AROUND THE COUNTY

The Columbian
04-23-1999
Salmon Creek
Bone marrow drive is Saturday
A 12-year-old Vancouver girl's need for a bone marrow transplant has prompted a bone marrow drive set for Saturday that could benefit hundreds of others.
Leslie Zolbe's parents are hoping it helps their daughter.
Leslie needs a transplant to survive leukemia, but she has yet to find a matching donor among the 3.5 million names on a national registry.
From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, a bone marrow drive will be held at Chinook Elementary School at 1900 Bliss Road.
Each participant will have a small amount of blood drawn for further testing. Their names will be added to the national bone marrow registry, where they'll stay until they turn 61 years of age.
Organizers are expecting more than 1,000 people to turn out Saturday. Though there is normally a cost for having the blood tested, businesses and private individuals have stepped forward to help pick up that cost.
Stevenson
Rain festival this weekend
Weather forecasters are predicting sun for the fourth annual Festival of Rain, which starts today in Stevenson and runs through Sunday.
Events include a poetry reading at 7:30 tonight at The Timbers, 200 S.W. Cascade, and a used book sale from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Stevenson Community Library.
Reigning over the weekend are the 1999 Big Drip and Rainfest Queen, Stevenson Elementary School Principal Jim Saltness and Stevenson Postmaster Teri Strauss.
The Nip and Nibble runs from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Port of Skamania County Waterfront Park and will feature food from Skamania Lodge, the Big River Grill and other local restaurants. Entertainers include the Stevenson High School band.
Bluebell, a Coast Guard cutter, will be open for free tours from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at the port.
The Skamania County golf tourney runs Sunday at Skamania Lodge.
Vancouver
Ogden neighborhood to host city council
The Ogden Neighborhood Association will host the year's second Citizens Forum from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday at Vantech Enterprises NW, 6511 E. 18th St.
The forums, held four times a year, provide an opportunity for Vancouver City Council members and local citizens to discuss community issues and concerns in an informal setting.
The forum will be preceded by a council tour of the Ogden area. The tour, guided by neighborhood representatives, will spotlight community projects and goals.
The quarterly forums were started in the 1970s as an informal way for citizens to talk with elected officials. A different neighborhood association hosts each forum, but all Vancouver residents may participate.
Call the Vancouver Office of Neighborhoods at 696-8222.
Clark County
Home, Garden Fair unfolds this weekend
Workshops, demonstrations, exhibits, landscaping designs and what is billed as the largest plant sale in the metropolitan area will be part of the Home & Garden Fair this weekend at the Clark County Fairgrounds.
The fair runs until 8 this evening; hours will be 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Admission is free; donations for area food banks will be collected. Parking costs $3.
The eighth annual show, sponsored by Clark Public Utilities, will include 11 presentations by experts in a variety of fields. The plant sale will feature offerings from more than 50 area nurseries. Ten landscaping exhibits and children's activities also will be part of the show.
C-Tran will offer free shuttle service from several locations, including major park and ride lots and the Seventh Street Transit Center. Schedules for service for the fair are available at Fred Meyer stores and libraries, or call 695-0123. $00:9900054424: $199:A9900054424 $01:Copyright 1999 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?
The Columbian $20:April 23, 1999, Friday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. b3 $60:CANADIAN SENTENCED FOR INTERNET THREATS $90:BRUCE WESTFALL, Columbian staff writer $120:
A friend of Vancouver's James Dalton Bell has been convicted of threatening federal judges and other federal officials over the Internet.
Carl Edward Johnson, 49, of Bienfait, Saskatchewan, was convicted this week of four instances of threats via e-mail.
Federal officials say Johnson was a cyber-pal of Bell, author of the controversial Internet missive "Assassination Politics" that promoted a scheme to murder IRS agents.
Bell, 40, was arrested in May 1997. He was sentenced to 11 months in prison, released, then rearrested for violating conditions of parole. He remains in custody
Johnson was convicted Tuesday in Tacoma after a seven-day bench trial in front of U.S. District Judge Robert Bryan. He is scheduled for sentencing June 11.
Johnson and Bell are being held in the same federal detention facility at SeaTac.
Federal authorities claimed that Johnson and Bell got acquainted after exchanging views through e-mail. After Bell's 1997 arrest, Johnson vowed to take action in support of his friend.
Johnson is an itinerant country musician whose passion for music "was replaced by an even stronger passion for the Internet," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Robb London. "It became a way of life for him."
On June 23, 1997, Johnson anonymously posted a message on the Internet suggesting that specific sums of money would be paid for the deaths of a federal magistrate in Tacoma and Treasury agents involved in the Bell investigation. Johnson posted another anonymous Internet message threatening the lives of several federal appeals judges who were hearing a computer privacy case. The third threat was an e-mail to kill Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates.
Though Johnson attempted to hide his identity, investigators traced the messages to encryption technology on Johnson's computer, London said.
Johnson's defense attorney claimed that the messages were free speech, but the judge disagreed, concluding the threats were "clearly over the line" of protected speech.
Johnson faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for each of the four counts.
As for Bell, he has vowed to remain in prison in protest of what he claims was government misconduct relating to his arrest and conviction.
He has a court hearing set for May 7. $00:9900054425: $199:A9900054425 $01:Copyright 1999 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?
The Columbian $20:April 23, 1999, Friday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. b3 $60:B.G. STORE CLERK TICKETED IN CIGARETTE STING $90:JOHN BRANTON, Columbian staff writer $120:
BATTLE GROUND - James Lanz looks on the bright side of Wednesday's cigarette sting in Battle Ground.
"Ten of the 11 stores in Battle Ground followed the law and did the right thing," said Lanz, a registered nurse who works for Southwest Washington Health District.
"They asked for identification."
Lanz, working with the Battle Ground Police Department, was the supervisor of a 16-year-old Boy Scout who volunteered to try to buy cigarettes at every store in town that sells them.
Police, who had heard complaints that stores were selling to youths younger than 18, organized a sting.
The boy was successful only at the Texaco Food Mart, 917 W. Main St., said police Lt. Roy Butler.
Police said they ticketed store clerk Nicholas Vamvakis, 67, for selling a pack of Marlboros to the boy.
The citation has a bail of $500.
The store's manager declined to comment. Vamvakis didn't return a phone call.
The health district has teamed up with police in Battle Ground, Camas and Washougal to operate cigarette stings, Lanz said.
The district also can perform stings independently and report its findings to the state Liquor Control Board.
Lanz said it's becoming increasingly rare for store clerks to get caught selling cigarettes in stings.
In 1990, when the health district performed its first such operations, 58 to 70 percent of stores were caught selling.
"Last year, 96.3 percent of the stores we checked followed the law," Lanz said.
Nevertheless, the stings will continue, Lanz said.
Anyone who thinks store clerks are selling tobacco to youths younger than 18 may call the state Liquor Control Board at 260-6115. $00:9900054426: $199:A9900054426 $01:Copyright 1999 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?
