New program receives financial support from OSPI, PNNLWashington State University Tri-Cities plans to develop a program to train teachers in computer science.The program received a $49,000 grant from the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and a matching contribution from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland. Jonah FirestoneCurrently,...
By Michelle DuplerPreliminary election results from the November general election could quash one group’s hopes to rewrite Washington law to join the ranks of right-to-work states.Right-to-work policies aim to prohibit the practice of requiring all employees in a union workplace to pay union dues, regardless of whether they want to...
By Michelle DuplerIt’s been legal to toke up in Washington for a couple of years now, but experts say it may not be the best idea when looking for a job.Employers can decline to hire people based on a pre-employment drug test — or fire them based on random drug screenings...
By Beau RuffMany business owners believe executive employment contracts are unnecessary. Or, that they might lose the ability to fire at-will. Beau Ruff,Cornerstone Wealth StrategiesPerhaps the employer believes having less specificity about the job, the employer maintains more flexibility and control.Business owners also can be put off by the amount...
What will the passage of Initiative 1433 — raising the minimum wage to $13.50 an hour by 2020 — mean to small businesses in the Tri-Cities?To Don Karger, owner of Henry’s Restaurant & Catering in West Richland and his eight employees, it could translate to an $11,000 drop in his personal...
Social Security recipients will receive a modest increase in their benefits next year after getting no cost-of-living adjustments in 2016.Benefits for more than 65 million Americans will increase 0.3 percent in 2017, the Social Security Administration announced last month.The cost-of-living adjustment will begin with benefits payable to Social Security beneficiaries...
The Tri-Cities posted its lowest unemployment rate of the year in September, 5.9 percent, up from 5.5 percent a year ago.The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 5.6 percent in September with the state adding 20,000 jobs, according to preliminary estimates from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.The state’s...
A new startup based in the Tri-Cities is seeking to disrupt Seattle’s hiring culture.WholeStory was cofounded by John Roach, vice president of information and communication technology for TiLite in Pasco, Adam Brault, CEO of &yet in Richland, and Erin Anacker, a design entrepreneur based in Seattle.The web-based professional network and...
A training center for agricultural workers is scheduled to open Dec. 1. in Kennewick.Lacey-based Wafla, formerly known as Washington Farm Labor Association, opened in 2006 and this will be its first training center, said George Zanatta of Kennewick, Wafla’s chief operating officer.“We are planning to utilize the Kennewick office for...
Veterans are finding an easier time finding work in the Columbia Basin.The statewide jobless rate for veterans is 3.8 percent, while the state jobless figure is 6.9 percent. In 2015, the veterans’ jobless rate for Richland and Kennewick was 3 percent, according to the U.S. Census.“It is lower than the...
