into Thursday, according to the weather service.

Tonight’s low temperature is expected to be 36 degrees. Monday is predicted to creep up to 37 degrees and drop to 32 degrees.

Teachers at Clark College went on strike this morning in light of the continued stalemate over employee salaries.

This is the first time faculty at the Vancouver community college, which was founded in 1933, have gone on strike. Classes were canceled last week in anticipation of the strike.

Meanwhile, the college board of trustees met in executive session at 7:30 a.m. to discuss potential legal action and bargaining strategy. As they talked, more than a hundred faculty members made a loop around the Baird building, holding signs and chanting. The cool morning and rainy weather hadn’t dampened spirits. Instructors making up the rear chanted: “We need a fair contract Jane and Paul, we need a fair contract for all.” Jane Jacobsen and Paul Speer are trustees.

Sara Thompson Tweedy, a candidate for Clark College president, had been chatting with teachers on the picket line since 7 a.m. She said she’s been part of some “painful” negotiations in her career.

Both full- and part-time faculty represented by the Association for Higher Education are on strike.

Senseney Stokes, a photography teacher in the art department, says she’s frustrated by what she calls a declining lack of respect for instructors at Clark College. “I hope that this event will change the climate at Clark and remind everyone how important instruction is.”

“We recognize that a potential strike places stress on you, our student,” Interim President Sandra Fowler-Hill wrote in an email Wednesday night. “We are doing everything we can to find a resolution to this issue.”

Fowler-Hill said other services will remain open at Clark College, including financial aid, advising, Workforce Education Services, the bookstore, the child care center, the Penguin Pantry, Cannell Library and the food court. But many employees in those departments are represented by another union: the Washington Public Employees Association. That union represents all classified hourly and salaried staff, including clerks, office workers, custodians, paraprofessionals and more.

Clark College has 9,186 students, or the equivalent of 6,614 full-time students. That’s down from the 6,908 students administrators projected this quarter, for about a 4 percent drop in full-time enrollment.

This story will be updated. 

Columbian photographers Nathan Howard and Alisha Jucevic and Photo Editor Amanda Cowan have been honored for their photojournalism with four awards in the 2019 Associated Press Northwest photo contest.

Howard won the coveted Cowles Cup Award for his work documenting the joys and challenges experienced by a Vancouver family in adopting a 9-year-old boy with behavioral health challenges stemming from a traumatic early childhood and more than three years in the foster care system.

That photo package, titled “Adopting Kaine,” also won Howard honors as a non-metro multiple photo picture story.

The Cowles Cup, awarded each year since 1952, is named for William Hutchison Cowles, former publisher of The Spokesman-Review.

Jucevic, who was the previous recipient of the Cowles Cup, was honored in 2019 for a non-metro feature photo titled “Living with ALS.”

Her photo captures the love and support between Carol and Lyndon Gabriel as they face the day-to-day consequences of Lyndon Gabriel’s diagnosis with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gherig’s disease.

Cowan received the award for non-metro portrait for a photo titled “Hartley Grandfather.”

Her photo depicted the grandfather of Hartley Anderson, a 5-year-old girl allegedly killed by her mother’s boyfriend, as her family gathered outside of the Clark County Courthouse following the suspect’s first appearance in the case on Nov. 5, 2018.

“We’re proud of our photo staff and glad that we can share their good work with our readers,” said Columbian Editor Craig Brown.

After several days of bracing for winter weather, snow might finally be here.

Just don’t expect too much Tuesday morning, except at higher elevations.

The National Weather Service says snow showers are likely Tuesday, and on Wednesday, but with little accumulation.

“We do believe we are going to have some low-elevation snow in the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area,” Andy Bryant, hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Portland, said Monday afternoon. “There are multiple opportunities to get it.”

Bryant said Tuesday’s high should be in the mid-30s.

“We’re not likely to see a lot of accumulation,” he said. “And if we did, it likely would melt quite a bit as we went through the morning.”

There is a more significant threat of snow Tuesday night and continuing through Wednesday, when the afternoon high is expected to be at or barely above freezing.

