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Two Rivers Heritage Museum Reopens After Winter Maintenance Closure

Washougal, WA – The Two Rivers Heritage Museum will reopen their doors on Saturday, March 2, 2024, after their annual winter maintenance closure.  Open each Saturday through October from 11 am to 3 pm, volunteer guides accompany visitors through the museum to offer interesting extra information and stories as well as answer questions. 

The museum, located at 1 Durgan Street in downtown Washougal, is operated by Camas-Washougal Historical Society volunteers and features a wealth of photos, artifacts and information about the people, places, and businesses prominent in the early years of Camas and Washougal.  

“Our goals this year are for more members and volunteers, and to spread the word about why people should visit our museum,” said CWHS president, Dick Lindstrom.  “We are the ‘best kept secret’ in the area and actually get more visitors from out of town than from our own community. We hope more locals will come in and see all the artifacts we have on display that are sure to stir up some memories!”

During the maintenance shut down volunteers carefully cleaned and cared for the museum’s extensive Native American basket collection.  

“Our objective is to use best practices when working with these precious artifacts,” said Richard Johnson, a volunteer. “This means proper cleaning, updating our display using non-damaging plexiglass stands, and careful storage to give some baskets a resting period. All these steps will help preserve the collection.”

Recently museum leadership prepared for reopening with a volunteer training session and a clean-up day to make sure the space shines.  Popular displays include artifacts and information on Native American baskets and stone tools, early physicians, fishing, lumber and farming industries, a 30s style kitchen, woodworking tools, early mining, military uniforms and artifacts, teddy bears, Camas and Washougal High Schools, beautiful depression era glass bowls and vases, musical instruments and more.

The museum gift shop offers a new selection of postcards featuring historic photos of Camas and Washougal and images of artifacts in the museum, beautiful rugs woven onsite with Pendleton wool fabric trimmings, a variety of surplus antiques as well as many books about local history by local authors.

The Two Rivers Heritage Museum admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $2 for students and free for children under 5 and all CWHS members.  Group tours are available any day of the week (by appointment only).  Leave a message at 360-835-8742 for scheduling.

CWHS is always looking for volunteers and new members to join and help support the preservation of local history. More information about the CWHS and the Two Rivers Heritage Museum can be found on their website at www.2rhm.com.

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Vancouver Volcanoes Basketball ‘Meet the Team’ Event Coming Feb. 28

On February 28th, the Vancouver Volcanoes basketball team is hosting a fun “Meet the Team” event at Chuck E. Cheese in Vancouver from 5 to 8 pm. 

Guests can enjoy special deals on food and games, and the public can join the Volcanoes for a fun night of pizza and games alongside the team. Plus, it is a way for fans to get excited about the upcoming season. 

The location for Meet The Team event is 7721 NE Vancouver Plaza Dr, Vancouver, WA 98662. All Volcanoes home games are played at Clark College from March to May, with the first one on March 8th vs the Salem Capitals.

Learn more at vancouvervolcanoes.com

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Community Partnerships Boost Literacy Efforts in Washougal Schools

Washougal, WA — Elementary students at Washougal School District benefit from a flurry of early literacy programs this winter. Recent book donations and literacy grants at Washougal schools help to provide young learners with early reading materials. Early literacy lays the foundation for future learning by strengthening critical thinking skills, creativity, and comprehension. 

“I like to read because if I’m having a stressful day, it calms me down,” said Nora Persons, 5th grade student at Gause Elementary.

Literacy is also an early indicator of academic success. Washougal School District students outperformed the state overall in English Language Arts on the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) standardized test last year. “When kids discover an early passion for reading, it immerses them in their areas of interest and introduces them to new avenues for discovery,” said Hillary Chapman, Librarian TOSA at Washougal School District.

Read Northwest Hosts Free Book Giveaways

Read Northwest hosted book giveaway events for first through third grade students at Hathaway Elementary, Columbia River Gorge Elementary, and Gause Elementary School this winter. This program is made possible thanks to donations of books from the Molina Foundation via the Children’s Literacy Project. Every student was able to choose one free book to take home from the hundreds of options set up in a book fair-style display at the event.

