What will will the weather throw at us this week? Find out with our local weather coverage.
Here are some of the stories that grabbed readers’ attention this weekend.
Zachery Scalf, who was driving for UPS, stopped at Natural Grocers in Hazel Dell earlier this month to make a delivery.
When he turned around, he found the rented truck was gone, stolen. Days later, he was fired.
“It sucks, because not only did this thief drive away with the truck, but it’s like they drove away with Zach’s job,” said Alison Gootee, Scalf’s wife.
Scalf is searching for a new job now, but to him and his wife the UPS response seemed overly harsh and short-sighted.
The couple moved from Atlanta to Vancouver a year ago. Scalf had worked as a flight attendant for a few years. He was still based in Atlanta, and commuting thousands of miles each week proved draining. So he got a new job as a seasonal delivery driver for UPS in Vancouver.
Clark County Sheriff’s deputies searching for some wanted persons in Hazel Dell instead located two bodies Thursday.
A news release issued Thursday night said that the bodies were found at 9211 N.E. 15th Ave. That is the address of the Bridge Creek Apartments in Hazel Dell, just east of the Highway 99 strip. The incident was reported just after 3 p.m.
Deputies, including a SWAT team, went to the address “after receiving investigative information of the location of wanted persons,” according to a news release.
Instead, they found the bodies of two people inside an apartment.
Even as a white Christmas Eve turned to late-night slush, a wintry weather front shifted gears and began dumping freezing rain into the Vancouver area.
The National Weather Service has extended its winter weather advisory through 10 a.m. Christmas Day, at which time temperatures should finally warm above freezing and make it safer to go over the river to Grandma’s house.
But maybe not through the woods. Winter weather will linger in the Columbia River Gorge. It was also snowing north of Vancouver, and in many Pacific Northwest communities. If you’re heading out, check the forecast at weather.gov and Washington State Department of Transportation webcams.
“Do not travel today unless absolutely necessary,” the weather service advised.
Christmas Eve’s weather was a roller coaster. The day started above freezing, and mostly dry, but then turned to freezing rain, then to snow, then back to freezing rain.
The Smokin’ Oak recently opened up in downtown Vancouver. It is easy to miss if you are looking for a restaurant front because it sits back from the street. What would be the parking lot is occupied by two ginormous smokers wherein all the smoked menu items are made, utilizing a family recipe. The small inconvenience of finding parking elsewhere is worth the Texas-style barbecue experience provided by The Smokin’ Oak whether you stop in with friends or the whole family. House cocktails, full bar options and high quality, exclusive smoked menu items are available from 3 p.m. to close, six days a week.
Police personnel made a return visit to an east Vancouver home Saturday, and this time it was all about joy.
Officers from Vancouver’s East Precinct made a surprise Christmas delivery to the home of Nicole Cole and her family, where they’d responded last month to a tragedy.
“God bless you all!” Cole exclaimed after a parade of police officers filled the living room with gifts: red wrapping for her son, Ian Harder, and silver wrapping for her niece, Zinai Maddox.
The surprise — what might be referred to as significant police presents — was organized by officer Tanya Wollstein. She enlisted the support of East Precinct officers, and found other contributors. Then she got an assist from family member Brytney Miller in setting up the surprise.
