Young families need wills.But, the legal profession has an admitted problem—the use of attorneys is expensive and can also be time consuming. It is also one of the many industries where technology has attempted to offer lower prices and better convenience.Probably the most notable example is the Do It Yourself...

The new school year has begun. Usually, this is a happy time, as it marks another beginning for students and their families. Obviously, this school start heralds a huge departure from the usual.The pandemic’s implications — whether our children will be safe, whether they might become carriers, whether they’ll be...

Serial restaurateur Michael Miller knows a good dining spot when he sees one.  Miller, founder of Stick+Stone Wood-Fired Pizza in Richland and Proof Gastropub in Kennewick, spied restaurant seats for sale outside the short-lived Dickey’s Barbecue Pit on Burden Boulevard in Pasco.  The 5,000-sqare-foot restaurant itself was idle. Dickey’s opened in 2018 and closed in 2019 with its two peers after franchisee Dan Pelfrey ran into financial difficulties. Miller bought some...

The longtime head of economic development for the Port of Pasco has a new job.  Gary BallewGary Ballew will join Greater Spokane Incorporated as vice president for economic development on Sept. 8.  GSI represents 925 businesses in the Spokane area and serves to promote business and economic development. Ballew said it is comparable to his Pasco job, but on a...

The Children's Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia has canceled plans to distribute 2,000 books to local children this week because of hazardous air conditions.The local nonprofit that promotes reading 20 minutes a day to young children planned to distribute books Monday in Kennewick, Tuesday and Thursday in Pasco and Wednesday...

Fitness and training facilities in Benton and Franklin counties can resume limited operations under new guidance released Sept. 11 by Gov. Jay Inslee. Indoor fitness and training facilities in the counties still in the modified Phase 1 of the Safe Start program are now allowed to operate under Phase 2 guidance,...

Indoor dining and other activities are now allowed in Benton and Franklin counties. The Washington State Department of Health modified the already-modified Phase 1 restrictions that control activities under the state’s Safe Start program to curtail the spread of Covid-19. As of Aug. 27, allowed activities include:Outdoor group fitness classes with five or fewer people.Indoor religious services at 25% of...

Two high-profile intersections on Duportail Street in south Richland are getting makeovers as the city prepares to open its new Yakima River span to through-traffic this fall.  Granite Construction Co. began a $1.3 million project to add turn lanes at the intersections with Queensgate Drive and Keene Road after winning the contract in July. Granite Construction, which is based in Watsonville, California, and specializes in infrastructure development, is using a vacant 11-acre site at Duportail and...

Washington’s uninsured rate nearly doubled in the first weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic as more than a million workers lost their jobs and their employer-sponsored health coverage. A report issued Aug. 19 by the state Office of Financial Management indicates the uninsured rate remained far above pre-pandemic levels, but the numbers are improving locally and across the state.  Before the pandemic, 6.7%...

A road construction crew working in south Richland struck a Cascade Natural Gas line, forcing eight businesses in the Queensgate area to close shortly after 2 p.m. Aug. 18.Mark Hanson, spokesman for the company, confirmed the company's line was struck near Duportail Street and Keene Road. The company expected to...