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Camas Boutique Hotel Hires New Resident Manager Stephanie Curtis

Camas, WA — As the Camas Boutique Hotel continues to make changes under its new ownership team, they’ve hired Stephanie Curtis as the historic venue’s new Resident Manager.

Curtis comes from Best Western Tigard, where she started at the front desk, worked as a sales champion, was promoted to front desk manager, then performed duties as assistant general manager.

As the Camas Boutique Hotel’s Resident Manager she lives at the hotel full time. 

“This means I cover the front desk the majority of the time,” said Curtis. “It means if anything happens overnight I will be there to help them. I secure the property and make sure the guests over night are taken care of.”

She’s taking her 5.5 years of experience in the hospitality industry to help promote the hotel, and the area, as well.

“I want people to know it is a unique property,” said Curtis. “I would consider it a landmark because it’s historic. Every room is different, each has a different decor. If you like something quaint or simple, this is the place for you. I also like that it has access to many activities. You don’t even have to leave the city of Camas to do stuff — we have great restaurants, bars, shopping, the movie theatre.” 

Hotel Improvements

“We are doing full inspections of the rooms,” Curtis said. “We took a full inventory of what’s down there in the basement so we know what we have or need. We’ve replaced lighting fixtures and shower curtains. We continue to replace mattresses. We may do some type of theme room. They’ve purchased all new linens. In the public areas we are doing upgrades but keeping the historic style. We’re making it a more modernized boutique hotel.”

The hotel’s new breakfast partnership with Natalia’s Cafe is also going well.

“We hear nothing but good things from our guests about Natalia’s,” Curtis said. 

Bouncing Back From The Pandemic

On the weekends, the hotel is sold out. Mid-week, they are typically at 70 percent capacity or better. 

“People are getting out of their shell a little bit more, to enjoy the property, enjoy the town,” she added.

“In hospitality you get to meet so many different people. No day is the same. You’re essentially doing something different every day. We’re here to greet guests who sometimes aren’t familiar with this area, or maybe they’re in town for a funeral. We want them to have a positive experience. I love this little place.”

To book a room, visit www.camasboutiquehotel.com

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Washougal Mayoral Candidate Derik Ford Arrested For Domestic Violence

Camas, WA — The Camas Police Department reported today the arrest of Washougal mayoral candidate Derik Ford for one count of Assault IV-Domestic Violence during a Wednesday incident.

Initially, the Washougal Police were dispatched to the Ford residence following the report of an assault. Upon arrival, they learned the suspect was Derik Ford, owner of 2 Rivers Bar and Grill in Washougal, who had already left the scene. The report says the responding officers recognized Ford as a mayoral candidate and requested assistance from the Camas Police to eliminate any conflict of interest.

Camas officers interviewed Ford’s wife, and they reported a physical altercation had occurred and that she had been assaulted by Ford. Officers noticed red marks and scratches on his wife that corroborated her report. His wife declined medical treatment at the time of the report.

Camas officers contacted Ford at a different location and interviewed him. The report said he told officers there had been a “heated” argument but denied any physical confrontation. Officers noted marks on his wife that indicated otherwise. 

Following his arrest, Ford told officers that his wife had struck him but he didn’t want her to get into any trouble. 

Based on his wife’s statements, apparent injuries, and Ford’s inconsistent statements, officers determined there was probable cause to arrest Ford for Assault IV-DV. He was arrested and booked into the Clark County Jail for one count of Assault IV-Domestic Violence.

As of this morning, he was at Clark County Jail.

Ford has a history of domestic legal troubles. His former wife filed a temporary restraining order against him in May 2015 in Washington County, Oregon to prevent domestic abuse. Court documents show that Ford admitted to one count, and agreed to a two-year bench probation. 

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Flash Wash Recommends Regular Car Cleaning During Harsh Winter Months

Vancouver, WA — Our current weather is quite nice, but we all know the rain and harsher weather is coming. The Pacific Northwest can have some brutal winters, so keeping your vehicle clean in winter makes your car last longer. Washing your car in winter helps prevent rust, keeps ice off your windshield, and protects you vehicle’s paint.

Never underestimate the importance keeping your car clean by regularly washing it throughout winter. Don’t just view the three-month season as hiatus from car washing. While it might be easy to dismiss the new extra icy coat the winter adds to your vehicle as just frozen water; it pays to get it off your car as soon as soon as it accumulates. 

