We made it through the wintry weather of Saturday and Sunday, but snow isn’t out of the forecast just yet. What will the workweek weather look like? Check our local weather coverage.
In case you missed them, here are some of the top stories of the weekend:
The Vancouver Farmers Market is celebrating its 30th anniversary in an unexpected way — with a move.
But as the market’s Executive Director Jordan Boldt describes it, it’s more of a pivot than a move.
The market will keep its spot on Esther Street abutting Esther Short Park, but will relocate from West Sixth Street to West Eighth Street.
Boldt said the city initially approached the market in September, following the opening of the Vancouver Waterfront Park with concerns the market would block access during the summer.
With looming summer construction complicating the situation, it was decided it would be better for everyone involved if the market relocated.
“The market’s perspective is obviously it’s never an easy thing to undertake, but we’re pretty optimistic,” Boldt said. “We think the new space is going to actually be better for the market.”
Read the full story: Vancouver Farmers Market to relocate
RIDGEFIELD — All that stands between Ridgefield and hundreds of millions of dollars of private investment money is a herd of Columbian white-tailed deer.
Perhaps that’s a simplification. However, in 2016, the Port of Ridgefield secured the final piece of funding for an overpass above the railroad tracks that will connect Pioneer Street to the port’s waterfront property. The $14 million project has been delayed a few times, most recently after the port had to reopen its environmental impact study to consider its effect on a herd of rare Columbian white-tailed deer.
Once the overpass is built, travelers won’t have to cross railroad tracks to access the port’s waterfront property, which could bring in an estimated $200 million to $300 million in private investment money to transform the west edge of the city, according to City Manager Steve Stuart. Port CEO Brent Grening hopes to go out to bid on the overpass project this month, and start construction sometime this year to complete the project in 2020.
The new residents and businesses have the potential to boost a city of 8,000 people, and therein lies the issue. Twice in recent years, Ridgefield has been named the fastest-growing city in the state. With the opening of the nearby ilani casino, a soon-to-be-completed sports complex and a long-awaited grocery storeexpected to open this year, the once-sleepy town known for its potato farmers is booming.
All that growth requires a substantial investment in infrastructure. What has the city done so far to manage the growth, and what are the plans to keep up with it while Ridgefield aims to become the hub of north Clark County?
Read the full story: Growing Ridgefield strives to avoid pains
I was raised on a dairy farm in Ridgefield. I always said I was not going to marry a farmer. …
The year was 1970, my junior year at Columbia River High School. The buzz around campus was the upcoming Tolo (or Sadie Hawkins) dance. This was the girl’s chance to ask a secret crush to a formal dance. …
It didn’t take long for us to realize we were meant for one another. Still, we had careers and 600 miles separating us, and time was ticking (we were both over 30). …
My story starts in Las Vegas. …
Read the full story: Columbian readers tell their stories of meeting, falling in love
