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Hometown Holidays 2018 Begins Today at 5; Offers Free Shuttle Service

Camas, WA — Hosted and organized by the City of Camas, Hometown Holidays includes the downtown tree lighting, photos with Santa, crafts, hay rides, Camas Schools entertainment, hot cocoa sponsored by Journey Church, holiday shopping, art shows, and more! Tree lighting is at 6:30 and yes, there will be snow and fireworks again!

And, great news!  There will be a free shuttle service sponsored by Camas School District to the Tree Lighting event as well as a new pedestrian corridor to maintain a thoroughfare for ease of movement.

Five parking lots within one mile of Downtown Camas will be incorporated into three separate shuttle routes. The routes are color-coded and all will drop off riders on the street between Camas City Hall and Camas Library. The shuttle is free, and details are in this link:

Click here to read more about it and to see the shuttle routes and pedestrian corridor

Also new will be a “pedestrian corridor” on the south side of NE 4th Avenue, between NE Birch and NE Cedar Avenues. In an effort to maintain a thoroughfare for ease of movement during the highlight of the tree-lighting ceremony, the south sidewalk will be used for pedestrian flow only — no stopping or standing will be allowed — from 5:30 pm to 6:45 pm. The area will be roped off, posted, and arranged with staff and volunteers to keep people in that corridor moving at a constant flow.

Dining

Hey Jack Special!

 

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Camas High Senior Blake Deringer Seeking Toy Drive Donations

For his Senior Project, Camas High School (CHS) Varsity track star, Blake Deringer, is collecting toys to be donated to the East County Family Resource Center as Christmas holiday gifts.

The goal of Deringer’s Toy Drive, which goes until December 12, is to gather 200 toys for local needy families. He says that amount of toys will help out 60 families.

Donation barrels have been placed at the following locations:

  • Camas Public Library
  • Washougal Sport and Spine
  • Camas High School

“Our goal is to get 200 toys delivered by the deadline,” said Deringer. “We got 15 donations so far, but we just started.”

His campaign is requesting unwrapped toys for children preschool through fourth grade.

“Once we collect all the toys, we will take them to the Family Resource Center, and they will wrap the gifts,” said Deringer. “December 12 is a hard deadline.”

Senior Projects are mandatory for CHS seniors, which requires a well-thought plan, a review board, a mentor, and a certain number of hours.

“I honestly just got involved with the resource center and thought this would be a cool senior project,” said Deringer. “I haven’t done a lot of service projects before and was amazed at how many people who are in need. I realized this is something I could get behind. Really, I had no idea there were so many people in our local community that are homeless or in need. It really blew my mind. It’s really humbling seeing people going there asking for things on a everyday basis. It’s nice that I can help with that a little bit. I will definitely continue working with them after my senior project.”

 

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Gift Store Teaches Hathaway Students About Commerce, Holiday Giving

Washougal WA — Volunteers at the Hathaway Elementary Gift Store are providing students the opportunity to learn the joy of holiday giving first hand. Now in its fifth year, the store is filled with new and gently used gift items that students “purchase” using “Pawsitives” coupons earned as a reward for positive behavior.

“You will find, normally before the holidays, kids can get anxious and excited and can lose some focus at school,” said Pam Clark, Hathaway Gift Store organizer. “The ability to earn Pawsititves to “spend” at the gift store for holiday giving is a powerful motivator to help students focus on positive behavior.”  The store is open each Tuesday and Thursday morning before school during the month of December.

Hathaway fourth grade student, Ruby Lacey, earned her Pawsitives by starting early on projects, being polite and listening in class. She was excited to be able to get a gift to put under the tree for her mother. “She is going to love it,” she exclaimed.

“It is really interesting to see how the kids make their choices,” said Clark.  “They will say they want something blue since it is their mom’s favorite color, or they see a type of toy or a book that they know a sibling would like. They seem to really enjoy the opportunity to surprise loved ones with a thoughtful gift.”

