Washington | featured news

The wannabe-emperor flies about the country to adoring followers expounding nationalism, hatred and division. He bullies immigrants and anyone who doesn’t accept his mad view of reality. He brags that he knows more than the generals, the scientists and financial experts. He is a prodigious liar and is bereft of human feelings. He uses the office of the presidency to enrich himself and his family. He insults allies and cozies up to dictators. He has put the world’s economy and the U.S. economy at risk with his tariffs and by shutting down the government.

Recent articles in The Columbian called our attention to the unsatisfactory gap between the number of teachers of color and the number of students of color (“The Color of Education, Dec. 16, The Columbian”). Readers were made aware that the students of color need more role models to encourage and motivate them to believe in themselves and strive for worthy occupations that fit their talents.

According to the WSDOT 2018 Delivery Plan (https://tinyurl.com/yd7e694c), ramp meters will be installed in the 2019-2023 time frame. Those all-too-familiar red/green traffic signals we see on some Portland onramps. The ones that alternate red/green while you sit there watching it, knowing that you cannot really go forward because of the crush of traffic. They may work well when traffic is light to moderate, but fail completely when traffic is heavy.

Our national debt is now hovering at $22 trillion, but many of us don’t know how much that really is. So, look at it this way: it takes 1,000 one-thousand-dollar bills to total $1 million; then multiply that million by 1,000 to total $1 billion, then multiply that billion by 1,000 to total $1 trillion.

Monday was a perfect winter day with clear skies, breezy winds and highs in the mid-40s, just about an average January day. Oh really? The temperatures were about normal but hey, what about the rainfall? Day by day we go deeper into another month with below-average rainfall.
Wednesday we see clouds increase and some light showers perhaps later in the day and a rainy period through the weekend. Will that help? Yes, but the following week looks like it may go back to what we have grown accustomed to lately — clear skies, sunshine and easterly winds.

Vancouver – The Free Clinic of Southwest Washington received an $8,000 grant from Kaiser Permanente. The grant will help provide care for uninsured patients living with diabetes, according to a clinic press release.
Statistics show that low-income individuals are more likely to suffer from uncontrolled diabetes due to barriers to health care access. The Free Clinic will use funds from the grant to purchase insulin.

Vancouver – Prospective Washington State University Vancouver students are invited to attend a campus Preview Day at 1 p.m. Jan. 26.
Check-in begins at 11:45 a.m. at the Firstenburg Student Commons.
Guests will learn about the college’s academic programs and financial aid and can also take an optional campus tour.
The event is free and open to the public. RSVP and find more information at vancouver.wsu.edu/preview. Parking is free on weekends. WSU Vancouver is at 14204 N.E. Salmon Creek Ave., Vancouver.