Clark County Today News

Pam Lewison of the Washington Policy Center argues the White House plan to allow 300,000 metric tons of tariff-free ground beef imports will depress cattle markets during a critical sales season, force ranchers to sell more cattle than they want, and do little to lower grocery bills for American consumers. Six major agriculture organizations, including the NCBA and the American Farm Bureau Federat...

Lars Larson argues Democrats created the vote-by-mail system now generating a 32% spike in rejected ballots during this year's primaries. He cites Democrat Secretaries of State refusing to clean up voter rolls and Senate Democrats blocking the SAVE America Act, which he says has 80% public support. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-democrats-blame-mr-postman-for-their-own-tardy-voters/...

Camas resident Anna Miller asked ChatGPT to explain itself, then shared her reaction: equal parts amazement and concern. She argues that legislators alone should not regulate AI, and proposes a broad national advisory council that includes researchers, ethicists, defense specialists, and workers. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-ai-artificial-intelligence-wow-and-yikes/ #ArtificialIntel...

Clark County plans to release an RFP on Sept. 9 for a long-term lease of Tri-Mountain Golf Course in Ridgefield. The selected operator would take on management, maintenance, and capital needs, including an estimated $2.7 million in improvements identified in a 2019 assessment. About eight parties have already expressed interest. https://clarkcountytoday.com/business/clark-county-prepares-to-seek-p...

Josue Paredes Merino, already in custody for a brush fire and bicycle theft, was charged September 3 with first-degree arson in the Furniture World SW fire on NE Saint Johns Road. Fire investigators found two separate points of origin and placed him near the scene via surveillance video. Damage exceeded $640,000. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/suspect-arrested-for-brush-fire-and-theft/ #ClarkCo...

The Clark County Council's amended Rules of Procedure drew a sharp response from Councilor Michelle Belkot. A new attack ad targets Sen. John Braun on three claims. More than 500 people lined up in the rain for Ridgefield's Goodwill Superstore opening. Healing Steps in Brush Prairie serves children with ADHD and autism through equine therapy. And high school football returns to Clark County under...

The Clark County Council's amended Rules of Procedure now explicitly allow a majority to direct appointed members' votes and remove them for any reason. Councilor Michelle Belkot says that language reinforces her argument that the council lacked clear authority when it removed her from the C-TRAN Board of Directors in 2025. Clark County Today is polling readers on whether the new rules suggest her...

The 2026 high school football season opens in Southwest Washington with two leagues operating under drastically altered schedules. The 4A GSHL plays a six-game round-robin, while the 2A GSHL splits into two four-team divisions after the Evergreen Conference pulled out at the last minute. Washougal coach David Hajek breaks down what it all means. https://clarkcountytoday.com/sports/high-school-foot...

Kelsey Herman holds a doctorate in occupational therapy and co-owns Healing Steps in Brush Prairie, where six licensed therapists and more than 50 volunteers use horses to help children with ADHD, autism, and genetic syndromes, and adults recovering from strokes or Parkinson's Disease, build foundational life skills. https://clarkcountytoday.com/people/business-profile-horse-magic-is-on-display-at...

Clark County Supermajority has launched a campaign backing Amendment 25, which would require a two-thirds vote of the Clark County Council to impose or increase councilmanic taxes starting January 1, 2027. The measure heads to voters in November 2026. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/clark-county-supermajority-launches-campaign-to-support-amendment-25/ #ClarkCounty #Amendment25 #ClarkCountySuperm...

Todd Myers of the Washington Policy Center argues the 2001 Roadless Rule is hampering efforts to reduce catastrophic wildfire risk in federal forests. In the Pacific Northwest, more than half of roadless areas fall in high or very high wildfire hazard zones, and the average fire in those areas burns more than double the acreage of fires on other Forest Service lands. https://clarkcountytoday.com/o...

RedDoor Gallery in Camas opens its fall season Friday, Sept. 4 from 5 to 8 p.m. with a free First Friday reception featuring new oil paintings by Ray Baxter and Sarah Bang. Gallery owner Liz Pike and many of the 16 resident artists. https://clarkcountytoday.com/people/reddoor-gallery-welcomes-fall-with-new-works/ #RedDoorGallery #Camas #ClarkCounty #FirstFriday #FineArt #LocalArt #CamasEvents #Oil...

