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Boys Scouts Change Policy on Gay Youth

Breaking News from KPVI: At Texas meeting, Boy Scouts approve new policy to allow openly gay scouts but not openly gay leaders. The vote was 61% in favor, according to Grand Teton Council Executive Clarke Farrer.

Under the proposal drafted by the BSA national board, openly gay adults will remained barred from serving as Scout leaders.

Today’s vote is unlikely to end the intense debate over the BSA’s long-standing policy.

Several church-sponsored Scout units want to continue to banning opening gay youth, and have threatened defection. Other units welcome the change, but have vowed for the acceptance of openly gay adult leaders.

To learn more, visit www.bsa.org

 
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Journey Theater Presents “Annie Get Your Gun”

The Journey Theater Arts Group is presenting multiple performances, beginning this Friday, of Irving Berlin’s “Annie Get Your Gun” at the Washburn Performing Arts Center in Washougal.

Annie
Annie Oakley is the best shot around, and she manages to support her little brothers and sisters by selling the game she hunts. When she’s discovered by Col. Buffalo Bill, he persuades this sharpshooter to join his Wild West Show. It only takes one glance for her to fall for shooting ace Frank Butler, who headlines the show.

Annie soon eclipses Butler as the main attraction, which is good for business, but upsets the budding  romance. Butler eventually leaves to join a rival show, and is ultimately pitted against Annie in a final shoot-out. The finale hits the mark in a testament to the power of female ingenuity.

The theater is located at 1201 39th Street, Washougal, WA 98671. Tickets can be purchased at the door or at www.journeytheater.org

 

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Camas Varsity Softball Heads to State Thursday

The Papermakers have had a great softball
2013 season (19-5).

The Camas High School Varsity Softball team heads to State competition in Spokane on Thursday as the No. 2 seed, after losing in the Bi-District Championships in Spanaway over the weekend.

The Lady Papermakers played four games (3-1) in the Bi-District tournament and held Emerald Ridge 1-0 until the bottom of the seventh inning when Emerald got off two hits to win the game 2-1.

Camas faces Lake Stevens on Friday at noon as they enter the double-elimination tournament.

“We can do this,” said Papermaker second baseman, Lena Richards. “We’ve had such a great season, but it was crushing to lose to Emerald Ridge. This is our second loss to them.”

The team has had an incredible season winning 19 games, and losing only five.

Richards attributes their success to good team chemistry, hard work, excellent coaching, supportive fans, and, of course, talent.

The last time a Camas softball team won a state championship was in 2002.

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Little Leaguer Terry Hits 1st Home Run

Camas Little League and Majors Mariners hitter Zach Terry hit it out of the park Friday night against Columbia Little League at the start of a three-day Majors District 4 Tournament. Terry hit it right over the fence. His Mariners team beat their Columbia opponents.

 

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Dozer Day Happiness: 3 Boys Having a Blast

Dozer Day!  Three boys enjoy the fun that was Dozer Day this weekend in East Vancouver. Kids had the opportunity to operate real heavy machinery at Cemex Quarry. The annual event is organized by the Nutter Foundation in an effort to raise money for charity. To learn more, visit www.dozerday.org
Dozer Day

 

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2013 Nissan Sentra: Loaded With More Style

For the last 30 years the Nissan Sentra has been an able car with good gas mileage and a proven reliability record. It was the car seen at the high school student parking lot, in front of college dorms, on daily work commutes or driven by young families.

It’s been the car that COULD, and has been a very practical part of the American scene.

The completely redesigned 2013 Nissan Sentra continues that tradition, but it also earns some serious style credentials. It almost feels like the car grew up, and is ready for a different phase in its history as it competes in the small sedan market. Its nose gives it a more sophisticated presence while the redesigned taillights have an Infiniti aura. And it also has a more aerodynamic look than the previous model.

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This new model rests on an all-new platform that is about two inches longer and 150 pounds lighter.

The SL model we tested had a gray interior that was practical, surprisingly roomy and cleverly designed. The dashboard ergonomics were impressive, but also simple, with a fun-to-use touch command center. You instantly felt comfortable and in control of the car’s electronic features.

