Longtime restaurant family to open new eatery in Columbia Park

A

longtime Kennewick restaurant soon will be serving golfers-on-the-go, as well

as those who want to relax on a patio featuring river views in Columbia Park.

CG

Public House and Catering will open Bite at the Landing at the Columbia Park

Golf Tri-Plex in late September.

Construction

of the city of Kennewick’s 2,600-square-foot Columbia River Landing facility

was completed in June and will continue to host golf course operations in

addition to the new eatery.

The

new $1.1 million building includes a full-service kitchen and 1,200-square-foot

patio.

Prior

to serving patrons at its 9221 W. Clearwater Ave. location since 2006, owners

Shirley and Steve Simmons operated the Country Gentleman and Wyatt’s Pancake

Corral at Highway 395 and Vista Place dating back to 1979.

The

new restaurant, operated by their son Kyle Simmons, offers the restaurateurs an

opportunity to attract a new audience, add menu items and host more events and

activities.

An

application to serve local wines, beers and craft cocktails has been submitted

to the Washington State Liquor Control Board.

In

addition to the restaurant, the rebranded golf tri-plex offers 18 holes of

traditional golf on a 3-par course, foot golf and disc golf.

Pasco receives $3M grant to expand food processing

Pasco

received a $3 million federal grant for water infrastructure improvements

needed to serve food processing and other businesses in the region.

U.S.

Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross made the announcement Aug. 8. The grant will

be matched with $3.9 million in local funds and is expected to help create or

retain 700 jobs. It will generate nearly $36 million in private investment.

The

Pasco project involves building dual force mains and a pump station at Pasco’s

process water use facility to increase capacity to serve the expansion and

location plans of food processing and other businesses.

The

grant serves a Tax Cuts and Jobs Act-designated Opportunity Zone to spur

economic development by giving tax incentives to investors in economically-distressed

communities nationwide.

New art installed at Columbia Center Boulevard

Commuters

along Columbia Center Boulevard and Fourth Avenue might be taking a second

look.

Installation

of eight metal jackrabbits, each 5 feet tall, began July 20, with work provided

by volunteers from LiUNA! Laborers’ Local 348.

The

jackrabbits are the solution from the Kennewick Arts Commission for vacant land

leftover from a disbanded homeowners association. The arts commission is

funding the project and maintenance. Jason Watson designed the jackrabbits,

which were fabricated at a local machine shop.

Digital Crush marketing summit set for Oct. 11

Digital

Crush, an annual digital marketing summit, is set for Oct. 11 at the Three

Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick.

The

one-day conference is designed to bring together and educate digital marketers

and small business owners.

Tickets

are $199 for general admission and $224 to include VIP networking.

For tickets and list of speakers, go to thedigitalcrush.com.

Applicants’ salary history off limits to employers

Recent

changes to Washington’s Equal Pay and Opportunities Act will prevent employers

from asking for wage or salary history of job applicants, the state Department

of Labor & Industries announced recently.

The

law also would make it illegal to request that information from previous

employers. Additionally, current employees who are offered a transfer, new

position or promotion must be shown the new job’s wage scale or salary range if

they request it.

“For

too long, wage disparities have continued between individuals doing equal

work,” Gov. Jay Inslee said in a release. “The protections established in this

law are the next step toward finally leveling the playing field.”

Washington

joins California and Oregon in passing the restrictions.

Benton County District Court office open for lunch

The Benton County

District Court office began remaining open during the noon hour on Aug. 5.

The change will allow

people to conduct court business during their lunch break.

The

district court office—at 7122 W. Okanogan Place, Bldg. A in Kennewick —is open

from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

New nonprofit forms to focus on mental health

A

new nonprofit dedicated to raising money to help meet the unmet needs of mental

health in the community has formed. Called Heads Up Tri-Cities, it was founded

in mid-June by a group of women focused on mental health and the need to make a

difference.

Formed

by former Lourdes Foundation board members as well as former staff, Heads Up

Tri-Cities aims to support mental health needs and will develop creative

solutions through collaboration.

Fundraising

efforts, as well as educational outreach, will be the organization’s focus,

said Wendee Bodnar, the group’s president.

Two

organizations the group will be collaborating with on its first of many

fundraisers are Lutheran Community Services and Emmaus Counseling Services.

