Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard
will speak at conference opening.
(File photo: © Jonathan Maus)

Nearly 300 outdoor industry bigwigs will descend on downtown Vancouver, Washington this week for the Outdoor Industry Association’s (OIA) 2007 Rendezvous event.

According to the OIA, the conference, “provides the outdoor industry with the single most powerful, creative and productive gathering of influential executives and strategic staff members.”

The list of companies and organizations that will attend reads like a who’s who of the outdoor biz.

Read more

[Updated 1:18pm]

Here’s the latest news from the Oregon State Police on a fatal bicycle crash that happened at 6:10 am this morning on Highway 30 near St. Helens.

A 49-year old St. Helens-area man died Monday morning when he was struck by two vehicles while riding his bicycle on Highway 30 north of St. Helens about 1/4 mile south of Island Road.

On October 1, 2007 at approximately 6:10 a.m. a 2001 Mazda Tribute driven by Rebecca B. Harrison N, age 48, from Deer Island, was southbound on Highway 30 near milepost 29 in the left lane when it struck a bicycle operated by Christofer Raymond Mabe, age 49, from St. Helens. After this initial impact, Mabe was ejected from the bicycle across the center median and into the left northbound lane. A northbound Ford pickup driven by Robert Sessions, age 48, from St. Helens, saw the victim’s body and swerved into the center median where it struck the bicycle at the point it had come to rest after the initial impact. Sessions did not run over the victim, but another northbound vehicle driven by Steven Graves age 31, from Kelso, Washington, was unable to avoid running over the victim.

Mabe was pronounced deceased at the scene. No protective helmet was found in the area of the crash.

None of the involved vehicle operators were injured. They were using safety restraints.