The Columbian

Capital Views: Transportation Budget Doesn't Please Wallace

OLYMPIA -- The House Transportation Committee today may float a gas-tax increase and a list of projects to be built with the new revenue. The committee's vice chairwoman, Rep. Deb Wallace, D-Vancouver, late last week looked at the still-evolving list and frowned.

Student Union Set to Open Doors ; Clark College Plans Day of Festivities to Introduce New Multipurpose Area

Clark College's new living room will be open for lounging, socializing and entertaining as of Wednesday. The 33,731-square-foot Penguin Student Union will open with the typical fanfare of ribbon-cuttings, refreshments and important people.

Dancers Have a Plaid Time; Local Scots Kick Up Heels for National Tartan Day

It's more than just plaid. Geri Stuart explained to visitors at the Cheshire Cat Tea and Gift Shoppe that tartans in myriad patterns of plaid represent families, regions of Scotland, and even businesses. Pointing to the red plaid background on the Walkers Shortbread packages, Stuart said it is the cookie company's trade tartan. Stuart was one of about a half-dozen members of the Vancouver USA Scottish Country Dancers who kicked up their heels Sunday for customers taking tea in honor of Nation...

Power Line Nearly Kills House Mover

A man was reported in critical condition Sunday night after being severely shocked by a power line while assisting in moving a house. Gary D. Smith, 19, of St. Helens, Ore., was part of a crew moving a house Sunday morning along Dresser Road and 244th Avenue, north of Camas, according to Scott Koehler, chief of Fire District 9. Smith was on the roof of the house while it was being moved and came into contact with a power line, Koehler said. The chief didn't know the name of the company that S...

Montana Bans Drinking, Driving; the State Is One of Last to Adopt Open-Container Law

HELENA, Mont. - Some Montana motorists, the joke goes, measure distances driven by how many beers a driver can down along the way. But what many here have considered a cherished freedom, grabbing a cold one for the road, is ending. State lawmakers passed an open-container ban Friday that makes Montana one of the last states to outlaw drinking and driving. Mississippi has no state law against open containers, though many Mississippi cities and counties have local ordinances.

Swan Deaths From Leadshot Increase; Scientists Look Into Cause, Pellet Source

BELLINGHAM - The number of swan deaths attributed to ingestion of lead shot has nearly doubled in the past 15 months to 1,850 in Whatcom County and British Columbia. Between 1998 and January 2004, about 1,000 swans were found dead in that region.

Child Caregivers Sue State Over Overcharging Allegations; Hispanic Workers Believe They Are Victims of Prejudice

MATTAWA - Child-care providers in this Eastern Washington town, apparently cleared of allegations that they cheated the state out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, are responding with a discrimination lawsuit against Grant County, the City of Mattawa and the Department of Social and Health Services. Many of the 47 Hispanic women the state had accused three years ago gathered Saturday to celebrate the state's recent decision to withdraw its overpayment notices.

Oregon National Guardsman, 40, Dies After Iraq Bomb Blast; Kevin Davis Leaves Behind Wife, 3 Children

LEBANON, Ore. - Staff Sgt. Kevin Dewayne Davis of Lebanon died after a homemade bomb exploded near his Humvee in Hawijah, Iraq, his family said Sunday. Davis, 40, a 14-year veteran of the National Guard and a member of the G Troop, was evacuated to a field hospital in Kirkuk then to a secondary hospital in Balad where he died of a heart attack while being treated on Friday.

Death Notices

McClellan, Laura, 46, Vancouver, died April 8, 2005. Vancouver Funeral Chapel, 360-693-3633. Kersteter, Marguerite A., 77, Vancouver, died April 7, 2005. Davies Cremation & Burial Services, 360-693-1036.

Blazes May Thwart Celebration of Trailblazers; Lewis and Clark Tourists, Fire Season May Be in Conflict

POMPEYS PILLAR NATIONAL MONUMENT, Mont. - Each year, some 50,000 tourists visit the jutting sandstone butte engraved by explorer William Clark and are warned by signs or guides of the fire danger in this part of drought-stricken Montana. But this year, with thousands more expected here and at other stops along the Lewis and Clark trail, federal land managers are looking for creative, new ways to reach travelers, particularly those floating rivers, hiking backcountry trails or camping in area...

Suit Filed Over Brain Harvesting; Woman: Examiner Took Brother's Brain Without Permission

SEATTLE- A North Carolina woman has filed a $500,000 claim against King County, alleging that its medical examiner's office harvested her dead brother's brain for research without permission seven years ago. The claim, the first step toward suing the county, is the first legal action in Washington state concerning a brain-collection program at the Stanley Medical Research Institute in Bethesda, Md. Lawsuits have already been filed in Maine alleging that brains were taken there without full c...

In Our View: Worst in the U.S.? ; Probably Not, but Things Need to Change in King County Elections Office

Following all of the news about the botched ballot handling and counting by the King County elections office has become a mind- numbing experience of the first magnitude. The revelations have come at us relentlessly since the November election. Each is different than the one before, but they all contribute to the same thing: a throbbing civic pain that has advanced from embarrassment to suspicion to accusation.

Legislature: House Oks Alternative to Tort Initiatives; Variety of Ballot Options Will Lead to Voter Confusion, Critics Say

OLYMPIA -- The state House has passed a bill that would give voters a third alternative for reforming medical malpractice laws. Already, there will be one initiative backed by lawyers and one initiative backed by doctors on the November ballot. House Democrats said Friday that their plan represents the patients.

Wrestling with Catholic Tradition; Church Dissidents Find Resistance to Newer Ideas

SALEM, Ore. - Linda Dove and Judy Ringle, both devout Catholics, started holding weekly meetings at St. Mary's Church in Corvallis at the beginning of the year when their faith-sharing group became too large to hold in private homes. As a guide for discussion, the group read "In Search of Belief," a book by Benedictine sister Joan Chittister that advocates the ordination of women priests and challenges other church traditions as well.

Neighborhood Group Fights Proposed Biodefense Lab; University of Washington Seeks Government Funds for $64 Million Project

SEATTLE - A group representing more than 20 neighborhood organizations is pressing the University of Washington to withdraw its bid for federal money to build a high-security biodefense lab part of a proposed national network. "The UW has already experienced ecoterrorist attacks, and this facility would present both a high-profile and a high-risk target," the Northeast District Council said Friday in a letter to UW President Mark Emmert seeking withdrawal of the $25 million grant request to...