One year a student even bought a gift for the school principal.

Washougal School District Superintendent, Mary Templeton, also dropped in to assist shoppers on December 4.  “I love seeing how their positive behavior is rewarded in a way that allows them to give to friends and family,” she said.

“To stock and staff the store takes a large group of volunteers but each year the number of helpers grows,” Clark said. “Once you come and help you are hooked, and you’ll be back the next year.  That is just what happens!”

According to Clark it is the expression of excitement on children’s faces when they find that perfect gift that keeps the volunteers coming back.  “And the kids are always so polite and seem grateful for the opportunity we are providing,” she said.  “That is reward you feel deep in your heart.”

Finding items to stock the store takes place all year, with volunteers looking at garage sales and around their homes. The word has gotten out about the store and now local businesses and organizations are offering items.

One of the most popular gifts are coffee mugs.

“Last year we had 300 mugs and they all went!” Clark said. “Sometimes we’ll add a packet of hot cocoa mix, microwave popcorn or other small item to make them more special.”

Other gifts include ornaments, small toys, games, books, holiday décor, and even scarves and neckties.  To donate items, contact Clark at [email protected].

“I just need to thank everyone who helps with this project,” Clark said.  “Without help from the community, volunteers, businesses and my friends, we could not do what we are doing.”

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Gause Elementary Reduces Waste Through Green Schools Program

Washougal WA — Gause Elementary has a new team.  It’s the Green Team!  And, their goal is to make the school and world a better place by participating in Waste Connection’s Clark County Green Schools program to reduce school waste. Waste Connections works with Clark County Green Schools.

“It is important for kids this age to learn about how to care for the environment and understand the importance and benefits of recycling,” said Ellen Lancaster, Gause Day Custodian and Green Team Adviser.  “We want to start good habits and build a culture of recycling at Gause.”

As a part of the Green Team program the school received receptacles for use during cafeteria meals to sort waste.  “These containers make the process of separating food scraps from garbage and recycling easy to do and understand with colorful bins and clear labels,” said Lancaster.

And this is where the Gause Green Team, comprised of around a dozen third to fifth graders, springs into action.

“Our members monitor the containers at lunchtime and watch to help make sure students are sorting items properly and using the correct receptacles,” Lancaster explained.

Waste Connections picks up the food waste from a cart left with regular recycling and garbage containers.  Waste Connections partners with Dirt Hugger to transport food waste to Dirt Hugger’s composting facility in Dallesport, Washington. Once there, food scraps decompose and are turned into a nutrient-rich soil additive.

“The production of waste has enormous impacts on environments, economies, and societies throughout the world,” said Ellen Ives, Waste Connection Sustainability and Waste Reduction Educator. “Each of us has a responsibility to understand the impacts of the waste we produce, how much we produce, and how we can make choices to reduce waste and protect natural resources and human health.”

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An important step in Gause earning Green School Certification, is to perform a waste audit that took place on December 5 after school.

“We worked with Ellen Ives and Clark County Green Schools staff to look at a day’s recycling and garbage from classrooms and the cafeteria,” said Lancaster. “Students sorted out each waste stream and determine what is recycling and what is garbage.  They also asked themselves, ‘Was this put in the right place?’”

Fourth grade student, Olive Krysak, was a part of the audit and was amazed at how much recyclable materials and reusable items were in the classroom trash.

“It was really kind of sad,” she commented.  “A crayon might be broken, but you can still use it!  People need to learn the proper way to throw away things, so recyclable items and everything are in the right place.”

Washougal School District Superintendent Mary Templeton was also on hand to help sort trash during the audit.  More Washougal schools are becoming involved in the Clark County Green Schools program.

“These school waste audits help students recognize the enormity of solid waste production, disposal, and issues, the impacts of waste produced at their school and community and feel empowered to make choices which reduce these impacts,” said Ives. School waste production data collected during the audit will be used to create a plan for improving waste reduction and disposal at the school.

