Cheers: To Clark County. It is human nature to quickly point out the shortcomings of county government while being slow to offer praise when warranted. But a State of the County presentation this week was a reminder of the good work being carried out by local government. Notably, according to Clark County Council Chair Eileen Quiring, there have been vast improvements at the Permit Center, where wait times have been reduced from an average of 33 minutes to 10 minutes.
County councilors also highlighted pending development at the N.E. 179th Street/Interstate 5 interchange, an increase in measles vaccinations in the wake of an outbreak of the disease, and full staffing at Animal Protection and Control following a year of turmoil. As Gary Medvigy, who was appointed to the council last month, said, “I want to assure you this council is hitting on all cylinders.” The public — and the media — will be sure to mention it when things are out of alignment.
Jeers: To Art Institute of Seattle. The 73-year-old school abruptly closed its doors Friday, two weeks before the end of the academic quarter. That leaves about 650 students in the lurch, many of them close to graduating. The institute is part of a group of art colleges across the country run by Dream Center Educational Holdings. Last week, a federal judge halted the organization’s plans to close a school in Pittsburgh, providing some hope for students in Seattle.
The situation highlights the need for oversight of for-profit colleges that often defraud students with specious claims about job prospects and questionable student-loan practices. The Trump administration has rolled back regulations governing such practices, placing the needs of corporations ahead of those of students.
Cheers: To the surgeon general. Dr. Jerome Adams, surgeon general of the United States, visited Clark County this week to assess a measles outbreak that has infected at least 70 people in the county.
“There’s a social contract that exists in this community,” he said. “We all have to look out for one another, and unfortunately some people can’t get vaccinated, so it’s important that the ones who can, do — not just to protect themselves, but to protect everyone else. And if we don’t, then this whole social contract begins to fall apart, and our society, quite frankly, starts to fall apart.” We could not have said it better ourselves.
Jeers: To a convoluted situation. An article in The Columbian this week detailed the plight of Vancouver’s Christensen yacht company. After much legal wrangling, the company is setting sail for Tellico Lake, Tenn. We would not have thought of Tennessee as a hot spot for building luxury yachts, but that is beside the point.
The good news is that a recently announced deal will land Vigor Industrial at the Christensen site along the Columbia River. Vigor will produce military vessels as part of a 10-year, $1 billion contract with the federal government. But we will miss occasionally catching a glimpse of a $100 million yacht when the Christensen facility would open its doors.
Cheers: To taco sauce. Yes, taco sauce. Packets of Taco Bell hot sauce helped sustain Jeremy Taylor when his vehicle was stuck in the snow for five days in Central Oregon. In truth, the taco sauce had little to do with the survival of Taylor and his dog; drinking melted snow probably played a bigger role.
But the taco sauce makes for a great story, and it was enough for the company to offer Taylor a year of free Taco Bell in exchange for the free advertising.
