Clark County Today News

The Interstate Bridge Replacement Program's estimated cost has doubled to $14.4 billion, and Vancouver's light rail extension to Library Square now has no timeline. The first funded phase at $5.68 billion covers the new span but not the tracks. Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle says the city won't accept a 90-foot elevated station near the waterfront as a permanent endpoint. https://www.clarkcoun...

Ridgefield Mayor Matt Cole threw the ceremonial first pitch, more than 1,300 fans packed the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex, and the Raptors rolled to a 9-0 win over Northwest Star Academy in their 2026 opener. Coach Chris Cota, the only head coach in franchise history, is back for another summer of West Coast League baseball. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/sports/raptors-ridgefield-welco...

Yacolt's red, white, and blue road striping sparked a countywide debate, a chemical tank rupture at Nippon Dynawave Packaging in Longview killed two, Rep. John Ley warned I-5 toll forecasts may fall short, and hundreds gathered at Fort Vancouver to honor the fallen. URLHERE #ClarkCounty #YacoltStripes #I5Bridge #LongviewWA #MemorialDay #ColumbiaRiverSoccer #RidgefieldRaptors #SouthwestWashington #...

A red, white and blue road striping project in Yacolt has sparked community debate after a single complaint raised questions about patriotic displays on public roads. Supporters tie the project to America's 250th anniversary. Clark County Today wants to know where you stand. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/poll-do-patriotic-displays-like-yacolts-road-striping-help-strengthen-community-spi...

Rep. John Ley of the 18th Legislative District calls out Washington State's failure to open the Brockmann Campus — a completed, $42 million, 48-bed mental health facility north of WSU Vancouver that received only $600,000 for a "warm closure" instead of clinical operations. Advocates say the delay is costing lives. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-the-challenges-of-getting-the-broc...

Longview Superintendent Karen Cloninger faces felony witness tampering charges after school officials allegedly knew of sexual assault allegations at Mark Morris High School more than a week before police were notified. Four other employees are on administrative leave. Community members packed Tuesday's board meeting demanding resignations. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/parents-call-for-re...

A spring 2026 AWB survey finds 24% of Washington employers actively considering leaving the state — nearly triple the rate from winter 2025. Mark Harmsworth of the Washington Policy Center examines the tax hikes, B&O surcharges, and regulatory pressures driving companies to Idaho, Utah, and Tennessee. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-washingtons-business-exodus-accelerates-due-to-h...

Fifteen elected Clark County Charter Review Commissioners are available to meet with community groups and are holding town halls in each of the five county council districts. Remaining sessions are scheduled for June 6, 7, and 14 in Camas, Battle Ground, and Vancouver. Any recommended charter changes must go to a countywide vote in November 2026. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/countys-chart...

David Kuhnhausen, former interim director of Portland's Permitting and Development bureau, has been appointed to lead Clark County's Community Development Department. County Manager Kathleen Otto cited his record of streamlining processes and building collaborative relationships. He starts June 1. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/people/david-kuhnhausen-selected-as-countys-community-development-di...

The Washington State Office of Independent Investigations is investigating a non-fatal officer-involved shooting in Vancouver involving the VPD. The man, armed with a knife, was critically injured after refusing commands to drop the weapon — making this OII's first non-fatal use-of-force case since December 2024. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/oii-investigating-non-fatal-use-of-deadly-force...

Washington and Oregon transportation commissions meet jointly on June 5 to review traffic and revenue analysis that will shape toll rates on the I-5 Columbia River bridge. Tolling is expected to start on the existing bridge when new bridge construction begins, currently planned for 2028. The public can attend via Zoom and submit written comments. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/washington-or...

A single-motorcycle crash on NE Worthington Rd. near Yacolt on Wednesday evening turned fatal after the rider was airlifted by LifeFlight helicopter to an area hospital. The Clark County Sheriff's Office Traffic Homicide Unit is now leading the investigation into the cause of the crash. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/yacolt-area-motorcycle-collision-results-in-fatality/ #ClarkCounty #Yacolt...

Peter Bracchi of Vancouver argues that Share House's Hot Meals Program — serving 96,987 meals in 2024 — operates under a different public-health standard than any comparable food-service site near the Vancouver Waterfront would ever be allowed to. He says Public Health needs to answer for it. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-food-service-public-health-and-the-mens-share-house-questi...

