Firefighter Leo Gonzalez, center, sprays smoldering ground in the Camas Creek watershed while working with colleagues to tackle the Nakia Fire on Oct. 19, 2022.
One of the newsroom’s New Year’s resolutions is to host more community events. We’ve held an annual Economic Forecast event for decades, and last year started what we hope will be an ongoing series of Columbian Conversations, where an invited panel discusses an important community issue, with the goal of generating news and fostering a discussion reflecting multiple perspectives.
First up is our “Wildfires in Southwest Washington” conversation, taking place from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Feb. 1 at the Kiggins Theatre, 1011 Main St. With the Pacific Northwest firmly in the grasp of an El Niño winter, this summer’s wildfire season could be severe. And even in what are now considered normal years, Southwest Washington is increasingly choked with hazardous smoke that curtails summer activities. Is this the new normal? What can be done?
Thanks to a grant from Riverview Bank, the event is free to attend. You can reserve a seat at columbian.ticketbud.com.
Our 38th annual Economic Forecast event follows on March 5 at the Hilton Vancouver Washington. This year’s panel will focus on “The Economics of Artificial Intelligence.” The keynote speaker, David Adkins, is the senior engineering manager for generative AI at Meta, which is the corporation that owns Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp.
A local panel moderated by Associate Editor Will Campbell will discuss local impacts of AI, and economist Scott Bailey will update us on the county’s economic outlook for 2024. Tickets cost $70, including breakfast, and are on sale at www.columbian.com/economic-forecast. We’ll have complete reporting from the event and a March 8 special section featuring the panelists’ thoughts.
Riverview Bank is once again the presenting sponsor, with co-sponsors PeaceHealth, the engineering firm WSP, Alliant and the Port of Vancouver, with additional support from the Columbia River Economic Development Council, Greater Vancouver Chamber and Identity Clark County.
Thanks to all of these sponsors. Events are expensive, and we couldn’t do them without support.
Later in the spring, we are planning an invitation-only awards night to honor outstanding high school athletes and coaches. We are looking forward to providing public recognition of these young players in this new format. And we are planning a few more events for later in the year, too.
Recycling plastic tubes
After we converted our print subscribers to postal delivery earlier this month, I received several inquiries about what to do with the plastic tubes that you see mounted on posts at the ends of driveways, mostly in rural areas. Most of the tubes are blue, although some of them are orange.
Rachel Rose, our circulation director, says the tubes are yours to keep. Even though they have The Columbian’s name on them, we don’t want them back. If you don’t want them, please recycle them in your big blue curbside recycling bin. Just be sure all the metal hardware, such as screws and the mounting bracket, is detached.
Puzzling question
Some of our readers who enjoy the Jacqueline Mathews crossword puzzle contained in our Life section have noticed there is currently a substitute contributor, Stella Zawistowski. I got two inquires, both from people who said Stella’s puzzles are too difficult.
Like our other features — comics, advice columns, the horoscope — the crossword is provided by a syndication service. I don’t currently have an explanation of why Mathews isn’t doing the puzzles or when she will be back. I’ll try to find out and will let you know if I learn anything.
Interestingly, Mathews lives in Spokane, though her puzzles are syndicated all over the English-speaking world.
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