Vote here for the story that tops your list.
In 2010
- Economic struggle
- Bethany Storro case
- Cowlitz casino
- Herrera vs. Heck
- Jeanne Harris’ remarks
- Hospitals merge
- (tie) Agency cuts
- (tie for #7) I-5 bridge
- Charges dismissed
- Local elections
In 2009
- Unemployment
- Bank of Clark County failure
- Vancouver mayor’s race
- I-5 Bridge
- Rep. Brian Baird
- Schools mourn six deaths
- Weather extremes
- War deaths
- (tie) Skier assault
- (tie for #9) Retail anchors close
Some of the biggest local stories of 2010 were about connecting quickly on a large scale, while others were all about the long haul.
When The Columbian did its annual in-house polling of news stories, three of the Top 10 selections were stories that drew the attention of national media platforms.
The list was headed by a topic with staying power, with a dismal economy ranking No. 1 for the third year in a row.
And the No. 3 story involved late-breaking news on an issue that began eight years ago, the Cowlitz Tribe’s casino project.
But if one image captured the most eyes, it would be a photograph of acid-burn victim Bethany Storro, who told police she’d been the victim of a random attack in downtown Vancouver.
It set off a media flurry. With just a couple of words and a photograph, people 3,000 miles away knew exactly who you were referring to.
The Vancouver woman was even invited to appear on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
A city council dispute drew eyes and ears far beyond Vancouver’s City Hall, thanks to a video-sharing website. The Sept. 13 outburst by City Councilor Jeanne Harris was caught on video and put on YouTube. It’s drawn almost 125,000 views and was televised nationally.
The legal saga of a former Vancouver policeman accused of sexually abusing his children was the focus of a one-hour episode of an ABC news magazine. The producers of “20/20” followed the story for a while, and in the end, Clyde Ray Spencer was allowed to withdraw his “no contest” plea.
A bridge connects places, but it turns out that a bridge can also connect stories. Coverage of the Columbia River Crossing tied for the No. 7 slot, but two other stories were linked to plans for a new Interstate 5 Bridge: Vancouver’s City Council dispute on Sept. 13 involved a discussion of the bridge project. During election season, an anti-toll group supported a slate of nine candidates.
More than 20 stories were nominated by Columbian reporters and editors.
1 Economic struggle
In what’s become a long-running story, Washington’s tough economic times continue to hit Clark County the hardest of all.
Through the end of November, the county’s unemployment rate remained at 13 percent — Washington’s toughest job market.
Clark County’s unemployment rate has been above 10 percent for more than two years. That’s why this topic also was the No. 1 story in The Columbian’s “Top 10” lists for 2008 and 2009.
About 34,500 people are looking for jobs in Southwest Washington, where Clark County residents are the biggest portion of the work force.
This topic also touches on several other “Top 10” stories. Tough budget decisions (tied for No. 7) led to job cuts at city and county agencies due to diminished tax revenues. It’s meant a reduction in public services in a period of increased demand, but it also has contributed to the unemployment rate.
The prospect of new health care jobs for local workers is one reason the merger between Southwest Washington Medical Center and PeaceHealth (the No. 6 story) was so significant.
And proponents of the Columbia River Crossing (tied for No. 7) are touting the project as a massive job generator.
2 Bethany Storro
When Bethany Storro was found screaming in pain in downtown Vancouver on Aug. 30, reporting that a stranger had thrown acid in her face, it set off a firestorm of worldwide media attention.
The 28-year-old Vancouver woman, shown in news photos with her face covered in bandages, gained widespread sympathy.
Locally, the story horrified the community for several reasons: Why would a stranger horribly disfigure her? And was the downtown area surrounding Esther Short Park still safe? Questions mounted as Vancouver police officers, chasing about 100 tips, couldn’t find any attacker who matched Storro’s description.
After growing speculation as to the plausibility of her story, Storro broke down two weeks later, admitting to police that the attack was a hoax. She told investigators that she had tried to kill herself or at least get a new face by applying drain cleaner. Then, she concocted a story of a black woman approaching her and saying, “Hey, pretty girl, how are you? Would you like a drink of this?” before hurling the caustic liquid.
As a result of community donations that Storro had received after the injury, prosecutors filed second-degree charges of theft by deception against her. A trial is scheduled for March 9. In the meantime, she’s been staying at a Vancouver residential mental health facility.
