School districts throughout Clark County have announced late starts this morning due to wintry conditions.

You can always get the latest school delay and closure information at https://www.columbian.com/school-closures/

The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory through 10 a.m. today predicting snow throughout the area, with accumulations of up to one inch at all elevations and local accumulations of 1 to 3 inches above 500 feet.

WSDOT traffic cameras are snowing small accumulations of snow mostly in north and east Clark County.

Here are the latest announcements as of 7:35 a.m.:

Clark County Schools

Private & Charter Schools – SW Washington

A 41-year-old man was sentenced Friday in Clark County Superior Court to more than a dozen years in prison for a second-degree rape charge stemming from an attack on an intoxicated woman walking home alone in Vancouver.

Damdee Soungpanya, whose last known address was in Spokane but was listed as transient in court documents at the time of his arrest, maintained his innocence when given a chance to address the court.

Soungpanya listed off what he believed were mistakes in the police investigation and faulty trial testimony.

“I feel I have been cheated out of my life,” said Soungpanya, who was convicted following a jury trial in December.

Judge David Gregerson characterized Soungpanya as a predator who attacked a vulnerable person before handing down a sentence of 147 months, the maximum allowed under the law.

“Combined with his criminal history, it persuades the court to believe that protection of the community is the most important factor in this case,” Gregerson said.

Senior Deputy Prosecutor Anna Klein asked the court to impose the maximum sentence. Klein said Soungpanya attacked a stranger from behind while in public, and she called him a violent offender with a lengthy criminal history before noting some of his past convictions, which includes an assault with a weapon in California when he shot at an occupied building.

Court records show Soungpanya has criminal convictions in Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho and Utah. When Soungpanya was arrested in Clark Country, he had pending criminal cases in Idaho and Spokane. Both cases were filed earlier in 2017.

On Feb. 18, 2017, the victim was intoxicated and walking to her mother’s residence when a man hit her from behind and sexually assaulted her, according to a probable cause affidavit. The victim did not know the assailant and told him “no” as he assaulted her. She said she didn’t have a clear recollection of the assault, according to the affidavit.

The victim participated in a sexual assault exam, which resulted in DNA being matched to Soungpanya, the affidavit states.

In a statement read to the court by a victims’ advocate, Soungpanya’s victim said her life has been difficult since the attack.

“I’m afraid to be alone, and when I am, I’m looking over my shoulder. … I often cancel plans with family and friends because I don’t want to go into public,” she said.

She said she forgives Soungpanya but believes he should be punished and imprisoned so he doesn’t hurt anyone else.

A 47-year-old Vancouver man was sentenced Thursday in Clark County Superior Court to 75 days of work release for a single count of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana. He is the third defendant to be sentenced tied to what law enforcement described as a large-scale marijuana operation.

Ronnie R. Geeslin pleaded guilty to the felony charge and was sentenced by Judge John Fairgrieve. Geeslin received a punishment similar in severity to his co-defendants, said Deputy Prosecutor Dan Gasperino.

Hoang Van Do and Thanh Hoang Do were sentenced in November to a month of work crew. They both pleaded guilty to a single charge of manufacturing marijuana.

The case of a another defendant, Andy Dung Dau, is pending, Gasperino said. Court records show Dau served time in prison for a federal marijuana manufacturing charge. Dau’s trial is scheduled for March 16.

All of the men originally faced charges of manufacturing marijuana and possession with intent to deliver marijuana, according to the prosecutor.

The men were arrested following raids on multiple properties in the Vancouver-area in September.

Troopers, with assistance from the Vancouver Police Department, seized three guns, about 950 marijuana plants, 50 pounds of processed marijuana and three vehicles during the raids, Washington State Patrol Sgt. Ryan Tanner previously told The Columbian.

According to a probable cause affidavit, law enforcement seized 259 plants from Dau’s home in the 3500 block of Northeast 165th Court. At another one of his properties, 69 plants were found. Dau admitted to investigators he was growing marijuana and planning to sell it to supplement his income.

In the probable cause affidavit for Hoang Van Do’s case, investigators wrote that they found 85 plants at his home in the 7000 block of Northeast 28th Avenue and an additional 241 plants at a property in the 5700 block of Northeast 68th Avenue, where he said he tended a garden. Hoang Van Do told investigators he sold marijuana to friends only.

Troopers seized 293 marijuana plants from two properties owned by Thanh Hoang Do; Geeslin was living at one of those homes, located on Ward Road, according to probable cause affidavits. In an interview, Geeslin said he was growing and distributing marijuana to friends and family.

This Portland woman, a part-time reference librarian at Washington State University Vancouver, has won tens of thousands of dollars in a five-day run on “Jeopardy!”

Who is Veronica Vichit-Vadakan?

Vichit-Vadakan’s fast fingers and trivia knowledge have put her on top of the popular game show this week, racking up $90,001 after Friday’s show.

The 45-year-old librarian first auditioned for the show in 2018, completing the annual online trivia test (which, coincidentally, is happening later this month). Would-be contestants are given 50 questions, and have 15 seconds to answer each. Those who pass may be called to audition in cities across the United States. Fortunately for Vichit-Vadakan, there were auditions in Portland in 2018.

“There were people from Seattle, Vancouver, B.C., from all over the place who came to Portland to audition,” she said. “I got to be at home, which was nice.”

