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Liberty Theater Closes

The historic Liberty Theater in Camas is closed, according to operator Greg Wood, a Portland businessman. Wood ran the two-screen movie theater, which daily featured first run movies,  for the past 13 years. The theater first opened in 1927 as the Grenada and is owned by the Farrell family of Camas

The Granada Theatre in Camas opens its doors on June 14, 1927

On June 14, 1927, the Granada Theatre in Camas debuts, showing the silent feature Lost at the Front, a war comedy starring Charlie Murray and George Sidney.  The theater is located at 315 N.E. 4th Avenue, and seats approximately 800 people. Camas is located in Clark County in southwestern Washington along the Columbia River.

Costing roughly $75,000 to build, the Granada sported a Moorish/Spanish flavor consistent with its name.  The venue was envisioned by architect P. M. Hall Lewis of Portland, with interior work (and a unique Art Deco entryway) designed by Charles Anman, also of Portland.  Financing for the project was raised by local Camas men – C. E. Farrell owned the land, partnering with O. F. Johnson, Roy Young, A. L. Powers, and F. W. Harrington, who operated under the banner of the Community Investment Corporation.

The Granada’s original stage was 25 feet deep and 32 feet wide, with a drop curtain of 22 feet top-to-bottom.  The color scheme of the house was blue and gold, and no expense, it seemed, was spared to give the venue a luxurious feel.  All told, the interior fixtures and furnishings cost a reported $30,000, which included a $12,000 organ and $6,000 spent on auditorium seating.  “The new structure has placed Camas in the foreground of many more pretentious cities in the theatrical world,” boasted the Camas Post-Record, “and is going to prove an enduring monument to the credit of Mr. Farrell in the undertaking and carrying out a project of this type and magnitude” (Post-Record).

And endure the Granada has, albeit under its new name, the Liberty.  Despite a fire that gutted the historic theater in 1994, the Farrell family – who still owned the venue at the time – lovingly restored Camas’s only movie theater to its former glory.

The Columbian will run a full story on Saturday.

Obama to Congress: Pass Health Care Reform

President Obama on Wednesday urged Congress to “meet history’s test” and pass comprehensive health care reform, as he offered new guidance — and concessions — to lawmakers struggling to hammer out a deal.

In a sweeping and impassioned address, the president tried to issue the definitive outline of his vision for reform as well as convince skeptical lawmakers why they should support that vision. The rare address to a joint session of Congress came at a make-or-break time for health care reform, a reality Obama stressed.

“The time for bickering is over. The time for games has passed. Now is the season for action,” Obama said. “Now is when we must bring the best ideas of both parties together … Now is the time to deliver on health care.”

He was often combative, telling die-hard opponents that he will not bother with them. But he was at times conciliatory, offering backing to a key GOP demand and showing wiggle room on what is arguably the most controversial element of reform — a government-run health insurance plan.

Even as Obama re-stated his support for the so-called “public option,” he urged liberal Democrats to consider alternatives.

“It’s worth noting that a strong majority of Americans still favor a public insurance option of the sort I’ve proposed tonight. But its impact shouldn’t be exaggerated — by the left, the right, or the media. It is only one part of my plan, and shouldn’t be used as a handy excuse for the usual Washington ideological battles,” Obama said. “To my progressive friends, I would remind you that for decades, the driving idea behind reform has been to end insurance company abuses and make coverage available for those without it. The public option is only a means to that end — and we should remain open to other ideas that accomplish our ultimate goal.”

Obama said he would “not back down” on the principle that the government should provide an option for Americans who can’t find affordable coverage. But he said proposals like nonprofit cooperatives or a mechanism that would keep a public option on reserve in areas where insurance companies are not providing affordable plans are “constructive ideas worth exploring.”

The stance is sure to upset some liberal Democrats — but it also continued to rankle Republicans who wanted Obama to take the option off the table completely.

“The president had a chance, tonight, to take the government-run health care off the table. Unfortunately, he didn’t do it,” Rep. Charles Boustany, R-La., said in the GOP response.