Waste

Students place waste in the proper receptacles.

“A part of the process is to understand how many dumpsters we fill on a regular basis and then work to have less going into the land fill and more in recycle but also to create less waste overall,” said Lancaster.

As a part of the Green Schools program the students will take a field trip to a Waste Connections transfer station.  Waste Connections Clark County pays all program costs for school participation.

“I want kids to look up, look out and see what’s there and take care of it,” Lancaster explained.  “I want to help teach them how to be responsible and aware of their world.”

Gause Green Team members meet before school on the first Tuesday of each month. “We also discuss ways to reduce, reuse and recycle,” said Lancaster.

Other initiatives include encouraging use of school water bottle fill stations with a reusable bottle rather than drinking from a carton or plastic water bottle; Crayola ColorCycle program to collect and repurpose used Crayola markers; and the Trex Challenge, to collect plastic grocery bags, bread bags, dry cleaning bags, newspaper sleeves, ziplock & other re-sealable bags, produce bags and more.

“Everyone who participates in the Trex Challenge gets a plaque, but the school who collects the most bags in a region will earn a Trex plastic bench for their school,” Lancaster said.

One of three Clark County schools Green Team advisers that is a custodian, Lancaster feels that it is a good fit.  “The club is a great way for me to connect with the kids at Gause in a different way,” she said. “They are all my kids.”Green

Lancaster’s goal for the program is to inspire students to help them understand their impact on the environment and know how they can make this a better place.

“There’s just one world!” she said.

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Washougal High Student Chloe Connors Receives Prevention Award

Washougal, WA – Unite! Washougal is proud to announce that Washougal High School Senior Chloe Connors has been awarded the 2018 Washington State Exemplary Substance Abuse Prevention Award for Youth Leadership. Connors and other awardees were honored on November 6, 2018, at the 2018 Washington State Prevention Summit in Yakima, Washington. The award recognizes the efforts of dedicated individuals and professionals in the prevention field.

“Chloe was chosen for this prestigious award because of her dedication to our community and to healthy choices for youth and families,” said Margaret McCarthy, Unite! Washougal Drug Free Communities Grant Coordinator.

Nominees for the awarded had to demonstrate notable participation in community and/or school prevention activities for a minimum of one year and have demonstrated quality peer leadership, teamwork, and volunteerism.

Dedicated to Prevention work since she was 11 years old, Connors helped coordinate “Challenge for Change” to bring resources and awareness to substance abuse issues in our community. She serves on the Unite! Leadership team and engages community, parents, law enforcement, youth and business sectors in creating healthy change.

“No job is too big or too small for Chloe,” said McCarthy. “She helps with childcare for Guiding Good Choices parenting workshops, leads the coalition in strategic planning and reaches out to the community to collect data.”  Connor is also involved in every level of coalition work and has served over 450 hours by her leadership and involvement in strategies like Drug Take Back, Let’s Draw the Line, Spring Youth Forum, Kindness Challenge Campaign, #findyourgood campaign, Prevention Policy Day in Olympia, and Capitol Hill day in Washington, D.C.

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www.MyHeavensBest.com

“Chloe has a very positive energy that makes her a great leader!” said Ann Stevens, Unite! Coalition leader. “She is also very dependable and follows through on her projects and is an inspirational example to other youth!”

“I volunteer and feel passionate about prevention because I want to help my community and people close to me,” Connors says. “I know how important it is to have information, education and resources available to help people make healthy choices.”

This award is sponsored by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery in cooperation with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, Department of Health, Washington Traffic Safety Commission, Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board, Washington Association for Substance Abuse & Violence Prevention and Prevention Specialist Certification Board of Washington.

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Camas Swim Team: 2X State Champions Adjusting to Vancouver Pool

Camas, WA — The two-time, back-to-back State Champion Camas High School (CHS) Boys Swim team lost their home pool several weeks ago as negotiations between Lacamas Athletic Club and the CHS Athletics Department failed to reach an agreement.

