Johnson Lighting Services, a commercial lighting maintenance company in Kennewick whose trucks have been a familiar sight around the Tri-Cities and Yakima region since 1972, has new owners.Preferred Industrial Electric LLC bought Johnson Lighting Services from longtime owner Bob Spaulding of Kennewick.The deal closed Nov. 21, 2021. Terms were not...
Washington state is dedicated to building an economic future that is as inclusive, diverse and resilient as the people who live here.We are looking beyond our borders for economic models that will strengthen our legacy industries, help communities create new sectors, fuel innovation and entrepreneurship, and ensure meaningful job opportunities...
Benton Franklin Legal Aid Society, the nonprofit legal services agency that connects clients with volunteer attorneys, pivoted to helping area residents facing eviction in 2021. Barb Otte-PotterBarb Otte-Potter, executive director, said that prior to the pandemic, about 80% of its work centered on family issues. The pandemic, coupled with the...
W. Larry Jefferson Jr.Larry Jefferson Jr. will pay off his law school loans in about seven years.That would not be remarkable if Jefferson were a young attorney, just starting out. He’s not. He’s worked as a public defender in Seattle, and, more recently, Olympia, for more than 25 years since...
The Benton Franklin Legal Aid Society recognized two local attorneys with its highest awards for service to the community for 2021.The nonprofit matches Tri-City residents who can’t afford attorneys to represent them with volunteer lawyers to handle noncriminal cases, ranging from evictions to bankruptcy, family law, protection orders and more.Al...
Several years ago, I wrote about noncompete agreements for the Tri-cities Area Journal of Business.Legislation passed in 2019 has changed the rules, and it is time for employers to reconsider agreements that include noncompete clauses because the enforceability has been significantly curtailed by the new Washington law.In the olden days...
Bill would create an alert system for missing Indigenous womenAttorney General Bob Ferguson and Rep. Debra Lekanoff, D-Anacortes, plan to propose a bill in the upcoming legislative session to create an alert in Washington state to help identify and locate missing Indigenous women and people.The alert, similar to “silver alerts”...
Benton-Franklin Superior Court Judge Cameron Mitchell is resigning from the bench, effective March 11 after 18 years in office. Gov. Jay Inslee’s office announced the resignation on Jan. 3.Mitchell, the only Black member of the Benton-Franklin bench, was first appointed in 2004 and won his current term in 2020.A Richland...
Sharp-eyed travelers with time to kill at the Tri-Cities Airport have always been bombarded with information about local sites.For 2021 and now early 2022, they’ve had a chance to review something a bit more substantial – the best examples of local architecture from Walla Walla to the Columbia River Gorge,...
AIA Central Washington honors best of 2021AIA Central Washington, representing the region’s architects, honored three projects with its 2021 Design Awards in November.EB Architecture + Design of Portland received the Honor Award for its High Prairie Residence. The residential project in Lyle, north of the Columbia Gorge, is described as...
