Morning Press: Unions, Bus rapid transit, Flightcar, St. Paddy’s parade

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Top news of the week or stories you may have missed:

Madore accused of ‘union-busting’

Labor union members filled the seats at the Clark County council meeting on Tuesday, protesting two proposed resolutions many called “union-busting” efforts by Councilor David Madore.

About 10 people spoke against the resolutions Madore introduced during board time two weeks ago, while many more who attended wore clothes and buttons expressing their support of labor unions.

One resolution, the “Collective Bargaining Transparency Policy,” would open up collective bargaining negotiations for Clark County employees to the public. The second, the “Clark County Employee Choice Policy,” or a local right-to-work policy, would ban compelling Clark County employees to pay union dues as a condition of their employment.

Neither resolution has gone to a vote. Drafts of each are available on The Grid, the Clark County council website.

Learn more about the resolutions.

Bus rapid transit construction set for summer

The C-Tran Board of Directors on Thursday approved three key contracts for a planned bus rapid transit system in Vancouver, clearing one of the final hurdles before the project begins construction this summer.

Each agreement secures a different component of the enhanced bus system as it moves through its last planning stages. The contracts will:

• Allow C-Tran to spend $11.2 million to purchase 10 60-foot-long articulated buses that will run the new system.

• Allow the project’s main consultant, Parsons Brinckerhoff, to continue developing the BRT project through construction to its planned opening next year.

• Award a total of $421,291 to three firms for “functional art” to be incorporated into the system.

The board approved each contract by a 7-1 vote. Only Clark County Councilor Jeanne Stewart voted against all three. County Councilor David Madore, one of the most vocal opponents of the project, was absent.

Read more about bus rapid transit.

FlightCar ready for takeoff at Portland airport

Beginning today, your unused car can become a moneymaker when you leave it behind at Portland International Airport.

The California-based firm FlightCar has expanded it’s car-sharing service to Portland, providing an opportunity for car owners to allow their vehicles to be rented out during their travels by air. The service, now available at 12 U.S. airports, offers free parking and rental income to owners of cars offered for rental. Those looking to rent a car while in Portland or other cities served by FlightCar can find a rental through the company at a much lower price than a conventional rental the company says.

FlightCar says its service is a win for travelers on both sides of the buy-rent equation, but one that it admits raises countless logistical and practical questions. The founders of three-year-old FlightCar think they have answers for all those questions, and they’ve secured $20 million in funding from prominent investors who seem to agree.

Learn more about FlightCar.

Seize the Bagel is moving to a new, updated space

From the bamboo benches to the concrete floor, exposed ceilings and LED lighting, the new Seize The Bagel cafe in Vancouver is aiming to be a modern, sustainable twist on an old favorite.

Owners Bruce and Cindy Yamamura are planning to move their bagel shop from its current location in the Millport Shopping Center down just a few doors, closer to Chuck’s Produce.

“We wanted new space, different space,” Bruce Yamamura said, sitting in his new bagel shop, sawdust still on the floor and wires exposed in the ceiling. The couple is just waiting on final city and other inspections to finish and open their new location by early April.

The shop serves bagels, bagel dogs, sandwiches, soups, salads, baked goods, coffee and more. Prices range from $2.35 for a bagel and spread to $7.95 for a specialty sandwich and $9.95 for a baker’s dozen.

The opening of the new location is getting close. A brightly colored wall with a large B in the middle of a circle, the company’s new logo, and a large wall graphic filled with words such as “carpe carbs, delicious and friendly” are all part of the design.

“We got to design it from scratch,” Cindy Yamamura said. This way, we can design something that is comfortable and reflective of us.”

Read more about Seize The Bagel.

Vancouver woman starts free fitness class at mall

When Reagan Darling moved to Vancouver about a year ago, she was overweight and in search of new mom friends.

At the time, Darling weighed nearly as much as she did while pregnant with her daughter, who was 16 months old at the time.

“I had really fallen away from fitness altogether, even though, at one point, it had been a passion of mine,” she said.

She decided to do things “the old-fashioned way”: eat healthful foods and exercise regularly.

“I started losing the weight, but I was still lonely,” Darling said.

“I kept trying to go to different places to meet moms and make some friends, and I just wasn’t having good results,” she added.

Darling wanted to attend fitness classes at a local nutritional club, but the classes weren’t at convenient times for moms with kids at home: either early morning or dinnertime, she said.

Learn more about the class.

Vancouver honors Irish pioneer at Paddy Hough Parade

Scarlett Heasley, 19 months, was too busy picking a bouquet of dandelions to notice the parade marching by her Tuesday afternoon. Her mom, McKennah Heasley, waved at the marching students. Somewhere in the parade lineup was her son, Grant, who attends preschool programs at Hough Elementary.

The Heasleys were joined by hundreds of Hough students, staff, families and neighbors on Tuesday afternoon for the 24th Annual Paddy Hough Parade, featuring every student in the school.

The parade celebrates Irish immigrant and pioneer educator Patrick “Paddy” Hough, the namesake of both the school and its neighborhood near downtown Vancouver.

The parade began in front of the school, wound through the neighborhood, down the Uptown Village portion of Main Street and ended back at the school. Grand marshals were retired Educational Service District 112 Superintendent Twyla Barnes and current Superintendent Tim Merlino.

Learn more about the parade and see a photo gallery.