Those who pass the audition — “They want to make sure you can string together a coherent sentence,” Vichit-Vadakan said — may be offered a spot on the “Jeopardy!” stage for up to a year and a half afterward.

It wasn’t until October, when Vichit-Vadakan had all but given up hope, that she received the call to head to Hollywood.

What followed was a whirlwind. “Jeopardy!” producers shoot five episodes a day, “back to back to back,” Vichit-Vadakan said.

“The next day, you come back and do it again,” she said. “It’s very fast-paced, and it’s tiring.”

Vichit-Vadakan has been a librarian for 10 years, mostly in the Portland area. She’s been at WSU Vancouver for six months.

“Librarians are natural Jeopardy players,” Vichit-Vadakan said. “We have to know everything, especially a reference librarian.”

There’s plenty of time in the library to brush up on her trivia skills. Vichit-Vadakan said she’s often called upon by students to help with research papers on subjects like surveillance in the former Soviet Union, or the history of criminalizing mental health disorders.

“It’s fun to get these varied questions, because it allows me to flex my research muscles and dig into a topic I wouldn’t have necessarily thought up on my own,” she said.

Vichit-Vadakan couldn’t say how long she’ll be on the show, or how much money she’s won in total. She did share, however, her plans for the money: to up her cat lady game. Vichit-Vadakan has been fostering cats and kittens from Multnomah County Animal Services and the Oregon Humane Society for years, and wants to expand a spare room in her home so she can have multiple groups of cats at once. She also plans on building a “catio” in her backyard, a sort of enclosed cage where cats can have some safe, outdoor time.

“That’s my grand plan,” she said.

Jeopardy airs on ABC at 7 p.m.

A house fire in the Cascade Highlands neighborhood Thursday was caused by unattended cooking and was preventable, according to the Vancouver fire marshal.

Vancouver firefighters were dispatched at 11:20 a.m. to the 1200 block of Southeast Park Crest Avenue.

The first arriving engine reported that the middle section of a home was on fire, and that flames had spread to the attic, Fire Capt. Pete Adams told The Columbian.

Firefighters searched the house and found a woman in a back room, behind a closed door. She was able to walk out of the home before being taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, Adams said.

The fire captain described the blaze as “stubborn.” It took 23 firefighters about a half-hour to get the fire under control.

Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli said that combustible materials left next to a slow cooker caused the blaze, which resulted in more than $45,000 damage and rendered the small, one-story home uninhabitable. Four people were displaced.

“It caught the entire kitchen on fire,” Scarpelli said.

Unattended cooking is the top cause of house fires in Vancouver, the fire marshal said. Most don’t involve slow cookers, but rather skillets, stoves and other cooking equipment. Still, the risk in the same, Scarpelli said. People need to stay by their food as it cooks, or if using a slow cooker, ensure there is clear space around it.

“Stay close, because a few minutes can matter,” she said.

In the midst of conflict at Clark College, a group of Tibetan Buddhist monks worked quietly in the Cannell Library.

Their tools were long, thin cones, and their paints, vibrantly colored sand dyed in more than a dozen colors. What started as an empty table blossomed into an intricate, brightly colored sand mandala, constructed over the course of more than 30 hours of work.

And on Friday, dozens of curious onlookers gathered at Clark College to watch it all be destroyed.

The Dharma Light Tibetan Buddhist Association of Vancouver, along with Clark College International Programs and the library, sponsored a group of monks from Mundgod in South India. The small town is a settlement for refugees who fled after Communist China invaded Tibet in 1950. Government forces have destroyed thousands of monasteries and shrines in the decades that have followed, and natural resources have been devastated and destroyed.

But Tibetan Buddhism lives on, in India, Nepal and in the United States.

“They’ve taken their traditions everywhere,” said Catherine Wilson, a student of Tibetan Buddhism for nearly 40 years who oversaw the monk’s tour.

The construction of sand mandalas is a spiritual, meditative practice for those who have undergone the rigorous training required to do this fine work. This specific design, a compassion mandala, is believed to bring blessings and peace to the region. Different components represented different deities, Buddhas, animals and spiritual teachings.

It was a timely event considering this week’s faculty strike, which ended on Wednesday with the approval of a collective bargaining agreement.

Wilson said the strike was heavy on their minds as they prepared the week’s events, which had been planned for months.

“We look upon this as a way to bring positive energy to the parties involved,” she said.

Then, there’s the hallmark destruction of the mandala, representative of the impermanence of all things. The monks first consecrated their work, raising their voices in a series of musical chants. At one point, monk Jampa Tenzin placed a lotus flower in the center of the circular mandala, walking around it as he rang a bell.

“To see this sand mandala, watching it, you’ll feel a blessing,” Tenzin said earlier in the day, speaking through a translator as he took a break from drawing the remaining fine details around the mandala’s edges.

Within minutes, hours of work in the form of sharply detailed lines became nothing more than a pile of grayish sand.

“It has to go back eventually,” said Tenzin Sherab with Dharma Light, who was helping oversee the monks’ trip.

The monks handed small bags of sand to guests before heading to the Grant Street Pier at the Waterfront Vancouver, where they threw some of the sand into the river. It’s believed that returning the sand to flowing water will bless the river, and all the beings who live in and near it.