The Columbian $20:April 23, 1999, Friday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. b3 $60:OREGON RECOGNIZES RACIST PAST $90:AMALIE YOUNG, Associated Press writer $120:
SALEM - It wasn't that long ago.
"Coloreds" in Oregon were shunned from white neighborhoods. Signs above shops read "dogs or Mexicans not allowed." Japanese-Americans were shipped out of their homes and into internment camps.
Now, 150 years after passing a law to bar "negroes and mulattoes" from the Oregon Territory, Oregonians gathered Thursday to recognize the state's discriminatory past.
"No more will we tolerate injustice," Myrlie Evers-Williams, former chairwoman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, told those at the Capitol for the Day of Acknowledgment.
"No more will we tolerate hatred and intolerance."
Earlier in the day, both the House and Senate approved resolutions commemorating Oregonians' struggle for racial justice. The measure was approved unanimously in the Senate, but it passed 50-7 in the House after several members questioned the value of the day.
"I don't believe we serve ourselves well by recalling a painful past," said Rep. Carl Wilson, R-Grants Pass.
"What really counts is what we do today and in the future, not to engage in symbolism but in substance."
There were no words of anger or blame at an afternoon ceremony, when Oregonians of all colors and religions packed a House chamber.
Dressed in traditional navy-blue uniforms, Buffalo soldiers and Native Americans with feather head-dresses posted the flags.
The House swelled with song, as former Rep. Margaret Carter led the crowd in a rendition of "Glory, Glory, Halleluiah!"
"We've come a long way here in the state of Oregon," said Gov. John Kitzhaber.
"But there's always more that can be done." $00:9900054427: $199:A9900054427 $01:Copyright 1999 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?
The Columbian $20:April 23, 1999, Friday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. b3 $60:COUNTY HIRES MANAGEMENT COORDINATOR TO ADMINISTER ENDANGERED SPECIES $90:ERIK ROBINSON, Columbian staff writer $120:
Clark County has hired a management coordinator to help the county live with the Endangered Species Act.
Kenneth "Bryan" Cowan, 42, will start May 17.
County Administrator Bill Barron said Cowan was selected from eight finalists after a two-month recruitment process. More than 100 people applied.
Cowan will coordinate county departments affected by the listing of Lower Columbia chinook, Columbia River chum, steelhead and bull trout.
Troy Rayburn, a staff assistant to county commissioners and acting coordinator for the past year and a half, said Cowan will monitor development of a federal rule designed to protect fish habitat on private lands.
Federal officials are working with state and local governments to draft rules about building, logging, agriculture and other activities affecting fish habitat. What form those rules might take remains uncertain.
Environmental groups are frustrated over a lack of local rules implementing federal law more than a year after the steelhead was listed in the lower Columbia and Snake River basins.
This week, environmentalists gave notice of their intent to sue the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Cowan has been the regional technical coordinator for the Washington Conservation Commission, where he identifies problems with salmon habitat.
He used to be the regional habitat manager for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife in Southwest Washington.
He has a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and a master's degree in public administration from the University of New Orleans, with an emphasis in environmental management.
Cowan also is a board member of Clark County Habitat Partners.
His new job pays $59,280 per year. $00:9900054428: $199:A9900054428 $01:Copyright 1999 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?
The Columbian $20:April 23, 1999, Friday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. b3 $60:YOUTH ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS SET FOR CEREMONY SATURDAY $90:SCOTT HEWITT, Columbian staff writer $120:
Molly Roberts scans Discovery Middle School for dangerous situations that could be diffused through peer mediation, which she organizes and schedules.
Arianne Albers teaches first aid and CPR to teachers and students at the Battle Ground Clinic.
Lindsay Anderson cooks dinners at homeless shelters and raises money to prevent birth defects.
And other Clark County youths do everything from rebuilding habitat for endangered animals to rebuilding their lives that have devolved into drugs and crime.
A whopping 500 young people from throughout Clark County will be honored with the first-ever Our Kids Count Achievement Awards on Saturday.
"We weren't necessarily looking for straight-A students," said organizer Carol Hansen of the city's Office of Neighborhoods.
"We've asked for those kids who are behind the scenes all the time working to make this county a great place to live."
Nominations were made in nine categories: courage, community service, arts, business-enterprise, citizenship, leadership, family life, education and personal achievement.
"Some kids are speaking up against racism or harassment in their classrooms. Some are showing the courage it takes to model better behavior," Hansen said.
"And some are making personal changes, turning their lives around. That can be a quiet, private thing, but we thought it deserved some recognition."
Every Clark County mayor will attend to distribute award certificates; the keynote address will be delivered by Judie Stanton, chairwoman of the Clark County Board of Commissioners. David Schmitke, Southwest Washington reporter for KOIN-TV, will be emcee.
The event kicks off at 1 p.m. at Skyview High School, 1300 N.W. 139th Street, and wraps up at 3:30 p.m.
The event's $15,000 budget is being underwritten by SeaFirst Bank.
It was organized by the city of Vancouver and Southwest Washington Medical Center.
"We were always hearing from people and organizations who wished they had some way to honor just a handful of kids," Hansen said.
"So we came up with the idea of an annual youth achievement celebration" for 11- through 19-year-olds under the auspices of Our Kids Count, a program of the medical center designed to honor youth in this community.
Call Cindy Silveira at 256-3106 or Hansen at 696-8222. $00:9900054429: $199:A9900054429 $01:Copyright 1999 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?
The Columbian $20:April 23, 1999, Friday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. b4 $60:CAMAS NATIVE, EARTH DAY FOUNDER ALREADY GEARING UP FOR 30TH EVENT $90:ERIK ROBINSON, Columbian staff writer $120:
A hero of the planet he may be, but that doesn't mean Denis Hayes gets any special treatment at New York's La Guardia Airport.
Hayes, a Camas native who went on to organize the first Earth Day as a college student 29 years ago, was on the run Thursday.
Since Time magazine honored Hayes in its April 26 issue as a hero of the planet, the Seattle resident has found himself in a whirlwind slate of Earth Day events.
A press conference with the U.S. Energy secretary here, a luncheon speech at the United Nations there.
Before jumping onto an airplane bound for Cleveland, Hayes called The Columbian from an airport waiting area. On the 29th anniversary of the environmental consciousness-raising event, Hayes said he is already looking ahead to the future and to a big splash in 364 days.
The climate is changing, Hayes said, and we'll have to adjust our energy use because of it.
"One of the things that needs to happen is we need to capture the attention of the public long enough to make them realize the uncertainties about global warming have now been largely resolved," he said.
The overwhelming majority of the scientific community has acknowledged global warming is taking place, Hayes said.
Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and developing alternatives such as solar, wind and geothermal energy sources will be highlighted during the 30th Earth Day celebration, Hayes said.
Since taking the 1990 Earth Day celebration to 41 countries, Hayes expects Earth Day 2000 to touch all corners of the globe and the neighborhood.
