Clark County District and Superior Courts today made the decision to suspend jury trials for the time being due to the increase in the spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19.

All suspended trials will be rescheduled to a time when they can be safely conducted again.

Holding in-person jury trials brings additional groups of people into the courthouse which can contribute to the spread of the virus. The additional measure of temporarily halting jury trials is needed to protect the health of jurors, staff and other court users.

Clark County’s Green Business program will hold a free virtual Morning Blend networking event 8:30-9:30 am Thursday, Jan. 13 via Zoom.

Morning Blend is an opportunity to network, discuss green business efforts in the workplace, and learn about solutions for reducing our impact on the environment.

Clark County has implemented and currently operates eviction prevention rent assistance programs to assist people who are low-income impacted by the pandemic. These programs have provided an unprecedented $36.7 million in financial assistance to 4,535 households, paying for 39,607 months of rent and utilities since August 2020. Approximately $885,000 in financial assistance for rent and utilities is going out to over 100 additional households each week.

At 9 am on Tuesday, Jan. 4, the Clark County Elections Office will conduct a logic and accuracy test of the programming to be used to tabulate ballots and the accessible voting units for the Feb. 8 special election.
The test will be held at the Elections Office, 1408 Franklin St. Members of the news media, jurisdictions with measures on the ballot and the public are invited to attend this test, which is required under Washington law.

Ballots will be mailed Friday, Jan. 21.

Vancouver, Wash. – Clark County Solid Waste and Environmental Outreach encourages residents to see trash in a new way by attending a free art gallery showing in January.

Waste Connections of Washington and Clark County Public Health present the “Trash to Treasure Artist in Residence” art exhibit. The exhibit features sculptures created by Recycled Arts Festival artist Bill Leigh from unwanted objects discarded at local transfer stations. Each piece of artwork consists of at least 75% recycled materials and will be available for purchase during the gallery showing in January.

Vancouver, Wash. – Weather forecasts for the greater Clark County area suggest the potential for continued snow-and-ice conditions over the next several days. Crews with Clark County Public Works’ maintenance operations team have been out pre-treating county roads with saline anti-icer, a mix of salt and water, which prevents a bond from forming between the pavement and the snow. Roads need to be bare and dry to effectively apply the anti-icer combination.

After the holiday festivities wind down, Clark County Public Health urges residents to recycle their Christmas trees, rather than tossing them in the trash.

From Thanksgiving to the New Year, holiday waste accounts for an additional 20 to 25 percent increase in trash, including Christmas trees. The National Christmas Tree Association estimates 25 to 30 million live Christmas trees are sold in the U.S. every year. Clark County is among the top counties in Washington for cut trees.

The omicron variant of COVID-19 has been detected in two Clark County cases, one of whom is linked to outbreaks among wrestling teams.

The omicron variant was first detected in Washington state earlier this month. As of Wednesday, the state Department of Health had identified more than a dozen cases of the variant, including at least three cases associated with wrestling outbreaks occurring across the state. The Department of Health notified Clark County Public Health of the local omicron cases this weekend.

The Clark County Council today approved an interim ordinance to allow the sale of fireworks from noon Monday, Dec. 27 to 11 p.m. Friday, Dec. 31. The interim ordinance applies only to 2021.

County code allows the discharge of fireworks from 6 p.m. Dec. 31 to 1 a.m. Jan. 1 each year. However, current county code prohibits the sale of consumer fireworks around the New Year’s holiday. Fireworks may only be sold from June 28 to July 4 each year.

The Clark County Medical Examiner’s office has confirmed the identity of a woman whose body was discovered 17 years ago.

The Medical Examiner’s Office recently identified Donna Lee Swindell as the unidentified person found in Hazel Dell on Nov. 6, 2004. Swindell was 57 years old at the time of her death. The cause and manner of her death are undetermined.