This group of monks, who belong to Drepung Loseling Phukhang Monastery, will travel in the United States for several more weeks, first to California and then to Aspen, Colo., where they will, again, be constructing sand mandalas for an audience.

There’s a lot happening in the world, Wilson noted, whether it’s a local teacher strike or the international crises that play out in the evening news. But she hopes that, with the monks in mind, people will take a few meditative moments to “generate compassion” in their own lives.

“We need that in our lives,” she said. “We’ll all be a little better off for that.”

Concerns have been raised surrounding the ongoing master plan for the 78th Street Heritage Farm, but Clark County officials are pushing back against claims that the county might turn its back on the farm.

The master plan for the 79-acre, historic farm in Hazel Dell — just west of Northeast 25th Avenue — was last updated in 2010. The county originally hoped to update the plan by June, but the process is continuing more than a year after it started.

The Clark County Council has expressed a strong desire for the farm to become more financially independent, easing the burden on the county’s general fund. In the meantime, whispers that the county may seek to sell part or all of the site for uses other than agriculture or historic preservation have persisted.

“Nobody’s talking about selling any part of this farm,” Council Chair Eileen Quiring said during a Jan. 8 work session inside a room packed with spectators.

The 78th Street Heritage Farm was founded in the 1870s as a poor farm, a county social welfare mechanism before state and federal programs were established in the 1930s. In 1949, Washington State University turned the two-story building and surrounding land into a research station, where agricultural scientists developed and tested crops.

Sharon Kenoski, who has lived on 66th Street near the farm since 1990, is one of its many vocal advocates. She recalled a time when neighbors were concerned about the property being sold to a buyer that would not have used it for its current purposes.

“The entire community really stepped up,” Kenoski said. “People really care about the farm.”

The property, which features historic buildings, wetlands and wells, was returned to the county in 2008, and it now houses the WSU Clark County Extension office, community gardens and other gardens.

The farm has a total of 22 programs and projects. Numerous organizations, including Clark County Food Bank, Master Gardener Foundation and Partners in Careers’ veterans farming program use the site.

“We find it to be a very collaborative spot for helping food insecurity,” said Sharon Pesut, executive director of Partners in Careers. “For our veterans, it’s a very peaceful place.”

Food produced through the program is donated to the food bank and other organizations committed to fighting hunger.

“That wouldn’t happen if we just had some piece of ground by itself somewhere,” Pesut said.

The county established its first master plan for the site in 2010. Included in the plan were several guiding principles: celebrate agricultural heritage, maintain WSU’s presence, promote agriculture, support agricultural research, enhance community wellness, promote volunteerism and offer access to the community for various resources.

Since the 2010 update, the site’s boundaries were adjusted to accommodate a planned expansion of Hazel Dell Community Park, which borders the farm to the south. A new parking lot, greenhouse and a winding interpretive trial — with 10 stations showcasing the site’s history — have been added.

As part of an update to the plan, and after public input, the Heritage Farm Advisory Committee developed several recommendations. The most tangible would re-direct the interpretive trail around the site, rather than through it, to prevent it from interrupting farm work and other uses.

The recommendations also seek to reduce the county’s contributions to the farm, which totaled $564,575 in 2018. When the plan is finalized, it may call for relocating certain uses, creating public-private partnerships and offering flex space for lease.

The county parks department has also proposed moving some offices there, County Councilor Gary Medvigy said.

“There are so many good uses out there that could amplify the benefit to the public and, perhaps at the same time, be more sustainable financially,” Medvigy said at the work session before asking a rhetorical question. “How does that get put into place?”

‘Vulnerable piece of land’

During the work session, the council discussed several revenue-generating options, including a regular farmers market, better public access and farm-to-table events. Quiring also broached the possibility of opening part of the property to businesses.

“I’m throwing that out there, because I think we should brainstorm about it, ” Quiring said. “We could require or ask them to have it blend … in the context of the farm and a heritage farm and a historical farm and just have it enhance it.”

Kenoski said she opposes any updates that aren’t related to the farm or its history.

“That’s not the purpose of the farm,” Kenoski said. “I don’t want any of it to be leased off to businesses.”

The suggestions remain loose, but they’ve also sparked letters to the editor, emails to councilors and suspicions about the county’s intentions. The process was delayed over the summer, which is attributable to a staff turnover — including a new parks manager — and a lack of resources at the time, said Magan Reed, spokeswoman for Clark County Public Works.

Still, the delay caused further suspicion, Kenoski said. “That concerned me because of what happened in the past.”

At the moment, the county doesn’t appear to have an appetite to sell portions of the property or dramatically change it.

“People are reacting to that because they feel it’s a very vulnerable piece of land and part of our agricultural history,” said Sandy Brown, chair of the Heritage Farm Advisory Committee. “I think it’s refreshing to see people rally around something like that.”

At the work session, the council asked county staff to formulate specific options for management and income at the farm. The firmer suggestions will be presented to the council and the public, Reed said.

“If we say that we’re a county that values agriculture, let’s find ways to really push that forward and extend it, and I see this property as a great way for us to continue what’s being done there and also, possibly, grow it,” Councilor Temple Lentz said at the work session.