"There are a huge number of environmental problems that have energy at their core," he said.
As deregulation occurs in the utility industry, Hayes said he envisions companies developing renewable energy portfolios in response to public pressure.
"An increased share needs to come from renewable resources," he said.
Since volunteering to organize a series of teach-ins across the country to bring attention to the environment, Hayes has watched the movement grow and mature.
Some of the initial ideas, such as recycling, have blossomed seamlessly into mainstream society.
"It gave an enormous boost to the number of trees that don't need to be cut down," Hayes said.
But, as is the case with any decentralized, grass-roots effort, Hayes said the environmental movement has occasionally lost focus on the bigger issues that should drive it.
"Overpopulation, climate change or the epidemic of extinction, these are really fundamental threats to the entire planet Earth," he said.
Still, he said, attitudes have changed dramatically since he was growing up in Camas.
His father worked at the Camas paper mill when it was operated by Crown Zellerbach. At the time, there was no Clean Air Act.
"That was the smell of money, that was the smell of prosperity," he said.
"And if you woke up with sore throats every morning, it was just part of the economy." $00:9900054431: $199:A9900054431 $01:Copyright 1999 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?
The Columbian $20:April 23, 1999, Friday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. b4 $60:OBITUARIES $90:compiled by Columbian staff $120:
Adam A. Bommersbach
Vancouver
A 10-year resident of Vancouver, Adam Andrew Bommersbach, 74, died in Vancouver on Tuesday, April 20, 1999.
Mr. Boomersbach was born June, 13, 1924, in Hankinson, N.D.
He worked in road construction in Boulder, Colo., before retiring and moving to Vancouver.
Survivors include his wife, Mary L., at home; two daughters, Linda Bommersbach of Beaverton, Ore., and Debbie Bommersbach of Vancouver; one son, Allen of Goldendale; two sisters, Catherine Herding of Whapton, N.D., and Rosalie Dorner of Wooddale, Ill.; two brothers, Ralph of Moorhead, Minn., and Anton of Whapton; one grandchild; and two great-grandchildren.
There will be a private family gathering. Evergreen Staples Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 371, Vancouver, WA 98668.
Erville C. Crabtree
Vancouver
A memorial service will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday at First United Methodist Church for Erville C. Crabtree, who died at a care facility April 3, 1999, of heart complications. She was 91.
Mrs. Crabtree was born Nov. 20, 1907, in Sapulpa, Okla.
During World War II, she worked at Douglas Aircraft.
She enjoyed traveling while working at American Airlines.
Her son, Gene Cole, preceded her in death.
Survivors include one daughter, Carlyse A. Ettling of Vancouver; one stepdaughter, Marylou Moore of Tulsa, Okla.; one stepson, Gene Crabtree of Houston; six grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.
There was a funeral at University United Methodist Church in Tulsa, with burial in Shamrock Cemetery near Drumright, Okla.
Molly B. Hinton
Vancouver
A graveside service will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday at Evergreen Memorial Gardens Cemetery for Molly B. Hinton, 91, who died Thursday, April 22, 1999, in a Vancouver care center.
She lived in Clark County since 1973, at the Acre Trailer Court for 20 years.
She is survived by one daughter, Betty Beck of Vancouver; two sons, J.F. Blackwell of Fairfield, Ark., and Charles Blackwell of Diamondhead, Miss.; one sister, Bertha Davis of Fort Worth, Texas; nine grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Hinton was born July 15, 1907, in Boyd, Texas.
She enjoyed cooking, and her family said she was a wonderful baker.
She worked at Fircrest Hospital in Seattle for several years before she retired and moved to Vancouver.
The casket will be open from 5 to 9 tonight at Memorial Gardens Funeral Chapel.
Lee H. Lepak
Vancouver
Lee H. Lepak, a carpenter, died Tuesday, April 20, 1999, of cancer. He was 53.
Mr. Lepak lived in Clark County off and on for the past 20 years.
He was born May 19, 1945, in Grand Forks, N.D.
He loved eagles and working with wood.
Survivors include his mother, Lorraine Lepak of Goldendale; one stepson, Joe Childs of Kauai, Hawaii; six brothers, Jim of Seattle, David of Sacramento, Calif., Abe of Vancouver, Don and Rick, both of Portland, and Wayne of Colorado Springs, Colo.; and three sisters, Debbie Lepak of Vancouver and Lana Lepak and Mona R. Lepak, both of Goldendale.
Recitation of the rosary will begin at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at St. Joseph Catholic Church. Mass will begin at noon Monday at the church, with burial in Evergreen Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Memorial Gardens Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Sam W. Marshall
New Braunfels, Texas
Former Vancouver resident Sam Winfrey Marshall, 73, died Wednesday, April 21, 1999, in New Braunfels.
He was a Navy veteran of World War II.
Mr. Marshall attended Southern Arkansas University and graduated from Louisiana Polytechnic Institute with a degree in electrical engineering.
He was involved in building the Vancouver WSU campus and received a master's degree there in engineering management. He began working for Alcoa in 1956 as an electrical engineer and was transferred to Vancouver in 1976.
A funeral will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday at Lewis Funeral Home, with burial in Memorial Park Cemetery, both in New Braunfels. The casket will be open from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home.
Mr. Marshall was born Nov. 2, 1925, in Calhoun, Ark.
He attended Baptist churches, including Trinity Baptist Church. He was active in Lions clubs.
Mr. Marshall enjoyed riding motorcycles and woodworking and was an amateur radio operator.
Survivors include his wife, Eloise, at home; one daughter, Melissa Marshall of Hartford, Conn.; one son, Sam G. of New Braunfels; one sister, Dorthy M. Martin of Bentonville, Ark.; three brothers, Jack W. of Magnolia, Ark., Harry W. of Vivian, La., and Billy W. of Albuquerque, N.M.; and four grandchildren.
Sally Terwilleger
Vancouver
A 55-year Clark County resident, Sally Terwilleger, 80, died in Vancouver on Tuesday, April 20, 1999.
Mrs. Terwilleger worked in the shipyards during World War II and had been a beautician, a jeweler and a homemaker.
Mrs. Terwilleger was born Aug. 5, 1918, in Wellington, Utah.
She enjoyed sewing and traveling around the world. She spent winters in Arizona.
Her husband, Bill, died in 1995.
Survivors include one stepdaughter, Rea Webb of Sonoma, Calif.; one son, Ronald Tobias of Lakewood, Colo.; one stepson, Larey Terwilleger of Pleasanton, Calif.; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
There will be a private nicheside service. Memorial Gardens Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements. $00:9900054433: $199:A9900054433 $01:Copyright 1999 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?
The Columbian $20:April 23, 1999, Friday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. b4 $60:VANCOUVER STATUE OFFERED $35,000 MATCHING GIFT $90:STEPHANIE THOMSON, Columbian staff writer $120:
Depending on how you look at it, the drive to raise $70,000 for a life-size bronze statue of George Vancouver has become twice as easy or half as hard.
