In Our View: Cheers & Jeers: Share House; rise in crime

Cheers: To Share House. The men’s shelter in downtown Vancouver is set to reopen Monday following repairs from a July 30 fire. The blaze, which started with an improperly discarded cigarette in a third-floor bedroom, caused $128,856 worth of damage and displaced 58 homeless men. Many of them have been sheltered at St. Paul Lutheran Church, some returned to sleeping outside and 13 moved into permanent housing. Costs were paid by insurance aside from a $5,000 deductible, which was covered by a donor.

The incident reinforces the community-wide effort that is necessary to care for the homeless population in our community. Share House plays a vital role in dealing with a problem that is maddeningly persistent throughout Clark County — and elsewhere. The reopening of the facility is worthy of cheers but does not mitigate the need for continuing efforts to house and serve homeless people.

Jeers: To rising crime. New data from the FBI indicates that both violent crime and property crime increased in Vancouver from 2017 to 2018. The annual national report shows a 25 percent increase in violent crime. Clark County was not included in this year’s report, preventing a year-to-year comparison.

Experts warn that reporting of the data is imperfect and could lead to skewed numbers, but those numbers still warrant attention; a state report showed similar increases. Clayton Mosher, a Washington State University professor who studies criminology, pointed to an increase in aggravated assault. “The police department needs to drill down on those cases and find out where they’re coming from. … The (state) report shows about half of them are domestic violence,” he told The Columbian. Overall, Vancouver remains a safe place to live, and we would like to keep it that way.

Cheers: To The Waterfront Vancouver. The vast development along the Columbia River recently celebrated the first anniversary of its official opening, and it is still growing. “I think we created the top destination in town,” said Barry Cain, president of Gramor Development.

The creation of the Grant Street Pier and restaurants and residences and walking paths on a former industrial site have reconnected locals — and visitors — with the river that defines the city. The development will help transform Vancouver for the better for decades to come.

Jeers: To criminals. Speaking of the waterfront, somebody purloined an 18-inch-tall, 7-inch-thick “T” from a sign at the park, leaving “WA ERFRONT PARK.” And a man has been banned from Cowlitz County parks for luring squirrels so his dog could attack them; the man has not been identified, leaving questions about how he can be banned. And an Oregon City man has been arrested for throwing roofing nails onto streets on several occasions.

The Oregon City scoundrel has been apprehended, which is good news. But jeers go to those who selfishly make the world a little worse through foolish activity.

Cheers: To King Felix. Felix Hernandez’s time with the Seattle Mariners likely has come to an end. Hernandez is the winningest pitcher in franchise history and holds a slew of records for the team, which has been around 43 seasons.

All of those seasons have ended in disappointment, with the Mariners having never won the World Series. The past 18 of them have ended without even a playoff appearance — the longest current streak in major North American sports. But for many of those dreadful seasons, King Felix provided a bright spot that placed him among the most popular players in franchise history.