Here are four main reasons you should regularly wash your car throughout winter:

  1. Rust. Winter’s elements can cause rust on a car, and once rust starts it’s hard to stop. Rust can show up anywhere – under the paint, under the car where there is bare metal, and in areas of your car you didn’t know existed. Rust is just one of several preventable issues.
  2. Paint Protection. Keeping your car clean and waxed during the winter adds an extra layer of protection to the body paint. Ceramics are key to that protection.
  3. Minimizes need for part replacement. Some barely noticeable car parts like the windshield and back window wipers as well as the mud guard plates may be easy to forget but still play a crucial role in your vehicle’s overall efficiency. During car winterization, most professional mechanics, on the assumption you won’t be cleaning your car often, advise you to buy several pairs of wipers.
  4. Protect your investment. Regular car wash over winter helps protect your investment. It not only assists maintain its originality but also helps improve its resale value.

Car wash memberships help protect your car, especially during those harsh winter months. How many times have you finished washing your car only to find out that it is about to rain? Seriously! It is amazing how the sky can be clear and sunny one minute and sloppy the next. It almost seems like getting your car washed is a sure way to jinx the weather. But after spending money to get your car cleaned, the last thing you want to do is drive right back to the car wash to do it all over again.

That is where a car wash membership pays off. A car wash membership is a subscription service where you pay a set fee each month for a certain number of washes. Like a newspaper or Netflix subscription, you do not need to pay every time you use the service. That way, you can get your car cleaned whenever you need to. Whenever it is dirty. As often as you want.

Flash Wash, located in Vancouver at 164th and Cascade Park Drive, offers such a service. They offer three washes, which can be purchased as monthly memberships with unlimited visits and washes:

  1. Flash Wash ($29.99/month) is a premium wash with ceramics that add an extra coating on your vehicle along with a longer lasting shine and protection. The ceramics help bead off the rain.
  2. Bolt Wash ($23.99/month) comes with wax and clear coat protectant, which adds an extra protectant on your vehicle.
  3. Spark Wash ($14.99/month) is a basic service that cleans your vehicle without wax and wheel cleaning.

Flash Wash offers a special $5 memberships for the first month, which then goes into a recurring charge.

“It’s a really good deal,” said McCallum, operator of Flash Wash. “And we want the public to know that a part of our tunnel recycles some of our car wash water. Most of our tunnel runs off fresh water but some of it is recycled water. And we feel like we offer the best car wash in the area.”

McCallum also emphasizes the importance of the ceramics at Flash Wash. Citing concerns about chemical staining from naturally acidic contaminants in the environment, she said the ceramics help reduce those contaminants from bonding to a vehicle’s paint. And, she thinks this is even more important in winter.

“Ceramics are more durable, and they will produce a deeper gloss and shine than traditional wax,” McCallum added. “I also want people to know that Flash Wash is a great place to work, that we have a great team, and that Flash Wash wants to give back to the community. You can contact us via our website: https://flashwashcarwash.com/contact-us/ “

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Washougal School District Welcomes New Transportation Supervisor

Washougal WA — Washougal School District welcomed new Transportation Supervisor David Tsao on August 30, 2021.  Tsao had worked at Bainbridge Island School District since 2013 as a bus driver and, for the past four years, a driver trainer. In that role he provided administrative support as part of the Bainbridge Island Transportation Leadership Team.

Through his experience in transportation, Tsao is well versed in the challenges school bus drivers face.  

“It takes a special type of person with skills to drive a big vehicle and multitask,” Tsao explained.  “Drivers need to be constantly aware of what is going on around them in and outside of the bus and prioritize their focus.”

The physical task of driving the bus becomes a smaller concern once a driver earns their license, according to Tsao.  

“The biggest issue is the 40-50 children they are responsible for,” he said. “They are precious cargo!  And the best drivers have compassion for kids.  They can connect and relate to each of them even with the variety of family environments kids come from.  Once they leave their home, our bus drivers are the first adult they see before school and the last one after.”

Prior to working with the Bainbridge School District, Tsao had extensive experience in business and financial management during his first career in construction and facilities/property management and real estate development. He established long standing relationships with national retailers, local commercial clients, and local government agencies.

Tsao was responsible for all financial and operational aspects of a construction management business, establishing operational overhead budgets and revenue goals with senior management staff. He was responsible for overseeing payroll for nearly 200 employees and actively involved in recruiting, hiring and supervising staff as well as involved in continuing education, personal accountability, and staff development with outside consulting firms.

“My philosophy when working with one employee or a group of employees, is we need to work as a team to get the job done,” he explained.  “We may have different roles, with some in a union and others in management, but we need to keep in mind that we are all working toward the same goal and to find a common solution.”

