What’s on tap for this week’s weather? Check our local weather coverage.
In case you missed them, here are some of the top stories of the weekend:
Statewide, fatalities from vehicle crashes that involved a distracted driver grew 30 percent from 2014 to 2015, according to the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission.
When it comes to serious-injury crashes that involved distracted driving, Clark County has a bigger problem than the state as a whole. In 2015, about 35 percent of serious-injury crashes involved a distracted driver in Clark County, while that number was only 28 percent statewide.
Between 2008 and 2013 in Clark County, an average of four people died each year in crashes that involved distracted driving. In 2014, that number was 10. In 2015, it was seven.
And while distracted driving includes eating, talking to passengers, fussing with the radio — anything that takes the driver’s attention away from the road — law enforcement officials say that a majority of distracted drivers are looking at cellphones.
Read more about the problem of driving while distracted by a cellphone.
Nearly 20 years after the city started annexing land between Interstate 205 and Camas — doubling Vancouver’s population — growth has been fast and deliberate. New residents and businesses have flocked to the east side of town, and with plenty of land left to develop, there’s no slowing down now.
“We have the opportunity to plan it and plan for that growth into the future to keep it livable,” said Tim Schiller, past president of the East Vancouver Business Association.
As that growth shapes the identity of east Vancouver and the city as a whole, some still see the east side as a separate province, while others are preaching unity.
“We used to put ourselves apart,” Schiller said. “Now we’re moving toward more of one Vancouver. It’s not them against us.”
Read more about how life and growth are looking up on Vancouver’s east side.
The first burial for Pfc. William Butz was 66 years ago, in a hasty grave on the Korean battlefield where he died; he would be listed as an MIA — missing in action.
In the mid-1950s, his recovered remains were buried in an American military cemetery in Hawaii, where the grave was marked only as X-15726.
On Friday, the Vancouver soldier was laid to rest again. This time, he was remembered by his family, honored by his community and saluted by his comrades in arms.
“It’s great. It’s been a long, long haul,” Betty Hein, the soldier’s sister, said after the graveside service.
Read more about the MIA soldier laid to rest after his long journey home.
Sellers rejoice, buyers beware: Housing prices continue to surge in Clark County, with the average sales price jumping more than 5 percent over the past year.
The median sales price was $291,300 in July, according to a new report from RMLS, an area listing service. That’s up from $273,700 in July 2015, though a tick down from June’s record-high median price of $293,500.
“Southwest Washington had cooler activity in July,” reads the Market Action report.
Homes are going faster, spending 25 percent less time on the market this July compared with last year.