“The tricky part is probably the heaviest precipitation would be in the evening, Wednesday evening,” Bryant said. “Our temperatures would be right around freezing. It possibly could be mixed rain and snow.”

Forecasters aren’t sure how much accumulation to expect at low elevations. Bryant said the metro area usually sees quite a bit of variability, with some areas getting 5 inches and others no more than a dusting.

“It’s likely to be on the order of 2 or 3 inches,” he said. “There is a possibility that it could be more, but that’s what we think is most likely.”

With the temperature expected to warm up to nearly 40 Thursday afternoon, any low-elevation snow isn’t expected to last long before the Northwest returns to its pattern of wet, mild winters.

City and fire officials have scheduled a series of informational meetings as voters prepare to decide if Clark County Fire District 3 should annex the city of Battle Ground into its coverage area.

The proposition will appear on the Feb. 11 special election ballot for Battle Ground and Brush Prairie voters. Ballots are expected to be mailed to all registered voters by Jan. 24.

Meetings will take place in room 148 at Battle Ground City Hall, 109 S.W. First St., from 6 to 7 p.m. Jan. 21 and noon to 1 p.m. Jan. 29, according to a news release from the city and fire district. Two other meetings will be held at Hockinson Fire Station, 17718 N.E. 159th St., from 5 to 6 p.m. Jan. 27 and 6 to 7 p.m. Feb. 4.

Battle Ground residents can learn more at www.cityofbg.org/FireAnnexation or by contacting City Manager Erin Erdman at 360-342-5005 or erin.erdman@cityofbg.org. Fire district residents can visit the district website or contact Chief Scott Sorenson at 360-892-2331 or scott@fire3.org.

The third Monday in January is considered a day on, not a day off, and for local volunteers it’s often a day spent outside despite the cold weather. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, in commemoration of the well-known civil rights activist, is a day of service — a day to spend bettering one’s community.

The Columbian rounded up eight volunteer opportunities happening around Clark County over MLK Day weekend. Most are outside, so volunteers should dress for working outside in the elements. Children either need to volunteer with a parent or bring a signed consent form. And yes, most of these projects will have necessary tools (and snacks) on site.

Saturday

• The fruit trees at Foley Community Orchard are in need of pruning. Slow Food Southwest Washington will show volunteers how to properly prune and then put their newfound skills to the test pruning Bartlett pear trees. Pruning fun starts at 10 a.m. Saturday at Foley Neighborhood Park, 12018 N.W. 21st Ave. To register, email lynsey@slowfoodswwa.com.

• Clark County Parks is asking volunteers to pick up litter around Lacamas Regional Park and remove invasive plants such as Scotch broom, English ivy and blackberry. Volunteers should meet in the park’s overflow parking lot at 9 a.m. Monday at 406 N.E. 35th Ave. Carpooling and bringing reusable water bottles are encouraged. Questions? Contact Dora Hernandez at 564-397-1679 or dora.hernandez@clark.wa.gov.

• For the indoorsy-type volunteer, the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District seeks volunteers for its Bookapalooza Used Book Sale at its operations center, 1007 E. Mill Plain Blvd. Shifts start at either 8:30 a.m. or 2:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Visit www.handsonportland.org for more information and to sign up for a shift.

Monday

• Clean the Columbia waterfront and remove non-native plants from the beach. Meet at 9:30 a.m. Monday at the Water Resources Education Center, 4600 S.E. Columbia Way. For more information, email shane.carter@cityofvancouver.us or call 360-487-7111.

• Volunteer with Vancouver Parks and Recreation to plant native spirea plants and spruce up Homestead Park, at the corner of Southeast 19th Street and 159th Place in east Vancouver. The spirea planting spree runs from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday. Visit www.cityofvancouver.us/cmo/webform/volunteer-mlk-jr-day-service-park-spruce to register to volunteer.