When a plan is adopted, applications for grants at the farm — totaling $786,855 in 2018 — will have a higher chance of being successful. Depending on what kinds of assurances the plan offers to preserve the site, it also could put some concerns to rest.

“I can’t be optimistic until it gets approved,” Kenoski said. “If we don’t protect it now, there will be continual pressure to ease pressure on the general fund.”

Camas officials will host a meeting to discuss the final design of a roundabout at Northeast Lake and Northeast Everett roads.

The meeting will take place 6 p.m. Jan. 23 at Lacamas Lake Lodge, 227 N.W. Lake Road, according to city spokeswoman Alicia Brazington. A slideshow presentation will detail the history of the project, final design, function and features of the roundabout, construction timeline and construction traffic plans prior to a question-and-answer session.

Those seeking more information about the plans can visit the project webpage at www.cityofcamas.us/lakeroad. Questions can also be directed to Camas Project Manager Jim Hodges at 360-817-7234 or Engineering Manager James Carothers at 360-817-7230.

Rain? Snow? Anything is possible. Check our local weather coverage.

In case you missed them, here are some of the top stories from the week:

Vancouver OKs contract for Mill Plain improvement project

The Vancouver City Council approved a $3.65 million road work contract at its meeting Monday evening, advancing a project aimed at improving traffic flow on Mill Plain Boulevard west of Interstate 205.

The stretch of road — one of the most heavily traveled in the city, with an average of 39,000 cars daily — will see several upgrades.

• Plan designed to improve traffic flow west of I-205

Waterfront Vancouver Jorge’s gets a new name; downtown location gets reprieve

The future Jorge’s Latin American restaurant at The Waterfront Vancouver is about to enter the build-out phase, and the milestone is accompanied by a change in name: The restaurant will be called DosAlas Latin Kitchen & Tequila Bar.

The name isn’t the only thing that’s been overhauled in the six months since owner Jorge Castro first revealed that he planned to move his existing downtown restaurant, Jorge’s Tequila Factory, to a second floor space overlooking the Grant Street Pier.

• DosAlas Latin Kitchen & Tequila Bar aims to open this summer above Wildfin

Salvation Army Thrift Store in Vancouver closing Jan. 18

Due to a lack of profit, the Salvation Army Thrift Store in east Vancouver will close its doors Saturday, according to a Monday news release.

The store, at 11808 N.E. Fourth Plain Blvd., will continue accepting donations until March 26. Employees who do not find positions at other Salvation Army locations will receive severance pay based on years of service. They will also get outplacement service to help find new jobs, according to the press release.

• Location will continue accepting donations until March 26

Armed man robs Washougal Burger King

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.

• No one was injured; police searching for suspect

Clark College faculty union OKs contract in 257-9 vote

Clark College’s faculty union voted to ratify its contract Wednesday afternoon, drawing 15 months of bargaining and a three-day strike to a close.

The Association for Higher Education, which represents the college’s approximately 400 full- and part-time faculty, voted 257 to 9 in favor of the contract that had been tentatively approved the night before with the Clark College Board of Trustees. 

• Classes resumed this week

Recycling specialists are again heading into Clark County neighborhoods for spot-checks on what should not be placed in blue recycling carts.

Starting Monday, Waste Connections of Washington Inc. employees will launch a yearlong program to check recycling carts prior to curbside pickup.

If plastic grocery bags, plastic food clamshells, frozen food packaging, paper towels, food-soiled cardboard, plastic wrap, block foam, shredded paper and other items are spotted, a reminder “oops” tag will be placed on the cart indicating those items.

Recycling specialists will wear safety vests or other high-visibility clothing and drive Waste Connections vehicles. They will only lift a cart’s lid, peek at its contents and note items that should not be in the cart. They will not touch or remove items.

Residents who receive “oops” tags can expect to receive follow-up notifications, via email or written letter, further explaining the issue.

Josy Wright, recycle manager for Waste Connections, said her company has two employees who will focus on year-round checks.

Waste Connections drivers have been leaving “oops” tags for years and will continue to do so when they see nonaccepted items in recycling carts, she said.

Spot-checks will be made in neighborhoods across Clark County. Recycling specialists may return to some neighborhoods more than once.

Occasionally, recycling specialists or drivers will find a recycling cart with an excessive amount of unaccepted items or hazardous waste. In these situations, the recycling cart will not be emptied, and the customer will need to remove the unaccepted materials or request a Waste Connections garbage truck empty the cart, at an additional charge to the customer.

The program aims to provide tailored recycling feedback to residents. Waste Connections and its partners at Clark County, Vancouver and other cities also will use the program to develop education and outreach efforts to help residents recycle right.

People with questions about the program or recycling in general can contact Waste Connections by email, recyclehelp@wasteconnections.com, or phone, 360-892-5370.

Recycling specialists have previously done these type of spot-checks and have generated positive results.

In 2012, a similar program found contamination dropped significantly after customers received educational materials.

• 83 percent of carts that contained plastic bags on the first visit didn’t have them on the second.

• 96 percent of carts that contained glass bottles on the first visit didn’t have them on the second.

• 78 percent of carts that contained other various contaminants on the first visit were “clean” on the second.

Wright said Waste Connections is basing its program on past efforts and research from the The Recycling Partnership, a Falls Church, Va.-based nonprofit organization working to increase the quantity and quality of curbside recycling.

