Clark County Today News

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek blamed Trump's Iran policy after voters rejected Measure 120 — a new transportation tax — by 83 to 17, including a majority of Democrats. Lars Larson argues Kotek ignored ODOT mismanagement on the Abernathy Bridge, Rose Quarter, and Interstate Bridge instead of taking responsibility. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-tone-deaf-tina-kotek-ignores-oregon-vot...

Target Zero Manager Doug Dahl explains why Washington's suspended license law applies anywhere in the state — including private driveways. Unlicensed drivers are twice as likely to be involved in fatal crashes, and that's exactly why officers can act before a vehicle reaches the road. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-getting-a-ticket-in-your-drive-way/ #TargetZero #DougDahl #Washin...

Brush Prairie's Adele Anaya earned the 2026 Lovis Extraordinary Student Award — and at just nine years old, she co-founded Tix for Tots, a nonprofit that helped nearly 100 families access plays, museums, and sporting events in its first year. The Lovis Foundation, an Ohio-based nonprofit honoring students in grades 5–8, recognized Anaya for her volunteer work, performing arts achievements, and com...

Jonas Fridriksson, a U.S. history and world studies teacher at Battle Ground High School, has been named the 2026 recipient of the University of Washington's Thomas J. and Cameron Pressly Endowed Prize — the second time he has received the honor. He was nominated by former student Elizabeth McAleer, now a UW student, who credited Fridriksson's energetic, discussion-driven teaching style with shapi...

Clark County Public Health is warning swimmers that local lakes and rivers remain dangerously cold this Memorial Day weekend, cold enough to trigger sudden increases in breathing and heart rate — even in strong swimmers. Public Health monitors Vancouver Lake, Klineline Pond, and Battle Ground Lake for bacteria and harmful algal blooms all summer. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/public-health...

Jason Mercier of Mountain States Policy Center compares Washington's weakening job growth and expanding regulatory burden against Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming — states that rank among the nation's lowest for taxes and regulation. Former Democratic Governor Chris Gregoire's warning about overspending adds sharp bipartisan weight to the contrast. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-state...

Elizabeth New (Hovde) of the Washington Policy Center argues that Washington lawmakers had real options for tax relief — a sales-tax cut, payroll-tax limits, lower fuel costs — and chose none of them. Instead, they signed a 9.9% income tax and let payroll taxes keep climbing. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-workers-needed-tax-relief-but-olympia-gave-them-something-else/ #IncomeTax...

Chief Umtuch Middle School teacher Beth Doughty is the only Washington state educator among 61 selected nationwide for the Silent Heroes program, which tasks teachers with researching untold stories of U.S. service members. Doughty and her students researched Staff Sergeant Clifford Henry Mast, a Korean War airman from Spokane who flew classified reconnaissance missions. https://www.clarkcountytod...

Clark County's draft 2026-2032 Parks and Nature Capital Improvement Plan is open for public comment through June 19. The plan covers nine sites including Klineline Pond, Whipple Creek Regional Park, and two new neighborhood parks in Mount Vista and Minnehaha. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/clark-county-seeks-public-comment-on-the-parks-and-nature-capital-improvement-plan/ #ClarkCounty #Park...

Journey Theater opens Seussical on May 29 at Manor Church in Battle Ground, featuring the Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, and Gertrude McFuzz. Six performances run through June 6, with tickets from $12 to $18 at journeytheater.org or 360-750-8550. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/people/journey-theater-presents-seussical/ #JourneyTheater #Seussical #BattleGround #ClarkCounty #YouthTheater #Fa...

Clark County Sheriff John Horch accepted a Peace Officers Memorial Day proclamation from the Clark County Council, pausing to name Det. Jeremy Brown, killed in 2021, and Vancouver officer Donald Sahota, killed in 2022. The tradition traces back to President Kennedy's 1962 designation. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/county-council-honors-law-enforcement-during-peace-officers-memorial-day/ #P...

Clark County Council Chair Sue Marshall delivered her final State of the County Address, covering a new sales tax that will fund 22 deputy positions, the Legacy Lands Program's 5,500 protected acres, the Charter Review Commission, and the opening of Curtin Creek Park in Brush Prairie. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/sue-marshall-delivers-state-of-the-county-address/ #ClarkCounty #SueMarshall...

