Hood River Valley is home to 14,000 acres of fruit trees, making it one of the best places for people to get their blossom fix this spring!

Here are three top ways to celebrate this springtime feast for the eyes in and around Hood River:

Explore the Hood River Valley. Nestled between Mount Hood and the Columbia River, this vast and bountiful valley is home to pear, cherry, and apple orchards and vineyards. During April, many of the seasonal businesses feature special springtime events as a part of Hood River Valley Blossom Time. Visit hoodriver.org/hood-river-valley-blossom-time/ for a regularly updated list of events.

Get a bird’s-eye view. To get a feel for the variety of agriculture that defines Hood River Valley, stop at Panorama Point, where you’ll also have views of Mount Hood and Mount Adams on a clear day. This is a perfect picnic spot, so be sure to grab a to-go lunch in town before you head up the hill!

Drink the fruits of the orchards’ labor—while surrounded by orchards—at the fifth annual Hood River Hard-Pressed Cider Fest! The festival returns Saturday, April 21, and is presented by Pacific Northwest Federal Credit Union and produced by the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce. It features more than 25 local and regional cideries, including six that are new to the festival. The participating cideries will be sampling more than 50 original ciders that showcase the wide variety of styles coming out of the Pacific Northwest’s cider scene.

Hood

Hard-Pressed Cider Fest.

Two of this year’s new participants are Hood River institutions introducing new beverages to their lineups. Hood River’s original brewery, Full Sail Brewing, is launching KYLA Hard Kombucha—a new take on the popular fermented probiotic drink, with an alcohol content of 4.5 percent. Hood River County Fruit Loop favorite Draper Girls Family Farm will be sampling its new hard cider line, Draper Girls Cider Company, which uses its homegrown apples, pears, cherries, peaches and plums.

For more information on the festival, visit www.hoodriver.org/cider-fest

 

Washougal, WA — Dan Coursey announced his resignation from his Washougal City Council seat late Wednesday, which will be effective March 31.

The first-term council member, who was elected in 2016, faced the Washougal Mayor Molly Coston last fall, and lost.

The network engineering consultant said he wants to devote more time to his business.

”I’ve enjoyed meeting all the people I’ve met,” said Coursey. “During the mayoral campaign I knocked many doors. It’s a great way to find out what people think. Your learn a lot by doing that.”

During his two-year tenure on the city council, Coursey said he’s pleased that he was able to put a spotlight on street maintenance.

“I’m also glad I participated in trying to keep our budget in line,” Coursey said.

Coursey’s Official Resignation Letter

His letter is as follows:

Dear Mayor Molly Coston and Administrator David Scott,

Please accept my resignation effective March 31st, as Washougal City Council Member, Position Seven.

It has been an honor to serve the great people of Washougal for the past two years.

Currently, I have considerable professional business opportunities which are taking up more of my time now and more so in the future. So, I am resigning my City Council seat to better take advantage of that and allow another to serve our wonderful city. Both I and my wife love our little city and look forward to assisting in the future as time allows.

Thank you sincerely,

Dan Coursey
Washougal City Council

What’s Next?

Mayor Coston accepted his resignation and will follow Washington state law to replace him. Following Coursey’s departure, the city will accept public applications for the city council seat, and then the council will vote from those applicants. This recently happened in Camas, and is a rare event. But, it will happen twice this year, as incumbent Washougal City Council member, Joyce Lindsey, is resigning her seat effective end of May.

To learn more, visit www.cityofwashougal.us

 

Camas, WA — Local police are on the hunt for alleged homicide suspect, Guillermo Juarez, after police were dispatched Sunday afternoon following the discovery of a 35-year-old Camas woman.

Susan Schur, of the Camas Police Department, released the following statement:

On 3-18-2018, at 1:35pm, Camas Police were dispatched to a call at the 2100 block of NE Everett St. Upon arrival, police discovered a deceased adult female, identified as 35-year-old Luz Guitron. Inside the house were signs of a struggle and it is believed that Guitron was the victim of homicidal violence.

