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Alcohol is believed to have been a factor in a car accident that sent two women to the hospital with serious injuries Tuesday night. Trooper Garvin March of the Washington State Patrol said Nastassia Detloff, 20, of Oregon City, Ore., told a trooper at the scene that she had been drinking. Detloff also had alcohol on her breath, according to the WSP report. Witnesses said she was driving erratically prior to the collision. Methamphetamine also was found in Detloff's car, March said. Detloff was driving a 2000 Chevrolet Cavalier southbound on Interstate 5 in the area of the Clark County Fairgrounds at 10:10 p.m. when she crossed the centerline, drove over the median and through a cable barrier. Her car then crashed into a 2002 Suzuki sport-utility vehicle driven by Marilyn Anderson, 54, of Woodland. The cars had to be cut apart to free the injured women. Anderson suffered a fractured neck, broken sternum and ankle. Detloff had a crushed pelvis and broken leg. Both were in serious condition at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland on Wednesday. Anderson was wearing a seat belt. Because of the way Detloff was positioned in the car, it wasn't clear if she had her seat belt fastened. The collision is expected to result in vehicular-assault charges against Detloff after an investigation is concluded and information provided to the Clark County Prosecutor's Office, March said. The northbound lanes of the freeway were blocked for more than two hours. Fugitive turns up: A man wanted since 2000 for running a $2 million Ponzi-like scheme in Las Vegas turned himself in Tuesday to agents at the Vancouver FBI office. Louis Morris Vallette waived extradition to Nevada on Wednesday during an appearance in U.S. District Court in Portland. Vallette was indicted on June 28, 2000, on 16 counts ranging from mail fraud to money laundering. An investigation by the Internal Revenue Service alleges Vallette collected $2 million from several people who thought they were investing in an automated-teller-machine business. Vallette, however, used the money for personal use, including gambling, the indictment said. IRS Special Agent Daniel Wardlaw declined to say what Vallette has been doing since the indictment or what prompted him to surrender. Armed robbery at Chevron: Vancouver police are looking for a man who held up the Chevron Service Station at 4100 E. Fourth Plain Blvd. at about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. Officer Kathy McNicholas said the suspect was described as being in his 30s with black hair. He was wearing a dark-colored, long-sleeve shirt and black pants when he walked into the station, pulled out a black handgun and said, "Give me all the money." The clerk, the only person in the station at the time, handed him some cash. The suspect then left on foot, heading east on Fourth Plain Boulevard. The crime was videotaped and the tape is now being reviewed. Detective Marshall Henderson is leading the investigation. Anyone with information can contact him at: 360-696-8281. $00:0300069537: $199:A0300069537 $01:Copyright 2003 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:September 4, 2003, Thursday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. c4 $60:Obituaries $90:compiled by Columbian staff $120: Richard G. Bedoff Battle Ground A graveside service will begin at 2 p.m. Friday at Elim Cemetery in Brush Prairie for Richard George Bedoff, who died Monday, Sept. 1, 2003, in Battle Ground. He was 50. Mr. Bedoff, a cook, was an Army veteran of the Vietnam War. He enjoyed fishing and playing pool. Survivors include his mother, Marlene Converse of Vancouver; his father, Wayne Bedoff of Battle Ground; two daughters, Jeanette Kahn of Sacramento, Calif., and Minna Marie of Columbia, S.C.; four sisters, Sharon Taguchi of Maui, Hawaii, Linda Lahaye of Spotsylvania, Va., Terri Morales of Troy, Mo., and Susan Denny of Vancouver; three brothers, Frank Bedoff of Battle Ground, Steven Bedoff of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Michael Denny of Kingman, Ariz.; several grandchildren; and his special companion, Janice "Suki" Proctor of Las Vegas. The casket will be open from 6:30 to 8:30 tonight at Layne's Funeral Home in Battle Ground. Leah J. Bentley Vancouver A graveside service will begin at 10 a.m. Friday at Evergreen Memorial Gardens Cemetery for Leah Jane Bentley, a homemaker who died Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2003, at home. She was 94. Born Oct. 29, 1908, in Union, Oregon, Mrs. Bentley lived in Vancouver the past 41 years. Her maiden name was Lay. Her husband, Ralph E., died in 1989. Survivors include one daughter, Linda Antonelli of Vancouver; one son, Ralph "Bud" of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; two sisters, Fonda May of St. George, Utah, and Doris Poetiz of Portland; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Mrs. Bentley was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Meadows Ward. She enjoyed gardening, crossword puzzles, music and needlework. Memorial Gardens Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements. Gail M. Buratto Vancouver Gail Marie Buratto, a homemaker who lived in Vancouver the past two years, died Sunday, Aug. 31, 2003, in Vancouver. She was 85. Mrs. Buratto, whose maiden name was Farrington, was born Oct. 17, 1918, in Roslyn, Wash. Survivors include four sons, Greg of Clarkston, Wash., Stan of Vancouver, Alan of Fort Worth, Texas, and Steve of Vancouver, B.C.; 14 grandchildren; and 22 great-grandchildren. Mrs. Buratto loved playing bridge and golf. Her body will be cremated. There will be no service. Memorial Gardens Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice Southwest, P.O. Box 1600, Vancouver, WA 98668. Joseph J. Edmonson Jr. Ridgefield Joseph Junior Edmonson Jr., an Army veteran of World War II, died Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2003, in Ridgefield. He was 79. Mr. Edmonson was born March 29, 1924, in Sprague, Wash., and lived in Clark County the past 35 years. He was a carpenter and worked in commercial and residential construction. His wife, Ruth M., died in 1988. Survivors include two daughters, Jena DeLand of Kenmore, Wash., and Jeri Ferguson of Bothell, Wash.; two sisters, Maybelle Grover and Henrietta Pendall, both of Vancouver; one brother, Howard of Ridgefield; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren. Mr. Edmonson enjoyed woodworking, clam digging, gardening and country music. He had a collection of 26,000 golf balls. A graveside service will begin at 10 a.m. Friday at Pioneer Cemetery in Ridgefield. Layne's Funeral Home in Battle Ground was in charge of arrangements. James L. Huss Vancouver A 50-year Clark County resident, James L. Huss, died Friday, Aug. 29, 2003, in Vancouver. He was 76. Mr. Huss, a retired truck driver, was a member of the Teamsters Union. He loved fishing, hunting, golfing and electronic gadgets. He was born March 22, 1927, in Okmulgee, Okla. Survivors include one daughter, Lori C. Marshall-Simpson of Vancouver; one son, Jay Marshall of Shelton, Wash.; two brothers, Carl Huss of Austin, Texas, and Joe Huss of Tumwater, Wash.; and two grandchildren. A memorial service will begin at 11 a.m. Friday at Hamilton-Mylan Funeral Home. A funeral Mass will begin at noon Friday at St. Edward's Catholic Church in Shelton. Burial will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in Shelton Memorial Park. Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of the donor's choice. Asbury L. Franck Vancouver Asbury "Barry" L. Franck died Aug. 24, 2003, in a Portland hospital. He was 36. A celebration of life gathering will be at 6 p.m. Friday at Vancouver Lake Park. Mr. Franck was born April 26, 1967, in Biddeford, Maine. He lived in Kelso and Silverlake before moving to Vancouver in 1999. A professional taxidermist, he owned his own business and enjoyed spending time outdoors fishing, hunting and rockhounding. Survivors include one daughter, Amanda Franck of Longview; one son, Matthew Franck of Longview; his mother, Carol M. Ivey of Vancouver; his father, Lawrence W. Franck of Litchfield, Ariz.; one sister, Tammy Leon of Vancouver; one half-sister, Heidi Franck of Litchfield, Ariz.; and his grandparents, Asbury and Lillian Ivey of Lyman, Maine. Hamilton-Mylan Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Contributions may be made to any Wells Fargo Bank branch, account 9576330568, for a memorial. Lucile G. Kane Vancouver Lucile G. Kane, who lived in Clark County since the 1940s, died Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2003, in Vancouver. She was 95. Her husband, Charles, died in 1985, and a daughter, Patricia Hoops, died in 1989. She was born Nov. 11, 1907, in Portland. Her maiden name was Glover. She is survived by two grandchildren, Christopher Hoops of Camas and Kevin Hoops of Orangeville, Calif. Mrs. Kane worked in the restaurant business for many years. There will be no service. Robert Marshall Washougal A funeral was Wednesday at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Washougal for Robert Eugene Marshall, who died Saturday, Aug. 30, 2003, in Washougal. He was 78. Mr. Marshall was born May 23, 1925, in Washougal and lived in Clark County his entire life. An Army veteran of World War II, he worked at the Pendleton Woolen Mills in Washougal. He retired in 1990. His wife, Ona Mae, died in 1989. Mr. Marshall was a member of St. Matthew Lutheran Church and enjoyed playing golf. Survivors include one son, Dave of Camas; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Burial was in Washougal Memorial Cemetery. Straub's Funeral Home in Camas was in charge of arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association, 3434 Martin Way N.E., Olympia, WA 98506; or the church, 716 17th, Washougal, WA 98671. Katherine M. O'Brien Vancouver A homemaker and seamstress, Katherine Margaret O'Brien died Monday, Sept. 1, 2003, at a local care center. She was 91. Mrs. O'Brien was born Oct. 28, 1911, in Springfield, Mo., and lived in Clark County the past 58 years. Her maiden name was Bradley. Her husband, Ray W., died in 1965. Survivors include five daughters, Joan Schwarz and Debbie Hamilton, both of Vancouver, Maureen Smith of Rohnert Park, Calif., Janice McCoy of Ridgefield and Sharron O'Brien of Petaluma, Calif.; 11 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren. Mrs. O'Brien operated a doll hospital, Granny's Cranny. A celebration of her life will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18 at the home of her daughter Debbie. Davies Cremation and Burial Services is in charge of arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, Columbia-Willamette Chapter, 1311 N.W. 21st Ave., Portland, OR 97209. Herman A. Olson Vancouver Herman Alison Olson, 77, a 21-year resident of Clark County, died of complications of diabetes Monday, Sept. 1, 2003, in Vancouver. Mr. Olson, a master diesel mechanic, was born July 12, 1926, in Seattle. Survivors include his wife, Wilma, at home; five daughters, Alison Olson Clanton, Louanne Kahout and Sandy Sigman, all of Olympia, Julee Moreno of Walla Walla and Denise Durham of San Diego; three stepdaughters, Carole Bills, Janie Bailey and Donna Boner, all of Vancouver; one son, Jody Olson of Salem, Ore.; one sister, Margaret Berschauer of Olympia; one brother, Donald of Olympia; 11 grandchildren; and seven step-grandchildren. Mr. Olson, an Army veteran of World War II, had worked on the Alaska Pipeline. A service will be later. Davies Cremation and Burial Services is in charge of arrangements. Anthony Stiponi Washougal Anthony Stiponi, who worked as a bartender, died at home Aug. 22, 2003. He was 55. He was born Nov. 20, 1947, in San Rafael, Calif. Survivors include his wife, Laurie, at home; and his parents, Patty and Jerry Moore of El Cerrito, Calif. Mr. Stiponi was an avid sports fan and an aspiring master griller. An open house memorial gathering will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday at