Clark County Today News

Clark County auditor candidate Mitchell Kelly reflects on 250 years of American democracy, arguing that civic participation — voting, volunteering, and staying informed — is the truest way to honor those who built the republic. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-celebrating-250-years-of-self-government/ #Opinion #CivicEngagement #ClarkCounty #Democracy #IndependenceDay #Voting #Ameri...

Vancouver advocate Sarah Akey argues HB 1227's imminent physical harm standard leaves children exposed to escalating danger — addiction, violence, neglect — long before the law allows intervention. She says prevention must come before tragedy, not after. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-we-can-support-families-without-sacrificing-childrens-safety/ #HB1227 #ChildSafety #FamilyPreserv...

Five Clark County blueberry farms are open or opening soon for U-pick, with Majestic Farms Blueberries, Meadowglenn Farm, Prairie Berry Farm, Fred's Place in Washougal, and Indigo Acres among the options. The Hockinson Blueberry Festival follows on July 18. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/blueberry-season-has-arrived-at-clark-county-farms/ #HockinsonBlueberryFestival #ClarkCounty #BlueberryF...

Camas resident Anthony Teso pushes back on Lars Larson's read of the Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling, arguing the 6-3 vote masked a 5-4 constitutional split that nearly undid a guarantee settled in 1898. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-larson-mourns-a-ruling-that-changed-nothing-and-misses-the-story-that-matters/ #BirthrightCitizenship #FourteenthAmendment #SupremeCou...

A disqualification motion targeting Clark County's sole prosecutor candidate, a federal green light for the Interstate Bridge Replacement program, and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on transgender athletes in girls sports all converged in a single week of Clark County news. Plus, Washougal mourns Grant Johnson Jr. and Cedar Creek Grist Mill marks 150 years. URLHERE #ClarkCounty #IBR #ProsecutorEthics...

A Clark County Today report on the county's lone prosecuting attorney candidate and a Superior Court case has sparked a broader conversation about ethics, impartiality, and whether elected prosecutors must avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest. Clark County readers are now weighing in. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/poll-how-important-is-it-for-elected-prosecutors-to-avoid-...

Furry Friends Cat Rescue is hosting its 27th annual Dinner & Auction on October 17 at Royal Oaks Country Club in Vancouver. The western-themed event features live and silent auctions, raffles, and a best-dressed competition — with all proceeds supporting rising medical costs and a new facility for rescued cats. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/save-the-date-furry-friends-annual-dinner-auction...

Let's Go Washington submitted more than 511,408 signatures Thursday to repeal the state's new 9.9% income tax on individual and household wage income above $1 million a year — nearly double the 309,000 valid signatures required to reach the November ballot. The initiative, IP26-645, would also block local governments from imposing any income tax, while preserving new tax breaks and credits built i...

The Interstate Bridge Replacement Program secured its federal Record of Decision, but Neighbors for a Better Crossing says the $14.4 billion project has only $5.7 billion identified — leaving roughly $9 billion unaccounted for before procurement begins. NFBC chair Gary Clark is demanding an independent audit and a complete funding plan before contractors are hired. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com...

Grant Johnson Jr., an 18-year-old Washougal High School graduate, died Monday after a rapidly advancing bacterial infection. Friends and coaches remembered him as someone who could turn any bad situation around just by being present. A community vigil drew family, classmates, and coaches, and a GoFundMe for his family has already raised more than $17,000 toward a $30,000 goal. https://www.clarkcou...

Sarah Mittelman, a candidate for the 49th Legislative District, argues that Washington's approach to homelessness, addiction, and poverty ignores its deepest root cause — early childhood trauma and disrupted attachment. By the time intervention occurs, she writes, the developmental damage is often already done. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-not-all-harm-leaves-bruises/ #ChildWelf...

Vancouver resident Wynn Grcich says Banfield Pet Hospital's Wellness Plan contract required her to keep paying $62.95 a month after her dog died — all the way through September. She's notified state Reps. John Ley and Stephanie McClintock and is calling for consumer protection reform. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-my-fee-is-62-95-a-month-for-a-dead-dog/ #BanfieldPetHospital #PetI...

