Clark County Today News

Vancouver bans camping within 1,000 feet of Safe Stay communities and 1,500 feet of the new Bridge Shelter, but Share House residents have no comparable protection despite living in a shelter and working toward stable housing. Peter Bracchi examines why the city's equity standard applies to its newest programs but not its oldest shelter. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-equity-and-safet...

Clark County Councilor Michelle Belkot says she never agreed to appear at the League of Women Voters of Clark County candidate forum and declined on principle, citing the League's alignment with groups that target federal law enforcement and the publication of partisan commentary directed at her on the League's own website. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/councilor-michelle-belkot-declines-leagu...

Nehemiah and Daniel Tupua are senior offensive linemen for the Evergreen Plainsmen, both carrying 4.0 GPAs and crediting coach Christian Swain with teaching them more than football. Evergreen moved to 3-1 with a 34-7 win over Heritage to open Class 3A Greater St. Helens League play. https://clarkcountytoday.com/people/high-school-football-tupua-brothers-say-evergreen-coaches-have-given-them-tools-...

Ridgefield Raptors GM Gus Farah calls the 2026 season a success, with playoff crowds reaching 3,700 over two games against the Portland Pickles and average attendance surpassing 1,400. Hundreds of fan survey responses are now shaping improvements at the RORC for next season. https://clarkcountytoday.com/people/raptors-look-back-on-strong-2026-and-ahead-to-2027-and-beyond-in-ridgefield/ #Ridgefield...

Camas resident Anthony Teso examines Clark County's 18 percent drop in counted homelessness and questions what the number leaves out. He points to University of Washington research finding rents and vacancy rates predict homelessness better than drug use or mental illness, and traces how Clark County's housing market shifted as the region became Portland's bedroom community. https://clarkcountytod...

Clark County's Joint Lobby reopens Friday, Oct. 2 with a ribbon cutting at 4:30 pm and an art reception to follow. The renovated space unites the Assessor's, Auditor's, and Treasurer's offices under one cross-trained team for faster, more efficient public service. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/clark-county-announces-joint-lobby-grand-reopening-on-oct-2/ #ClarkCounty #Vancouver #JointLobby #Gra...

In a letter to the editor, Camas resident Anna Miller highlights Eileen Quiring O'Brien's position at a CVTV-aired auditors debate that the Clark County auditor should be beholden to no one but the voters. Miller argues O'Brien's commitment to election integrity sets her apart. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-eileen-quiring-obrien-in-the-lions-den/ #ClarkCounty #ElectionIntegrity #Clar...

Six Washington Supreme Court justices struck down Initiative 2066, voiding natural gas protections approved by nearly two million voters. This week's audio newsletter also covers Vancouver's new camping ban, the Interstate Bridge debate, Clark County Auditor and Council races, and Clark County Today's 10th anniversary. https://mailchi.mp/clarkcountytoday/this-weeks-top-news_september_25_2026 #Clar...

Clark County Today marks its 10th anniversary on Sept. 27 with a rebuilt website featuring tools like Ask CCT, Storylines, and an archive of more than 19,000 published stories. Editor Ken Vance reflects on the team and the decade of local journalism behind it. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-clark-county-today-celebrates-10th-anniversary-with-redesign/ #ClarkCountyToday #LocalJournali...

Clark County Today counted more than 100 tents and tarps in just a few blocks near the Share House in downtown Vancouver. HART manager Jamie Spinelli explains why a citywide camping ban alone cannot resolve the crisis when jail beds, shelter space, and officers are all at capacity. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/hart-responds-to-questions-regarding-vancouvers-ability-to-ban-homeless-camps/ #Hom...

Vancouver's Transportation System Plan aims to expand investment beyond cars to include walking, cycling, transit, and freight. Meanwhile, Save Vancouver Streets collected more than 6,500 signatures challenging lane removals, and the legal dispute is ongoing. Clark County residents are weighing in on how those priorities should be set. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/poll-in-your-view-how-sho...

Camas resident Margaret Tweet examines the 3rd Congressional District race, scrutinizing Marie Gluesenkamp Perez's voting record on the SAVE Act and border security while highlighting John Braun's background as a Navy submarine captain and co-founder of Chehalis-based Braun Northwest, which employs 350 people. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-john-braun-works-to-protect-jobs-grow-agricu...