Boustany, a heart surgeon, said the public wanted Obama to tell Democratic leaders in Congress that, “it’s time to start over on a common-sense, bipartisan plan focused on lowering the cost of health care while improving quality.”

Obama sought middle ground elsewhere. Outlining what he said was a $900 billion plan, he also expressed potential support for some version of medical malpractice reform, something Republicans have long demanded.

In a passage that drew repeated applause, Obama said he’s directed Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to “move forward” on an initiative to start “demonstration projects” in certain states.

“I don’t believe malpractice reform is a silver bullet, but I’ve talked to enough doctors to know that defensive medicine may be contributing to unnecessary costs,” Obama said.

Obama also backed a health insurance mandate Wednesday, saying Americans should be required to get health insurance just as they are required to get auto insurance — it was an idea he opposed during the presidential campaign.

“Improving our health care system only works if everybody does their part,” the president said.

The president spoke a day after lawmakers returned from a rocky summer recess during which constituents flooded town hall meetings to voice their concerns about the bills on the table. Four partisan bills have passed out of committee in the House and Senate, and the only bill that has had bipartisan input is still stuck in the Senate Finance Committee.

In the face of public discontent, sagging poll numbers and stiff Republican opposition, Obama was trying to invigorate the push for reform — even as he feels resistance from some members of his own party.

He offered personal stories of Americans who have suffered under the current system. He invoked the legacy of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, who had made health care reform a life mission.

But he also used the address to very publicly rebuke those he claims are stonewalling the process for political reasons.

“We’ve seen Washington at its best and at its worst. We have seen many in this chamber work tirelessly for the better part of this year to offer thoughtful ideas about how to achieve reform,” Obama said. “But what we have also seen in these last months is the same partisan spectacle that only hardens the disdain many Americans have toward their own government. Instead of honest debate, we’ve seen scare tactics. Some have dug into unyielding ideological camps that offer no hope of compromise.”

He said to Republicans, “My door is always open,” but assailed the “bogus claims” he says his critics have pushed.

“But know this — I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it’s better politics to kill this plan than to improve it. I won’t stand by while the special interests use the same old tactics to keep things exactly the way they are,” Obama said.

As he has before, Obama stressed the dire consequences of inaction, saying “more will die” if Congress does not act. He stressed his resolve to bring lawmakers together and clear away hurdles to passing an overhaul package.

“I am not the first president to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last,” Obama said.

Parents Overreacting to Swine Flu Fears

There is no doubt that the swine flu is on the minds of many parents, since the illness became a global epidemic. But are these fears going to far? Some parents choose to rush their child to the emergency room or keep them out of school, with perhaps a much lesser illness.

The Center for Disease Control reports that 42 children have died, nationally, of the H1N1 Virus or swine flu. But they urge parents to understand the symptoms of the illness before rushing to judgement, and emphasize that the main symptom to check for is a fever.

The World Health Organizations says the swine flu has caused at least 28 hundred deaths worldwide since it emerged in the United States and Mexico earlier this year. Just yesterday, two cases were confirmed of Billings College students. But should a parent look for before pulling their kids out of school or seeking medical help.
“If they have an upset stomach or a sore throat, but no fever, you shouldn’t automatically assume that it is the flu,” said Kate Marone of City-County Health Department in Great Falls.

Marone adds that a fever of 100.4 is usually the minimum for the virus, and is often combined with muscle aches, coughing, and normal flu like symptoms. Some area parents are quite concerned.

“I have four kids and I heard about people getting sick and dying. It’s scary” said parent Charles Devito.

“Every parent should have their kids get the shots,” said Mike Tinsley of Great Falls.

“Nobody wants to see their kid get sick and not get well,” said Great Falls parent Robin Melott.

“All parents should be worried and there should be better ways to find out about it,” said Great Falls parent Charles Brown.

The City-County Health Department is conducting daily absence surveillance of Great Falls schools, to monitor the situation. But Marone says prevention can be simple.

“The washing of the hands, the covering of the cough can help prevent all diseases.”

Marone says most cases of swine flu in children result in full recovery, although children with other serious medical conditions are at risk.

WATCH ALERT The CW Watch Continues to Grow…..

