Vancouver, Wash. – Give thanks this holiday season, not foodborne illness.

Every year, one in six Americans is sickened by contaminated food or beverages, often from food that’s not prepared safely. Proper food storage and preparation are important in order to prevent illness.

Don’t take any chances with the health of your family and friends this holiday season. Follow these tips as you prepare for holiday gatherings, and visit the Clark County Public Health Facebook page for more food safety tips throughout the month.

Vancouver, Wash. – The Clark County Council is seeking applicants for a volunteer position on the Solid Waste Advisory Commission.

The position represents Clark County at-large. The three-year term begins Jan. 1, 2019.

The commission advises the county council on solid waste issues, such as recycling, garbage collection, landfills, transfer stations and waste-reduction programs.

The commission meets at 6 pm on the first Thursday of February, May, August and November. Meetings are at the Center for Community Health, 1601 E Fourth Plain Blvd.

Vancouver, Wash. – Clark County’s Green Business program will hold the last Morning Blend networking event of the year from 8-9 am Thursday, Nov. 15 at the Tod and Maxine McClaskey Culinary Institute at Clark College, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way.

Morning Blend is an opportunity for business representatives to network and discuss green business efforts in an informal setting. The monthly event is held at different local businesses on the third Thursday.

Vancouver, Wash. ‒ The Clark County Finance Committee is scheduled to meet at 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018. The meeting is open to the public.

The meeting will be held in Conference Room 243, second floor of the Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St.

The agenda includes discussion of the Third-Quarter 2018 County Finance Report.

Vancouver, Wash. – Clark County is seeking an applicant with a background and expertise in land development to join the 10-person Development and Engineering Advisory Board.

The successful applicant will be appointed to a three-year term, beginning Jan. 1, 2019, and ending Dec. 31, 2021. Members are eligible for reappointment after their terms expire.

Public hearings scheduled for first week in December

Vancouver, Wash. – County Manager Shawn Henessee is recommending a budget for 2019 to the county council that focuses on protecting critical and mandated functions while preserving adequate reserves.

“This is a fiscally conservative budget recommendation,” said Shawn. “I’m recommending approval of very few of the general fund requests from departments due to a lack of available resources.”

Vancouver, Wash. – Advances in emerging technologies – such as autonomous vehicles, AV’s, E-commerce, and the sharing economy – are having profound effects not only on how we live and move in cities, but also on urban form and development itself. Learn how these new technologies are changing the way people and goods move, and the implications they will have for the development of communities at the next meeting of the Commission on Aging, 4:30 pm Tuesday, Nov. 13.

Vancouver, Wash. – On Oct. 3, 2018, the Clark County Developmental Disabilities Advisory Board, the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, New Seasons Market, Umpqua Bank, SEH America, and the Vancouver Business Journal hosted the 18th annual celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The event honors Clark County’s employees with developmental disabilities, their employers, employment agencies, and citizens who provide outstanding service.

Vancouver, Wash. – Animal Protection and Control officers have responded to several recent incidents around Vancouver involving raccoon and cat deaths, where evidence indicates the animals ingested an unidentified poison.

A number of raccoons have been killed and placed in Fircrest Park in central Vancouver. Officers have recovered the bodies of multiple cats and raccoons, apparently poisoned, near downtown and in east Vancouver. Another raccoon was found alive in an illegal leg hold trap that had become lodged in a backyard fence on the east side of the city.

Vancouver, Wash. – Beginning at 8:30 am Wednesday, Nov. 7, elections officials will perform a hand count of approximately 600 ballots randomly selected as part of a manual comparison against machine results.

The selected ballots will be counted in the total returns on Election Day. But for this comparison, the United States Representative, 3rd Congressional District race on those ballots also will be counted by hand, to check the accuracy of the ballot tabulation equipment.