his home. $00:0300069542: $199:A0300069542 $01:Copyright 2003 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:September 4, 2003, Thursday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. c7 $60:Opinion - Friend shaves my bad habit $90:ELIZABETH HOVDE Columbian staff writer $100:editorial $120: Friends give you stuff. Take for instance my Venus shaver, compliments of Eleanore. This gift idea was brought to Eleanore's attention during a conversation at a bowling night out, where I was rightly being ridiculed by other friends for my leg-shaving habits. First, I shave too fast. To the astonishment and fear of some people I know, I can shave a leg -- shaving-cream free if necessary -- in a matter of seconds. Not always with good results. But worse, apparently, I used to shave often with my husband's Gillette man shaver. He leaves for work in the mornings just as I am getting out of bed. And he shaves at night, anyway. That means that in the a.m. hours the razor is alone, free for the taking. Now, it should be noted that I never used or dulled his blade. I would trade out the blade he used for one of my own so his stubble would continue to go off without stumble. But at nearly $20 for a shaver and an accompanying supply of razors, I did not feel that being a two-shaving-kit family was economical or logical. So I'd steal the Gillette in the a.m. before heading off to my morning lap swim -- after changing out his blade for mine, of course. This scheme worked until a couple of times my husband would go to shave in the evening after a post-work shower and his Gillette was not to be found. My husband, you see, is the kind of guy who sees no romance in a woman borrowing his stuff: Wearing one of his big sweatshirts, stealing a bite of his meal at a restaurant, and certainly using his razor are all unacceptable activities -- to him -- think annoying little sister, not sharing one's life with one's soul mate, shaver and all. I have learned to live with these reasonable boundaries. And so when the shaver was in my backpack still, rather than on the bathroom shelf dedicated to its resting intervals, I would apologize, promptly rescue it from its captor -- me -- and return it to its rightful owner. But the mere fact that the razor wasn't resting in its holster, awaiting my Gillette man when he wanted it, was causing marital strife. I told my friends. Eleanore interceded. Not only did my friends not understand my need to save money in such an archaic way when I was more than willing to buy a $7 dessert from Papa Hayden's; they could not fathom that I would shave with a lowly man shaver. The Venus, they said, would change shaving as I knew it. And so it was that the next time I saw Eleanore at girls night, I was presented with a pink Gillette Venus of my very own with two razor blades and brand-name shaving gel. I thought Eleanore was sweet, but I really didn't think I needed this Venus -- why when I had a perfectly good shaver of my husband's to sneak in and out of my backpack. Much less did I think it would change my life. But in some ways, it did. Three-blade superiority First, I learned I was cheap. Not only the friends but the husband had determined it to be true. Second, I learned that a triple razor with moisturizing strip and contour-fitting blade head really was for me. I couldn't cut myself by accident with Venus even when I tried. The razor glided, it bobbed, it weaved. There was no bony kneecap or cartilage-infested ankle that could deter it from its commercial-promised clean, close shave. As one consumer reviewer on www.mouthshut.com wrote, the Venus "is revolutional." But best of all, the gift of the Venus saved me from future guilt over kidnapping my husband's shaver. I look around my house and wares, and realize how many things are friend inspired: Halogen jeans, John Mayer CDs and recipes galore such as Cynthia's Guacamole and a passalong from Kim on how to make beer-butt chicken (don't ask, just believe). The Venus is just the tip of the iceberg. How appropriate. Venus was the goddess of love. It's only fitting that the love and generosity of close friends can be seen even in my revolutionary pink shaver. Elizabeth Hovde's column of personal opinion appears on the Other Opinions page each Thursday. Her e-mail address: elizabeth.hovde@columbian.com. $00:0300069545: $199:A0300069545 $01:Copyright 2003 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:September 4, 2003, Thursday $30:Life; Pg. d1 $60:Chic Talk: Helping beholder find beauty $90:ANGELA ALLEN, Columbian staff writer $120: Robert Jones' full-color, gorgeously photographed "Beaute Made Simple" has a funny title, doesn't it? Beauty is anything but simple, but Jones, who was in Portland last week promoting his book, admits that its versions are immense. Despite his makeup acumen and artistry, he argues that self-confidence, not movie-star looks, is the great leveler. "So many women are so obsessed with what's imperfect about them, they miss seeing what is beautiful. Instead of minimizing the imperfections, they should draw attention to a feature that already is beautiful naturally." Jones, 38, grew up with five women, including his single mother, adoring grandmother and three sisters. At a young age, he was intrigued with their hair, their makeup and their clothes, and hung out often at the beauty parlor. He studied the visual arts in Houston, Texas, though by 13, he burned out on painting. He took up the performing arts, which led to hair and makeup jobs in theater productions and, later, to shoots for fashion slicks and makeup clients like Sheryl Crow and the Dixie Chicks. His book uses real people, most whom Jones says are his friends, not professional models. These women come in all shapes, shades and sizes. The before-makeup and after-makeup photos are astoundingly night and day. These women look really, really great after Jones has applied his brushes and colors. Before he starts on them? They could be us! It's enough to convert the makeup resistant to eyeliner, foundation and blush. As Jones explains, "I just apply the principles of painting to makeup." Some of them: Very few women, other than Snow White, blessed with pale, pale skin and raven hair, can wear cool shades like blues and purples. But, Jones says, "every woman can wear warm shades," and the warmer shades add youth and vigor to skin. Most of us forget to curl our eyelashes, and some of us forget the mascara. Upward movement is uplifting. "They give you a quickie facelift." Jones says everyone should wear a foundation, even if it's very sheer. "You won't want to look like you're wearing it, and pink foundation is never a good choice. Always a little bit of yellow helps. Pink makes your face look ashy. Yellow can counteract any kind of discoloration. Don't just slap it on. Blend." Dark lipsticks don't help anyone look youthful. "Nothing will age you faster than a dark lip shade. You need lighter, warmer shades." This means no brown and "no purple for anyone unless you're African American. They make you look like you died and forgot to lie down." If your lips are thin, dark intense shades make your mouth look even smaller. Brighter tones makes them look larger. After all, makeup's job is to create illusions, smooth the corners, enhance the best and remove the edges. Even if the oval face is the most versatile and easiest to work with, and balanced features are pleasant to look at, Jones says, any shaped face or set of features has potential to look beautiful. "Beaute Made Simple: A Make-up Guide" ($30, Simple Beaute) comes in DVD or video versions. See www.beautemadesimple.com. Angela Allen writes about fashion and trends. Reach her at 360-759-8005 or by e-mail at angela.allen@columbian.com. $00:0300069547: $199:A0300069547 $01:Copyright 2003 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:September 4, 2003, Thursday $30:Life; Pg. d1 $60:Magic in the air: Vancouver Symphony continues popular 'Under the Stars' concert $90:BRETT OPPEGAARD, Columbian staff writer $100:music, concert $120: Vancouver Symphony will offer another free outdoor concert this year in Esther Short Park. It's the third straight summer for the group, with the tradition growing in attendance last year and projected to be even bigger this time around. This year's concert is at 7 p.m. Saturday. The 65-instrument orchestra will play a program ranging from light classical to popular cinematic themes, a more generally accessible mix than a typical performance. The goal is to get as many people as possible to hear, enjoy and then spread the word about the symphony, said executive director Jill Botvinik. The event attracted 3,000 people for its debut in 2001. Last year, the organization had two outdoor shows: One at the park that drew 4,000, and one at Vancouver Landing at Terminal One, which had a crowd of 1,500. "For a lot of people, this might be their first experience with the symphony," Botvinik said. "Certainly, our hope is to gain more audience. It's a wonderful promotional event, probably has the most impact of anything we do (as far as outreach)." In turn, Vancouver Symphony's subscribers and patrons have been steadily growing. In June 2000, the group had about 450 season ticket holders and a total draw of about 800 per weekend for two performances. In June 2003, those numbers were up to 650 season ticket holders and 1,600 patrons each weekend, double the total from three years ago. Led by conductor Salvador Brotons, the free two-hour show this weekend will start with the Overture to "Ruslan & Ludmilla" by Mikhail Glinka, followed by "L'Amico Fritz" by Pietro Mascagni, selections from "Coppelia" by Leo Delibes and the last movement from Peter Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5. After intermission, Vancouver resident Karen Stanley, who bid $1,000 in the annual fundraising auction for the opportunity to conduct the orchestra, will lead a performance of Georges Bizet's "Les Toreadors" from the opera "Carmen." Brotons then will lead the symphony in renditions of music from various American movies, including "The Wizard of Oz," "West Side Story," "Star Wars," "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Harry Potter." The symphony hopes to raise enough money through corporate sponsorship next year to take the outdoor concert concept on the road to different areas of the county, including possibly parks in east Vancouver or Battle Ground. Riverview Community Bank and the city of Vancouver have been supporting the Esther Short Park concert. "It has had a tremendous effect on raising our profile in this area, letting people know what we do," Botvinik said. "We work really hard on this, and there's so much that goes into preparing a program, that it's a shame to just do it once. ... So we're really excited about the idea (of adding free concerts throughout the community). It's just a matter of finding funding for it." If You Go * WHAT: Vancouver Symphony's third annual "Symphony Under the Stars" * WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday * WHERE: Esther Short Park in downtown Vancouver, bordered by Eighth and Columbia streets * COST: Free * INFORMATION: 360-735-7278 * ON THE WEB: www.vancouversymphony.org Vancouver Symphony's 2003-04 season * Oct. 4-5: "From Russia With Love" * Nov. 8-9: "Spirit of America" * Jan. 17-18: "The French Connection" * Feb. 28-29: "The Other '3 Bs'" * April 17-18: "Young Artists" competition winners * May 22-23: "Ode to Joy" Performances are at 3 p.m. Saturdays (with pre-concert discussions at 2 p.m.) and 7 p.m. Sundays at Skyview High School's auditorium, 1300 N.W. 139th St., Vancouver. Tickets cost $15-$35, with season subscriptions available from $40 to $170 (with a 10 percent discount through September). $00:0300069551: $199:A0300069551 $01:Copyright 2003 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:September 4, 2003, Thursday $30:Life; Pg. d4 $60:Native chestnuts get 2nd chance $90:Associated Press, The Columbian $120: COLUMBIA, Ky. -- It took fewer than 50 years for a foreign fungus in the eastern United States to nearly wipe out the American chestnut tree, once dominant in forests from Maine to Mississippi. Only about a dozen large specimens from that era are known to stand today in the eastern United States. But today scientists are excited about the 50-foot tree that stands on the edge of Charles England's cattle farm in south-central Kentucky. The tree is at the center of an effort by the Bennington, Vt.