Clark County residents who call 911 may notice something different when a deputy responds to their emergency: a new look to the patrol vehicle.
The fleet is in the process of being outfitted with a new logo, one that leaves no room for question about who’s inside. While the current vehicles have the sheriff’s office logo on the front door and the word sheriff on the rear panel near the bumper, the new logo boasts the word sheriff in all capital, large block letters across the side of the vehicles.
“The logo is to make sure it’s clear who we are and this is certainly going to do it,” Sheriff Chuck Atkins said. “I like the cleanliness, the sharpness, the simple look that it brings. To me, it looks really cool.”
The rebranding is one that was a priority for Atkins, who took over the agency at the beginning of the year.
Atkins said that the issue of patrol vehicles and how they look has been a long-standing conversation topic.
“I’d heard for years the deputies asking why we couldn’t have a different look to our cars,” Atkins said. “Early on, I had said I would go to line-level rank-and-file and find out what they want — from the simplest to the most serious level.”
The old adage that you can’t have it both ways just doesn’t apply when it comes to border income tax issues between Clark County and Portland.
That’s because Oregon’s Department of Revenue has it both ways: It collects income tax on people who live in Washington and work in Oregon, and it also collects income tax on people who live in Oregon and work in Washington.
And it’s been that way ever since Bob Estabrook, a spokesman for the Oregon agency, can remember — even if there’s not much he can do about it.
“We hear on a regular basis from individuals that (Oregon income tax laws are) not favorable to them, and I understand that frustration,” Estabrook said. “But we’re not really in a position to drive that policy. I certainly appreciate the problems with the situation.”
Most states collect income taxes based on either where the work is performed or where the residents live, but not both.
Oregon’s plan, in contrast, double-dips and collects both. And it affects tens of thousands of workers in the area.
For the last two years, U.S. Postal Service delivery to Vancouver’s North Image neighborhood has been so unpredictable, some residents say it’s a crapshoot whether they’ll receive their own mail.
If they’re lucky, a neighbor will drop off a package or letter delivered to the wrong address. Sometimes the expected items never arrive, despite the sender’s showing a record of mailing them. And sometimes packages are crammed into mailboxes so tightly, they’re damaged.
“It’s mind-boggling because it’s happening weekly,” said Jo Anna Lang, a 30-year resident of the 12400 block of Northeast 44th Street. “I don’t know what’s going on.”
For Lang, a grandmother who has adopted special-needs children for three decades, the issue is financial. To get government reimbursement for items she buys her toddler, such as certain shoes to wear with leg braces, she must submit invoices. That’s not possible if the merchandise doesn’t show up.
“I can’t afford this,” said Lang, who says she has complained to the post office both online and in person about the problem.
Councilor David Madore has signaled he will enter the race for Clark County council chair by registering his candidacy with the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission.
Though Madore has not officially announced his candidacy — via Facebook or on one of his websites, for example — the April 9 PDC filing allows him to begin raising money for his campaign.
Madore has thus far not reported any contributions, personal or otherwise. In his 2012 campaign, Madore poured about $314,000 of his own money into his victorious $331,000 campaign.
When asked about his plans by a Columbian reporter following Tuesday’s county council meeting, Madore said “Two words: No comment.” Then he walked away.
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Madore becomes the third Republican candidate for the top council seat, newly created after the voters approved a home rule charter in November. Councilor Tom Mielke and former county commissioner Marc Boldt, both Republicans, have announced they’re running.
Dale Rule weighed 335 pounds when he went for his first walk.
He bought two electronic calorie-tracking devices: one for himself and one for his wife, Lya. Together, they set out on a walk from their Camas home.
Rule wanted to walk two hours — one hour out, one hour back.
Ten minutes into the walk, Rule told his wife he was done. He wanted to turn around and head back home.
“My wife laid into me,” Rule said. She wanted him to commit to walking, to not give up so easily.
They walked a half-mile to a nearby elementary school, stopping several times during the uphill walk. Rule rested for a few minutes at the school. Then, they turned around and walked home.
It took them 41 minutes to walk that first mile on Feb. 10, 2010.
But the walk, the calorie-counting device and Lya’s brutal honesty did something important for Rule: It tapped into his competitive nature. Rule saw how many calories he burned on that 1-mile walk. He wanted to walk more and burn more calories. He set a goal to lose 100 pounds in six months.
