Top Stories: Superintendent turnover; Raising Cane’s opening date; Safeways sold

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Here are some of the top stories of the week on columbian.com. Wondering what else was popular this week with readers? Check out our Trending Stories page.

1. Education exhaustion: Clark County school districts see high superintendent turnover due to fatigue, uncertainty

Christine Moloney took over as the new Evergreen Public Schools superintendent last week, making her the district’s third head honcho since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Her tenure began with words of excitement in the same room where her predecessor, John Boyd, pitched his own candidacy for the role to the Evergreen community less than two years ago.

• 4 new superintendents have been sworn in this summer

2. Morning commute traffic spills onto city streets as series of crashes clog Clark County freeways

Traffic was backed up all over Clark County this morning, with both Interstate 5 and Interstate 205 looking like parking lots during the morning commute. And drivers didn’t get any relief as the day wore on.

I-5 slowed to a crawl by 7 a.m. with traffic backed up to Minnehaha Street and spilling onto state Highway 500 and state Highway 14 westbound. I-205 south saw slowing as far north as Padden Parkway with Highway 14 also backed up east- and westbound approaching the freeway.

• Two people were injured in crash on Highway 14

3. Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers sets opening date in Vancouver

Southern chicken empire Raising Cane’s will open its first Washington location July 16 just off Mill Plain Boulevard in east Vancouver.

The company first confirmed plans for its expansion to Vancouver in August 2022, after filing planning documents for a 3,026-square-foot store, 12601 S.E. Second Circle,  with the city of Vancouver.

• Highly anticipated Louisiana-based chicken chain will have a grand opening this month

4. 9 Safeways in Clark County will be sold as part of Kroger-Albertsons merger plan; buyer says no stores will close

Eleven Clark County grocery stores will be sold as part of the planned merger between grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons, the companies disclosed Tuesday.

The stores are expected to be sold to C&S Wholesale Grocers, parent company of Grand Union grocery stores and the Piggly Wiggly franchise.

• East Vancouver QFC and the Battle Ground Albertsons are also part of the deal

5. Woman arrested in suspected hit-and-run that left a man dead in Vancouver

A man was killed in a suspected hit-and-run Monday afternoon in central Vancouver, according to the Vancouver Police Department.

Police responded about 1:10 p.m. to the 2100 block of Northeast Andresen Road to check on a man under a tree. Officers found a man who appeared to have been killed, possibly from a vehicle that hit him while he was sitting there, a news release states.

• Victim has not yet been identified
• Update: Bail set at $500,000 for Vancouver woman in hit-and-run that killed a man near a Vancouver WinCo