Clark County Today News

Akin's Bundles of Love campaign is bringing free tote bags packed with at least 80 diapers, wipes, baby food, and community resource information to the Hazel Dell Fred Meyer in Vancouver on August 1 and 2, 2026. The giveaway connects families with Akin's Family Resource Centers and year-round support services. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/akin-launches-bundles-of-love-campaign-with-free-baby-...

Tracie Jellison, a retired banking professional, has opened a 1,200-square-foot Graze Craze franchise at Salmon Creek Center in Vancouver, offering handcrafted charcuterie boards, gluten-free and vegan options, and catering for events and celebrations. https://clarkcountytoday.com/business/graze-craze-opens-new-charcuterie-shop-in-vancouver/ #GrazeCraze #Vancouver #ClarkCounty #Charcuterie #LocalB...

Government transparency advocate Arthur West has filed a lawsuit challenging the disclosure statement added to Washington's income tax repeal ballot measure. Critics including former state Sen. Lynda Wilson argue the language is misleading because the 9.9% income tax won't collect revenue until 2029. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-government-propaganda-or-transparency-lawsuit-filed-a...

A 35-year-old man drove northbound in the southbound lanes of Interstate 5 near NE 179th Street Tuesday morning, then struck two parked vehicles at a Safeway near NE Highway 99 and NE 129th Street. Marvin Badilla had called 9-1-1 claiming he was being chased, but I-5 traffic cameras showed no pursuing vehicles. He faces reckless driving, reckless endangerment, and two counts of hit and run, and is...

Sponsors of Initiative 645 and an open government activist have filed separate lawsuits in Thurston County Superior Court challenging the 15-word public investment impact disclosure drafted by the Attorney General's office for Washington's 9.9% income tax repeal measure. A hearing is set for Aug. 7. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/government-edit-two-lawsuits-challenge-states-description-of-wa-i...

Washington Policy Center's Ryan Frost and David Boze argue the Attorney General's public investment disclosure statement for the state income tax repeal misleads voters by citing impacts on schools and healthcare that the tax does not fund and has no appropriation to support. The income tax earmarks nothing for K-12, higher education, or healthcare — only 5% goes to the Fair Start for Kids Account...

Willis Arseneau, a 91-year-old Battle Ground man with memory issues, walked away near 27900 NE 174th Ave. between noon and 1 p.m. He is 5-foot-10, 130 pounds, with grey hair and beard, last seen in light blue jeans and a tan and yellow flannel shirt. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/ccso-asks-for-help-finding-missing-endangered-battle-ground-man/ #BattleGround #ClarkCounty #MissingPerson #PublicS...

Vancouver's city attorney, city manager, and police chief told the City Council Monday that a new temporary policy directing officers to refer low-level crimes instead of making arrests was driven by a critical shortage of public defense attorneys, not a softening on crime. All three officials apologized for the communication failure. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/city-attorney-assures-public-...

The 158th Clark County Fair opens August 7 in Ridgefield with a 20,000-square-foot Mars Encounters exhibit, headliner concerts featuring Midland and Collective Soul, grandstand rodeo and Monster Trucks, and admission prices matching last year. Fair CEO John Morrison anticipates more than 250,000 visits over the 10-day run. https://clarkcountytoday.com/people/its-happening-soon-blast-off-to-fun-at-...

Nancy Churchill argues the 2020 election's vulnerabilities remain unaddressed, citing Chinese access to 220 million voter records and a February 2026 Harvard-Harris poll showing 71 percent of voters support the SAVE America Act. She calls on Congress to act before November 2026. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-vindication-the-first-step-towards-secure-elections/ #ElectionSecurity #SAV...

Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey, who declared vote-by-mail "absolutely secure" in 2020, recently urged voters to bypass the postal service and use drop boxes instead. Rob Anderson of Reform Clark County examines what that shift means for Washington's election system. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-auditor-kimsey-signals-mail-in-voting-may-no-longer-be-safe/ #ClarkCounty #VoteByMail...

Peter Bracchi argues Vancouver's misdemeanor crisis, with more than 50 cases dismissed and enforcement scaled back, reflects a management failure, not just a legal one. Bracchi calls on the city to fund competitive defense capacity and treat criminal justice as a foundational government responsibility. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-a-city-has-to-work-before-it-can-save-the-world/ #Va...