Tsao received his Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Washington. He is a Washington State Certified Bus Driver and Trainer and a Washington State Department of License Class B CDL Trainer. He is also fluent in Mandarin Chinese and hopes that he will be able to support our students and families if an opportunity arises.

Tsao was drawn to the area due to its proximity to the Columbia River Gorge and Portland. “I am excited to be in Washougal,” he said. “I wanted to find a place to work that could use my expertise and experience.  Bainbridge is actually a larger district, but Washougal has a larger Transportation Department.  I am looking forward to taking on that challenge.”

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Lacamas Lake Drawdown Scheduled to Begin September 13

CAMAS, WA — Officials with the City of Camas Public Works department have announced that the annual drawdown of Lacamas Lake is scheduled to begin Sept. 13.

Beginning at 8 a.m., Monday, Sept. 13, 2021, the City will reduce the total level of Lacamas Lake by approximately six-feet, in order to achieve the level needed to facilitate dam inspections and repairs.  

The drawdown should take a few days, with the minimum level being reached by the approximate date of Friday, Sept. 27, 2021.

Once inspections and repairs have taken place, the process to refill the lake to normal levels is scheduled to begin Oct. 25.  Officials expect this process to take several weeks, depending on rainfall volumes.

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Yshai Boussi Apologizes For Condemning Republicans At CHS Freshman Orientation

Camas, WA — The Camas High School administration team issued a statement this week regarding Monday’s freshman orientation that featured Yshai Boussi, LPC, a mental health professional, who said all students will eventually smoke pot and that “you can either be a good person or you can be a Republican.”

The CHS statement said: “It was brought to our attention this morning that a guest speaker at Monday’s freshman orientation made a characterization that was inappropriate and divisive. The remark made by this speaker does not align with our values and our mission to see and serve each student, and we apologize to the students and families who were upset or felt uncomfortable by the characterization. 

“At Camas High School and throughout our entire district, we work to ensure all students feel safe and included at all times. We will continue to work with guest speakers to ensure our student experiences are beneficial and inclusive. If you have questions, please let us know.”

In today’s CHS update they said “There were many very important takeaways from the presentation. We hope that many of the points resonated with students. Unfortunately, one comment during the presentation was hurtful for some students, and for that, we sincerely apologize. Our guest speaker from Monday, Yshai Boussi, has created a video that he would like to send to the CHS community.”

VIDEO LINK

Here’s the video: https://youtu.be/KNmv5Nxv-40

“It’s important for us as a community to offer students opportunities to restore any harm created by this experience,” CHS said. “Yshai suggested the chance to meet with students next week at CHS who were negatively impacted by what they heard. At least two CHS administrators will help facilitate this discussion. It’s important that we have conversations when messages are received that hurt people. We appreciate Yshai’s willingness to model accountability and listening to understand.”

What are your thoughts?

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City of Camas Returns to Virtual-Only Public Meetings As Delta Variant Surges

CAMAS, WA – The City of Camas will return to a virtual-only meeting format for all public meetings, effective Sept. 1, 2021.  This will include City Council meetings, Planning Commission, Library Board of Directors, Parks and Recreation Commission, as well as all other boards and commissions’ meetings. While City officials were excited to offer the additional in-person format, the public safety of the Community and staff takes precedent.

This decision comes as other cities and jurisdictions have moved back to remote-only public meetings, due to an increase in the Delta variant cases of COVID 19 across the county and state.

Officials will review the decision regularly, in conjunction with neighboring agencies, to determine when, and if, the hybrid public meeting format can be returned to.  Additionally, an ordinance will come before the city council in Sept., that will update the Camas Municipal Code to include remote meetings, while maintaining city hall as the in-person meeting location. This code update will eliminate the need to classify public meetings as “special” meetings due to the meeting location being different.

In addition to a return to remote meetings, face coverings will now be required indoors for all city buildings for individuals 5 years and older, regardless of vaccination status as stated in the recent State Secretary of Health order: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/1600/coronavirus/Secretary_of_Health_Order_20-03_Statewide_Face_Coverings.pdf

The mask mandate includes employees and visitors to any City buildings.

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Politics 2021: Leslie Lewallen Running for Camas City Council, Ward 3, Pos. 2

Camas, WA — Leslie Lewallen is running for Camas City Council, Ward 3, Position 2, which is an open seat. Her opponent is Jennifer McDaniel, a former Washougal City Council member. Here are several answers Lewallen provides to Lacamas Magazine questions.