The suspect is identified as Guillermo Juarez, a Hispanic male/5’9”/170lbs/black hair and brown eyes. Juarez and Guitron have been in a dating relationship for years and have a child in common.

Juarez has fled the area. Detectives are pursuing an arrest warrant.

It was originally suspected that a 6-year-old child was missing in this investigation, but that 6-year-old child and other children related to the family are safe and with other family members.

Camas Police were assisted in the investigation by the Washougal Police and the Regional Major Crimes Unit.

This is an ongoing homicide investigation. No other information is available at this time. An update will be given if the suspect is located and/or apprehended.

At this time, Camas Police would like to emphasize that there is no immediate threat to the public.

For any tips or leads regarding this case, please call 360-834-4151 or call 911.

To learn more, visit www.cityofcamas.us

Homicide

Guillermo Juarez is the primary suspect in this homicide case.

Portland, OR — The 19th annual Camas Educational Foundation Auction Gala netted more than $100,000, reports the group’s Auction Chair, Stacey Kim.

Held this past weekend at the Embassy Suites at the Portland Airport, the money was raised from a combination of an online auction held in February, raffle ticket sales, and the Auction Gala itself. The net amount raised was about $102,000, which is after expenses. More than 300 came to Saturday’s Auction Gala.

The CEF auction is the major fundraiser for the organization.

”They set their grant budget based on the money raised at the auction,” said Kim, who reported results at Monday’s Camas School Board meeting.

Kim said they were pleased with the turnout.

“We had representation from every school, and the Superintendent’s office,” she said.

Kim also reported that three people were honored with the CEF’s second annual Living the Vision award. Cathy Sork, Ron Wright, and Eric Marcell received the honor. They had an open nomination period and received many nominations for people around the district and community. The CEF board voted on these three winners.

Of the funds raised at the gala, $22,150 goes directly to the schools, and the balance will go to the CEF to provide for grants.

To learn more, visit www.cefcamas.org

 

CEF

CEF Auction. Photo by Tracy Woods Photography.

 

CEF Auction Gala Photo Gallery

Photos by Tracy Woods Photography.

Camas, WA — The highly anticipated opening of Grains of Wrath Brewing in downtown Camas happens this weekend, and beer drinkers, foodies, and people who-love-anything-Camas are pretty excited about it.

Operators Mike Hunsaker, an accomplished brewer who loves his craft, and Brendan Greenen, gave us a tour of the well-adorned and functional brewery, which seats more than 100. Sitting in the old Lemon-Aid Automotive location, Grains is a total remodel, and a major site improvement in the beloved downtown Camas area.

Hunasker launched Grains, with partners Greenen, Brendan Ford, and Shawn Parker, to bring a new dimension to the growing Camas area.  Hunsaker was the Head Brewer at Fat Head’s Portland, where he established himself with original IPA recipes, including the GABF Gold Medal winning Blitzkrieg Bock. His team has been working round the clock for 14 months to bring Grains online.

Hunsaker showed off his shiny new 10bbl JVNW brewhouse that was built to his own specifications.

“Before we do anything, we test the water, and balance the chemistry to get everything just right,” said Hunsaker.

Hunsaker said they have nine beers on tap, and will offer these staple beers year-round:

  • Lulu: A tart peach golden ale
  • Lugar: German style Pilsner, floral black tea, crackery malt, hay, crisp finish
  • Papermaker Pale: Light, biscuit malt, grapefruit, pineapple, balanced bitterness
  • EGA IPD: Melon, pine, soft tropical fruit, papaya
  • Overkill PA: Stonefruit, diesel, passion fruit, citrus, piney, dank

The team has created a fun punk pub with fun options for everyone. The new pub also has a large patio seating area that will be a great place to relax during the warm, summer months.

Greenen comes from Caps N’ Taps, also in downtown Camas, and he works the back-end of the business.