Fortunately, Cascade Athletic Club stepped up and took in the displaced team, but it hasn’t been without challenges. The venue change has forced the Varsity swimmers to begin practices at 5:30 am, which gives the boys ample lane space to maximize workouts. Junior Varsity practices in the evenings, beginning at 7:15, which alleviates lane congestion.

It also forces the champion athletes to get up before 5 am, travel to Vancouver, practice, then rush to shower, change, and drive or bus to CHS. It’s not ideal, but the team is adjusting.

“It takes an extra 10 minutes to get here,” said CHS sophomore, Jack Harris. “We have to get here pretty early. It’s not too bad, at least we have afternoons to get homework done, but it’s still a big change from last year. We’ll do our best given the situation.”

On day one, Head Coach Mike Bemis gave the entire team a tour of the facility, and thanked Cascade for their generosity. The team practices alongside competitors at Union, Mountain View, Evergreen, and Heritage.

“We’re treating this season like a new season,” said co-captain, Chris Xia. “We’re not really gonna focus on our past titles, we’re just going into this year trying our best and yeah we have some swimmers who have left, but we’re just gonna try to make up for them, and do the best we can.”

Swim

Camas Swim team captains, from left: Chris Xia and Austin Fogel.

The team won State titles in 2017 and 2018, thanks to amazing talent, and coaching strategies. But, they also lost three star athletes — Finn McClone and Mark Kim — to graduation, as well as Eric Wu, who dropped the team this year because of losing Lacamas Athletic Club as their home pool.

“The Camas High School Boys swim team is about to start training for our third state title,” said Wu. “I find it near impossible if we can’t do that without our pool. The past few seasons we were able to train in the afternoon at Lacamas. Not only does swimming in the morning affect our training, but it affects our whole day during school. Without proper sleep and a home pool, how will we put together another strong state team?”

Losing Wu was a blow, but the team is soul-searching, and working hard to fill in the gaps.

”We’re still gonna try hard to defend our State title,” said co-captain, Austin Fogel. “Hopefully some of the underclass men will step up and fill those shoes. We have some really fast swimmers.”

Their first meet of the season is today at Curtis High School.

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Background

So, how did a two-time State Championship team lose their home pool?

Several months ago, Denise Croucher, owner and operator of Lacamas Athletic Club, expressed her desire to have a member of her club staff serve as assistant coach to both the boys and girls Camas High School (CHS) swim teams. Athletes from several private clubs swim for CHS, including Lacamas Headhunters, Columbia River Swim Team (CRST), Portland Athletic Club, and Mt. Hood.

CHS and Bemis say Croucher wanted to be head coach, which Croucher denies.

Croucher’s demand to coach was met with resistance from CHS, whose loyalty remains to Bemis, who has brought home two back-to-back state champions. Negotiations between the two entities ended with the girl’s team being forced out and finding a new, temporary home at Cascade Athletic Club.

“Yes, we will continue to swim at Cascade Athletic Club for the boys season,” said Rory Oster, CHS Athletic Director. “We are grateful for the great management and leadership at Cascade who is willing to do whatever they can to help our program, and we will make it work. Again, our preference would be to swim at the local Lacamas Athletic Club and are disappointed an agreement could not be made.”

Swim

Front, left to right: Jack Duerfeldt and Luke Bales. Back, left to right: Zach Macia and Ben Taylor.

Croucher said she thought they were still in negotations, and was shocked when the girl’s team switched over to Cascade. At the time, CHS had hoped they could salvage the relationship and keep the Lacamas pool for the boy’s season.

There’s been bad blood between Croucher and CRST for more than 15 years, but Darlene Hill, owner and operator of CRST, says “There’s nothing there that can’t be fixed — the focus should be on the kids who all get along very well. The swimming community generally gets along well. This is very obtuse.”

