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In case you missed them, here are some of the top stories of the weekend:
U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler denounced Donald Trump on Saturday after lewd comments the Republican presidential candidate made about women in 2005 became public Friday.
“For months I’ve left the door open for Donald Trump to earn my vote. That door has now slammed shut,” Herrera Beutler said in an email Saturday evening.
Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, won’t be casting her vote for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, either.
“I refuse to accept this is the best we can do. Both candidates have shown that they lack the character and temperament required for the highest office in the land and it is a sad state of affairs that these are our choices,” she said.
Herrera Beutler said she will write-in a vote for House Speaker Paul Ryan, a person who would “serve this nation with honor,” she said.
Read the full story about Herrera Beutler’s decision to reject Trump and vote for Ryan.
Parking at the up-and-coming Vancouver Waterfront may be heading toward a tighter fit after Vancouver officials announced recently that 770 parking spaces are planned to be cut from the original blueprints.
City of Vancouver Senior Planner Jon Wagner told the city’s planning commission at a meeting in late September that, thanks in part to a recent decision by the Federal Aviation Administration, parking will shrink from 7,799 to 7,029 spaces — a nearly 10 percent reduction.
Wagner said last week that parking will still exceed the minimum 5,300 spaces, though the number can still change as new buildings are developed and reviewed.
The revision in plans comes as the city faces large-scale growth in its city center, and parking continues to be an issue, as it has been in Portland. The full picture may not be in view, said Vancouver Parking Manager Mike Merrill, who pointed out that the Port of Vancouver, which owns the former Red Lion Hotel Vancouver at the Quay building, has not yet finalized its own waterfront redevelopment and parking plans.
Read the full story about the Vancouver Waterfront plan cutting back on parking.
Steve Runyan, a longtime jeweler, businessman and civic leader, died Thursday night due to complications from pneumonia, according to his family. He was 77.
The Runyan name may ring familiar to anyone who has gone jewelry shopping in Clark County since 1917, when W.L. Runyan opened up a watch repair shop. From it grew Runyan’s Jewelers, selling and repairing jewelry with a Runyan behind the counter.
“Every generation of this company has left a mark of personalization,” wrote Erik Runyan, Steve’s son, in an email. “Tomorrow and the rest of time have been declared a celebration.”
Steve Runyan was the third generation after his father, Gerald Runyan, stepped down. He took over at a time when downtown business swelled, but a rash of break-ins in the 1980s prompted a move to the Vancouver Mall. The shop returned to downtown Vancouver in 1991 to its current location at 900 Washington St.
In addition to running the jewelry shop, Steve Runyan was a noted volunteer. He was active with the Lunch Buddy mentoring program, where grown-ups serve as role models and eat lunch with students at low-income schools.
Read more about longtime Vancouver jeweler Steve Runyan, who died Thursday night.
Battle Ground Public Schools is asking voters to approve an $80 million bond to make long-overdue renovations, replace four schools and build two new ones in the growing district.
The north Clark County school district plans to do $136.5 million worth of work in the first phase of its long-term facilities plan. The bond, which could run for an estimated 20 years, will cover most of those expenses, with a matching $56.5 million from the state.
And the way district officials tell it, that work is long overdue.
Superintendent Mark Hottowe said he hopes that when district voters consider the matter on their Nov. 8 general election ballot, they “ask themselves what they want for the children of our community.”
“It’s my position … that I want to be the premiere district in Southwest Washington,” he said. “It is difficult to do that when your facilities don’t accommodate the issues and needs that come along with 21st century learning.”
The bond is expected to cost property owners 45 cents per $1,000 in assessed value per year. That means for a home valued at $300,000, the projected tax increase is $11.25 a month, or $135 per year.
Read the full story about Battle Ground schools asking for building bonds.
