Survey: More WA business owners now expect a recession

Spring has sprung but many employers in Washington state see an economic winter quickly approaching.  

Of the 444 respondents to the Association of Washington Business’ quarterly survey of employers, 44% say they expect the state to enter a recession in the next year. That’s up from 17% in the prior survey.   

They cite perennial concerns over taxation and regulation as among the biggest concerns. Three-quarters of respondents also anticipate that tariffs will have a negative impact on their business and have already raised the cost of business inputs. Nearly half, or 45%, say the tariffs have caused supply chain disruptions.  

The dismal mood is causing business leaders to consider a variety of adaptations, from delaying planned capital expenditures (35%) and absorbing higher costs (32%), to implementing a hiring freeze (19%) and reducing or eliminating planned salary increases (12%). A smaller number are making plans to lay off staff (10%), and 5% have already implemented layoffs.  

Despite the challenges facing them, most employers rated the current Washington economy as moderate or strong, with about a quarter saying it’s weak or very weak, roughly the same description as a year ago. 

Similarly, most survey respondents said their business is flat (42%) or growing (24%) with fewer saying it’s beginning to experience a downturn (23%) or struggling (11%), also similar to responses in the April 2024 survey. 

The full report can be found at: bit.ly/AWB2025survey. 

Workers in Tri-Cities among national UScellular layoffs

Nearly 90 Washingtonians are being laid off from wireless network provider UScellular, including some based in Kennewick and Pasco, as Bellevue-based competitor T-Mobile completes its acquisition of the company initiated last year.  

The state Employment Security Department announced the layoffs late on April 10. Outside of the Tri-Cities, the notice indicated that the layoffs affect UScellular employees in Yakima, Sunnyside, Union Gap, Longview and Centralia. The employees will be separated on June 2.   

UScellular is laying off 4,100 staff nationally as it sells its network, customer accounts and some spectrum assets to T-Mobile. In termination letters sent to laid off workers, UScellular said that it has made arrangements with T-Mobile to offer employment to a majority of the laid off employees at comparable wages and benefits.

3RCF announces fund for Edith Bishel Center for Blind

Following the closure of the Edith Bishel Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, a fund has been established to ensure continued access to resources. 

The Edith Bishel Center operated for 29 years before closing its doors in 2024. Now, the Edith Bishel Fund for the Blind and Visually Impaired will be overseen by 3 Rivers Community Foundation.

The fund is dedicated to providing essential care, resources, support and equipment to those who are blind or visually impaired in southeastern Washington. Individuals must apply to receive grants to ensure that those in need receive the necessary support. 

Requests for funding can include financial assistance for medical expenses or equipment, security deposits, utility or service deposits, transportation costs, and more. Funds will be allocated to service providers, vendors or organizations rather than individuals.

To be eligible, a physician must verify that the applicant has blindness or a visual impairment, and the applicant must demonstrate financial need.

The applicant may be required to participate in a phone interview, submitting an application does not guarantee funding, and applicants are limited to one application per year. 

Go to: 3rcf.org.

Kennewick named a top place to live 2 years running

The city of Kennewick has once again made a national listing of the top 100 best places to live and is in the top three for the Pacific Northwest. 

Livability.com, a company that researches communities to aid municipalities with attracting and retaining residents and businesses, listed the Tri-Cities’ biggest city at No. 50 in its 2025 Top 100 Best Places To Live list. That’s up from the No. 60 spot it held in 2024. 

Vancouver came in as the top Pacific Northwest city, followed by Gresham, Oregon, and then Kennewick. The only other Washington city on the list, Spokane, came in at No. 6 for the region. 

Kennewick’s highest-ranked categories included the environment for minimal natural disaster risk, good air quality and reasonable population density; housing and cost of living for relatively affordable housing for renters and owners, taxes and modest cost of living; and transportation for multimodal transportation options such as roads, walking paths, bike paths and lanes, and short commutes. 

“The cherry on top? Because the Tri-Cities area is experiencing growth, there are ample job opportunities to advance your career,” read the company’s review.

State releases tariff guide for business owners

Though President Donald Trump has paused some of the tariffs he imposed on other countries, Washington state commerce leaders have released resources and guidance to help business owners navigate a volatile trade market.  

The Washington State Tariff Information and Resource Guide includes basic information about what tariffs are and how they differ from other duty fees, steps and strategies business owners can implement to limit impacts and webinars and training opportunities. 