-based American Chestnut Foundation to create a blight-resistant American chestnut by cross-pollinating it with the resistant Chinese chestnut. "That old tree is going to play a big role in the reintroduction of the chestnut into eastern forests," said Rex Mann, president of the Kentucky chapter of the foundation. "For some reason, that tree made it." It's believed to be the second-largest still alive in the East, behind an American chestnut in Amherst County, Va., according to Joe Schibig, a biologist at Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, Tenn. "It's a Holy Grail because it's almost a miracle to find one," said Schibig, who has tracked surviving chestnuts for two years. Mann said offspring of the Adair County tree have been planted in Robinson Forest in eastern Kentucky, the Daniel Boone National Forest and an agriculture center near Campbellsville. Foresters will inoculate them with the fungus when the trees are 3 years old. Pollen from resistant trees will be used to breed other trees. Resistant trees from the agriculture center could be ready for forest trials by 2008. Unlike the shrubby Chinese or other Asian varieties of chestnut grown in the U.S. today, the native American chestnut was a fast, straight-growing tree. It often grew 100 feet tall or higher and could be up to 10 feet in diameter. Its wood was lightweight and easy to split and work, yet resistant to decay. The fungus was brought in with ornamental chestnut trees imported from Asia a century ago. It was first observed in New York City in 1904. It nearly eradicated the entire population of American chestnuts in the East by 1945. Chestnuts that had been brought out West by pioneers avoided the blight. The two largest known American chestnuts are in Oregon and Washington. The largest American chestnut in the world is north of Seattle, near Arlington, said Michael Dolan, owner of Burnt Ridge Nursery in Onalaska, which sells chestnut trees (landru.myhome.net/burntridge/). When measured in 1993, Dolan said, the tree measured 106 feet tall, had a branch spread of 101 feet and a circumference of more than 19 feet. The tree is near Mile Post 30 on state Highway 530. Experts say chestnut sprouts emerge from old root clusters each year, some growing as tall as 75 feet. But they usually die within five years. The Adair County tree, 80 years old, isn't a sprout. It has scars from the blight, but each year it blooms and produces the prickly burs housing the nut. $00:0300069552: $199:A0300069552 $01:Copyright 2003 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:September 4, 2003, Thursday $30:Business; Pg. e1 $60:Daily Roundup $90:from The Columbian and wire services $120: SAN JOSE, Calif. Global semiconductor sales reached $12.9 billion in July Worldwide sales of semiconductors increased to $12.9 billion in July, up from the $12.5 billion in June, the fifth consecutive monthly increase and a 10.5 percent increase from July 2002, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) reported this week. "July's sales reflect the continued strengthening of the semiconductor market, and we believe that we will exceed our forecasted sequential growth of 5.9 percent for the third quarter," said SIA President George Scalise. In July, product sales related to personal computers were the strongest sector. In addition, the consumer sector, which includes DVDs and digital cameras, continued its recent strength. Worldwide chip plant production capacity use has reached 94 percent, said Scalise. VANCOUVER Walking tour planned for downtown retail district Retail businesses interested in opening a location on Main Street in downtown Vancouver are invited to a walking tour from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday. The reception and tour begins at the West Coast Bank building at 500 Broadway. The event is hosted by the city as part of its Easy Street recruitment contest. A $20,000 awards package and reduced rent is being offered to a business opening on the street. For information on the contest or to reserve a spot on the tour, call 360-735-8805. SEATTLE Microsoft issues alerts about five new flaws Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday reported five new security flaws in its software, including one of "critical" severity that affects nearly all programs in its Office suite of software. The critical vulnerability could allow an attacker to read files on a victim's computer, run programs or otherwise seize control. Unlike the flaw that was exploited by the recent Blaster or LovSan worm which could attack computers even if the user did nothing a successful attack would require the user to open a tainted e-mail attachment. ON THE WEB www.microsoft.com/security YAKIMA Boise Cascade considering sale of Yakima operations Boise Cascade is considering the sale of its Yakima operations. The company could sell all or part of a sawmill and plywood plant and related operations in Yakima, as well as a lumberyard in Goldendale and some 200,000 acres of timberland across several counties in central Washington, the company confirmed Tuesday. As many as 400 employees, almost all in Yakima, could be affected. $00:0300069555: $199:A0300069555 $01:Copyright 2003 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:September 4, 2003, Thursday $30:Business; Pg. e1 $60:Klickitat to court energy projects $90:KATHIE DURBIN, Columbian staff writer $120: Klickitat County hopes to roll out the red carpet for energy developers next year by declaring nearly two-thirds of the county's land base available for new wind farms and natural gas-fired thermal plants. A draft environmental impact statement released in August proposes creating a 769,345-acre "energy overlay zone" in the county's south and east ends where energy plants would be permitted outright. The county's plan identifies seven "optimum" sites for new plants: a former sawmill in the town of Klickitat; the Dallesport industrial park; the Roosevelt and Mercer Ranch areas in the county's east end; Goldendale, the county seat; Swale Creek/Centerville; and the Rattlesnake Creek area in the White Salmon River drainage. According to the draft EIS, the county has the potential to fill a quarter of the Pacific Northwest's projected demand for an additional 5,300 megawatts of generating capacity by 2015. It predicts the eventual development of three to four natural gas-fired plants, two biomass projects that burn wood waste, and several wind farms. About 50 people attended a public hearing on the energy overlay zone in Goldendale Aug. 26. Public comment on the sweeping proposal is due Friday. Critics say that's not enough time to absorb the 289-page document and provide meaningful comment. Some question whether the county even wants meaningful comment. "If the Klickitat County commissioners go ahead with their plan to create an Energy Overlay zone, developers will be able to build natural-gas-burning facilities ... across two-thirds of our county without even holding a public hearing," White Salmon resident Dawn Stover wrote in a recent letter to Klickitat County newspapers. Planning ahead The draft EIS attempts to address all the environmental concerns associated with developing new power plants in advance rather than at the time actual site-specific proposals are submitted. It does that by drawing on past studies of everything from the effect of windmill blades on bird mortality to the effect of natural gas plant emissions on visibility in the Columbia River Gorge. But some say the proposed energy overlay zone was written far too vaguely to protect the environment.The zone "includes within it many areas that are inappropriate for siting one or another of the technologies to be allowed," said Rachel Haymon of Trout Lake in a letter she read into the hearing record. The zone as proposed "will certainly increase environmental impacts in Klickitat County simply by increasing the density of projects," she said. Frank and Joy Margraf, who own a ranch near Rattlesnake Creek, say they don't oppose establishing the zone but have started a petition drive to get their area removed from the list of likely sites. Because the creek runs nearly dry in the summer, the area would be a poor place to site a natural gas-fired plant, which requires abundant water for cooling, said 84-year-old Frank Margraf, who holds water rights to the creek. "If they try to take our water, we'll be up in arms," he said. The zoning scheme would be the first of its kind in Washington and maybe anywhere. If county commissioners approve it, developers would no longer be required to obtain conditional use permits to build new energy plants in the zone, though energy projects would still have to pass environmental muster with the state. What demand? The plan's release comes at a time when energy companies have canceled or postponed plans to build scores of new power plants in the Northwest. Many of those plans were hatched during the West Coast energy crunch of 2000 and 201. Of 108 plants proposed since 2000 in the five states served by Bonneville Power Administration transmission lines, only seven gas-fired plants and five wind projects are now operating, according to BPA spokesman Bill Merlin. All the rest have been withdrawn or delayed or are still being studied, Merlin said. California-based Calpine Corp. put the brakes on construction of its natural gas-fired plant in Goldendale due to deteriorating market conditions in late 2001, when it was 75 percent completed. The company now hopes to complete the plant by July 2004, said Goldendale manager Steve Royall. "We believe the market will turn," Royall said. "All of us in the Pacific Northwest see rising energy prices and a continued need for new sources." But Merlin said low demand is not the only barrier to new energy development. "Access to capital to borrow and build these things is very tough right now," he said. "It became that way because of the huge energy company defaults. The money market has really pulled back and is far less speculative than it used to be." In addition, if BPA needs to upgrade its transmission lines to handle new capacity, it now requires developers of those plants to contribute to the cost, Merlin said. That can run into hundreds of millions of dollars. Klickitat County development director Dana Peck, chief champion of the energy overlay zone, doesn't believe the current slack demand for new generating capacity is an issue. "There's still a sense that there's been a lot of population and economic expansion and very few new plants built," he said. "History has shown that energy-project developers include Klickitat County in their site reviews." Primed for business Situated at the east end of the Columbia River Gorge, Klickitat County is strategically located to take advantage of hydropower, natural gas, sunshine, wind and wide open spaces. The Williams Gas Pipeline-West runs the length of Klickitat County, and 11 BPA transmission lines cross the county. Peck believes that zoning most of the county for energy development will give it a competitive edge when energy companies make future siting decisions. Last year his department even prepared a flyer for energy developers promoting the new zone. It makes sense to consider the environmental impacts of new energy plants on a countywide basis rather than site by site, Peck said. It allows "prescreening" of potential sites to determine which ones would produce the fewest environmental impacts. It lets the county assess the cumulative impact of several power plants up front. And it avoids the appearance of a conflict of interest