Thursday,  December 12 , 2024

Linkedin Pinterest

Clark Asks

Have a question? We'll find an answer!

What do you want to know about Clark County, its history, people or economy? Is there a place, a person or an issue that mystifies or intrigues you? Something that you've always wondered about? Clark Asks is your chance to get the answers.

Share your question with us, then join in as readers vote on which stories they want The Columbian to investigate.

Clark Asks is a project guided by readers and their interests, so the next step is up to you.

Clark Asks Logo

Recent Answers

A former Howard Johnson’s hotel near Vancouver Mall converted into Bertha’s Place, a homeless shelter, which opened in late 2021.

Why abandoned buildings can’t be used to house people experiencing homelessness? It’s complicated

Can’t some of the abandoned or under-used buildings in Clark County be used for shelters or affordable housing? That’s a question many readers have submitted…

If a tree falls into your home … what then?

Reader’s question about a red ‘S’ leads to story of little log cabin that once housed popular German restaurant in Vancouver

The Totem Pole was a Hazel Dell staple; landmark restaurant served travelers and locals for decades

‘Do homeless people actually want to get off the streets?’

See More Answersright chevron arrow icon

Vote

We will be opening our next voting round soon.

Ask a question

0/140 characters used

Your contact info

We'll be in touch if we look into your question.

Thank you!

Thanks for submitting your Clark Asks question. If we're able to investigate it further, we'll get in touch with you. Feel free to encourage your friends to ask questions, too!

Here are some recent questions we've answered:

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you collect questions?

We collect questions through the "Ask a Question" form above on this page.

How do you pick the questions for voting rounds?

The newsroom team identifies questions that have potential to be answered by staff in stories, the podcast or blogs.

What makes a good question?

We think the most successful questions have at least one of these qualities:

  • It raises issues unique to Clark County
  • It's open-ended (i.e., not a "yes or no" question)
  • It sparks conversation or friendly debate
  • It has potential to teach longtime residents something they didn't already know about their community

What happens if my question is in a voting round?

Well, first off, congrats! We will notify question submitters when their question is selected so they can ask friends, family and social networks for support during voting.

If your question wins a voting round - double congrats! Columbian staff will discuss options for how you might participate in the investigation, depending on your interest and schedule, as well as the schedule of reporters.

What happens if my question is in a voting round and doesn't win? Will it still get answered?

There is hope for your question! Editors and reporters could still decide to investigate questions that never make it into a voting round -- or they may find that a question has already been answered through a previous story.

Why do you change the wording of some questions when they enter a voting round?

We edit some questions for clarity and brevity. We want questions to be specific enough to answer in the course of a story but broad enough to gain general interest among readers.