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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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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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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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Clark County COVID-19 Cases Rise: 191 Per 100,000

Vancouver, WA — COVID-19 virus activity continues to increase rapidly in Clark County as the current rate has more than doubled in two weeks and is nearly four times the rate three weeks ago.

COVID-19 case rates are rising in all age groups, with the highest rates among young adults 20-39 years old, said Clark County Public Health.

Rates among 10-19-year-olds have been increasing over the last month, with the biggest increase occurring in the last two weeks. Rates for this age group are now nearing the highs during the peak of the pandemic, they said.

Low vaccination rates, more contagious variants, and increased group interactions are contributing to the rise in cases, which are largely occurring among residents who remain unvaccinated against COVID-19. Nearly 96 percent of cases statewide through July 31 were not fully vaccinated. In Clark County, nearly 97 percent of cases through June were not fully vaccinated.

Cases

• 964 additional cases (confirmed and probable) since last update

• 28,507 confirmed to date (+772 since last update)

• 2,007 antigen probable cases to date (+192 since last update) 

• 1,070 active cases (in isolation period)

• 12.1% of hospital beds are occupied by COVID-19 cases and persons under investigation for 

COVID-19 (awaiting test results)

• 68 COVID-19 cases and 2 people under investigation for COVID-19 hospitalized

Deaths

• 300 total deaths to date (267 confirmed, 33 suspect)

• 4 new confirmed deaths since last update: man in his 30s with underlying conditions, man 80+ years old with underlying conditions, man in his 70s with underlying conditions, woman 80+ years old with underlying conditions

Rates

• COVID-19 activity rate is 191.1 cases per 100,000 over 14 days (up from 120.8 per 100,000 last week). 

• COVID-19 new hospital admission rate is 6.4 per 100,000 people over 7 days (up from 3.2 per 100,000 last week)

Here are more details on the Clark County Public Health COVID-19 data webpage: https://clark.wa.gov/public-health/covid-19-data 

If you’re not yet vaccinated, the health department recommends seeking a location near you today and get vaccinated.

• Search on VaccineLocator.doh.wa.gov

• Search on VaccineFinder.org

• Call 833.VAX.HELP

• Text your zip code to 438829 (GETVAX)

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Inslee Requires Vaccinations For Most State Employees, Health Care Workers

Seattle, WA — Gov. Jay Inslee today announced a requirement for most state workers, and on-site contractors and volunteers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. State employees and workers in private health care and long-term care settings will have until October 18 to be fully vaccinated.

The requirement applies to state workers, regardless of teleworking status. This applies to executive cabinet agencies, but the governor encouraged all others such as higher education, local governments, the legislative branch, other statewide elected officials and organizations in the private sector to do the same.

“It is the mission of public servants and those providing health care to serve our fellow Washingtonians. These workers live in every community in our state, working together and with the public every day to deliver services,” Inslee said. “We have a duty to protect them from the virus, they have the right to be protected, and the communities they serve and live in deserve protection as well.”

The governor made the announcement at a press conference on Monday at Kaiser Permanente in Seattle. He was joined by Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, King County Executive Dow Constantine, Kaiser Permanente Washington President Susan Mullaney, Washington State Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah, and Seattle-King County Public Health Officer Dr. Jeffrey Duchin.

“State employees, health care and long-term care workers are extremely pivotal in the fight against COVID-19, and we hope these steps will further our goal of getting as many people vaccinated,” Secretary of Health Dr. Umair A. Shah, MD, MPH, said. “We should all be concerned with the increases of COVID-19 cases in our state and we know that vaccines are our best tool to end this pandemic.”

The announcement comes as Washington is experiencing a severe increase in COVID cases and hospitalizations in every county, due to the Delta variant, with the overwhelming majority of cases and hospitalizations being among unvaccinated Washingtonians.

Prior to the governor’s announcement, Kaiser Permanente WA mandated that it would be requiring all its employees to be vaccinated.

“The growing threat of the Delta variant has put our unvaccinated communities in a serious and precarious situation. We have at our disposal the key to ending this deadly surge and even the pandemic — vaccines,” said Susan Mullaney, president of Kaiser Permanente Washington. “As the largest integrated health care provider in the state of Washington, Kaiser Permanente has taken the important step of requiring that all employees and physicians be fully vaccinated. We look forward to working with the governor, the state, labor partners and our fellow health care systems to protect our state.”

King County leads the state in vaccinations, with approximately 81.5% of eligible residents 12 years of age and older having initiated their vaccination series, 12% higher than the statewide average as of August 2.

“No patient should have to worry about getting COVID-19 from their health care provider, period,” said Jeff Duchin, King County Public Health officer. “Requiring COVID-19 vaccination for health care personnel protects not only patients and health care workers, but also their families and our community — including those who cannot be vaccinated or do not respond to the vaccine due to being immunocompromised. I thank Governor Inslee for taking this important action as the threat of COVID-19 is increasing locally and nationally.”