There are also resources such as a tariff tracker and tools to build export plans.  

“Washington is one of the most trade-exposed states, and our intent is that this guide will help businesses better understand and respond to the impacts of these tariffs,” said Commerce Director Joe Nguyễn in a statement. “Our business community needs all the help it can get navigating these obstacles, and Commerce is committed to helping them succeed no matter what’s happening at the federal level.”

City opens applications for $651K in block grants

The city of Pasco encourages nonprofits focused on creating jobs for low-income residents and other efforts to support and improve the community to apply for community development block grants by the end of May. 

City officials anticipate receiving $651,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to distribute this year, according to a release.  

Applicants must be qualified nonprofit 501(c)(3) and proposals must address priority needs identified in the city’s strategic plan, among other requirements. Applications will be considered during two public hearings in June and July. 

Grant applications are available via the city’s website.

State seeks input on additional rules for Burbank feedlot

The largest feedlot in Washington state located in Burbank could be required to implement further water quality protections.   

The state Department of Ecology is seeking public feedback on an updated clean water permit for Simplot Feeders. The 705-acre feedlot typically has 40,000 head of cattle on site, with capacity for 100,000. The facility has had its current permit administratively extended since 2005, according to Ecology. 

Ecology is proposing the following requirements in Simplot’s state waste discharge permit:   

• Lined lagoon wastewater systems engineered to prevent overflows and protect groundwater and wildlife. 
• Enhanced groundwater monitoring to prevent nitrate contamination. 
• Stricter land application requirements to ensure nitrogen and other contaminants are not applied in excess or in a manner that could lead to polluted runoff. 
• Operational upgrades.  

Ecology will accept public comments on the draft permit through June 11.   

Comments can be made online or by mailing them to: Llyn Doremus, WQP-Department of Ecology, Eastern Regional Office, 4601 N. Monroe St., Spokane, WA 99205. Go to: bit.ly/Burbankfeedlot. 

Ecology is under pressure to strengthen its regulations for pollution discharge permits.   

The state Pollution Control Hearings Board recently ordered the agency to rewrite regulations governing concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, which are issued to dairy cow operations. An Ecology spokeswoman said the Simplot permit is not affected by the ruling but “we did, however, work to ensure consistence with the general permit requirements.”

Benton REA sells PowerNET internet service

Benton Rural Electric Association (REA) is getting out of the internet services business.  

The public utility sold its PowerNET internet service to Yakima-based Advanced High Speed Internet for $110,000, Benton REA told the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business. Benton REA says that company is better positioned to serve PowerNET’s customers.  

“The sale of PowerNET to Advanced High Speed Internet will give customers the service they deserve from a company that specializes in rural internet services,” said Benton REA CEO Ryan Redmond in a release. “At the same time, it allows Benton REA to solely focus on what we do best – providing safe, reliable and affordable electrical services to our membership.”  

Benton REA has provided Internet service through PowerNET since 1997 to connect rural and underserved communities. PowerNET currently serves about 1,000 users.  

The sale will free up the utility’s bandwidth to address the challenges facing the electric industry and provide safe, reliable and affordable electricity to its members.

Spokane’s daily newspaper to be donated to nonprofit

The family that owns one of Washington state’s largest and oldest remaining legacy daily newspapers is donating the publication to a nonprofit as part of an effort to preserve community journalism. 

The Cowles Co. – the multigenerational business that has owned and operated Spokane’s Spokesman-Review since its consolidation in 1893 – announced the move and a $2 million dollar donation to the receiving nonprofit Comma Community Journalism Lab, on April 15.  

The plan is contingent upon Comma, which was founded by the newspaper’s executive editor, Rob Curley, in 2022, securing $2 million in matching funds, according to a release. 

Company president and Spokesman-Review publisher William “Stacey” Cowles said in a statement that community ownership would set a path to greater community engagement that will enable the newspaper to remain integral to its hometown for another century. 

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to create a new model for journalism that will sustain the newspaper and serve as an example for other communities,” Cowles said.   

In addition to the Spokesman-Review, the Cowles Co. owns and operates the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business and Spokane Journal of Business. The deal with Comma will not change the ownership or operations of those publications. 