• Join the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership in reforesting Burnt Bridge Creek with native trees and shrubs. Located at the Burnt Bridge Creek Greenway Trail where it intersects with Northwest Lakeshore Avenue, this project begins at 9 a.m. Monday and should last for about two and a half hours. Contact Samantha Dumont at 503-226-1565, ext. 245, or sdumont@estuarypartnership.org with any questions.

• The Watershed Alliance of Southwest Washington will remove invasive plants from Blandford Canyon. The nearest address is 5411 E. Mill Plain Blvd. Volunteers are asked to get there at 8:45 a.m. For more information and to register, visit thewatershedalliance.org.

• Clark Green Neighbors is promoting a chance to weed, prune, plant and cut at the Natural Gardens at Pacific Community Park, at the intersection of Northeast 18th Street and 172nd Avenue. Tools, gloves, supplies and snacks will be available.

The arctic cold front stalled as usual just north of Seattle late Sunday and Monday, keeping our precipitation mostly as rain Monday. There were a few reports in Salmon Creek and Orchards of wet snow late Sunday night. Some accumulating snow occurred Monday in our foothills and mixed in the rain at lower elevations.

The cold air was filtering into the Columbia Basin Monday with temperatures in the teens and 20s. Today a weak weather system was sliding southward so only a few flurries or showers were expected. A larger storm is forecast to approach the coast near the mouth of the Columbia River Wednesday.

That storm would draw east winds toward it along with chilly temperatures; the first ingredient for local snow. Secondly, moisture will move inland later on Wednesday and Wednesday night into Thursday. The cold dry gusty east winds may dry up some of that moisture at first but eventually the air will get saturated and snow should fall overnight.

Most forecast models now agree the storm will curl up toward Vancouver Island, which in turn would switch winds for most of us around from the south, ending the freezing precipitation. There is a small chance of freezing rain in some locations. So, it appears our “snowstorm” will be brief and only bring a few inches at best.

I’m looking at all available data as of Monday afternoon. A slight change in storm track could make a difference. So, things may change a bit. If schools were to close it would be Thursday now as the precipitation most likely would start after the kids get out of school Wednesday.

We may enjoy some of that white stuff, perhaps during commute time, and cause some delays. This will only happen if we get those east winds. If you can see or feel those beginning late today and Wednesday morning, then for sure we are on snow watch.

We’ll see if everything will come together. By the weekend we are back to “normal” weather.

Take a little extra time getting to work this morning, as a cold weather system brings a rain-snow mix to the Vancouver-Portland metro area.

The National Weather Service has issued an advisory through 9 a.m. that a mix of rain and snow was moving through the metro area. Most of the accumulating snow is expected above 1,000 feet, but there could be some slick surfaces at lower elevations.

The forecast calls for rain and snow showers today in Vancouver with a high of 38. There’s a small chance of snow overnight, with a low of 28, with less than one inch of snow likely at lower elevations on Wednesday. check.com for up to date road conditions in Oregon, and wsdot.com for Washington.

Multiple districts in Clark County are on snow routes or 2 hours late this morning. Check school closures for specifics. La Center schools are closed.

Police say an armed man robbed a Burger King in Washougal on Monday night.

The unidentified suspect fled on foot before officers arrived at the fast-food restaurant at 103 C St. shortly before 10 p.m., said Washougal Police Department Detective Kate Tierney.

Store employees described the robber as a white man in his 30s or 40s. He wore a green and gray zip-up jacket, faded light-blue jeans and a black beanie. The man was also wearing a mask that partially covered his face.

The man entered the restaurant, which was only occupied by employees, brandished a silver handgun and demanded money, Tierney said. The employees handed over an undisclosed amount of cash, and the man ran off, she said.

Officers used a canine to try and track the robber but were unsuccessful.

Police are continuing to investigate. Anyone who has information on the suspect or the robbery should call the Washougal Police Department at 360-835-8701, call 911 or alternatively 311, the nonemergency dispatch phone line.

Comprehensive sexual health education is making its way to Battle Ground high schools — but only as an option.

