The Clark County Arts Commission is seeking applicants for Clark County Poet Laureate. The position is for two years beginning April 15, 2021.

This is a volunteer position. However, the Arts Commission is working to acquire financial support such as a stipend, grant or honorarium.

Duties of the Poet Laureate include promoting poetry as an art form, expanding access to the literary arts, and encouraging poetry as a regional voice that contributes to a sense of place.

Potential applicants must:

A new state vital records law that changes the ordering requirements for birth and death certificates goes into effect on Jan. 1.

The last day to submit 2020 birth and death certificate orders is Dec. 29. This deadline is to ensure all orders placed in 2020 are completed before the new law goes into effect. Orders placed on Dec. 30 and Dec. 31 will be returned. All orders placed in 2021 must meet the requirements of the new law.

Every election, the Clark County Auditor’s Office provides an online voters’ guide with information about candidates and ballot measures for voters to make an informed decision when voting. The voters’ guide includes statements by and photographs of candidates for elective offices as well as local ballot measures with supporting and opposing statements written by citizens.

The Commission on Aging will hear from local service providers on the impact COVID-19 has had on the mental health of older adults and hear about what services and resources are available in our community to help address isolation.  

The presentations will take place during the Commission on Aging’s monthly meeting at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week announced options for shortening the recommended 14-day quarantine for people exposed to COVID-19. The Washington State Department of Health adopted those options, and Clark County Public Health and other health departments across Southwest Washington are also adopting the options for people who do not live or work in high-priority settings.

The county manager is seeking applicants to fill several positions on the volunteer Community Action Advisory Board.

Positions include elected officials from county council districts 2 and 3, low-income representatives from the council districts 2 and 3 and community representatives from council districts 1 and 4.

Term periods are three years, ending Dec. 31, 2023. Incumbents have the opportunity for re-appointment to two additional three-year terms.

Clark County announced the Joint Lobby, Licensing and Elections Offices will be closed to the public at 1 pm on Thursday, Dec. 24.

The Clark County Assessor, Auditor and Treasurer agreed to support an early closure on Dec. 24. “It will have a minimal impact on the public and be greatly appreciated by our staff,” said Greg Kimsey, Clark County Auditor.

There are reduced transactions and demands on services during the afternoon of Christmas Eve day.  The offices will reopen on Monday, Dec. 28 and resume normal business hours.

Clark County Community Services is partnering with the Vancouver Housing Authority (VHA) and the City of Vancouver to open a shelter for people who are unhoused. All three entities will contribute funds to the acquisition, and Clark County Community Services will oversee a contract with a yet-to-be determined non-profit service provider for the day-to-day operations.

The VHA is working on acquiring a site.

During the holiday festivities, Clark County Solid Waste and Environmental Outreach encourages people to take steps to reduce their holiday waste.

Household waste in the U.S. increases by more than 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. Trash cans fill up with holiday food waste, shopping bags, bows and ribbons, packaging, and wrapping paper that contribute an additional 1 million tons a week to our landfill. But by taking a few simple steps to reduce, reuse and recycle, the holiday season can be a little greener.

Vancouver, Wash. - Concerned that a large influx of residential evictions may hit communities and courts after state and federal moratoria on evictions are lifted, Clark County has joined several other counties in adopting an Eviction Resolution Program (ERP) that requires problem-solving steps before the cases come to court.

Clark County Superior Court is one of six pilot counties which experience the majority of the state’s eviction cases – Clark, King, Pierce, Snohomish, Spokane, and Thurston counties.