Clark County Today News

Furry Friends’ annual Giving Trees fundraiser is back for 2025, inviting Clark County residents to help stock up essential supplies for rescued cats and kittens. Local businesses across Vancouver, Battle Ground and Camas are hosting “Giving Trees” with wish lists and donation bins, and every dollar saved on food, litter and cleaning products lets the no‑kill rescue put more resources into medical...

Ekklesia Theatre is closing out its second season with a heartwarming holiday production of It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play at Coffee Church in Vancouver. Staged as a 1940s radio broadcast, the show features a tight‑knit ensemble voicing dozens of characters around vintage microphones and live sound effects, as George Bailey’s story unfolds on Christmas Eve. Fifty percent of all ticket sa...

Gov. Bob Ferguson is holding a fundraising lunch in Seattle with special guest Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, even as Walz faces intensifying scrutiny over a massive welfare fraud scandal in his state. Critics, including Washington State Republican Party Chair Jim Walsh, say Ferguson should have canceled the “poorly timed fundraiser,” while Democrats praise both governors as strong leaders during “tough...

Washington state’s Department of Licensing says it mistakenly issued nearly 700 commercial driver’s licenses over seven years to noncitizens who did not qualify under federal rules. The problem drew national attention after truck driver Harjinder Singh, who wrongly received a standard CDL from Washington, allegedly made an illegal U‑turn in Florida and killed three people. U.S. Transportation Secr...

In this column, Washington Policy Center transportation expert Charles Prestrud questions whether Sound Transit’s newest light rail extension is any cause for celebration. He compares Link ridership and King County Metro bus ridership before and after recent expansions and argues that multi‑billion‑dollar rail projects are mostly shifting existing riders from buses, not growing overall transit use...

Evergreen Habitat for Humanity is entering a new chapter of shared leadership in Clark County. Drawing on Habitat’s roots in “Partnership Housing” at Koinonia Farm, the nonprofit is adopting a co-CEO structure and naming chief operations officer Lindsi Smith to lead alongside current executive Josh Townsley. Leaders say the move reflects Habitat’s core values of partnership, equity and elevating w...

The Woodland High School boys football team has been named the 2A Academic State Champion, earning the highest collective GPA in their classification statewide. With a 3.461 team GPA across 24 players — and leaders like senior lineman Isaiah Mattison carrying a 3.981 — the Beavers are being honored for excelling in both athletics and academics. Woodland coaches and administrators say the program’s...

Clark County Public Works is responding to heavy rain and gusty winds that are flooding roads and parks across the county. Several locations, including sections of Northeast 156th Street and 112th Avenue in Brush Prairie, JR Anderson Road east of La Center, and regional parks such as Lewisville, Lucia Falls, Moulton Falls and Daybreak, are currently closed with no estimated reopening time. Officia...

Western Washington is bracing for a powerful atmospheric river this week that could dump up to 15 inches of rain in parts of southwest Washington and northwest Oregon, sending dozens of rivers out of their banks. Meteorologists at the National Weather Service and Northwest River Forecast Center warn of major flooding on rivers like the Cowlitz, Puyallup, Skagit, Skykomish and Snoqualmie, and urge...

In this letter to the editor, Yacolt resident Mark Rose describes opening an “escrow shortage” notice that raised his mortgage payment by nearly $400 and calls it a symptom of a wider “fiscal fracture” facing Clark County’s middle class. He argues that property tax tactics like banked capacity, a collapsing insurance market, and state-level policies such as the Climate Commitment Act are squeezing...

A legal team representing conservative journalist Nicholas Sortor has filed a tort claim against the city of Portland, alleging his October 2, 2025 arrest outside the Portland ICE facility was unlawful and driven by political bias. The claim accuses Portland Police of standing by as Antifa activists attacked Sortor, then arresting him without probable cause, and is backed by a detailed historical...

In this Northwest Nonsense commentary, Lars Larson reacts to an atmospheric river bearing down on the region and questions environmentalists’ push to remove Northwest dams, including on the Snake River. He argues that dams provide vital flood control, power, transportation and irrigation benefits, and says public policy should prioritize people’s lives and well-being over fish. https://www.clarkco...

