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Lynda Wilson is the newly-elected Clark County GOP Chairwoman. She has been a local business owner for many years. |
VANCOUVER — The Clark County Republican Party made major changes at their organizational meeting held on December 13 at the Heathman Lodge.
A record-setting 161 Precinct Officers attended the party’s organizational meeting, and were present to cast their ballots and consider proposed bylaw’s changes.
The party activists elected a new chairman, vice chairman, secretary, treasurer, state committee people, and five legislative directors.
The elected officers are: Chairman, Lynda Wilson; Vice Chairman, Steven Nelson; Secretary, Vicki Caldwell Kraft; Treasurer, Bryan Johnson; State Committeeman, James Randall; and State Committeewoman, Laney Maxwell.
Legislative Chairman/Directors are: 14th District, Douglas Kobilan; 17th District, Eric Heredia; 18th District, Kenny Smith; 20th District, Ron Fitch; and 49th District, Kathy Metzger.
Several activists viewed the election as struggle between mainstream Republicans and Ron Paul supporters, and several said several votes were extremely close. The party upheaval was orchestrated by the PCO Liberty Alliance, a grass-roots group of Tea Party advocates, libertarian Republicans, and values voters who primarily supported Ron Paul during the Republican presidential primaries.
“I feel like there was plenty of funny business going on,” said Susie Huckvale, a newly-elected Precinct Committee Officer, from Camas. “I think the way they handled Mary Graham’s (former 18 District Legislative Director) balloting was atrocious. It looked like something odd was happening. And the way it turned out a lot of Ron Paul people took over, and I feel like my party’s been hijacked by people who want to destroy it.”
Outgoing chairman, Stephanie McClintock, sees the change as a major upheaval. “Basically, the Liberty Alliance took over the Clark County Republican Party last night,” she said.
She added that she hadn’t anticipated a fight with her fellow Republicans.
Others feel that newly-elected Chairman, Lynda Wilson, has the capacity to bridge the ideological fractures that exist within the newly elected party leadership.
Long-time GOP activist, Brent Boger, said he feels hyper-partisanship is affecting the party at large – and that it’s not good.
“There is a gap between the regular Republicans and the Ron Paul people,” said Boger. “And some of those in between the gap got elected. Lynda Wilson is one of them. She formed an alliance with the Ron Paul people and those people won the day.”
In addition to electing new officers, the Precinct Officers adopted a new set of bylaws. One of the main attributes of the new bylaws is the enhanced authority of the PCO’s by emphasizing more grassroots involvement, making the Board more accountable to the Central Committee.
The Clark County Republican Party is an all-volunteer organization, and their next major event is the Lincoln Day Dinner.
“As a new board, our philosopy is that we work for the Precinct Officers,” said Wilson. “The Precinct Officers were elected by the citizens of Clark County. Also, a primary principle initiative is that of upgrading to new technologies, increase communication capabilities and continue with a new volunteer structure that supports our elected officials. We would like to extend our gratitude for the hard work and dedication of those that have served before us. Their commitment to our Party will always be appreciated.”
About Chairman Lynda Wilson: Lynda is a 40-year resident of Clark County. She and her husband, Tracy, are partners in a local family-run business established over 50 years ago and employing more than 100 people. Lynda has been politically active over the past four years as a PCO, and recently a member of the CCRP Board. She has been a delegate to County and State Conventions, Chairman of the We the People, Governmental Affairs Director at their manufacturing company and Governmental Affairs committee of the AWB (Association of Washington Business, also serving on AWB’s Health Care Committee. Lynda was recently appointed to the C-TRAN Citizens Action Committee (CCAC). She regularly attends Clark County Commissioner meetings and has participated in over 100 hours of Constitution classes, most notably the Thomas Jefferson Center for Constitutional Studies and the Freedom Foundation.
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Camas Superintendent Mike Nerland |
It is with a heavy heart that I write this letter. The elementary school shooting in Connecticut earlier today is one of the most horrific scenarios I can imagine. When I heard of this morning’s tragic events my first thoughts, like I’m sure all of you, were of my own children. In light of the events in Connecticut this morning, I want to assure our families that the Camas School District has strong security and supervision policies in place at all of our schools. Please know that we have a very specific set of security drills and protocols that we conduct at our schools on a regular basis to be as prepared as possible in the event of an emergency. Our staff and students know what to do in an emergency, and we practice regularly to reinforce concepts and routines. Additionally, all schools have emergency plans which are developed in cooperation with the Camas Police and Fire departments as well as Washington State Patrol. It is very important that we have accurate emergency contact information in Skyward, our student data system. Parents, if you have secondary students, you have access to Skyward Family Access where you can log in and click on Student Information to view your emergency contact data. For elementary parents, you can contact your school office to verify the emergency contact information.
