The state’s oldest estate grown winery is curtailing operations after its largest creditor compelled it to file for bankruptcy.Gordon Brothers Cellars Inc. and its related vineyard, Kamiak Vineyard Inc., filed for protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in November, shortly after the Bank of Eastern...

Tri-County Partners Habitat for Humanity has a new executive director, a Richland native who came home after exploring the country and the world.Jet Richardson signed on as the Richland-based nonprofit’s new leader just months before the pandemic struck. He spent the first year focusing on Habitat’s mission to build affordable...

Northwest ski resorts have spent the better part of the year planning for Covid-19 contingencies to ensure skiers and snowboarders can race down their favorite slopes safely this winter.Bluewood, the Tri-Cities’ closest resort which is owned by seven Tri-Citians, has been planning since March. It’s outside of Dayton, about 80...

In one of the more unusual real estate moves in recent memory, a Chinese restaurant in Kennewick is being refashioned into an independent, closed-door pharmacy catering to adult family homes, nursing homes and similar facilities.Pharmacists Randy and Dawn Johnson, owners of Tri-Cities RX, bought Bamboo Gardens at 8021 W. Grandridge...

Jacqui Wright will move her popular Mezzo Thai Fusion restaurant to a smaller spot in early 2021.Wright will close the 3,000-square-foot restaurant at 110 W. Gage Blvd. in Richland at the end of December. She plans to announce a new location in January.Fans can support Mezzo Thai by ordering meals...

A new building aims to meet the demand for high-quality preschool education in the Tri-Cities by adding three classrooms dedicated to Montessori learners at the new Ferguson Education Center in Richland.The 5,765-square-foot building opened just after Thanksgiving and can house 60 students at one time at 1107 Stevens Drive.It is...

Cannabis sales in Benton County reached more than $34 million in fiscal year 2020.That’s up nearly 43% over fiscal year 2019, when sales reached nearly $24 million.Statewide, sales increased nearly 21% to $1.3 billion, up from about $1 billion. Benton County’s sales made up about 3% of the statewide total.King...

Framatome’s nuclear fuel manufacturing facility in Richland played a key role in the first-ever use of a 3D printed safety component in a commercial nuclear reactor.Framatome collaborated with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to create the channel fasteners for stainless steel fuel assemblies that will be installed in the Tennessee Valley...

As we close out a tumultuous year where the pandemic has stolen so much of our attention, it might help to step back from the daily challenges and appreciate a fundamental demographic of life here: the greater Tri-Cities continue to grow.Demographics may not drive destiny, but they certainly influence it.Unlike...

Health Officer, Benton-Franklin Health DistrictDr. Amy PersonNumber of employees you oversee: The Benton-Franklin Health District employs almost 95 individuals, although with the Covid-19 response, there are additional temporary staff assisting with contact tracing and data management. I engage with all staff, but my role is not supervisory.Brief background of your...