Clark County Today News

A 7-2 C-TRAN board vote to extend light rail to Library Square, the loss of a WPA-era shelter at Lewisville Regional Park, two Vancouver bowlers helping Alabama A&M reach the NCAA championships, and 40-plus students at a skilled trades job fair defined Clark County's week. https://mailchi.mp/clarkcountytoday/this-weeks-top-news_may_15_2026 #ClarkCounty #CTRAN #LightRail #LewisvilleRegionalPark #Cl...

C-TRAN's board voted to request a light rail extension to Library Square but rejected an amendment that would have protected taxpayers from additional construction and operating costs. Critics are asking who picks up the tab if costs climb. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/poll-should-c-tran-taxpayers-be-protected-from-paying-additional-costs-tied-to-extending-light-rail-to-library-square/...

Starting May 14, WSDOT contractor Kerr Contractors Oregon LLC will close up to three southbound I-5 lanes between NE 179th Street and the I-5/I-205 split for crack, seat and overlay paving work. Single-lane overnight traffic runs through the weekend, with all lanes reopening May 18. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/weekday-weeknight-and-weekend-lane-closures-continue-on-southbound-i-5-in-vanc...

Dominique J. Lane, 34, was booked into the Clark County Jail for Assault II-DV after barricading himself inside a West Columbia Way apartment following an assault. SWAT officers negotiated for several hours before Lane surrendered. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/vancouver-police-arrest-assault-suspect-2/ #VancouverPolice #ClarkCounty #PublicSafety #DomesticViolence #SWAT

WSDOT has released holiday travel charts for Memorial Day weekend, flagging peak congestion windows on I-5, I-90, US 2, and the I-5/Canada border crossing. Most highway construction is suspended May 22–25, but lane shifts and work zone staging may remain. Chinook and Cayuse passes reopen May 22, and the I-90 Vantage Bridge will have all lanes open for the holiday. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/...

Peter Bracchi obtained over 5,000 Vancouver police photos through public records showing cleanup notices, tents, tarps, and garbage around the Men's Share House — and the same conditions returning again and again. Bracchi argues the city's own documentation proves a pattern of unequal enforcement at public expense. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-when-the-city-of-vancouvers-own-pho...

A 24x8-foot mural by local artist Travis London now graces the carriage house of Two Rivers Heritage Museum, featuring nearly a dozen historic images of early Camas and Washougal. The free dedication ceremony is May 30 at 10 a.m. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/new-historic-mural-to-be-dedicated-at-two-rivers-heritage-museum/ #TwoRiversHeritageMuseum #Washougal #Camas #ClarkCounty #PublicArt...

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has added up to six additional spring Chinook retention days on the mainstem Columbia River from Rocky Point/Tongue Point upstream to the Washington/Oregon border. Dates, zones, and vessel restrictions vary by location from May 15 through May 25. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/sports/columbia-river-to-open-for-additional-spring-chinook-retention-days/ #...

The Parkersville Heritage Fair returns July 31 at Parker's Landing Historical Park in Washougal, with a living history mystery hunt, interactive stations from the Clark County Historical Museum and Two Rivers Heritage Museum, and live entertainment. This year's "Shared Roots & Legacy" theme ties directly into the nationwide America 250 commemoration. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/people/shared-...

Clark County's Teens For Tomorrow peer education program is recruiting youth ages 12–18 for the 2026–2027 year, with a May 20 application deadline. Members lead trainings, advise lawmakers, build prevention campaigns, and develop leadership skills — all while tackling youth addiction and mental health. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/youth/youth-drug-prevention-team-seeks-new-members-ages-12-18-y...

A tire detached from a northbound semi-truck struck a southbound minivan on I-5 just north of Mill Plain Boulevard around 7:40 a.m. The minivan driver sustained moderate injuries and was transported by American Medical Response to a local hospital. Washington State Patrol is investigating. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/vancouver-fire-responds-to-injury-crash-on-i-5-near-mill-plain/ #I5 #Va...

Washington Policy Center's Ryan Frost asks a pointed question: what evidence would actually convince state leaders that high earners and businesses are leaving? With net migration down 7,500, capital gains collections off more than 50%, and 24% of employers considering relocation, Frost argues the data is already there — and being ignored. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-what-woul...

