Clark County Today News

The Clark County Board of Health voted unanimously to appoint Dr. Brianna da Silva Bhatia as interim Health Officer, replacing Dr. Alan Melnick, who retired after more than 20 years leading Clark County Public Health through the COVID pandemic and measles outbreaks. Dr. da Silva Bhatia joined the department as deputy health officer in February 2025. https://clarkcountytoday.com/people/board-of-hea...

An 18-year-old man was shot inside a townhouse in the 4100 block of NE St. Johns Road and later pronounced dead at a hospital. Detectives have identified 19-year-old Cash D. Cavett as the suspect, believed to have fled in a dark-colored 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/ccso-investigating-deadly-shooting/ #ClarkCounty #CCSO #Homicide #PublicSafety #Vancouver #WashingtonSt...

Lars Larson argues that vote-by-mail does not increase voter participation and often takes weeks to produce a result. He points to Oregon's removal of 800,000 faulty voter registrations and thousands of foreign citizens found on the rolls, challenging Secretary of State Tobias Read's claim that Oregon's system is secure, accurate, and fair. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-nothing-to-s...

Legislative candidate Sarah Mittelman, running in the 49th District, argues that biological males should not compete in girls sports and that Initiative IL26 638, which requires female interscholastic athletic categories to be based on biological sex, protects the fairness Title IX was designed to guarantee. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-males-in-girls-sports-vote-yes-on-initiative-...

The emerald ash borer, a metallic green beetle that has wiped out more than 100 million ash trees across the United States, has been confirmed in Vancouver, Washington. State officials say municipalities can expect to lose 90 to 100 percent of ash trees within 10 to 12 years without management. A statewide firewood quarantine is now in effect. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/invasive-beetle-that...

Eight Vancouver Fire Department units responded to a house fire on NE 102nd Avenue before 5 a.m. on August 26. An attached garage ignited and fire extended into the home. One resident escaped after being awakened by his dog. Two people and one dog were displaced. The cause remains under investigation. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/vancouver-fire-crews-quickly-extinguish-early-morning-house-fir...

Washougal was designated a JustServe City after regional coordinators Todd and Marilyn Richardson presented the honor to Mayor David Stuebe and the City Council at Washougal City Hall. The recognition highlights volunteer efforts including SR-14 cleanup and beautification projects. JustServe.org is a free platform sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. https://clarkcountytod...

Nancy Churchill of Dangerous Rhetoric argues the 2001 Roadless Rule locked up nearly 45 million acres of National Forest land and left Washington forests vulnerable to catastrophic fire. The Little Giant Fire has burned 136,000 acres inside two roadless areas. The Forest Service is now accepting public comments on a proposed rescission through midnight Sept. 21, 2026. https://clarkcountytoday.com/...

Battle Ground, La Center, Ridgefield, and Yacolt each brought different priorities to a Clark County Planning Commission hearing on the 2045 Comprehensive Growth Management Plan Update, covering urban growth area expansions, housing capacity, jobs, and farmland preservation. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/clark-county-growth-plan-puts-north-municipalities-at-center-of-uga-debate/ #ClarkCounty #...

Ridgefield resident and wildlife refuge volunteer Oliver Spencer is calling for thorough environmental review of the Port of Ridgefield's proposed waterfront redevelopment, citing concerns about wildlife, wetlands, noise, lighting, traffic, and the character of the community along a major migratory path for millions of birds. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-time-is-running-out-for-scru...

Vancouver City Council voted 6-1 to raise the sales tax one-tenth of 1 percent for criminal justice purposes, including hiring more officers and addressing a public defender shortage that led to the dismissal of more than 50 cases. The tax takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/vancouver-votes-to-increase-sales-tax-in-effort-to-increase-public-safety/ #Vancouver #ClarkCounty...

Washington state's Department of Revenue says implementing its new 9.9% income tax on incomes above $1 million will be "a significant lift," with the advisory group wrestling over how to define state residency and domicile. Tax attorneys warn the standards are ambiguous and hard to codify. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/dor-significant-life-awaits-wa-with-new-income-tax-residency-enforcement/ #...

Dara Johnson, a Registered Veterinary Technician with experience in shelter medicine, mobile spay/neuter clinics, and international veterinary training, has joined Furry Friends as a part-time staff member. Her role will expand when the nonprofit's new medical building opens in November. https://clarkcountytoday.com/people/furry-friends-welcomes-new-staff-member/ #FurryFriends #ClarkCounty #Animal...