“Our goal is to not only foster a love for reading among children but also to ensure that every child has access to the resources they need to build their literacy skills. We want every student to have the chance to own a book they’re excited about,” said Anna Paul, Washougal Schools Volunteer Coordinator with Read Northwest.

Gause Booster Volunteers Fundraise to Replace Library Books

Volunteers with the Gause Boosters organized a fundraiser to replace lost, stolen or damaged books from the Gause Elementary library this year. The initiative reflects the community’s investment in childhood literacy and commitment to ensuring that students have access to a wide range of reading materials. 

“Reading is important because it makes you smarter,” said Avery Williams, kindergarten student at Gause Elementary.

Booster groups support Washougal schools to help meet a wide range of needs. Learn more about volunteering at Washougal School District: Volunteer – WSD (washougal.k12.wa.us)

Camas-Washougal Rotary Donates New Books to Third Grade Classrooms

In December, the Camas-Washougal Rotary donated books to third grade classrooms across Camas and Washougal elementary schools. Over 30 classrooms received a basket of 25 reading level books and a dictionary. This initiative, funded primarily through the annual Ducky Derby and supplemented by ongoing rotary donations, fosters a culture of reading among early learners. This donation helps to provide Washougal kids with a greater variety of reading materials, encouraging students to find new passions and interests through reading.

Washougal
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A Nation in Motion: Where Did People Move In 2023, and Why?

If you look at this migration map, you’ll see the top states where people are moving to include states with warm weather, such as South Carolina, Arizona, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Florida. It appears we’re flocking to states with warm weather, but there is more to it than people getting tired of snow and ice. California had a serious exodus in 2023 despite the glorious weather. Let’s take a closer look at why people moved where they did in 2023.

Lower Cost of Living

Since COVID, there has been a surge of individuals who work from home. While many of the remote workers have gone back to their offices, a number of people started their own businesses where they work from home. Professionals, such as therapists, also learned they can work from home and have virtual appointments with clients.

When you work from home, it does not matter where you live as long as you have a high-speed internet connection. Housing costs are less, as are groceries, car insurance, and more. When you pay less to live, you can keep more of your profits for yourself.

Spacious Homes and Yards

Some of the top cities where people are moving from include Los Angeles, Seattle, and Chicago. There are pleasant cities, but homes are expensive. When moving to cities such as Tucson and Charleston, which are top inbound cities, families with kids crammed into small city apartments in places like NYC find spacious homes with large yards attractive. They can have gardens, livestock, treehouses, and other things people in tiny apartments and houses in some cities only dream about.

Lifestyle Benefits

States like New Jersey to Connecticut, are losing residents who are getting tired of the fast-paced lifestyle they lead. Most southern states have a noticeably slower atmosphere, with far fewer traffic jams and people greeting each other as they walk down the street instead of racing to their next destination. Stress may be okay for people in their 20s, but as we get older, we realize a life with less stress leads to longer and generally happier lives.

Better Employment Opportunities and No State Income Tax

California, with its famous tech industry rates, is losing residents rapidly. Individuals realize that other places, like Tucson, AZ, and Charleston, SC, have booming tech sectors without the very high cost of living. Salaries in Silicon Valley are high, but the housing costs eat the money up quickly. People are also moving to states, like Tennessee and Florida, with no state income tax, allowing residents to keep more of their money in their pockets.

Living Closer to Nature

States like Arizona, Florida, and South Carolina are seeing more people who choose to live there to be near nature. Beaches, state parks, and golfing are more enjoyable in places with sunny weather. Living near nature is also appealing to people who now work from home and want to get out and away from their computers.

People have different reasons for moving to another state, it’s clear some states are far more popular than others and other states are losing residents every year. Only time will tell to see if this trend continues in 2024.

