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In case you missed them, here are some of the top stories of the weekend:
Their first meeting was on Inauguration Day.
Recruiting was done through social media and word-of-mouth. The plan was to meet at Shanahan’s Pub and Grill in Vancouver’s Hough neighborhood, but so many people showed up they had to re-evaluate. A custodian at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church was in the group and within minutes the approximately 30 people relocated to the church hall.
Most didn’t know each other when they arrived. Many were new to political activism. All of them felt compelled to do something.
Two weeks later, their second meeting attracted 70 people. Today, they are known as Indivisible Greater Vancouver.
Their guide is a 26-page pamphlet titled “Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda.”
Since Donald Trump’s swearing-in as the 45th president of the United States, there’s been a surge in progressive groups sprouting up to resist his agenda. Many are concerned democracy as an institution is being threatened. In Clark County — typically considered a conservative region — there’s Camas Progressives, Critical Resistance Pacific Northwest, the Indivisible Downtown Vancouver group, the 18th Legislative District Democrats Indivisible, the North County Indivisible group, and the list goes on. They are hundreds strong and many follow the Indivisible pamphlet, which takes its cues from an unlikely source for progressives: the Tea Party.
Created by former Democratic congressional staff members as a practical guide to help the progressive movement deploy the effective strategies of the conservative Tea Party, their main mission is straightforward: to disrupt, to resist, to say no.
Read the full story: New political movement flips the script
RIDGEFIELD — You may or may not know Corwin Beverage Co., but you’ve probably heard of its biggest customer.
Well, soon-to-be biggest customer.
Ilani Casino Resort, the $510 million gaming complex from the Cowlitz Tribe of Indians, will likely open this month. Construction started January 2016, and its massive rotunda has since loomed over Interstate 5, west of La Center.
Chris Workman, the marketing manager for the Ridgefield-based beverage distributor, said once it opens, the casino “will instantly become our No. 1 customer, as far as volume goes,” he said. “Overnight.”
Officials have teased that 4.5 million people could visit the casino annually, so businesses in nearby Ridgefield, La Center and Woodland hope to get caught in a rising economic tide. That’s why Corwin Beverage, a 75-year-old company, stands to reach new heights.
Workman, however, said the casino may benefit the whole region if visitors start exploring nearby towns.
“I can see the landscape changing for more business,” he said. “Just because of all the traffic headed to Ilani.”
Read the full story: Local businesses hope to play their cards right
BRUSH PRAIRIE — With the purchase of an established, close-in vineyard site back in October, Heathen Brewing has expanded its focus to include wine.
Heathen’s owner, Sunny Parsons, is taking on the challenge of vineyard owner with much the same intensity and wide-eyed interest as his hats as entrepreneur, restaurateur and brewer.
“The whole fermentation world has always attracted me because of the science behind it. I know that I know very little about wine, so I’m kind of diving in and trying to learn as much as I can,” Parsons said.
Guests had their first chance to see Parsons’ latest project on Saturday, when Heathen Estate opened the doors of its grand Victorian-style home that graces a rolling hillside in the Brush Prairie area.
The location was introduced to Clark County as Village Vineyard in 2014 by then-owner Patti Kuni, until she realized the daily upkeep of a winery, bed and breakfast and event space was more than she was prepared to take on in her 80s.
Parsons is gracious when he talks about the acquisition of the 20-acre parcel with a south-facing slope planted with approximately seven acres of vines.
“She (Patti Kuni) had another buyer ready to pay more, but he wanted to use it as a private residence. I’m fortunate that Patti wanted someone to carry on what she had invested, emotionally and financially, into the winery,” Parsons said.
Read the full story: Creating a wine haven at Heathen Estate
Toward the back of I Like Comics on Thursday, 21-year-old Kortney Montgomery is stuffing cardboard slips into plastic comic book envelopes.
Montgomery, who has a developmental disability, is shy and says little, but grins and holds clenched fists to her mouth when asked what she likes about her job.
“Favorite!” she said, cheerfully, as she took a break from preparing envelopes.
Montgomery and four other students are members of Vancouver Public Schools’ Gateway to Adult Transition Education program, or G.A.T.E. The program serves 18- to 21-year-olds with developmental disabilities. Students and their families learn how to navigate social services, participating in community activities and going to various job training programs across the county.
Mark Shellenberger, one of the teachers at the program, said students graduate with job skills that can allow them to succeed in later life.
“It’s just to provide a more realistic transition to life after school,” Shellenberger said.
Read the full story: Program teaches adult living skills
