Clark County Today News

Brush Prairie resident Bob Mattila argues the pipe dream of light rail on a new I-5 Bridge is the single biggest obstacle to getting it built, contending the added weight of tracks and trains doubles construction costs through earthquake-proofing requirements. He proposes a phased, two-bridge approach built east of the current structure. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/tletter-the-pipe-dream-...

Former Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler urged support for I-645, a voter initiative to repeal Washington's new income tax on individuals earning more than $1 million annually. She warned lawmakers rejected amendments that would have barred future expansion of the tax to lower income levels. https://clarkcountytoday.com/business/video-former-congresswoman-jaime-herrera-beutler-speaks-out-against...

Washington rejected 20,267 ballots in this year's primary for late postmarks, up 32% from 16,131 in 2024. Rural counties were hardest hit, with some seeing triple or quadruple the rejections. Secretary of State Steve Hobbs and Sen. Maria Cantwell say Postal Service policy changes are driving the surge ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/uncounted-late-ballots-ju...

Automated license plate reader cameras from Atlanta-based Flock Safety have cost Washington taxpayers at least $2 million, and nearly 80 jurisdictions are now rethinking their contracts. Redmond unanimously voted to terminate its agreement in July after community members called the cameras a threat. Washington has no complete public inventory of how many agencies use the technology. https://clarkc...

Battle Ground Public Schools approved a $227 million budget with a $14 million gap between revenue and expenditures, relying on fund balance reserves to stay operational. The district enters 2026-27 as its first full year without local levy funding, after cutting 137.2 positions and facing rising fuel and insurance costs. https://clarkcountytoday.com/youth/battle-ground-schools-approve-budget-with...

Vancouver resident Bob Zak writes that as September arrives, Americans should remember the 9/11 attacks the way they remember Pearl Harbor. He argues Muslim communities seeking Sharia Law are incompatible with the US Constitution, and closes by calling America a Christian nation under one God. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-does-anyone-remember-9-11-2001/ #Opinion #911Remembrance #Cla...

On Aug. 21, American Stewards of Liberty petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to delist the gray wolf, arguing the listed groups do not meet the ESA's own definition of a species. Columnist Nancy Churchill examines the agency's science, Washington's minimum count of 270 wolves, 17 documented depredation events in 2025, and the stalled Senate companion bill S. 1306. https://clarkcountytoda...

Washington drivers are paying $5.37 per gallon for gasoline and $6.52 for diesel as of Tuesday, far above the national average of $4.10. Analysts point to the state's 56.5-cent fuel tax and Climate Commitment Act pass-through costs as key factors, while global tensions near the Strait of Hormuz add pressure. https://clarkcountytoday.com/business/washington-gas-prices-surge-while-other-states-see-d...

The Clark County Council voted 3-1 to amend its Rules of Procedure, allowing the council to direct individual councilors how to vote on boards and commissions and to remove them by simple majority. Michelle Belkot, who was removed from the C-TRAN board in early 2025, called the changes proof the council acted without proper authority. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/belkot-says-this-is-so-wrong-...

Washington Policy Center's Ryan Frost presents six charts showing state spending grew 148% from 2013 to 2025, far outpacing 112% revenue growth. Even with billions in new taxes, the gap persists, and a roughly $7 billion shortfall could emerge by 2027. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-six-charts-that-explain-washingtons-budget-problem/ #WashingtonState #StateBudget #TaxPolicy #Washingt...

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/...