FDA authorizes first over-the-counter hearing aid software

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized the first over-the-counter hearing aid software device. It’s called Hearing Aid Feature, and it’s meant to be used with compatible versions of the Apple AirPods Pro headphones, an FDA news release said. 

Once installed and customized, it enables people to use their AirPods Pro as a hearing aid.

It’s for people 18 and older with perceived mild to moderate hearing impairment.

“Hearing loss is a significant public health issue impacting millions of Americans,” said Dr. Michelle Tarver, acting director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, in the news release. “(The) marketing authorization of an over-the-counter hearing aid software on a widely used consumer audio product is another step that advances the availability, accessibility and acceptability of hearing support for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss.”

New Ross store under construction in Kennewick 

A Ross Dress for Less store is preparing to open in the former Safeway store at 2825 W. Kennewick Ave. The 23,539-square-foot former Safeway has been gutted and a new wall installed to turn the area into two spaces, a project valued at $740,100, according to building permits filed with the city of Kennewick.

The new Ross would be Kennewick’s second. The other is at 6705 W. Canal Drive. A third is in Richland at 2917 Queensgate Drive. 

Stephens & Sons Inc. of Yakima is the general contractor. 

Gesa donates to help food insecurity

Gesa Credit Union has announced plans to donate $50,000 to nonprofits and host food drives at its local branches.  

The credit union is teaming up with longtime partners Second Harvest and Food Lifeline to address food insecurity in the Northwest.  

As the presenting sponsor for this year’s Hunger Action Month, Gesa will match up to $25,000 each in total donations to both Second Harvest and Food Lifeline.

Flu shot clinics planned

Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic is holding several flu shot clinics in and around the Tri-Cities. They’re open to the public. Flu shots cost $15 and can be billed to insurance.

Flu vaccinations are recommended for children 6 months and older and for adults.

Patients are encouraged to ask about other respiratory illness vaccines as well.

Here’s the clinic schedule:

• 3-7 p.m. Oct. 15, 17, 22, 24, 28 and 30 at Miramar Health Center, 6351 W. Rio Grande Ave., Kennewick. Walk in or call 509-543-9280 for appointment

• 3-7 p.m. Oct. 15, 17, 21, 24, 28 and 30 at Miramar Health Center, 1608 N. Road 44, Pasco. Walk in or call 509-543-9280 for appointment.

• 3-7 p.m. Oct. 15 and 29 at the Valley Vista Medical Group, 820 Memorial St., Suite. 1, Prosser. Appointments aren’t necessary.

Fair’s Market Stock Auction breaks sales record 

The Benton Franklin Fair Market Stock Auction broke a record with $1.4 million in sales. 

A total of 412 animals were sold to 345 buyers from area businesses in the Aug. 23 livestock sale. The funds go to the youth who participated in the auction after months of raising the animals. Buyers chose whether to have the animals processed locally for themselves or turned over to larger processors to enter the food supply chain. Meat from the animals also can be donated to the Tri-Cities Union Gospel Mission. 

The auction is the largest single-event fundraiser in the Tri-Cities and the largest youth livestock auction in the state. 

Volunteers on the Market Stock Committee meet year-round to plan the auction. It takes more than 500 volunteers to run the Benton Franklin Fair & Rodeo, which has an economic impact of $18.5 million in Benton County. 

Next year’s fair will be Aug. 19-23.

Hanford reaches K Reactor milestone  

The last large concrete basin at Hanford’s K Reactor area is now filled with cement-like grout – an important step in cleaning up the area that stored reactor fuel rods during plutonium production. 

Central Plateau Cleanup Company crews placed about 6,500 cubic yards of the grout in the basin, which is enough to fill two Olympic-size swimming pools, a U.S. Department of Energy news release said. The basin is 125-by-67 feet. 

Crews filled the basin in three layers. 

“Finishing grouting of the basin is a critical step in our mission to clean up the K Reactor Area,” said CPCCo Project Manager Mike Kruzic in the release. “I’m proud of our team’s focus and commitment to safety throughout this complex project.” 

2 Tri-Cities employers nominated for state award 

Two Tri-Cities employers have been nominated for Governor’s Employer Awards, which honor efforts to recruit, hire, retain and promote workers with disabilities. 

They are: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, or PNNL, and Hanford Mission Integration Solutions, or HMIS, both in Richland.  

PNNL was nominated in the large nonprofit employer category and HMIS in the large private employer category.  

The awards ceremony is Oct. 18.

Whitman Mission hosting exhibit on Black pioneer

Whitman Mission National Historic Site in Walla Walla is playing host to a traveling exhibit centered on Black pioneer Letitia Carson. The eight-panel exhibit, which is on loan from Oregon Black Pioneers, will be on display in the visitor center lobby through Dec. 7.

Carson was a homesteader who traveled across the Oregon Trail in 1845, becoming the first and only Black woman to make a successful land claim in Oregon under the Homestead Act of 1862, a Whitman Mission news release said.

She traveled west at a time when many Oregon Trail immigrants stopped at the mission or bought goods from Marcus Whitman, the news release said.

The mission is at 328 Whitman Mission Road.

New construction set to begin on Clearwater Avenue 

J&S Property Management LLC has announced a new commercial construction project in Kennewick.  

Groundbreaking for the project at 10711 W. Clearwater Ave. was scheduled for Sept. 10.   

The two-story, 10,373-square-foot building will consist of office space and retail space. It will house DevFuzion Complete IT and Cybersecurity and offer two future tenant spaces, each with 1,526 square feet available for lease. 

G2 Commercial Construction Inc. is the general contractor, and Draftco Designs LLC is the architect.  

Richland announces roundabout construction

Construction is starting this month on a new roundabout at the intersection of Dallas Road and Trowbridge Boulevard in Richland. The project aims to enhance traffic flow and improve safety for residents and visitors, a city news release said.  

The roundabout will replace the existing two-way, stop-controlled intersection.  

“The Dallas Road and Trowbridge Boulevard roundabout is an important step to address the continued growth in South Richland,” said Public Works Director Carlo D’Alessandro in the news release. “This project will not only improve traffic efficiency but also enhance the overall safety and aesthetics of this key intersection.”  

Construction is expected to be done by next summer.  

Temporary traffic detours will be set up.  

The roundabout is being built and paid for by the developer of Badger Mountain South.

New food truck opens at Columbia Gardens

More breakfast and lunch options are now available at Columbia Gardens Wine & Artisan Village in Kennewick.  

The wine village’s newest mobile eatery, Nana’s Kitchen, plans to be open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. or until sold out.  

Nana’s Kitchen’s Facebook (Meta) page will list current days and hours of operation and specials. 

Owner and Chef Chris Schwartz and Sous Chef Allan Nashion will offer unique variations on classics for breakfast and lunch, like a traditional Juicy Lucy burger served on a glazed donut with jalapeño pig candy and a house bangin’ sauce. 

“I started cooking at 14 and haven’t stopped,” Schwartz said. “We love our new location to serve the Tri-Cities and people who work or commute between the bridges.” 

Nana’s Kitchen joins mobile eateries Bobablastic Tri-Cities, Botanas Culichi, Culture Shock Bistro and Frida’s Mexican Grill. Other businesses at Columbia Gardens include Swampy’s BBQ restaurant and Bartholomew Winery, Gordon Estate Winery, Monarcha Winery and Muret-Gaston Winery. 

Go to: ColumbiaGardensVendors.org for more information about the food trucks, eateries and tasting rooms.  

All businesses at Columbia Gardens set their own days and hours of operation.