Residents who want to learn more about what can and cannot be recycled can use the “Recycling A-Z Directory” on Waste Connections website, wcnorthwest.com, or download the RecycleRight app at the same location.

Everyone has an idea these days about what, in addition to reporting news, newspapers need to be doing to keep themselves relevant and financially viable.

Some places have tried podcasts, which are like radio talk shows that you can download at your convenience. Newsletters are another common idea. My whimsical plan is to sell large, warm cinnamon rolls, delivered to customers’ homes along with the morning Columbian.

A healthier idea than the cinnamon rolls is to create community events. I was thinking about this “new” idea Thursday, when The Columbian and several partner sponsors presented our annual Economic Forecast Breakfast at the Hilton Vancouver Washington.

We’ve been offering this event for probably 30 years. Twenty years ago, when I was The Columbian’s business editor, I was involved in a lot of the planning, including helping to find speakers and editing all of the content for the special section that is inserted into the newspaper. (Look for this year’s forecast in your Sunday edition.)

Nowadays, the focus on staging the event has gone away from the newsroom and rests on the shoulders of Jody Campbell, our community partnerships director, assisted by Rhona Sen Hoss and Audri Bomar. They also team up to organize the annual public reception for the community’s First Citizen honoree.

The forecast event has been a big success. This year, we had about 500 people attend. The event is mostly about marketing and exposure and getting our brand out there, but we try to recoup our costs and make a small profit.

Our next community event will be free to the public. At 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, at the Vancouver Community Library, we are hosting a panel discussion about immigration issues that surrounded the reporting of our three-part December series, “A Family Divided.” That was the story about the Flores family, where the father, who was a longtime albeit illegal resident of the United States, was deported after Motel 6 gave his name to federal immigration authorities. It caused great pain and continuing trouble for his family, all of whom are U.S. citizens. Attorney General Bob Ferguson and local panelists are scheduled to speak. We are relying on some funding from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting to help underwrite the costs; the center also provided funds for us to report the series.

I am a big fan of these events, even as I doubt their potential to be a major funding source for our industry. A few years ago, when I was on the board of the local chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, we organized and sponsored a debate between Oregon gubernatorial candidates. The debate took place in Bend, and, in my opinion, was only a limited success. We spent a lot of time and several thousand dollars to stage the event, yet it received only limited attendance and media coverage.

I know The Oregonian has tried a speakers’ series, although I cannot find any upcoming talks listed on their website or Facebook page. Oregon Public Broadcasting also has sponsored events, but its Facebook page shows its last event was held almost 10 months ago. Nothing is currently scheduled.

Other people are more bullish. Just this week, Nieman Lab, a journalism think tank, carried a story on its website about bringing journalism on stage. The opening of the piece, authored by a British academic, says that newsrooms across Europe are experimenting with “live news” formats and filling their national theaters. Audiences are tired of technology and instead want proximity, according to the story. But, it also goes on to admit that the most successful “news on stage” shows are barely breaking even.

For now, I think we’ll stick to the economic forecast breakfast, although I would really enjoy a warm cinnamon roll with my newspaper.

There was extra urgency to the fourth annual Women’s March in downtown Vancouver that may have been missing from previous politically progressive, anti-Trump outings.

This is a presidential election year and the perfect time to get personally involved, speaker after speaker exhorted a hundreds-strong crowd of women — and men — that gathered Saturday in Esther Short Park despite damp, chilly conditions and hints of rain.

Previous Women’s Marches, a global annual tradition that started the day after President Donald Trump’s January 2017 inauguration, were all “leading up to this year, the year we start taking power back,” Vancouver event organizer Terri Niles said. “It’s a very decisive year. Today we march. In November we vote.”

“Hate kills. It causes violence,” said Michelle Bart, president of cosponsoring organization the National Women’s Coalition Against Violence & Exploitation. “If anybody has hate on the ballot, what do we do? Vote no.”

Homemade signs carried by participants conveyed messages like “I am a strong man because of stronger women,” “Senators, do your job” and “Girls just want to have fundamental rights.”

Women have been marching for social change for centuries, according to Donna Sinclair of Washougal, an adjunct history instructor at Washington State University Vancouver and current Democratic candidate for the 18th Legislative District of the Washington state House of Representatives. Women marched against slavery and discrimination and for voting, property and equality rights, Sinclair said.

“Some of us thought the marching was over, but it’s not,” Sinclair said. “This is not our first Women’s March and it won’t be our last.”

“We are faced with overwhelming challenges” that require direct, personal action, said Diana Perez, the president of the local chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens. “Do not rely on social media. I ask you to be courageous” by working for change in person and by embracing allies of different races, different backgrounds, different orientations and abilities, Perez said.

“In my matriarchal society, it’s the women who are the backbone of the family, the community, the tribe,” said Becky Archibald, a local activist and Shoshone-Bannock tribal member. “Women have the knowledge. Women have the stories.”

Talk of danger

Navy veteran Joanna Johnson, a member of the Colville tribe, reviewed the grim statistics regarding violence against Native American women in Washington and throughout the nation. She spoke out in a trembling voice against “normalizing” that problem, and underlined growing awareness of indigenous women who simply disappear and are never seen again. Washington state is a leader in that tragedy, she aid.