Nissan engineers were generous with interior space, giving the car plenty of head and legroom with enough space leftover for a nice size trunk. It was enough to haul four baseball gear bags, catcher’s gear, and four school backpacks with room to spare.
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We tested the Sentra on winding Pacific Northwest roads and freeways, and spent a lot of time touting it around the city. Though no racecar, the Sentra has adequate acceleration and a solid ride for 1.8L four-cylinder vehicle (putting out 130 horsepower). It moved when we needed it to, and we arrived at each destination in style. It handled corners well.
The CVT transmission was designed to be more compact and economical and it performed quietly in both city and highway driving.
Sentra
The SL model starts at $19,590 MSRP and touts 39 mpg highway/30 city. We feel that’s a very good price point for a car in this class. During our weeklong test period, the Sentra averaged 29.2 miles per gallon. And we did a lot of city driving.
Nissan offers the car in eight exterior colors with seven interior trim options. The SL comes with the following:
  • 4-cyl. engine
  • Continuously variable transmission
  • Up to 30 cty/39 hwy mpg
  • Bluetooth
  • iPod input
  • Satellite radio
  • Side/curtain airbags
  • Stability control
  • Traction control
  • Navigation system (optional)

It also had a kicking sound system with Bose speakers.

The Sentra comes standard with anti-lock brakes, stability control, front and side curtain airbags, as well as active front head restraints.

Our verdict: The 2013 Nissan Sentra has stepped it up a couple of notches in terms of style, design, space and comfort but has maintained its roots as being a practical car with good gas mileage.

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Camas Sends 16 to State Track & Field

Efraimson No.1 in Nation for 1600m

KENT, WA (Meridian High School) – The Camas High School Track & Field team had a very successful showing at Regionals competition this past weekend, including several first-place finishes and a new meet/school record.

In total, 16 Papermakers qualified for State competition this coming week (May 23-25) at Mount Tahoma High School.

Sophomore Alexa Efraimson set a new meet/school record in the 800m (2:06.54) and also won the 1600m (4:58.70) and the 4×400 Relay, along with teammates Cami Parsons, Jordan Davis, and McKenzie Good. Kimi Knight and Ali Nuce competed in the Prelims for the 4×400 event, and are part of the relay team going to State, as well.

In addition, Alexa Efraimson is now the nation’s top-ranked 800m runner.

Sophomore Alissa Pudlitzke placed second in the 3200m (11:05.85), just behind Sofia Kane, of Olympia.

“I’m excited to go to State in the 3200 and happy about my placing at Bi-Districts in the 3200m,” said Pudlitzke.

Senior Grayson Anderson qualified for State in the High Jump (6’) and 200m (23.02) and is looking forward to his final high school meet.

“Into state I want to qualify for the finals in the 200,” says Anderson. “I feel like that would be a great conclusion to my season for sprints. As for the High Jump I want to win it all. I want to be the state champion. I placed fifth my sophomore year and third my junior year and I just feel that this year it’s my turn to take home the gold. I have had such an incredible season here at Camas so it’s hard to summarize the track and field program. We are more than just a team – we are a family. We win together and we lose together. Before this season I thought that track was an individual sport. Now I know that it’s so much more than that. I came to Camas High School specifically for the track program and it has been the best decision I’ve ever made.”

Camas sophomore Alexa Efraimson is the No. 1 ranked 800m high school
runner in the nation (2:06.54).

Senior Andrew Kaler qualified for State in the 1600m (4:20.89) and 3200m (9:29.64) events, placing eighth in both.

“Well I was pretty happy about my performances this weekend,” said Kaler. “I had personal records in both these races, and coming into both of them I was not ranked to make it to State. However, I knew that I could make it and so I went out there with the attitude that I was going to make it, and it ended up happening, which I was psyched about. Looking ahead to these next two races at State, I know that there will be a lot of great guys competing, and so I hope to just go out there and get into the pack and see what happens. I am really excited and I hope for the best for me, my teammates, and even the people from our district.”

Senior Lauren Neff placed fifth in the Long Jump (5’) while Freshman Caleigh Lofstead placed fifth (10’) in Pole Vault, — both are State qualifiers. Sophomore Nicole Corbett qualified for State in the Discus (133’-1”), as did Seniors Amber Corbett (second place at 130”-4”) and McKenna Jackson (111”-0”) for Javelin. Amber set a new school record for Javelin.

Junior Josh Ryan placed sixth in the Long Jump (21’-3”) and Senior Blane Behrent, who’s still nursing an injury, placed third in the Pole Vault (13’).

“It was a roller coaster ride at Regionals,” said Camas Co-Head Track Coach Alisa Wise. “These kids really worked hard in the Prelims, which are brutal with everyone fighting to get into the finals. A lot goes into strategizing for these meets. It’s about managing their schedules, and we just have to play it really smart and careful.”