For two years, CW Watch has been bringing you local discussion forums from local politics to social issues facing our community. Over the last few months, CW Watch has been receiving 2,000 views per day and it’s now time to grow.

When you log into www.cwwatch.com this coming Saturday, September 12th at noon

You will see a new look.

The wordpress site, in which the blog now sits, will remain open in the event you want to check its archives but you will no longer be able to comment on the word press site after Saturday noon.

With the new site at www.cwwatch.com commentators will be required to register your name or pseudonym  (once) and an email address. (emails will remain unpublished)

You will receive:

Free use 24/7

A cleaner look

Less filtering problems – we will have white lists and black lists

More ability for your business to advertise

Ability to post your own Post, inserting photo, video, slides

Questions? Feel free to ask in confidence to moderator@cwwatch.com

Washougal Losses City administrator

One of the most outstanding city administrators Washougal has had, Nabiel Shawa is officially headed to Walla Walla for greater opportunity.

more to come…

Washougal bank bandit sentenced to 5 years

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE NEWS RELEASE

SHAWN E. BROMLEY, 40, of Washougal, Washington, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 60 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release for Armed Bank Robbery.  BROMLEY was arrested March 19, 2009, following the robbery of a credit union in Washougal.  BROMLEY lead police on a high speed chase, weaving in and out of traffic on a two-lane road, before flipping his car.  At sentencing U.S. District Judge Ronald B. Leighton said, “the defendant’s actions could have gotten somebody seriously, seriously hurt…. (he) put a lot of people at risk.”

According to records filed in the case, BROMLEY entered the Lacamas County Credit Union just after noon, with a blue surgical mask over his face.  He approached a teller, handed her a black plastic bag with a note on it that claimed BROMLEY was wired with a bomb and that he would explode it if she hit the alarm or put a dye pack in with the money.  BROMLEY left the bank with $412.  Washougal police officers spotted BROMLEY leaving the bank – he lead them on an eight mile chase primarily on a two-lane road, at speeds of eighty miles an hour.  BROMLEY swerved into oncoming lanes and narrowly avoided oncoming traffic.  BROMLEY flipped his car onto its roof.  Police approached and asked if he was armed.  BROMLEY claimed he was armed with a bomb.  He handed the bomb out the window.  It was a soda can filled with explosive powder, wrapped with duct tape, with a fuse coming out the top.

In asking for at least a five year term for BROMLEY,  prosecutors acknowledged that he has significant health problems, but noted that he put everyone in the bank at risk with his crude bomb, for minimal reward.  “Of course, the potential danger to the community did not end when Bromley left the credit union.  His high-speed attempted getaway on Washougal River Road created an extremely dangerous situation for police officers and civilians alike.  The Court’s sentence should reflect the seriousness of BROMLEY’s conduct and the dangerous situation created by his disregard of the law,” Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Diggs wrote in his sentencing memo.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Washougal Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Diggs.

Construction will slow Highway 14 traffic on Sunday – Aug.30

State Highway 14 will close early Sunday morning in both directions on  the Camas Slough Bridge near milepost 12.8 while maintenance crews inspect the bridge and repair the pavement. Traffic will be rerouted between 5 a.m. and 12 p.m. onto the Highway 14 Business Loop through Camas.  For weekly traffic updates visit the Washington State Department of Transportation travel advisory Web site at www.wsdot.wa.gov/Regions/SouthWest/Construction.

Hundreds Decend on Camas’ Backyard

Nestled in the woods just east of LaCamas Lake along Goodwin Road – hosts the 14^th annual TomFest.

A three day music festival featuring 130 bands and recording artist – 127 of which, I have never heard of, yet my son knew most of the names.

At first appearance, one has to adjust to this sub-culture of Christian music – it’s loud, very loud and high energy.  “Singers” scream throughout the entire “song”. Young people – mostly guys, covered in tattoos, body piercing, and non-traditional hair styles jump up and down, swinging their arms as though they are in a street fight and into each other. I was informed later this is called a Mosh Pit. Yet I was surprised that while hundreds of people were doing this, no one got injured.