This new requirement includes well-defined exemptions to the vaccine. Individuals with legitimate medical reasons or sincerely held religious reasons will be exempt. The exemptions do not include personal or philosophical objections.

To keep staff, families and communities safe, there will be no test-out option for employees. Past opt-out testing policies in congregate facilities for unvaccinated staff have not been efficient at preventing outbreaks that impact employees, clients and families, resulting in the loss of life of dedicated staff. Providing a test-out option would be both a financial burden for staff and taxpayers and ineffective at protecting the lives of Washingtonians.

Employees who refuse to be vaccinated will be subject to dismissal from employment for failing to meet legal job qualifications. The state will work with labor organizations on meeting collective bargaining obligations and adhering to civil service rules.

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Inslee Rolls Back 3 Counties Not Meetings Phase 3 Reopening Guidelines

Olympia, WA — Gov. Jay Inslee today announced the rollback of three counties that are not meeting the Phase 3 Healthy Washington reopening metrics.

The three counties returning to Phase 2 are:

  • Cowlitz County
  • Pierce County
  • Whitman County

“These metric trends are driven by the virus and we must continue to do everything we can to sharpen our focus and keep COVID-19 activity down. We are so close to the end of the tunnel here — we have made tremendous progress and we must keep our focus,” Inslee said. “It’s like a football game; we have done 95 yards on a 99 yard-drive. We can’t let up now. These are not punitive actions; they are to save lives and protect public health.”

“Vaccine is a crucial tool that will help us end the pandemic, but it isn’t the only tool, and we don’t yet have enough Washingtonians fully vaccinated to rely on this alone to keep our communities safe from the virus,” said Lacy Fehrenbach, deputy secretary for COVID-19 response, Department of Health. “We need to focus on lowering disease transmission in the next several weeks ahead as we continue our vaccination efforts in order to avoid a fourth surge of cases. This means wearing masks, watching our distancing and keeping gatherings small and outdoors.”

Last Friday, the governor announced updates to the Healthy Washington criteria:

  • In order to move down one phase, a county must fail both metrics for case counts and hospitalizations. Under the previous plan, a county only needed to fail one metric to move back a phase.
  • The spectator events guidance is updated to make clear what is allowed for counties in Phase 2 and how these events are related to school graduation ceremonies. That guidance is available here.
  • The Open Air Seating guidance is updated to allow flexibility for eating and drinking establishments. That guidance is available here.
  • The next evaluation of counties will be in three weeks, on May 3.

This Thursday, April 15, all Washingtonians (16+) will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccines. 

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Washougal’s Odd Man Inn Animal Refuge Finds A Forever Home

More than 100 animal residents of the Washougal-based Odd Man Inn sanctuary will take a 2,700-mile journey to their new home in Tennessee.

Washougal, WA – Today, Odd Man Inn Animal Refuge and Wildlife Rehab announced its immediate relocation to a 93-acre property in Jamestown, TN and the adoption of an additional 160 large pigs formerly of the Pig Preserve. This move establishes Odd Man Inn as one of the largest animal sanctuaries in the country dedicated primarily to larger breeds of farmed pigs. 

Since its founding in 2016, Odd Man Inn has helped nearly 400 vulnerable animals of 15 different species–including pigs, sheep, goats, llamas, donkeys, and turtles–get adopted into forever homes. The sanctuary has specialized in rescuing pigs of all kinds and personalities, from the special-needs three-legged Eppah to the 600lb curly-haired Sid the Swamp Pig. “We love helping the underdogs. Pigs are the bottom of the barnyard hierarchy and very rarely have safe options. It feels great to run an organization that helps them find safe passage into a home that treats them as family,” said Co-Founder Wendy Smith.

In their nearly five years rescuing farm animals from neglect and abuse in Southwest Washington, Odd Man Inn filled a critical local need and became part of the community. They have worked alongside animal control agencies throughout Washington and Oregon, providing shelter and medical care for farm animals that the agencies aren’t as well equipped to handle. Local farms and farmsteads like Blue Door Farm (https://www.bluedoorfarmwa.com/) in Brush Prairie donated excess produce to help feed the refuge’s residents. Cedar Street Bagels in Camas (https://www.cedarstreetbagelco.com/) named one of their bagel sandwiches in honor of Odd Man Inn’s photo-contest winning resident Melvin, a lovable potbelly pig that lost a leg and both his ears in a dog attack.

Odd
www.resultsfitnesstraining.com

“We’re grateful for all the relationships we’ve created, and the support we have received from local businesses, community members, farmers, animal control agencies, humane societies, fellow sanctuaries, and the State Department of Fish and Wildlife. It’s bittersweet; while we are excited about the prospect of saving more animals from harm, we feel sad about leaving such a wonderful community. It will be hard, but we hope to  take all that we’ve learned here and work to duplicate those exact partnerships in Tennessee,” said Wendy.

