Providing legal counsel to criminal defendants and other low-income people facing court proceedings has always been a challenge in the Tri-Cities.Heavy caseloads, low pay relative to private practice, the lack of a local law school and now Covid-19 has not made it easier.But with 2022 now in full swing, the...

Tim ArntzenTim Arntzen, chief executive officer of the Port of Kennewick, is seeking $225,000 and to have performance reviews amended as a bitter dispute over a farmworkers clinic extends into its fourth year.Matthew Crotty, a Spokane attorney representing Arntzen, served the port with a notice of a tort claim on...

Matt BoehnkeWe asked state Rep. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick, about his priorities for the 2022 state legislative session, which kicked off Jan. 10, entering the third year of the global Covid-19 pandemic.Boehnke announced in December his plan to run for the state Senate after Sen. Sharon Brown, R-Kennewick, said she would...

This year’s inductees to the Mid-Columbia Agriculture Hall of Fame will be honored at a Jan. 19 dinner and ceremony at the Red Lion Hotel & Conference Center in Pasco.In its 22nd year, the Hall of Fame honors Mid-Columbia farmers, families and agribusiness leaders in Franklin County and its neighboring...

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...

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,...