The Battle Ground Public Schools Board of Directors on Monday approved a version of its high school health class that will include comprehensive sexual health education. The board voted 4 to 1 to create the new class, with Tina Lambert casting the only no vote.

The health class is an elective, but it meets the state requirements for one semester of health, effectively giving high school students a choice between courses: one with comprehensive sexual health education, the other without.

Sexual health education has been the issue that refuses to die for the district, where administrators have spent more than a year drafting curriculum and tweaking policy around what to teach students.

The school board did an about-face last year, first eliminating the district requirement that sex education be taught, except for fifth-grade lessons on puberty and human development. Then, in response to teachers who said they were having to strip lessons out of their curriculum, the board added an exemption for elective classes.

According to a course description, the new health class would include the sexual health education curriculum developed by the district as well as lessons on gender identity and sexual orientation, birth control methods (including abstinence), sexually transmitted diseases and consent.

The issue has generated controversy and heated debate in the school district. Critics of the curriculum have accused the district of pushing an “LGBTQ agenda,” teaching children explicitly how to have sex and interfering with family values.

Those who support the curriculum — particularly the parents of LGBTQ students — say it may help marginalized students feel more included and respected in their school environment.

Research shows that students who have access to comprehensive sexual health education have better health outcomes than their peers.

A 2011 study by the University of Georgia found that abstinence-only education “is ineffective in preventing teenage pregnancy and may actually be contributing to the high teenage pregnancy rates in the U.S.” A 2012 study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine found that increased sexual health education correlates with lower adolescent birthrates. That study does note, however, that more religiously and politically conservatives states have higher adolescent birthrates, regardless of the sexual health education programs in schools.

Washington is one of 21 states that do not mandate sex education, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Schools are only required to provide information about HIV and AIDS prevention beginning in fifth grade. Under the Healthy Youth Act, school districts that choose to provide sexual health education must provide lessons that are considered medically and scientifically accurate, age appropriate and inclusive. Districts must also provide information about abstinence and other methods of preventing unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.

Parents can opt their children out of sexual health classes. Battle Ground Public Schools notes in its newest course description that students who participate in the elective are opting in to all content. Families who do not want their child to receive sexual health education should choose the general education health course.

New estimates peg the cost to add auxiliary lanes on Interstate 5 near Portland’s Rose Quarter and build other improvements at $715 million to $795 million.

That’s nearly a 60 percent increase over previous estimates of $450 million to $500 million.

The higher estimates, first reported by Willamette Week last month, are part of a “Cost to Complete” report released Tuesday night. Oregon Department of Transportation officials say they will post the 58-page report on the project’s website, i5rosequarter.org.

According to ODOT, inflation accounts for nearly half of the cost increases. Initial estimates were based on 2017 dollars. New estimates have been adjusted to reflect 2025 dollars, the assumed midpoint of construction. Other factors driving up costs are better estimates for right-of-way acquisition, preliminary engineering and actual construction.

Regardless of their cause, the higher costs are the latest setback for a project that has attracted a large group of opponents. They include No More Freeway Expansions and others who question how adding freeway capacity won’t increase greenhouse gas emissions and argue that ODOT should prepare a full environmental impact statement.

ODOT maintains that the project would simply add auxiliary lanes between onramps and offramps to ease congestion and improve safety without building additional lanes to move more through traffic.

“This is a mature corridor,” said April deLeon-Galloway, ODOT’s community engagement coordinator for the Rose Quarter project. “We are not developing new destinations.”

Clark County

The project, if it is built, could be a benefit for Clark County commuters who can get jammed by daily congestion near the Rose Quarter, the nation’s 28th biggest truck bottleneck.

The project also has implications for the second effort getting underway to replace the Interstate 5 Bridge. Critics of bridge replacement say it doesn’t make sense to ease chronic congestion near the Columbia River if nothing is done about a major traffic chokepoint some 5 miles farther south.

Fierce opposition to the Rose Quarter project could provide a preview of upcoming debate over replacing the I-5 Bridge and what that project means for climate change and residential development in Clark County.