By: Katherine Robinson, a writer for Allied Van Lines

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Five Things to Know Before Getting a Storage Unit

Storage units are ideal for freeing up space in your home, storage for items you use in your home business, or keeping your belongings while moving or being deployed in the military. They are convenient to give you additional space and declutter your home. Here are five things to consider when renting your first storage unit:

1. Types of Units Available

There are indoor storage facilities and outdoor ones that you can pull your vehicle up to load and unload. The indoor storage units are typically climate-controlled, which is ideal for anything affected by extreme cold or humidity. Outdoor units are not climate-controlled, but they are less expensive. The self-storage units come in various sizes, ranging from 5’x5’ to 10’x20’ or larger. If you plan to access the storage unit before permanently removing your items, be sure to get a large enough unit to easily access your belongings with an aisle down the middle so you can reach items in the back.

2. What Will I Store?

Most self-storage facilities have safety restrictions prohibiting you from storing certain items. These can include firearms, hazardous materials, and anything illegal. Most people use them for household goods, furniture, and holiday decorations that they don’t want to sell or donate.

3. What Do I Need to Do to Rent a Self-Storage Unit?

Find one in a convenient location that is reasonably priced. Read the contract carefully. There can be a minimum amount of time you have to rent the unit, although most are month to month. It’s rare to find anywhere that will let you rent for less than a month, minimum. Focus on what happens if you are late making your payment or forget to pay. You could lose all your possessions if the facility auctions off the contents. They will make you pay to have the lock cut off and an auction fee as well if you default on your payments. Consider letting the facility have automatic payments from your bank account if this is offered. You also have to show a valid government ID to rent a self-service storage unit. Tell a family member about your unit and leave them the information in case anything ever happens to you and you are in the hospital, so you don’t lose your stuff.

4. Access

Find out what times you can access your storage unit. It may be 24 hours, but many facilities only allow access during normal business hours. If you only have a vehicle you can use to move stuff out, this will be important.

5. Security

Indoor and outdoor self-storage facilities should be well-lit with security cameras. A guard on the premises is even better. You’ll be supplying your lock to guard your items safely. The facility may have insurance you can buy, or your homeowner’s insurance may cover the contents. Photograph and list your most valuable items in case you ever need to put in a claim. If your unit is broken into, it is usually your responsibility unless the storage unit was negligent, like forgetting to lock the gate. Never store anything irreplaceable, like valuable jewelry, in a self-storage unit. Get a safety deposit at your bank instead for those items.

By: Katherine Robinson, a writer for SMARTBOX

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Camas Boys Swim Team Swim Wins District Title in Undefeated Season

The Camas Boys Swim team won the District IV title Saturday at Walla Walla, WA (Whitman College) capping off an undefeated 2023-24 season.

“It was an incredible meet,” said Camas Head coach, Kelly Dean. “It is a bi-district meet. We won our district 4 (459 points) Union second at 272. Hanford from District 8 won the bi- district meet.”

Camas tied for first in the 200 medley relay — Owen Yam, Tenzin Kelsang, James Crawford, Sahn Kim. 

Camas placed 1st and 2nd in the 100 free — Tenzin Kelsang and Pranaya Shrestha.

In the 200 free relay, Camas placed 2nd by a hair to Union. Papermakers Alan Xie, Pranaya Shrestha, Tenzin Kelsang and Sahn Kim.

In the 100 breast- Camas placed 1st (Sahn Kim) and 3rd (Tenzin Kelsang).

Swim
Team captains: Luka Obradovic, Sahm Kim, and Tyler Sutherland.
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Change Your World by Hosting an Exchange Student

Nonprofit group seeks volunteer host families for foreign exchange students

Camas, WA —Greenheart Exchange, the nonprofit student exchange organization, seeks volunteer host families to host exchange students for the 2024-25 school year.  Each year, Greenheart provides over 900 exchange students from more than 60 countries the opportunity to study in local public high schools for a five-month semester or a ten-month academic high school year.

“Host families make all of the difference,” said Marcelle Benedicta, Vice President of Greenheart International. “They influence a young adult’s life–changing world views and making dreams come true. When a host family is so willing to give, they have as many rewarding and enriching experiences as the student.”

