Stories by Alexis Weisend

Clark County saw slight drop in homeless population in 2023, says Council for the Homeless

Tents line the side of the road along West 11th Street in downtown Vancouver in June. Council for the Homeless data shows the number of people experiencing homelessness in Clark County decreased for the first time in at least five years.

The number of homeless people in Clark County dropped for the first time since at least 2018, the year the Council for the Homeless first released its own data. But the number is still disconcertingly high, advocates say. Read story

Woman’s death being investigated as a homicide in west Hazel Dell

October 9, 2024, 1:51pm Clark County News

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a suspicious death as a homicide after a woman was found dead inside a home in west Hazel Dell Tuesday night. Read story

Kathleen Stevens takes a phone call from a woman fleeing domestic violence with nowhere to go in July.

‘There’s nowhere for her to go’: Number of homeless domestic violence survivors has doubled in Clark County

October 9, 2024, 6:10am Clark County News

Kathleen Stevens recently took a phone call from a woman in Vancouver who believed her abuser would kill her that night. She’s terrified for her life and Stevens, an 82-year-old Hazel Dell woman who uses her savings to help fleeing domestic violence victims, is her last hope. Read story

A view of Main Street in downtown Vancouver. New taxes proposed to balance the city's budget include a tax on parking and one on admissions or movie tickets.

Proposed Vancouver budget includes 5 new taxes and job cuts as city faces $43 million deficit

October 8, 2024, 12:34pm Clark County News

To close a projected $43 million budget deficit, outgoing Vancouver City Manager Eric Holmes’ recommended 2025-2026 budget proposes five new taxes, including on movie tickets and parking, as well as cutting the equivalent of nine full-time jobs. Read story

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church can no longer host people for shelter this winter after a flood in April.

Flood damage means Vancouver church won’t be able to house the homeless this winter

October 8, 2024, 6:09am Churches & Religion

After a flood in April, Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church’s building in east Vancouver is unusable, according to its pastor. The church is looking for another organization to take its rotation as a winter shelter from mid-November through mid-March. Read story

Lewis Record stands on his porch at his mobile home in Fruit Valley. Record is against adding more housing to Fruit Valley until the city does something to improve the neighborhood’s air quality.

Should Vancouver fix the air quality issues in Fruit Valley before adding more housing?

October 5, 2024, 6:14am Business

Lewis Record, 80, remembers the whisper of swaying branches and crisp scent of the air as he picked prunes in Fruit Valley in the 1950s. Read story

Stories by Alexis Weisend

Columbian staff reporter

Vancouver looks at cuts to police, fire, roads and community services to close $43M budget deficit

Clark County’s growth, economy and housing market attract outside investors — and new residents