The Battle Ground Police Department’s annual “Shop With A Cop” event paired more than 20 local children with officers for a holiday shopping trip at Walmart, backed by Battle Ground Seniors Inc. and Pepsi Co. What began as a set budget for each child turned into lessons in generosity, budgeting and quiet acts of kindness from officers, capped off by a surprise: brand-new bicycles for every child,...

With heavy rain and gusty winds in the forecast, Clark County Public Works says its crews and equipment are ready to respond to storm impacts in unincorporated areas and is reminding residents how to report hazards, pick up free sandbags, and stay informed about road and park closures. The county is also sharing key safety tips, from avoiding floodwaters and downed power lines to slowing down near...

The Battle Ground City Council has unanimously adopted the city’s 2026 budget after months of planning and public input, prioritizing service level improvements, transportation projects, new park amenities, and local economic development. The plan includes about $8 million for one-time street preservation and capital projects, roughly $2.8 million for park upgrades like Florence Robison Park and R...

Clark County Today Editor Ken Vance responds to recent ICE activity in Clark County and a viral cell phone video of an arrest in Vancouver. Citing statements from local police, federal officials, and those close to the individuals detained, he argues that enforcing immigration laws is not an act of racism, supports deportation for those in the country illegally, and urges local law enforcement age...

More than 100 volunteers turned out at the Clark County Event Center to assemble hundreds of bicycles for the Scott Campbell Christmas Promise Bike Build, a Waste Connections tradition now in its 15th year. The event honors the late Scott Campbell’s goal of making sure any child who wants one can receive a bike for Christmas, with music, mascots, and holiday spirit fueling a push to build 700 bike...

The Vancouver Police Department has opened a traffic investigation after learning from a cell phone video that a person’s foot may have been struck by a vehicle driven by an ICE agent during an arrest in Vancouver. The department says it will determine the facts of the incident, while directing all enforcement-related questions to ICE’s regional communications office. https://www.clarkcountytoday....

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office has cancelled an “Attempt to Locate” bulletin after finding and interviewing a 72-year-old man believed to have information about the 1971 disappearance of Jamie Grissim, an early suspected victim of serial killer Warren Leslie Forrest. Investigators say his account appears credible and consistent with evidence pointing to the Dole Valley area, and they are workin...

The Washougal community is preparing to celebrate the life of beloved leader Molly Coston with a Celebration of Life on Jan. 24, 2026, at the Washburn Center at Washougal High School. City leaders have also formed an ad hoc committee to recommend a lasting way to recognize her many contributions, with members drawn from the council, local arts community, and Rotary. https://www.clarkcountytoday.co...

A CDC advisory committee has voted to overturn a decades-old recommendation that all newborns receive a hepatitis B vaccine at birth, instead leaving most decisions to individual-based choice while maintaining protections for infants born to hepatitis B–positive mothers. The story examines the divided views among committee members, the potential impact on insurance coverage, and parallel changes t...

Ryan Frost of the Washington Policy Center argues that Washington’s projected $4.3 billion deficit for 2027–29 reflects unchecked spending growth rather than a revenue shortfall. He points to state spending more than tripling in just over a decade and urges lawmakers to “bend the curve” by restraining expenditures instead of seeking new taxes. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-despi...

Battle Ground Public Schools is inviting businesses and organizations to reserve free tables at the 11th annual Industry Fair on Feb. 19, 2026, at Battle Ground High School. The event features a resume workshop, opportunities to connect with students and job seekers of all ages, and support from partners Goodwill Industries of the Columbia-Willamette and WorkSource SW Washington. https://www.clark...

Battle Ground Public Schools is inviting businesses and organizations to reserve free tables at the 11th annual Industry Fair on Feb. 19, 2026, at Battle Ground High School. The event features a resume workshop, opportunities to connect with students and job seekers of all ages, and support from partners Goodwill Industries of the Columbia-Willamette and WorkSource SW Washington. https://www.clark...

This Life Outdoors update from WDFW highlights winter adventures across Washington, from waterfowl hunting and razor clam digging to First Day Hikes, trout fishing on lowland lakes, and wildlife viewing on snow-dusted trails, with tips on where to find more stories, regional updates, and recreation resources. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/sports/life-outdoors-bundle-up-for-winter-adventures/ #W...