- Focus on your children over the week following the tragedy. Tell them you love them and everything will be okay. Try to help them understand what has happened, keeping in mind their developmental level.
- Make time to talk with your children. Remember if you do not talk to your children about this incident someone else will. Take some time and determine what you wish to say.
- Stay close to your children. Your physical presence will reassure them and give you the opportunity to monitor their reaction. Many children will want actual physical contact. Give plenty of hugs. Let them sit close to you, and make sure to take extra time at bedtime to cuddle and to reassure them that they are loved and safe.
- Limit your child’s television viewing of these events. If they must watch, watch with them for a brief time; then turn the set off. Don’t sit mesmerized re-watching the same events over and over again.
- Maintain a “normal” routine. To the extent possible stick to your family’s normal routine for dinner, homework, chores, bedtime, etc., but don’t be inflexible. Children may have a hard time concentrating on schoolwork or falling asleep at night.
- Spend extra time reading or playing quiet games with your children before bed. These activities are calming, foster a sense of closeness and security, and reinforce a sense of normalcy. Spend more time tucking them in. Let them sleep with a light on if they ask for it.
- Safeguard your children’s physical health. Stress can take a physical toll on children as well as adults. Make sure your children get appropriate sleep, exercise, and nutrition.
- Think hopeful thoughts for the victims and their families. It may be a good time to take your children to your place of worship, write a poem, or draw a picture to help your child express their feelings and feel that they are somehow supporting the victims and their families.
As an educator and a parent, I am horrified by the event which took place in Connecticut today. Give your loved ones an extra hug tonight and as we head into the Holiday break let’s be sure our thoughts are with all those families in Newton.
Superintendent
Camas School District
By Seth Sjostrom
Today’s economy is tough. That’s no secret. We all find ways to cinch the purse strings and do more with less. But are we doing the most with the dollars that we spend within our communities? One local organization has been created to answer that question.
Buy Vancouver is a collective of small, independent businesses that strives to educate the buying public that where and how they spend their dollars impacts their very community and local economy. The group’s premise is three-fold: locally-owned, independent businesses contribute to the unique character of the community; for every $100 spent, $45 spent with a local business remains in the community versus $15 spent at a chain; local, independent businesses create higher-paying jobs.
Mary Sisson, owner of Vancouver-based Kazoodles toy store and founder of Buy Vancouver firmly believes in the organization’s stance, “I have been promoting ‘shop local’ since we opened in 2006.” Mary developed great depth of experience in cultivating independent businesses through editing the ASTRA (American Specialty Toy Retailing Association) national newsletter. Pulling together similarly minded business owners like Paper Tiger Coffee Roaster’s Kenny and Sue Fletcher and Vintage Books’ Becky Millner, Buy Vancouver was born.
“Our goal is to raise awareness among local buyers that where they shop makes a difference in their community,” Mary states. Many buyers prefer to buy American when they have the choice; in fact, they are often open to paying a premium for to do so. The same goes for supporting local shop owners, but buyers have to be aware of their options.
Early manifestations include a group effort in a coupon exchange where several businesses hand out the coupons of other local businesses. To further make connections in the minds of Vancouver shoppers, 21 businesses took part in a “Where’s Waldo” scavenger hunt. Each participating store had a hidden Waldo that children and families could seek out in celebration of Where’s Waldo’s 25thanniversary. Those who submitted entries with a least 16 Waldos found were eligible for a drawing where the winner would receive the complete collection of the famous seek and find books. While not technically a Buy Vancouver event, it represented what the group of businesses could accomplish together.
Buy Vancouver has begun to take shape with fifteen official current members, with more adding on each week. Any Vancouver business that is locally owned, independent to the point where “they could change their name if they wanted to without running it up the corporate chain”, and is not publicly traded is eligible for membership. A mere $25 fee used to cover marketing costs is the only dues demanded.
Buy Vancouver is looking towards the near term future, sponsoring a booth at Vancouver’s Peace and Justice Fair, September 8th. The booth represents their first public forum to espouse their call buy local message. Kenny Fletcher is impressed with the collaborative effort of the businesses involved so far, “Some groups can tend to be a bit passive. All of the members of Buy Vancouver are very active in the organization, each of us taking on a needed area. Even at the Peace and Justice booth, we are all ready to be involved. We will be bringing coffee for the booth’s staffers, at the very least.”
Beyond the Peace and Justice Fair, the group is in full growth mode, feeling membership is ready to explode as their early efforts are recognized. Putting together a comprehensive list of local independent businesses with a corresponding guide is on the docket for the immediate future as is increasing their presence in the community. A pair of related goals includes supporting calls for tax fairness for online merchants and for manufacturers to enforce minimum pricing – both things issues negatively impacting local independent businesses.