He said the beer-making process takes two to six weeks, depending on the style. The whole process begins and ends at Grains. Everything in the brewery is state-of-the-art.

Grains

Mike Hunsaker gives a tour.

Grains Food

Grains of Wrath Executive Chef, Fabiola Ponce-Wyatt brings 14 years of Pacific Northwest cooking experience, being a veteran of Roman Candle Baking and Southpark Seafood. A graduate of Western Culinary, Fabby, as she likes to be called, is excited about the elevated pub food that Grains is serving.

They make everything onsite, except for the bread, and serve lunch and dinner daily. They even have an assortment of pickles made in their kitchen, which has two cooking lines.

We sampled the Fried Chicken Sandro, which is on a potato bun, with ranch dressing, iceberg lettuce, zucchini pickles, and cheddar cheese. It’s delicious!

 Grains

Fried Chicken Sando.

They also offer a great brisket and chuck patty burger with cheddar, iceberg lettuce, aioi and zucchini pickles on a sesame brioche bun. Fabby recommends the Carnitas Torta with black bean puree, cotija cheese, cascabel chile aioli, and pickled carrots. The roasted bone marrow with onion jam served on grilled flatbread is also on the top of the list.

Vegetarians will have options, as well: Try the Veggie Burger, which is made with beet, carrot, white bean and a quinoa patty with a pumpkin seed spread. It’s good stuff.

Happy hour is 3-6, and 9-close on weekdays.

They are located at 230 NE 5th Ave. Camas, WA 98607

www.gowbeer.com

Grains

Casey Taylor

Camas, WA — Camas High School students are aligning with other Southwest Washington schools to walk out of classes on March 14 to address their concerns about the Douglas High School shootings.

The national walkout was organized by Women’s March Youth EMPOWER to “protest Congress’ inaction to do more than tweet thoughts and prayers in response to the gun violence plaguing our schools and neighborhoods.”

It is also part of a national #NeverAgain campaign, which originated with survivors of the shootings. The group has organized protests demanding legislative action to prevent similar shootings from happening, and is focused on calling out U.S. lawmakers who have received political contributions from the National Rifle Association (NRA).

“We are planning for the March 14th walkout in solidarity with Parkland, Florida,” said Camas High School student, Abigail Jiang. “… A group of us are collaborating with walkout organizers from all the high schools in the area to get student support for a letter to our local representatives regarding Parkland, school shootings and gun reform.”

Jiang said the walkout will be brief and allow 17 minutes of dialogue “with each minute focusing on the 17 people who died at Douglas High School.”

In reaction to the walkout, Camas School District issued the following statement:

The Camas School District supports students’ rights to express their views in a peaceful manner, including their constitutional right to assemble peacefully. (Board Procedure 3220P Freedom of Expression). As educators, we consider it important to create the conditions for students to develop into responsible global citizens who are critical thinkers and take responsible action to shape their communities.

While students at Camas High School have met with administration to coordinate the on-campus walkout for those who choose to participate, this is not a school-sponsored event. Classes are operating on a normal schedule, and we expect staff and students to be engaged in teaching and learning. We will work together to ensure that our processes support our community’s expectation for safety and supervision.”

In addition to the walkout, several Camas High School students have drafted a letter to Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler and other local government officials and organizations.

Petty

Alaina Petty was killed in the Douglas High School shootings.

