All Politics is Local
IGV clarifies mission after endorsement dust-up
Remember last week when Peter Khalil, a candidate seeking to become the Democrats’ nominee for Washington’s Third Congressional District, pointedly avoided an endorsement from a local progressive group because he said they aren’t actually progressive? That whole thing is still going on. On Dec. 3 Khalil wrote an open letter saying that he was withdrawing […]
Khalil not seeking IGV endorsement, citing “anti-corruption”
In an open letter posted to his campaign’s Facebook page, Democratic Congressional candidate Peter Khalil said he wouldn’t be seeking an endorsement from Indivisible Greater Vancouver. In the letter, Khalil wrote that “Indivisible Greater Vancouver’s values do not align with the progressive principles espoused by the national Indivisible organization. Rather, it seems that Indivisible Greater […]
A proposal to create commuter rail to Portland
A little more than a month ago, Metro Editor Mark Bowder asked me (OK, he told me) to write about why there is no commuter service between Vancouver and Portland. This was a “Clark Asks” story where Columbian readers suggest topics and vote on which story gets covered. My reporting indicated that Amtrak was created […]
Forsman asks courts to restore gun rights, again
Justin Forsman, a three-time candidate for Vancouver City Council, one-time candidate for the state senate and self-described “Champion for Freedom & Liberty” is once again asking the court to restore his right to own a gun. Forsman, who has a felony conviction, filed a petition against the State of Washington for restoration of firearm rights […]
The legacy of William Ruckelshaus
William Ruckelshaus will be remembered as the deputy attorney general who defied President Richard Nixon and refused to fire Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox in October 1973. Ruckelshaus, who died Wednesday at his Seattle-area home, made a more lasting contribution when Nixon appointed him as the first administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in December […]
I-976, 179th Street and ‘gloomy head nods’
After Initiative 976 passed, the Clark County Council consulted its legislative lobbyist about the measure’s potential impact on a premier county transportation project. Councilors didn’t seem to like what they heard. Passed by Washington voters Nov. 5, the initiative caps most taxes paid through annual vehicle registration at $30. It will also cost state and […]
The $140 million lie?
On the same day the governors of Washington and Oregon gathered to bless a second effort to replace the Interstate 5 Bridge, a Portland economist accused the two states’ transportation departments of lying to push the project forward. Joe Cortright, a persistent critic of the failed Columbia River Crossing project, shows no signs of letting […]
Confused about what counts as affordable housing? So am I.
In case you missed it, the Vancouver City Council granted a tax break this week to a planned apartment development on Block 10 because its proposed rents — from $1,496 per month for a studio to $2,578 for a two-bedroom — qualified the project as affordable multifamily housing. Unsurprisingly, the story raised some eyebrows among […]
Veteran group kicks off impeachment tour in Vancouver
A group of military veterans — all critical of Congressional Republicans’ continued defense of President Donald Trump — kicked off a national tour in Vancouver on Tuesday with a visit to Clark College to urge Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler to support the impeachment inquiry. The group was organized by the Defend American Democracy project, a […]
Some humble suggestions for September
The northbound lanes of the I-5 bridge are closing for two weeks in September 2020 so crews can replace a cracked trunnion. As you can imagine, the impacts will be minor. Just kidding. It’s going to be a nightmare. The Washington State Department of Transportation estimates that peak traffic hours — which usually clogs the […]