As you are wandering around Vancouver or in town for a shopping trip, take note of the circulating salmon sign in the window of local merchants denoting they are an independent purveyor and member of Buy Vancouver. As Vancouver’s neighbors struggle with the same challenges, there are surely lessons to be gleamed from banding together to support local independent businesses, the building blocks of the American dream.
Every third week in July, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints celebrates Pioneer Day, which is a commemoration of Mormon ancestors who arrived across the Plains and into the Salt Lake, Utah Valley in 1847.
As the church has grown throughout the years, this celebration has extended to many parts of the world in honor of those church members who left Nauvoo, Illinois, to escape religious persecution.
At the time, Utah was (and still is in many places) a desolate and undesirable place. The displaced Mormon’s took refuge there, and began to build an inspiring and prosperous community.
“They left family and friends,” says the church’s official website, www.lds.org, in reference to the pioneer legacy. “They pulled handcarts across the plains; they grew a city out of a desert. Most important, the pioneers left a legacy of perseverance, faith, and sacrifice.”
So, LDS members across the globe celebrated this past weekend, and in particular, hundreds of Clark County members gathered at Camas High School for a fried chicken lunch, games, craft events, and history lessons to celebrate their history.
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Max Whittle and Andrew Wight participate in a tug-of-war competition. |
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Dozens of kids participated in candle-making. |
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Stuart Weiss, Hunter Gurney and Andrew Wight get ready for tug-of-war. |
By Ernie Geigenmiller
More than 1,600 youth and adults from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered in Vancouver over the weekend to aid in 14 service projects that benefitted local communities.
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Nathan Puffer, Colby Allen, and other youth prepare to landscape the Pacific Park Demonstration Garden in Vancouver. |
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Adam Weiss, forefront, and Daelin Jensen listen to a speaker. |
“I think we made a difference,” said Dallin Buck, of Woodland. “I enjoyed working and meeting new people this weekend.”
The youth worked at the following sites:
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Pacific Park Demonstration Garden
- Clark County Food Bank
- Heritage Farm
- Lacamas Park
- Lewisville Park
- Salmon Creek Greenway
- Frenchman’s Bar Park
- Second Step Housing
- Remme Residence
- DNR Rock Creek Campground
- DNR Washougal Farm
- Pioneer Cemetery
- Share House
“It’s really fun doing this,” said Nathan Puffer, of Camas, one of the group’s volunteers. “It feels good to help the community.”
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Dallin Buck pulls weeds at the Pacific Park Demonstration Garden. |
The super activity brought in LDS teens from areas as far north as Longview and Kelso, and as far east as The Dalles, OR. Dozens of local families hosted between 2 and 5 teens in their homes, and shuttled their guests to and from service projects and the youth conference. The conference itself featured several workshops, musical performances, and spiritual discussions.
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Rebecca Pugmire dances with friends at Skyview High School in Vancouver. |
The youth were divided into several large groups that moved into the various classes and workshops throughout the three-day event. They also participated in outdoor games and singing. Friday night concluded with a dance, and Saturday night ended with a musical concert.
“I really enjoyed some of the talks that were given,” said Camas resident Daelin Jensen. “I learned a lot.”
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The youth participated in various outdoor games during the 3-day event. |
Jake Murphy, from Kelso, said “I really liked the dance and the music. It was a lot of fun, and there were some cute girls here.”
The LDS Church has a strong focus on the family and encourages its youth to reach out, said Heather Norton, whose family hosted several teen girls.
Sprague said the youth discussed their faith in Jesus Christ and how to apply Christian teachings into their daily lives. “We wanted to reinforce these sacred beliefs and remind the kids how much they are appreciated,” she added.
By Seth Sjostrom
More than 4,000 participants tested their physical and mental toughness Saturday at the Pacific Northwest’s first Spartan Race held in Washougal. The Washougal Motocross track formed the ideal setting for the mud-obstacle course with its hilly landscape and winding trails.
The Spartan Race crew set up a course encompassing four arduous miles, twenty muscle ripping obstacles, and gobs of thick mud. Sound like fun? As a participant, I can tell you it was!
A strange thing happened as I arrived at the park. A feeling washed over me reminiscent of stepping on the baseball field before the first pitch (a long, long time ago) – my chest felt tight, a pit welled up in my stomach, a mild anxiety took root through my veins. For whatever reason, I was nervous. To be clear, I wasn’t entirely sure why. A fellow racer nearby echoed the sentiment. As did another.
When the DJ tossed out the smoke bomb and a staffer dressed in full Spartan garb took the mic, we knew it was time, nervous or not we were about to launch. “Who are you?” the Spartan asked. The racers chorused the response “I am Spartan!” No looking back, we were off.