because the county, rather than the developer, pays to prepare the environmental documents. Participating in development of the energy zone also allows the public to get involved early, "to say where they want and don't want these projects to occur," he said. Asked why the county doesn't give the public more time to comment, Peck said there will be opportunities to comment later this year when county commissioners decide whether to incorporate the new zone into the county comprehensive plan. The comment period the county is providing now satisfies "both the letter and the spirit" of the State Environmental Policy Act, he said. Haymon disagrees: "I believe what they are doing is following the bare minimum that SEPA requires." $00:0300069557: $199:A0300069557 $01:Copyright 2003 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:September 4, 2003, Thursday $30:Business; Pg. e1 $60:Nurse union files labor complaint $90:JONATHAN NELSON, Columbian staff writer $120: Negotiations between Southwest Washington Medical Center and its 1,000 registered nurses, whose contract expired in May, soured further Wednesday when the nurses' union filed an unfair-labor-practice charge against the hospital. The charge, filed by the Washington State Nurses Association with the National Labor Relations Board, contends the hospital openly supports dismantling the union by assisting employees in circulating a decertification petition, by coercing and watching employees who oppose the union abolishment, and restricting union representatives' access to the hospital. The National Labor Relations Act makes it illegal for an employer to assume any role in instigating or facilitating a decertification petition. Ken Cole, hospital spokesman, denied hospital officials were violating any labor laws. "If there is an organized effort to decertify the union it's something organized and initiated by the nursing staff, not by hospital leadership," he said. Cole said the two sides have reached agreement on several labor contract issues, but he declined to identify the remaining areas of contention. Barbara Frye, union director of labor relations, called for the medical center to "direct its efforts toward reaching an agreement with the RNs and focus its attention on quality patient care through the recruitment and retention of experienced staff during the current nursing shortage." The nurses' contract expired May 3 and a federal mediator was brought in after months of fruitless negotiations. A second mediation session is scheduled Monday. Anne Piazza, union spokeswoman, said there are no plans to strike if a new contract isn't reached during the next meeting. She also denied that filing the charge is a negotiating tactic. "It's not a gimmick; it's not a trick," she said. Piazza said during the past five years the union has not filed a similar charge against any of the 50 hospitals it deals with in Washington. $00:0300069563: $199:A0300069563 $01:Copyright 2003 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:September 4, 2003, Thursday $30:Neighbors; Pg. 1 $60:After the Dust Settles: A Year After Fighting Adult-Care Projects, Most Accept New Neighbors $90:SCOTT HEWITT, Columbian staff writer $120: In Romania, a single family living in a single home is a rarity. "We have big extended families back home," said Christian Rad, whose family immigrated from Transylvania, in northwest Romania, to the Portland area when he was 17. "You live with grandparents, cousins, aunts, brothers and sisters. There's all these people living in one house. Never just two or three people." But early in 2002, when Rad and his wife, Aura, tried to replicate that style of living in Clark County -- and to make a profit along the way -- they ran into fierce neighborhood opposition. The matter wound up in court where the Rads emerged victorious, but the battle pitted neighbors' expectations for single-family living against federal and state regulations regarding equal housing opportunities for the disabled. For the most part, neighbors insisted they weren't objecting to the Rads' plan to turn their house into an adult family home, a place where frail and elderly people can enjoy assisted living in a homey, non-institutional environment. What they didn't like, they said, was the size of the addition Christian Rad was building. Rad's plan was to more than double the size of his home on Northeast 38th Street, in the Pheasant Run subdivision just outside the Vancouver city limits. He was going to add six bedrooms -- 1,823 feet of living space -- onto a home with a footprint of 1,100 square feet. That's a total of 3,013 square feet built on a 6,300-square-foot lot. "I don't care who lives there," said the Rads' now-former next-door neighbor, Michele Bolke, last year when the issue had just come to light. "It's six bedrooms and six baths taking up an entire back yard. If he ever moved out, we'd have this monster addition and who knows what would happen to it." Today, the finished building may seem to overwhelm the lot, but Rad was within his rights. In unincorporated Clark County, covering as much as half of a residential lot is allowed; in the city of Vancouver you can build on 40 or 45 percent of a residential lot, depending on zoning. None of which prevented neighbors from suing him to stop the project. In January 2002, eight couples and one individual homeowner filed suit, through Vancouver attorney John Karpinski, to stop the Rads from building the addition. They argued that the structure would violate neighborhood covenants barring businesses from the development. "An adult foster care facility is a commercial enterprise and a commercial use of land, and is inconsistent with 'residential use only' restrictions on the use of land," Karpinski's argument went. In a statement to the court, neighbor Bud Heck summarized his objections: "First (the addition would) lower the property values of the neighbors; second, the expansion was just too big and didn't belong there; and third, it was improper for him to run a business on his property." Filling demand The Rads weren't the only ones to incur their neighbors' wrath. About three miles away, Claudia and Augustin Persa ran into the same problem at the same time. The Persas, also natives of Romania, were set to add bedrooms onto their home in Vancouver's Oakbrook neighborhood when opposition mounted. Although no lawsuit was filed, neighbors who'd heard about the Rad case also retained Karpinski to see what could be done. But in the end, in both cases, the answer was the same: nothing. Federal and state fair-housing laws trump subdivision covenants, or any other restrictions, that could be interpreted as barring adult family homes from residential neighborhoods. "An adult family home shall be considered a residential use of property ..." the Washington law reads. "Adult family homes shall be a permitted use in all areas zoned for residential or commercial purposes, including areas zoned for single-family home dwellings." Vancouver and Clark County laws don't restrict adult family homes in any way, as long as they house six or fewer residents, said associate city planner Michael Grant. "We allow these in any of our residential districts. We have no control over how they come and go," Grant said. "They get their building permits and follow the standards for single-family homes." The state regulates the operation of the business and the quality of care residents receive, he said. The only special requirement the city has begun using, Grant said, is having property owners sign a covenant ensuring that future owners of big homes or additions used as adult family homes will continue to observe all relevant restrictions, including city zoning. "That's our approach to get ahold of what we think could be a problem if these care homes change ownership," he said. "It's simply to make sure they don't become multi-family apartments." But Grant doubts that homes built or expanded specifically to serve as adult family homes could be used for anything else. "I don't know that they would change hands except to another person who's going to do adult foster care," he said, "unless you have a very large family." Grant said he hears plenty of complaints from neighbors early on, but he doubts that those fears anticipate reality. "They project an ambulance a day. They project falling property values, that these things will turn into tenements," he said. "I don't know that these fears ever materialize. I think these places are fairly well maintained and lucrative. They're filling a demand, and you look at the population curves and you know, maybe they're right on cue for getting all of us old folks into appropriate situations." Light and life The lawsuit Christian Rad's neighbors brought against him ended in the spring of 2002, when Superior Court Judge Edwin Poyfair ordered Rad to follow all the state and local land-use and licensing regulations he had to follow anyway. If the Pheasant Run covenants had included a specific limit on the size of building additions, Poyfair said, he would have enforced the limit. But it didn't. "I can have six residents and there is no limit on construction other than what city code says," Rad said at the time. "Basically, what I asked for is what I got." Today, the expanded Rad home on Northeast 38th Street is home to five women. Each has her own private bedroom and bath, and the comfortable living room includes windows and skylights that flood it with cheery light. "It's as good as any of these places are, better than most," said Loretta Bolte, 85. "It's nice walking in the neighborhood. It's nice and quiet." "I like everything about it," said Iva Stange, 72. "They are courteous and thoughtful." Rad's parents run two adult family homes in Portland, so he's been around the idea all of his adult life. "I always wanted to do this," he said during a tour of his expanded home. "It has worked out exactly as I expected it to." Except for the neighborhood resistance, that is. One set of next-door neighbors moved away. Others don't speak to the Rads. "I think it's an eyesore," said Rori Bumgarner, who joined the lawsuit and lives two doors down. "I can see the whole thing from my back yard. I know it dropped my property value by 5 percent because I had an appraisal done beforehand and an appraisal done afterwards." Still others have told the Rads that the addition has turned out nicer than they expected -- and they wish the Rads had come to them earlier with more information about exactly what the plans were. Mindy Gonzales moved in next door to the Rads after the Bolkes, chief plaintiffs in the lawsuit, left. "I don't have any problems with it," said Gonzales. "When we bought the house, they had to disclose that this was an adult care home, but that didn't bother me. I honestly thought, great, my kids'll have lots of grandparents." It's the same in the Oakbrook neighborhood, said Claudia Persa. Her next-door neighbor doesn't speak to her, "but all the others are nice." Not every neighborhood explodes with complaints when an adult family home starts up, said Ann Maxwell, president of the Clark County Adult Family Home Association. At the same time, she added, it doesn't take a building addition to spark fears. "We had one up the Washougal River who had some problems with neighbors, and she wasn't building anything," Maxwell said. "I think it just depends on the neighborhood. Some people only think about cars and delivery trucks. They don't stop and think that one day they're going to get old, too." There are more than 180 entries in the state's list of licensed adult family homes in Clark County (available at www.aasa.dshs.wa.gov; follow the Adult Family Homes link to the Adult Family Homes Locator); a casual look through the list makes obvious the preponderance of Eastern European owner-operators. Why is that? "Romanian women, they are workaholics. And they're good cooks," Maxwell said. "This is their life. They take care of people. They take care of families. This is what they do."
