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.

Hanford contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Company (CPCCo) will mentor two small businesses as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s efforts grow the number of those entreprises receiving work contracts at the Hanford site. 

Residents in the Lower Yakima Valley whose wells may have been polluted by nitrates have access to free testing and water filters, thanks to a Washington nonprofit. 

If it makes it through the House and into law, Washington would join Utah with the toughest standard in the nation on July 1. Foes of the bill cite concerns with enforcing it and worries it will drive away customers from bars, wineries and other hospitality businesses. 

The Hanford Advisory Board is seeking new members to provide advice to federal and state agencies on the ongoing nuclear cleanup of the Hanford site. The deadline to apply is next week.