Student Letter

This is the letter:

Dear Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler (and other local government officials/organizations),

Over the past few weeks, my classmates and I have been unable to remove the horrifying events of Parkland from our minds. Parkland was an affluent suburb known for being a safe city and for its great public school system. This description is nearly identical to many schools in Southwest Washington, where we live. Seventeen students died. We watched the videos and felt nauseous, and could only picture ourselves in their shoes. We are deeply saddened and worried to discover your views on gun control, track your voting record, and learn of your dealings with the NRA. You have stayed completely silent online regarding this tragic event. You have accepted thousands of dollars from the NRA, more than any other Washington Congressperson. Addressing mental health is extremely important, but it is not enough to prevent weapons from falling into the wrong hands. Never again do we want to see a mass shooting, whether it be at a school, public venue, or place of worship. We, the students of Southwest Washington, demand that you take action against gun violence. More specifically, we demand that you:

  • Help in the banning of military-grade assault rifles and high-capacity magazines of more than 10 rounds to reduce the breadth and depth of damage mass shooters have the potential to inflict.
  • Ban bump stocks that turn semi-automatic weapons into fully automatic ones. No civilian needs such weapons for self-defense.
  • Raise the age requirement to buy an AR-15 – the gun used in the Parkland shooting – from 18 to 21.
  • Lift the ban on federally funded research into causes of gun violence (the Dickey Amendment). The CDC should be allowed to extensively investigate gun violence as a public safety concern. The CDC researched car safety and smoking – this is no different.
  • Implement universal background checks, a policy that already has wide bipartisan support. Show support for implementing background checks at gun shows and online to make sure there are no loopholes where unstable individuals can obtain these weapons. You have supported loose measures on gun show purchases in the past, and this is unacceptable.
  • Extend the period of time investigators have to complete delayed background checks from 3 to 14 days. This would enhance law enforcement’s ability to prevent gun violence.
  • Increase funding for mental health services. While mass shootings by people with serious mental illness represent less than 1% of yearly gun-related homicides, providing mental health services could prevent a mass shooter from ever acting on their thoughts.
  • Keep local government organizations, such as the Sheriff’s office and local FBI, accountable. Our lives depend on the integrity of their actions.

My fellow classmates and I deserve to go to school without worrying if the next time we hear a fire alarm pulled, we could be shot. We deserve to live when we step foot into our schools. We deserve to have a Congressperson that represents our demands. Mental health cannot be regulated, but guns can. This legislation would not infringe on the 2nd Amendment rights of responsible citizens. Students are dying, and yet our representatives continue to do nothing, too worried about the next election to create meaningful reform that could save our lives. We are the voice of the new generation, the next voting generation, and we implore you to support common sense gun control to help save the lives of students all across the country.

Sincerely,

Concerned High School Students in the 3rd Legislative District (Southwest Washington)

 

Vancouver, WA — Forty members of the Camas Magnet Program teamed up with more than 100 students from other high schools Tuesday night at the Clark County Food Bank to unload, sort, and repackage food boxes for individual family deliveries.

The annual “Night of Service” event is part of the Camas Magnet Program’s continued effort to serve others in the community.

”One of the things we’re trying to do is instill in the Magnet kids an ethic for service,” said program adviser, and Camas High School teacher, Sam Greene. “And, it’s a great way to give back to the community, and also for us to build community doing this together as a program. That’s what we’re doing — we’re not just about math, science, and technology. We’re trying to give a sense of giving back to the community.”

The youth spent about 90 minutes unloading food from pallets, and sorting them into smaller boxes for delivery to agencies so they can deliver them to individual families throughout the area.

Camas Magnet student, Ashley Miles, said they also package other essentials like toothpaste, beauty products and other liquid products.

The Magnet kids perform other service projects throughout the year, said team member, Kenny Wright.

“This is just one of many things we do all year along,” Wright said.

About the Clark County Food Bank

The Clark County Food Bank works with a network of 40 partner agencies to distribute food and other essential supplies. Last year, they assisted 112,553 people across Clark County. For every dollar donated, the food bank can provide up to four meals to hungry children, seniors, adults, and families in Clark County. Last year, the organization received a total of 27,137 volunteer hours.

To learn more, visit www.clarkcountyfoodbank.org

Washougal, WA — Representatives of the brand-new Clark County chapter of 100+ Women Who Care Clark County delivered $8,700 in checks to the Children’s Home Society Tuesday evening. It was the first of quarterly donations the organization plans to provide to various charities with the goal of “making a big impact.”

