Richland Albertsons store to close in February

The Albertsons store on Lee Boulevard in Richland will close by Feb. 25, citing financial difficulties.

“We have been unable to reposition the store to better compete in the market place, and following an extensive review, we have made the difficult decision to close the store. Closing stores that have been underperforming allows the company to focus its capital on greater enhancements throughout our store network and better value propositions for our customers,” said Sara Osborne, company spokeswoman, in a statement.

Boise-based Albertsons operates stores across 35 states under well-known names, including Safeway.

Albertsons’ human resources team is “working diligently to place as many associates in nearby Albertsons or Safeway stores as possible,” Osborne said.

The company filed in 2015 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial offering of shares of its common stock.

Tax season officially kicks off Jan. 23

The nation’s tax season begins Jan. 23, and the Internal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers claiming certain tax credits to expect a longer wait for refunds.

The IRS will begin accepting electronic tax returns that day, with more than 153 million individual tax returns expected to be filed in 2017. The IRS again expects more than four out of five tax returns will be prepared electronically using tax return preparation software.

Many software companies and tax professionals will accept tax returns before Jan. 23 and then will submit the returns when IRS systems open. The IRS will begin processing paper tax returns at the same time. There is no advantage to filing tax returns on paper in early January instead of waiting for the IRS to begin accepting e-filed returns, the IRS said in a release.

The IRS also reminds taxpayers to keep copies of their prior-year tax returns for at least three years. Taxpayers who are changing tax software products this filing season will need their adjusted gross income from their 2015 tax return to file electronically. The Electronic Filing Pin is no longer an option. Taxpayers can visit IRS.Gov/GetReady for more tips on preparing to file their 2016 tax return.

Grant recipients named at annual ceremony 

Three Rivers Community Foundation distributed $108,226 at its annual grants ceremony Dec. 15 in Kennewick.

The foundation’s mission of directing money “where it can make the biggest difference in our community” was demonstrated to 36 local grant recipients. Foundation donors enabled the organization to fund 64 percent of its requests this year.

For more information, visit 3rcf.org.

Young Professionals group changes name, reorganizes

The board of directors of Young Professionals Tri-Cities has renamed the organization Emerging Tri-Cities and adjusted its scope.

The group will continue to encourage and empower young professionals, but also wants them to be exposed to the talent of all ages in the community. The group’s mission is to empower meaningful professional development by attracting professionals across the region to attend events with passionate and thought-provoking public speakers.

Frequently asked questions about the changes are online at emergingtricities.faq.html.

West Richland seeks to fill council opening

The city of West Richland is accepting applications for council Pos. 6 following the resignation of Scott Whalen.

Whalen, who resigned due to medical reasons, was elected in November 2015 and began his term Jan. 1.

The city is seeking a temporary replacement to fill the seat until the November 2017 general election. To serve beyond Dec. 31, the person appointed to the temporary position must be willing to file for election and be elected by West Richland voters for the two remaining years of the term ending Dec. 31, 2019.

Applications must be received by 4 p.m. Jan. 27 and are available at the city administration building at 3801 W. Van Giesen St., on the city website at westrichland.org or by emailing cityhall@westrichland.org.

Demolition of McCluskey Room underway

CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Co. recently began demolishing the Americium Recovery Facility, also known as the McCluskey Room, at Hanford.

The Americium Recovery Facility is the second of four major buildings that make up the Plutonium Finishing Plant to undergo demolition.

During plutonium production, the facility separated radioactive americium for other uses until a chemical reaction and explosion inside processing equipment occurred in 1976, exposing worker Harold McCluskey to a dose of radioactive americium that was 500 times the amount deemed safe. He was seriously injured and died 11 years later of unrelated causes. The facility never resumed operations after the 1976 incident.

CH2M crews began demolition preparations in the room in 2014. Demolition of the entire PFP complex is scheduled to be completed by September.

Annual Legislative Council trip sign-up deadline is Jan. 20

The public is encouraged to attend the Tri-Cities Legislative Council’s annual trip to Olympia from Feb. 9-10 to learn about issues affecting the Tri-Cities, including higher education, energy sciences, revitalization financing, clean energy and transportation priorities.

The Pasco Chamber, Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber, Tri-City Regional Chamber, Tri-City Development Council, Visit Tri-Cities and West Richland Area Chamber of Commerce comprise the TCLC.

Sign up by contacting Austin Neilson, austin.neilson@tricityregionalchamber.com or via the registration form at tricityregionalchamber.com by Jan. 20.

Public input sought for stormwater permit

The Washington Department of Ecology is updating its construction stormwater permit it issues to developers.

Updates to the permit clarify the threshold for how much recycled concrete on a site requires stormwater monitoring; rainwater runoff from recycled concrete can be corrosive and harmful to aquatic life.

There are also new specifics about where and how wet, unhardened concrete may be washed.

There is an online workshop and public hearing at 1 p.m. Feb. 6 and the public may review and comment through Feb. 10.

For more information or to join the online meeting, visit ecy.wa.gov or email Amy Moon at amy.moon@ecy.wa.gov.

Trios Foundation hosts annual breakfast

The Trios Foundation’s annual breakfast is at 7:30 a.m. Feb. 22 at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick.

The free event will include an update of the foundation’s activities and plans, as well as an announcement of the winner of the Jim Mokler Outstanding Leadership Award and scholarship recipients for students pursuing or continuing health care-related education in the 2017-18 year.

Trios Health is the Kennewick Public Hospital District’s system of care serving the greater Tri-Cities.

Pre-registration is required for the breakfast. To sign up, email mandy.wallner@trioshealth.org or call 509-222-5776.

BBB releases list of most reported scams of 2016

The Better Business Bureau’s Scam tracker received more than 30,000 reports of scams in Washington and Idaho during 2016 through its interactive online tool, bbb.org/scamtracker.

Tax collection fraud topped the list as the most reported scam, with 196 instances in Washington and 295 in Idaho. Additional scam categories include online purchase, debt collections, phishing, government grants and fake invoices, among others.

BBB Northwest serves more than 14 million consumers in Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana and western Wyoming.

Dutch Bros. raises money for Humane Society

Dutch Bros. Tri-Cities raised $6,928 for the Benton Franklin Humane Society on Dec. 22.

All Dutch Bros. Tri-Cities locations donated $1 from every drink sold to support the nonprofit.

The Humane Society will use the money to continue to raise awareness about the shelter and the benefits of adopting animals.

FSA offers emergency conservation program 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency is accepting Emergency Conservation Program applications through Jan. 31 at the USDA service center in Pasco.

Farmers and ranchers suffering losses—including fences and range pasture loss—from last summer’s Palouse Falls and Kahlotus wildfires in Franklin County may receive financial assistance from the FSA.

The program provides up to 75 percent of the cost. Conservation problems existing before the disaster are ineligible for ECP assistance; benefits are intended for situations where the problem is so significant that federal assistance is required.

For more information, call 509-545-8543 ext. 2 or visit fsa.usda.gov/wa.