Washington faces a budget challenge with a slowing economy and expected increased demand for services due to changes in federal law. Payroll tax proponents argue that the tax can raise money quickly to solve these pressures, whereas the income tax will take years to implement.

An economics think tank warns Gov. Bob Ferguson’s proposed budget would eventually lead to a nearly $2 billion shortfall partly due to $289 million in increased appropriations in the 2027-29 biennium. 

Kennewick School District’s annual student job fair is coming up and is looking for businesses interested in offering real-world opportunities for the next generation of workers. 

Federal energy regulators on Jan. 29 greenlit a roughly $2 billion renewable energy megaproject on a Yakama Nation sacred site overlooking the Columbia River in Klickitat County.

A more than 100-year-old clothing retailer that was part of a merger last year with JCPenney and Columbia Center mall owner Simon Property Group will shutter all 200 of its stores, including in the Tri-Cities. 

The Port of Benton fired its chief financial officer and auditor for unsatisfactory performance during a special meeting Feb. 2. The move is the latest in a series of abrupt changes at the port since commissioners suspended their executive director less than a month ago.  

Representatives from the ports of Benton, Pasco and Walla Walla will sign an agreement Feb. 5 in Olympia with the ports of Seattle and Tacoma to leverage the Tri-Cities’ strategic location and resources to ease trade with the global market.

Kennewick-based Cascade Natural Gas Corp. will pay $2 million to settle violations issued by the state Utilities and Transportation Commission for a 2023 explosion that killed one and injured another. 

Five awardees, including Energy Northwest, are on track to receive a combined $12.1 million in federal funding to build and operate electric vehicle charging stations at 14 locations along highways in Washington state.