Bemis said over the years Lacamas Athletic Club has manufactured tensions, but “we always found a way to work it out.”

Parents have complained that Lacamas Athetic Club management was seldom prepared for home meets, and that facilities haven’t been properly maintained. Croucher said their facilities were vandalized during home meets, and that the costs of opening the pool for the CHS team were too high. CHS pays $20,000 each season to Lacamas Athletic Club to lease lanes at their facility, said Croucher.

“They pulled all shower plumbing off the locker rooms, they played with heaters and they ruined a locker room heater,” said Croucher. “Other teams would leave a mess in the locker room after each swim meet. We had a huge mess every single day after practice. Garbage strewed across the locker room. The attitude was very negative from outside swimmers. They don’t respect it like its theirs.  Honestly, sometimes I don’t think we want them back here. It has been so nice to have our team, staff and employees without the high school teams.”

But, she also feels bad a deal couldn’t be worked out.

“It’s not something we really want,” said Croucher. “We want the kids to be able to swim, so I’m a supporter of that. But, we have to find a way that it doesn’t impact the business so much. I also want a member of my staff coaching the team, that way our interests are represented at every practice, and at every meet. I’m open to suggestions.”

Swim

From left: Chris Xia, Dave Peddie, and Austin Fogel.

Bemis said the politics of the situation have been a challenge for more than a decade, and that they’ve always found a way to work it out. But, not this year.

“Leslie (the assistant coach) and I aren’t even allowed on the Lacamas Athletic Club premises anymore,” said Bemis. “It’s gotten that bad. Denise wants to coach both Camas High School teams, and if she doesn’t get that, then the Camas teams aren’t allowed to practice or compete there. It’s not a good decision.”

Bailey Segall, of the CHS Girls swim team, said that Lacamas Headhunter swimmers even petitioned Croucher to change their minds.

”They went in there and begged Denise to change her mind, but she wouldn’t listen,” said Segall. “Nobody is really happy about this.”

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UW Marching Band Bus Accident: George Residents Feed 325 Students, Staff

George, Washington — A bus accident in Central Washington changed many lives on Thanksgiving Day, including Battle Ground City Councilor, Shane Bowman, his family, and the small town of George.

Moments after bus three in a six-bus caravan transporting University of Washington Marching Band and Spirit Squad members to Pullman slid and rolled on the icy highway, Bowman said he heard the sirens of fire trucks and ambulances passing through George.

“I grew up in Central Washington four miles from George, we were visiting for Thanksgiving, working outside and we heard some police sirens and ambulances, so we assumed there was an accident,” said Bowman. “We finished our work and pulled up the news and learned that a UW band bus rolled over just six miles from us. My son said we should go see if we they need any help.”

So they did.

Within moments, the Bowman’s found out they were triaging victims at George Elementary School. So, they called the fire chief and asked if they needed anything.

“They said they needed food and blankets,” said Bowman. “We rounded up everything we had and headed down there. All the buses were there, five in total. So, we just took in everything that we had, we called a few friends to gather food, and we went to the gas station and cleared out all the hot pockets and burritos we could buy. We bought a couple hundred of them.”

Bus

Local community members brought everything they could to feed the 325 students and staff.

Using the tiny school’s kitchen, they heated up the food, put out the snacks, and watched local community members bring in their delicious Thanksgiving food.

“We fed all of them,” said Bowman. “We had enough water and people showed up with everything — soups and enchiladas. Everything.”

From 6:15 pm until the UW buses departed at 10:30 pm, Bowman’s family, including his son, Trey, and his parents, Alan and Sue (and a total crew of about 10) stayed for the duration. Another 15-20 families came in and dropped off food.

“We’d been down there quite a while, and a whole bunch of food came in — the kids just snacked on anything we had,” said Bowman. “Then a bunch of people brought in more food, blankets and mattresses. A couple even came in from Wenatchee on those icy roads. We thought they were going to spend the night at the school at first. It was chaos, but I was impressed with how professional everyone was. The UW students and staff are incredible. They had a lot to deal with. No complaining from anyone. The whole group was very professional.”

