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Sunday,  November 17 , 2024
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Stories by Lyndsey Hewitt

Columbian Staff writer, news assistant

Portland International Airport janitor Agustina Mata Velazquez, 43, has worked the overnight shift for a little more than a year. &quot;I like the overnight shift because it works with my schedule and my six kids,&quot; Mata Velazquez said.

Working in Clark County: Agustina Mata Velazquez, Janitor with Relay Resources

Portland International Airport janitor Agustina Mata Velazquez, 43, has worked the overnight shift for a little more than a year. &quot;I like the overnight shift because it works with my schedule and my six kids,&quot; Mata Velazquez said.

January 4, 2021, 4:21pm Business Subscriber Exclusive

It would seem airports have become the scourge of the Earth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read story

Former Fort Vancouver High School band director Ray B. Johnson plays a trumpet in his home music studio. Johnson is trying to find members of his 1977 stage band to share a CD made on their last day of class with all sorts of classic big band tunes.

Former Fort Vancouver High jazz band director shares CD of session from last day of class in 1977

Former Fort Vancouver High School band director Ray B. Johnson plays a trumpet in his home music studio. Johnson is trying to find members of his 1977 stage band to share a CD made on their last day of class with all sorts of classic big band tunes.

December 27, 2020, 6:00am Clark County News

Retired music teacher Ray Johnson has a goal he’d like to meet by the new year. Read story

Karen Kennedy, 51, has noticed people have been in &quot;survival mode&quot; during the pandemic. She hopes people can start to come out of it. &quot;We need to intentionally bring ourselves back into thriving. That&#039;s what I see in January and February next year; being mindful of that and knowing we need support to shift back,&quot; she said.

Working in Clark County: Karen Kennedy, nutritionist, owner at Real Food Matters

Karen Kennedy, 51, has noticed people have been in &quot;survival mode&quot; during the pandemic. She hopes people can start to come out of it. &quot;We need to intentionally bring ourselves back into thriving. That&#039;s what I see in January and February next year; being mindful of that and knowing we need support to shift back,&quot; she said.

December 26, 2020, 6:00am Business Subscriber Exclusive

Local nutritionist Karen Kennedy is prepared for what the new year always brings in America: people with resolutions to get fit. Read story

U.S. Postal Service mail carrier Cody Hershaw looks down the street as he gets back into his delivery car on a recent Thursday while on a route in the Cascade neighborhoods in Vancouver.

Working in Clark County: Cody Hershaw, mail carrier with USPS

U.S. Postal Service mail carrier Cody Hershaw looks down the street as he gets back into his delivery car on a recent Thursday while on a route in the Cascade neighborhoods in Vancouver.

December 19, 2020, 5:00am Business

The U.S. Postal Service had a doozy of a year. Read story

Gene Biby, a native of Illinois, has worked as a professor of theater at Clark College for 10 years.

Working in Clark County: Gene Biby, Clark College theater professor

Gene Biby, a native of Illinois, has worked as a professor of theater at Clark College for 10 years.

December 12, 2020, 6:01am Business

Clark College theater professor Gene Biby says the theater community has one goal during the pandemic: to let people know they’re “not dead yet.” Read story

Union Ridge Elementary School visual arts teacher Heather Peeler leads students through a virtual drawing lesson. Peeler, a Washington State University graduate, has taught at Ridgefield School District for four years.

Art teachers, students in Ridgefield School District find virtual classes challenging, rewarding

Union Ridge Elementary School visual arts teacher Heather Peeler leads students through a virtual drawing lesson. Peeler, a Washington State University graduate, has taught at Ridgefield School District for four years.

December 5, 2020, 6:02am Clark County News

Life without large gatherings has given the dining room table at the McDonnell home in Ridgefield a new purpose. Read story

Christina Trautman, 35, assesses a patient by doing an abdominal exam. She assesses rib cage mobility and angle, tone of abdominals and checks breathing, among other things, to determine appropriate treatment for women experiencing pelvic floor issues. &quot;Literally everything you do during the day it requires some type of pelvic floor function. All of those things require stabilization and support,&quot; Trautman said.