Clark County Solid Waste is joining Washington State's "Secure Your Loads for Safer Roads" campaign throughout June. Unsecured loads cause more than 300 crashes annually statewide and contributed to over 150,000 pounds of roadside litter collected in Clark County in 2025. Fines can reach $5,000. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/county-public-works-reminds-residents-to-secure-loads-before-haul...

Starting Friday night, May 29, the entrance ramp from southbound I-5 to southbound I-205 at Exit 7 in Vancouver closes until Sunday morning, May 31. All southbound I-205 lanes between the I-5/I-205 split and Exit 36 also close. WSDOT contractor Kerr Contractors Oregon LLC is using the crack, seat and overlay method for pavement repair. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/weekend-paving-work-clos...

Council for the Homeless is hosting two free community education events in Vancouver this summer. The first, on June 11 at Firstenburg Community Center, covers federal tax law changes and their impact on charitable giving and financial planning. The second, on August 26 at Vancouver Community Library, features a screening of "No Place to Grow Old" and a panel on aging and housing. https://www.clar...

A D.C. federal judge declined to block Trump's executive order restricting mail ballots, ruling it too early to challenge. The order directs the Postal Service to propose rules limiting mail voting and instructs DHS to compile citizenship lists — changes that could reshape elections in states where mail voting is standard. About 30% of voters used mail ballots in 2024. https://www.clarkcountytoday...

A $4 million federal appropriation backed by U.S. Sen. Patty Murray is funding a new multimodal corridor at East Mill Plain Boulevard and MacArthur Boulevard — the first public investment in Vancouver's Heights District redevelopment. Construction begins June 1, with roughly 300 affordable homes and a civic plaza planned over the next 20 years. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/business/groundbreak...

Brian Kendall pushes back on Nancy Churchill's column arguing Washington's new tax on income over $1 million is a stepping stone to broader taxation. Kendall says slippery slope logic replaces evidence with fear — and that civic debate deserves better. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-facts-not-slippery-slopes/ #WashingtonState #IncomeTax #TaxPolicy #Opinion #CivicDebate #ClarkCount...

Let's Go Washington collected 92,000 signatures in the first week of its campaign to repeal Washington's new 9.9% income tax on earnings above $1 million — nearly 30,000 more than any prior initiative at this stage. The group needs 308,911 verified signatures by July 2 to qualify IP26-645 for the November ballot. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/business/lets-go-washington-breaks-week-one-signatur...

The death toll from Tuesday's chemical tank rupture at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging plant in Longview has risen to two, with nine workers still unrecovered. A 900,000-gallon white liquor tank failed Tuesday morning, injuring seven mill employees and one firefighter. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board has opened a formal investigation. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/con...

Washington's ACA exchange lost nearly 13% of qualified health plan enrollees after enhanced premium subsidies expired — but Elizabeth New (Hovde) of the Washington Policy Center argues the headline obscures the real story. Of 28,000 who dropped exchange coverage, 6,000 moved to Apple Health. Subsidies shifted costs to taxpayers without lowering the actual price of care. https://www.clarkcountytoda...

Clark County has launched a parks partnership program allowing businesses and organizations to offer fitness classes, guided activities, food options, and more inside county parks. The program is open to mobile vendors, established companies, and community groups. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/new-parks-partnership-program-aims-to-bring-more-services-and-activities-to-clark-county-parks/ #...

Willie Williams III was appointed to the Evergreen Public Schools Board of Directors in a 4-0 vote, filling a District 4 seat vacant since Jacqueline Weatherspoon resigned March 2. Williams, director of the Grice-Adair Center for Educational Excellence in Portland Public Schools, will serve through the end of 2027. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/people/eps-board-of-directors-appoints-willie-will...

Constitutional scholar Rob Natelson opens a series on the Declaration of Independence's 250th anniversary by tracing how British tax laws — from the Stamp Act of 1764 to the Coercive Acts of 1774 — dismantled a working colonial federation and made revolution nearly inevitable. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-the-runup-to-the-declaration-of-independence/ #DeclarationOfIndependence...