Clark Talks: Politics, local pho highlight podcast

In this week’s episode of Clark Talks, The Columbian’s weekly podcast, hosts Katie Gillespie and Dameon Pesanti discuss county politics and local pho.

The episode begins with a discussion with The Columbian’s county politics reporter Jake Thomas about the Clark County council’s decision to fire County Manager Mark McCauley. The trio recap McCauley’s tenure, potential turning points in his time with the county and the subsequent reactions from McCauley and other local officials.

Next, Gillespie and Pesanti talk with Rachel Pinsky, The Columbian’s newest food writer, to learn about her quest to taste, critique and write about Vancouver restaurants offering pho (pronounced “fuh”), the popular Vietnamese noodle soup.

Then, The Columbian’s Ashley Swanson talks about some of the events coming to Clark County and Portland this weekend. Here’s a list of the events that are discussed:

• Dozer Day, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Clark County Event Center at the Fairgrounds, 17402 N.E. Delfel Road, Ridgefield; $10 to $13, $8 to $11 for seniors and ages 3 to 12, $6 for parking. http://vancouver.dozerday.org

• Hazel Dell Parade of Bands, 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Fire District 6, Station 1, 8800 N.E. Hazel Dell Ave., travels south along Hazel Dell Avenue, crosses at Northeast 63rd to Highway 99, heading north before ending at 78th Street; free. http://hazeldellparade.com or www.facebook.com/HazelDellParade

• Woodland Kids’ Fishing Derby, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Horseshoe Lake Park, Park Road and Lake Shore Drive, Woodland; $3. 360-903-3579 or 360-225-7736

• VSO Chamber Series: “City Girl,” 3 p.m. Sunday. Kiggins Theatre, 1011 Main St., Vancouver; $25, $10 for students. 360-816-0352 or http://vancouversymphony.org

• Bark Ranger Walking Tour, 10 a.m. Saturday. Pearson Air Museum, 1115 E. Fifth St., Vancouver; free. 360-816-6252 or www.nps.gov/fova

• Portland Pug Crawl, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Portland Brewing Co. Taproom, 2730 N.W. 31st Ave., Portland; $10 to $15, free for ages 10 and younger and dogs. www.oregonhumane.org/get-involved/events/pug-crawl

You can find the show on Soundcloud, or subscribe for free weekly downloads on iTunes or Stitcher. Contact Pesanti and Gillespie about the podcast at podcast@columbian.com.