Cheers: To the city of Vancouver for cleaning up a health hazard and eyesore. Crews dismantled a homeless encampment along the sound wall on West Mill Plain Boulevard in the Hough neighborhood. Area residents had been complaining to the city for nearly a year about the site and its users, who left trash and openly used drugs in their neighborhood, among other issues. Addressing the situation was a slow process as the city’s homelessness response team worked to find safe places for as many of the camp’s residents as possible. We trust the city will keep a close eye on the situation to ensure that the camp doesn’t return. Jeers: To state Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, for his efforts to get the federal government to audit Washington’s voter-registration system. Walsh contends the state’s so-called motor voter law allows ineligible people to be added to the voter-registration database. His contention ignores this policy from the Washington Secretary of State’s office: “When providing proof of U.S. citizenship to complete certain transactions with Washington state agencies, a person is automatically registered to vote or have their information in the statewide voter registration database updated. One example is getting an Enhanced Driver’s License or ID with the Department of Licensing.”

It’s relevant to note that Walsh is also chairman of the state’s Republican Party. He’s not really interested in the Legislature taking action; he wants to draw the attention of President Donald Trump, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and others. It’s just another in the countless unwarranted aspersions cast about election security. Cheers: To bird-loving volunteers. Vancouver Audubon’s annual Christmas bird count saw 80 volunteers divided into 26 teams spend an estimated 385 hours watching for avians, The Columbian’s Shari Phiel reported. The data collected for the nationwide event helps provide important information used to track bird populations over several years. It’s another example of how citizen scientists can advance knowledge in their community — and beyond. Jeers: To bills dealing with important issues not surviving the Legislature’s latest cutoff deadline.

We know lawmakers have an especially difficult task this year as they deal with a projected $12 billion budget deficit over four years. But some of the measures that didn’t survive this session carry a sharp sting, especially Gov. Bob Ferguson’s push to make school meals free to all students, and support for the Victims of Crime Act State Plan, which was hoping Washington could step up with help as federal funding declines. Cheers: To Becky McGrath, executive chef of beloved Vancouver-based fast-food chain Burgerville. It’s McGrath who develops Burgerville’s new menu items. Enjoy spicy chicken sliders, jojo potatoes and Mocha Perk Shakes? Then you have McGrath to thank. The job sounds delicious — and we’re sure that for those who participate in testing new recipes, it is — but it’s also exacting. McGrath must ensure that new offerings are locally sourced, are not too time-consuming to prepare and can theoretically be held in one hand (to accommodate those drive-thru customers who just can’t wait to bite into that slider). McGrath’s efforts illustrate why locals consider Burgerville a cut above.