Vancouver resident Peter Bracchi argues that a diagram of the Share House area reveals not a homelessness problem alone, but a systemic failure — police, fire, public health, stormwater, ADA access, sanitation, and legal exposure all drawn into one unresolved zone over years of managed neglect. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-this-diagram-is-a-snapshot-of-failure/ #ShareHouse #Vanc...

The Trump administration launched a federal investigation into Washington state's practice of housing transgender women at the Washington Corrections Center for Women in Gig Harbor, citing allegations of sexual and physical violence against female prisoners. The DOJ told Gov. Bob Ferguson the conditions may violate the Eighth Amendment. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/was-transgender-prison-...

Clark County's 2026 Point-In-Time Count, conducted January 29, found unsheltered people dropped 11% from 2025, but unsheltered families rose 21% and BIPOC residents made up 40% of those counted — nearly double their 26% share of the county population. Council for the Homeless chief operating officer Sunny Wonder says coordinated outreach teams worked throughout the county to reach as many people a...

Swift Dam near Cougar is closed to public access starting May 23 after multiple incidents of vandalism and tampering with PacifiCorp's fish collector equipment. The closure has no expected end date in 2026. Swift Forest Camp at Swift Reservoir remains open. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/swift-dam-closed-to-public-access-due-to-vandalism-security-concerns/ #SwiftDam #PacifiCorp #ClarkCounty...

Battle Ground's annual Memorial Day ceremony takes place May 25 at 11 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial in Kiwanis Park, where 31 Battle Ground-area men are enshrined on the memorial walls. Mayor Eric Overholser, Cub Scout Pack 443, trumpeter Rubyee MacPherson, and bagpiper Logan Gillespie will mark the occasion. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/people/battle-ground-to-host-annual-memorial-day-ceremon...

After the Washington Supreme Court blocked a referendum on the new 9.9% tax on income over $1 million, Let's Go Washington launched Initiative to the People 26-645 — a measure that would repeal the tax and ban future income taxes statewide. Columnist Nancy Churchill argues the effort goes beyond one tax rate, pointing to Sen. Jamie Pedersen's communications with the Attorney General's Office and D...

Wes Hopkinson, a junior at Washington School for the Deaf in Vancouver, is one of just 64 students nationwide invited to the Deaf Youth Leadership Camp in Stayton, Ore. He's raising $4,500 through GoFundMe to attend the camp, which has built deaf leaders since 1969. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/people/gofundme-spotlight-vancouver-student-raising-funds-for-prestigious-camp-for-the-deaf/ #DeafYo...

Thurston County Superior Court Judge John Skinder rejected a lawsuit targeting House Bill 1296, Washington's rewritten parental rights law. Plaintiffs — including school board members and parents — argued the law limits transparency and interferes with parent-child relationships. The ruling is expected to be appealed, and voters will weigh in on a ballot initiative this November. https://www.clark...

Future 42 Clark County has released its 2026 Legislative Scorecard, grading local state legislators from the 17th, 18th, 20th, and 49th districts on 12–15 key votes covering taxes, public safety, housing affordability, and regulations. Sen. John Braun led with a perfect 12-for-12 alignment, while Rep. Monica Stonier and Rep. Sharon Wylie each aligned on just 3 of 14 tracked votes. https://www.clar...

Vancouver resident Anthony Teso fires back at Nancy Churchill's Climate Commitment Act repeal argument, exposing that her lead source Willie Soon received over $1.2 million from fossil fuel interests including ExxonMobil and the American Petroleum Institute. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-climate-commitment-act-critique-rests-on-fossil-funded-denial/ #ClimateCommitmentAct #WillieS...

Jonathan Hines argues that IP26-645 isn't a partisan fight — it's a defense of a voter mandate that Washington has reaffirmed ten times since 1934. With over 400,000 signatures needed by July 2, he warns that letting the millionaire tax stand creates the legal architecture for a broader income tax on every working family. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-why-petition-ip26-645-is-a-s...

Sharon Nasset of Economic Transportation Alliance/Third Bridge Now argues that tolling the I-5 mainline would divert billions from transportation funding — with over 40% of collected revenue going to private collection companies, not roads. She proposes utility tax diversions and smart meter infrastructure as toll-free alternatives. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-an-important-rea...

Gary Perman calls out Camas Mayor Steve Hogan's Form of Government Citizen Committee, stacked with former officials who championed a $78 million bond voters rejected by nearly 90%. Perman argues the push to install an unelected city manager strips residents of direct accountability. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-camas-voters-keep-your-strong-mayor/ #Camas #ClarkCounty #LocalGover...