Developer Elie Kassab told a dinner crowd of 175 Thursday night at the Friends of Vancouver dinner that if the group raises $35,000 he will make a matching donation.
The group wants to place a sculpture of the British navigator along the waterfront.
In addition to the $14,000 they have amassed since last year, the raised $4,000 Thursday at the second annual Capt. George Vancouver memorial dinner at the Doubletree Hotel at the Quay.
"We're gradually getting there, and to hear Elie Kassab say he will donate $35,000 of his own money if we raise $35,000 was pretty heartwarming," said Avril Massey.
"It was quite sensational when he stood up and said that."
Massey, owner of The Cheshire Cat tea room, was born in England and started the effort to get the likeness of Vancouver in Vancouver.
Battle Ground sculptor Jim Demetro has made a 16-inch clay model.
Once the money has been raised, he'll cast a life-size model in bronze.
Vancouver was assigned in 1791 to survey the West coast. In four years, he sailed more than 30,000 miles and created charts that were used into the 20th century. He sent one of his officers, Lt. William Broughton, on an expedition up the Columbia River and Broughton named this piece of land after his captain.
The Thursday dinner included an auction and lighthearted speeches "with the Brits and the Americans poking fun at each other."
And Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard has a new title.Local philanthropist and businessman Paul Christensen had a heavy link chain designed for Pollard that was modeled after chains given to lord mayors in cities in England.
"Everybody called him lord mayor for the rest of the evening," Massey said.
The next Friends of Vancouver fund-raising event will be a Mother's Day tea from 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sunday, May 9, at the Marshall House. Tickets are $18 each at the Marshall House, Grant House or the Cheshire Cat, 2801 Fort Vancouver Way. Call 735-1141. $00:9900054436: $199:A9900054436 $01:Copyright 1999 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?
The Columbian $20:April 23, 1999, Friday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. b7 $60:COMMUTER TRAINS TO USE HONOR SYSTEM $90:AP $120:
TACOMA (AP) When commuter trains start running between Tacoma and Seattle later this year, the system will rely on passengers' honesty to pay their fares up to a point.
The Sound Transit agency will still use a stick to enforce the honor system: transit officials who will roam the trains checking tickets at random. Those without tickets or monthly passes could be kicked off at the next stop or given a citation for as much as $250.
The groundwork for the system was laid last week when Gov. Gary Locke signed into law Senate Bill 5274. Sound Transit had requested the bill so it can hire the conductors-cum-police officers with authority to write citations and remove non-paying passengers.
Instead of boarding single-file as bus passengers do, train riders will board all at once from platforms into multiple entrances on the train cars.
They won't pass through turnstiles or other barriers, Sound Transit spokesman Denny Fleenor said. $00:9900054437: $199:A9900054437 $01:Copyright 1999 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?
The Columbian $20:April 23, 1999, Friday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. b7 $60:OIL INDUSTRY SUPPORTS NEAH BAY RESCUE TUG $90:AP $120:
OLYMPIA (AP) In exchange for tax concessions, the oil industry supports a proposal to station a rescue tug at Neah Bay on a trial basis, using tax money already paid by the industry to finance the tug, a state official says.
The Legislature, in its final week of the regular session, is more likely to act on the proposal now that the oil industry is aboard, said Sheryl Hutchison, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Ecology, which worked out an agreement with the industry.
The proposal is backed by several influential lawmakers include Senate Agriculture and Ecology Chairwoman Karen Fraser, D-Lacey.
The industry successfully killed legislation this year to require tug escorts through the western half of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, but agreed that a tug at Neah Bay might be useful in the event any large ship, not just oil tankers, ran into trouble and threatened to spill oil.
The proposal, Hutchison said this week, involves stationing a rescue tug at or near Neah Bay for six months during the winter of 1999-2000.
The tug would be on call 24 hours a day to assist cargo ships and oil tankers that travel through the strait to Western Washington's inland waters.
The deal calls for spending $2.3 million out of the state's oil spill cleanup account to pay for the tug.
The proposal also calls for suspending for two years the portion of the oil tax that supports the response account along with other tax concessions to the industry.
"The rescue tug is a very important part of our strategy for protecting the strait from oil spills," said Ecology Director Tom Fitzsimmons. $00:9900054438: $199:A9900054438 $01:Copyright 1999 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?
The Columbian $20:April 23, 1999, Friday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. b8 $60:VITAL STATISTICS $90:compiled by Columbian staff $120:
Court sentencings
The Columbian's policy is to publish all Clark County Superior Court felony sentencings, as provided by the Clark County Clerk's Office. Addresses are provided by the courts and may have changed by the time of sentencing. Misdemeanor sentencings, provided by District Court, are published for the following crimes: DWI (driving while intoxicated), DWS (driving while suspended), driving while revoked, theft-3 (third-degree theft), and assault-4 (fourth-degree assault). If the defendant also is sentenced for other misdemeanors at the same time, those offenses are listed, too. Money figures represent fines.
Judges: Roger Bennett, James Ladley, Ed Poyfair, Robert Harris, Barbara Johnson, James Rulli, John Nichols, Vernon Schreiber, Randal Fritzler, Ken Eiesland, Darvin Zimmerman and John Wulle. District Court commissioner: James Swanger. Juvenile Court commissioner: Ronald Wilkinson.
