Clark County Today News

Mitchell Kelly leads the Clark County auditor race with 29.15% of the vote, followed closely by Eileen Quiring O'Brien at 28.74%. Ty Stober and Sharon Wylie trail behind. Council races in Districts 1, 2, and 5 are also taking shape. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/initial-results-from-aug-4-primary-election-release/ #ClarkCounty #PrimaryElection #ClarkCountyAuditor #ClarkCountyCouncil #Washingto...

Battle Ground issued a stop-work order on Metronet fiber-optic construction after residents reported sewer damage, unpermitted repairs, dead sod, and crews who could not produce permits on request. The city requires Metronet to provide construction schedules, proof of proper notice, and Washington Dig Law compliance before new boring resumes. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/bg-halts-metronet-con...

Cascade Policy Institute's Randal O'Toole argues that more than 95 percent of Portland-area passenger travel is by automobile for good reason. A 60-minute car trip reaches ten times as many jobs as transit, and subsidies make transit cost six times more per passenger-mile than driving. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-portlands-war-on-cars-2-the-overlooked-benefits-of-driving-cars/ #Po...

Donald Kimball of the Washington Policy Center argues that data centers are not driving up energy prices in Washington state. He points to regulations like the Clean Energy Transformation Act and the Climate Commitment Act as the real cost drivers, and calls for expanding energy production. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-do-data-centers-drive-up-energy-costs/ #DataCenters #EnergyPoli...

Washington's primary is underway with all House seats, two dozen Senate races, and four state Supreme Court positions on the ballot. As of Monday night, just under 20% of ballots had been returned statewide. Ballots must be postmarked by 8 p.m. tonight. First results are expected just after 8 p.m. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/video-will-voters-show-up-washington-primary-tests-midterm-turnout/...

Camas resident Anthony Teso responds to a prior letter, arguing that applying automobile-style regulation to firearms would make Washington's gun laws stricter, not looser. He also corrects the record on Senate Bill 5098, the Bite of Seattle shooting, and Vancouver's public defender shortage. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-take-the-car-analogy-seriously/ #Opinion #GunLaws #WashingtonS...

Chris Cargill of Mountain States Policy Center uses a classroom thought experiment and Soviet agricultural history to argue that socialism weakens the incentives driving risk-taking, problem-solving, and the creation of prosperity. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-fatal-flaws-of-socialism-why-incentives-matter/ #Opinion #Socialism #FreeMarkets #Incentives #Economics #MountainStatesPoli...

Wildfire smoke is affecting communities across southwest Washington, with risks especially high for those with asthma, COPD, heart conditions, and allergies. PeaceHealth outlines steps residents can take now, from limiting outdoor exposure to keeping rescue medications on hand. All PeaceHealth facilities are open and operating with enhanced air filtration systems. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news...

Three fires in the Spokane Complex have burned more than 8,000 acres, with up to 1,100 structures possibly destroyed and 65,000 people under evacuation orders. Washington's full congressional delegation is urging President Trump to approve an emergency declaration as FEMA moves resources into the state. Smoke is expected to affect western Washington air quality in the days ahead. https://clarkcoun...

Washington Policy Center's Elizabeth New (Hovde) examines how the WEA, the Washington Federation of State Employees, and relevant locals of SEIU each contributed $1 million to oppose IP26-645, the initiative to repeal Washington's income tax, while also opposing two other statewide measures this November. She argues public employers should give workers clear, neutral notice of their First Amendmen...

Curran Ellis Fine, an inmate at the Clark County Jail, was found unresponsive in his cell on July 23, 2026, and died at a local hospital on July 29. Corrections staff, jail medical personnel, and emergency responders attempted lifesaving measures before he was transported by ambulance. A state-mandated fatality review is underway. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/clark-county-jail-inmate-dies/ #C...

Jonathan Hines argues that gun-free zones and expanded firearm restrictions disarm only law-abiding citizens, leaving them defenseless while criminals carrying illegal weapons face no deterrent. He ties the argument to Vancouver PD's shift away from enforcing low-level misdemeanors. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-misguided-gun-policies-disarm-victims-not-criminals/ #GunPolicy #SecondA...

Battle Ground Community United Methodist Church hosts its 5th Annual Music Fest on September 26, featuring Three Together, an acoustic trio with Grammy Award-winning guitarist Doug Smith. Doors open at 6 p.m., with a suggested $25 donation benefiting the North County Community Food Bank. https://clarkcountytoday.com/people/battle-ground-community-united-methodist-church-celebrates-the-5th-annual-m...

