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In case you missed them, here are some of the top stories of the week:
Some Shahala Middle School students had an eventful morning when a dog boarded their bus and rode to school with them Wednesday.
It all started when AnnDee Vorrayo let out her nearly 1-year-old white bull terrier, Amaya, into their fenced yard along Northeast 172nd Avenue at about 7:30 a.m.
About 45 minutes later, she and her husband called for the dog but got no response.
“My husband started walking around and couldn’t find her at all,” Vorrayo said. “Then we noticed the gate was completely down.”
Vorrayo said the recent storms had damaged the fence. Too late, she saw the spot where Amaya likely got out. The family drove around the neighborhood to look for her, but didn’t have any luck.
Meanwhile, Amaya was having an adventure.
It was a tense scene Wednesday morning as dozens of people crowded into a courtroom for the arraignment of Mitchell Heng, the man accused in last month’s homicide and arson at Sifton Market.
There were two distinct groups — those for the victim, 47-year-old Amy Marie Hooser, and an even larger group for Heng. Court officials kept the groups separated and warned some of Heng’s supporters to keep cool heads after they clashed with the media who were present.
Heng, 21, showed little emotion as he entered not-guilty pleas to first-degree murder, first-degree arson and first-degree robbery. His trial in Clark County Superior Court was set for March 13, though it’s likely that will be changed. In the meantime, he is being held on $2 million bail. His defense attorney, Matthew Hoff, said he may address the bail amount at a later date.
COWLITZ INDIAN RESERVATION — With the opening of the Ilani Casino Resort just months away, developers are hurrying to complete upgrades to the nearby Interstate 5 junction.
Cowlitz Tribe Chairman Bill Iyall said they will have spent about $2 million more than expected to pay for overtime work in order to ensure the pieces were in place for the casino’s opening in the spring.
“We don’t want to open our casino without a new roadway completed,” Iyall said Monday. The new junction was originally priced at $37 million.
Debra Weidner dreams of a day when she can go skiing with her husband, Paul, and 10-year-old daughter, Zoë. She longs to go on weekend hikes or have family nights at the bowling alley.
Those are her dreams. She’d settle for just being able to walk from her kitchen to her laundry room without difficulty.
Some made their decisions within the last week or so.
Some did months ago.
At least one made up her mind years ago.
Still, Wednesday was the day they could make it all official, when football and soccer players could sign letters of intent.
“It’s been a dream since I was 4 or 5. My goal was to become Pac-12, to go to the top level,” said Sarah Davidson, a Camas soccer player who signed with Washington State. “I feel like someone should pinch me. It didn’t feel like it was actually real.”