WSDOT is urging travelers to plan ahead for Labor Day weekend congestion Sept. 4 to 7 on key state highways, ferries, and transit routes. Most highway construction will pause Friday, Sept. 4, though delays remain likely. The agency offers travel charts, a mobile app, and real-time traffic tools to help. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/ready-set-road-trip-wsdot-offers-labor-day-weekend-travel-too...

Washington Policy Center's Mark Harmsworth pushes back on a Seattle Times column that framed Microsoft's $18.7 billion and Amazon's $17.4 billion federal tax reductions as corporate greed, arguing those companies anchor Puget Sound's $607 billion gross regional product and support hundreds of thousands of Washington jobs. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-wishing-away-washingtons-econom...

Reform Clark County founder Rob Anderson says public records show Mitchell Kelly was deputized on February 9, 2026, one week after announcing his auditor campaign, yet campaign materials and the official Voters' Pamphlet repeatedly presented the title as earned advancement. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-explanations-about-the-deputy-county-auditor-title-still-arent-adding-up/ #Clark...

As of 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 24, evacuation levels near the Hidden Meadows Fire in North Clark County dropped from Level 3 and Level 2 to Level 1 GET READY. DNR and Fire District 10 remain on scene. Residents may still see smoke. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/update-evacuation-levels-reduced-for-those-near-hidden-meadows-fire/ #HiddenMeadowsFire #ClarkCounty #Wildfire #Evacuation #PublicSafety #C...

The U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority lifted a lower court pause on Trump's executive order overhauling mail-in ballot rules, ruling the administration is likely to prevail against 23 Democratic-led states. Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson and AG Nick Brown both condemned the ruling. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/u-s-supreme-court-lifts-pause-on-trump-mail-ballot-order/ #SupremeCourt #Mai...

Todd Myers of the Washington Policy Center argues that the U.S. Forest Service's consideration of rescinding the roadless rule is driven by wildfire risk, not timber revenue, pointing to the 136,000-acre Little Giant Fire burning through two roadless areas filled with heavy dead and down fuels. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-the-forest-is-burning-the-roadless-rule-is-making-it-worse/...

A Level 3 GO NOW evacuation order is in effect for those within 0.5 miles of 14302 NE 346th St. in North Clark County as the Hidden Meadows Fire burns west of Highway 503. SR 503 is closed with no detour and no estimated reopening. A temporary evacuation assembly area is open at Charter Oak Community Church in Battle Ground. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/emergency-level-3-go-now-order-issued-f...

Eight custom luxury homes on 16,000 square-foot lots in Salmon Creek open to the public Sept. 11, with a VIP night on Sept. 10. The Building Industry Association of Clark County presents the GRO Parade of Homes, founded in 1977, running through Sept. 27. General admission is $10, with a dollar from every adult ticket benefiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. https://clarkcountytoday.com/pe...

Camas resident Anna Miller draws on decades of work history and two Bible passages to argue that Socialism is rooted in envy, and that envy, left unchecked, opens the door to communism and the loss of individual freedom. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-beware-the-sirens-call/ #Opinion #Socialism #ClarkCounty #Camas #WashingtonState #LetterToTheEditor #Politics #IndividualFreedom

A 28-year-old Battle Ground man faces felony DUI, reckless driving, and license suspension charges after his non-street-legal e-motorcycle struck a Ford F-150 at SE Rasmussen Boulevard and SE 14th Street. Investigators cleared the truck driver of wrongdoing. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/e-motorcycle-collides-with-truck-in-battle-ground/ #BattleGround #ClarkCounty #PublicSafety #EMoto #Traffic...

Camas resident Anthony Teso pushes back on Initiative 645, arguing it does not simply repeal a 9.9 percent tax on income above a million dollars but bans income taxes entirely, while leaving sales tax obligations in place. He notes Washington's poorest fifth pay 13.8 percent of income in state and local taxes, while the wealthiest one percent pay 4.1 percent. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/l...

MAJ Development Corporation has submitted plans to Ridgefield for a mixed-use project near Pioneer Street and Discovery Drive, proposing an 84,000-square-foot retail building, a 136-unit multifamily development, a convenience store with 12 fueling stations, a coffee kiosk, a drive-thru bank, and a car wash on roughly 16.94 acres. No tenant has been identified. https://clarkcountytoday.com/business...