By D. Patrick JonesDatatracking life in the Tri-Cities reveal many departures from the overall profileof life in Washington. Considerthe racial and ethnic make-up here. In 2017, an estimated nearly 39 percent ofthe population was non-Caucasian, versus slightly over 30 percent for thestate. And the estimated Hispanic population in 2017 made...

Gov. Jay Inslee’s proposed capital gains tax has dominated the headlines. But his less-ballyhooed proposal to increase business-and-occupation taxes might have a bigger effect on the Tri-Cities, while having a greater impact on the state budget.These two tax proposals, plus a proposed study on removing the four lower Snake River dams,...

Present a problem to an engineer and that engineer will find a solution with enthusiasm.That’s what a group of people did recently at Framatome in Richland.Caleb Sarka, Rianna Preston, Chad King, Destinee Rea, Jeff Waddell and Manuel Seubert all work for Framatome.And all are members of the North American Young...

Mining in the Northwest was different in the 1890s.Back then, miners hunted for gold in the streams and mountains of Alaska and the Yukon with picks and shovels. Seattle was a jumping-off point and supply center for gold miners.Today, central Washington, upstream of the Tri-Cities, has become the focus of...

A first-of-its-kind reactor complex in Idaho Falls will be operated by Energy Northwest — probably in the middle of the next decade.In late spring, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission finished the initial phase of reviewing the first small modular reactor design to be submitted to the agency.This design application for...

Washington State University Tri-Cities recently landed two grants to advance biofuel research. Associate professor Xiao Zhang received $500,000 to pursue converting lignin to biofuel.Lignin is a common material that makes the cell walls of plants rigid.The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded the grant to Zhang,...

Three Tri-City public power electricity producers and providers recently paid more than $9 million in privilege taxes to the state.The annual tax is levied on public power electricity producers and providers for the privilege of generating electricity or providing electricity in the state.Energy Northwest paid nearly $4.8 million, up from...

Thanks to a partnership between the city of Richland and the Bonneville Power Association, commercial and industrial businesses within city limits are being rewarded for reducing their carbon footprint.The energy efficiency program offered through Richland Energy Services works with 30 to 50 commercial and industrial customers a year. After providing...

Energy Northwest recently announced some changes, including a new CEO and promotions within its leadership team. This includes a decision by the company’s executive board to name Brad Sawatzke as chief executive officer, after serving as interim CEO since the end of March. Brad SawatzkePrior to being named CEO, Sawatzke...

By David ForsythPlants are the ultimate energy-conversion machine, taking energy from sunlight along with carbon dioxide to produce plant biomass and oxygen. Wine grapes, like many plants, will store some of this energy as sugar in the fruit. David ForsythThe grapevine using the captured energy, along with water, nitrogen and...