Clark County Today News

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is hosting a service academy information night on September 8 at Vancouver Community Library, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Students ages 17 to 22 in Washington's Third District can learn about academy applications and the congressional nomination process. The deadline for 2027 nominations is November 15, 2026. https://clarkcountytoday.com/youth/rep-gluesenkamp-perez-to-host-servi...

John Braun's campaign is pushing back on a new Marie Gluesenkamp Perez ad, disputing claims about property taxes, budget growth, and a legislative salary increase. The campaign says Washington's budget grew 63% under Democratic control, and Braun opposed the pay raise before the independent commission multiple times. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-setting-the-record-straight-on-glues...

Derek Thompson, candidate for 49th Legislative District Position 2, argues that working families, seniors, and small business owners in Vancouver aren't seeing results from state government. He calls for auditing state agencies, demanding measurable outcomes, and putting local affordability and safety first. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-olympia-doesnt-have-a-resource-problem-it-has...

Washougal City Manager David Scott will retire in spring 2027, and the City Council has hired GMP Consultants to lead a national search for his replacement. The city aims to have a new manager in place by mid-March 2027, with updates posted to the city's official website. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/washougal-city-council-begins-national-search-for-next-city-manager/ #Washougal #ClarkCounty...

At 6:10 a.m. Tuesday, Vancouver Police responded to a gas station at 8515 NE Andresen Road after a man poured gasoline on the ground, on a parked truck, lit his own vehicle on fire, and set himself ablaze before fleeing on foot. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/vancouver-police-investigate-arson/ #VancouverWA #Arson #PublicSafety #ClarkCounty #VancouverPolice

A bipartisan coalition of 47 state attorneys general, including Washington state, reached a $17 billion settlement with Meta over allegations the company designed addictive features on Instagram and Facebook that harmed children and teens. Experts warn the payout amounts to less than 1% of Meta's annual revenue. https://clarkcountytoday.com/youth/education-leaders-react-to-17b-meta-settlement/ #Me...

A Bible-based off-campus education program called LifeWise Academy is active in 14 Washington schools, with teams working to expand into 26 more districts. People have expressed interest in establishing the program in about 83% of Washington's estimated 295 school districts, according to state Director Alise Morrisey. https://clarkcountytoday.com/youth/christian-program-spreads-across-pnw-public-s...

Vancouver Fire Department crews arrived at a residential structure fire near NE 75th Street and NE 124th Avenue to find an active bedroom fire with flames visible from the rear of the home. The house was vacant, no injuries were reported, and the cause remains under investigation. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/quick-firefighter-response-brings-vancouver-house-fire-under-control/ #VancouverFire...

Vancouver Police Major Crimes Unit is investigating a murder/suicide after officers responded to a disturbance call on the 6100 block of NE 77th Avenue Sunday evening. Two adult males were found deceased inside a residence. Police say no outstanding suspects remain and no danger to the public exists. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/vancouver-police-investigating-murder-suicide/ #VancouverPD #Mur...

Washington Policy Center's Elizabeth New (Hovde) argues Seattle's 50,000 students shouldn't be bargaining chips in a labor dispute. She examines teacher compensation, the legal status of public employee strikes in Washington, and Senate Bill 6134's unanimous passage requiring UI overpayment warnings for striking workers. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-a-school-bell-should-not-be-a-ba...

Seattle engineer Bob Ortblad argues the IBR's tolled bridge design can still be replaced by an immersed tunnel that would serve 45,000 daily local vehicles toll-free, save over $500 million, and better protect Hayden Island, Fort Vancouver, and the Vancouver Waterfront Public Market. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-not-too-late-for-better-i-5-crossing/ #IBR #I5Bridge #Vancouver #ClarkC...

Vancouver resident Bob Zak questions who authorized the costly Vine Bus station expansion along HWY99, NE 78th St., and Mill Plain, citing low ridership on existing C-TRAN routes and ongoing road disruptions tied to ADA compliance work. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-where-did-the-idea-of-expansion-to-the-vine-buses-come-from/ #CTran #TheVine #PublicTransit #Vancouver #ClarkCounty #Tr...

Vancouver Fire Department and Clark County Fire District 6 deployed 56 firefighters to a two-alarm blaze at Furniture World SW's warehouse on NE St. John's Road Friday evening. Crews battled fires in four simultaneous areas, including a dumpster, grass, a railroad car, and the building itself, bringing all under control in roughly 40 minutes. No injuries were reported. https://clarkcountytoday.com...

