Clark County Today News

Vancouver City Manager Lon Pluckhahn says a new police memorandum restricting misdemeanor arrests prioritizes cases with the greatest safety impact, but Clark County Today Editor Ken Vance calls it an open invitation for brazen crime. Vancouver Police Officers Guild president Jeff Anaya warns criminals will flood the city. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-i-dont-want-to-live-in-a-commu...

Vancouver Police Chief Troy Price's misdemeanor no-arrest directive has led to more than 50 case dismissals, including 10 domestic violence charges. This week's newsletter also covers state spending, Legislative District 49, the county auditor race, and a Battle Ground church program. URLHERE #ClarkCounty #Vancouver #VancouverWA #ClarkCountyAuditor #WashingtonState #PublicSafety #LocalNews #ClarkC...

Three suspects robbed a Vancouver Walgreens on NE 63rd Street on March 20, 2026, stealing alcohol and striking an employee in the head with a bottle. The Clark County Sheriff's Office believes the same group hit a second Walgreens the same night. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/ccso-seeks-publics-help-identifying-robbery-suspects/ #ClarkCounty #CCSO #Vancouver #PublicSafety #Crime #WashingtonSta...

Vancouver officers have been directed to stop arresting or citing people for shoplifting, public drug use, and trespassing, citing public-defense caseload limits and city budget constraints. Police guild President Jeff Anaya warns the policy harms businesses and cuts off pathways to drug treatment. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/poll-should-vancouver-reconsider-its-no-arrest-directive-for-ce...

C-TRAN is planning a new westbound Vine station at Mill Plain Boulevard and Chkalov Drive in Vancouver, with construction set for 2027. The median-based design would be the first of its kind in C-TRAN's bus rapid transit network, adding pedestrian refuge and maintaining all existing traffic lanes. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/c-tran-to-build-new-vine-station-at-mill-plain-chkalov/ #CTRAN #Vin...

IRS migration data for 2022-2023 shows King County lost roughly 13,000 residents through domestic migration, with outbound movers taking $8.7 billion in adjusted gross income while inbound residents brought only $6.7 billion. Washington Policy Center's Mark Harmsworth argues Seattle's tax and regulatory policies are driving the exodus. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-irs-data-shows-se...

Rep. John Ley argues Washington's operating budget has grown 230% since 2001, fueled by $9.5 billion in new General Fund taxes in 2025, another $4.5 billion the following year, and a state workforce that has grown from 125,892 to 138,109 full-time equivalents. State reserves now sit at just 22 days of operating budget, the worst in the nation, as Moody's and Fitch downgraded Washington's credit ou...

Vancouver Fire dispatched four engines, two ladder trucks, one squad, and two battalion chiefs to a working residential fire at 815 E. 32nd St. on Wednesday afternoon. The family has been displaced. A cat was rescued from the home. The cause remains under investigation. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/vancouver-fire-responds-to-residential-structure-fire-on-e-32nd-street/ #VancouverFire #Structu...

A pedestrian crossing NE Hwy 99 outside a crosswalk was struck by a northbound white sedan whose driver fled without stopping. The victim was hospitalized with serious injuries but is expected to survive. Vancouver Police are seeking the public's help locating the suspect vehicle, which has significant front-end damage and a missing driver's side mirror. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/vancouver...

Clark County Public Health is investigating a confirmed measles case in an unvaccinated child. Anyone at Vancouver Clinic, Salmon Creek on July 17 from 1:30 to 5:30 pm who is unvaccinated must stay home for 21 days. Two vaccine doses are about 97% effective. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/public-health-investigating-confirmed-measles-case-in-clark-county-3/ #ClarkCounty #Measles #PublicHealth #...

Vancouver Police Officers Guild president Jeff Anaya says a July 17 memorandum from Chief Troy Price, directing officers to stop making arrests for shoplifting, public drug use, and trespassing, will invite rising crime and harm businesses. Anaya warns Vancouver risks following the path of Portland and Seattle. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/police-guild-president-vancouver-moving-in-wrong-dire...

Washington's state operating budget has grown from $24.5 billion in 2001-03 to $80.7 billion for 2025-27, a 230% increase, even as lawmakers face projected deficits and historic tax increases. Basic education accounts for 42% of the $56 billion spending increase since 2001. https://clarkcountytoday.com/business/fiscal-fallout-wa-budget-spending-increased-by-230-since-2001/ #WashingtonState #StateB...

