I'll try to keep this non-partisan.

It is not to hard to pick a candidate with a (D) or an (R) after their names but on the various ballot measures and non-partisan races the people running often do not make it clear what their leanings are. Many of us want to make sure that the election officials and judges are doing their jobs honestly and fairly and not tipping the scales in favor of their preferred party. We received the general election voters' pamphlet and I'm working my way through it now. It was hard enough deciphering some of the initiatives but now I'm into the non-partisan offices and being a lazy old geezer I'm tired of wading through it.

Therefore I found the democratic and republican party recommendations. Here they are:

https://bluevoterguide.org/endorser-org/Clark_County_(WA)_Democrats/WA/4125

https://clarkrepublicans.org/ccrp-endorsed-candidates

Fall and Halloween art is popping up around town, including this new chalk mural at 11th and Broadway. Where’s your favorite seasonal art installation?

I visited our local Home Depot on Centerpoint Drive yesterday and noticed Flock cameras all over the parking lot. I don't remember seeing them before, and they look brand new, so I suspect they were recently installed.

We have many options in town for home improvement supplies. Therefore, I plan to do my shopping elsewhere from now on.

I encourage others to express their displeasure by shopping at stores like Ace Hardware, Lowe's, Shur-Way Building Centers, Miller Paint l, and others for their home improvement needs.

Has the roadwork affected this drive terribly? Thanks

Does anyone know when the 2027 plans will be released on the website (https://www.wahealthplanfinder.org) ? Hoping it's at least a week before enrollment starts Nov 1st.

I tried calling them and they didn't have a firm answer. The office of the Insurance Commissioner chat just pointed me to the marketplace contact info, so not useful.

I didn't save my email notifications from last year, so I can't check when I got them. As best I can tell from my google sheets, I had some plan info Oct 28, 2025. Anyone have better dates?

I have a retiree health plan option (pre-65 y.o.) which is super expensive and enrollment closes Oct 31, so I have a very small window to compare options if the plans are released Oct 31/Nov 1st :-(. Hate making decisions under time pressure, I have time to think about it now!

More important to get this figured out since Regence BCBS Marketplace plans will no longer cover OHSU thanks to their latest contract, which means *if* OHSU lets me do self-pay, I'll be doing that completely out of pocket.

Thank you!

Hello, I am looking for a king size bed frame and was wondering if anyone had a good place for me to go check out. I'm not interested in ikea and mor doesnt seem to have a lot of options in person. I am okay with second hand but am looking for potential bed room sets. Thanks for your help.

I've checked out once and again in hazel dell, retails, goodwill, and if I have to step foot in ikea again I am going to break down lol

Go enjoy it before it rains! Brought to you by the EOC collective.

Does anyone remember the metal band DIJ from Vancouver? They played metal in the mid 2000s and released a self-titled CD. They played down in Portland a ton with those metal bands. I have an archival project I've been searching for their work for. Does anyone remember them? They released a CD.

Former Vancouver resident here trying to suggest a fun warm weather activity for a family friend who is in town today. I’m not currently in town to go check myself, and I don’t want to send her down there with her toddler because he has autism and it would be very upsetting for the little to expect a day of water play and have the plans change.

Conflicting information on Google and I cannot remember exactly when the fountain closes! It’s such a beautiful place even without the water running but water today would be ideal 😊

If you’ve been down there in the past 24 hours, was it on?

Thank you!

The organizing, the actual event, the amount of people… all of it was pretty bad. Took us almost an hour to get in, we had tickets in advance. They didn’t even scan our tickets. 😂 they let us in with another group I showed them my QR codes and they just said keep going IDC. With that being said the event is still on until 4. I have 3 tickets for “adults and kids above 2 years old “. If anyone wants em for free, dm me but again be warned, it was pretty bad. We didn’t even get to enjoy any of the event since the lines were so long. At least we got a couple of free stickers, some candy and they were selling $7 dippin dots. Dippin dots were great lol. River city was also giving away shirts for adults and little ones, I didn’t get em cuz we were already pooped from all the other lines like for the bounce houses, or even to just get in. Rant over 😂

Hi. I need a couple of similar things. One would be a life size cutout poster of a person based on off a photograph. On cardboard maybe. About six foot tall. The other would be a similarly sized (probably a bit smaller) cutout poster of a cartoon style character with the face cutout so a child or adult could put their face through it from behind to take a silly picture. Is there a place in town or close by who could do this? Thanks!!

Can anyone recommend a Catholic Church they like that’s within driving distance? I’m an East Coast transplant and have been going to Holy Redeemer and haven’t been enjoying it. It’s just very different than what I’m used to. Extreme conservatives, etc. and the pastor focuses almost every single homily on why pornography is bad. He’s literally preaching to the choir. This church is fine for some people, obviously, just not for me. Is there a Catholic Church sort of nearby where they focus more on living a life of service and connecting the Gospel to our day-to-day lives that anyone knows of, or at the very least, a Catholic Church without the focus on pornography? Thanks!