SUPERIOR
Almanzo, Richard Leslie, 37, 3519 E. 21st St., No. A, 36 months, possession of a firearm-1. (Nichols, April 19)
Bailey, Dennis James, 46, 1012 Grant, 7 months, assault-2. (Nichols, April 19)
Cargile, Jamie Ray, 18, 10007 N.E. 143rd Court, 90 days, possession of a firearm-2. (Nichols, April 19)
Cooper, John Lewis, 28, 3307 N.E. 78th Ave., 90 days, felony violation of a domestic violence order. (Nichols, April 19)
Kelley, Archie Albert, 33, no address, 13 months, trafficking in stolen property-2. (Nichols, April 19)
Millison, Lindsey Rae, 22, 35401 N.E. 82nd Ave., La Center, 30 days, theft-1 (welfare fraud). (Nichols, April 19)
Molesworth, James William, 26, 5009 N.E. Hazel Dell Ave., No. 7, 120 days, possession of stolen property-1. (Nichols, April 20)
Parnell, Jashawa Dean, 20, 11515 N.E. 49th, No. JJ103, 35 days, theft-2. (Nichols, April 20)
Perkins, Rebecca June, 24, 5718 N.E. 88th St., 60 days, theft-1 and 2 counts forgery. (Poyfair, April 19)
Raviolo, Dino Roberto, 29, Portland, 20 days, burglary-2. (Nichols, April 19)
Rivers, Christopher Jon, 38, also known as Christopher John Rivers, Chris Penn and William F. Adams, no address, 90 days, possession of amphetamine. (Nichols, April 19)
Santoya, Edward David, 32, no address, 13 months, attempted burglary-2. (Nichols, April 19)
Thompson, Zachary David, 19, 405 West 31st St., 46 months, possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine. (Nichols, April 19)
DISTRICT
Barnes, Ronald S., 25, 708 N.E. 108th Ave., 30 days, $500, assault-4. (Fritzler, April 15)
Berry, Jennifer M., 22, 1715 N.E. 116th St., 2 days, $200, assault-4. (Fritzler, April 15)
Bolton, Mark Alan, 38, 2027 Simpson, 6 days, $500, assault-4 and interference with a report of domestic violence. (Fritzler, March 31)
Boose-McCoshum, Carolyn Sue, 30, 4504 N.E. 50th Ave., $300, DWS/revoked. (Schreiber, April 19)
Carstensen, Vicky M., 33, 2900 General Anderson, 3 days, $200, theft-3. (Wulle, April 12)
Caudell, Steven Lewis, 47, 7418 N.E. Hazel Dell Ave., No. 37, 35 days, $500, DWS/revoked. (Wulle, April 12)
Champton, Mary E., 44, 10700 N.E. 14th St., 7 days, $400, assault-4. (Schreiber, April 19)
Chauvin, Morris John, 20, 3318 U St., 10 days, $300, assault-4. (Fritzler, March 31)
Cook, James S., 34, 12705 N.W. 35th Ave., 10 days, $400, DWS/revoked. (Swanger, April 21)
Cossette, Troy R., 23, 2411 N.W. 116th St., 1 day, $500, DWI. (Zimmerman, April 19)
Crocker, Kelli J., 19, 4105 N.W. 119th St., 1 day, $600, DWI. (Eiesland, April 12)
Cross, Mikel Shane, 42, 1016 N.E. 68th St., $500, assault-4. (Eiesland, April 19)
Cuevas-Curvas, Alfredo, 24, Cornelius, Ore., 2 days, $200, theft-3. (Wulle, April 4)
Curry, David J., 18, 5317 N.E. 101st St., 4 days, $550, possession of marijuana and DWS/revoked. (Wulle, April 15)
Davis, Michael S., 42, 4121 E. 18th St., 3 days, $100, DWS/revoked. (Eiesland, April 12)
Dickenson, Donald W., 40, 934 N.E. Hylen Way, 5 days, $400, DWS/revoked. (Wulle, April 14)
Dorjee, Namgyal G., 38, 6006 N.E. Fourth St., 2 days, $200, assault-4. (Fritzler, April 15)
Ford, Erik Leo, 18, 2805 N.E. Burton Road, 30 days, $500, DWS/revoked. (Wulle, April 14)
Francis, Robert Leslie, 16, 4118 E. 18th St., 10 days, $400, DWS/revoked. (Wulle, April 13)
Freund, Kent, 37, 904 Minnehaha, No. C22, 2 days, $300, DWS/revoked. (Swanger, April 21)
Gillespie, Elizabeth Rachaell, 27, 902 N.E. Hylen Way, 10 days, $500, DWS/revoked. (Wulle, April 13)
Gilmore, Ronald D., 23, 14011 N.E. 76th St., 5 days, $800, negligent driving-1 and DWS/revoked. (Eiesland, April 12)
Glavin, Justin, 21, 2312 W. Ivy St., Camas, 10 days, $300, DWS/revoked. (Swanger, April 20)
Graham, Kyle D., 20, 6208 N.E. 17th Ave., 5 days, $500, DWS/revoked. (Eiesland, April 12)
Gray, Chad M., 29, 14625 Coast Pine Court No. E, 20 days, $600, assault-4 and malicious mischief. (Swanger, April 21)
Haack, Scott Alan, 38, 4216 N.E. 127th Ave., 20 days, $500, assault-4. (Fritzler, April 15)
Hamilton, Steven W., 47, 16812 S.E. First St., No. 77, 2 days, $600, DWI. (Eiesland, April 12)
Hasler, Gary J., 34, 2512 S.E. Baypoint, $300, DWS/revoked. (Swanger, April 19)
Herman, Edward Benson, 18, 3814 N.W. 122nd St., 15 days, $830, DWS/revoked and failure at acquire WA licence. (Swanger, April 21)
Hixson, Jemmy Bryan, 26, Geronimo, Okla., 1 day, $1,000, no valid operator's license and DWI. (Eiesland, April 12)
Hobbs, Jeremy Allan, 19, 8819A N.E. 15th Ave., 5 days, $700, assault-4 and DWS/revoked. (Zimmerman, April 8)
Horton, Luke John, 19, 16112 N.W. Lower River Road, 5 days, $300, DWS/revoked. (Swanger, April 20)
Hunt, Claire L., 33, 22413 N.E. 242nd Ave., Battle Ground, $100, assault-4. (Fritzler, April 14)
Hunt, William L., 19, 1316 G St., Washougal, 3 days, $400, DWS/revoked. (Schreiber, April 19)
Hunter, Paul Edward, 21, 1708 X St., 10 days, $600, DWI. (Zimmerman, April 7)
Jacoby, Ronald G., 51, 3115 S St., 5 days, $300, DWS/revoked. (Wulle, April 12)
Johnston, John C., 34, Woodland, 5 days, $400, DWS/revoked. (Swanger, April 19)
Karlovich, Kathrine M., 36, Kelso, $300, DWS/revoked. (Zimmerman, April 8)
Kempinski, Tamara Corina, 19, 900 S.E. Parkcrest Ave., 5 days, $300, assault-4. (Fritzler, April 14)
Kendall, Jason Donald, 24, 4217 N.E. 365th St., $200, DWS/revoked. (Swanger, April 21)
Kirk, James W., 36, 12604 N.E. 172nd Ave., Brush Prairie, 30 days, $300, DWS/revoked. (Zimmerman, April 6)
Lingue, Vince Allan, 20, 21235 N.E. 87th Ave., Battle round, 5 days, $200, theft-3. (Wulle, April 14)
Lininger, Ronald J., 28, 6201 N.E. 58th St., 10 days, $600, DWS/revoked. (Wulle, April 12)
Lins, Josh A., 17, 10705 N.E. 16th St., 20 days, $300, DWS/revoked. (Eiesland, April 12)
Lister, Lisa Anne, 37, Portland, 12 days, $1,200, DWS/revoked. (Eiesland, March 29)
Macintosh, Samuel Lloyd, 61, 15509 S.E. Mill Plain No. 57, $300, DWS/revoked. (Swanger, April 20)
McCormick, Tasha Ann, 21, 3124 N.E. 98th Circle, 45 days, $925, DWI. (Fritzler, April 15)
McLaughlin, Alyson, 29, 615 N.E. Pine Brook Ave., 1 day, $250, assault-4. (Zimmerman, April 7)
Meade, David Joshua, 32, 11307D N.E. 49th St., 2 days, $1,000, DWI and DWS/revoked. (Fritzler, April 15)