Paul Valencia, Cale Piland, and Tony Liberatore reflect on how shifting roles — from athletic director to associate principal, from sports reporter to newsroom generalist — haven't dimmed their love for the game. Spring playoffs are underway, and Vancouver's In-N-Out Burger makes a surprise cameo. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/sports/the-study-of-sports-podcast-may-13-2026-the-playoffs-have-sta...

Lars Larson argues the IBR tolling plan would drive 50,000 daily I-5 commuters onto I-205, while a $15 billion price tag leaves $10 billion unaccounted for. Five hundred million dollars spent over 21 years — and no shovels in the ground. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-ibr-creates-50000-road-refugees/ #IBR #I5Bridge #ColumbiaRiver #Tolling #Transportation #PacificNorthwest #ClarkC...

Nearly ten months after 18-year-old Nicholas Ortiz died in a single-vehicle crash on NE Reilly Road, 19-year-old Matthew Kenne was booked for Vehicular Homicide and Minor in Possession of Alcohol. Toxicology confirmed a BAC above 0.08 and electronic vehicle data showed speeds of 67–72 mph before Kenne failed to negotiate a curve and struck a tree. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/arrest-made-...

Sound Transit's ST3 rail program is $35 billion short — $10,294 for every person in its district. Bob Pishue of Mountain States Policy Center breaks down the taxes, broken promises, and "strategic misrepresentation" that could soon hit Southwest Washington taxpayers funding TriMet's light rail extension into Clark County. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-its-time-to-save-taxpayers-...

Nancy Churchill argues Washington's Climate Commitment Act functions as a hidden surcharge — adding over 52 cents per gallon on gas — while independent audits show the state spends $395 per metric ton of CO₂ reduced against its own $40 claim. She calls for full repeal. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-a-tax-scam-based-on-a-climate-lie/ #ClimateCommitmentAct #CCARepeal #WashingtonSt...

Seven C-TRAN board members voted down an amendment that would have shielded taxpayers from extra costs — potentially approaching $1 billion — tied to extending light rail from the Waterfront to Library Square. The 7-2 vote exposed a new board dynamic critics warned about. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/c-tran-board-asks-ibr-to-bring-light-rail-to-library-square-with-no-protection-for-taxpay...

With gas prices topping $5.60 a gallon in Washington, Jonathan Hines argues decades of Iran sanctions relief funded IRGC aggression — and that Olympia's $0.554/gallon fuel tax is quietly profiting from the pain Southwest Washington families are absorbing at the pump. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-why-washington-state-families-are-paying-for-local-foreign-policy-failures-at-the-pu...

Lewisville Regional Park reopens Wednesday after a fire destroyed the Central picnic shelter in the early morning hours of Tuesday, May 12. The shelter, built between 1936 and 1940 under the Works Progress Administration, was one of six original structures in a park listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Clark County Sheriff's Office is investigating. https://www.clarkcountytoday....

More than 40 top high school students from across Clark County sat down with 20-plus welding and fabrication businesses at Hudson's Bay High School's Endeavour Technical Trades Center. Careers in Construction and Grade 13 organized the fair, where starting wages average $23 an hour and previous fairs led to job offers for 70 percent of participants. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/people/another-...

Clark County taxpayers are on the hook for $237,000 after the council approved nearly $1.2 million for three electric vehicles — including a $400,000 backhoe that runs just four hours per charge. Rob Anderson of Reform Clark County argues no council member questioned the three-to-one cost premium over diesel equivalents. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-clark-county-council-is-gidd...

On May 15, Washington's Professional Educator Standards Board votes on rules that could suspend or end a superintendent's career for notifying parents about their child's gender transition at school. Vicki Murray of the Washington Policy Center breaks down HB 1296, the two-track enforcement system, and the court challenges already underway. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-washingt...

Summer St. John, daughter of Firmly Planted Family Homeschool Resource Center founders Heidi and Jay St. John, wrote an original stage production featuring pirates, a villain, and a faith-centered adventure for the whole family. Performances run May 15, 16, and 17 in Vancouver. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/people/tickets-available-for-this-weekends-performances-of-the-escapades-of-denston-thom...

Furry Friends cat shelter in Vancouver is in the final phase of its capital campaign to open a dedicated medical building this summer. A $100,000 matching gift from Virginia Huang means every donation is doubled dollar-for-dollar. The facility will expand spay/neuter services, TNR programs, and affordable veterinary care for Clark County cats. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/help-open-the-fu...