Alcohol is believed to have been a factor in a car accident that sent two women to the hospital with serious injuries Tuesday night. Trooper Garvin March of the Washington State Patrol said Nastassia Detloff, 20, of Oregon City, Ore., told a trooper at the scene that she had been drinking. Detloff also had alcohol on her breath, according to the WSP report. Witnesses said she was driving erratically prior to the collision. Methamphetamine also was found in Detloff's car, March said. Detloff was driving a 2000 Chevrolet Cavalier southbound on Interstate 5 in the area of the Clark County Fairgrounds at 10:10 p.m. when she crossed the centerline, drove over the median and through a cable barrier. Her car then crashed into a 2002 Suzuki sport-utility vehicle driven by Marilyn Anderson, 54, of Woodland. The cars had to be cut apart to free the injured women. Anderson suffered a fractured neck, broken sternum and ankle. Detloff had a crushed pelvis and broken leg. Both were in serious condition at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland on Wednesday. Anderson was wearing a seat belt. Because of the way Detloff was positioned in the car, it wasn't clear if she had her seat belt fastened. The collision is expected to result in vehicular-assault charges against Detloff after an investigation is concluded and information provided to the Clark County Prosecutor's Office, March said. The northbound lanes of the freeway were blocked for more than two hours. Fugitive turns up: A man wanted since 2000 for running a $2 million Ponzi-like scheme in Las Vegas turned himself in Tuesday to agents at the Vancouver FBI office. Louis Morris Vallette waived extradition to Nevada on Wednesday during an appearance in U.S. District Court in Portland. Vallette was indicted on June 28, 2000, on 16 counts ranging from mail fraud to money laundering. An investigation by the Internal Revenue Service alleges Vallette collected $2 million from several people who thought they were investing in an automated-teller-machine business. Vallette, however, used the money for personal use, including gambling, the indictment said. IRS Special Agent Daniel Wardlaw declined to say what Vallette has been doing since the indictment or what prompted him to surrender. Armed robbery at Chevron: Vancouver police are looking for a man who held up the Chevron Service Station at 4100 E. Fourth Plain Blvd. at about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. Officer Kathy McNicholas said the suspect was described as being in his 30s with black hair. He was wearing a dark-colored, long-sleeve shirt and black pants when he walked into the station, pulled out a black handgun and said, "Give me all the money." The clerk, the only person in the station at the time, handed him some cash. The suspect then left on foot, heading east on Fourth Plain Boulevard. The crime was videotaped and the tape is now being reviewed. Detective Marshall Henderson is leading the investigation. Anyone with information can contact him at: 360-696-8281. $00:0300069537: $199:A0300069537 $01:Copyright 2003 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:September 4, 2003, Thursday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. c4 $60:Obituaries $90:compiled by Columbian staff $120: Richard G. Bedoff Battle Ground A graveside service will begin at 2 p.m. Friday at Elim Cemetery in Brush Prairie for Richard George Bedoff, who died Monday, Sept. 1, 2003, in Battle Ground. He was 50. Mr. Bedoff, a cook, was an Army veteran of the Vietnam War. He enjoyed fishing and playing pool. Survivors include his mother, Marlene Converse of Vancouver; his father, Wayne Bedoff of Battle Ground; two daughters, Jeanette Kahn of Sacramento, Calif., and Minna Marie of Columbia, S.C.; four sisters, Sharon Taguchi of Maui, Hawaii, Linda Lahaye of Spotsylvania, Va., Terri Morales of Troy, Mo., and Susan Denny of Vancouver; three brothers, Frank Bedoff of Battle Ground, Steven Bedoff of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Michael Denny of Kingman, Ariz.; several grandchildren; and his special companion, Janice "Suki" Proctor of Las Vegas. The casket will be open from 6:30 to 8:30 tonight at Layne's Funeral Home in Battle Ground. Leah J. Bentley Vancouver A graveside service will begin at 10 a.m. Friday at Evergreen Memorial Gardens Cemetery for Leah Jane Bentley, a homemaker who died Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2003, at home. She was 94. Born Oct. 29, 1908, in Union, Oregon, Mrs. Bentley lived in Vancouver the past 41 years. Her maiden name was Lay. Her husband, Ralph E., died in 1989. Survivors include one daughter, Linda Antonelli of Vancouver; one son, Ralph "Bud" of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; two sisters, Fonda May of St. George, Utah, and Doris Poetiz of Portland; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Mrs. Bentley was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Meadows Ward. She enjoyed gardening, crossword puzzles, music and needlework. Memorial Gardens Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements. Gail M. Buratto Vancouver Gail Marie Buratto, a homemaker who lived in Vancouver the past two years, died Sunday, Aug. 31, 2003, in Vancouver. She was 85. Mrs. Buratto, whose maiden name was Farrington, was born Oct. 17, 1918, in Roslyn, Wash. Survivors include four sons, Greg of Clarkston, Wash., Stan of Vancouver, Alan of Fort Worth, Texas, and Steve of Vancouver, B.C.; 14 grandchildren; and 22 great-grandchildren. Mrs. Buratto loved playing bridge and golf. Her body will be cremated. There will be no service. Memorial Gardens Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice Southwest, P.O. Box 1600, Vancouver, WA 98668. Joseph J. Edmonson Jr. Ridgefield Joseph Junior Edmonson Jr., an Army veteran of World War II, died Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2003, in Ridgefield. He was 79. Mr. Edmonson was born March 29, 1924, in Sprague, Wash., and lived in Clark County the past 35 years. He was a carpenter and worked in commercial and residential construction. His wife, Ruth M., died in 1988. Survivors include two daughters, Jena DeLand of Kenmore, Wash., and Jeri Ferguson of Bothell, Wash.; two sisters, Maybelle Grover and Henrietta Pendall, both of Vancouver; one brother, Howard of Ridgefield; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren. Mr. Edmonson enjoyed woodworking, clam digging, gardening and country music. He had a collection of 26,000 golf balls. A graveside service will begin at 10 a.m. Friday at Pioneer Cemetery in Ridgefield. Layne's Funeral Home in Battle Ground was in charge of arrangements. James L. Huss Vancouver A 50-year Clark County resident, James L. Huss, died Friday, Aug. 29, 2003, in Vancouver. He was 76. Mr. Huss, a retired truck driver, was a member of the Teamsters Union. He loved fishing, hunting, golfing and electronic gadgets. He was born March 22, 1927, in Okmulgee, Okla. Survivors include one daughter, Lori C. Marshall-Simpson of Vancouver; one son, Jay Marshall of Shelton, Wash.; two brothers, Carl Huss of Austin, Texas, and Joe Huss of Tumwater, Wash.; and two grandchildren. A memorial service will begin at 11 a.m. Friday at Hamilton-Mylan Funeral Home. A funeral Mass will begin at noon Friday at St. Edward's Catholic Church in Shelton. Burial will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in Shelton Memorial Park. Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of the donor's choice. Asbury L. Franck Vancouver Asbury "Barry" L. Franck died Aug. 24, 2003, in a Portland hospital. He was 36. A celebration of life gathering will be at 6 p.m. Friday at Vancouver Lake Park. Mr. Franck was born April 26, 1967, in Biddeford, Maine. He lived in Kelso and Silverlake before moving to Vancouver in 1999. A professional taxidermist, he owned his own business and enjoyed spending time outdoors fishing, hunting and rockhounding. Survivors include one daughter, Amanda Franck of Longview; one son, Matthew Franck of Longview; his mother, Carol M. Ivey of Vancouver; his father, Lawrence W. Franck of Litchfield, Ariz.; one sister, Tammy Leon of Vancouver; one half-sister, Heidi Franck of Litchfield, Ariz.; and his grandparents, Asbury and Lillian Ivey of Lyman, Maine. Hamilton-Mylan Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Contributions may be made to any Wells Fargo Bank branch, account 9576330568, for a memorial. Lucile G. Kane Vancouver Lucile G. Kane, who lived in Clark County since the 1940s, died Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2003, in Vancouver. She was 95. Her husband, Charles, died in 1985, and a daughter, Patricia Hoops, died in 1989. She was born Nov. 11, 1907, in Portland. Her maiden name was Glover. She is survived by two grandchildren, Christopher Hoops of Camas and Kevin Hoops of Orangeville, Calif. Mrs. Kane worked in the restaurant business for many years. There will be no service. Robert Marshall Washougal A funeral was Wednesday at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Washougal for Robert Eugene Marshall, who died Saturday, Aug. 30, 2003, in Washougal. He was 78. Mr. Marshall was born May 23, 1925, in Washougal and lived in Clark County his entire life. An Army veteran of World War II, he worked at the Pendleton Woolen Mills in Washougal. He retired in 1990. His wife, Ona Mae, died in 1989. Mr. Marshall was a member of St. Matthew Lutheran Church and enjoyed playing golf. Survivors include one son, Dave of Camas; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Burial was in Washougal Memorial Cemetery. Straub's Funeral Home in Camas was in charge of arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association, 3434 Martin Way N.E., Olympia, WA 98506; or the church, 716 17th, Washougal, WA 98671. Katherine M. O'Brien Vancouver A homemaker and seamstress, Katherine Margaret O'Brien died Monday, Sept. 1, 2003, at a local care center. She was 91. Mrs. O'Brien was born Oct. 28, 1911, in Springfield, Mo., and lived in Clark County the past 58 years. Her maiden name was Bradley. Her husband, Ray W., died in 1965. Survivors include five daughters, Joan Schwarz and Debbie Hamilton, both of Vancouver, Maureen Smith of Rohnert Park, Calif., Janice McCoy of Ridgefield and Sharron O'Brien of Petaluma, Calif.; 11 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren. Mrs. O'Brien operated a doll hospital, Granny's Cranny. A celebration of her life will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18 at the home of her daughter Debbie. Davies Cremation and Burial Services is in charge of arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, Columbia-Willamette Chapter, 1311 N.W. 21st Ave., Portland, OR 97209. Herman A. Olson Vancouver Herman Alison Olson, 77, a 21-year resident of Clark County, died of complications of diabetes Monday, Sept. 1, 2003, in Vancouver. Mr. Olson, a master diesel mechanic, was born July 12, 1926, in Seattle. Survivors include his wife, Wilma, at home; five daughters, Alison Olson Clanton, Louanne Kahout and Sandy Sigman, all of Olympia, Julee Moreno of Walla Walla and Denise Durham of San Diego; three stepdaughters, Carole Bills, Janie Bailey and Donna Boner, all of Vancouver; one son, Jody Olson of Salem, Ore.; one sister, Margaret Berschauer of Olympia; one brother, Donald of Olympia; 11 grandchildren; and seven step-grandchildren. Mr. Olson, an Army veteran of World War II, had worked on the Alaska Pipeline. A service will be later. Davies Cremation and Burial Services is in charge of arrangements. Anthony Stiponi Washougal Anthony Stiponi, who worked as a bartender, died at home Aug. 22, 2003. He was 55. He was born Nov. 20, 1947, in San Rafael, Calif. Survivors include his wife, Laurie, at home; and his parents, Patty and Jerry Moore of El Cerrito, Calif. Mr. Stiponi was an avid sports fan and an aspiring master griller. An open house memorial gathering will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday at his home. $00:0300069542: $199:A0300069542 $01:Copyright 