Gov. Jay Inslee, who made climate change the centerpiece of his short-lived presidential campaign last year, is a strong supporter of replacing the I-5 Bridge. Inslee, in a telephone interview with The Columbian last week, referenced the potential for the I-5 Bridge to collapse in an earthquake when asked how he reconciles his support for the project with his views on climate change.

“I’m convinced there will be a heck of a lot more carbon pollution from old clunker fuel-powered ferry boats going across the Columbia when the bridge falls down the next time the earth shakes a little bit,” he said.

Critics of the I-5 Bridge project dispute that the twins spans represent an unacceptable seismic risk.

Inslee also said he believes the increasing popularity of electric vehicles will tamp down on greenhouse gas emissions.

“If you envision electric cars, electric buses, someday electric trucks and light rail across the bridge, I think we have a way to actually reduce dramatically the carbon footprint of using that right of way,” he said.

22 percent reduction

ODOT officials say they studied greenhouse gases for the Rose Quarter project using Federal Highway Administration guidelines and an Environmental Protection Agency vehicle emission simulator model. They concluded there wasn’t a significant difference between the build and no-build options evaluated in the project’s February 2019 environmental assessment.

That assessment predicted that greenhouse gas actually would decline by 22 percent during the next 25 years, primarily due to more stringent fuel standards and lower-carbon fuels. Project benefits — higher travel speeds, less stop-and-go traffic and reduced vehicle idling — also would contribute to the reduction.

ODOT still has received pushback, including from elected officials with Metro, the city of Portland and Multnomah County. That prompted Oregon Gov. Kate Brown to ask the Oregon Transportation Commission to temporarily pause the project.

In her Dec. 16 letter to the transportation commission, Brown pointed out that building more freeway capacity could induce demand, or encourage more people to drive.

“We cannot build our way out of congestion by inducing greater demand on the system,” she wrote. “We must manage demand to reduce congestion while also reducing emissions consistent with our state’s greenhouse gas emissions goal.”

“I also agree we can’t build our way out of congestion,” said Megan Channell, major projects manager for ODOT in Multnomah, Clackamas, Hood River and the eastern half of Washington County. “But this project is so much more.”

The section of I-5 between Interstate 84 and Interstate 405, at the north end of the Fremont Bridge, is congested for 12 hours a day and has a crash rate 3.5 times higher than Oregon’s statewide average.

“They call us the Portland stoplight,” Channell said. “We have to address the issues in this area, and we can do that through auxiliary lanes.”

Project benefits

The Rose Quarter project would:

• Add auxiliary lanes in both directions along a 1.7-mile section of I-5.

• Build freeway caps over two sections to structurally upgrade existing overpasses and create public space.

• Construct local street improvements, including a new pedestrian-bicycle bridge over the freeway from Clackamas Street to the Rose Quarter.

ODOT officials say the Rose Quarter project would reduce crashes by 50 percent, save 2.5 million hours of traffic delay each year, and provide wider freeway shoulders for vehicle breakdowns, fender-bender crashes and emergency response.

Portland Public Schools has been keeping a close eye on the project because Harriet Tubman Middle School is adjacent to the freeway’s east side. Scott Bailey, a Portland School Board member, told the Oregon Transportation Commission last month that his district would oppose the project unless ODOT completes a full environmental impact statement.

Tuesday’s report estimates that would add another three years and $66.3 million to $86.4 million in costs to the project.

The Oregon Legislature, when it approved a transportation bill in 2017, agreed to provide $30 million a year in gas-tax revenue to the project starting in 2022. The revised cost estimates leave ODOT with a funding gap it would need to fill prior to the projected 2023 construction start.

City and fire officials agree: Voters should support Clark County Fire District 3 annexing the city of Battle Ground into its coverage area.

“Our current partnership has been great, but the (annexation) would benefit us both,” said Battle Ground City Manager Erin Erdman. “It will divert funding for needed projects, including public safety; and for the fire district, it makes long-term planning more efficient.”