Lars Larson argues that when a 35-year-old healthcare worker used a concealed carry pistol to drive a rifle-wielding killer away from an In-N-Out in Twin Falls, Idaho, the legacy media still refused to use honest language. Three people died, seven were wounded, and police credited Jordan Salinas as a hero. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-good-guys-with-guns-and-legacy-media-that-would...

Starting Tuesday night, WSDOT crews will close the right lane of southbound I-5 and the Exit 9 off-ramp nightly from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. as they resurface a 2-mile stretch between SR 502 and NE 179th Street in Vancouver. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/expect-nighttime-delays-for-pavement-repairs-on-southbound-i-5-in-vancouver-aug-4-5/ #I5 #Vancouver #WSDOT #ClarkCounty #RoadWork #Transportation #...

La Center School District is pushing back against State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, saying OSPI's own secrecy mandates, not federal enforcement, put Washington's education funding at risk by defying FERPA, PPRA, and Title IX. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/la-center-sd-rejects-superintendent-reykdals-partisan-mischaracterization-of-federal-parental-rights-enforcement/ #ParentalRights #LaCente...

A large grass and brush fire at 5900 NE 6th Ave. in Vancouver ignited three simultaneous fire areas covering roughly 600 by 400 feet, spread over a concrete wall toward Interstate 5, and required 14 apparatus and 42 firefighters to bring under control in 15 minutes. The Clark County Fire Marshal is investigating the cause. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/vfd-extinguishes-brush-fire/ #VancouverFi...

Vancouver is accepting applications for its Community and Neighborhood Grants Program, with 19 microgrants of up to $500 each available. The April cycle set a program record with 42 grants totaling over $80,000. The deadline to apply is Sept. 18, 2026. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/city-of-vancouver-opens-final-call-for-2026-community-and-neighborhood-grants/ #VancouverWA #CommunityGrants #Cla...

An AMR unit witnessed a single-vehicle rollover on NE 78th Street at the I-5 overpass after a gray 2025 Toyota RAV4 ran a red light, struck a pedestrian signal, and hit an overpass column. Both occupants were extricated and are in stable condition. Traffic Homicide Detectives are investigating. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/serious-injury-collision-at-ne-78th-street-and-i-5-overpass/ #ClarkCou...

What started as a pandemic-era idea to plant sunflowers and give the community somewhere to go has grown into a beloved Hockinson tradition. O'Keefe Farms hosts a kickoff concert Aug. 1 featuring AC/DC tribute band Shoot to Thrill, followed by the Sunflower Festival on Aug. 8-9 and 15-16, with more than 60 varieties of sunflowers, vendors, food, music, and family fun. https://clarkcountytoday.com/...

Vancouver's law enforcement policy remains unchanged despite six days of public outcry and a City Council appearance by the city attorney, city manager, and police chief. The Clark County Council advances Rules of Procedure changes, the 3rd Congressional District race takes shape, two lawsuits challenge Initiative 645's ballot language, and the 158th Clark County Fair opens August 7 in Ridgefield....

Washington has conducted elections entirely by mail since 2011. Columnist Nancy Churchill argues the state should move toward in-person voting, require stronger citizenship and ID checks, and rely more heavily on paper ballots counted under bipartisan observation. A new poll asks where Clark County stands. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/poll-should-washington-reconsider-its-statewide-vote-by...

Vancouver's Lodging Tax Advisory Committee is accepting grant applications for 2027 tourism events, festivals, and marketing programs from Aug. 4 to Sept. 20. Grants are funded through a 4% tax on hotel, motel, and bed and breakfast stays. Priority goes to events outside peak summer season, outside downtown, and those supporting small businesses, diverse communities, and climate action. https://cl...

Doug Dahl of The Wise Drive breaks down how Washington's Revised Code allows officers to pursue suspended-driver enforcement action off public roads, including inside restaurants and private parking lots. Fifteen percent of fatal crashes in Washington involve unlicensed drivers. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-tickets-in-parking-lots/ #TrafficSafety #DrivingSuspended #WashingtonState...

Incumbent Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez faces Republican state Sen. John Braun, Democrat Brent Hennrich, and six other candidates in Washington's 3rd Congressional District primary. Braun, endorsed by President Trump, has raised more than $1.1 million. Gluesenkamp Perez holds more than $2 million in cash on hand. The Aug. 4 primary could help determine which party controls Congress. https://clarkco...