The Columbian

Gov. Jay Inslee met with staff of Share, a homeless service provider, in Southwest Washington on Friday. The governor is championing measures to help maintain funding for Share in the state’s budget. Inslee made several other stops while in town, including at the Washington State School for the Blind, where he made remarks during the commencement ceremony.

While key lawmakers are locked in negotiations over the budget and school funding in Olympia, Gov. Jay Inslee stopped in Southwest Washington on Friday with the goal of returning to the statehouse with stories reminding legislators how policy affect real lives. Read story

Benton in D.C.: It’s time to change the narrative

Then-State Sen. Don Benton at the legislative outlook breakfast at the Hilton Vancouver Washington in 2015.

At about 8 p.m. on a recent Friday night Vancouver’s Don Benton left his office at the Selective Service in Washington, D.C., where President Donald Trump put him in charge of overseeing the military draft, and headed toward the Metro. Read story

Sen. Ann Rivers, left, with Rep. Paul Harris, answers questions at aat Roosevelt Elementary in Vancouver in March. Rivers, R-La Center, one of the key negotiators of the school funding package, is optimistic lawmakers won't need the entire 30-day special session to finish the state budget.

Sen. Rivers: Lawmakers ‘very close’ to education deal

May 23, 2017, 5:00pm Clark County News

Gov. Jay Inslee called state legislators back for a second overtime session on Tuesday with the hopes lawmakers can strike a deal on a two-year operating budget that adequately funds the state’s public education system. Read story

Five running for mayor of Vancouver

May 19, 2017, 8:41pm Clark County News

The co-owner of Main Street Marijuana, Adam Hamide, threw his hat in the ring to be the next mayor of Vancouver, joining about 20 other candidates who decided to run for an elected seat in the county on the final day of filing week. Read story

Housing Initiative LLC looks to construct The Pacific, 18 units of multifamily housing that would be affordable to people with low incomes. The nonprofit requested $250,000 from the Affordable Housing Fund.

Projects aim to ease Vancouver’s affordable housing crisis

May 19, 2017, 5:42pm Clark County News

The city of Vancouver is in the midst of trying to ease its affordable housing crisis. Six local nonprofits and the local housing authority want to be part of the solution. Read story

86 candidates so far vying for open positions

May 17, 2017, 5:47pm Clark County News

As of Wednesday afternoon, the third day of filing week, 86 candidates have filed to represent the region on local city councils, school boards and as commissioners. Read story

Local, state candidate filing kicks off today

May 15, 2017, 11:30am Clark County News

Candidate filing week kicked off in Washington state on Monday, and there is already significant interest from people across the region vying to represent southwest Washington citizens on city councils, school boards and as port commissioners. Read story

Stories by Lauren Dake

Columbian Political Writer

Inslee puts faces on policies

Infighting roils local Republican Party

Vancouver looks to learn from Twin Cities dynamic