Clark County Today News

The GRO Parade of Homes enters its second week with eight luxury homes open for tours in Vancouver's Emerald Grove development. General admission is $20, with $1 from every ticket benefiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Industry and Design Day is Thursday, Sept. 17. https://clarkcountytoday.com/business/gro-parade-of-homes-ready-for-its-second-week/ #GROParadeOfHomes #ParadeOfHomes #Vanc...

Justin Wood of Save Vancouver Streets says he left the Washington State Court of Appeals in Tacoma with cautious optimism after judges appeared to press the city of Vancouver's attorney harder than SVS counsel Jackson Maynard. A ruling on the initiative fight could take four to six months. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/save-vancouver-streets-argues-its-case-before-state-court-of-appeals/ #Save...

Washington's 2026 primary saw 20,267 ballots rejected for late postmarks, a 32% increase over 2024, with Mason County's rejection rate rising 329.7%. The Supreme Court blocked a broader USPS rule from taking effect for November, but the postmarking and transportation changes blamed for the primary spike remain in place. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/rural-latino-trump-voters-hit-hard-by-usps-d...

More than 1,000 public schools closed nationwide in the 2025-26 school year, the fourth consecutive year closures have increased. Declining birth rates, expiring pandemic relief funds, and immigration enforcement are shrinking K-12 enrollment, now projected to fall to 46.9 million students by 2031. States from Vermont to California are testing new approaches to encourage consolidation without forc...

John Braun's campaign is pushing back against a Marie Gluesenkamp Perez attack ad, disputing claims about a worker injury, a workplace fatality, and Braun's legislative record on safety. The campaign says the ad takes four words from a statement out of context. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/braun-campaign-claims-gluesenkamp-perez-ad-exploits-workplace-tragedies-and-distorts-the-facts/ #ThirdCo...

WSDOT and contractor Granite Contractors Company have begun replacing damaged concrete panels on I-5 between Northeast 179th Street and just south of Woodland. Three coordinated projects will improve more than 6 miles of I-5 in Clark County, with a $25 million phase targeting 4 miles of southbound I-5 set for May 2027. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/goodbye-bumpy-ride-on-i-5-in-vancouver/ #I5 #...

Clark County voters will decide this November on Charter Amendment 24, which would require a Housing Impact Analysis before certain land-use and construction code changes take effect. The county already faces an estimated 15,700-unit housing deficit, with long-range projections calling for nearly 104,000 additional units by 2045. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/affordable-housing-for-clark-count...

Nighttime lane closures on I-5 between Ridgefield and Woodland begin Sept. 14 as Granite Construction replaces damaged concrete panels. Right and center lanes close nightly in each direction, with northbound closures between mileposts 18.2 and 21.5 and southbound between mileposts 15.4 and 11.5, with the speed limit reduced to 55 mph. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/nighttime-work-on-i-5-between...

Clark County's Composter Recycler program is hosting a series of free in-person workshops starting September 16 at Washougal United Methodist Church, covering composting, zero-waste habits, DIY eco-friendly cleaners, and food waste reduction. Pre-registration is required. https://clarkcountytoday.com/community_news/free-in-person-workshops-help-residents-reduce-waste-and-save-money/ #ClarkCounty #...

The Clark County Commission on Aging holds its annual retreat Sept. 21 at the Public Service Center in Vancouver. The nine-member volunteer group will confirm its 2027 work plan and review 2026 Silver Citizen nominees. The meeting is open to the public but will not be recorded or streamed. https://clarkcountytoday.com/community_news/commission-on-aging-to-confirm-2027-work-plan-at-annual-retreat/...

Ryan Frost of the Washington Policy Center argues that promises of voter control over Washington's new income tax are misleading. A House amendment requiring a referendum before any threshold change was voted down 45-51, yet senators continue telling voters they will "always have the final say." https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-dont-fall-for-the-illusion-of-voter-control-on-income-tax-...

Republican John Braun has accepted two televised debates with incumbent Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez in Washington's 3rd Congressional District. The first airs on KOIN on October 7, the second on KATU on October 13, giving Southwest Washington voters a direct look at both candidates ahead of the 2026 general election. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/third-congressional-district-candidates-agree-...

Clark County's Charter Review Commission is holding five town hall meetings, one in each county council district, to discuss nine proposed amendments heading to the Nov. 3 general election ballot. The first meeting is Sept. 26 at Ridgefield Community Library. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/charter-review-commission-schedules-town-hall-meetings-to-discuss-proposed-amendments-on-the-november-ball...