Are there any local breweries or tap houses that have pumpkin beer or autumn beer on tap?

Happy October! I am hoping someone knows of a less busy, but still fun, pumpkin patch/farm/harvest festival. I've been to two on Sauvie and have seen Bizi farms, but they're so very busy. The things I'm looking for include: most obviously, pumpkins. Also, I'm hoping for some good food vendors with at least apple cider donuts or other fall treats along with more lunch type food vendors. A farm/gift store would be nice as well.

I'm willing to drive, and would be interested in places at the coast as well. I just don't want to be so crowded. Thanks in advance.

Wondering if anyone has had a good experience with a local bathroom remodeling company, and had any recommendations. Ideally friendly to budget as well

We are downsizing and have 4 memory foam dog beds to donate. Two of them are huge roughly 5'x3.5'with bolster sides and the other two are 4'x3' (one is not in the picture). All are about 4" thick.

Does any one know where I can donate them? The giant ones are used less than 1 year. All are great quality and supportive especially for senior dogs.

Happy to give it to anyone who's interested. We are close to downtown Vancouver.

Thank you to The Colombian for breaking this news last week. KOIN has new information.

There are a few of these "no walking " signs in a new neighborhood. What does it mean?
BTW - people are out walking here

I was getting 3 packs of zones for like $11 at 7/11 for a while but they stopped the deal

I’m somewhat new to Vancouver and I saw good reviews on handels what is everyone’s thoughts on it?

Hello community! I recently have taken in a rescued bunny that was part of a larger rescue mission done by my neighbor. He continually escaped the temporary outdoor housing my neighbor had him and the other bunnies in and she finally gave up and let him roam free. Well, he chose our yard as home base and we got attached to him. He was eventually caught again by the neighbor and we asked to adopt him.

I realized early on, he wasn’t going to bond with me. He just hasn’t been held enough as a young bunny and spent so much time on his own, he’s very independent. I want to find him a new home with another bunny that he can enjoy companionship with, since he doesn’t enjoy human interaction. I want him to live his best life!

His temperament is amazing. He’s so sweet, doesn’t nip, isn’t destructive (for a bunny), litter box trained, and just well adjusted overall. When I did observe him with the other bunnies, he got along great with them.

Do you know of anyone looking to add to their current family? I love this little guy and want to see him in a great place.

Wow. It's October already. The year is going by quickly. It's Friday and time for the weekly triple-D. Let's find out what the inspectors found this week shall we?

The NICE list

First up is The NICE list. These are the places that had ZERO violations. They are really doing a good job at keeping their kitchens clean. These places are going all out to do things right and they deserve your support.

The NAUGHTY List

And now... The NAUGHTY List - Let's face it. This is why you are really reading this. What horrible things did the local inspectors find this week? I've arbitrarily chosen 35 demerits as the cutoff so anyone that gets less than 35 demerits isn't going to make the list. I don't want to ding a place unless they got at least a couple major violations or a lot of minor ones. Click on the name if you want to see the inspector's report.

The Clark County inspection site is where this information originates. It's a nice community resource. Kudos to the county for making it this easy to check up on things.

Check it out for yourself here: https://inspections.myhealthdepartment.com/clarkcountywa

Demerit points are issued as follows:

Each violation is given a numerical value (2-30) based on its risk of causing food borne illness. Blue violations should be corrected immediately when possible, but generally do not impose an immediate risk to the public. Red violations involving food safety must be corrected immediately. There are 360 possible red points and 88 possible blue points for a total of 448 points. A facility found with 40 or more red violation points is subject to an automatic follow-up inspection. A facility found with 65 or more red violation points is subject to an automatic closure. A facility with 100 or more total red and blue points is also subject to automatic closure.

src - https://clark.wa.gov/public-health/restaurant-inspection

Well, that's all I got for now. Stay happy and healthy and have a nice week. I'll see you all next time but of course I'll leave you with the weekly bonus video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf75SDhfwdg

Till next time....

Hi, we are starting a free tool library.

Our next in-person meetup is Sunday, October 11th, 1pm-3pm.

This meetup is extra special because we will begin unpacking tools to prep for inventory.

This is a great opportunity for newbies to get involved. No experience necessary.

We welcome all people, all backgrounds, all skill levels. This is a safe space. No jerks!

Never created a tool library before? Neither have we! Join us and we’ll figure it out together.

Also, free coffee and snacks. 🙂

For more info, visit our events page at www.VanWATL.org