Bowman also got to spend time with Union High School graduate, Tommy Strassenberg, who used to live in Battle Ground. Strassenberg was a phenomenal wrestler who is now part of the UW Cheer team.

Everyone was equally impressed with the first responders — especially given the resource constraints an accident this size causes in rural Washington. Bowman said each little jurisdiction has ambulances, but they don’t have the resources here to deal with something this big.

The UW students are dealing with a spectrum of injuries — from sore backs and lacerations to broken bones and concussions, however, Bowman said it could have been a lot worse.

“I spoke with the bus driver of bus 4 who said he nearly hit bus 3,” he said. “A second collision would have made things a lot worse. We’re very grateful there were no fatalities. There was a lot of ice on the road. We have four-wheel drive pickups and the roads were slick. It was bad out there. There was freezing rain and sleet for about an hour.

“Regarding the response, I don’t expect anything different. I was in Battle Ground when we had the tornado come through, and we had the same thing there. People just stepped up, and put aside all their differences, and that’s what was cool. All the Fire Departments here are volunteers. It’s refreshing to see everyone help out.”

The UW students spent the night at Moses Lake, and will likely return to Seattle tomorrow morning. They won’t attend the Apple Cup, which was their destination.

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Supporting Small Businesses: Top 10 Things You Can Do Today

Last Christmas season, in an effort to support locally owned and operated businesses, I made a point to shop FIRST in downtown Camas, Washougal, and other small companies in Vancouver. My goal was to buy as much as I could without going to the mall, or into the traffic congested streets of Portland — or even going online.

The results amazed me! I was able to make 80 percent of my purchases before going anywhere else. I found some really cool treasures, some really fun gifts that my sons continue to enjoy. Once I did all I could at these sweet little shops, I ventured to the malls, struggled to find a parking space, listened to the madness, and made other purchases.

Yes, the mall has some great things, too, and I was happy to support the local business there, as well. But, I was all too pleased to leave and return to the peace of Downtown Camas to sip a hot chocolate at Caffe Piccolo, or enjoy a burger at Feast.

Small

Inside Lily Atelier, in Downtown Camas.

I see daily the up’s and down’s that local small businesses contend with, and I appreciate their steadfastness and continued hard work to serve us. So, I went to several local shops, and asked them what we can do to support them.

Here’s the list:

  1. When you visit the store, check-in on social media.
  2. Snap a photo of a product you like.
  3. Post the photo and tag the store on social media.
  4. Share your favorite store’s social media posts. Like, follow, share, share, share.
  5. Bring in your out-of-town guests.
  6. Follow the store on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter).
  7. Word of mouth. Simply tell your friends to shop there for Christmas purchases.
  8. Get to know the retailers and how they support other businesses, including local artists, jewelers, card designers.
  9. Choose in-store products that give back to charitable foundations.
  10. Boost a store’s Yelp presence by giving them a positive review.

And, of course, buy, buy, buy!

 

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Artful Attic in Downtown Camas: An Artist Coop Full Service Boutique

Camas, WA — Life is just beginning for the The Artful Attic, a new Downtown Camas artist cooperative full service boutique, but some of the treasures they’re selling have a long history.

Case in point: Co-owner Lori Lander proudly holds a hand-turned wood bowl by local artist Ron Wiltsey, who created it from a burl from a sweetgum tree that was planted at Esther Short Park in the 1890s. He works with wood only.

“I just love this piece,” said Lander who opened the boutique with her soon-to-be-husband, Tyson Morris, just a few weeks ago. “It tells a story. Our store has many sweet treasures like this.”

Located at 217 NE 3rd Avenue, Artful Attic sits across the street from Salud Wine, and is just a stone’s throw from the mill.