2003 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:September 4, 2003, Thursday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. c7 $60:Opinion - Friend shaves my bad habit $90:ELIZABETH HOVDE Columbian staff writer $100:editorial $120: Friends give you stuff. Take for instance my Venus shaver, compliments of Eleanore. This gift idea was brought to Eleanore's attention during a conversation at a bowling night out, where I was rightly being ridiculed by other friends for my leg-shaving habits. First, I shave too fast. To the astonishment and fear of some people I know, I can shave a leg -- shaving-cream free if necessary -- in a matter of seconds. Not always with good results. But worse, apparently, I used to shave often with my husband's Gillette man shaver. He leaves for work in the mornings just as I am getting out of bed. And he shaves at night, anyway. That means that in the a.m. hours the razor is alone, free for the taking. Now, it should be noted that I never used or dulled his blade. I would trade out the blade he used for one of my own so his stubble would continue to go off without stumble. But at nearly $20 for a shaver and an accompanying supply of razors, I did not feel that being a two-shaving-kit family was economical or logical. So I'd steal the Gillette in the a.m. before heading off to my morning lap swim -- after changing out his blade for mine, of course. This scheme worked until a couple of times my husband would go to shave in the evening after a post-work shower and his Gillette was not to be found. My husband, you see, is the kind of guy who sees no romance in a woman borrowing his stuff: Wearing one of his big sweatshirts, stealing a bite of his meal at a restaurant, and certainly using his razor are all unacceptable activities -- to him -- think annoying little sister, not sharing one's life with one's soul mate, shaver and all. I have learned to live with these reasonable boundaries. And so when the shaver was in my backpack still, rather than on the bathroom shelf dedicated to its resting intervals, I would apologize, promptly rescue it from its captor -- me -- and return it to its rightful owner. But the mere fact that the razor wasn't resting in its holster, awaiting my Gillette man when he wanted it, was causing marital strife. I told my friends. Eleanore interceded. Not only did my friends not understand my need to save money in such an archaic way when I was more than willing to buy a $7 dessert from Papa Hayden's; they could not fathom that I would shave with a lowly man shaver. The Venus, they said, would change shaving as I knew it. And so it was that the next time I saw Eleanore at girls night, I was presented with a pink Gillette Venus of my very own with two razor blades and brand-name shaving gel. I thought Eleanore was sweet, but I really didn't think I needed this Venus -- why when I had a perfectly good shaver of my husband's to sneak in and out of my backpack. Much less did I think it would change my life. But in some ways, it did. Three-blade superiority First, I learned I was cheap. Not only the friends but the husband had determined it to be true. Second, I learned that a triple razor with moisturizing strip and contour-fitting blade head really was for me. I couldn't cut myself by accident with Venus even when I tried. The razor glided, it bobbed, it weaved. There was no bony kneecap or cartilage-infested ankle that could deter it from its commercial-promised clean, close shave. As one consumer reviewer on www.mouthshut.com wrote, the Venus "is revolutional." But best of all, the gift of the Venus saved me from future guilt over kidnapping my husband's shaver. I look around my house and wares, and realize how many things are friend inspired: Halogen jeans, John Mayer CDs and recipes galore such as Cynthia's Guacamole and a passalong from Kim on how to make beer-butt chicken (don't ask, just believe). The Venus is just the tip of the iceberg. How appropriate. Venus was the goddess of love. It's only fitting that the love and generosity of close friends can be seen even in my revolutionary pink shaver. Elizabeth Hovde's column of personal opinion appears on the Other Opinions page each Thursday. Her e-mail address: elizabeth.hovde@columbian.com. $00:0300069545: $199:A0300069545 $01:Copyright 2003 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:September 4, 2003, Thursday $30:Life; Pg. d1 $60:Chic Talk: Helping beholder find beauty $90:ANGELA ALLEN, Columbian staff writer $120: Robert Jones' full-color, gorgeously photographed "Beaute Made Simple" has a funny title, doesn't it? Beauty is anything but simple, but Jones, who was in Portland last week promoting his book, admits that its versions are immense. Despite his makeup acumen and artistry, he argues that self-confidence, not movie-star looks, is the great leveler. "So many women are so obsessed with what's imperfect about them, they miss seeing what is beautiful. Instead of minimizing the imperfections, they should draw attention to a feature that already is beautiful naturally." Jones, 38, grew up with five women, including his single mother, adoring grandmother and three sisters. At a young age, he was intrigued with their hair, their makeup and their clothes, and hung out often at the beauty parlor. He studied the visual arts in Houston, Texas, though by 13, he burned out on painting. He took up the performing arts, which led to hair and makeup jobs in theater productions and, later, to shoots for fashion slicks and makeup clients like Sheryl Crow and the Dixie Chicks. His book uses real people, most whom Jones says are his friends, not professional models. These women come in all shapes, shades and sizes. The before-makeup and after-makeup photos are astoundingly night and day. These women look really, really great after Jones has applied his brushes and colors. Before he starts on them? They could be us! It's enough to convert the makeup resistant to eyeliner, foundation and blush. As Jones explains, "I just apply the principles of painting to makeup." Some of them: Very few women, other than Snow White, blessed with pale, pale skin and raven hair, can wear cool shades like blues and purples. But, Jones says, "every woman can wear warm shades," and the warmer shades add youth and vigor to skin. Most of us forget to curl our eyelashes, and some of us forget the mascara. Upward movement is uplifting. "They give you a quickie facelift." Jones says everyone should wear a foundation, even if it's very sheer. "You won't want to look like you're wearing it, and pink foundation is never a good choice. Always a little bit of yellow helps. Pink makes your face look ashy. Yellow can counteract any kind of discoloration. Don't just slap it on. Blend." Dark lipsticks don't help anyone look youthful. "Nothing will age you faster than a dark lip shade. You need lighter, warmer shades." This means no brown and "no purple for anyone unless you're African American. They make you look like you died and forgot to lie down." If your lips are thin, dark intense shades make your mouth look even smaller. Brighter tones makes them look larger. After all, makeup's job is to create illusions, smooth the corners, enhance the best and remove the edges. Even if the oval face is the most versatile and easiest to work with, and balanced features are pleasant to look at, Jones says, any shaped face or set of features has potential to look beautiful. "Beaute Made Simple: A Make-up Guide" ($30, Simple Beaute) comes in DVD or video versions. See www.beautemadesimple.com. Angela Allen writes about fashion and trends. Reach her at 360-759-8005 or by e-mail at angela.allen@columbian.com. $00:0300069547: $199:A0300069547 $01:Copyright 2003 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:September 4, 2003, Thursday $30:Life; Pg. d1 $60:Magic in the air: Vancouver Symphony continues popular 'Under the Stars' concert $90:BRETT OPPEGAARD, Columbian staff writer $100:music, concert $120: Vancouver Symphony will offer another free outdoor concert this year in Esther Short Park. It's the third straight summer for the group, with the tradition growing in attendance last year and projected to be even bigger this time around. This year's concert is at 7 p.m. Saturday. The 65-instrument orchestra will play a program ranging from light classical to popular cinematic themes, a more generally accessible mix than a typical performance. The goal is to get as many people as possible to hear, enjoy and then spread the word about the symphony, said executive director Jill Botvinik. The event attracted 3,000 people for its debut in 2001. Last year, the organization had two outdoor shows: One at the park that drew 4,000, and one at Vancouver Landing at Terminal One, which had a crowd of 1,500. "For a lot of people, this might be their first experience with the symphony," Botvinik said. "Certainly, our hope is to gain more audience. It's a wonderful promotional event, probably has the most impact of anything we do (as far as outreach)." In turn, Vancouver Symphony's subscribers and patrons have been steadily growing. In June 2000, the group had about 450 season ticket holders and a total draw of about 800 per weekend for two performances. In June 2003, those numbers were up to 650 season ticket holders and 1,600 patrons each weekend, double the total from three years ago. Led by conductor Salvador Brotons, the free two-hour show this weekend will start with the Overture to "Ruslan & Ludmilla" by Mikhail Glinka, followed by "L'Amico Fritz" by Pietro Mascagni, selections from "Coppelia" by Leo Delibes and the last movement from Peter Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5. After intermission, Vancouver resident Karen Stanley, who bid $1,000 in the annual fundraising auction for the opportunity to conduct the orchestra, will lead a performance of Georges Bizet's "Les Toreadors" from the opera "Carmen." Brotons then will lead the symphony in renditions of music from various American movies, including "The Wizard of Oz," "West Side Story," "Star Wars," "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Harry Potter." The symphony hopes to raise enough money through corporate sponsorship next year to take the outdoor concert concept on the road to different areas of the county, including possibly parks in east Vancouver or Battle Ground. Riverview Community Bank and the city of Vancouver have been supporting the Esther Short Park concert. "It has had a tremendous effect on raising our profile in this area, letting people know what we do," Botvinik said. "We work really hard on this, and there's so much that goes into preparing a program, that it's a shame to just do it once. ... So we're really excited about the idea (of adding free concerts throughout the community). It's just a matter of finding funding for it." If You Go * WHAT: Vancouver Symphony's third annual "Symphony Under the Stars" * WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday * WHERE: Esther Short Park in downtown Vancouver, bordered by Eighth and Columbia streets * COST: Free * INFORMATION: 360-735-7278 * ON THE WEB: www.vancouversymphony.org Vancouver Symphony's 2003-04 season * Oct. 4-5: "From Russia With Love" * Nov. 8-9: "Spirit of America" * Jan. 17-18: "The French Connection" * Feb. 28-29: "The Other '3 Bs'" * April 17-18: "Young Artists" competition winners * May 22-23: "Ode to Joy" Performances are at 3 p.m. Saturdays (with pre-concert discussions at 2 p.m.) and 7 p.m. Sundays at Skyview High School's auditorium, 1300 N.W. 139th St., Vancouver. Tickets cost $15-$35, with season subscriptions available from $40 to $170 (with a 10 percent discount through September). $00:0300069551: $199:A0300069551 $01:Copyright 2003 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:September 4, 2003, Thursday $30:Life; Pg. d4 $60:Native chestnuts get 2nd chance $90:Associated Press, The Columbian $120: COLUMBIA, Ky. -- It took fewer than 50 years for a foreign fungus in the eastern United States to nearly wipe out the American chestnut tree, once dominant in forests from Maine to Mississippi. Only about a dozen large specimens from that era are known to stand today in the eastern United States. But today scientists are excited about the 50-foot tree that stands on the edge of Charles England's cattle farm in south-central Kentucky. The tree is at the center of an effort by the Bennington, Vt.