Meads, Marcus L., 21, Longview, 10 days, $400, DWS/revoked. (Swanger, April 16)
Montgomery, James M., 34, 18014 N.E. 92nd Ave., Battle Ground, 10 days, $575, (Schreiber, April 20)
Mulkey, Jessie Irene, 22, 2619 E. 25th St., 3 days, $300, DWS/revoked. (Wulle, April 15)
Mundt, Wolfgang Thomas, 21, 19524 Williams Highway, 1 day, $500, negligent driving and DWS/revoked. (Zimmerman, April 8)
Neis, Joseph Harold, 37, 5110 N.E. 137th, 5 days, $350, DWS/revoked. (Schreiber, April 19)
Newman, Gary W. Jr., 34, 2017 S.E. Talton Ave., 6 days, $650, possession of marijuana and DWS/revoked. (Fritzler, April 15)
O'Neil, Brian E., 32, 7309 N.E. 44th Way, 1 day, $150, DWS/revoked. (Wulle, April 15)
Perkins, Eric J., 21, 7514 N.E. 102nd Court, 3 days, $200, theft-3. (Eiesland, April 12)
Pickel, Richard R., 32, 4505 12th St., 10 days, $500, DWS/revoked. (Wulle, April 13)
Place, Lalani Dee, 34, 3311 E. 18th St., 2 days, $200, theft-3. (Zimmerman, April 6)
Place, Steffany Linn, 18, 2915 N.E. Maple Wood Drive, 2 days, $200, theft-3. (Eiesland, April 12)
Skillings, Terry Russel, 55, 10804 N.E. Highway 99, 10 days, $500, DWS/revoked. (Wulle, April 15)
Smith, Christie L., 40, 2464 Rossiter Lane, 7 days, $850, DWS/revoked, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana. (Schreiber, April 20)
Smith, James, 28, 908 W. 36th St., 30 days, theft-3. (Wulle, April 14)
Starr, Gary W., 37, McMinnville, Ore., 5 days, $400, DWS/revoked. (Swanger, April 16)
Stephens, Jeffery L., 41, Woodland, 25 days, $1,100, 2 counts DWS/revoked. (Wulle, April 12)
Toivonen, Carla Ann, 20, 504 Miami Way, 5 days, $300, theft-3. (Zimmerman, April 8)
Underwood, Dennis B., 22, 2000 Laurel Place, No. 220, $250, DWS/revoked. (Eiesland, April 12)
Waters, Thomas G., 42, 12100 N.E. 76th St., 1 day, $525, DWI. (Fritzler, April 15)
Whiting, Christopher M., 25, 8620 N.E. 111th Ave., 3 days, $300, DWS/revoked. (Wulle, April 14)
Whitten, Ronald A. Jr., 20, 3829 E. 18th St., 7 days, $500, assault-4 and malicious mischief. (Schreiber, April 19)
Wickstrom, Peter T., 37, 304 W. 28th St., 30 days, $300, theft-3. (Schreiber, April 20)
Williams, Claudia A., 43, 1511 W St., 5 days, $350, DWS/revoked. (Swanger, April 20)
Williams, Robert S., 38, 2813 N.W. 179th St., 5 days, $400, DWS/revoked. (Wulle, April 12)
Wilson, Jerry Bicentennial III, 22, 1701 Brandt Road, 10 days, $600, 2 counts-DWS/revoked. (Zimmerman, April 6)
Winegar, Danny J., 34, 2409 Markel, 30 days, $500, assault-4. (Schreiber, April 14)Ziegler, Kurtis James, 31, 10405 N.E. 39th Ave., 3 days, $500, assault-4. (Eiesland, April 19)
CAMAS/WASHOUGAL:
Benchek, Joseph T., 23, 617 S.E. Russell St., Camas, 10 days, $500, DWS/revoked. (Swanger, April 8)
Brown, Brett Joseph, 41, 655 S.W. Trout St., Camas, 60 days, $500, DWS/revoked. (Schreiber, April 15)
Butterfield, Ronnie J., 33, 915 S.E. 271st Ave., Camas, 10 days, $600, 2 counts assault-4. (Schreiber, April 15)
Croswell, Keri L., 37, 411 N.E. Birch St., Camas, 10 days, $400, DWS/revoked. (Swanger, April 8)
Dowd, Jon Henri D., 25, 634 N.E. 19th Ave., Camas, $300, DWS/revoked. (Schreiber, April 15)
Economides, David T., 28, 218 N.W. 22nd Ave., Camas, 7 days, $300, DWS/revoked. (Schreiber, April 15)
Evans, Luke Harris, 24, 215 N.E. 13th Ave., Camas, 20 days, $1,000, theft-3 and possession of stolen property-3. (Schreiber, April 15)
Fiers, Willie L., 43, Portland, 5 days, $350, DWS/revoked. (Schreiber, April 15)
Fulmer, Robert Chris, 41, 2915 E. McLoughlin Blvd., 5 days, $350, DWS/revoked. (Swanger, April 1)
Goss, Marlon Kenn, 22, Portland, 30 days, $450, negligent driving-2 and DWS/revoked. (Swanger, April 1)
Guthrie, Norman Chad, 30, 21306 N.E. Ninth St., Camas, $300, 2 counts DWS/revoked. (Swanger, April 1 and April 8)
Hall, Stacy Rae, 19, 22112 N.E. 37th Ave., Ridgefield, $150, DWS/revoked. (Schreiber, April 15)
Hernandez, Miguel A. M., 28, 240 Seventh Court, Washougal, $300, DWS/revoked. (Swanger, April 8)
Jewell, Melody E., 45, 1221 S.E. Evergreen Way, Washougal, 5 days, $400, theft-3. (Swanger, April 8)
King, Walter Lee, 41, 45 N.E. Fourth Ave., Camas, 10 days, $350, DWS/revoked. (Schreiber, April 15)
Krause, Danielle R., 23, 4290 Addy St., Washougal, $100, DWS/revoked. (Swanger, April 1)
Ledbetter, R. J., 25, 1205 N.E. 92nd Ave., 5 days, $350, DWS/revoked. (Swanger, April 1)
Mills, William Allen, 31, 3115 N.E. 299th Ave., Camas, 45 days, $800. DWI. (Zimmerman, April 8)
Myers, David B., 35, 618 S.E. 283rd Ave., Camas, 1 day, $600, DWI. (Schreiber, April 15)
Parker, Keith Anthony, 45, Portland, 5 days, $350, DWS/revoked. (Schreiber, April 15)
Pietila, Krista M., 25, 4501 Addy St., Washougal, $100, DWS/revoked. (Swanger, April 1)
Reintjes, Bradley H., 44, 405 N.E. Fourth Ave., Camas, 3 days, $350, DWS/revoked. (Schreiber, April 15)
Reynolds, Dakota S., 20, 2137 N.W. 31st Circle, Camas, $250, DWS/revoked. (Schreiber, April 15)
Sample, Charles W., 18, 26612 N.E. Bradford, 5 days, $500, theft-3. (Swanger, April 1)
Schappell, Guy Dell, 40, 623 12th St., Washougal, 90 days, $2,000, DWS/revoked and DWI. (Swanger, April 1)
Tatman, Sheri L., 31, 16181 Washougal River Road, Washougal, 5 days, $350, DWS/revoked. (Schreiber, April 15)
Taunt, Sheldon Lee, 22, 4300 Addy St., Washougal, 30 days, $250, DWS/revoked. (Schreiber, April 15)
JUVENILE
Killion, Michelle, 14, Portland, 15 days, 12 months probation, 32 hours community service, arson-2. (Wilkinson, April 1)
Webberley, Leon Joseph, 14, Scappoose, Ore, 6 months probation, 16 hours community service, attempted burglary-2. (Wilkinson, Feb. 2)
SUPERIOR
Baxter, Phillip James, 19, 4203 N.E. 104th Ave., 30 days, theft-2. (Bennett, April 22)
Black, Taylor A., 37, 2115 N.E. 49th St., 30 days, theft-1. (Bennett, April 22)
Hren, Sharon D., 43, 13600 N.E. 60th St., 30 days, malicious mischief-2. (Nichols, April 22)
Jones, Thaddeus, 21, 14311 N.E. 192nd Ave., Brush Prairie, 60 days, escape from community custody. (Bennett, April 22)
Sanders, Jeannie Lynn, 39, Portland, 12 months, 1 day, escape-2. (Ladley, April 20)
Marriage dissolutions
PETITIONS FILED
Crouse, Paul W. and Sharon C.
