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In case you missed it, here are some of the top stories of the week:
There was standing room only in the Clark County council hearing room Tuesday morning, as dozens came to watch the beginning of a new era for county politics.
Marc Boldt, no party, and Julie Olson, a Republican, took their oaths of office before Judge James E. Rulli to thunderous applause and cheers from the packed audience. With the pair’s swearing-in ceremony, the cornerstone of the county home rule charter is now in place — expanding the board from three members to five.
“We’re actually making some history here today,” Acting County Manager Mark McCauley said.
Read more about what is in store for the county council.
The Clark County council will go back to work next month to address hundreds of errors in Clark County Councilor David Madore’s zoning proposal.
The Clark County council has scheduled a public hearing for 10 a.m. Jan. 19, to fix problems in the Alternative 4 portion of the preferred alternative to the county’s Comprehensive Growth Management Plan update.
Up until now, Madore’s controversial zoning proposal has been shown to the public in three maps, each featuring proposed changes to lots zoned rural, agricultural and forest.
Learn more about the zoning proposals.
Commuters who use the Interstate 5 Bridge may have the perfect excuse to take a long vacation in 2019.
The Oregon Department of Transportation announced plans to close the northbound span of the bridge in late summer or early fall of 2019 to make much-needed repairs to the lifting system of the southern tower.
ODOT spokeswoman Kimberly Dinwiddie said bridge engineers are designing a project to replace a cracked axle, or trunnion as it’s called, in the southern tower. The work is critical for long-term safety and effective drawbridge operation, but it’s going make an already terrible northbound commute much worse for several days or as much as a few weeks.
Learn about the need repairs.
After its success with the experimental counter-less Burgerville at PDX Airport, the restaurant chain is taking its innovations in customer service and amenities to other locations across the region.
From the Hydroflask stainless steel container that keeps milkshakes cold for up to 8 hours to a system where employees approach customers to take their orders via handheld tablets, the company’s innovative, customer-centric approach is spreading.
“What we’ve learned at PDX we’re carrying forward to our newest couple of restaurants this year,” said Beth Brewer, Burgerville’s chief of learning and innovation.
Read more about Burgerville at PDX.
First, the bad news: Torque Coffee is closing its airy downtown Vancouver coffee shop across from the Hilton.
The good news: Torque Coffee is reopening in more upscale quarters just a few blocks away at the old Red Lion Inn at the Quay.
The coffee roaster and cafe told The Columbian Tuesday it would be the newest tenant at the Port of Vancouver-owned Terminal One on the waterfront.
Learn more about the coffee shop’s move.
Roy Schneider hasn’t always been overweight. In fact, he’s been thin most of his life.
But five years ago, after undergoing cancer treatment, his weight ballooned to 290 pounds. That weight gain was enough to scare the Vancouver man into action.
In the last eight months, the 71-year-old has lost nearly 35 pounds and brought his body-mass index — a measurement of body fat based on height and weight — down from 42.1 to 37.1. A BMI of 30 or greater is considered obese.
Get inspired to get healthy for the new year.