In other local Track & Field news, Skyview’s Colby Gilbert placed first in the 1600m (4:15.22) and 3200m (9:11.35) events.

“I trained a lot in the off-season,” says Gilbert. “And really enjoyed the running! And I’m just doing some tune-up stuff to stay confident (for State).”

Other Skyview athletes who qualified for State are: the Boys 4×100 team (Kevin Washington, Kalvin Johnson, Forrest Russell, Kris Quintanilla), Aubrey Wardell (Shot Put and Javelin), Forest Russel (Long Jump), Emily Morrison (Triple Jump) and Jucinda Rose (Pole Vault).

Wise isn’t used to having such a few number of kids compete at State, and she attributes that to the change from 3A to 4A this school season.

“4A has a higher concentration of quality,” Wise says. “Where 3A may have one to three great times, all the 4A times are fast! But the bottom line is the kids who qualified are the kids who will have the best chance at scoring.”

 

Camas Senior Grayson Anderson at the start of the 200m at Regionals.
Photo by Pamela Anderson.
Camas Senior Grayson Anderson at Regionals this weekend.
Photo by Pamela Anderson.

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Theater: “Once Upon a Mattress” Premieres

Theater performance begins Thursday.

CAMAS — The Liberty Middle School drama team has been hard at work getting ready for their Thursday night opening of their play, “Once Upon a Mattress.”

The musical begins at 7 pm Thursday, May 16 at CHS Theatre, with additional showings on May 17 at 7 pm, and May 18 at 2 pm.

Theater Brilliance

If you thought you knew the story of ‘The Princess and The Pea,’ you may be in for a walloping surprise! Did you know, for instance, that Princess Winnifred actually swam the moat to reach Prince Dauntless the Drab? Or that Lady Larken’s love for Sir Harry provided a rather compelling reason that she reach the bridal altar post haste? Or that, in fact, it wasn’t the pea at all that caused the princess a sleepless night? Carried on a wave of wonderful songs, by turns hilarious and raucous, romantic and melodic, this rollicking spin on the familiar classic of royal courtship and comeuppance provides for some side-splitting shenanigans. Chances are you’ll never look at fairy tales quite the same way again.

To learn more, visit www.camas.wednet.edu

Acting play

Stephanie Knight acts out a scene with her cast mates.



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Thrown Out Professional Baseball Bats Find New Life

Snowbird Joe Pleckinger has taken recycling to another level.

An avid baseball fan, Pleckinger turns broken, worn out professional bats into handy must-have household items and gadgets that catch your eye. You’ll never know which major leaguer crushed it to the fences when you salt your fries, flip your burger, or cut your pizza.

Pleckinger’s shop in Arizona has become his center of innovation, as he turns bat handles into a putting iron grip, a unique spatula, or pen holder. His latest is a towel rack that is a must-have for anyone who loves baseball.

Repurposing these Louisville sluggers has become a passion for Pleckinger, who along with his wife, Carole, spends the harsh Northwest winter months in sunny, warm Arizona. That’s where he has his shop, and that’s where he’s built relationships with professional baseball teams who travel to the land of sun for Spring Training.

He’s friends with staff and players on two professional teams — the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals, and he manages to collect their broken, worn out bats destined for the trash heap.

“I do this for fun,” says Pleckinger, who spends the late spring and summer months in Vancouver/Camas, where he enjoys watching his grandsons, Jake and Zach Blair, play baseball.

“It’s a hobby,” he said. “I just love creating these handy gadgets for people. I’m told how much people love to have these in their homes, so I just keep making more.”

Grandpa Joe, as some call him, continues to expand his line. He recently installed a towel rack in the Camas Little League Snack Shack, and now has a walking cane in his product line. The salt and pepper shakers, though, are fun conversation starters.

“People love the salt and pepper shakers,” said Pleckinger. “And you never know which major league baseball player swing these bats. It’s all about having a good time.”

And for those who are interested in seeing Pleckinger’s products, or would like to hear a good baseball story, are welcome to call him. He can be reached at 623-792-8740 or 360-892-8740.

You’re bound to have a good time. Play ball!

 

Photo by Kris Blair.
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Softball: Camas Girls Varsity Undefeated in League

The Camas Girls Varsity Softball team finished league play Wednesday night winning against Battle Ground, 5-1, and holding onto their winning streak.

Their record earned them a spot in the District Championship game next Tuesday, May 14 at Heritage High School against the winner of Monday’s 6pm game.

Win or lose the girls will play on Friday, May 17 at 10 am in the Bi-District Tournament.

Details to come.

Softball

 

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