Will the skies be clear for Fourth of July fireworks? Check out the forecast.
Here are a few of the stories that captured the attention of columbian.com readers this week:
A toddler was in critical condition Wednesday, and her father was behind bars at the Clark County Jail, after he allegedly threw her out of an open window and severely beat her at a Salmon Creek motel Tuesday night.
Kyle Stephen Holder, 32, of Vancouver appeared Wednesday morning in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder.
Judge Bernard Veljacic set Holder’s bail at $1 million and appointed him a defense attorney. He will be arraigned July 8.
The little girl’s grandmother said the child’s condition is improving.
The man arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of fatally shooting his wife in their Five Corners home is in the Clark County Jail awaiting a charge of domestic violence murder in the first-degree, according to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
Todd Richard Marjama Jr., 27, was arrested after police were called to a reported weapons disturbance around 8:45 p.m. Tuesday at the couple’s home, 7312 N.E. 109th Ave., the sheriff’s office said. Deputies found Todd Marjama’s wife, Amanda Marjama, dead from an apparent gunshot wound, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Clark County Superior Court.
Thanks to Clark County’s blanket fee waiver program, Jacksons Food Stores, a gas station and convenience store in Hazel Dell, benefited from about $465,000 in subsidized application and traffic impact fees.
Eventually, the convenience store, part of an Idaho chain of more than 200 stores, will generate enough property and sales tax revenue to cover the loss of those fees.
That is, if the business survives the 114 years it would take to do so.
Clark County’s population grew to 461,010 this year and continues to grow, primarily because people are moving here.
That may be a no-brainer to anybody clued into the tight local housing market, but population estimates released Thursday by the state Office of Financial Management show just how substantial migration to the area is.
While the county population grew by about 10,000 people between 2015 and 2016, almost 7,000 of them were newcomers. That’s the biggest gain in newcomers since 2005-2006.
Check your calendar. The Fourth of July is coming up everywhere — not just down at Fort Vancouver. Somehow or other, our historic site doesn’t seem to own that date.
The Fort’s daylong Independence Day celebration is legendary, of course. And this year is shaping up to be yet another doozy — with the always-popular Sing Fourth teen vocal contest kicking off many hours of live entertainment; children’s parade, games, contests and many more family activities; plenty of food and drink for all, plus an Adult Beverage Pavilion that’s only for some; and, at 10:05 p.m. sharp, the annual fireworks display that’s famous far beyond the boundaries of Clark County.
