There is no way to dress it up: The Covid-19 pandemic battered – and continues to batter – the Tri-Cities Airport’s business.Its years-long record of passenger growth collapsed in 2020, which recorded 188,959 boardings, 57% fewer than 2019.The news was bad, but Airport Director Buck Taft said he felt duty...
The former Sports Authority store at Kennewick’s Columbia Center will reopen this spring as Veterans Warehouse Thrift Store, the second outpost for a Wenatchee nonprofit focused on supporting homeless and struggling veterans.Operation Veterans Assistance & Humanitarian Aid is converting the 40,000-square-foot retail space into a full-service thrift store that will...
One of the region’s largest farm operations has hired a Nevada firm to restructure its multimillion-dollar business as it navigates a stunning claim it falsified records for 200,000 cattle and a subsequent bankruptcy.Easterday Ranches Inc. of Pasco hired Paladin Management Group LLC in a sign the Easterday board is looking...
A Pacific Northwest National Laboratory invention won top honors at a recent national pitch contest, thanks to its water-repellent qualities and a little help from the Tri-City business community.Called ElastiDry Protective Coating, the material can be applied to personal protective equipment such as gloves, face shields, shoes, or protective suits,...
President, Benton Franklin Recovery CoalitionMichele GerberNumber of employees you oversee: 100+Brief background of recovery coalition: The coalition formed in June 2018, in response to the lack of detoxification services and inpatient treatment services for people suffering from Substance Use Disorder (addiction) in the Tri-City region. Our mission is to partner...
Kevin HustedKevin Husted, a longtime Tri-City insurance benefits broker, had a busy fall.Husted bought the insurance side of Advisor Benefits Group in the middle of not one but two open enrollment periods, Medicare and Washington’s Health Benefit Exchange.Husted is a 20-year insurance benefits and Medicare professional who previously worked for...
Seniors at home on the day the vaccine arrived at Brookdale Canyon Lakes readily rolled up their sleeves to receive it.The Kennewick senior living community had 18 hours’ notice to line up residents and staff for 200 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine in mid-January.They were ready – and happy to...
Kathie and Darell “Bud” Weathermon will celebrate their 56th wedding anniversary later this month but they won’t be able to hug, hold hands or share a kiss.Kathie, 75, plans to make the one hour and 15 minute drive from Walla Walla to Kennewick to visit her husband on their special...
As the pandemic marches on, a Richland-based group is trying different ways to keep seniors connected and get them the help they need.The Richland Senior Association offers educational, outreach and social programs, with its most recent program aimed at helping seniors navigate the decidedly unfriendly online system for registering for...
A forced move amid a pandemic may have been a blessing in disguise for one Kennewick restaurant.Fresh Leaf Co. is moving to Richland with plans to open in March and expand its menu and hours.The restaurant closed the doors of its bright green building after more than five years at...