The money, which was delivered by 100+ Women Who Care Clark County chapter founder, Christie Ribary, and chapter members Louise James and Christina Dawson, will be used to help the 2,000 local kids who benefit from the program.

”We offer a mix of family support and family counseling,” said Children’s Home Society Executive Director, Andy Tucker. “We provide support groups, basic assistance, like food, clothing, and toiletries. Volunteers prepare food backpacks for about 60 kids per week.”

Children’s Home Society was founded in 1896, and has had a presence in Southwest Washington for more than 60 years.

“We’re very grateful for this donation from 100+ Women Who Care Clark County,” said Tucker. “We are always looking for ways to help those in need, and this donation will go a long way.”

When 100+ Women Who Care Clark County launched a few weeks ago, each member put their name into a bucket. Three names were drawn, and each of those women promoted their chosen charitable organization. After each promotion, the members each voted, and Children’s Home Society received the most votes. The members then wrote checks to Children’s Home Society.

Dawson promoted Children’s Home Society.

“They do a lot of good things right here — locally,” said Dawson. “I’m happy to be part of this organization.”

Ribary collected the funds, and met briefly with Tucker before the formal presentation.

100+ Women Who Care Clark County will convene next on May 9 and repeat the same process.

Stay tuned for YouTube video on the formal presentation.

To learn more, visit www.100womenclarkcounty.com

You may also visit www.childrenshomesociety.org

 

Camas, WA — Last Friday, I wrote an opinion article called “Respect the History — We’re Called ‘Papermakers’ For a Good Reason,” which addressed issues many in the community have with shortening the Camas High School mascot name from Papermaker to Maker. See the article here: Opinion

I asked for community members to respond and provide feedback, as I wanted to have an open conversation about this topic. The article reached 7,000+ and elicited hundreds of responses. It’s been a good, civil, passionate discussion.

It also brought an official statement from Camas Schools Superintendent, Jeff Snell, and an informative dialogue with Camas High School Athletic Director, Rory Oster.

Here’s Mr. Snell’s response:

Mr. Geigenmiller:

You asked for feedback on your recent article, Respect the History. I read your opinion and thought I would offer my perspective. I understand your first and second points and think that probably over time design and language have happened in various forms for various reasons similar to what you’ve articulated. I don’t believe any of that is done with the intention of trying to disrespect our history.

I wanted to comment specifically on your third point, attitude. “There is a concerted movement to erase the history,” is a strong statement. Our school district has never made an effort to erase history. In fact, we try to embrace it. Whether it’s Papermakers or any other part of our proud past we want to honor and celebrate it. Take for example the commons in CHS and all of the versions of Papermakers, or the school bell we placed at district office, or the anchor outside of Liberty Middle School. We have an award in the district called the Mill Town Pride Award. When presenting this award, we talk about how it represents the best of who we were, are and want to be as a community. We use the certificate below and have a pin of the mill that we hand out.

We understand and appreciate the passion about Papermakers. We embrace it along with the rest of our history. If you’d ever like to chat let me know.

Jeff Snell

 

Mill Town Pride

Mill Town Pride Award Certificate.

I also sat down for an hour with Mr. Oster, who provided insight on this topic. During the discussion he also talked about the uniform design process.

”I want to make sure the community understands that the students are very proud to be called Papermakers,” said Oster. “We’re not ashamed of being Papermakers. There have been thousands of conversations about this, and we embrace the history. Regarding the phrase ‘Roll Makers’ the first time I heard the phrase was four years ago — one of our volleyball student athletes gave an interview and said it at the end of the interview. It really took off with our students and coaches from there. It was about the same time frame as Russell Wilson saying ‘Go Hawks’ after every interview.”

Camas School District Communications Director, Doreen McKercher, offers a different perspective on the shortening to ‘Maker.’ She said that it happened during the Fall of 2011 when students created a spirit campaign called “Meet Your Maker.” The theme was present at many CHS athletic events.

