Mask up, folks.As the delta variant drives Covid-19 rates up to 2020 levels, the business community wonders what the future holds.The Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business has struggled along with the rest of you, adopting a hybrid schedule that blends working from home much of the time with working in...

In the fourth quarter of 2020, retail sales came roaring back in Wahkiakum County. The small county in southwest Washington saw nearly a 30% jump in taxable quarterly sales compared to the previous year.On the opposite side of the state, Lincoln County reported a little more than 25% quarterly growth...

This summer, with severe drought and hot temperatures throughout the West, the threat of wildfires is once again at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Tens of thousands of acres in Washington alone were burning in late July.While the causes of wildfires can be unpredictable, there are ways to reduce the...

The 2020 Toyko Olympics were billed as the “Hydrogen Olympics.”Then along came Covid-19 and sporting events worldwide were put on hold. The summer games were delayed until 2021. Postponing the games cost Japan billions and thwarted its efforts to showcase the Japanese “green growth” strategies.Japan, like the United States, plans...

Growth has been a common refrain in the Tri-Cities over the past decade.Population has climbed, as Benton-Franklin Trends laid out, from 262,500 in 2012, to the estimated of 308,800 today. Similarly, the average number employed, has risen from 120,474 in 2011, to 130,516 in 2020. And median household income has...

Hanford talk focuses on salmon, sturgeonSalmon, sturgeon and more are the topic of the Aug. 25 edition of the Let’s Talk About Hanford series of virtual science talks.The program is a collaboration with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and will explore the fish found in the Columbia River...

You cannot read the news today without finding another story of a company besieged by a malware infection: their files encrypted, and the company brought to its knees by cybercriminals.We’ve recently seen a large pipeline company forced to shut down all operations and a U.S. government agency suspending operations for...

I imagine historians looking back at the decades spanning 1990-2020 will describe those years as the most unimpressive of the past two centuries in terms of technological progress.In medicine, we witnessed life expectancy plateau and even decline for a period of years. Energy production via fracking became more efficient but...

Inline Computer & Communications in Richland recently donated five laptops to Light of the Valley Baptist School in Belize. The laptops allow the teachers and children to be able to connect to the outside world and increase their educational opportunities, said Greg Hammer, president of the Inline. He said his...

LoAnn AyersPrograms that help families and kids thrive will be the sole focus of the 2022 round of grants awarded by the United Way of Benton and Franklin Counties.The nonprofit that raises money and vets nonprofits is sharpening its focus as it addresses “gaps” that opened in the local social...