Kicking

off a season of fundraising, Heads Up Tri-Cities is planning a tailgate

fundraiser Sept. 29 at the Benton County Fairgrounds in Kennewick. Patty Wagon

Taps will deliver beverages and several food trucks will serve up food. This

21-and-over event has limited seating. Table sponsorships to seat eight are $500

and available by calling Bodnar at 509-531-2401.

WSU fundraising hits $145.8M in fundraising

Washington

State University has raised $145.8 million in fiscal year 2019, the

third-highest total in WSU history and the most raised without the aid of a

fundraising campaign.

The money came from nearly 49,000 donors.

Among the programs expected to benefit are WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine

and the WSU Honors College.

Reading Foundation hires new executive director

The

Children’s Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia has hired a new executive

director.

Elizabeth

Barnes will begin her new role Aug. 30.

Barnes

previously served as the elementary and early childhood principal at Colegio

Interamericano in Guatemala.

She

has a bachelor’s in bilingual elementary education from Washington State

University and a master’s in education in educational leadership from Concordia

University in Portland, Oregon.

Barnes’

focus for the past 13 years has been working with nonprofits to assist in

providing high quality education globally for a range of socio-demographics.

“With

Elizabeth’s extensive knowledge and experience in bilingual education and her

previous work with marginalized children around the world, we are confident

that she will make a lasting impact on the Mid-Columbia community,” said Steve

Palm, president of the Children’s Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia, in a

news release.

Barnes succeeds Sara Schwan, who led the

organization for more than five years.

Tech summit scheduled for Sept. 11 in Richland

The

second annual Tri-Cities Tech Summit is scheduled for Sept. 12 at the Uptown

Theatre in Richland. A social for networking is Sept. 11.

Keynote

speaker for the event is Paul Jarrett, co-founder and CEO of Bulu Box.

The

summit coincides with the 75th anniversary of the Manhattan Project, and part

of the theme will highlight technology that came from the project and its

impact on the Tri-Cities.

The

summit is organized by Teknologize, Wildland and the Tri-Cities Research

District.

Early-bird tickets are $39, or $54, which includes a networking social, and can be purchased at tctechsummit.com.

Premera Blue Cross will pay $10M for data breach

Premera Blue Cross

will pay $10 million for failing to secure sensitive consumer data, state

Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced July 11.

Premera will pay $5.4

million to Washington and another $4.6 million to a coalition of 29 state

attorneys general that joined Ferguson’s investigation.

Premera, the largest

health insurance company in the Pacific Northwest, also was accused of

misleading consumers about the breach that gave a hacker access to patient

information for 10.4 million people over nearly a year in 2014-15.

The company had been warned for years prior to the breach that it

had inadequate security. After the breach became public, Premera’s call center

agents told consumers there was no reason to believe their information had been

accessed.

Public comments sought for Hanford projects

Mission Support

Alliance is seeking public comment on a pair of projects and also extending the

comment period for a third.

A public meeting is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 27 at the Richland Public Library, 955 Northgate Drive, on plans to connect waste transfer lines at Hanford. The comment period runs through Sept. 16, and comments can be left at wt.ecology.commentinput.com/?id=GU4pS.

There is a second comment period for a proposed operating permit for the Low-Activity Waste and Effluent Management facilities. Comments will be accepted through Aug. 30 and can be left at wt.ecology.commentinput.com/?id=eRmW5.

The public comment opportunity has been extended to Aug. 17 on an engineering evaluation/cost analysis evaluation for Hanford’s Plutonium Uranium Extraction complex. Comments can be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to P.O. Box 550, H5-20, Richland, WA 99352.

Immigrant artwork exhibit on display in Kennewick

The

Tri-Cities Immigrant Coalition’s “Celebrating Our Immigrant Community through

the Arts” exhibit runs Sept. 7-15.

The

artwork will be on display at Monarcha Winery, 421 Columbia Drive, Kennewick.

The

exhibit opening kicks off from 5-8 p.m. Sept. 7, when visitors may browse the

art for free and talk to the artists.

Martin

Porras will sing and play his guitar, and Brandon Sullivan will read a poem he

wrote for the event. Monarcha will sell wine by the glass, and you can buy

non-alcoholic beverages and food from Fast and Curryous and El Taco Stop food

trucks. All ages are welcome.

Check the coalition’s Facebook page to see whose art will be in the show.

In

addition to the immigrant artists’ work, the coalition will display

environmental portraits of Tri-City immigrants by local photographer and

graphic designer Madison Rosenbaum.

The

art on display will be for sale.

