BMW joins ride-booking trend
BLOOMBERG: BMW has plans to launch the first luxury ride-booking service, ReachNow, in Seattle.
Netflix to raise subscription cost
ABC: Netflix will charge $2 more for online streaming service — going from $7.99 to $9.99 per month — starting in May.
Lawmakers approve $175M for seismic upgrades in schools
More than 100 schools will undergo retrofitting.
Coast biz roundup
Vacation rentals face woes in Gearhart; hospitality businesses sprout in Cannon Beach.
Portland Parks & Recreation offers $1 rent at Ankeny Square
Businesses and organizations can apply to rent retail space in the North Park Blocks for $1 per year for up to two years.
Blount approves merger deal despite lawsuit
A pair of New York private equity firms acquired the Milwaukie-based manufacturer in a $855 million deal, despite pending litigation.
Housing activists interrupt Multnomah County Commission meeting
Approximately 100 demonstrators decried high rents and demanded a freeze on no-cause evictions outside the Multnomah County building Thursday.
DEA to decide on marijuana reschedule
FORTUNE: The Drug Enforcement Administration announced it would decide on rescheduling marijuana’s drug category “in the first half of 2016.”
Whole Foods to launch low-price grocery chain
THE WASHINGTON POST: The new 365 low-price Whole Foods grocery chain will launch May 25 in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles.
City of Bend to sell Juniper Water
Bend City Council voted Wednesday to sell Juniper Water to Roats and Avion.