Lander says the store features 17 local artists, roughly 65 of the store’s inventory.

“We wanted a platform for all kinds of art,” said Lander. “Our goal is to feature 100 percent local art. We could easily handle 40.”

Valerie Eliason does all the grain designed for her decorative wall art, handcrafting the stencils and applying a resin with a nice think veneer.

Artful

Come see this bowl, made from an old tree at Vancouver’s Esther Short Park.

Laura Koppes does a lot mixed media paintings. Uta Zuendel creates bamboo art using thin shavings resulting in stunning wreaths, ornaments, and other decorative work.

Chris Brodigan handcrafts the pottery (matching cups, plates, oil containers, bowls, etc) for an elegant table setting. Kathy Marty weaves stunning rugs out of Pendleton scraps.

“It was a challenge to get artists on board without a storefront,” said Lander. “The concept from opening was six months. We opened October 20.”

Artful Attic also does laser engravings, which costs $1 per square inch, plus a $10 setup fee. They can do cork, wood, metal, plastic, and glass.

“I love to create, and didn’t want to sit at a cube anymore,” said Lander. “I’ve dreamed about being a small business owner since I was a kid. I’ve had many ideas I just wanted to do. Come visit us and support the local artists. Let’s celebrate them!”

To learn more, visit www.artfulatticboutique.com

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UW Marching Band Bus Rolls Over Today; Camas Grads Injured

8:00 am UPDATE: Edie Myers-Power has been discharged, as have most, and reports are the UW students spent the night at a nearby hotel in Moses Lake. Her dislocated shoulder will require a surgeon when she returns to school. More information will be reported.

11:00 pm UPDATE: Austin Miller has been discharged from the hospital. He will be OK, but will be very sore for a while.

10:25 pm UPDATE: Camas High School 2015 graduate, Austin Miller, sustained injuries in the accident.

”When talking to him he feels like his injuries are minor compared to others — cuts on hand and chin, sore back and pieces of glass in his scalp that need to be cleaned up,” said Mia Miller, Austin’s mother.

Edie Myers-Power is getting X-rays. Other names haven’t been released yet.

9:36 pm UPDATE: There was a total of 6 chartered buses carrying UW band members. The bus that went off the roadway was # 3 in the group. Also, the numbers transported to area hospitals is closer to 40-45 plus.

Local families are asking for your prayers. Please share this article. We will keep updating this story as more details unfold.

BREAKING NEWS: Icy road conditions caused one of three buses carrying members of University of Washington’s marching band and spirit squad headed to the Apple Cup in Pullman to roll on its side, injuring at least 25 people. 

The crash happened at 5:20 pm today on eastbound 1-90 about three miles west of George. The injured were taken to the area hospitals to be treated, which are being reported as not life-threatening. Injuries include lacerations, broken collar bones, sore backs, bruises, and glass shards in scalps.

According to Jennifer Myers-Power, her daughter, Edie, and several Camas High School graduates, are among those injured. 

“Right now, there are 20+ kids at the Quincy Valley Medical Center,” said Myers-Power. “From talking to the other Camas moms of Husky Saxes, Edie’s might be the worst. Of those not hospitalized, there was still lots of broken glass, so lacerations and bruises. Some hand injuries so I’m pretty sure they won’t be playing.”

According to Grant County Sheriff’s Office: “Chartered bus carrying part of the U of W band lost control and rolled about 5:20 p.m. east bound I-90 MP143. Bus came to rest on a frontage road. All people on board accounted for. Injured all have non-life-threatening injuries. Around 25 victims transported to several area hospitals. That number subject to change as we work to verify all information. Remainder of students on the rolled bus have been taken to George Elementary School to be re-evaluated by EMS. Working on plan moving forward.”

There is currently no need for any volunteers, food or donations at the George Elementary School school, but families are asking for prayers.

We’ll keep you updated on this story.

Photos by Seattle Times and Washington State Patrol.

 

 

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