Volunteer host families come from varied economic, religious, and racial backgrounds and include working parents, empty nesters, single parents, and single people. Host families are to provide:

  • Open communication, encouragement, patience, and sound advice
  • A separate bed, which can be in a shared room with a host sibling of similar age and same gender and a quiet place to study
  • Three daily meals
  • Local transportation (students are not permitted to drive while on the program
  • A welcoming home that includes the student as a member of your family!

Students have their own accident and health insurance and bring their own spending money. Students are encouraged to participate in school-sponsored activities, community service, and environmental programs. Greenheart Exchange provides regular communication and support to both host families and students.

For more information, visit: https://www.hostwithgreenheart.org

Contact Kristine Robb

Email: krisrobb@gmail.com or call 773-909-5257

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Opinion: How Recycling Works and Why You Should Be Doing It

In the United States alone, each consumer produces approximately five pounds of waste daily, and much of it ends up in landfills. This massive waste production cannot continue forever. The planet does not have infinite land to house it.

A large portion of the waste can and should be recycled. Simply recycling your plastic, aluminum, and cardboard lessens the strain on landfills and reduces the need to make more of these substances. Recycling is an invaluable tool to reduce pollution and preserve natural resources.

Process of Recycling

Most recycling follows a basic process that includes collection, sorting, and manufacturing. People usually have the choice of using curbside pickup or central drop bins. Depending on the service, recyclers may need to sort their items into plastic, paper, glass, etc. Motivated citizens need to make certain that much of their recyclable waste is collected.

This collected waste is taken to a recycling center where a more stringent sorting process takes place. All items are sorted into their specific category so that contamination does not take place during the manufacturing process. A glass bottle in with plastic or plastic in with cardboard can lead to serious difficulties later in the recycling process.

Finally, the items go through a manufacturing process that transforms them into usable raw materials. Paper is broken down into small fibers so it can become writing material, packaging, etc. Plastic is melted so that it can be molded into new shapes.

Benefits of Recycling

Recycling has many individual, geographical, and global benefits. On the individual level, people who recycle feel a sense of pride in protecting the planet. On a practical level, they may pay less for their garbage pickup when they remove their recyclable items from their general trash.

Geographically, recycling reduces the need for landfills, which can be an unsightly addition to your city or town. Also, landfill contents can leach into the water table and contaminate the soil despite numerous government regulations.

Globally, recycling in the U.S. helps the country’s standing around the globe. Some other countries are ahead of America in their recycling efforts and see it as unfairly damaging the world’s natural resources.

Reasons Why Recycling Will Help the Planet

Recycling helps the planet by reducing reliance on landfills and preventing discarded items, such as plastic bottles and straws, from being swept into the ocean or introduced into the natural habitat of wildlife. Plastic straws are already harming sea turtles and other animals by becoming lodged into their shells or impacting their digestive systems.

Recycling also cuts down on carbon dioxide emissions since it reduces the need to produce more plastic. Greenhouse gases are largely responsible for global warming, which is negatively affecting ocean levels and the world’s climate.

Recycling paper means fewer trees are cut down to make new paper products. As a result, everyone enjoys cleaner, healthier air. Trees also fight dangerous climate change.

Why Recycling Is Essential

Recycling is not optional to protect the world’s resources. Global warming is real, and the production of excessive waste is a huge contributor to this phenomenon. Although protecting the planet requires a global effort, it begins on the local level. When individuals take steps to recycle their waste, it helps the cause and hopefully contributes to a ripple effect in their communities and countries.

By: Katherine Robinson, a writer for Blue Stone Supply

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Finance: Five Ways to Save a Little Money

When money is tight, every little bit you can save helps. Here are a few simple ways to adjust your existing budget to free up some funds.

1- Review Your Subscriptions

Many people have automatic payments set up for a host of subscription services. You’re likely paying for something you don’t need, or even use. Take a look at your bank statement to pinpoint those recurring charges. Entertainment streaming service platforms, music subscriptions, gym memberships, and online publications are common ones to watch out for.