Daggy, Lawrence Eugene and Jeannie Marie.
Gassaway, David A. and Tracey J.
Moultrie, Darrin and Shela.
Richards, Von Hill and April Diane.
Marriage licenses
APPLICATIONS FILED April 22
Codino, Nicholas, 23, 11412 N.E. 49th St., with Eatmon, Celeste, same address.
Conner, Clifford S., 54, 11301 S.E. 10th No. 239, with Marstaller, Lynda M., 51, same address.
Fellows, Shephen H., 43, 3507 N.W. Hayes Road, with Menn, Sylvia, 58, 6408 N.E. 129th St.
Hardt, Thomas P., 54, 1806 N.W. 269th St. Ridgefield, with Hamilton, Caryl L., 36, same address.
Hatcher, Gary C., 56, 803 Chestnut St., with Welch, Dana K., 47, same address.
Thomas, William J., 44, 9804 N.E. 70th St., with Aviles, Linda, 43, same address. $00:9900054440: $199:A9900054440 $01:Copyright 1999 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?
The Columbian $20:April 23, 1999, Friday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. b9 $60:MAN SENTENCED IN ID, CREDIT CARD CONSPIRACY $90:AP $120:
SEATTLE (AP) The ringleader of a group that rang up hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent purchases using stolen identifications and credit cards has pleaded guilty to 14 felony counts.
Glenn Cornell Wright, 46, of Seattle, pleaded guilty Thursday in King County Superior Court to theft, fraud, forgery, conspiracy, telecommunications fraud and possession of stolen property, stemming from crimes in 1996.
He faces 42 to 57 months in prison. $00:9900054445: $199:A9900054445 $01:Copyright 1999 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?
The Columbian $20:April 23, 1999, Friday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. b10 $60:STUDY: LEVELS OF METALS IN SPOKANE RIVER HIGH $90:AP $120:
SPOKANE (AP) A federal study of the Spokane River found elevated levels of lead, zinc and other heavy metals that apparently washed downstream from former mining operations in northern Idaho's Silver Valley.
Some of the sediment collected from the riverbed and shorelines contained concentrations far above normal background levels, said Mary Jane Nearman of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's regional office in Seattle.
The findings are from a study the EPA hired the U.S. Geological Survey to conduct.
The agency examined sediment from the Idaho state line to northeastern Washington's Lake Roosevelt, the Columbia River reservoir into which the Spokane River flows. Samples were taken last October and again in February.
The metals are coming from northern Idaho's Lake Coeur d'Alene, which feeds the Spokane River's headwaters.
The new study is the first attempt to comprehensively examine river sediment. $00:9900054446: $199:A9900054446 $01:Copyright 1999 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?
The Columbian $20:April 23, 1999, Friday $30:Sports; Pg. d1 $60:TRAIL BLAZERS TEST THEIR METTLE IN UTAH $90:KEN VANCE, Columbian staff writer $100:basketball $120:
Tonight might be the night the entire National Basketball Association will find out if the Trail Blazers are contenders or pretenders.
The Blazers are in Salt Lake City to meet the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center (7:30 p.m., Channel 8 and TNT, KEX 1190 AM) in a matchup that will feature the teams with the league's best records. Portland enters the game with a 31-10 record, a half game behind the Jazz (32-10) in the Western Conference standings.
With less than two weeks remaining in the NBA's regular season, tonight's game will have a significant impact on which team finishes with the league's top record. The reward will be homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs.
"It's going to be a dog fight,'' forward Rasheed Wallace said. "Hopefully, we will come out on top.''
Portland and Utah are teams that have traveled different roads to get to this point. The Jazz, with its veteran-laden roster, have won the Western Conference Championship the past two seasons, losing in the NBA Finals each year to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
While Utah has been on the verge of winning a title in recent years, the Blazers have been dealing with more than just a couple of bumps in the road. They have lost in the first round of the playoffs for six straight seasons.
When this year began, they admittedly set their initial goal at finishing in the top four spots in the conference, which would give them homecourt advantage for one round and a shot at breaking their streak of futility.
However, the Blazers' success this season has shed a whole new light on their potential. So, with the Pacific Division title and the West's No. 2 seed that goes with it all but wrapped up, Portland recast its aim on greater things.
And a victory tonight would put the Blazers in a much better position to accomplish their new goal.
"If we get Utah, then we are looking downhill,'' guard Isaiah Rider said. "We've still got some tough games, but this would give us some big momentum and make a big statement.''
The Blazers feel it is virtually impossible to overstate the importance of homecourt advantage in the playoffs. Even though it appears they will have that luxury in the first two rounds of the postseason, having it in a conference finals series against the Jazz, if they get that far, would be vital to advancing to the NBA Finals.
"It's real big for us,'' Wallace said. "It's real important to have the homecourt advantage. The fans here (in the Rose Garden) go crazy and ballistic during games, so it's definitely important for us to have it.''
In the history of their franchise, there has been no tougher place for the Blazers to play than Utah. They have an all-time record of 9-44 (.170) when playing on the Jazz homecourt. In the last 10 years, the Blazers are 3-15 in Salt Lake City, compared to a 15-5 mark in games played in Portland during that span.
"We'll do everything possible and in our power to try to come out of there with a victory,'' forward Brian Grant said. "You can't control the referees. You can't control the crowd. The only thing you can do is control how you play.''