Washington's State Board of Education is proposing the first overhaul of high school graduation requirements in over a decade. The plan shifts students from 17 to 15 core credits, expands personalized pathway credits from three to five, and adds new courses in financial literacy and quantitative reasoning. A vote is expected in September. https://clarkcountytoday.com/youth/washingtons-board-of-edu...

Washington Policy Center's Todd Myers breaks down three claims about why Washington gas prices have climbed above $5 per gallon again. He argues the state's Climate Commitment Act adds roughly 52 cents per gallon, and that the Department of Ecology's denial of any link between carbon pricing and pump prices is contradicted by Ecology's own commissioned study. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/o...

New research shows Washington's Climate Commitment Act and Carbon Fuel Standard are driving gas prices up $0.41 to $0.48 per gallon. The West Coast premium on fuel has grown from $0.67 in 2022 to $0.91 per gallon in 2026, while state officials deny any clear link between carbon policy and pump prices. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-no-surprise-west-coast-climate-policies-drive-the-hi...

The Central Vancouver Habitat Store at 10811 SE 2nd Street is marking its 4th anniversary with a one-day 50% off storewide sale on August 1. The first 50 customers get a $10 gift card, and shoppers from 3 to 6 p.m. can earn Build Bucks coupons. Proceeds support affordable home construction in Clark County. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/central-vancouver-habitat-store-celebrates-anniversary-wit...

Rob Anderson of Reform Clark County raises concerns after three Clark County Auditor candidates — Ty Stober, Sharon Wylie, and Mitchell Kelly — attended an Indivisible Greater Vancouver meeting, while candidate Eileen Quiring O'Brien says she was not invited and would not have attended. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-clark-county-deserves-better-indivisibles-hatred-and-the-candidates...

Dr. Ronald Hsu of Storybook Dental in Camas explains why tannins, acids, and thinning enamel cause tooth discoloration, and how simple habits like drinking water after coffee and avoiding all-day sipping can protect your smile. https://clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/how-to-prevent-tooth-stains-and-keep-a-brighter-smile/ #DentalHealth #ToothStains #OralHygiene #DeltaDental #ClarkCounty #CamasWA #Smil...

PacifiCorp is closing the Beaver Bay boat ramp on the Lewis River beginning July 24 due to low water levels, with the closure lasting the remainder of the season. Federal licensing requires the company to maintain downstream flows from Merwin Dam to protect Chinook, Coho salmon, and Steelhead trout. Additional recreation impacts are possible before Labor Day. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/beav...

Washington Farmland Trust has permanently protected April Joy Farm, a 24-acre certified organic operation in Ridgefield, marking the first farmland conservation easement funded by Clark County's Legacy Lands program. Clark County's agricultural acreage has decreased by nearly 40% since 2017, and Ridgefield's median home price has grown 147% in the last decade. https://clarkcountytoday.com/business...

Thousands lined Main Street and Northeast First Street in Battle Ground for the Harvest Days Parade, a nearly two-hour celebration featuring around 100 entrants including equestrian groups, local businesses, and political candidates. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/harvest-days-parade-brings-smiles-to-thousands-of-attendees/ #HarvestDays #BattleGround #ClarkCounty #Parade #CommunityNews #Washing...

Three Washington business leaders, including the VP of Vancouver-based TigerStop, say rising taxes and regulations are forcing them to expand outside Washington or consider relocation. An AWB survey found 24% of members are considering leaving the state, nearly triple the rate from 16 months prior. https://clarkcountytoday.com/business/video-how-high-taxes-regulations-are-crushing-three-washington...

Washington state's 18-person Joint Legislative-Executive Committee on Budget Transparency and Fiscal Sustainability held its first meeting Monday, tasked with explaining recurring structural deficits in the state's $80.2 billion operating budget. Pew Charitable Trusts will guide the two-year review at no cost to the state. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/new-effort-underway-to-understand-was-bud...

Washington Policy Center's Ryan Frost examines three statistics Superintendent Chris Reykdal cited on Facebook to argue the state's tax structure, not spending, drives budget problems. Using OFM's own figures, Frost finds real tax burden per resident rose roughly 44% since 2004, the state wage bill grew about 150%, and employee headcount per resident is roughly the same as 20 years ago. https://cl...

Furry Friends, a no-kill cat rescue in Vancouver, is currently caring for approximately 180 kittens and 75 adult cats as year-round kitten season pushes resources to the limit. Adoption fees start at $100 for adult cats, and the organization runs entirely on private donations with an annual budget of roughly $542,000. https://clarkcountytoday.com/news/furry-friends-has-cats-and-kittens-waiting-for...