Cheers: To the Papermakers. The Camas High School football team won the second state championship in program history last week, defeating Bothell 35-14 in Tacoma. The Papermakers completed an undefeated season by pulling away from the Cougars in the second half.
For decades, Southwest Washington was an afterthought in Washington high school football. But Camas’ 2016 championship was followed by titles from Hockinson in 2017 and 2018 at the Class 2A level, along with a triumph by Union at the Class 4A level last year. Now, Camas sits atop Class 4A, the classification for the state’s largest schools, further marking Clark County as a hotbed of high school football.
Jeers: To the flu. Or to whatever is keeping large numbers of Clark County students out of school. Administrators at local elementary schools report widespread absences and students suffering from fever, coughing and flu-like symptoms. Students who attend school — and adults who go to work — when they are under the weather risk infecting others. In other words, people should stay home until they have been well for 24 hours.
‘Tis the season, after all. And because of that, Clark County Public Health recommends receiving a flu shot. Even with influenza already in the air, it is not too late to contact your health care provider or local pharmacy to receive a vaccination. Stay healthy out there.
Cheers: To support for the arts. The Vancouver City Council has awarded $122,255 to 14 artistic and cultural projects throughout the city. The awards follow recommendations from the Arts, Culture & Heritage Commission, which was revived this year after being dormant since 2005.
There are good arguments to be made that the city should not be spending money on public art. The projects do not rank with, say, addressing homelessness or filling potholes in importance, and government should differentiate between wants and needs. But public art helps lend vibrancy to a city. As Colin Fogarty of Vancouver’s Confluence Project said, “Art is, in part, what makes a city a community.” That has value for all residents.
Jeers: To a foul stench. Columbian reporter Calley Hair this week took up the kind of journalism that is essential to a community: What in the world is that stench that settles in downtown Vancouver on occasion? Good question, as anybody who frequents the city center knows. The answer: Well, there isn’t one — at least not a definitive one. The odor likely comes from a combination of the Westside Wastewater Treatment Plant and various industrial operations in the area.
While the downtown air is sometimes unpleasant, it reminds us of the benefits of air quality regulations. The legendary Tacoma Aroma is not the force it once was, and the Camas paper mill in the past could make the locals’ eyes water. Those situations are largely a thing of the past, even if Vancouver can be a bit stinky at times.
Cheers: To butterflies. For the first time, conservationists at the Oregon Zoo have successfully bred the rare Oregon silverspot butterfly in captivity. The achievement is being hailed as a breakthrough that could be crucial to the survival of the species, which is listed as threatened.
The silverspot once was common in coastal grasslands from northern California to British Columbia, but only five isolated populations remain. Studies show that populations of all butterfly species have dropped precipitously in recent years, meaning that any breakthrough is worthy of cheers.
