Former Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler urged support for I-645, a voter initiative to repeal Washington's new income tax on individuals earning more than $1 million annually. She warned lawmakers rejected amendments that would have barred future expansion of the tax to lower income levels. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/business/video-former-congresswoman-jaime-herrera-beutler-speaks-out-against-washington-income-tax/ #I645 #WashingtonTax #IncometaxRepeal #LetsGoWashington #JaimeHerreraBeutler #WashingtonState #TaxPolicy

Washington rejected 20,267 ballots in this year's primary for late postmarks, up 32% from 16,131 in 2024. Rural counties were hardest hit, with some seeing triple or quadruple the rejections. Secretary of State Steve Hobbs and Sen. Maria Cantwell say Postal Service policy changes are driving the surge ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/uncounted-late-ballots-jump-in-wa-as-fears-of-postal-service-delays-intensify/ #WashingtonState #Elections #MailInBallots #VoteByMail #PostalService #ClarkCounty #VoterRights #WAPolitics #Election2026 #Washington

Automated license plate reader cameras from Atlanta-based Flock Safety have cost Washington taxpayers at least $2 million, and nearly 80 jurisdictions are now rethinking their contracts. Redmond unanimously voted to terminate its agreement in July after community members called the cameras a threat. Washington has no complete public inventory of how many agencies use the technology. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/flock-cameras-cost-washington-taxpayers-millions-as-backlash-grows/ #FlockSafety #LicensePlateReaders #Surveillance #WashingtonState #DataPrivacy #LawEnforcement #PublicSafety #Policetech #TaxpayerMoney #ThecenterSquare

Battle Ground Public Schools approved a $227 million budget with a $14 million gap between revenue and expenditures, relying on fund balance reserves to stay operational. The district enters 2026-27 as its first full year without local levy funding, after cutting 137.2 positions and facing rising fuel and insurance costs. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/youth/battle-ground-schools-approve-budget-with-14-million-gap/ #BattleGround #BattleGroundSchools #ClarkCounty #WashingtonState #EducationFunding #SchoolBudget #LevyFunding #PublicEducation #LocalNews

Vancouver resident Bob Zak writes that as September arrives, Americans should remember the 9/11 attacks the way they remember Pearl Harbor. He argues Muslim communities seeking Sharia Law are incompatible with the US Constitution, and closes by calling America a Christian nation under one God. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-does-anyone-remember-9-11-2001/ #Opinion #911Remembrance #ClarkCounty #Vancouver #WashingtonState #NeverForget #September11 #LetterToTheEditor

On Aug. 21, American Stewards of Liberty petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to delist the gray wolf, arguing the listed groups do not meet the ESA's own definition of a species. Columnist Nancy Churchill examines the agency's science, Washington's minimum count of 270 wolves, 17 documented depredation events in 2025, and the stalled Senate companion bill S. 1306. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-recovery-was-the-promise-delisting-is-the-test/ #GrayWolf #EndangeredSpeciesAct #WolfDelisting #WashingtonState #RuralWashington #ESA #Wildlife #Opinion #Columns #PacificNorthwest

Washington drivers are paying $5.37 per gallon for gasoline and $6.52 for diesel as of Tuesday, far above the national average of $4.10. Analysts point to the state's 56.5-cent fuel tax and Climate Commitment Act pass-through costs as key factors, while global tensions near the Strait of Hormuz add pressure. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/business/washington-gas-prices-surge-while-other-states-see-drop/ #WashingtonState #GasPrices #FuelCosts #ClimateCommitmentAct #Transportation #EnergyPolicy #ClarkCounty #LaborDay #Diesel #GasBuddy

The Clark County Council voted 3-1 to amend its Rules of Procedure, allowing the council to direct individual councilors how to vote on boards and commissions and to remove them by simple majority. Michelle Belkot, who was removed from the C-TRAN board in early 2025, called the changes proof the council acted without proper authority. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/belkot-says-this-is-so-wrong-as-clark-county-council-changes-its-rule-of-procedure/ #ClarkCounty #CTRAN #ClarkCountyCouncil #InterstateBridgeReplacement #LightRail #LocalGovernment #Politics #WashingtonState #Transportation #MichelleBelkot

Washington Policy Center's Ryan Frost presents six charts showing state spending grew 148% from 2013 to 2025, far outpacing 112% revenue growth. Even with billions in new taxes, the gap persists, and a roughly $7 billion shortfall could emerge by 2027. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-six-charts-that-explain-washingtons-budget-problem/ #WashingtonState #StateBudget #TaxPolicy #WashingtonPolicyCenter #FiscalPolicy #Opinion #ClarkCounty #Politics #StateSpending #BudgetShortfall

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is hosting a service academy information night on September 8 at Vancouver Community Library, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Students ages 17 to 22 in Washington's Third District can learn about academy applications and the congressional nomination process. The deadline for 2027 nominations is November 15, 2026. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/youth/rep-gluesenkamp-perez-to-host-service-academy-information-night-at-vancouver-community-library/ #ServiceAcademy #Vancouver #ClarkCounty #WashingtonState #Youth #MilitaryAcademy #GluesenkampPerez