McKercher emphasized it was a student-driven effort, and not an official movement to change the mascot name.

Papermaker Uniform Design Process

One of the things that offend many in the community is using the term “Maker” on official school uniforms.

So, Oster explained the uniform design process.

”Every three years, each team captain, along with their coaches re-design their team uniform,” said Oster. “They use design websites like Nike Uniform Builder, and decide what to put on the home uniform and on the away uniform.”

The students decide what to put on the sleeve, on the front of the jersey, and they can change colors and lettering, but that there is a standard Camas red that is used. They generally put “Camas” on the home jerseys and Papermakers or Makers on the away jerseys. Or sometimes they put the Camas “C” on.

He said sometimes the name “Papermaker” is too long to fit across the jersey — and sometimes that depends on the font used, as well.

“They copy what they see happening at the collegiate level,” he said. “And once the coach and captain make their design decisions, they submit those to me for final approval.”

The next round of uniform design changes will appear on jerseys this Fall. The football updates are already done, and volleyball and girls soccer are in the works.

”I really do want to emphasize these kids are proud of being called Papermakers,” he said.

Papermaker

Rory Oster explains how uniforms are selected using a Nike website.

 

Papermaker

The State championship football team is a source of pride for Camas.

The Columbia Cannons will bear the marks and logos of the Boston Cannons, playing under the umbrella of Camas Lacrosse

Camas, WA – The Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse (MLL) announced today that the organization has agreed to a five-year partnership with Camas Lacrosse. This agreement will allow Camas Lacrosse to field a club lacrosse team called the Columbia Cannons, which will be based in Clark County, Washington. Additionally, the Columbia Cannons will be granted access to all Cannons marks (name, logos, symbols, emblems, designs, and identifications) for team purposes and apparel.

Camas Lacrosse was established in 2012 as part of the Washington Boys High School Lacrosse Association. One year later, they added a youth program with teams from grades one through eight under the Oregon Youth Lacrosse Organization, while the high school program continues to compete under the Washington Boys High School Lacrosse Association.

Under this collaboration, the Boston Cannons and Camas Lacrosse will host two special events for the Columbia Cannons in either Washington or Oregon. The players and coaches will travel to the west coast for these events to promote the new club and to allow the club to learn from professional coaches and athletes.

“We are excited to bring this partnership to our youth and HS players. We have grown to a total membership of over 200 players in a very short time, and our retention rates are exceptionally high. Camas has a rich athletic tradition, and through this partnership with the Boston Cannons, we hope to have Camas Lacrosse add significantly to that and continue to grow this great game in our area,” said Karen Gibson, President of Camas Lacrosse.

The Cannons and Camas Lacrosse will kick off this partnership with a dedicated “Training Camp Weekend” for the Columbia Cannons, held from June 15 to 17, 2018, during their bye week. Over 600 youth lacrosse players will be in attendance for multiple lacrosse clinics and a tournament to cap off the weekend.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Camas Lacrosse and the Columbia Cannons to continue to grow the sport of lacrosse throughout the country”, said Cannons President Ian Frenette. “Most athletes participating in the Columbia Cannons have had limited exposure to our sport at the professional level. Currently, there are no Major League Lacrosse or National League lacrosse teams in the Northwest US. By entering into an agreement with this club early in its rise, we are helping them shorten the timeframe for their developmental and growth goals.”

About the Boston Cannons
The Boston Cannons are a Founding Member of Major League Lacrosse (MLL) and one of the most recognizable global lacrosse brands. Led by Rob Hale and his ownership team, the they won the 2011 MLL Championship, have eleven playoff appearances and hold a league record with five MLL MVP’s over fifteen seasons. Off the field, the team provide a game day experience second to none and annually top the MLL in attendance and partnership engagement. For more information, call the front office at 617-746-9933 or visit www.bostoncannons.com