North Salmon Creek -- Local music lovers, especially young ones, will benefit from a recent gift from Wells Fargo to the Vancouver Symphony. Wells Fargo gave the semi-professional community orchestra $4,050 in support of its performances for younger audiences. The symphony plans to spend the money on its spring concert season -- especially the April concerts, featuring the winner of the its Young Artists Competition, and a series of in-school May concerts, in partnership with the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. Visit vancouversymphony.org for concert information and tickets. The usual home of the Vancouver Symphony is Skyview High School in Vancouver.

Columbia Shores -- The Village at Columbia Shores, a condominium development on the Vancouver waterfront, has won a gold medal from the Community Associations Institute of Oregon -- which covers Southwest Washington, too -- as one of the best homeowner associations of 2011. According to its entry essay, VCS was dogged by a history of poor upkeep, and was preparing a $300,000 inspection and repair program when it was discovered that far more was needed -- closer to $4.4 million. Homeowners “were angry, fighting with each other, and meetings were tense,” the essay says -- but they came through in the end, thanks to exhaustive communications and creative problem solving among the board of directors, Columbia Bank, I&E Construction, managers, attorneys and residents. The required work was completed within 18 months. Residents celebrated with a pool party, according to board president Al Perez.

Salmon Creek -- Fred Meyer customers and employees donated $5,259.11 to Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center’s cancer services as part of the company’s holiday giving campaign. The money was raised through change dropped into check stand coin boxes and by Fred Meyer employees at its seven Clark County stores. Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center’s cancer services programs serve more than 3,600 people annually. The donation will be used to offer free mammograms to those who otherwise could not afford them, and to provide support groups for breast cancer patients and their families.

Venersborg -- Ryan and Wendy VanSteenwyk were one of many smiling couples photographed Feb. 11 under an arch at the Venersborg School Sweetheart’s Dance. Proceeds from the fundraising event will go to maintain the former schoolhouse, which is now a community center, and to sponsor public events. Several events have been planned to mark this year’s centennial anniversary of the historic Venersborg School, the last intact one-room schoolhouse in Clark County. For more information, visit <a href=\"http://www.venersborg.blogspot.com\">http://www.venersborg.blogspot.com</a> for the Venersborg Community Club or <a href=\"http://on.fb.me/zMLyun\">http://on.fb.me/zMLyun</a> for the Facebook page of the Historic Venersborg Schoolhouse, a nonprofit group dedicated to the preservation of the building.

Fircrest -- The east Vancouver location of Smiles Dental was one of several that participated in Doctor With a Heart Day on Feb. 10. More than 150 people who could not afford otherwise turned out for free dental care that day. Jeromy Dixson, the owner of Smiles Dental, estimates that the business donated nearly $60,000 in dental care. Smiles also has locations in Hazel Dell and Ridgefield.

Fruit Valley -- Fruit Valley Elementary School set the per capita record for fundraising in the Foundation for Vancouver Public Schools annual campaign in January. Fruit Valley raised $5,583, the most generated per person across the whole Vancouver School District. Fruit Valley students and staff members were honored for the effort on Jan. 25 at a school assembly. The whole district set a record, too; students raised $52,013 and staff raised $129,143 for a combined total of $181,156 for the Foundation for Vancouver Public Schools. The foundation pays for programs such as Lunch Buddies, Basic Needs Checkbooks for principals, medical and dental assistance for needy students. In the 2010-11 school year, the foundation provided $96,000 in basic needs support and $81,000 in classroom enrichment grants. For more information, call 360-313-4730 or visit http://vsdfoundation.org.

Hudson’s Bay -- The National Park Service at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site has completed the East and South Barracks Draft Master Plan and Environmental Assessment. It is available for review at <a href=\"http://www.parkplanning.nps.gov/fova.\">http://www.parkplanning.nps.gov/fova.</a> Public comments, which are accepted until March 19, can be left by clicking on the document name, then on the “Open for Comment” button to the left of the webpage, then on the name of the document again, and finally on the “Comment of Document” button. The National Park Service also is hosting two public meetings from noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday and 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at E.B. Hamilton Hall, also known as the Red Cross building, 605 Barnes St. in Vancouver. Both meetings will include a site tour. For information, call 360-816-6212.

A dozen protesters affiliated with the Service Employees International Union occupied the state Office of Administrative Hearings in Vancouver Tuesday and staged a sit-down strike at closing time Tuesday to protest recent state cuts to in-home care.

The state supplemental transportation budgets proposed by the Senate and House include funding for Southwest Washington highway projects, including the plan to replace the Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River.

WASHOUGAL — It’s $1.75 for a standard-size top loader, $3.50 for a big front loader and $4.50 for a superloader. Then, it’s 25 cents for a meager seven minutes of drying time, which is never close to enough. Plus, there’s detergent. Add it all up, and the price of doing your laundry is as much as a decent meal or a gas tank top-off.