Clark County Today News

Vancouver City Council voted unanimously to ban camping within 1,500 feet of the new bridge shelter in the Vancouver Mall neighborhood, which is expected to open later this year with around 120 beds and services including drug rehabilitation and employment resources. A drive through downtown near the Share House reveals dozens of tents blocking sidewalks and bike lanes, open drug use, and garbage,...

A conservation nonprofit, the Port of Ridgefield, and the Ridgefield City Council all issued formal responses to a waterfront development proposal that drew a downtown rally and close to 100 residents to a September port commission meeting. The city's letter requests a formal master plan, traffic, economic, and environmental analyses, and 3D renderings before moving forward. https://clarkcountytod...

One year after President Trump designated Antifa a domestic terror organization, nine members of a North Texas cell have been convicted on federal charges, including attempted murder. Leader Benjamin Song received a 100-year sentence. The State Department has since designated four European Antifa groups as foreign terrorist organizations and imposed sanctions on an Italian group tied to Rose City...

The Heritage Foundation's 5th annual Education Freedom Report Card places Washington 40th overall and 48th in school choice for the second consecutive year. Neighboring Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming have expanded parental choice programs while Washington has no education savings accounts or tax-credit scholarship programs. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-which-state-leads-the-way-for-ed...

Clark County Council District 1 candidate Bryan Shull explains why he declined a League of Women Voters forum invitation, citing a one-minute sound-bite format, overheard violent rhetoric, and what he calls the organization's openly left-leaning advocacy beneath its nonpartisan branding. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-beneath-the-leagues-nonpartisan-branding-lies-a-membership-and-org...

City Observatory's Joe Cortright dissects two claims Oregon transportation officials are making to deflect blame for massive highway cost overruns. The IBR and Rose Quarter projects rank among the three most expensive highway projects per mile in the nation, yet ODOT continues to point fingers at legislators and local communities. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-two-lies-and-a-truth-a...

CNN, MS Now, and Politico filed a federal lawsuit Monday after the White House deactivated their reporters' press credentials without notice. The suit argues the ban violates the First Amendment and due process clause. Judge Timothy J. Kelly scheduled a videoconference hearing for Wednesday on a temporary restraining order. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/cnn-ms-now-politico-sue-trump-over-white...

The Heritage Foundation's 2026 Election Integrity Scorecard ranks Washington 46th out of 50 states and D.C., citing weak proof-of-citizenship requirements and voter-roll maintenance. State Rep. Jim Walsh says a checked box is not proof of citizenship. The Secretary of State disputes the report's criteria as unlawful or legally contested. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/election-integrity-scoreca...

Transportation architect Kevin Peterson, with planning experience across more than 50 cities on four continents, argues that light rail transit would need to serve 20% of Columbia River cross-river trips, requiring $25 to $45 billion or more over roughly five decades, while LRT's full buildout could take five decades and $25 to $45 billion or more. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-i-5-...

Ryan Frost of the Washington Policy Center argues that the Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling striking down Initiative 2066 under the single-subject clause creates a direct legal challenge to ESSB 6346, Washington's new income tax, which bundled income tax changes with B&O tax adjustments, sales tax changes, and Working Families Tax Credit expansion into a single vote. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion...

The League of Women Voters of Clark County has scheduled four candidate forums at libraries in Vancouver, Camas, and Ridgefield between Sept. 23 and Oct. 14. Races covered include state House seats, County Council districts, Clark County Auditor, Assessor, Clerk, and Public Utility Commissioner. Forums are open to the public and stream on CVTV. https://clarkcountytoday.com/community_news/league-of...

Lars Larson draws on 50 years in journalism to argue that the First Amendment protects the right to publish, not the right to enter the White House. He points to Biden's removal of 400-plus press credentials and Obama's treatment of Fox News as context for today's debate. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-a-1st-amendment-temper-tantrum/ #Opinion #FirstAmendment #LarsLarson #PressAccess...

Clark County Auditor candidate Eileen Quiring O'Brien's campaign published a detailed account of The Columbian's July candidate forum, alleging partisan bias and financial conflicts of interest in the paper's endorsement of Mitchell Kelly. The campaign reaffirmed its pledge to launch a 3rd-party independent audit on Day 1 in office. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-eileen-quiring-obrie...