-based American Chestnut Foundation to create a blight-resistant American chestnut by cross-pollinating it with the resistant Chinese chestnut. "That old tree is going to play a big role in the reintroduction of the chestnut into eastern forests," said Rex Mann, president of the Kentucky chapter of the foundation. "For some reason, that tree made it." It's believed to be the second-largest still alive in the East, behind an American chestnut in Amherst County, Va., according to Joe Schibig, a biologist at Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, Tenn. "It's a Holy Grail because it's almost a miracle to find one," said Schibig, who has tracked surviving chestnuts for two years. Mann said offspring of the Adair County tree have been planted in Robinson Forest in eastern Kentucky, the Daniel Boone National Forest and an agriculture center near Campbellsville. Foresters will inoculate them with the fungus when the trees are 3 years old. Pollen from resistant trees will be used to breed other trees. Resistant trees from the agriculture center could be ready for forest trials by 2008. Unlike the shrubby Chinese or other Asian varieties of chestnut grown in the U.S. today, the native American chestnut was a fast, straight-growing tree. It often grew 100 feet tall or higher and could be up to 10 feet in diameter. Its wood was lightweight and easy to split and work, yet resistant to decay. The fungus was brought in with ornamental chestnut trees imported from Asia a century ago. It was first observed in New York City in 1904. It nearly eradicated the entire population of American chestnuts in the East by 1945. Chestnuts that had been brought out West by pioneers avoided the blight. The two largest known American chestnuts are in Oregon and Washington. The largest American chestnut in the world is north of Seattle, near Arlington, said Michael Dolan, owner of Burnt Ridge Nursery in Onalaska, which sells chestnut trees (landru.myhome.net/burntridge/). When measured in 1993, Dolan said, the tree measured 106 feet tall, had a branch spread of 101 feet and a circumference of more than 19 feet. The tree is near Mile Post 30 on state Highway 530. Experts say chestnut sprouts emerge from old root clusters each year, some growing as tall as 75 feet. But they usually die within five years. The Adair County tree, 80 years old, isn't a sprout. It has scars from the blight, but each year it blooms and produces the prickly burs housing the nut. $00:0300069552: $199:A0300069552 $01:Copyright 2003 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:September 4, 2003, Thursday $30:Business; Pg. e1 $60:Daily Roundup $90:from The Columbian and wire services $120: SAN JOSE, Calif. Global semiconductor sales reached $12.9 billion in July Worldwide sales of semiconductors increased to $12.9 billion in July, up from the $12.5 billion in June, the fifth consecutive monthly increase and a 10.5 percent increase from July 2002, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) reported this week. "July's sales reflect the continued strengthening of the semiconductor market, and we believe that we will exceed our forecasted sequential growth of 5.9 percent for the third quarter," said SIA President George Scalise. In July, product sales related to personal computers were the strongest sector. In addition, the consumer sector, which includes DVDs and digital cameras, continued its recent strength. Worldwide chip plant production capacity use has reached 94 percent, said Scalise. VANCOUVER Walking tour planned for downtown retail district Retail businesses interested in opening a location on Main Street in downtown Vancouver are invited to a walking tour from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday. The reception and tour begins at the West Coast Bank building at 500 Broadway. The event is hosted by the city as part of its Easy Street recruitment contest. A $20,000 awards package and reduced rent is being offered to a business opening on the street. For information on the contest or to reserve a spot on the tour, call 360-735-8805. SEATTLE Microsoft issues alerts about five new flaws Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday reported five new security flaws in its software, including one of "critical" severity that affects nearly all programs in its Office suite of software. The critical vulnerability could allow an attacker to read files on a victim's computer, run programs or otherwise seize control. Unlike the flaw that was exploited by the recent Blaster or LovSan worm which could attack computers even if the user did nothing a successful attack would require the user to open a tainted e-mail attachment. ON THE WEB www.microsoft.com/security YAKIMA Boise Cascade considering sale of Yakima operations Boise Cascade is considering the sale of its Yakima operations. The company could sell all or part of a sawmill and plywood plant and related operations in Yakima, as well as a lumberyard in Goldendale and some 200,000 acres of timberland across several counties in central Washington, the company confirmed Tuesday. As many as 400 employees, almost all in Yakima, could be affected. $00:0300069555: $199:A0300069555 $01:Copyright 2003 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:September 4, 2003, Thursday $30:Business; Pg. e1 $60:Klickitat to court energy projects $90:KATHIE DURBIN, Columbian staff writer $120: Klickitat County hopes to roll out the red carpet for energy developers next year by declaring nearly two-thirds of the county's land base available for new wind farms and natural gas-fired thermal plants. A draft environmental impact statement released in August proposes creating a 769,345-acre "energy overlay zone" in the county's south and east ends where energy plants would be permitted outright. The county's plan identifies seven "optimum" sites for new plants: a former sawmill in the town of Klickitat; the Dallesport industrial park; the Roosevelt and Mercer Ranch areas in the county's east end; Goldendale, the county seat; Swale Creek/Centerville; and the Rattlesnake Creek area in the White Salmon River drainage. According to the draft EIS, the county has the potential to fill a quarter of the Pacific Northwest's projected demand for an additional 5,300 megawatts of generating capacity by 2015. It predicts the eventual development of three to four natural gas-fired plants, two biomass projects that burn wood waste, and several wind farms. About 50 people attended a public hearing on the energy overlay zone in Goldendale Aug. 26. Public comment on the sweeping proposal is due Friday. Critics say that's not enough time to absorb the 289-page document and provide meaningful comment. Some question whether the county even wants meaningful comment. "If the Klickitat County commissioners go ahead with their plan to create an Energy Overlay zone, developers will be able to build natural-gas-burning facilities ... across two-thirds of our county without even holding a public hearing," White Salmon resident Dawn Stover wrote in a recent letter to Klickitat County newspapers. Planning ahead The draft EIS attempts to address all the environmental concerns associated with developing new power plants in advance rather than at the time actual site-specific proposals are submitted. It does that by drawing on past studies of everything from the effect of windmill blades on bird mortality to the effect of natural gas plant emissions on visibility in the Columbia River Gorge. But some say the proposed energy overlay zone was written far too vaguely to protect the environment.The zone "includes within it many areas that are inappropriate for siting one or another of the technologies to be allowed," said Rachel Haymon of Trout Lake in a letter she read into the hearing record. The zone as proposed "will certainly increase environmental impacts in Klickitat County simply by increasing the density of projects," she said. Frank and Joy Margraf, who own a ranch near Rattlesnake Creek, say they don't oppose establishing the zone but have started a petition drive to get their area removed from the list of likely sites. Because the creek runs nearly dry in the summer, the area would be a poor place to site a natural gas-fired plant, which requires abundant water for cooling, said 84-year-old Frank Margraf, who holds water rights to the creek. "If they try to take our water, we'll be up in arms," he said. The zoning scheme would be the first of its kind in Washington and maybe anywhere. If county commissioners approve it, developers would no longer be required to obtain conditional use permits to build new energy plants in the zone, though energy projects would still have to pass environmental muster with the state. What demand? The plan's release comes at a time when energy companies have canceled or postponed plans to build scores of new power plants in the Northwest. Many of those plans were hatched during the West Coast energy crunch of 2000 and 201. Of 108 plants proposed since 2000 in the five states served by Bonneville Power Administration transmission lines, only seven gas-fired plants and five wind projects are now operating, according to BPA spokesman Bill Merlin. All the rest have been withdrawn or delayed or are still being studied, Merlin said. California-based Calpine Corp. put the brakes on construction of its natural gas-fired plant in Goldendale due to deteriorating market conditions in late 2001, when it was 75 percent completed. The company now hopes to complete the plant by July 2004, said Goldendale manager Steve Royall. "We believe the market will turn," Royall said. "All of us in the Pacific Northwest see rising energy prices and a continued need for new sources." But Merlin said low demand is not the only barrier to new energy development. "Access to capital to borrow and build these things is very tough right now," he said. "It became that way because of the huge energy company defaults. The money market has really pulled back and is far less speculative than it used to be." In addition, if BPA needs to upgrade its transmission lines to handle new capacity, it now requires developers of those plants to contribute to the cost, Merlin said. That can run into hundreds of millions of dollars. Klickitat County development director Dana Peck, chief champion of the energy overlay zone, doesn't believe the current slack demand for new generating capacity is an issue. "There's still a sense that there's been a lot of population and economic expansion and very few new plants built," he said. "History has shown that energy-project developers include Klickitat County in their site reviews." Primed for business Situated at the east end of the Columbia River Gorge, Klickitat County is strategically located to take advantage of hydropower, natural gas, sunshine, wind and wide open spaces. The Williams Gas Pipeline-West runs the length of Klickitat County, and 11 BPA transmission lines cross the county. Peck believes that zoning most of the county for energy development will give it a competitive edge when energy companies make future siting decisions. Last year his department even prepared a flyer for energy developers promoting the new zone. It makes sense to consider the environmental impacts of new energy plants on a countywide basis rather than site by site, Peck said. It allows "prescreening" of potential sites to determine which ones would produce the fewest environmental impacts. It lets the county assess the cumulative impact of several power plants up front. And it avoids the appearance of a conflict of interest because the county, rather than the developer, pays to