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Here are some of the stories that grabbed readers’ attention this weekend.
Karen Gutierrez points to last Thanksgiving as one of her favorite family-bonding moments since she and younger siblings Robert Jr., Nasseen and Corin joined the Cartwright family 2½ years ago.
Like so many household traditions on this holiday, each family member expressed their thanks around the dinner table. The gratitude and appreciation was overwhelming for Wes and Kathy Cartwright, a Vancouver couple who became the Gutierrez children’s legal guardians after the four children lost their parents and maternal grandmother in a July 2015 double murder-suicide.
But what made last Nov. 23 special for Karen Gutierrez, the eldest of the four, came from a soft-spoken Nasseen Gutierrez, a Columbia River High School senior.
Read more about how Nasseen Gutierrez is finding healing.
When a group of citizen freeholders designed Clark County’s voter-approved charter five years ago, they wanted to make sure it wouldn’t drive up the cost of running the government. Now, after three years of operating with the new charter, it appears they’ve accomplished that goal, at least when it comes to salaries of the council and the county’s top executive.
But there are other variables that could drive up the cost of government under either system.
“We did do a lot of intentional homework to make sure that the system itself would not be more expensive,” said Nan Henriksen, a former Camas mayor who chaired the group.
Learn more about the benefits of the county charter.
Dan Ogden Jr., whose lengthy political résumé included campaigning for John F. Kennedy as well as for his late wife, Val Ogden, has died.
The retired agency administrator died Thursday in Vancouver; he was 95.
Ogden also was a former political science professor who eventually took part in hands-on party politics. Dan and Val Ogden moved in 1985 to Clark County, where Dan became a Democratic activist while Val, who died in 2014, served 12 years in the state Legislature.
Learn more about Dan Ogden’s contributions to Vancouver.
Downtown Vancouver has gained some superb dining options in recent years. Among those is Luxe. This gem is unassuming — you might miss it if you blink, because it does not have a strong street-side presence. The menu’s variety of made-from-scratch gourmet burgers, pizza, sandwiches and starters have a special flair. Desserts are exquisite, and brunch is served on the weekends. A selection of wines, cocktails, beers and ciders on tap are on hand to compliment meals.
Read more about Luxe and other restaurant reviews and news.
WEST HAZEL DELL — What does love mean to Geoffrey Otton?
On Saturday nights in the Otton home, love means Play-Doh turkeys and bird-seed tree ornaments, construction-paper chains and dried-bean collages. “Geoffrey really liked the dried beans,” said Pamela Otton, his mom. “He really likes to touch textures.”
Geoffrey is 29 but lives with severe autism and has the mind of a 3-year-old, his mother said. He walks around the house haloed by a soft, comforting blanket much of the time. He likes to play with stuffed animals and other toys. He easily can get overstimulated — which is why his father took him for a calming drive not long after a reporter and photographer showed up on a recent Saturday night. It’s also why there’s nothing much by way of artwork or decoration on the blank walls of the Otton home.
Learn more about art night with the Otton family.