Clark County elections officials will hand-count approximately 600 ballots from the U.S. Representative 3rd Congressional District race on Aug. 5, comparing results against machine tabulation to confirm accuracy. A second statewide random ballot audit follows on Aug. 13. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/county-elections-office-to-perform-audits-on-aug-5-and-aug-13/ #ClarkCounty #Elections #Ballot...

Camas resident Anthony Teso responds to Rob Anderson's column criticizing Indivisible Greater Vancouver, arguing that Anderson's use of anonymous sourcing and word-counting sidesteps the substantive questions about executive power, mass deportation, and defiance of courts that the group's language raises. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-the-lesson-of-the-1930s-is-not-that-the-people-wa...

Bob Ortblad, an engineer with an MSCE and MBA, argues the IBR's $3.5 billion light rail plan leaves downtown Vancouver underserved, while a $35 million electric bus network and an immersed tunnel could deliver safer, more earthquake-resilient, and less costly results. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-immersed-tunnel-electric-buses-a-1-alternative-to-light-rail/ #IBR #I5Bridge #LightRail...

Battle Ground resident Dick Rylander tested ChatGPT on three Clark County 2026 primary races and found significant errors each time, including a missing candidate and a falsely reported retirement. He urges voters to cross-check AI results with trusted sources before the Aug. 4 primary closes. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-dont-trust-ai-for-elected-office-race-analysis/ #Opinion #Cla...

Vancouver Police Officers Guild president Jeff Anaya says officers remain frustrated and confused even after Chief Troy Price's follow-up statement on low-level crime enforcement. Anaya says a software change now blocks citations entirely, the jail won't accept referrals, and city councilors didn't know about the July 17 memorandum until the guild went public. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/van...

Impact Automotive's Yacolt Classic Car Show raised more than $2,500 for the Windhaven Ride for Veterans, which funds equine therapy for local veterans dealing with PTSD and trauma. The Windhaven Veterans Program reports an 81 percent completion rate, compared with dropout rates as high as 68 percent in traditional veterans' programs. The 5th Annual Windhaven Ride for Veterans takes place August 15...

Levi Kitchen holds the red plate as the 250 Class points leader in the Pro Motocross Championship, and Saturday he races at Washougal MX Park, just hundreds of yards from his family home. Kitchen has 261 points this season, 24 ahead of Julien Beumer, and is chasing his first professional win in his hometown. https://clarkcountytoday.com/people/washougal-mx-national-levi-kitchen-looking-to-inspire-...

Six new measles cases have been reported in Clark County, all involving unvaccinated children exposed in private settings. The county now has 15 total cases so far this year, with 13 confirmed unvaccinated. No new public exposure sites have been identified. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/six-additional-measles-cases-in-clark-county-no-new-public-exposure-sites/ #MeaslesOutbreak #ClarkCounty #Pu...

Clark County Sheriff John Horch issued a public statement responding to questions about whether his office would follow Vancouver's new memo restricting arrests and citations for certain misdemeanor crimes. His answer: no. CCSO deputies will continue responding to calls and taking enforcement action when probable cause exists. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/clark-county-sheriff-john-horch-issue...

Nathan Teel raced Washougal MX Park hundreds of times as a pro. Now he returns not to compete, but to share his faith with riders and families as an FCA Motocross representative. His trackside ministry came together in under 10 months. https://clarkcountytoday.com/people/god-motocross-and-washougal-create-awesome-message-for-fellowship-of-christian-athletes/ #FCAMotocross #WashougalMX #MotocrossMi...

More than 50 regional teams will race 250-meter sprints on Lake River at the free Paddle for Life Dragon Boat Festival in Ridgefield on August 1, 2026. The event supports the Catch-22 Ospreys, Southwest Washington's only all-survivor dragon boat team, who are preparing to compete in France with 4,500 survivors from more than 35 countries. https://clarkcountytoday.com/people/paddle-for-life-roars-i...

Driver fatigue may factor in over 17 percent of fatal crashes, yet official 2023 data recorded only 633 drowsy-driving deaths in the US. Doug Dahl of The Wise Drive explains why the problem is vastly undercounted and why sleep is the only real fix. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-driving-tired-is-probably-worse-than-you-thoughts/ #DrowsyDriving #TrafficSafety #TargetZero #DougDahl #Th...

A man called 9-1-1 from inside Vancouver Mall Thursday night with multiple stab wounds. Surveillance confirmed no stabbing occurred at the mall. He told officers the attack happened at his county apartment and that he drove himself to the mall to hide. Clark County Sheriff's Office took over the investigation. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/vancouver-police-respond-to-local-mall-for-report-of-a...