After a snowy Sunday, what will spring weather return? Find out with our local weather coverage.
Here are some of the stories that grabbed readers’ attention this weekend.
BATTLE GROUND — For many, Battle Ground is a place to live or work. For a few, it’s a place to live and work.
“People assume if you live in Battle Ground, you’re going to have to commute out to support your family,” said Danielle Stone, 46, a former Battle Ground resident who still works in the city.
She said she knows plenty of stay-at-home parents who work part-time jobs in the city to make some extra money, but have spouses who commute somewhere else. Most of her friends who work full time in Battle Ground work for Battle Ground Public Schools, which could be because that’s also where she works. Or, it could be because the school district is the city’s biggest employer and has been as long as anyone can remember.
Read more about the challenges facing the city.
There is a perception among developers that if you build a condominium you may as well be building a wasp’s nest. Veering into that market has gotten many builders stung by lawsuits over purported construction defects.
Vancouver developer Elie Kassab has heard those concerns, but isn’t worried. People constantly ask whether he will build any condos soon. And, when he looks around and sees all of the apartments rising, he said it’s a good time to do something different.
Learn more about why more aren’t being built.
WOODLAND — The star of the show was coy. Perched inside a lonely tree in the middle of a farm field northwest of downtown Woodland, the hawk kept its costume wrapped up tight and didn’t move.
Suzanne Setterberg advised patience. “When you look away, that’s always when they fly,” she said, chuckling. “That’s when the excitement begins.”
“What I want him to do is open his wings,” Cindy McCormack said while peering through a powerful spotting scope. “I want to see the variations on his tail.”
Read more about a day looking for feathered friends.
A Vancouver teenager charged in juvenile court with starting an explosive wildfire in Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge last fall by tossing a lit firecracker into the woods pleaded guilty Friday in a deal that spares him time in custody.
The boy, who was 15 at the time, has not been identified by authorities because of fear for his safety after an angry backlash from those who consider the scenic Gorge a cherished playground on Portland’s doorstep. He appeared in court in Hood River, Ore., with his parents, who followed the hearing with the help of an interpreter.
Learn more about the teen’s sentence.
Tourism is on the upswing in Clark County, and that should continue to rise, according to the latest annual report from Visit Vancouver USA.
Visitors spent $472 million in 2016, a rise from $451 million the year before, a 4.7 percent increase. The numbers aren’t skyrocketing, but more like parading uphill, tourism officials say. For comparison, tourists spent $402 million in 2010 and $273 million in 2000.
“We’ve seen a lot of growth since the recession,” said Jacob Schmidt, director of marketing for the city of Vancouver. However, 2014 to 2015 saw a drop of $29 million that Schmidt attributed to a drop in fuel costs which is also decreased the costs of some goods.
Read more about why more tourists are heading this way.