Washington Department of Revenue officials warned SB 6346 sponsor Sen. Jamie Pedersen that the income tax bill's complexity could generate legal challenges beyond overturning the 1933 Culliton decision. Records obtained by The Center Square show DOR flagged a marriage penalty, athlete reporting provisions, and underreporting risks. Several concerns went unaddressed in the final legislation. https:...

Firm Foundation Christian School has broken ground on a 62-acre high school campus along state Route 502 in Battle Ground, launching a project more than two decades in the making. The first phase, a roughly 19,000-square-foot classroom wing projected to cost more than $10 million, is expected to open in fall 2028 and roughly double the school's current high school enrollment of 66 students. https:...

Battle Ground Public Schools invites voters to a public information night on October 8 to learn about Proposition 11, the student safety and academic support levy. The district has cut $34 million over two years, and its financial health score is projected to fall from 3.35 to 1.25 by the end of the 2026-27 school year, placing it within the state's financial warning range. https://clarkcountytoda...

More than 40% of WSU Vancouver students accessed the Cougar Food Pantry during the last academic year, and shopping visits jumped 89% in a single year. A new partnership with the Clark County Food Bank network aims to increase food volume, reduce operating costs, and help students stay focused on their education. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/wsu-vancouver-expands-food-access-through-new-partn...

Clark County Public Health is investigating two confirmed measles cases in unvaccinated children. A contagious individual was present at River HomeLink in Battle Ground on Sept. 17, and unvaccinated students and staff face a 21-day exclusion. Clark County has recorded 21 measles cases so far this year. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/two-new-measles-cases-in-clark-county/ #MeaslesAlert #ClarkCou...

Rob Anderson of Reform Clark County argues that a vote by Chair Sue Marshall, Glen Yung, Wil Fuentes, and Matt Little to raise building permit fees, school impact fees, and impose fire district fees for the first time adds $17–20 million a year to the county's tax burden. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-democrats-make-housing-less-affordable-in-clark-county/ #ClarkCounty #HousingAffor...

Save Vancouver Streets gathered more than 6,500 signatures to force a public vote on lane removals, but the city took no action on the initiative, triggering a lawsuit now under appeal. Meanwhile, Vancouver's Transportation System Plan and a Week Without Driving proclamation are adding fuel to a growing debate over who the city's streets are really for. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/is-the-cit...

Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans held a hearing Wednesday pressing opposition to transgender athletes in women's sports, with most Democrats boycotting the session. Sen. Dick Durbin, the panel's lone Democratic voice, argued the issue would not crack the top 20 voter priorities amid cost-of-living concerns. The hearing comes less than six weeks before midterm elections. https://clarkcountyto...

Washington Policy Center's Elizabeth New (Hovde) examines a new Washington state law allowing striking workers to collect UI benefits. With 174 claimants paid $604,491 so far, she warns a Boeing strike involving SPEEA's roughly 17,000-member bargaining units could expose the Unemployment Trust Fund to more than $123 million in potential payouts. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-a-boein...

After three years of planning, La Center officially broke ground on Downtown 2.0, a long-planned expansion west of Northwest Pacific Highway that includes commercial space, housing, trails, and an ADA-accessible boardwalk to the Lewis River. The city received $400,000 in state capital budget funding but still faces a $3.5 million gap to complete the infrastructure. https://clarkcountytoday.com/new...

The Foundation for Vancouver Public Schools will break ground on a new applied trades building at Skyview High School on Sept. 29, fully funded through the Endeavour Fund and Ed and Dollie Lynch Fund. The facility, projected to open in late 2027, will train students in construction trades and advanced manufacturing. https://clarkcountytoday.com/youth/foundation-for-vancouver-public-schools-will-br...

La Center resident Justine Stimmel writes in support of Peter Silliman for the Clark County Council District 5 seat, pointing to his sponsorship of four charter amendments on tax limits, housing impact analysis, budget transparency, and county audits as a record of principled, reform-minded service. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-district-5-deserves-responsible-leadership/ #ClarkCount...

Chris Cargill of Mountain States Policy Center draws on the history of automobiles and smartphones to argue that federal AI oversight would concentrate power in the hands of regulators who cannot foresee what the technology will become, and would favor large tech firms over small innovators. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-the-only-thing-we-have-to-fear-is-government-ai-intervention-i...