Hundreds of people are attending this event over the weekend. As I listened to the music and the dialog between the songs I found the common ground – not among this sub-culture of young people but between my generation and theirs….a common ground in God. When I saw beyond the tats, piercings, and odd dress – I found nice, polite, young people, open to having a conversation with an “old” guy that has no clue about who they are or why they do what they do, yet we have a common ground as well.

If you would like to experience a positive day, obtain some culture one doesn’t see around Camas to often, check out the TomFest Site and head out. They have several stages, vendors, food. But keep the drugs and alcohol at home…. Not allowed. Oh, and take ear plugs or it’ll take a day for your hearing to return.

www.tomfest.com

-Gary

Primary Election Results in Camas Washougal

Washougal City Council will have an exciting election this year.
DavidShoemaker lead the Washougal City Council position  NO.6 position with 49% of the vote. He will face off Larry Wagoner, a long time resident.
Washougal voters will have a tough decision this year as both candidates are men of integrity and diverse experience who will serve the city council well.

When the candidate registration for public office was completed earlier this year, no one had registered as a candidate for the East County Fire and Rescue Commissioner, (ECFR). So the Elections officials allowed an extra three days to encourage someone to fun for the office. By the end of the three days, four candidates had registered. Heading into the General Election is Mike Berg with 28% of the vote and Sheldon Tyler with 22% This one will be closely watched over the next two months.

In a surprising return, the voters in District 1 have spoken loud and clear – it’s time for a change at the Port of Camas Washougal. Incumbent Jim Carroll will be OUT as he received only 19% of the vote.

Washougal City Council Rocked the House…

Some compared it to Custers Last Stand. Some called it a WWF match ready to start,  There were definitely fireworks galore

A Washougal resident, a retired Seattle cop, got up and read a statement against Lou Peterson. “Peterson, you are bad, should resign, disgrace,” etc. etc. etc. Everyone kind of cringed and shrank very small. Ugly. Very ugly.

The Sean lays out his complaint against the Mayor for gross improprieties, misuse of funds (see actual text below)

Then a couple of citizens got up and said what Sean just did was “disgraceful, bogus”, etc.

Nabiel was chatised by 3 city council members because he spent $1250 of the city’s money (the Port agreed to pay for the other $1250, to hire a professional grant writer to help CNS get a grant from the FEDS, and DID NOT ask the Council beforehand. I guess it did not matter that Nabiel did get a signed agreement from the prospective business, that if they were successful in getting the FED grant money, that they would indeed move the business to Washougal.   Well, after Nabiel’s chastisement, I got up and made a statement to the Council and said, more or less, “I not only approve of Nabiel’s actions- We applaud them!. At least someone is doing something trying to bring some employer into this city.

Then to add all that  to the fire, Nabiel is interviewing for another position in Eastern WA. Usually when one interviews elsewhere, they’ve made up their mind to leave and there is not much room to change it. Nabiel will be a tremendeous loss to Washougal and this community.

The Post Record will most likely have a detailed expose on Tuesday.

TomFest Returns to Camas this weekend

Wed, Thurs, friday and Sat., thousands of young and old will decend into the West LaCamas Lake area to list to hundreds of bands – inde-alternative rock music.

One of the featured and more famous stars attending is Brian “Head” Welch who founded the NuMetal group Korn.

see their website for alist of artists attending, times, prices and location. I’ll be there Friday – hope to see you then

www.tomfest.com/index.htm

I’ll be the short older guy with neon colored ear plugs.

Gary

The American Dream – No longer

The American Dream – No longer

There is a new American Dream which no longer includes owning your home.
Home ownership is no longer a realist goal for many Americans as many fell victim to the real estate bust. Add less tax deductions available and the advantage of home ownership just isn’t realistic to a growing number of Americans anymore.

In an article written recently in the WSJ, Thomas Surgrue wrote “it’s time to accept that home ownership is not a realistic goal for many people and to curtail the enormous government programs fueling this ambition.”
A man is not a whole and complete man,” wrote Walt Whitman, “unless he owns a house and the ground it stands on.” America’s lesser bards sang of “my old Kentucky Home” and “Home Sweet Home,” leading no less than that great critic Herbert Hoover to declaim that their ballads “were not written about tenements or apartments…they never sing about a pile of rent receipts.” To own a home is to be American. To rent is to be something less.