Comma has been based at Gonzaga University for the past year and received its nonprofit designation in September. It currently publishes The Black Lens, a monthly publication focused on Eastern Washington’s Black, indigenous and people of color communities. The organization also partners with the Spokesman-Review for Northwest Passages, a book club and events forum. 

Plans are to have Comma implement partnerships with universities, school districts and other nonprofit news organizations in operating the Spokesman-Review.  

Corps closes multiple recreation areas until further notice

 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Walla Walla District has closed multiple recreation areas and reduced services due to limited resources.

The Corps said the areas were closed to allow staff to focus on maintaining safe, high-quality service at priority locations and to concentrate available resources, including personnel, where they are most impactful.

In addition to the closures, Walla Walla District project areas – Mill Creek, McNary, Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, Lower Granite, Lucky Peak and Dworshak – will experience reductions in services, including maintenance, landscaping, trash collection and facility cleaning.

The following areas will be closed: Ice Harbor Visitor Center, Fishhook Park Class A Campground, Levey Park, Lambi Creek and Willow Creek recreation areas, Illia Dunes Recreation Area & Habitat Management Units, Lower Granite Dam and Lock Visitor Center, Blyton Landing, Confluence Park parking and restrooms, Lower Monumental Dam and Lock, and Riparia Recreation Area.

The Corps asks visitors to respect posted closures and any associated signs, flagging or barriers.

The closures remain in place until further notice.

Go to: usace.army.mil.

Refueling cycle underway at nuclear power plant

About 2,000 temporary workers have come to the Tri-Cities as they join the permanent staff at the Columbia Generating Station near Richland to replace hundreds of nuclear fuel arrays and complete thousands of other maintenance tasks over the next two months.

Energy Northwest disconnected the station from the power grid April 11 at the start of its 56-day refueling cycle.

The biennial spring refueling outage takes place when spring snowmelt puts hydroelectric power generation at its peak, minimizing any disruption to the power grid.

Roughly a third of the plant’s fuel assemblies – 256 – will be replaced and placed in a used fuel pool before their transfer to dry storage. 

Among the more than 10,000 scheduled maintenance tasks are replacing the adjustable speed drive and a reactor recirculating pump and motor, valve repairs and upgrading the 230kV transmission line.

WSU Tri-Cities chancellor named interim leader of Vancouver campus

Sandra Haynes, chancellor for the Washington State University Tri-Cities campus, is taking on an additional top campus leadership role – across the state.   

New WSU President Elizabeth Cantwell notified WSU Vancouver staff of the decision to name Haynes as the west side campus’ interim chancellor after a recent search for its next leader was unsuccessful.  

“The feedback from the community was invaluable in guiding my interviews with each finalist and in reaching a decision on which candidate would be best suited to the role,” Cantwell wrote. “Ultimately, the offer extended to the top candidate was not accepted.”  

Haynes will take on her additional role beginning June 1 when outgoing WSU Vancouver Chancellor Mel Netzhammer retires and transitions to a senior advisor role.  

She will also co-chair the committee that will lead the new search for a permanent chancellor for WSU Vancouver this fall.  

“I am excited to learn more about the unique ways in which WSU Vancouver impacts the system and especially southwest Washington,” Haynes said in a release. “Building on Chancellor Netzhammer’s legacy in Vancouver is a significant responsibility, and I look forward to helping the campus move forward as we search for the permanent chancellor.”

Kennewick lawmaker’s student-focused workforce bills signed by governor

Tens of thousands of high school students who complete job training programs and earn credentials will have fewer barriers to entering the workforce, thanks to two bills recently signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson.

House bills 1414 and 1722 were sponsored by state Rep. April Connors, R-Kennewick.  

One bill will increase the size of the state’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) task force and charge it with identifying state agency-imposed restrictions that prevent students from receiving training, certification or employment in their chosen fields.  

The task force will also review labor rules that block minors from working in licensed professions, review restrictions on working hours for students in CTE programs and evaluate how school district approval processes may limit access based on age.

The other bill will require state agencies to revise rules that prevent 16- and 17-year-olds from fully participating in CTE programs, testing for professional licenses, or working in the fields they’ve been trained for. The law specifically targets outdated restrictions affecting certified nursing assistants, firefighter trainees and emergency medical services students.

“These reforms send a clear message: We trust our young people, we believe in their potential, and we’re ready to let them build their future,” Connors said in a release.