“Being a Native American woman, I have a target on my back,” Johnson said. “If I disappear … something is wrong. Look for me.”

Last summer’s strangulation death of Nikki Kuhnhausen, a 17-year-old transgender girl allegedly murdered by a 25-year-old man, hung heavily over the rally.

Lisa Woods, Kuhnhausen’s mother, was onstage, and so was clinical social worker Devon Rose Davis, who said: “Clark County is not a safe place for women,” and the danger is that much more acute for trans women and girls.

“We are all in danger, but some of us are in a lot more danger than others,” Davis said.

Tony Lugo, 69, displayed his Air Force Veteran hat proudly.

“I was raised in a family with four sisters and I have two daughters,” he said. “All my life I’ve been surrounded by women, and they’ve made me what I am. And, I know a lot of women veterans. How can I not support their causes? Their causes are my causes.”

Niles sparked cheers as she likened political activism to childbirth. You have to push and keep pushing despite the pain, she said — but when it’s all over, you’ve got great cause for celebration and you leave the pain behind.

“Women are the producers of life,” Niles shouted. “Women can also be the producers of change.”

What’s open and closed Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day:

• GARBAGE: Waste Connections will operate on its regular schedule. In Camas, garbage collection normally done Monday will be made Tuesday.

• MAIL: No home delivery except Express Mail. Post offices closed. The postal unit at Shell, 1605 N.W. Sixth Ave., Camas, is open 5 a.m. to 2 a.m. every day of the year.

• PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Closed.

• COLLEGES: No classes at Clark College or Washington State University Vancouver.

• PUBLIC LIBRARIES: Closed.

• PUBLIC TRANSIT: C-Tran, MAX, WES and the Portland Streetcar will run on a regular schedule. Most TriMet buses will run on a regular weekday schedule; check individual routes for details.

• GOVERNMENT: Offices closed.

• BANKS: Most closed; check your bank for details. Some in-store branches may be open.

• FINANCIAL MARKETS: U.S. markets closed.

• DRIVER’S LICENSING: Closed.

• VEHICLE LICENSING: Closed.

• CLARK PUBLIC UTILITIES: Offices closed. For 24-hour customer service, call 360-992-3000. For outages or emergencies, call 360-992-8000.

• FIRSTENBURG COMMUNITY CENTER: Closed.

• MARSHALL COMMUNITY CENTER: Closed.

• ZOO: Oregon Zoo in Portland open.

• THE COLUMBIAN: Offices open. Circulation lines, 360-694-2312, open from 5 to 11 a.m.

The Washougal City Council appointed Mayor Molly Coston to a two-year term during a meeting Monday.

Coston was elected mayor in November 2017 before voters passed Proposition 8, which changed the city’s government to a council-manager model. The council appointed her in November 2018 to continue as mayor.

The city council again selected Councilor Ray Kutch as mayor pro tem, a position typically appointed annually.

Monday

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Tuesday

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

• 7 a.m., regular meeting: commissioner reports; review of General Manager John Peterson’s 2019 goals; initial discussion of general manager’s 2020 goals.

Vancouver Culture, Arts and Heritage Commission, City Hall, 415 W. Sixth St.

• Noon, regular meeting: Conceptual design of South Barracks Cultural Center, Round 2 of Cultural Grants, public art plan review, city heritage program overview.

Camas City Council, City Hall, 616 N.E. Fourth Ave.

• 4:30 p.m., workshop: reservoir professional services agreement, Northeast Goodwin Road and Northeast Ingle Road property acquisition, commute trip reduction interlocal agreement.

• 7 p.m. regular meeting: ordinance authorizing a loan with the Washington State Public Works Board, ordinance for $10.5 million limited tax general obligation bond.

Evergreen Public Schools, Administrative Service Center, 13501 N.E. 28th St., Vancouver.

• 5:30 p.m., special meeting: Agenda includes constructability reports about elementary schools, operational expectation reports and a legislative update.

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

• 6 p.m., regular meeting: relocation of communication lines near Northeast 119th Street, jail inmate medical services contract, Holt Homes development agreement revision, re-zoning plot of land near Northeast 152nd Avenue.

Clark Public Utilities Board of Commissioners, 1200 Fort Vancouver Way.

n 9 a.m., regular meeting: All Star and 761 Award Recipients

Battle Ground City Council, City Hall, second floor, 109 S.W. First St.

• 6 p.m., regular meeting: Grace Annexation presentation, Transportation Benefit District program presentation.

Woodland City Council, council chambers, 200 E. Scott Ave.

• 7 p.m.: regular meeting: Goerig Street paving project ordinance, sales tax and affordable housing ordinance, municipal code ordinances, Lift Station 6 repairs

Wednesday

Clark County Board of Health, Public Service Center, sixth-floor hearing room, 1300 Franklin St., Vancouver.

• 9 a.m., regular meeting: partnerships with schools to prevent communicable disease outbreaks, flu update.

Camas Parks and Recreation Commission, City Hall, 616 N.E. Fourth Ave.

• 5 p.m., regular meeting: Lower Columbia fish enhancement group grant prosposal, Streetwater SUP 2020-2021 renewal proposal.

La Center City Council, City Hall, 214 E. Fourth St.

• 6:30 p.m., regular meeting: corrected Peterson annexation ordinance, executive session for collective bargaining.