You may have signed up for a free trial of a service and then forgotten to cancel and now get charged each month. Even if it’s a service you use, consider the value it provides for the money. Will you really miss it? Perhaps you could choose your favorite streaming service and cancel the others. Or, opt for the free version where possible. You may have to watch or listen to some ads in between your chosen content, but you’ll save some money.

2- Switch to a Prepaid Phone Plan

Save yourself some serious cash by choosing a prepaid phone plan. Prepaid plans have lower per-minute rates and no hidden fees. You only pay for what you use, so you don’t have to worry about sky-high overage fees. Plus, there’s no contract, which means no hefty cancellation fees.

Plans for prepaid phones offer plenty of flexibility. You can choose from a range of plans and providers to find one that fits your needs. You get all the benefits of post-paid plans but without the unpleasant surprises showing up on your bill each month.

Prepaid phone plans are also great if your credit is less than perfect due to past financial difficulties or having little credit history. Most post-paid phone plans check your credit before finalizing your plan, which leaves this option out for some people. With prepaid, there is never a credit check to worry about.

3- Cook Meals at Home

Eating out costs a lot of money. If you visit restaurants multiple times a week, you’re likely spending more money on meals than needed. Instead, start planning and cooking your meals at home.

Cooking dinner together can even be an opportunity to spend time with your partner, family, or roommates. Make it an event by assigning everyone a job and sitting down together to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

You can also start to meal prep your lunches to avoid spending your money on expensive, and often unhealthy, fast food options. Select some recipes you love, create a grocery list, and go shopping for ingredients and essentials. Planning ahead helps you to reduce food waste and find great coupons and deals. When possible, shop for in-season produce to further lower your bill.

4- Review Your Insurance

Letting your current auto insurance policy renew year after year without reviewing the terms could be costing you money. Get quotes from several other car insurance companies to compare rates and find the best deal. Always check into available discounts. Safe drivers with no recent accident history often qualify for lower premiums. Some carriers give you the chance to save some money by using an app to monitor your driving and reward you for good habits.

5- Shop Around for Major Purchases

Some costs you just can’t avoid. Maybe you need to replace your washing machine or your refrigerator is acting up and needs repairs. Unless it’s a huge time-sensitive issue, try to spend a little time doing your research. If you must purchase a new appliance, you can secure a better deal by shopping around to compare prices. When you need repair work on non-essential items, opt for weekday appointments instead of weekend or after-hours service, which can cost a lot more.

Whether you’re saving up for a big upcoming expense, or want to stash a little extra away for an emergency fund, these easy budget hacks will help you lower your monthly bills by shopping smarter and putting a stop to wasting money on services you don’t need. Even these small changes can lead to big savings, less stress, and improved finances.

By: Katherine Robinson, a writer for Prepaid Bill

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Children’s Organ Transplant Association: Jan 23 Fundraiser Honoring Spencer Porche

Vancouver, WA — To celebrate the anniversary of Spencer Porche’s January 20, 2023 kidney transplant and 19th birthday, the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) is holding a fundraiser for the SpencerStrong campaign on January 23 at the Old Spaghetti Factory on Mill Plain in Vancouver, and will be held for the open hours, from 11:30 am-2 pm and 4:30 pm-9 pm. 

Porche has faced a lifetime of health issues, beginning with a premature birth at 3 pounds, 6 ounces, having only one kidney, along with severe food allergies. As he worked through all that he would be diagnosed at 16 with Stage 4 kidney disease. 

COTA helps children and young adults who need a life-saving transplant by providing fundraising assistance and family support. They stepped in and helped Spencer and his family, for which they are profoundly grateful. 

COTA invites you to be part of this January 23 fundraiser, and come enjoy a great meal at the Old Spaghetti Factory. If you would prefer to write a check, please add in the memo line “In honor of Spencer Porche.”

COTA is the nation’s only fundraising organization solely dedicated to raising life-saving dollars in honor of transplant-needy children and young adults. One hundred percent of each contribution made to COTA in honor of their patients helps meet transplant-related expenses. COTA’s services are free to their families, and gifts to COTA are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Learn more: www.cotaforspencerstrong.com

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