The Reflector

01/08/2026

Brenda Morrow, 67, of Vancouver, died Dec. 21. Arrangements are under the care of Evergreen Memorial Gardens, 360-892-6060. Wayne Glandon Sr., 83, of Vancouver, died Dec. 21. Arrangements are …

01/08/2026

Clark County Sheriff John Horch said 2025 was the sheriff’s office’s best year since he was elected sheriff in 2022.

Horch said in an interview with The Reflector that the sheriff’s office hired 23 deputies and 18 unsworn support staff in the calendar year. He noted there are two parts to staffing. The first is obtaining approval and funds for the positions. The second is the hiring and recruiting process. Despite both being struggles in recent years, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) is now down to under 10% in vacancies heading into 2026.

“Obviously, you have some turnover. You have different reasons, termination or retirement, but our staffing was getting better. But we were at an impasse,” Horch said. “I’ve gone to the council nine times in three years, and then in November they all voted to increase our staffing starting this year in 2026 by 22 enforcement deputies and four non-sworn for records and support. That’s the biggest increase we’ve had in 40 years. It does not get to exactly where we need to be, but it’s a great start.”

Clark County Sheriff John Horch said 2025 was the sheriff’s office’s best year since he was elected sheriff in 2022.  Horch said in an interview with The Reflector that the sheriff’s …

01/08/2026

Woodland civics teacher appointed to Washington State Board of Education:

Shari Conditt, a longtime Woodland High School civics and U.S. history teacher, has been appointed by Gov. Bob Ferguson to the Washington State Board of Education, bringing a small-town classroom perspective to statewide education policy.

Conditt has spent more than two decades teaching in Woodland and nearly three decades in education overall. She currently teaches Advanced Placement American Government and Politics and Advanced Placement U.S. History, both dual-enrollment courses that allow students to earn college credit while in high school.

She said the appointment followed months of uncertainty and came during an already momentous stretch in her career. She received her appointment letter on Dec. 8, just four days after receiving the Sandra Day O’Connor Prize for Excellence in Teaching Civics.

“It was a really busy (four) days of some really wonderful acknowledgments and recognition,” Conditt said.

Read more here https://tinyurl.com/4nyfb7kb.

01/08/2026

Tukes Taphouse, a family-friendly taphouse at 113 E. Main St. in Battle Ground, has changed ownership after operating for two years. The location opened Dec. 9, 2023, and has been acquired by BG Hospitality Collective, a Maddox-affiliated hospitality group.

The business was founded by Nick and Lindsey Maze, who said they decided to sell as they look toward other ventures. Service will continue uninterrupted, with a grand re-opening planned for spring 2026.

“We created a great place that is loved by the community. We’re confident that the new owners will be the right team to carry Tukes Taphouse forward,” Lindsey Maze, who served as general manager, said in a news release.

Tukes Taphouse, a family-friendly taphouse at 113 E. Main St. in Battle Ground, has changed ownership after operating for two years. The location opened Dec. 9, 2023, and has been acquired by BG …

01/07/2026

Travelers of Pioneer Street in Ridgefield have watched the Ridgefield Gateway project take shape over the course of a year, as the McDonald’s has now opened to the public, and the gas station and convenience store with a car wash are nearing completion in early 2026.

On the property brochure from October, site plans label a Gesa Credit Union, a 76 gas station and McDonalds, while two other pads detail another drive-thru and a one-story general retail building. But after a Dec. 9, 2025 pre-application conference, the one-story general retail pad may be a Discount Tire store at 5824 Pioneer Street in the Gateway development.

The updated project proposes a 7,320-square-foot Discount Tire store, with site plans showing 32 parking stalls and three garage doors for vehicle service.

Travelers of Pioneer Street in Ridgefield have watched the Ridgefield Gateway project take shape over the course of a year, as the McDonald’s has now opened to the public, and the gas station and …

01/07/2026

The Allen House Bed and Brunch opens in an 1896 home north of Ridgefield:

The historic Allen House is now ready for overnight visitors and brunch eaters near ilani Casino as Bianca and Michael Benson cut the ribbon surrounded by the Blue Crew, the mayor of Ridgefield and family and friends on Friday, Jan. 2.

The Allen House is a wonderful Queen Anne-style Victorian home built in 1896, nestled on 10 acres of pasture with a magnificent historic barn. The quaint setting happens to be a stone's throw away from the entertainment capital of Clark County and barely over 4 miles outside of downtown Ridgefield.

The historic house operated as a bed and breakfast from 1995 to 2000 under previous owners. Now, at the turn of a new year and the home’s 130th trip around the sun, the Benson’s bring the creme de la creme of experience, as the namesake offering of French food from a vintage school bus in Portland was their claim to fame for many years.

