Get all the details of today’s Fourth of July forecast at our weather page.
The discovery of a man’s body in a field near Ridgefield early Wednesday morning has prompted a homicide investigation by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
Loggers arriving for work just before 6 a.m. in the area near Northeast 179th Street and Northeast 15th Avenue discovered the body in the middle of an open field about 100 feet south of 179th Street and called 911, according to the sheriff’s office.
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Under the blazing sun, uniformed and plain-clothed officers spent several hours Thursday carting off marijuana plants, money and equipment to grow the drug from a business on St. Johns Boulevard in Vancouver.
The scene may look like a mistake — the business, Grow Systems Northwest, deals with marijuana, a legal commodity in Washington state.
But while it may appear legitimate, law enforcement says it isn’t licensed as a retailer and it doesn’t operate within the confines of state medical marijuana laws. So, police say, the business is making illegal broad-daylight drug deals to the tune of at least $200,000 untaxed dollars a month.
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You’ve probably heard that Independence Day fireworks have been canceled in various towns in California, and elsewhere, due to drought and fire risk.
But Independence Day at our own Fort Vancouver? Are you kidding?
“We are working closely with the Fire Marshall’s Office and Pearson Field. We are taking all precautions to keep it safe,” said Cara Cantonwine, program director at the Fort Vancouver National Trust. “This year is dry. There’s definitely more advance consideration of the field itself.”
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Three weeks ago, PeaceHealth set out a belated welcome mat for hundreds of Clark County business leaders and elected officials. The operator of PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center and nine other medical centers in three states wanted to introduce itself to the community — something PeaceHealth leaders say they hadn’t done since moving corporate offices here from Bellevue four years ago.
For two hours, visitors filled the vast entryway of the Columbia Center at Columbia Tech Center. PeaceHealth leaders touted the health care system’s economic impact as Clark County’s largest employer, with nearly 4,300 employees and $295 million in local payroll. Guests snacking on sumptuous foods checked out displays of services and technology offered at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, the county’s largest medical facility.
While PeaceHealth officials joked about their four-year delay in introducing themselves to the community, they made no mention of another point of awkwardness about the event timing, coming in the midst of major turmoil that is rumbling through the health care system.
In just the last few months, many of PeaceHealth’s top leaders have been replaced or their positions eliminated, raising questions about the direction of the nonprofit that is operated by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace. Meanwhile, some employee groups at two Oregon hospitals, in Eugene and Springfield, have voted to unionize over complaints about staffing levels and employee benefits; and workers in both Bellingham and Vancouver have gone public with complaints about staffing and employee benefits.
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PORTLAND — Though all the talk this week is about LaMarcus Aldridge leaving, the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday made sure Damian Lillard will stay long-term.
The Blazers signed Lillard to sign a 5-year extension reportedly worth $129 million. On Thursday afternoon, Lillard tweeted confirmation that he’s going to be in a Blazers uniform for a while.
“Thank you so much to Paul Allen and the Trail Blazers organization,” Lillard wrote. “I’ll be in Rip City 6 more years! Oakland to Ogden to Oregon — TO STAY.”
With Aldridge, Robin Lopez and Wesley Matthews all free agents and Nic Batum having been traded to Charlotte, Lillard could be the only returning starter from last season.
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