Food Prices Rise

I went to my secret discount wine store (Camas Liquor store) yesterday  to pick up a favorite summer wine, and found the price of wine went up – almost as high as Safeway.

What? Wine is still a food isn’t it?  I thought the price increase was just because the store moved to the corner – higher rent = higher wine prices.

In a report today from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, food costs at the grocery store in the Portland-Vancouver- region jumped 5.1 percent from a year ago. So even though we may be saving money by eating at home, the cost of putting food on the table went up five-times faster than the overall inflation rate compared with 2008. The region’s overall inflation rate was minus 0.2 percent while the U.S. rate was a negative 2.1 percent. For more, see Saturday’s Columbian – www.columbian.com

Should the Port of Camas Washougal be Dissolved and Returned to the City?

One thing that the 2009 election for Camas Washougal Port Commissioner has accomplished, is that it has spurred some lively debate among candidates, port staff, media, and the public. Port officials are taking a defensive position as they scramble to justify their existence to the taxpayers, maybe for the first time in the Ports existence. Incumbents have finally awakened, realizing their re-election isn’t guaranteed as four new contenders seek their positions.

As we watched the Riverwalk fiasco come to a head, earlier this year, many taxpayers wondered what on earth the port was doing hiring an outside, part time Public Relations guru? In a short time it was obvious that he was hired to spin the best light possible on the Port. Maybe it was in fear that they might actually lose the Riverwalk arbitration. Maybe it was in fear of an upset in the commissioners’ race this year and someone would actually get elected who wants to make some distinctive changes to the Port. Maybe they feared the CCIA’s continued pressure of transparency. Maybe they just knew the taxpayers are angered and aren’t going to sit around watching the continued mismanagement of the public’s trust. We may never know the real reason. But one this is certain, the Port has continued to be thrust into the arena of public debate, which will continue long after the primaries are over. As we look closer at the Port, we start to realize that the Riverwalk issues were only the tip of the iceberg.

I threw my hat in the ring for Port Commissioner because the port refused to be forthcoming with vital information. Over the past year, the more I have dug into information, the more vagueness, contradictions, and outright disinformation I found. The more that I dug into the financial performance the more dismayed I became. Despite hundreds of hours of work, I still am unable to get the port to tell me approximately how many tens of millions of dollars we have trusted to them, and what our ROI is. The only thing that I am certain of is that they do not know the value. I’ll bet that every person that is reading this communication knows roughly what their home is worth. Can’t we expect the same from our paid professionals and elected official?

The more I’ve investigated, the more spin the port publishes.

Peter Van Nortwick Calls on Clark County Assessor’s Office to Stop Unfair Assessments

Vancouver, Wash. – August 13, 2009 – Clark County resident and Certified General Appraiser Peter Van Nortwick today asked for the County Assessor’s office to stop over assessments and break through the unexplained delay in sending out 2010 assessments to property owners.

“When you have areas of Clark County over assessed at more than 30 percent, and county real estate prices per RealtyTrac have declined 15.4 percent over the past year, you cannot blame the unfair assessments on the falling market,” said Van Nortwick. “Having our working families unfairly over assessed is not a situation that I can stand by and continue to let happen, so I have filed with the PDC to become a candidate for the Clark County Assessor’s office.”

Over the last few years, Van Nortwick has noticed a trend where the local Assessor’s office was unfairly over assessing homes in Clark County. He started tracking how much the assessed values are above the sales price on his blog: www.stop-over-assessment.com.

In July 2009, he analyzed all the existing single-family home sales in Clark County and found that the median over assessment is 21percent. In analyzing the data, he found that the lower the price of the home, the more likely it was to be over assessed.

“The role of the Assessor is to fairly assess the property in the county and right now the homes in Clark County are unfairly over assessed. I personally appraise properties in many Washington and Oregon Counties and I have not seen the same unfair over assessments in other counties that I see in Clark County,” said Van Nortwick,. “I don’t see the same issues in Cowlitz County despite their market dropping at 12.31 percent per RealtyTrac over the past year.”