Jacobs and Rhodes provides free HVAC for select families

Jacobs

and Rhodes Heating and Air Conditioning of Kennewick is taking part in a program

to deliver heating and cooling equipment to deserving families for free.

Lennox’s

Feel The Love program provides heating, ventilation or air conditioning

equipment for free to local dealers across the country, who then donate

installation materials and labor.

In

2018, the program assisted homeowners from 19 states and five Canadian

provinces by donating and installing more than 165 furnaces in recipients’

homes.

The deadline for nominations is Aug. 31, and installations will be Oct. 5-6. Nominees are selected in part on community involvement, military service and financial hardship. For information or to nominate a family, go to feelthelove.com.

BIAW sues governor, state over building legislation

The

Building Industry Association of Washington filed suit against Gov. Jay Inslee,

the state of Washington and the Department of Fish and Wildlife over

legislation that created new fines for builders.

The

suit, announced July 16, is over House Bill 1579, which implements

recommendations from the Southern Resident Killer Whale Task Force.

The

BIAW contends the governor acted unconstitutionally when he vetoed a subsection

of the bill. It maintains he can only veto an entire section, not just a

portion of it.

The

suit also claims the Legislature overstepped by including a provision in the

bill that was not a recommendation of the task force.

Richland receives $4M in public works loans

The

city of Richland will receive $4 million in loans from the state Public

Works Board for improvements to the Horn Rapids landfill.

The

Richland project was one of 30 from across the state included among

$85 million in loans for pre-construction and construction activities.

More than $248 million had been requested for 74 projects in the 2019

funding cycle.

Connell

was awarded $1.2 million for sewer work, and the Basin City Water District

$495,000 for water meters.

Charming Charlie stores closing after bankruptcy

Charming

Charlie women’s apparel and fashion accessories stores are closing nationwide,

including the one in the Columbia Center mall, after the company declared

bankruptcy July 11.

Sales

began July 13 in the company’s 261 stores.

The

store-closing sales are being conducted by Hilco Merchant Resources and SB360

Capital Partners.

BlankSpace event venue closing Sept. 2

BlankSpace,

a business designed to be an event venue and creative hub in the Southridge

area of Kennewick, will close its doors Sept. 2, three years after it opened.

Owner

Olivia Berg made the announcement on Facebook, citing long hours, time with her

family and time for other businesses as reasons for the closure.

“While

it is bittersweet to say farewell, we leave with full hearts,” Berg posted.

The

business opened in September 2016 with a goal to “encourage creativity, local

industry, charity and sustainability in a way that is relevant to consumers.”

During

that time, the venue at 5453 Ridgeline Drive hosted more than 600 events, from

art shows to baby showers, weddings to retirement parties.

Little Caesar’s coming to Kennewick strip mall

Remodeling

work at a Kennewick strip mall on Gage Boulevard is underway to welcome a

Little Caesar’s pizza restaurant.

The

nationwide franchise will be at 8530 W. Gage Blvd., sharing the strip mall with

The Local, Graze, Edible Arrangements and Noodle Thyme.

The

$650,000 in improvements include remodeling, plumbing and mechanical work.

Contractors

are Buehner Construction of Salt Lake City, Silverline Electric of Kennewick

and Jacobs and Rhodes Heating and Air Conditioning of Kennewick.

Homebuilding adds $8.4 billion to economy

New

home construction added $8.4 billion to Washington’s economy in 2018,

according to a report from the National Home Builders Association.

The

report, commissioned by the Building Industry Association of Washington,

examined the impact of construction of 24,000 single-family homes built in the

state in 2018.

It

examined the direct and indirect impacts of the construction industry itself,

employee income within the industry, and money from construction activity spent

within the state.

The

$8.4 billion is employee income from 103,315 jobs created. That is in

addition to $2.2 billion in state and local taxes. The report also shows

another $4 billion in “ripple effect”—spending of income and taxes—and

$1.6 billion from occupancy.

Benton County jail gets $3.7M in improvements

Benton

County is spending nearly $3.7 million to improve plumbing issues at the

jail.

The

project will replace failing plumbing in the older section of the jail, which

sits directly above the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.

County

officials said the old boilers will be replaced and work will be done in the

restrooms to eliminate water intrusion. The recreation yard above the office

area will receive surface treatment to eliminate water intrusion as well.

Banlin

Construction and BNB Mechanical are the contractors for the project at 7122 W.

Okanogan Place.