Washington law requires drivers to stop for a school bus stopped on a roadway, but the word "either" in that law limits who must stop. Doug Dahl of The Wise Drive breaks down why cross-traffic at a four-way stop may not be legally required to halt. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-a-school-bus-a-four-way-stop-and-the-meaning-of-either/ #TargetZero #TrafficSafety #SchoolBus #WashingtonS...

Randal O'Toole of the Cascade Policy Institute argues TriMet's first light-rail line, turning 40 on September 5, triggered fare hikes and bus cuts that dropped Portland-area transit commuters from 9.6 percent in 1980 to 3.8 percent by 2024. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-max-at-40-how-light-rail-helped-empty-portlands-transit-system/ #Opinion #Transportation #PortlandTransit #TriMet...

Best friends Jaedyn Bryan and Aleea Fike arrived at 6 a.m. to be first in line at the new Goodwill Superstore in Ridgefield, where more than 500 customers waited in the rain before the doors opened. Vocational services director David Miller called it the biggest grand opening crowd he had ever seen. https://clarkcountytoday.com/people/huge-crowd-gathers-for-goodwill-superstore-grand-opening-in-rid...

Brush Prairie resident Bob Mattila argues the pipe dream of light rail on a new I-5 Bridge is the single biggest obstacle to getting it built, contending the added weight of tracks and trains doubles construction costs through earthquake-proofing requirements. He proposes a phased, two-bridge approach built east of the current structure. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/tletter-the-pipe-dream-...

Former Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler urged support for I-645, a voter initiative to repeal Washington's new income tax on individuals earning more than $1 million annually. She warned lawmakers rejected amendments that would have barred future expansion of the tax to lower income levels. https://clarkcountytoday.com/business/video-former-congresswoman-jaime-herrera-beutler-speaks-out-against...

Washington rejected 20,267 ballots in this year's primary for late postmarks, up 32% from 16,131 in 2024. Rural counties were hardest hit, with some seeing triple or quadruple the rejections. Secretary of State Steve Hobbs and Sen. Maria Cantwell say Postal Service policy changes are driving the surge ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/uncounted-late-ballots-ju...

Automated license plate reader cameras from Atlanta-based Flock Safety have cost Washington taxpayers at least $2 million, and nearly 80 jurisdictions are now rethinking their contracts. Redmond unanimously voted to terminate its agreement in July after community members called the cameras a threat. Washington has no complete public inventory of how many agencies use the technology. https://clarkc...

Battle Ground Public Schools approved a $227 million budget with a $14 million gap between revenue and expenditures, relying on fund balance reserves to stay operational. The district enters 2026-27 as its first full year without local levy funding, after cutting 137.2 positions and facing rising fuel and insurance costs. https://clarkcountytoday.com/youth/battle-ground-schools-approve-budget-with...

Vancouver resident Bob Zak writes that as September arrives, Americans should remember the 9/11 attacks the way they remember Pearl Harbor. He argues Muslim communities seeking Sharia Law are incompatible with the US Constitution, and closes by calling America a Christian nation under one God. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-does-anyone-remember-9-11-2001/ #Opinion #911Remembrance #Cla...

On Aug. 21, American Stewards of Liberty petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to delist the gray wolf, arguing the listed groups do not meet the ESA's own definition of a species. Columnist Nancy Churchill examines the agency's science, Washington's minimum count of 270 wolves, 17 documented depredation events in 2025, and the stalled Senate companion bill S. 1306. https://clarkcountytoda...

Washington drivers are paying $5.37 per gallon for gasoline and $6.52 for diesel as of Tuesday, far above the national average of $4.10. Analysts point to the state's 56.5-cent fuel tax and Climate Commitment Act pass-through costs as key factors, while global tensions near the Strait of Hormuz add pressure. https://clarkcountytoday.com/business/washington-gas-prices-surge-while-other-states-see-d...

The Clark County Council voted 3-1 to amend its Rules of Procedure, allowing the council to direct individual councilors how to vote on boards and commissions and to remove them by simple majority. Michelle Belkot, who was removed from the C-TRAN board in early 2025, called the changes proof the council acted without proper authority. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/belkot-says-this-is-so-wrong-...

Washington Policy Center's Ryan Frost presents six charts showing state spending grew 148% from 2013 to 2025, far outpacing 112% revenue growth. Even with billions in new taxes, the gap persists, and a roughly $7 billion shortfall could emerge by 2027. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-six-charts-that-explain-washingtons-budget-problem/ #WashingtonState #StateBudget #TaxPolicy #Washingt...