Six Washington Supreme Court justices threw out Initiative 2066, erasing nearly two million votes and reopening the door to gas bans that BIAW estimates could cost Clark County homeowners $20,000 to $40,000 in forced conversions. Leslie Lewallen, director of Clark County Future 42, argues five Supreme Court seats on the November ballot give voters a direct path to restore constitutional deference...

Theodore Seaman, 44, was arrested for Drive-By Shooting after Battle Ground Police tracked a silver Nissan to Battle Ground Lake State Park on Sept. 19. A second suspect fled on foot and has not been located. Shell casings were found at the scene; no injuries were reported. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/battle-ground-shooting-suspect-arrested-second-suspect-still-outstanding/ #BattleGround #Cl...

The Class 4A Greater St. Helens League opened league play in Week 3, the earliest since 2015, under a new six-game double round-robin format designed to ease scheduling and cut travel costs. Skyview beat Camas 38-21, and Battle Ground topped Union 34-14, but every team will face each opponent again in four weeks. https://clarkcountytoday.com/sports/high-school-football-odd-schedule-leads-to-early-...

Skyview's 38-21 win over Camas at Kiggins Bowl ended a 15-game losing streak in the rivalry dating to 2011. Adarius Sparrow caught three touchdown passes from Dugan Logue, including a 76-yard strike that put the game away in the fourth quarter. https://clarkcountytoday.com/sports/high-school-football-skyview-takes-down-camas-for-first-win-in-rivalry-since-2011/ #SkyviewStorm #CamasPapermakers #Hig...

The Camas School District Legislative Advocacy Committee will host a free, nonpartisan Candidate Forum on Oct. 5 at Discovery High School in Camas, featuring candidates from the 3rd US Congressional District and 17th Washington State Legislative District. The forum runs 6:30 to 8 p.m. and focuses on public education issues. https://clarkcountytoday.com/youth/camas-school-district-legislative-advoc...

A vehicle backing into a parking stall at a business on NW Kent Street in Camas jumped a curb and struck the side of a townhouse after the driver confused the accelerator for the brake pedal. Camas Police and Camas-Washougal Fire responded. No injuries were reported, though damage to both the vehicle and structure was described as extensive. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/vehicle-drives-into-ca...

Sovereign, the new steaks, chops, and seafood restaurant at ilani in Ridgefield, is a restaurant now run directly by the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, marking a major step in the tribe's move toward self-operating all casino restaurants. General manager Andrew Guthrie says the name reflects where the tribe is headed as a self-sufficient sovereign nation. https://clarkcountytoday.com/people/business-profil...

Ryan Frost of the Washington Policy Center spent 15 years working on public pension policy and argues Washington lawmakers deliberately included public pensions in the new income tax, not because they reach the $1 million deduction threshold, but because that threshold can be lowered at any time without another vote. He says voting yes on Initiative 645 would repeal the tax. https://clarkcountytod...

Ridgefield's Sportsman's Public House is marking 100 years with a centennial celebration on Sept. 25, featuring a new menu, vendors, giveaways, and karaoke. The pub has had five owners and was a Model T auto shop before its 1926 restaurant conversion. https://clarkcountytoday.com/business/ridgefield-landmark-sportsmans-public-house-celebrates-100-years-of-history-and-community/ #RidgefieldWA #Spor...

Washington's Department of Revenue calls it an income tax. House Speaker Laurie Jinkins called it "a 9.9% income tax." So why is the media calling it a "millionaires tax"? Chris Cargill of Mountain States Policy Center argues the press is adopting political branding over accurate policy description, and that the distinction matters most as voters prepare to decide Initiative 645 in November. https...

Amtrak's new 300-passenger Airo trains launch on the Cascades intercity route September 30, replacing aging coaches dating to the 1970s. The fleet adds seat capacity and modern amenities but will not increase speed or frequency on the Pacific Northwest corridor. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/northwest-rail-fans-eager-for-sept-30-debut-of-amtraks-airo-fleet/ #AmtrakCascades #PacificNorthwest #R...

A consequential week for housing costs, public safety, and the fall election season across Clark County. Full newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/clarkcountytoday/this-weeks-top-news_september_18_2026