There’s more sunshine in the forecast this week, but expect to be on the lookout for some rain too. Check our local weather coverage to get the latest look ahead.
CAMAS — There was no passing tumbleweed nor did the sound of clanging boot spurs fill the air, but Camas transformed into the Wild West on a recent weekday.
Merchants in cowboy hats and bandannas marched down Northeast Fourth Avenue and announced it was time to go rogue.
Camas wasn’t selected as the featured city on the upcoming season of “Small Business Revolution — Main Street,” an online show that offers a small town $500,000 to give makeovers to local businesses. Still, efforts to get on the show spurred a lot of local enthusiasm, and the Downtown Camas Association and local merchants aren’t ready to ride off into the sunset.
“We’re a fighting town,” said Ann Matthews, owner of Arktana, a shoe and clothing store in downtown Camas. “We fight for what we’re passionate about. It’s hard to tell us no.”
Read the full story: Camas not throwing away its shot
Many local folks will be tuning in to “American Idol” on Sunday and Monday to see if Vancouver pianist and singer Mac Potts gets featured on the popular talent show.
One of those curious viewers will be Mac Potts himself, who said he has no idea if, when, or how big or small a spot it might turn out to be.
“I might be shown Sunday night. I might be shown Monday night,” he said. “All I can tell everyone is, ‘I’ll be watching too.’ ”
“American Idol” films well in advance but wants to maintain suspense, so Potts is sworn to secrecy about his experience. But he told The Columbian about auditioning last fall for the show’s current celebrity judges in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and winning a Gold Ticket to Hollywood and the show itself. It’s that Hollywood experience he’s not yet allowed to reveal, he said.
Read the full story: ‘Idol’ curiosity for Vancouver’s Mac Potts
BATTLE GROUND — Battle Ground 10-year-old Colton Diamond draws his culinary inspiration from two sources: his father and Taco Bell.
The Captain Strong Primary School fourth-grader leaned over his take on the fast food restaurant’s cheesy roll-ups. The original combination of a tortilla and cheese, he explained, is lacking.
“Where’s the chicken?” he asked. “And where’s the flavor?”
This is high-steaks stuff (pun intended) at Battle Ground High School, where 18 third- and fourth-graders from across the district competed Thursday in the annual Sodexo Future Chefs Competition. School districts locally and across Clark County are letting students don the apron in their school kitchens, writing recipes and cooking meals for a panel of judges. The theme was “Healthy Mexican” food, bringing the smells of warm spices, fresh vegetables and plenty of cheese to Battle Ground High School.
Read the full story: Future chefs spice up student competition in Battle Ground
Thomas Atwater and his wife like to drive around and explore Southwest Washington. They returned to this area after living in the Midwest for decades.
The Salmon Creek residents were recently heading up Northwest Fruit Valley Road, approaching the point where the road curves into Lakeshore Avenue and passes between Burnt Bridge Creek and Vancouver Lake.
The split between the stream and the lake left Atwater curious. Are the bodies of water connected?
“You can’t see an underground passage when you’re on the road. I didn’t see a sign for a bridge. There’s a body of water (at the end of Burnt Bridge Creek), and I didn’t see any movement,” Atwater said.
He submitted his question to The Columbian’s Clark Asks site, where readers ask questions and vote on which should get further coverage.