It’s unclear whether her case will even go to trial. Prosecutor-elect Tony Golik said he’s negotiating with Storro’s defense attorney, Andrew Wheeler, to decide the best way to move forward.
3 Cowlitz casino
Of all the questions surrounding a proposed $510 million casino-hotel complex in Clark County, perhaps the biggest one — Do the proposed builders even have a right to the land? — was answered Dec. 23 by the federal government.
Yes.
Eight years after receiving an application from the Cowlitz Tribe to put into trust 152 acres west of the Interstate 5 interchange in La Center, the U.S. Department of the Interior approved the application. Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk said the land will serve as the initial reservation of the Cowlitz Tribe, which has 3,700 members and was federally recognized in 2000.
Echo Hawk said the Cowlitz Tribe can go forward with plans for card games, slot machines and other types of casino gaming on its reservation.
Tribal Chairman William Iyall welcomed the news, adding that the tribe’s financial partners will have to revisit plans for the casino and adjust plans according to how much financing can be secured; barring legal challenges, construction could start in approximately two years. The project would be built in phases. At full build-out, it’s expected to provide 3,000 jobs.
But plenty of questions remain. The main partner, the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut, is $1.6 billion in debt. Any number of groups, including the Confederated Tribes of the Grande Ronde (which doesn’t want to lose metro-area customers who visit the Spirit Mountain casino in Oregon), the city of La Center, the city of Vancouver, La Center’s four nontribal cardrooms and Citizens Against Reservation Shopping, all could decide to fight the trust decision in court.
4 Heck vs. Herrera
When U.S. Rep. Brian Baird decided not to run for a seventh term, it set up a furious battle for the 3rd District seat. It took months of campaigning in the primary for Jaime Herrera to emerge as the Republican nominee, ahead of David Hedrick and David Castillo. Then Herrera faced Democrat Denny Heck, a former five-term member of the state Legislature and former House majority leader.
The Camas resident, currently a state representative in the 18th Legislative District who announced Dec. 22 that she will be known as Jaime Herrera Beutler, won the spot in Congress with a 152,799-135,654 ballot edge.
The race broke all spending records for a 3rd District contest, with more than $5.5 million spent by the campaigns, political parties, political action committees and outside “independent” groups.
A lot of that money went to TV advertising, and helped the Portland area rank No. 3 among 210 U.S. television markets for political advertising in October. Portland’s local broadcast television outlets averaged more than 800 ads a day, with Herrera vs. Heck spots well represented.
5 Jeanne Harris
Vancouver City Councilor Jeanne Harris’ “gavel down” was heard ’round the world. Harris, the longest-serving member of the council, lost her patience with an anti-tolling, anti-light-rail citizen speaker. She urged Mayor Tim Leavitt to “gavel him down” and told the citizen “you are dismissed.” She soon left the council chambers in anger, but returned at the end to spar with Councilor Jeanne Stewart.
The whole thing was captured by anti-tolling advocate David Madore’s cameras, and was put on YouTube as “Council Member MELTDOWN.” It went viral, is nearing 125,000 views, and was shown on national television.
Harris faced an ethics investigation for her actions, and was stripped of all her high-profile boards and commissions, including C-Tran. The city council is reworking its ethics code in the wake of the incident, and Harris’ relationship with the other councilors remains strained.
6 Hospital merger
When it comes to bringing more paychecks to Clark County, an agreement between a Vancouver hospital and a regional hospital system might be just what the doctor ordered.
Southwest Washington Medical Center agreed to merge with PeaceHealth in a deal that was approved on Dec. 8.
PeaceHealth, which already had seven hospitals in its system, is planning to move its headquarters from Bellevue to Vancouver within the next three years. That would bring 340 jobs to Clark County; some employees would relocate here, but others likely will prefer to stay in their current home towns, creating openings for job seekers in Clark County.
7 Agency cuts (tie)
In Vancouver, a $9 million-plus deficit resulted in city government’s cutting 112.5 positions — approximately 10 percent of its work force — including 38 retirements. In all, 929 collective years of experience walked out City Hall doors in 2010. Services also took a hit, with Fire Station 6 to close Dec. 31 and the elimination of Fire Rescue 3 earlier in the year. Parks maintenance has been cut, and hours at the Firstenburg and Marshall Recreation Centers reduced, with Marshall now closed on Saturdays. There is no money for road improvements or for new parks. City leaders are continuing to investigate new ways of doing business, including special taxing districts, increasing the use of volunteers and moving some services to nonprofit groups.