“We’ve had our eyes on this place for many, many years,” Bianca Benson said. “My dad owns the 10 acres that’s adjacent and he actually bought that from the family that had the house in the 70s and 80s.”

Bianca Benson said, when the opportunity arose, they already wanted to be close to her dad.

Read more here https://tinyurl.com/25rc6e95.

01/07/2026

The City of Woodland is accepting applications to fill an unexpired term on the Woodland City Council for Position No. 5. Applications are due by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10.

The City of Woodland is accepting applications to fill an unexpired term on the Woodland City Council for Position No. 5. Applications are due by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10. The appointed councilor …

01/07/2026

Vancouver tax preparer Keith Altamirano, 52, received an 18-month federal prison sentence for preparing false and fraudulent tax returns, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington on Dec. 19.

Altamirano pleaded guilty to 16 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns. From 2017 to 2021, he operated Integrity Investments LLC, doing business as Servicios Latinos, and prepared approximately 12,000 tax returns. A statistical analysis estimated his fraudulent practices caused more than $5 million in losses to the U.S. Treasury, the release stated.

Vancouver tax preparer Keith Altamirano, 52, received an 18-month federal prison sentence for preparing false and fraudulent tax returns, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office …

01/07/2026

The Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office has determined that a small fire inside a Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue boathouse at Ridgefield Marina last month was accidental and likely caused by an electrical issue, according to an investigation completed in mid-December.

The fire broke out around 2:42 p.m. Dec. 1 at the CCFR boathouse at 5 West Mill Street along Lake River. A city employee near the marina noticed smoke coming from the building and called 911. Firefighters arrived within minutes and knocked down the flames by 2:53 p.m., according to CCFR.

No one was injured in the fire. Two CCFR boats were inside the boathouse at the time. One was moved outside as a precaution, while the second remained inside after crews determined it was far enough from the flames. Neither vessel was damaged.

The Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office has determined that a small fire inside a Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue boathouse at Ridgefield Marina last month was accidental and likely caused by an …

01/07/2026

In the last year, one word has taken hold of American politics more than any other.

It has been featured in speeches on government budgets and championed by winning political campaigns.

This year in Washington, it will once again be at the center of budget discussions: “affordability.”

Washington’s 20th Legislative District lawmakers state Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, and state Reps. Peter Abbarno, R-Chehalis, and Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, paid a visit to CT Publishing for a pre-session briefing at the end of December to discuss their priorities heading into the state's 2026 legislative session.

Headed into the session, all three lawmakers are looking largely at the same issues they addressed in previous years: affordability, public safety and education.

In the last year, one word has taken hold of American politics more than any other. It has been featured in speeches on government budgets and championed by winning political …

01/07/2026

Washington is close to opening a new incentive program for commercial fleet operators to transition trucks and other vehicles to models that run on electric or hydrogen power.

Industry groups and climate advocates anxiously await the $126 million initiative. But the state lawmakers who championed it say it’s taken far too long to come online.

The transportation sector is the biggest driver of Washington’s carbon emissions. Exhaust from big trucks and buses makes up a disproportionate share of those emissions, and diesel air pollution can be especially unhealthy.

To help combat this, the Washington Zero-Emission Incentive Program, or WAZIP, is expected to launch in the spring.

“We are very eager for WAZIP to launch as soon as possible,” said Leah Missik, the Washington legislative director for environmental advocacy group Climate Solutions. “We know from the experience in other states and even from the experience of people who’ve been able to get clean trucks here in Washington that this program will help drivers and businesses save money, and it will benefit communities.”

Washington is close to opening a new incentive program for commercial fleet operators to transition trucks and other vehicles to models that run on electric or hydrogen power. Industry groups …

01/07/2026

Supporters of two citizen initiatives, one focused on parental rights and another on barring transgender athletes from girls’ sports, moved closer Friday to getting those measures before the Washington state Legislature, and potentially voters.

The political committee Let’s Go Washington turned in signatures in support of the initiatives on Friday at the secretary of state’s office in Tumwater.

Let’s Go Washington said supporters collected 416,201 signatures on petitions for IL26-001. This initiative would repeal changes that legislators made last year to an earlier Let’s Go Washington initiative that codified rights for parents of public school children.

The other initiative, IL26-638, seeks to block transgender girls from competing in girls’ sports. Backers gathered 445,187 signatures for that measure, Let’s Go Washington said.

Supporters of two citizen initiatives, one focused on parental rights and another on barring transgender athletes from girls’ sports, moved closer Friday to getting those measures before the …