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson's annual salary hits $234,275 after a 7% raise Wednesday — his second consecutive year of double-digit increases. State lawmakers now earn $72,494, about $10,000 more than two years ago. A citizen commission, not politicians, set the new pay schedule. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/washington-governor-ag-and-state-lawmakers-get-7-pay-hikes/ #WashingtonState #Bob...

Clark County communities are marking America's 250th birthday with parades, fireworks, and festivals from July 3–5. Fort Vancouver hosts a free all-day celebration, Battle Ground commemorates its own 75th anniversary, and Ridgefield, Yacolt, Camas, Washougal, and Woodland all have events lined up. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/america250-celebrations-set-to-fill-southwest-washington-with-p...

Camas resident Tony Teso revisits a debate as old as American democracy itself — should elected officials follow constituent wishes or exercise independent judgment? Drawing on Burke's 1774 Bristol speech and Hannah Pitkin's analysis of representation, Teso maps the trustee-delegate tension that still shapes every legislative vote. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-1776-a-democratic-...

In a 4-1 vote, the Clark County Council advanced a resolution — 95 percent written by the city of Vancouver — asking the IBR to extend light rail to Library Square. Councilor Michelle Belkot, the lone dissenting vote, reminded colleagues the county is still officially on record opposing light rail without a voter-approved advisory vote. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/clark-county-council-fo...

Built in 1876 — the same year as America's centennial — the Cedar Creek Grist Mill near Woodland has stood for 150 years thanks to volunteers like John Clapp, who spent weekends rebuilding the flume and restoring the structure while working full-time jobs. Clapp calls it a gift to everybody. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/people/for-150-years-cedar-creek-grist-mill-has-kept-history-and-community...

Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Washington is serving free lunch and snacks to any child 18 and under at six Vancouver-area sites this summer — no registration, membership, or fees required. The program runs through August 15 at most locations, funded by the USDA. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/youth/boys-girls-clubs-of-southwest-washington-offers-free-summer-meals-at-six-vancouver-locations/ #B...

Engineer Bob Ortblad sent Washington and Oregon's state safety engineers a formal request for a professional opinion on IBR bridge safety — and received zero response. He argues the proposed Vancouver approach features a tight S-curve on a -3% north-facing grade prone to black ice, reversed ramp grades, and 50mph crosswind exposure seven months a year. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/lett...

Policy Analyst Sam Cardwell of the Mountain States Policy Center traces the roots of America's constitutional republic — from the failures of Athenian democracy to the Reign of Terror — and asks whether today's citizens are doing enough to preserve what the founders built. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-america-250-a-republic-if-we-can-keep-it/ #America250 #Constitution #Republic...

Six justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts, ruled that Trump's executive order restricting birthright citizenship violated the 14th Amendment — reaffirming 128 years of constitutional precedent. Three conservative justices dissented. Washington Attorney General Nick Brown was among the first to challenge the order in January 2025. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/us-supreme-court-upho...

Lars Larson calls the Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling a threat to Social Security, Medicare, and the meaning of American citizenship itself — warning that birthright tourism will explode and reshape the country within decades. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-a-thousand-little-anchor-babies-are-popping-out-of-illegal-aliens-every-day-in-america/ #BirthrightCitizenship...

Andrew Guerrero, a 20-year-old active-duty military member, faces six counts of Rape of a Child in the second degree and two counts of first-degree Trafficking after Vancouver Police found two teen girls — ages 13 and 16 — living in his hotel room. Guerrero allegedly met the victims on social media. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/vancouver-police-arrest-male-for-sex-crimes-against-teens/ #V...

Clark County auditor candidate Eileen Quiring O'Brien argues that civic organizations — including the League of Women Voters of Clark County — have redefined partisan positions as "defending democracy," undermining the strict neutrality that once earned them public trust. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-words-matter-in-our-local-elections/ #Opinion #ClarkCounty #LocalElections #Le...

Laurel Smith, the unopposed candidate for Clark County Prosecuting Attorney, is the subject of a disqualification motion after disclosing she began dating Vancouver Police Sgt. James Dewey — a lead investigator she personally examined under oath on May 20 — just two weeks before reassigning his cases. A hearing is set for July 8 before Judge Robert A. Lewis. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/l...