Elizabeth New (Hovde) of the Washington Policy Center examines a federal warning to Washington's Employment Security Department: enforce work-search rules for striking workers or risk losing federal funding and employer tax credits under the Federal Unemployment Tax Act. More than half a million dollars have already gone to striking workers since January. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opini...

A six-week utility project on 92nd Avenue in Battle Ground has stretched nearly a year after city inspectors found problems along the entire length of the newly installed sewer line, forcing the contractor to remove and replace the pipe. Battle Ground City Engineer Ryan Jeynes explains what went wrong and what comes next before the road can be paved and reopened. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/...

Christine Myers brings more than five years of community engagement, event management, and wellness programming experience to the Downtown Camas Association, where she begins as Event and Project Manager on Sept. 1. The hire also comes as the DCA navigates a leadership transition, with Leah Nichelson stepping into the executive director role following Carrie Schulstad's retirement in November. htt...

Clark County Community Services has scheduled four public forums in October 2026 to gather public feedback on its low-income community needs survey. The results will shape which programs receive Community Service Block Grant funding countywide. Forums are set for Battle Ground, Vancouver, Camas, and online via Zoom. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/county-schedules-public-forums-on-community-need...

Clark County is hosting a public information session Sept. 14 on proposals to add a manufactured home park overlay zone in unincorporated urban growth areas. The county's moratorium on MHP redevelopment runs through February 2027, aimed at preserving affordable housing and reducing resident displacement. URLHERE #ClarkCounty #AffordableHousing #ManufacturedHomes #HousingPolicy #Vancouver #Washingt...

Bill Gaines of the Alliance of Western Energy Consumers says Washington's Climate Commitment Act and Clean Energy Transformation Act are the primary drivers behind Puget Sound Energy's proposed 20 percent natural gas and 30 percent electricity rate increases. He argues the CCA cost-cap rules are broken, timelines are unrealistic, and $4.5 billion collected over 3.5 years has largely missed its car...

Before World War II, Japanese farming families were central to Ridgefield's agricultural community, running strawberry operations that hired around 1,000 workers. A new collaborative exhibit at the Greely Building tells their stories through maps, census records, photographs, and family histories, including the Kawamoto family's 1925 legal victory in Toledo, Oregon. The exhibit runs through Sept....

Vancouver's council voted 6-1 to raise the sales tax for criminal justice, a wildfire forced Level 3 evacuations in North Clark County, and Governor Ferguson is pushing a statewide all-day school cellphone ban. Clark County Today's weekly newsletter covers it all. https://mailchi.mp/clarkcountytoday/this-weeks-top-news_august_28_2026 #ClarkCounty #Vancouver #Wildfire #CellphoneBan #ClarkCountyToda...

Gov. Bob Ferguson is pushing a statewide cellphone ban in Washington public schools covering the full school day, even as similar bills have repeatedly stalled in Olympia and many districts have already set their own rules. Clark County Today wants to know where readers stand. https://clarkcountytoday.com/youth/poll-how-restrictive-should-cellphone-policies-be-in-washington-public-schools/ #Washin...

Doug Dahl traces how a 1920s guess about driver behavior became a standard for setting speed limits, and why traffic engineers are now walking it back. A quarter of Washington's traffic fatalities in 2025 were pedestrians and cyclists, and the 85th percentile never accounted for them. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-the-problem-with-setting-speed-limits-by-how-fast-people-drive/ #Traf...

Evergreen Habitat for Humanity marks 35 years in Clark County with a free community block party on August 30 in Vancouver. The organization has served over 240 homeowners and is currently developing 32 cottage homes in East Vancouver's North Image neighborhood. https://clarkcountytoday.com/people/evergreen-habitat-for-humanity-celebrates-35-years-serving-clark-county/ #HabitatForHumanity #ClarkCou...

Gov. Bob Ferguson is traveling Washington to build support for a bill banning cellphones in public schools from first bell to last. He plans to release details Sept. 15 and pre-file on Dec. 7. Rep. Stephanie McClintock of Battle Ground has sponsored similar legislation for three consecutive sessions without success. https://clarkcountytoday.com/youth/wa-governor-lays-groundwork-for-cellphone-ban-i...