President Donald Trump has paused most of the tariffs he imposed on other countries for the next three months, but Washington state commerce leaders have released resources and guidance to help business owners navigate a volatile trade market.

Taxable retail sales were up slightly across the state in the third quarter of 2024 but it was a tale of two counties in the Mid-Columbia, with Franklin County booming and Benton County seeing much less spending compared to the same period in 2023.

This year’s honorees will be recognized in an event from 4-6 p.m. Thursday, May 15 at Fiction @ J. Bookwalter Winery, 894 Tulip Lane, Richland. Tickets for the event are now available at tcjournal.biz/yp.

The state Employment Security Department announced the layoffs late on April 10. Outside of the Tri-Cities, the notice indicated that the layoffs affect UScellular employees in Yakima, Sunnyside, Union Gap, Longview and Centralia. 

An $8 million project that will build new lanes for drivers to more safely merge on and off Highway 240 will soon begin creating travel disruptions. 

One of the top two leaders at the Hanford site who recently announced their departures now has a temporary replacement 

A longtime community philanthropist and a recent fundraiser have further bolstered the resources of the Tri-Cities’ first in-patient mental health and substance abuse treatment facility. 

The Tri-City Herald’s top editor recently received national recognition for her 41-year career in journalism.

SB 5576 would levy a 4% tax on short-term rentals to fund affordable housing efforts if approved. The bill originally called for a 6% tax but that was changed after short-term rental operators told lawmakers how the tax could impact them. 

In 2021, an informal study by the state’s Dementia Action Collaborative found there were about 237 assisted living facilities in Washington that advertised memory care or specialized dementia care, but their services varied.