prepare the environmental documents. Participating in development of the energy zone also allows the public to get involved early, "to say where they want and don't want these projects to occur," he said. Asked why the county doesn't give the public more time to comment, Peck said there will be opportunities to comment later this year when county commissioners decide whether to incorporate the new zone into the county comprehensive plan. The comment period the county is providing now satisfies "both the letter and the spirit" of the State Environmental Policy Act, he said. Haymon disagrees: "I believe what they are doing is following the bare minimum that SEPA requires." $00:0300069557: $199:A0300069557 $01:Copyright 2003 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:September 4, 2003, Thursday $30:Business; Pg. e1 $60:Nurse union files labor complaint $90:JONATHAN NELSON, Columbian staff writer $120: Negotiations between Southwest Washington Medical Center and its 1,000 registered nurses, whose contract expired in May, soured further Wednesday when the nurses' union filed an unfair-labor-practice charge against the hospital. The charge, filed by the Washington State Nurses Association with the National Labor Relations Board, contends the hospital openly supports dismantling the union by assisting employees in circulating a decertification petition, by coercing and watching employees who oppose the union abolishment, and restricting union representatives' access to the hospital. The National Labor Relations Act makes it illegal for an employer to assume any role in instigating or facilitating a decertification petition. Ken Cole, hospital spokesman, denied hospital officials were violating any labor laws. "If there is an organized effort to decertify the union it's something organized and initiated by the nursing staff, not by hospital leadership," he said. Cole said the two sides have reached agreement on several labor contract issues, but he declined to identify the remaining areas of contention. Barbara Frye, union director of labor relations, called for the medical center to "direct its efforts toward reaching an agreement with the RNs and focus its attention on quality patient care through the recruitment and retention of experienced staff during the current nursing shortage." The nurses' contract expired May 3 and a federal mediator was brought in after months of fruitless negotiations. A second mediation session is scheduled Monday. Anne Piazza, union spokeswoman, said there are no plans to strike if a new contract isn't reached during the next meeting. She also denied that filing the charge is a negotiating tactic. "It's not a gimmick; it's not a trick," she said. Piazza said during the past five years the union has not filed a similar charge against any of the 50 hospitals it deals with in Washington. $00:0300069563: $199:A0300069563 $01:Copyright 2003 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:September 4, 2003, Thursday $30:Neighbors; Pg. 1 $60:After the Dust Settles: A Year After Fighting Adult-Care Projects, Most Accept New Neighbors $90:SCOTT HEWITT, Columbian staff writer $120: In Romania, a single family living in a single home is a rarity. "We have big extended families back home," said Christian Rad, whose family immigrated from Transylvania, in northwest Romania, to the Portland area when he was 17. "You live with grandparents, cousins, aunts, brothers and sisters. There's all these people living in one house. Never just two or three people." But early in 2002, when Rad and his wife, Aura, tried to replicate that style of living in Clark County -- and to make a profit along the way -- they ran into fierce neighborhood opposition. The matter wound up in court where the Rads emerged victorious, but the battle pitted neighbors' expectations for single-family living against federal and state regulations regarding equal housing opportunities for the disabled. For the most part, neighbors insisted they weren't objecting to the Rads' plan to turn their house into an adult family home, a place where frail and elderly people can enjoy assisted living in a homey, non-institutional environment. What they didn't like, they said, was the size of the addition Christian Rad was building. Rad's plan was to more than double the size of his home on Northeast 38th Street, in the Pheasant Run subdivision just outside the Vancouver city limits. He was going to add six bedrooms -- 1,823 feet of living space -- onto a home with a footprint of 1,100 square feet. That's a total of 3,013 square feet built on a 6,300-square-foot lot. "I don't care who lives there," said the Rads' now-former next-door neighbor, Michele Bolke, last year when the issue had just come to light. "It's six bedrooms and six baths taking up an entire back yard. If he ever moved out, we'd have this monster addition and who knows what would happen to it." Today, the finished building may seem to overwhelm the lot, but Rad was within his rights. In unincorporated Clark County, covering as much as half of a residential lot is allowed; in the city of Vancouver you can build on 40 or 45 percent of a residential lot, depending on zoning. None of which prevented neighbors from suing him to stop the project. In January 2002, eight couples and one individual homeowner filed suit, through Vancouver attorney John Karpinski, to stop the Rads from building the addition. They argued that the structure would violate neighborhood covenants barring businesses from the development. "An adult foster care facility is a commercial enterprise and a commercial use of land, and is inconsistent with 'residential use only' restrictions on the use of land," Karpinski's argument went. In a statement to the court, neighbor Bud Heck summarized his objections: "First (the addition would) lower the property values of the neighbors; second, the expansion was just too big and didn't belong there; and third, it was improper for him to run a business on his property." Filling demand The Rads weren't the only ones to incur their neighbors' wrath. About three miles away, Claudia and Augustin Persa ran into the same problem at the same time. The Persas, also natives of Romania, were set to add bedrooms onto their home in Vancouver's Oakbrook neighborhood when opposition mounted. Although no lawsuit was filed, neighbors who'd heard about the Rad case also retained Karpinski to see what could be done. But in the end, in both cases, the answer was the same: nothing. Federal and state fair-housing laws trump subdivision covenants, or any other restrictions, that could be interpreted as barring adult family homes from residential neighborhoods. "An adult family home shall be considered a residential use of property ..." the Washington law reads. "Adult family homes shall be a permitted use in all areas zoned for residential or commercial purposes, including areas zoned for single-family home dwellings." Vancouver and Clark County laws don't restrict adult family homes in any way, as long as they house six or fewer residents, said associate city planner Michael Grant. "We allow these in any of our residential districts. We have no control over how they come and go," Grant said. "They get their building permits and follow the standards for single-family homes." The state regulates the operation of the business and the quality of care residents receive, he said. The only special requirement the city has begun using, Grant said, is having property owners sign a covenant ensuring that future owners of big homes or additions used as adult family homes will continue to observe all relevant restrictions, including city zoning. "That's our approach to get ahold of what we think could be a problem if these care homes change ownership," he said. "It's simply to make sure they don't become multi-family apartments." But Grant doubts that homes built or expanded specifically to serve as adult family homes could be used for anything else. "I don't know that they would change hands except to another person who's going to do adult foster care," he said, "unless you have a very large family." Grant said he hears plenty of complaints from neighbors early on, but he doubts that those fears anticipate reality. "They project an ambulance a day. They project falling property values, that these things will turn into tenements," he said. "I don't know that these fears ever materialize. I think these places are fairly well maintained and lucrative. They're filling a demand, and you look at the population curves and you know, maybe they're right on cue for getting all of us old folks into appropriate situations." Light and life The lawsuit Christian Rad's neighbors brought against him ended in the spring of 2002, when Superior Court Judge Edwin Poyfair ordered Rad to follow all the state and local land-use and licensing regulations he had to follow anyway. If the Pheasant Run covenants had included a specific limit on the size of building additions, Poyfair said, he would have enforced the limit. But it didn't. "I can have six residents and there is no limit on construction other than what city code says," Rad said at the time. "Basically, what I asked for is what I got." Today, the expanded Rad home on Northeast 38th Street is home to five women. Each has her own private bedroom and bath, and the comfortable living room includes windows and skylights that flood it with cheery light. "It's as good as any of these places are, better than most," said Loretta Bolte, 85. "It's nice walking in the neighborhood. It's nice and quiet." "I like everything about it," said Iva Stange, 72. "They are courteous and thoughtful." Rad's parents run two adult family homes in Portland, so he's been around the idea all of his adult life. "I always wanted to do this," he said during a tour of his expanded home. "It has worked out exactly as I expected it to." Except for the neighborhood resistance, that is. One set of next-door neighbors moved away. Others don't speak to the Rads. "I think it's an eyesore," said Rori Bumgarner, who joined the lawsuit and lives two doors down. "I can see the whole thing from my back yard. I know it dropped my property value by 5 percent because I had an appraisal done beforehand and an appraisal done afterwards." Still others have told the Rads that the addition has turned out nicer than they expected -- and they wish the Rads had come to them earlier with more information about exactly what the plans were. Mindy Gonzales moved in next door to the Rads after the Bolkes, chief plaintiffs in the lawsuit, left. "I don't have any problems with it," said Gonzales. "When we bought the house, they had to disclose that this was an adult care home, but that didn't bother me. I honestly thought, great, my kids'll have lots of grandparents." It's the same in the Oakbrook neighborhood, said Claudia Persa. Her next-door neighbor doesn't speak to her, "but all the others are nice." Not every neighborhood explodes with complaints when an adult family home starts up, said Ann Maxwell, president of the Clark County Adult Family Home Association. At the same time, she added, it doesn't take a building addition to spark fears. "We had one up the Washougal River who had some problems with neighbors, and she wasn't building anything," Maxwell said. "I think it just depends on the neighborhood. Some people only think about cars and delivery trucks. They don't stop and think that one day they're going to get old, too." There are more than 180 entries in the state's list of licensed adult family homes in Clark County (available at www.aasa.dshs.wa.gov; follow the Adult Family Homes link to the Adult Family Homes Locator); a casual look through the list makes obvious the preponderance of Eastern European owner-operators. Why is that? "Romanian women, they are workaholics. And they're good cooks," Maxwell said. "This is their life. They take care of people. They take care of families. This is what they do."
KELLY ADAMS and JONATHAN NELSON, Columbian staff writers