The transition poses huge logistical challenges. Over 100 current residents of Odd Man Inn – including two 1500lb steers and 38 pigs up to 650lbs – will be carefully transported the 2700 miles to Tennessee. Aging and special needs residents will require extra accommodation to ensure their safety and comfort during this multi-day journey. “We will make as many trips as needed to ensure the animals are comfortable while we transport them to their new sanctuary. Their comfort and security is always our primary concern,” said Josh Smith, Co-Founder and Farm Manager.  While transporting the current residents, Odd Man Inn will also simultaneously care for the 160 new pigs and provide them with needed veterinary assessments, vaccines, and hoof care. 

Odd Man Inn is raising money through a GoFundMe campaign (gofundme.com/oddmaninn) to help with the safe transportation of its current residents and the restoration of their new Tennessee home. 

ABOUT ODD MAN INN

Odd Man Inn (www.oddmaninn.org) is a farm animal sanctuary and permitted Washington State wildlife rehabilitation facility formerly based in Washougal, WA. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit’s mission is to help as many animals as possible find safety, rehabilitation, socialization, and a forever home while giving them a voice as ambassadors for their own kind against imprisonment, abuse, and consumption.

Odd
Odd Man Inn’s mission is to help as many animals as possible find safety, rehabilitation, socialization, and a forever home while giving them a voice as ambassadors for their own kind.
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Washougal School District Moves to Four Days Of In-Class Learning

Washougal, WA — Washougal School District (WSD) is expanding its hybrid learning program for students in grades 6-12 to four days of in-person learning, starting Monday, April 19, 2021.  

The change was made possible by the State of Washington Department of Health adoption of the three-foot physical distancing guidance for students in classrooms that was adopted earlier this month by the Center for Disease Control.

“We are working with teachers, staff, administrators, and public health officials to ensure we can provide safe learning environments for larger numbers of students,” said Mary Templeton, WSD Superintendent. “Staff will be working over the coming weeks to implement protocols for areas where the six-foot social distancing rule still applies, like during lunch and passing time, and in some classrooms where students are exhaling more frequently such as P.E., choir, and band. All district staff will have had the opportunity to be fully immunized by that time.”  

Middle and high school students will continue to have an asynchronous day on Wednesday, which provides time for teachers to plan lessons and make contact with students who are not able to return to in-person learning at this time. K-5 students will also continue to have an asynchronous Wednesday, along with the current schedule which has a 1 hour late start.  Teachers use this time each day to contact students who are fully remote. 

Washougal
www.gevurtzmenashe.com

“Our goal is to continue to provide service to both in-person hybrid and fully remote students this way through the end of this school year,” said Templeton. “We are also committed to providing the least amount of disruption to our students and families as we make this last transition for the school year. As we plan for next school year, we plan to offer five days of full-time, in-person learning for students in grades K-12, unless they are enrolled in the new online Washougal Learning Academy.  We are delighted that WLA is available to serve families who need flexibility or who are unable to return to in-person learning.”

These opportunities for schools to expand in-person educational offering are the result of the community at large doing their part to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our community. Clark County’s rate per 100,000 must remain under 200 to use the new 3-foot guidance in grades 6-12, which is critical for supporting four days per week. The rate per 100,000 over 14 days is currently 105.6. “To keep students in school, all of us must wear masks, watch our distance, and wash our hands,” urged Templeton. “Health officials studying the spread of COVID emphasize these simple, but critical steps in our daily lives to be able to take next steps in our reopening.”

Timeline

  • April 12: Students in grades K-5 will begin hybrid four-days per week, with the same late start schedule they have now. 
  • April 19: Students in grades 6-12 will begin hybrid four-days per week with the same schedule they have for hybrid now. 
  • Students with special needs who are attending in-person on a special schedule will be contacted by the student’s case manager if there are schedule changes.

Safety

School staff continue the safety routines and protocols that are keeping students and staff safe.  These include daily health screening, mandatory face coverings, social distancing, hand washing, and additional cleaning, signage and training.

Washougal

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Inslee: Washington Will Align With New CDC School Physical Distancing Guidelines

Olympia, WA — Today Gov. Inslee and the Washington State Department of Health announced that Washington will align with new CDC guidance around physical distancing in schools.

Under the new guidance, students should maintain at least 3 feet of physical distancing from each other in classrooms. Previous guidance required 6 feet of distance. This change only applies to students; staff should continue to maintain 6 feet of distance from other staff and students.

There are some other circumstances when 6 feet of distance is still required for all students and staff:
• In common areas, such as auditoriums.
• When masks cannot be word, such as when eating.
• During activities when increased exhalation occurs, such as singing, band practice and PE.

When COVID-19 activity is high (more than 200 cases per 100k or test positivity higher than 10%), the state and CDC recommend that middle and high school students are group together and maintain at least 3 feet of distance between each other. When students cannot be grouped together, the CDC and DOH recommend 6 feet of distance.

The state guidance for schools has been reflected to update these changes. See the full guidance here: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/1600/coronavirus/FallGuidanceK-12.pdf

Inslee
www.gevurtzmenashe.com

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