New urgent care clinic opens in West Richland

Three Rivers Family Medicine, a Richland primary care office, has opened its first urgent care clinic in West Richland.

Three Rivers Urgent Care is the first satellite clinic for the privately-owned family physicians office that has operated at 945 Goethals Drive in Richland for more than 20 years.

Physician Assistants Ric Melendez and Steve Zirker, and Candace Degenstein, an advanced registered nurse practitioner, are the West Richland clinic’s providers.

The walk-in clinic is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week at 1507 Bombing Range Road in Suite A, across from Yoke’s Fresh Market.

The clinic offers on-site X-rays, testing services, physicals and treatment for minor illnesses and injuries.

Call 509-591-4003, or go to: 3riversurgentcare.com.

Downtown Kennewick building damaged in fire

A suspicious fire damaged the historic Cascade Building in downtown Kennewick on Aug. 4.

Firefighters were called to the building at 300 W. Kennewick Ave. – which was boarded up, under construction and unoccupied – a little after 2 a.m. and saw signs of smoke and fire on the second floor.

“Crews quickly gained access to the second floor from an adjacent roof and were able to locate and extinguish the bulk of the fire. However, they discovered a large hole in the floor in the building’s interior, likely created by a fire, which prevented firefighters from safely entering from that location,” the Kennewick Fire Department wrote in a news release.

“Because of the complexity of the fire and risks posed by a building undergoing a remodel due to a previous fire, a second alarm response was dispatched to the scene. Crews ultimately accessed the second-floor roof using aerial ladder trucks and cut holes in the roof to extinguish additional fire that appeared to have traveled up a pipe chase into newly installed insulation under the roofline. Fortunately, sheetrock on the second floor held the fire and limited overall damage,” the release said.

A fire investigation team determined the blaze was suspicious.

“Upon arrival, crews identified an unsecure door and a portable ladder leading into the second floor in the area of the fire. It is not known whether the unsecured door is linked to the fire or how long the door was unsecure,” the release said, noting there were no injuries.

The building was heavily damaged by a previous fire that displaced several businesses in February 2022.

Jack in the Box coming to Prosser this fall

A Jack in the Box restaurant is scheduled to be open to serve up its burgers this fall in Prosser.

The restaurant at 701 Wine Country Road will be south of Interstate 82 near Love’s Travel Plaza.

Feast Properties LLC plans to build a $1.1 million, 2,681-square-foot building.

Jack in the Box said the projected opening date is in October.

Saucerman Construction of Meridan, Idaho, is the general contractor.

Grocery Outlet plans to open store in Prosser

Grocery Outlet plans to turn the vacant Food Depot store in downtown Prosser into an independently owned and operated store for bargain-minded shoppers.

About $900,000 in tenant improvements are planned at 1309 Mead Ave.

DT Rathdrum LLC of Riverton, Utah, is the owner of the 27,620-square-foot building.

Baker Construction & Development Inc. of Spokane is the general contractor.

The company’s buying model allows it to sell quality, name-brand products at prices generally 40% to 70% below those of conventional retailers.

Grocery Outlet says it expects store growth to be the primary driver of its net sales growth over the long term. It leases almost all its store locations. Initial lease terms on stores are typically 10 years, with options to renew for two or three successive five-year periods, according to documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Real Deals in Richland is closing by month’s end

The boutique Real Deals in Richland is closing at the end of the month.

It’s owned by the mother-daughter duo of Vikki Butler and Brittini Van Heel and offers home decor and women’s clothing and accessories at 364 Jadwin Ave. in the Uptown Shopping Center.

Van Heel announced on social media in June that she and Butler were looking to sell the shop, as Butler planned to retire and Van Heel planned to “head back to my other passion, serving in the medical field.”

“Since 2017, we have loved owning Real Deals. All of you are truly amazing and we are grateful to have visited each and every week at the shoppe,” Van Heel wrote in the Facebook post.

The store is having a liquidation sale.

Local Bounti greenhouse complex in Pasco is on track

Local Bounti’s Pasco facility is on track to open next year.

The 3-acre greenhouse complex will cultivate lettuce, herbs and leafy greens sold through grocery stores. The structural steel work is complete and glass installation is progressing, company officials said.

They provided the update as part of a report on Local Bounti’s second quarter 2023 financial results.

“The (Pasco) facility will help bolster the company’s distribution capabilities in the Pacific Northwest and is still expected to commence operations early in the first quarter 2024, which reflects the company’s decision to stagger construction to accommodate the commissioning of its Texas facility in the fourth quarter of 2023,” the company wrote in the report, which was released on Aug. 9.

Kennewick Walmart unveils $1 million remodel

The Kennewick Walmart store recently debuted its $1 million remodel.

The work at the store at 2720 S. Quillan St. features what Walmart is calling “customer-centric improvements,” which include a variety of updates, according to plans filed with the city of Kennewick.

Walmart store manager Carley Rooney highlighted several upgrades and interactive features during an Aug. 4 community celebration. They include expanded grocery offerings; an updated pharmacy; a refreshed money center; new interactive home decor displays; expanded online and pickup delivery to decrease customer wait times; an improved front entrance and additional checkout areas; new signs, ceilings and concrete floors throughout the store; and updated landscaping around the exterior.

Store officials also unveiled a new Kennewick-focused mural that reflects the diversity and local cultures of Kennewick. 

ESI Construction of Meridian, Idaho, is the general contractor. 

Design work is by SGA Design Group of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Queensgate recycling drop boxes get new home

The recycling drop boxes in Richland’s Queensgate area can now be found at 2990 Queensgate Drive, just west of the city shops.

The boxes, originally located on Windmill Road, were moved to a temporary location on Truman Avenue during the spring of 2022.

Residents can use these containers to recycle flattened cardboard, newspapers, magazines, scrap paper, glass bottles and jars, tin, aluminum and plastic containers.

The Queensgate Drive site will be permanent.

Kennewick’s Taco John’s to close at end of August

The Taco John’s restaurant at 701 W. Vineyard Drive in Kennewick is expected to close at the end of August.

Listed with Kiemle Hagood, the property will be available to rent for $6,760 a month.

The 1,868-square-foot quick-serve restaurant was built in 1981 and is owned by Larry King Enterprises Inc. of Burien, which also operates the Walla Walla Arby’s.

There are two other Taco John’s restaurants in the state, Moses Lake and Spokane.

The Kennewick property is owned by MM Properties Vineyard LLC of Vancouver, Washington.