Thursday

Vancouver Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, 2500 Main St.

• 10 a.m., regular meeting: resolutions to award a contract for Safechoice Shelter Renovation Project, authorize LLLPs for Central Park Place Rehabilitation Project and The Meridian, approval of Bridgeview budget, approval of Section 8 Administrative Plan changes, approval of Public Housing Preference Admissions and Continued Occupancy Program, approval of Mixed Finance Applications for Central Park Place and Arbor Ridge Assisted Living, extension of agreement with Columbia NonProfit Housing, approval of Signatory Authority to Anthem Park/Columbia House renovation.

Clark County Land Use Hearing, Public Service Center, sixth-floor hearing room, 1300 Franklin St., Vancouver.

• 6 p.m., hearing: Tishchenko Habitat Permit, Aria Site Plan, Cottage 53 Subdivision Plat Alteration.

Clark County Animal Control Advisory Board, Clark County Public Safety Complex, 505 N.W. 179th St., Ridgefield.

• 6:30 p.m., regular meeting: five-year comprehensive plan, summer outreach opportunities

Ridgefield City Council, Ridgefield Administrative and Civic Center, 510 Pioneer St.

• 6:30 p.m., regular meeting: traffic impact fee ordinance first reading, grass property mixed use overlay removal ordinance second reading, approval of park naming in Pioneer Village, Ridgefield School District Proposition 5, Pioneer Frontage development agreement

Friday

Camas City Council, Lacamas Lake Lodge, 227 N.W. Lake Rd.

• 1 p.m., workshop: planning conference.

Saturday

Camas City Council, Lacamas Lake Lodge, 227 N.W. Lake Rd.

• 9 a.m., workshop: planning conference

A growing city has the youngest city council, with the most female representation, in its history.

Two new councilors, Dana Ziemer and Rob Aichele, were sworn in during the first Ridgefield City Council meeting of the year Jan. 9. The seven-member council, ranging from ages 41 to 81, now includes three women.

Ridgefield Mayor Don Stose was unanimously reappointed to his position at the meeting, as was Mayor Pro Tem Lee Wells, 75. In 2012, Stose — then a 62-year-old council member — was the youngest official on the council.

“It’s exciting to see this council getting even more representative of the city we all love,” Stose said in a news release.

“I’m looking forward to the new ideas that will help us be even better.”

Ziemer, 41, defeated former Ridgefield City Councilor Matt Swindell for Position 2 during the Nov. 5 election. She has lived in Ridgefield for eight years, volunteering with several organizations.

“During my time on council, I hope to be an example of a strong, purposeful female presence in government,” Ziemer wrote in an email. “I hope my female constituents will feel comfortable expressing their concerns and opinions to a more diversified council.”

Aichele, 59, unseated incumbent Councilor Darren Wertz, 72, for Position 5. After moving to Ridgefield in 2015, Aichele served on the city’s planning commission.

“As a newer resident to Ridgefield, I have a connection with many other new residents that moved here for some of the same reasons that I did. The growth has created some challenges in our city, and I look forward to working with the team to be a new voice that represents the values of our citizens,” Aichele said.

“I also believe that having a younger council will bring a boost of activity in our community events which will help engage our citizens to become more active in shaping our growing city.”

Councilor Jennifer Lindsay, 44, was elected in November for a full term in Position 6 after being appointed to the seat in October 2018.

Ron Onslow is the other member of the city council.

Before time slips away, let’s review rainfall from December now that the weather department has settled back down into routine winter weather events.

OK, rainfall from your friends and neighbors. Claudia Chiasson, Carson, 9.94 inches; Rob Starr, Cougar, 14.59 inches; Robin Ruzek, Lake Shore, 5.64 inches; Tyler Mode, Battle Ground, 6.22 inches; Murphy Dennis, Rawson Road, 10.04 inches; Jim Knoll, Orchards, 5.37 inches; Judy Darke, Felida, 2.14 inches; Ellen Smart, Ridgefield, 6.40 inches; Bob Mode, Minnehaha, 4.64 inches; Dave Campbell, 1 mile west of Heisson, 5.54 inches; Chuck Houghten, Hockinson Heights, 6.98 inches; Irv St. Germain, Prune Hill, 5.43 inches; Larry Lebsack. Barberton, 5.82 inches; and Bill Sobolewski, Livingston Mountain, 6.68 inches. Our friend Roland Dersken in Vancouver, B.C., had 4.44 inches, his 10th-driest. In comparison, the rainfall for Vancouver USA was 4.67 inches,2.1 inches below average.

After that balmy 62 degrees on Jan. 3, we finally had our first (and only) freezing temperature this month with 31 degrees Thursday. We really escaped what could have been a cold and windy week.

Speaking of cold and windy, three years ago in at this time I wrote the following after an episode of blustery east winds and cold with lots of snow. “Slowly but surely the ice and snow continue to melt. Even though temperatures rose above freezing late Monday, the combination of compact snow and ice and water on top of that made for sloppy roadways and sidewalks. I don’t recall January being this cold since 1979 as our average mean temperature in Vancouver is only 28 degrees, 13 degrees below normal.”

Vancouver’s average mean temperature, which was some eight degrees above normal earlier this month, is now 43.9 degrees, 2.9 degrees above average. And, not to be outdone, we finally inched up to “normal” for the month in the rainfall category. As of late Saturday, Vancouver had 3.44 inches in the bucket.

