Chukar Cherries breaks cherry processing record

It’s been a great year for cherries in Washington state and Prosser-based Chukar Cherries has taken full advantage of the 2025 harvest.  

The fruit processor known for its cherry and chocolate treats has dehydrated 700,000 pounds of cherries this year, a record high since the company was founded 37 years ago, according to a release.  

Company officials say large investments in equipment in recent years facilitated the production record. Since 2024, Chukar Cherries purchased a new cherry sizing machine, two large cherry destemmers and its third dehydrator.  

“Not only could fruit be sorted much faster and in larger quantities daily, but we were able to narrow down drying times to match the size of the cherry – down to the millimeter,” said general manager Tim Oten in a statement.

Started in 1988 by founder and CEO Pam Montgomery, the company remains family-owned. Chukar’s leadership over the past decades has included several other notable women.

Chukar’s director of operations, Kathleen Young, will retire at the end of the year and has been with the company for nearly 26 years.

Sales Manager Teresa Garcia has been a team leader for 22 years.

Montgomery’s daughter, Wynne Auld, joined the team as marketing manager three years ago.

Montgomery’s daughter, Vivian Auld, joined the team as a retail manager at Chukar Cherries’ Pike Place Market store two years ago.

Gesa launches branded cards for Pasco’s newest high schools

New high schools mean new branded debit cards from Gesa Credit Union that can raise money for student activities.  

The Richland-based credit union recently unveiled the card designs for Pasco’s new Sageview and Orion high schools, which welcomed their first students this school year.   

Offered as part of Gesa’s Affinity Debit Card program, Gesa checking account customers can get a debit card sporting Sageview’s Lobo mascot or a four-propeller plane for Orion’s Aviators at no charge. Every time the cards are used to make a purchase, the credit union will make a contribution to the school reflected by the card’s branding.  

Gesa began offering the branded cards for schools in 2015 and has given more than $2.2 million since then. This year, the credit union gave $440,000 to the districts of participating schools, with Pasco School District receiving $68,000.  

“It’s an exciting time for the community and Pasco School District as these brand-new schools welcome students for the first time,” said Brandon Allison, Gesa’s associate vice president of community impact, in a statement. “Gesa is honored to work alongside the district and its educators to help students grow both inside and outside the classroom. These schools will be places where students discover their passions, build relationships and gain the confidence to navigate their financial futures in every stage of life. Supporting that journey is a responsibility we value deeply.”

Former bank to become orthodontics office

A building that was once home to Chase Bank is set to become an orthodontics office.  

INW Real Property LLC bought the building at 723 Gage Blvd., Richland, for $940,000 in April. Now, a building permit valued at $820,000 has been issued to convert the 3,287-square-foot space.

The building will be a new office for Bunker Family Orthodontics, which currently has offices at 1520 Jadwin Ave. in Richland and 6825 Burden Blvd., Suite C, in Pasco.

Bunker’s Jadwin office will be closed while renovations on the Gage building are underway, according to a Facebook post. In the meantime, all patients will be seen at the Pasco location.  

The new Gage office is expected to open in early 2026 and will replace the current Richland office.

Costco reports 8.7% sales increase

It’s unclear if the opening of the Richland store on Aug. 8 played a role, but Costco Wholesale Corp. reported an 8.7% increase in net sales over last year for the month of August.

That’s a total of $21.56 billion in net sales this August, a jump up from $19.83 billion last year.

Costco also reported an 8% increase from its 16-week fourth quarter last year, when it saw $78.2 billion in net sales, to $84.4 billion in its fourth quarter this year.

For the entire fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2025, Costco reported $269.9 billion in net sales, an 8.1% increase from $249.6 billion last year.

LIGO Hanford co-founder dies

Rainer Weiss, an experimental physicist, Nobel laureate and co-founder of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO, died Aug. 25. He was 92.

Weiss was born in Berlin in 1932 and attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for both his undergraduate degree and his Ph.D.

Throughout his career, he developed a more precise atomic clock, figured out how to measure the spectrum of the cosmic microwave background using a weather balloon, and co-founded and advanced the NASA Cosmic Background Explorer project.

In 2017, Weiss and two of his colleagues received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in conceiving of and founding LIGO.

The two observatories were built 1,865 miles apart, one at Hanford and the other in Livingston, Louisiana, in the 1990s. By sending lasers between the two sites, scientists can detect perturbations caused by gravitational waves, confirming Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

LIGO Hanford is at 127124 N. Route 10, Richland, and hosts monthly public tours.