Working in Clark County: Christina Trautman, women’s health specialist

Christina Trautman, 35, assesses a patient by doing an abdominal exam. She assesses rib cage mobility and angle, tone of abdominals and checks breathing, among other things, to determine appropriate treatment for women experiencing pelvic floor issues. &quot;Literally everything you do during the day it requires some type of pelvic floor function. All of those things require stabilization and support,&quot; Trautman said.

December 5, 2020, 5:03am Business

Since she was 7 years old, Christina Trautman had many issues with incontinence. At age 15, exhausted by the shame, she and her mother visited a gynecologist. But the doctor’s advice to the 15-year-old Trautman was something she wasn’t ready to do: have a baby. Read story

Dr. Connie Kim Yen Nguyen-Truong, assistant professor at WSU Vancouver&#039;s College of Nursing has been working from home in Portland during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nguyen-Truong, 44, has been inspired to work on research about health disparities, especially among Asian cultures. Her parents were Vietnamese refugees, settling in Portland after leaving Vietnam in 1975. &quot;To this day I really hold on to the value they have in terms of the appreciation and what that means to be able to give back to our communities,&quot; she said.

Working in Clark County: Dr. Connie Kim Yen Nguyen-Truong, assistant professor at WSU Vancouver’s College of Nursing

Dr. Connie Kim Yen Nguyen-Truong, assistant professor at WSU Vancouver&#039;s College of Nursing has been working from home in Portland during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nguyen-Truong, 44, has been inspired to work on research about health disparities, especially among Asian cultures. Her parents were Vietnamese refugees, settling in Portland after leaving Vietnam in 1975. &quot;To this day I really hold on to the value they have in terms of the appreciation and what that means to be able to give back to our communities,&quot; she said.

November 21, 2020, 5:29am Business

In the 1970s, many Vietnamese refugees fled their war-torn country seeking safety in America. Among them were the parents of Dr. Connie Kim Yen Nguyen-Truong, 44, an assistant professor at WSU Vancouver’s College of Nursing. Read story

Josh Rodriguez has worked as an electrician at Mr. Electric, a local franchise, for the last two years. He&#039;s a licensed journeyman in Washington. To work as an electrician in Washington, an individual must be certified by the state Department of Labor &amp; Industries, including at least 8,000 hours working as a trainee under the supervision of a certified journey-level electrician.

Working in Clark County: Josh Rodriguez, electrician at Mr. Electric

Josh Rodriguez has worked as an electrician at Mr. Electric, a local franchise, for the last two years. He&#039;s a licensed journeyman in Washington. To work as an electrician in Washington, an individual must be certified by the state Department of Labor &amp; Industries, including at least 8,000 hours working as a trainee under the supervision of a certified journey-level electrician.

November 14, 2020, 5:19am Business

The pandemic has instilled fear in many of us, but sometimes that fear can go beyond reason, such as the time Mr. Electric electrician Josh Rodriguez was sprayed with Lysol, without consent, upon entering the home of a customer. Read story

State Department of Transportation Incident Response worker Glen Wohlsein, 45, has worked for the agency for 20 years. He graduated from Mountain View High School in 1993. &quot;It&#039;s been a fun ride so far,&quot; he said.

Working in Clark County: Glen Wohlsein, incident response worker, WSDOT

State Department of Transportation Incident Response worker Glen Wohlsein, 45, has worked for the agency for 20 years. He graduated from Mountain View High School in 1993. &quot;It&#039;s been a fun ride so far,&quot; he said.

November 7, 2020, 5:02am Business

No doubt, you’ve seen them while cruising — or inching — along Interstate 5 during rush hour. They’re the white pickups with an orange stripe down the side and in bold, evergreen lettering: WSDOT. Read story