Clark County Today News

Leslie Lewallen, director of Clark County Future 42, calls on residents to scrutinize local government budgets before final votes are cast. Camas has received audit findings for three consecutive years, including roughly $47 million in assets reported as fully depreciated while still in use. Vancouver's audit flagged improper recording of $18.3 million in Proposition 2 fire-levy revenues. Lewallen...

Since Portland stopped building freeways in 1982, commuter congestion time has tripled and fuel wasted in traffic has sextupled to 34.7 million gallons per year. Cascade Policy Institute's Randal O'Toole examines how decades of anti-auto planning have backfired, with transit ridership falling and solo driving at record highs. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-portlands-war-on-cars-part-...

Cascade Policy Institute's Naomi Inman introduces a month-long series examining Portland's half-century of anti-auto transportation planning, from road diets and BAT lanes to a goal of shifting 70 percent of Portlanders into shared vehicles. The series includes new research from adjunct scholar Randal O'Toole and a personal reflection from John Charles on the 40th anniversary of MAX light rail. ht...

Clark County Fire District 3 hosted its first community wildfire preparedness presentation in east Clark County, covering local fire risk, Wildland Urban Interface realities, and strategies residents can use to protect their homes. Fire Chief Chris Drone called the turnout and engagement a strong foundation to build on each year. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/fire-district-3-lays-foundation-fo...

Two men from Oregon, Ryan A. Culvert of Hillsboro and William Galeana Yovis of Beaverton, were arrested in Washougal after a two-day undercover operation targeting individuals seeking to sexually exploit children. No actual minor was involved. Both are now in Clark County Jail. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/washougal-police-department-child-exploitation-operation-leads-to-two-arrests/ #Washoug...

Dr. Alan Melnick's retirement as Clark County's combined public health director and health officer prompts Peter Bracchi to ask whether the county should separate the roles before recruiting a replacement. The positions were merged in 2013 to save approximately $262,000 annually, but Bracchi argues the county's growth to 532,119 residents and a $23.1 million Public Health Fund budget may warrant a...

For the first time since the 1980 eruption, spring Chinook salmon have been released into the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. WDFW, the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, and the U.S. Forest Service released 30 hatchery-origin adults into South Fork Coldwater Creek in June. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/wdfw-cowlitz-indian-tribe-and-u-s-forest-service-celebrate-first-chinook-salmon-reintroduct...

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...