Battle Ground contracts with the fire district to provide fire and medical emergency services to the city. A proposition will appear on the Feb. 11 special election ballot for Battle Ground and Brush Prairie voters, asking for the annexation.

Ballots are expected to be mailed to all registered voters by Jan. 24. The proposition requires a simple majority to pass.

Unlike other Clark County communities, Battle Ground does not have a fire department nor is it part of a fire district. It was served by Clark County Fire & Rescue until 2016 before switching to Clark County Fire District 3. The district covers about 90 square miles and roughly 40,000 people, half from Battle Ground and half from the other areas, including Hockinson.

Currently, property owners in Battle Ground pay a property tax to the city, and then the city pays the fire district to provide its services. That contract expires in 2021 and must be renegotiated if an alternative isn’t found.

Garnering enough money to prevent a reduction in services — whether that’s fire response, police or parks — is the primary reason officials are asking residents there to agree to the change.

Erdman said the fire district contract is getting close to exceeding the city’s property tax revenues, taking up $1.35 of the city’s $1.37 per $1,000 general property tax levy.

Property owners in the fire district already pay a fire levy, which would not increase.

If annexed, property owners in the city would pay a projected $1.30 per $1,000 of assessed property value — the same amount as district property owners, officials said.

To offset the cost of the new fire levy, Battle Ground plans to decrease its utility tax for water, sewer and stormwater drainage by 46 percent.

City tax revenue freed up by the levy would go toward police services, street maintenance and preservation projects, sidewalks, parks maintenance and planning and “public programs,” Erdman said.

“We can catch up on deferred projects,” she said.

Continued growth in the city has increased the need for police services, Erdman said. Extra revenue will help pay for additional officers for traffic patrols, investigations and the re-implementation of a K-9 program.

The fire district needs money for staff, apparatus and facilities, according to the fire chief.

“The district may be reluctant to take on a new levy, and that’s understandable. But, while it’s technically two different areas, we’re neighbors in need of the same things,” said Fire Chief Scott Sorenson.

Two fire crews are required in the city at night due to an ever-increasing call volume, Sorenson said.

The annexation would protect the current level and quality of services for people in both communities, and all property owners will be able to vote for fire commissioners, levies and bonds, Sorenson said.

Several open houses have been scheduled to provide information about the potential annexation. The meetings will take place in room 148 at Battle Ground City Hall, 109 S.W. First St., from 6 to 7 p.m. Jan. 21 and noon to 1 p.m. Jan. 29, according to a news release from the city and fire district. Two other meetings will be held at Fire Station No. 35 in Battle Ground at 5 p.m. Jan. 26 and at 6 p.m. Feb. 4.

Battle Ground residents can learn more at www.cityofbg.org/FireAnnexation or by contacting Erdman at 360-342-5005 or erin.erdman@cityofbg.org. Fire district residents can visit the district website or contact Sorenson at 360-892-2331 or scott@fire3.org.

Clark College and its faculty union have reached a tentative agreement in contract negotiations.

The Association for Higher Education, which represents full- and part-time faculty at the Vancouver community college, announced the news Tuesday evening after a full day of bargaining.

Classes will be canceled Wednesday so the union can vote on the contract. Details of the deal will not be announced by either side until after membership has voted.

Faculty were on strike for two days over salary negotiations. The union and college have been in bargaining for 15 months.

“It was our unity and strength and solidarity that got us our agreement,” said Suzanne Southerland, union president and a professor in the communications department.

“In reaching an agreement, Clark College can get back to what we do best: serving students,” Clark College Interim President Sandra A. Fowler-Hill said in a statement Tuesday night. “We welcome our faculty and our students back to school.”

The Association is affiliated with the Washington Education Association, which also represents K-12 faculty in the state. WEA members from area school districts, as well as members from other unions, joined faculty on the picket lines Tuesday.

“We had so much support,” Southerland said.

The union will hold a general membership meeting at 1 p.m. Wednesday to review and hold a ratification vote on the proposed contract.

The Association for Higher Education represents more than 400 faculty. Clark College has 9,186 students.