The week’s weather outlook calls for mostly dry weather today and most of Monday and then rain or showers with mountain snow the rest of the week. Pretty typical January weather but no freezing.

A mature tree on the western margin of Esther Short Park toppled into Esther Street late Saturday night, narrowly missing parked cars and businesses and apartments in the neighboring Esther Short Commons building.

The tree fell about 9:20 p.m., according to emergency dispatch logs.

Photos provided by Kent Livingston through The Columbian’s newstip page show the mature tree had snapped off at the base of its trunk and fell into Esther Street, into an area used by the Vancouver Farmers Market in warmer months.

Livingston said there were no injuries or property damage caused by the incident.

Another tipster, Tom McGirk, reported crews from the city of Vancouver were still working to clear the street at about 1 a.m. Sunday.

Fifteen people sit in a circle around Laura Lou Pape-McCarthy on Wednesday in the Fur Willow Room at PeaceHealth’s campus off Main Street in Vancouver.

The group follows Pape-McCarthy’s lead as she teaches a Parkinson’s Disease Movement Class, which combines aspects of yoga, dance, theater and tai chi. Throughout the 90-minute class, participants stomp their feet, yell out their names, wiggle and shrug their shoulders, stretch and do lots of laughing — some real and some exaggerated; some purposeful and some incidental; some small and some big, full belly laughs.

“I’m starting to feel it in my cheeks. You guys are making me grin so much,” Pape-McCarthy tells the group.

The focus of the weekly seated movement class is to improve flexibility, strength, balance and coordination for those with Parkinson’s, a disease of the central nervous system that affects movement and frequently includes tremors. The class draws from The John Argue Method, which was created by Parkinson’s movement instructor and author John Argue.

Pape-McCarthy said the class helps enhance body awareness, which is important because Parkinson’s interferes with the communication between the brain and body. As she puts it, “You have to learn new ways to notice there’s something going on when something is.”

Arlin Brown, 71, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s 10 years ago. He grew up playing basketball and football, and he spent four years in the U.S. Navy. He belongs to Rocksteady Boxing, a nonprofit organization that offers a noncontact boxing-based curriculum for people with Parkinson’s. Wednesday’s class was the second one for Brown. He said it’s important to remain active.

“I’m using other parts of the body that I’m not used to,” Brown said.

While the class works on physical abilities, Pape-McCarthy, who has taught the class since 2013, said she also likes to emphasize laughter and joy.

“It’s vitally important for people with chronic illnesses to have some playfulness in their lives,” she said. “To have a place where it’s OK to just be a goof and not worry about any wrong impressions — or actually even having to be funny.”

Mary Jane Campbell, 72, attended Wednesday’s class with her husband, Gregory, 73, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s two years ago. Campbell has arthritis in a thumb, and said some of the hand movements have even helped her arthritis. She also said the class is a great connector for people and has helped her and her husband develop a Parkinson’s community. It’s an upbeat environment.

“The laughter, everybody needs that. I think everybody that is here goes away feeling better,” Campbell said.

The class closes by humming the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” and saying one thing about themselves out loud. Before they leave, Pape-McCarthy asks everyone to reflect on the playfulness and joy of the group.

“That feeling is there for you when you need it,” she says.

Two Vancouver cannabis shops were burglarized Saturday morning, and police suspect the same two people in both break-ins.

Vancouver police officers responded about 6:20 a.m. to Main Street Marijuana, 2314 Main St., in Uptown Village, for a report of a commercial burglary that just occurred. Police dispatch logs show 911 callers reported hearing an audible alarm coming from the business around the same time.

About a half-hour later, officers were dispatched to New Vansterdam Recreational Marijuana Dispensary at 6515 E. Mill Plain Blvd. for a commercial burglary in progress.

Vancouver police spokeswoman Kim Kapp said in an email that the shops were burglarized by suspects who forced their way inside and smashed display cases, “stealing unknown merchandise.”

“It appears that both burglaries involve the same two suspects, a tall male and a shorter male or female,” Kapp said. No other information was immediately available.

Two large windows on the side of Main Street Marijuana facing West 24th Street were boarded up Monday morning. Reached by phone, owner Adam Hamide said the thieves caused $3,000 in damage.

As soon as the thieves broke into the store, the business’ alarm started blaring, Hamide said. It must have spooked them, he said, because they were in and out of the store in 20 seconds. In that short time, they damaged a display case with the butt of a firearm and grabbed $50 of product, Hamide said.

The store is offering a $5,000 reward for any information about the burglary.

Hamide said he got a call Monday from a car theft victim who had retrieved their stolen vehicle and found merchandise from Main Street Marijuana inside. Hamide said the merchandise was not taken from the store during the break-in, however. He said the car owner also found marijuana paraphernalia that had previously been sold at the store and one of the suspect’s distinctive sweatshirts.

“That makes me think one of the people is a long-term customer. We’re going to have to go through tons of video and see if we can find someone who matches,” Hamide said.

It’s the second time within a month that the shop has been burglarized — the only break-ins since it opened more than five years ago. The owner is considering investing in new security equipment as a result.

Efforts to reach the owner of New Vansterdam were unsuccessful Monday.