Van Nortwick wants to bring attention to the failure of the Assessor’s office to send out the new property assessments in a timely manner, during the June/July time frame like other Assessor offices around the state, and its failure to explain to the public the reason for the holdup. The delay in sending out new assessments will push back the appeals timeframe into the busy holiday season.

Van Nortwick is a Certified General Appraiser and Managing Partner of American Commercial and Residential Appraisal. His appraisal experience includes residential, commercial, recreational and agricultural appraisals. He has experience appraising properties worth tens of millions of dollars and providing expert witness testimony. He is an FHA appraiser, a member of the Clark County Board of Realtors and the Appraisal Institute. He is a board member of the Building Industry Association’s Build

the Vote Political Action Committee and a member of Leadership Clark County class of 2009-2010.

Washougal International Film Festival has Returned

Washougal International Film Festival is back for its second year. This week, August 12-16^th

Check out their site and film schedule.

http://www.washougalfilmfest.org/

Film Schedule http://www.washougalfilmfest.org/pdf/SCHEDULE2009.pdf

If you didn’t experience it last year, it’s a must see.

Signs of Economic Recovery 1

As a executive recruiter, I keep my eye on commercial market trends around the US. One sign of the beginning of any recessionary recovery that headhunters monitor, is the increase of Sales Engineering job opening.

Much of technology is so complicated that companies need a “engineer with a personality” to follow up with a client after the salesman has made a sale. Sales engineers are critical in filling that gap between the initial sale of a product and the operation of that product.

Three months ago, internet search aggregators reports less than 100 total sales engineering jobs available in the U.S. Today, Indeed.com (the top search aggregator) reports 22, 718 sales engineering job openings and SimplyHired reports 14, 696 sales engineering jobs available in the U.S.

Industries that are seeing this growth include Telecom,. Information Technology, software, hardware, lighting, excavating, and energy.

“companies are now realizing that sales people drive revenue and profit and without these components, the company will not survive, especially in this economy” – Bryan Webb, PE  North American Sales Manager AZZ

-Gary Perman

Baird likens angry constituents to Nazis

If you are angered over the Cap and Trade or Healthcare reform,  be careful how you express your opinion, and unfortunately, you won’t be allowed to express your opinion to Brian Baird in person….he’ll have his head in the sand.

It appears the congressman from Western Washington (Brian Baird) is afraid of the people he is supposed to represent , so he is going to have town hall meetings by phone.  It is a story featured on the front page of the Columbian newspaper. www.columbian.com  He says he is afraid of the mob like people that remind him of Nazism and Brown shirts and this will keep him from hecklers and appearing on YouTube.  Instead of appearing in person, where “extremists” would have “the chance to shout and make YouTube videos,” Baird said Wednesday, he’s holding what he calls “telephone town halls” instead.

In the Columbian Baird said he has no way to be sure whether hateful protests would happen if he held live town halls while visiting the district next week.

“We’ll have to see how this works out,” Baird said. “If someone says you’re going to walk into an ambush, you don’t do it just to prove there’s an ambush.”

I thought he was a publicly elected official.

Washougal Councilman pleads “Not Guilty”

In a Columbian article by Stephanie Rice, she reported last night:

“Washougal City Councilman Lou Peterson, who was arrested July 28 for domestic violence, has pleaded not guilty to fourth-degree assault.

The alleged victim, his wife of two months, filed for divorce July 31 in Clark County Superior Court.

Peterson, 47, a two-term incumbent on the council, faces three challengers in the Aug. 18 primary.

On July 28, Peterson was arrested at the couple’s rental home, 477 I St., after his wife, Robin L. Middleton, called 911.

She described the incident in court documents.

“He ran toward me, and I ran into the bedroom, locking the door. He kicked in the door and as he did, the door hit my right forearm,” she wrote in a request for a protection order. “The force was so great that he also pushed me into the closet door with a shove. He went over to my TV and jerked the cable wires from the Comcast box, almost knocking over my TV. My arm and shoulder are very sore.”

Peterson was booked into the Clark County Jail on suspicion of misdemeanor assault and posted bail.