In case you missed it, here are some of the top stories of the week:
Does Vancouver need a $100,000 mayor?
Do Vancouver's mayor and city council deserve a hefty pay raise? Mayor Tim Leavitt thinks so, along with at least one member of the city Salary Review Commission, which must set the mayor and council's 2017-2018 salaries by May 1. In early 2014, the five-member salary review commission hiked Leavitt's monthly pay for 2015-2016 from $2,200 to $2,300, which amounts to $27,600 a year. The other councilors were given a bump from $1,781 a month to $1,800, which is $21,600 a year. The mayor pro tem earns $2,000 a month. Learn what lawmakers think they should make.WSP effort targets 'left-lane hogs'
Buzzing south Thursday morning on Interstate 5, Trooper Will Finn glanced to his left to see a driver in the left lane throw her hands up in frustration at the minivan in front of her. The minivan was traveling slower than the speed limit and was passed on the right by another vehicle. "That's exactly why we're out here," Finn said. "When traffic is passing you on the right, that's a good indicator to move over." A top complaint the Washington State Patrol receives is about left-lane violators, or "left-lane hogs," as Finn calls them. Read more about the WSP's sting.Gold's Gym opens next week in Vancouver Mall (video)
The signs and the promotions make it obvious from the outside, but it really hits when walking in — you’re not in Nordstrom anymore.
Gold’s Gym is putting the final touches on its takeover of the former Vancouver Mall retailer before it opens March 24, and the cardio cinema, the sound-absorbing floors and the group training rooms are definitely new additions.
“I’m really happy how it turned out,” said franchise owner Mike Williams during a tour of the gym Thursday.
Learn more about more changes at the mall and watch a video.
Ocean salmon fishing closure mulled for this summer
State, federal and tribal officials are considering closing all salmon fishing off the Washington and Northern Oregon coasts in 2016 to protect weak runs of wild coho.
The Pacific Fishery Management Council met for a week ending Saturday in California and developed three options for this summer. Two of the options would permit minimal salmon fishing, but one would close recreational and commercial ocean fishing for chinook and coho.
The closest thing to a total closure in the ocean was in 1984, when seasons were severely restricted.
Read more about the proposals to limit fishing.