City Manager Steve Stuart has appointed Jim Quackenbush as Ridgefield's next police chief after a competitive national search. Quackenbush brings 27 years of experience, from the Portland Police Bureau to the Washougal Police Department, where he currently serves as Operations Captain. The community can meet him at Davis Park on September 22. https://clarkcountytoday.com/people/jim-quackenbush-app...

Middle school students at King's Way Christian Schools gathered for a special chapel service on Sept. 11, where an Army veteran spoke about remembrance. Afterward, students said a prayer and planted American flags on a hillside near the school track to honor those lost that day. https://clarkcountytoday.com/people/a-lesson-and-a-prayer-at-kings-way-christian-schools-on-9-11/ #KingsWayChristian #Se...

Vancouver gathered at the Waterfront on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks for the Patriot Day Salute, presented by the Community Military Appreciation Committee and the city of Vancouver. Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle, Fire Chief John Drake, Police Chief Troy Price, and keynote speaker Col. Joshua Hovanas of the 142nd Wing each offered reflections o...

This week's audio newsletter covers the IBR's cost projection rising to $15.2 billion, a new Clark County voter poll showing taxes as the top concern for 25 percent of respondents, an auditor candidate's pledge for an independent audit, and a former Delta pilots union leader's memories of September 11, 2001. https://mailchi.mp/clarkcountytoday/this-weeks-top-news_september_11_2026-10492471 #ClarkC...

Rep. John Ley, R-Vancouver, says the Interstate Bridge Replacement Project has exploded from a $44 million consulting contract in 2020 to a projected $13 billion to $15 billion total cost, with phase one still $2.2 billion short of available funding. Oregon Rep. Thuy Tran separately accused IBR staffers of withholding cost estimates from the committee. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/washington-...

The Interstate Bridge Replacement Program's price tag has ballooned from $3.2 to $4.8 billion originally to $15.2 billion today, and after more than six years the project remains only 30% designed and 30% funded. Clark County Today readers are weighing in on leadership accountability. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/poll-the-ibr-project-is-described-as-only-30-designed-and-30-funded-after-mor...

Camas athletic director Stephen Baranowski and coach Michelle Ford turned a years-long dream into reality, setting up an outdoor volleyball court at Doc Harris Stadium for a 7 p.m. match against Ridgefield on Sept. 11, complete with a first-responder tribute and fireworks during the national anthem. https://clarkcountytoday.com/sports/high-school-sports-outdoor-volleyball-match-at-doc-harris-stadi...

A Future 42 Clark County poll of 400 likely November 2026 General Election voters finds 25% name taxes and government spending as the top concern, while 74% say rising costs worry them more than a year ago. The Clark County Council holds a 32% job approval rating, with 44% disapproving. https://clarkcountytoday.com/business/new-clark-county-poll-pocketbook-issues-and-taxes-top-voter-concerns/ #Cla...

Washington state Rep. John Ley was asleep in Vancouver when the Sept. 11 attacks began. As a Delta Airlines pilot and union leader, he helped develop the Known Crewmember ID system, more secure cockpit doors, and the armed pilot program still in use today. https://clarkcountytoday.com/people/former-pilot-shares-his-memories-of-sept-11-2001-and-the-changes-made-to-aviation-industry/ #September11 #A...

Battle Ground wants to expand its urban growth boundary west toward Dollars Corner while removing roughly 330 acres from Meadow Glade, a shift driven by a shortfall in employment land rather than housing. Planning Supervisor Sam Crummett says the city can already accommodate its projected 6,979 new housing units within existing boundaries, but needs new land to plan for 7,677 jobs through 2045. ht...

Vancouver resident Peter Bracchi examines how two very different projects, the Interstate Bridge Replacement and the Bridge Shelter, share a common pattern: costs and commitments that keep expanding. The IBR's estimated price has grown from roughly $3 billion to $14.4 billion, while the Bridge Shelter carries a roughly $22 million capital cost plus millions in annual operations, and Clark County i...

Washington Policy Center's Elizabeth New (Hovde) argues that collective-bargaining sessions between the Ferguson administration and WFSE are shielded from public view by state law, leaving rank-and-file workers and taxpayers unable to evaluate whether proposed compensation agreements are truly fair. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-wfse-demands-a-fair-contract-but-workers-and-taxpayers...