The first ¼ mile of the race was a long, winding ascent. As more of a hiker than a runner, I endured a string of fleet-footed racers streaking by me. Working our way up the course, I was actually glad to see the first obstacle – a rib-high wall to vault over – we were entering the meat of the course.
Another wall and uphill climb later, we faced our second challenge. A series of heavy cement blocks were strung through pulleys. One by one, the Spartans hoisted the blocks in the air. As mine hovered at the peak of its line, a drill-sergeantesque voice called out, “If you drop my weight, you’ll owe me thirty burpees!” I gingerly let my block lower to the ground, it actually lifting me momentarily off my feet. A burpee, the Spartan Race penalty for a failed task, is a military derived exercise involving a squat which lays into a push-up and ends in a jump-squat (more or less). On this trail, you did not want to exhaust yourself with burpees.
The next challenge had us climbing up and over a high wall, slipping under a wall with a small gap at the bottom and through a windowed wall. This would be repeated three times before we were sent on our way to face another challenge. A pile of sandbags stacked at the ready, we were to hoist the 40lbs over our shoulders and march them up a circuit and back. At this point, the challenges seemed to regulate the athletes. While I am sure a few studs (and studettes) continued their dominance, most of the group I had started with seemed to be generally clustered. Pure speed was not the answer, neither was strength, or endurance. Somehow, the mix that the Spartan race had unfolded tested the whole of the participant and it began to become clear that it was so much more about digging deep and soldiering on than its pure physical elements.
While there had been sections of mud to either run or crawl through, the series of mud pools we encountered next added an entirely different muddy component to the course. I found the neck-deep pools to be quite refreshing after the sandbag exercise, though I did find I had to stop and squeeze empty a pocket full of water an – unusual feature of my hiking trousers.
Sufficiently introduced to the mud, we met a section that would up the ante considerably. A seemingly endless line of undulating hills were completely laced with barbed-wire hovering a scarce ten inches off of the ground. On our bellies, we slithered through the mud army-crawl style through the sea of hills. Adding to our enjoyment was a pair of the Spartan crew spraying us and the course sadistically with a fire hose. With the crest of each hill, I would hear fellow participants groan as they were met with yet more wire-covered knolls. Elbows and knees dug in, they would set back to work, determined to drive their way through to completion.
Pushing on with renewed vigor, I tackled the next weighty challenge. Our task was to drag a heavy cement block tethered to a steel chain around an uphill circuit and back. As I was lugging my shackle up the slope, I felt for some of my fellow Spartans. This was one of the more physically demanding tasks that the course was to offer. As I and a few of my fellow Spartans returned to the pen which housed the blocks, we drug them a little further to set up the next Spartan so that they didn’t have to fight the weight over the edge of the corral.
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Saturday’s Spartan Race at the Washougal Motocross track. |
As we rounded the next bend, we were met by the most impressive obstacle yet – a daunting hill climb latticed in barbed wire. Once more in the army crawl position, we pushed along on our bellies fighting a deep layer of mud, gravity and thousands of barbs tearing at our backs. This ascent coaxed the most groans, stalls and contemplation from racers to bail out and accept the punishment of burpees. If any voiced their concern, a steward would promptly warn the penalty had raised to sixty burpees. Stacked tight under the daunting barbed wire, we urged each other on. If someone faltered and began to slide, we would catch their foot or grab a hand and pull them along or stabilize them. Gutting it out, the procession pushed ahead. As we reached the final stretch, the slope steepened. Mud soaked ropes lined the bank offering our exit strategy. Hand over hand, we made our way to the top.
My elation was tempered as I watched Spartan after Spartan fail to stick a spear into a hay bale mounted high on a pole. “Aim high,” one fellow Spartan offered as I took his spot. I did, hitting the target square in the center! I watched as the spear sailed through the air, finding its mark. I slumped as the weapon turned sideways and fell harmlessly to the ground. My first set of burpees.
I raced towards the final obstacles. An innocent looking line of posts dotted the trail. Leaping on one of them, I teetered as I found the posts were loose in the ground. Holding my balance I centered myself. Carefully, I made another step. Balance. Another step. My pulse quickened, I was going to make it. Another step. My knobby mud shoes fought for grip on the wooden post. Step….down. More burpees.
Attendants were immediately at my side, honoring me with a Spartan badge, providing me with much needed water and a banana. I made my way to my son who grinned as I crossed the finish. I threw my arms out, but was met with resistance. Hayden eyed me suspiciously, noting the thorough coating of mud, he was not taken to my offer for a hug. Relenting, he leaned into me, his now Spartan dad.
Pleased with my accomplishment and the overall experience of the Spartan, I am left with one final question, how can I build one of these in my backyard?
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