Columbian Blog Directory
Any Bean Soup and What To Do With All That Hot Cocoa Mix
So, how are you doing? Amidst a week of ups and downs, and things rapidly changing, we are together, even though we may be apart. A home cooked meal is always welcome, but now more than ever, it is just what we need. Staying with that pantry theme, here’s an easy way to make a flavorful, […]
COVID-19 gives awareness proclamations new feel
We don’t often cover proclamations at public meetings declaring (insert here) Day or (insert here) Month. That’s not to say that they aren’t important to raise awareness or reduce stigma about social issues. But journalists typically prioritize substantive actions that have the most direct effects on readers. On Tuesday, the Clark County Council retroactively declared […]
Bored? Give Me 3 Minutes to a Strong Core!
Most people report that a lack of time is the number one reason they don’t exercise on a regular basis. Well, most can’t use that excuse anymore as many are looking for things to occupy their time during our Stay-at-Home order. What if I told you that if you gave me just three minutes, three […]
Head Pressing in Cats
Head pressing is the compulsive act of a cat repeatedly and relentlessly pressing her head against a wall or any other hard surface for no apparent reason. Different from head butting — when a cat rubs or bumps her head, particularly against a person, as a sign of affection — head pressing is usually a […]
Spaghetti Carbonara
We’re eating in tonight! It’s dinner and a movie. This meal pairs well with a glass of wine and whatever you might be watching on Netflix. Easy to make out of what you have on hand, pasta meals are perfect for when you’re craving comfort. They’re emotionally nourishing. Spaghetti Carbonara is a recipe to know. […]
COVID-19 and Cats
Confronting the global pandemic and how it’s affected our daily lives is being compounded by the challenge of separating fact from fiction. Whether you’re now working from home, self-isolating or even ill with COVID-19, here’s what you should know about the novel coronavirus and your cherished kitties. According to the experts, you CANNOT catch COVID-19 […]
Parking tickets suspended during viral outbreak
Quarantined at home in Vancouver, but worried about overstaying your meter? Ducking out every two hours to move your car? You can chill. The city stopped issuing regular parking tickets on Thursday. “We are suspending, for the duration of the declared emergency, enforcement of parking tickets,” City Manager Eric Holmes told me on Friday. “We […]
Camas mayor in self-quarantine after Spain trip
Camas Mayor Barry McDonnell has, one might say, a global perspective of the COVID-19 pandemic after a family vacation to Spain. McDonnell, his wife and four children left two weeks ago, the mayor said in a video posted Friday to the city’s website and YouTube pages. On Saturday, Spain imposed an immediate, nationwide lockdown to […]
Workouts When You’re Stuck at Home!
We are cooped up and stressed out! What we need now more than ever is exercise to improve our physical strength, mental health, reduce our stress and help develop our immune system. But if you can’t leave the house, what can you do? Great news is that there are literally hundreds of exercises you can […]
Hunkered down and making poppy-seed cake
Hi there! It has been awhile, and I can’t say that I’m back at blogging for Small Plates, but today I made a cake that has been in the family files since 1972. It was a recipe that my mother-in-law used after her sister sent it to her from Virginia. Hunkering down to avoid COVID-19 […]
Clark County may emulate Vancouver camping laws
The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office gave a legal thumbs up to Vancouver’s anti-camping ordinance, suggesting it could be a model for a county policy. The prosecuting attorney’s office was asked to review whether the city’s ordinance complies with the federal Martin v. Boise, Idaho, case. Issued in September 2018, the landmark decision by the […]
Smashed Chickpea Salad
By now you may be stalking your pantry, trying to use up this and that, and really, truly, seriously in search of something good to eat. Trying to keep everyone fed and full and make nutritious meals out of what you have on hand may be leaving you scratching your head. I hear you and […]
Long on lukewarm young voters: ‘Can you blame them?’
Carolyn Long, the main (scratch that; now she’s the only) Democrat seeking Washington’s 3rd Congressional District seat, told National Public Radio she’s trying to win over unaffiliated voters and energize the base in order to beat a 10-year Republican incumbent. However, the Washington State University Vancouver political science professor also said she understands why young […]
Kraft casts only vote against supplemental transportation budget
Never say that Rep. Vicki Kraft is afraid to stand alone. The Vancouver Republican, elected in the 17th Legislative District in 2016 and re-elected in 2018, is arguably the most conservative of the nine lawmakers from Clark County and an ardent foe of requiring public schools to provide comprehensive sex education. This week, she was the […]
Managing Your Stress During The Coronavirus Scare
People are very stressed out right now with the Coronovirus pandemic. People are worried about getting sick and/or infecting their older loved ones or those at-risk with a compromised immune system. In addition, you have businesses struggling to figure out how to offset the massive losses in revenues and whether they will survive. You have […]
Hypertension in Cats
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, occurs when a cat’s arterial blood pressure is continually higher than normal. When caused by another disease, it’s known as secondary hypertension, while primary hypertension refers to the disease itself, and it has the potential to affect many parts of a cat’s body including her eyes, heart, kidneys and nervous […]
Steel Cut Oat Risotto with Mushrooms and Kale
Being housebound can challenge even the most seasoned cooks, but if you are someone who has never cooked at home, or eats most of their meals out, the current situation could be very concerning for you. What would you cook during a mandatory quarantine, or if you just choose to not go out, and […]
Bloomberg’s Vancouver office: 13 days, forever in our hearts.
Dearly beloved: We are gathered here today to celebrate the short but illustrious life of the Vancouver campaign office of Michael Bloomberg. The campaign headquarters for the former New York mayor and Democratic presidential candidate was located at the Schofield’s Corner shopping center at 1817 Main St. and opened Feb. 20. Bloomberg would suspend his […]
Vote early bad advice for D’s in presidential primary
Vote early and vote often. That saying, attributed to former Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley, mobster Al Capone and a host of others, has never sound advice, unless facing felony voter fraud charges is on your bucket list. For Tuesday’s presidential primary, “vote early” was particularly lousy advice for Washington Democrats as a once-crowded field […]
County councilors attend NACo conference in D.C.
In lieu of meetings at the Public Service Center this week, Clark County councilors conducted business in a much larger setting — the nation’s capital. Council Chair Eileen Quiring and Councilors Julie Olson and Temple Lentz attended the National Association of Counties’ Legislative Conference this week at the Washington Hilton. NACo represents almost 40,000 elected […]