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In case you missed them, here are some of the top stories from the weekend:
BATTLE GROUND — After months of work, the Battle Ground Public Schools board of directors is slated next week to decide how to tackle overcrowding at the district’s south end.
More than 400 students will be moved to different schools beginning next school year as the district looks to ease pressure on its south end campuses, especially the packed Glenwood-Laurin campus. After a series of public forums and the collection of about 440 online surveys, the board is tentatively scheduled to decide between three proposals on Monday.
But the work won’t end with Monday’s decision. Bus routes will need to be redrawn, families will need to be alerted and open houses must be scheduled so students can visit their new schools.
“It’s such a complex issue that affects so many things,” board President Troy McCoy said. “It’s not going to be an easy decision for the board.”
The board is considering three options to address the overcrowding.
Read the full story: Battle Ground considers three proposals for overcrowding issue
SEATTLE — A 34-year-old Tacoma man has been accused of harassing and assaulting a married same-sex couple from Vancouver for their sexual orientation at a Seahawks football game.
SeattlePI.com reported Jay Dee Harp III was charged last week with assault and malicious harassment, which is Washington’s hate crime statute.
He posted bail, but a King County Superior Court judge has since increased his bail and issued a warrant for his arrest.
Police say Harp harassed two women at CenturyLink Field in Seattle Dec. 30, making comments that included anti-gay slurs.
The Clark County YWCA’s Facebook page says the couple are from Vancouver.
Read the full story: Charges: Man assaulted lesbian Vancouver couple at Seahawks game
In the weeks leading up to the 2019 Washington legislative session, lawmakers’ do-to lists only got longer.
During the 105-day “long session” that begins Monday, legislators were already expected to perform the heavy lift of hammering out two-year operating, transportation and capital budgets that fund state government.
In anticipation of the session, Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, who is eyeing a presidential bid, laid out his own ambitious plans to address the state’s opioid crisis, promote clean energy, expand health care and overhaul the state’s troubled mental health system. He also rolled out his proposed $54.4 billion budget that included a new capital gains tax and business tax hikes that he said are needed to meet the state’s constitutional and moral obligations.
After expanding their majority to 28-21 in the Senate and 57-41 in the House following the November election, legislative Democrats have also signaled their priorities on affordable housing, health care and other issues.
Read the full story: Repairing mental health system high on lawmakers’ minds
Camas’ Prune Hill area has large houses on sidewalk-lined streets. It’s home to trails, parks and Lacamas Athletic Club, and its inhabitants are generally wealthy, educated homeowners.
So, this may be no surprise: Prune Hill has the highest life expectancy of anywhere in Clark County. On average a person residing there can expect to live 85.3 years, according to recently released estimates from the National Center for Health Statistics.
Aside from her student days at the University of Washington in Seattle, Nan Henriksen, who’s 77, has lived in Camas her entire life. She said Camas’ green spaces, trails and proximity to the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area encourage people to be active outside. When she was mayor in the 1980s and early 1990s, the Camas City Council focused on ways to preserve and improve quality of life while also trying to attract businesses to its industrial park.
“I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a community that has more convenient trails,” Henriksen said, adding that green space is important for psychological and physical health.
Of course, residents’ socioeconomic status is a major advantage. The median household income in Prune Hill is $132,910.
“We’re blessed to have so many inhabitants who can afford good health care and are aware of healthy living,” Henriksen said.
Read the full story: Location key in life expectancy in Clark County