State alerts businesses ahead of retail sales tax changes

More businesses will be subject to Washington state’s sales tax beginning Oct. 1, and state officials are working to make sure they are fully aware of it ahead of time.

The Department of Revenue has sent letters and digital alerts notifying tens of thousands of business owners of a possible change in their tax reporting requirements after the Legislature changed what business services will now be defined as retail sales, according to a release.  

The agency anticipates the new law will affect more than 90,000 businesses.  

EWU, CBC renew transfer agreement

Ten years after first partnering to make it easier for Columbia Basin College students to pursue a four-year degree at Eastern Washington University, both institutions are making sure that pathway remains clear. 

CBC and EWU recently signed a new three-year agreement that will automatically qualify CBC students with a grade point average of 2.5 or higher for admission to the university while also waiving EWU’s application fees and CBC’s transcript fees. 

CBC President Rebekah Woods said “this partnership is about reducing barriers to ensure students have the support they need to pursue their educational and career goals. 

“By working together, we are creating more opportunities for students in our region to access higher education and build a strong future.” 

CBC has transfer agreements and programs with more than two dozen higher education institutions.  

Gas station owners ordered to pay $4.8M for 2023 gas leak

The owners of a Walla Walla gas station must pay millions of dollars in penalties and cleanup costs for a 2023 gasoline leak that led to the evacuation of the historic Marcus Whitman Hotel and contaminated groundwater.

The state Department of Ecology announced the $738,000 penalty against Stillwater Holdings LLC, Wine Country Store LLC and Ben Kleban. The penalty is for spilling oil into state waters and failing to notify state officials. They have 30 days to pay the penalty or appeal to the Pollution Control Hearings Board. 

The owners also have 30 days to pay for $4.1 million in cost recovery from the state’s spill response and pollution mitigation expenses or file an application for financial relief with Ecology.

“For nearly two years, our focus has been on protecting people, preventing fuel from migrating to Mill Creek and getting nearby businesses safely back in operation,” said Brook Beeler, Ecology’s Eastern Region director. “This was a major spill that will take years to fully clean up. This is a necessary step for the state to hold those responsible for the spill accountable and try to recover costs spent on the response.”

The incident began in September 2023 when the Marcus Whitman Hotel in downtown Walla Walla was evacuated due to gas odors. Testing identified potentially harmful vapors and gasoline in the basement and in two nearby buildings. The buildings were ventilated to eliminate the risk of an explosion, and the buildings’ drainage systems, also known as sumps, were pumped to reduce vapor concentrations.  

Investigators estimate 2,500 gallons of gasoline was allowed to leak into groundwater and affect neighboring buildings.

In May, Stillwater Holdings told Ecology that it could pay for little or no more work, and that the state would need to take over. By law, Stillwater Holdings is responsible for the pollution, responding to the emergency and cleaning up the contamination.

Ecology issued an enforcement order to the owners in July 2024, requiring them to reduce harmful vapors and remove contaminated water from nearby buildings.

WSU Tri-Cities seeks employers for job fair

Looking to recruit and lock in future graduates for your company? Washington State University Tri-Cities has an opportunity for you. 

The university will have its fall Career & Internship Fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 21 at the Consolidated Information Center on the Richland campus.  

University officials said they already have a number of employers from a variety of industries lined up to meet students as they consider their post-graduation futures. WorkSource Columbia Basin and Columbia Basin College also have collaborated on the event. 

“Employers can meet motivated individuals who are eager to contribute, and job seekers get to see what roles might be a good fit for them,” said John Navarro, career center coordinator at WSU Tri-Cities, in a statement. “For those new to networking, it’s also an excellent way to start building relationships and developing the skills that will support their long-term career success.” 

Those seeking to recruit at the event have until Oct. 1 to register.

Some Snake River recreation areas will reopen for fall

Some of the recreation areas associated with dams on the Snake River will reopen for the fall season after being closed earlier in the year due to staffing shortages. 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced the reopenings, with the first of them opening Aug. 29. The remainder will take place throughout September. 

“These phased re-openings reflect our commitment to safely managing public lands while supporting recreation opportunities for communities across the region,” said Lt. Col. Katie Werback, commander of the Walla Walla District. 

Reopenings includes sites near Little Goose Lock and Dam, Lower Granite Lock and Dam and Lower Monumental Lock and Dam.

Ice Harbor Lock and Dam recreation areas closed for the season on Sept. 2. Charbonneau Park will remain open through noon Sept. 30. Levey Park and Fishhook Park are expected to reopen in 2026.