Clark County’s 2009-2010 budget was repeatedly revised downward. In all, the general fund was cut 22 percent — $62 million — from its peak in 2007-2008. The county cut 270 jobs or about 15 percent of its work force through layoffs, retirements, resignations and eliminations of vacant positions.
Two county commissioners summarized the drain on one revenue stream: car license tabs.
Marc Boldt noted that “Everyone … milked the cow.” And, “After a while,” Tom Mielke said, “it breaks the camel’s back.”
At the state level, a Department of Corrections facility in Clark County was whiplashed by the budgeting process. Larch Corrections Center went from a hazy future in August to a reported closure in October to a reprieve in November. The north county minimum security prison represents local jobs as well as manpower for natural resource projects in the region.
7 I-5 bridge (tie)
A new Columbia River Crossing, the biggest public works project in the region’s history, drew more criticism as it drew closer to construction.
Although Vancouver and Portland elected officials generally endorsed the need for a new Interstate 5 bridge in 2010, they continued to raise objections to the particulars of design, funding and scope of the $3.6 billion project. Govs. Chris Gregoire and Ted Kulongoski responded by appointing an independent review team, followed by a Bridge Expert Review Panel to address specific concerns about the 10-lane river crossing’s cost, durability and appearance from Vancouver’s revitalizing downtown.
During the campaign for 17th District representative, Republican candidate Brian Peck put a new spin to the “crime train” topic by referring to light-rail passengers as “victims in a can.”
Planners with the bistate crossing office in Vancouver anticipate construction will begin in 2013.
9 Charges dismissed
Two Clark County men who spent 17 years in prison had their rape convictions overturned in July based on new DNA evidence showing they weren’t the assailants. The reversal was only the second DNA exoneration in Washington’s history, according to the Innocence Project Northwest, which operates in conjunction with University of Washington’s law school. For nearly two decades, Alan G. Northrop and Larry W. Davis maintained their innocence in the Jan. 11, 1993, assault and rape of a housekeeper in La Center.
In 2005, the Innocence Project took on their case, using DNA technology unavailable at the time of the crime. After being presented with the new evidence that pointed to different assailants, Clark County Superior Court Judge Diane Woolard vacated the convictions on April 21, and prosecutors dismissed the charges on July 14.
In September, former Vancouver police officer Clyde Ray Spencer’s 25-year fight to clear his name finally came to an end.
In February 1985, Spencer (pictured) pleaded “no contest” — which is considered the same as a guilty plea — to sexually abusing his son, daughter and stepson. He spent nearly 20 years in prison before outgoing Gov. Gary Locke commuted his sentence in 2004. In the years that followed, Spencer fought to get the charges thrown out.
In 2009, the Court of Appeals vacated Spencer’s conviction after finding several irregularities and holes in his case, including the fact that his two adult children now say the abuse never happened and medical reports showing no evidence of abuse were withheld. This fall, Spencer was allowed to withdraw his “no contest” pleas and learned the Clark County Prosecutor’s Office would not re-file charges.
10 Local elections
Clark County Commissioner Steve Stuart, the only Democrat on the three-member commission, kept his spot and Tony Golik was elected prosecuting attorney in two of the highest-profile county races.
As if the usual election dynamics weren’t enough, local voters got to consider a couple of additional voices this fall as they prepared to fill in their ballots.
Local businessman David Madore and his political action committee put more than $150,000 into nine local and legislative races. Madore, owner of east Vancouver company U.S. Digital, is a staunch critic of tolling on a new Interstate 5 bridge. Two of the candidates he backed won, including Paul Harris in the 17th District, who claimed an open seat in the state Legislature for the Republicans.
Tea Party activists helped energize the conservative side of the electorate. One of their favorites was Clint Didier, a former pro football player and Pasco-area farmer. He was a political novice, although the two-time Super Bowl champion joked with a Columbian reporter during a Vancouver campaign stop that it wasn’t his first election. As a very tall, very lean high school athlete, Didier joked, “I was voted most likely to get broken in half.”