Question: Why are you running for Camas City Council?

Answer: I am running for City Council because Camas deserves better.  Camasonians deserve to be meaningfully heard and participate with transparent accountability and effective city leadership. I am ready to protect our schools, our public safety, our local business community, and our parks and environment– things we value as members of this special community all the while holding myself and our city leadership accountable to the citizens of Camas. From $78 million pool bonds to drug detox facilities being located to elementary schools and tens of millions of dollars spent on private land acquisitions citizens have been kept in the dark for too long.

Question: Why are you qualified to fill this seat?

Answer: I am a native 5th generation Washingtonian.  I graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor’s degree in political science and Seattle University School of Law with a Juris Doctorate. After law school I practiced as a judicial law clerk for Chief Justice Gerry Alexander at the Washington State Supreme Court. I then went on to work as a deputy prosecuting attorney prior to joining private practice where I focused primarily on school law, and land use property rights issues. I have worked on zoning issues, land use issues, environmental issues and issues related to Washington’s Growth Management Act.  All areas of law that are specifically related to many of the City Council’s duties.

As a retired attorney, business owner and mother of four, I have the leadership, knowledge, and communication skills necessary to serve.   

Although I have never held elected office before, I believe my education, knowledge and legal and business experience uniquely qualifies me to lead Camas back on track and make it the best city it can be.  

Question: What are your priorities should you be elected to Camas City Council? 

Answer: My vision of downtown Camas urban development and the Northshore over the next five to 10 years is easy. My vision is to represent the will of the electorate. I have personally canvassed over 1,500 homes in the past three months.  I have heard from citizen after citizen that they do not want the Northshore developed. Camasonians have been clear.  They want to preserve the greenspace of our community and preserve the natural beauty that makes Camas special.  It’s time our city stops paying consultants to tell us what we want or need.  It’s time our city listened to the taxpayers.  

I believe that Camas has a unique opportunity to work together with Georgia Pacific to plan and create a healthy, vibrant space that accommodates the needs of our citizens. With a clear understanding of zoning, property laws and environmental laws, I believe that I would be a valuable resource in working together to create mixed use development in the heart of Camas.  Not only would a mixed-use development preserve the environment of our Northshore, but it would satisfy an existing infrastructure, allow for various types of housing, parking, and retail—all of which keep our valuable tax dollars where they belong — in Camas.  

You can learn more about Lewallen and her candidacy at https://www.leslieforcamas.com

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Latest Health Department Update: Clark County COVID-19 Cases Surge

Vancouver, WA — COVID-19 virus activity continues to surge in Clark County and across the state, reported Clark County Public Health today. 

This week, virus activity in Clark County jumped to 288 cases per 100,000 over 14 days.

Points the health department is making about curbing the spread:

• Help slow the spread of the virus by staying home when you’re sick.

• Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms, including those who are fully vaccinated or had COVID-19 in the past, should seek testing and stay home while awaiting test results. They should not gather with people they do not live with and should not go to work, school, church or other public places. 

• Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 should stay home and away from others until they complete their isolation period. For people with symptoms, that’s when they’ve been fever-free for at least 24 hours (without fever-reducing medicine) and other symptoms are improving and at least 10 days have passed since symptoms began.

• If you need to be tested for COVID-19, contact your health care provider. If you do not have a provider or cannot access testing through your provider, check out the health department website for additional testing locations: https://clark.wa.gov/public-health/covid-19-testing

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Inslee Mandates Educators Receive COVID Vaccine; Issues Indoor Mask Requirement

OLYMPIA, WA — All K-12 and higher education employees statewide, as well as some childcare providers are now required to be vaccinated, Gov. Jay Inslee said today at a press conference.

Inslee also reissued a statewide indoor mask mandate to include everyone, regardless of vaccination status. The order previously applied only to unvaccinated individuals.

Inslee’s new COVID-19 mask mandate goes into effect Monday, Aug. 23.

His educator vaccine requirement applies to:

  • K-12 educators, school staff, coaches, bus drivers, school volunteers and others working in school facilities
  • Employees in higher education institutions
  • Childcare and early learning providers who serve children from multiple households

Today’s new vaccine requirement is a condition of educator employment and applies to public, private and charter schools. Tribal schools are exempt from the order. Students are not mandated to get the vaccine. Educators and staff have until October 18 to get fully vaccinated.

Inslee said today’s announcement follows a massive surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations statewide, breaking previous records set last September. 

The Department of Health recommends face mask use in crowded outdoor settings, such as concerts, sporting events, fairs and farmers markets.

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