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Here are some of the stories that grabbed readers’ attention this week.
After eight months of construction and a heaping of blown openings, Golden Corral swung open its doors on Thursday.
“Boy oh boy, what a wild ride,” said franchise co-owner Ramsey Zawideh, who told The Columbian shortly after receiving final permits from the city of Vancouver.
Its opening, at 11801 N.E. Fourth Plain Blvd., ends a drawn out saga where the all-you-can-eat buffet blew by opening dates in October, December and then again on Valentine’s Day.
After the latest delay, spurned diners took to the restaurant’s Facebook page to either express frustration — some called for a boycott — or plead for rationality from their “hangry” peers.
“Lighten up folks. It’s just a restaurant, and they’re working hard to get things right,” one poster wrote.
Zawideh and co-owner Sunny Burden have maintained that the delays stemmed from numerous construction problems, like mistimed delivery of equipment, weather problems and long waits for inspections or permits.
Zawideh, however, said he understood the frustration.
Three people were killed and six others injured in two separate wrong-way DUI crashes on state Highway 14 in Vancouver early Sunday, according to the Washington State Patrol.
The first crash — a two-vehicle, double-fatal collision — occurred at 1:16 a.m. on eastbound Highway 14 just east of Columbia House Boulevard when a wrong-way driver heading west in the eastbound lanes struck another vehicle head-on, according to a WSP bulletin.
The WSP said Aaron C. Dohman, 33, of Vancouver was driving a 2007 Nissan Altima west in the eastbound lanes when his car crashed head-on into a 2004 Buick Rendezvous driven by Edgar G. Acosta, 35, of Vancouver.
Acosta was pronounced dead at the scene, as was a passenger in Dohman’s car, Michelle M. Henriksbo, 47, of Vancouver, according to the WSP. Dohman was injured and transported to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, as was Christopher L. Kopf, 33, of Vancouver, a passenger in Dohman’s car.
Almost every property owner in Clark County will see an increase in their property tax bill this year, county Assessor Peter Van Nortwick told the county council at its Tuesday morning hearing.
The increase is partially the result of legislation signed by Gov. Jay Inslee last year that’s intended to satisfy a Washington Supreme Court decision mandating that the state fund basic education. But Van Nortwick said that some parts of the county will see significantly larger increases than elsewhere due to voter-approved levies and bonds.
“What’s happening this year is that every tax district in Clark County is having a tax rate increase,” said Van Nortwick, who noted that seniors and disabled individuals who qualify for exemptions will be shielded.
It was too close to call for Evergreen Public Schools’ bond resolution Tuesday night, when voters were only narrowly approving hundreds of millions of dollars in schools facilities spending over the next two decades.
Early results showed voters approving the $695 million measure with 60.12 percent support, barely passing the 60 percent threshold for victory. Early returns show 12,308 voted “yes,” while 8,165 voted “no.”
The news of Evergreen’s teetering lead rippled through a district party at Hopworks Urban Brewery in east Vancouver, where district administrators and campaign volunteers gathered on election night. Shortly after polls closed, Auditor Greg Kimsey called Superintendent John Steach to deliver the news while employees refreshed the Secretary of State’s website on their phones.
It’s disappointment again for Battle Ground Public Schools, where voters appeared to be turning down a $224.9 million school bond that would replace facilities the district has said are desperately in need of repair.
The Battle Ground bond was failing Tuesday with 56.91 percent of the vote. Early returns showed 7,988 voters supported the bond, while 6,048 voted no.
Bonds need 60 percent approval to pass. Additional results will be released in the coming days, with the results certified on Feb. 23.
“We’re disappointed,” Superintendent Mark Ross said. “We’re holding out a slight chance it could swing our way.”
Early results show the district made only slight gains from its last bond race. That $80 million bond in 2016 failed with 55.43 percent in support.
“It’s a large district,” Ross said. Battle Ground Public Schools stretches from the north end of Orchards up through Yacolt and Amboy.