The Blazers and Jazz have split two games this season, both were played in Portland. The Blazers claimed a 102-100 double-overtime victory on March 2 and the Jazz evened the series with a 91-77 win 10 days later in the Rose Garden.
Portland coach Mike Dunleavy isn't shy about admitting that he and his players are setting their sights a little higher than they were prior to the season, but he agrees with Grant. All the Blazers can do is play hard, and let everything else fall into place.
"Our goal is to win the championship,'' Dunleavy said. "This is what I stress to the guys. We can go out every night and play hard for 48 minutes. We can guarantee ourselves that every night. It's the only thing we can guarantee. We can't guarantee that we are going to make shots. We can't guarantee anything other than to give a good effort and do the best we can.
"That's what we've done up to this point. I'm pleased with that. It's only in the end that you'll see whatever results you have. If you are a team and you do that, usually you reach your potential. You reach it or you exceed it, one of the two. You usually don't fall short of it. If you get beat, it's because you get beat by a better team.''
Blazer notes Tickets for Games 1 and 2 of the playoffs will go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Rose Quarter ticket office and at all Ticketmaster locations. Dates, times and the opponent are yet to be determined. The regular season will end May 5 and it's expected the playoffs will start the following weekend, but no specific days have been announced by the NBA. $00:9900054448: $199:A9900054448 $01:Copyright 1999 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?
The Columbian $20:April 23, 1999, Friday $30:Sports; Pg. d1 $60:WILL THE REAL WSU QUARTERBACK PLEASE STAND UP?
COUGARS COACH MIKE PRICE HOPES SATURDAY'S INTRASQUAD GAME WILL HELP HIM CHOOSE ONE OF THE THREE HOPEFULS $90:NICK DASCHEL, Columbian staff writer $100:college football $120:
As Washington State's quarterbacks go, so goes the Cougars' football team. That statement isn't completely accurate or fair, but it's undeniable that the position played a large role in WSU's forgettable 0-8 Pacific 10 season in 1998.
Steve Birnbaum and Paul Mencke shared the quarterback role last season. Both had their moments, but the moments never meant much because ultimately, the quarterbacks and the Cougars self-destructed. Twenty-five interceptions among the 47 turnovers took Washington State out of most games.
Coming off a Rose Bowl season, even the most cynical Cougar fans were willing to forgive the 1998 shortcomings. But consecutive poor seasons from WSU's quarterbacks will be hard to swallow, particularly from a school that routinely stamps out top-level NFL quarterbacks.
Saturdaywill be a particularly critical day in what has been a busy offseason for Washington State coaches and quarterbacks. The Cougars will end spring practice with an intrasquad game Saturday in Martin Stadium. From that game, WSU coach Mike Price would like a starting quarterback to emerge from the contending pack of Mencke, Birnbaum and Jason Gesser.
"They've been under tremendous pressure this spring," Price said. "But I don't know who it will be."
If not Saturday, then when?
"I'd like to have someone decided by Sept. 4," he said, with a slight chuckle.
Price's hesitation to name a starter isn't an endorsement that the quarterback position continues to founder, or so he says.
"I think the position of quarterback is much better than last year," he said. "They're all playing better. I'm very encouraged."
Clearly, the heat has been on the three WSU signal callers. Until Birnbaum and Gesser suffered minor injuries midway through spring drills, the quarterbacks were not given the luxury of wearing protective gold jerseys, which are worn by practice players who are off-limits to defensive contact. Every drop back, pass and read by WSU quarterbacks this spring has been filmed and analyzed by the coaches.
"Last year during spring, it was just a learning experience," Mencke said. "Now (Price) expects you to know it, not mess up. It's not alright to throw a bad ball."
The results during the three weeks of spring practice have been mixed. During the first scrimmage, the three quarterbacks combined to complete 20 of 29 passes for 229 yards. But in last week's scrimmage, Birnbaum hit just 2 of 10 passes, Mencke just 6 of 17.
All in all, Mencke believes progress has been made.
"I think I'm more comfortable in the pocket," he said. "After a year, you start understanding how fast guys are, how big guys are. Instead of trying to force things in there, you try to throw the ball away, or tuck it under and run. Hopefully, I can show that I won't make the bad decisions that I did last year."
And what if Mencke isn't given the chance to show the bad decisions are behind him as WSU's starting quarterback?
"I'll be very disappointed. I definitely want to be the starter," he said.
The wild card in the quarterback race is the redshirt freshman Gesser, who is four inches shorter than the 6-5 Mencke and Birnbaum and has a style that wildly contrasts the other two. While Mencke and Birnbaum almost always drop back and look to throw, Gesser is a pure scrambler. His game is to make something happen, whether it's in the air or on the run.
Gesser reasons his style has merit, saying "the game is evolving right now. The top five quarterbacks in the NFL draft are all able to throw on the run and move. They're not the 6-5 guys that can let the pocket revolve around them. You have to make things happen on the move. That kind of play favors me."
Although the former Hawaii high school standout lacks seasoning, Gesser believes come Saturday, "I feel like I have a chance at the starting job."
Cougar notes
Senior placekicker Rian Lindell is showing signs of breaking out of a funk that plagued him during the 1998 season. Lindell, who hit just 8 of 17 field goals last year, hit 6 of 7 during last week's scrimmage.
"He's really improved," Price said of the Mountain View graduate. "His timing is back. It's kind of like golf. One day you have it, the next day, you don't."
* The quarterbacks alone weren't responsible for WSU's offensive woes last year. The Cougars' corps of receivers dropped a lot of passes, and when they did, rarely found a way to make a big play.
Price swears that has changed. He loves the group of receivers he's watched during spring drills, led by Nian Taylor, Leaford Hackett and Jerry Roquemore. Price believes the year of experience will pay off next fall.
"We're really better. Maybe back to where we were with the Fab 5," he said, referring to WSU's standout receiving group during its Rose Bowl season.
* Briefly:When Washington State is playing a home game that is not televised next season, the new game time will be at 1 p.m., rather than 2 p.m.
* Washington State will sport new uniforms next season, but it's not known when they'll be unveiled.
* Season ticket sales are well ahead of last season. The Cougars already have peddled more than 7,300 season tickets, and are on pace to break last year's record of 11,024. WSU didn't reach the 7,000 ticket mark last year until June.
* About 6,000 wooden bleacher seats in the east end of Martin Stadium are being replaced with metal benches.
Washington State 1999 football schedule
All times TBA
Date Opponent
Sept. 4 Utah
Sept. 11 at Stanford
Sept. 18 Idaho (a)
Sept. 25 Arizona
Oct. 2 California
Oct. 9 SW Louisiana
Oct. 23 at Arizona St.
Oct. 30 Oregon St.
Nov. 6 at Oregon
Nov. 13 USC
Nov. 20 at Washington
Nov. 27 at Hawaii
a -- game played in Pullman, but Idaho is the home team.

compiled by Columbian staff


Copyright 1999 The Columbian Publishing Co.