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News / Clark County News

Morning Press: Remembering 9/11; Probst, Wilson tangle; Camp Bonneville cleanup; Birthday gift to Vancouver

By The Columbian
Published: September 12, 2016, 6:01am

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:

Vancouver man recalls his work at Ground Zero

A steel beam so hot it glowed cherry red in the middle of the day.

A stretcher team solemnly walking through a wasteland, bearing a fallen hero.

A father who knows his missing son is somewhere nearby, buried under rubble.

That’s just some of what Larry Greep saw at Ground Zero.

As our nation marks the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Greep doesn’t need to tune in to a documentary to remember the disaster. He spent a month in the ruins of the World Trade Center.

The Vancouver resident worked for the Army Corps of Engineers back then. The civil engineer and several co-workers from the Portland office were dispatched to New York City to monitor debris removal.

Read the full story about the Vancouver resident’s work at Ground Zero.

Probst, Wilson tangle in 17th District Senate race

Longtime Republican Sen. Don Benton of Vancouver is not seeking re-election, but his presence continues to loom over the race for the 17th Legislative District Senate seat.

State Rep. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, who won the primary by 50 votes, is facing Democrat and former state lawmaker Tim Probst for the swing-district seat.

In an effort to tie Wilson to Benton, who was considered a controversial figure at times, a campaign mailer features a picture of the two Republicans together.

In a Columbian Editorial Board meeting Friday afternoon, Wilson turned to Probst and noted, “You are running against me, not Don Benton.”

Probst countered, saying the affiliation presents a clear contrast for voters to consider.

“I strongly opposed Don Benton and (Clark County Councilor) David Madore when they were at their height of the power and at their strongest,” Probst said, adding that Wilson supported them. Wilson refuted the claim as a disingenuous characterization.

Read more about the candidates’ visit with the Columbian Editorial Board.

More bullets: Cost of cleanup at Camp Bonneville keeps rising

Clark County’s ongoing efforts to rid Camp Bonneville of ammo and munitions from 85 years of use as a military training camp has a theme: There’s always more out there than expected.

Take, for example, the latest in cleanup efforts at the 3,840-acre site. The county council on Tuesday voted to accept an additional $1.76 million from the U.S. Army to sift through the soil at the camp’s small arms ranges to remove debris. That raises the overall budget to clean munitions and hazardous material from the site from about $21.52 million to $23.28 million — all of it funded by the Army, not Clark County.

That’s unlikely to be the end of it.

“You’re going to keep seeing increases until we finish this,” Clark County engineer Jerry Barnett said.

And it’s no wonder the price keeps going up. Crews from contractor Weston Solutions Inc. have unearthed “barrels full” of ammo — primarily .22, .30 and .45 caliber — at the 21 small arms ranges at the decommissioned camp about 6 miles north of Camas, munitions safety adviser Greg Johnson said while driving through the property. So far, crews have sifted through 19 ranges with two left to go.

“Literally millions of rounds were fired,” Johnson said.

Read more about the rising cost of the cleanup at Camp Bonneville.

Vancouver woman donates land on her 100th birthday

When Hazel Stein comments on how crazy the world can seem at times, you listen.

After all, she’s been alive for two world wars, the Great Depression, the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the Vietnam War.

So at her 100th birthday party Saturday in Vancouver’s Marrion neighborhood, Stein smiled to think of the legacy she’ll leave. Stein is donating an acre adjacent to the neighborhood’s Tanglewood Park and has offered the city first right of refusal to buy her remaining adjacent half-acre when it’s put on the market.

The way Stein tells it, she’s most thankful for the opportunity to help people take a reprieve from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

“We can really have a moment of peace in this mad world,” she said.

The park, tucked in the end of a cul-de-sac at the end of Northeast 97th Avenue, is just 0.77 acres right now. But with Stein’s donation and the city’s recent purchase of 1.85 acres adjacent to the park, the overall size will increase to 3.42 acres. The city plans to add a few more amenities, as well — right now, the park boasts only a single bench.

In exchange for her donation, the city will rename the park George & Hazel Stein Neighborhood Park in the couple’s honor.

Read the full story about the Vancouver woman’s donation of land on her 100th birthday.

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