Articles by Laura Kostad

Laura Kostad is a freelance reporter for the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business and Senior Times. After completing her bachelor’s degree in creative writing at the University of Washington in 2015, she moved to Kennewick to pursue new opportunities and launch her career. She has been with the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business since 2017 and has enjoyed getting to know her new community through journalism. In her spare time, she enjoys working on the many book ideas she has and the occasional poem.
Jacqueline Musser Gering, center, runs Estate Details with the help of her husband, Bryson Gering, left, and mother, Teresa Musser. The estate auction business opened three years ago. Explosive growth pushed them to break off from Musser Brothers into their own LLC. A new headquarters with lease space is underway across the street from Trucks and Auto on Rickenbacker Drive near the Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco. (Photo by Laura Kostad)

New buildings, new headquarters under construction at Musser auction complex

An estimated $3 million development signals growth at the Musser Bros. auction complex near the Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco. But vehicles destined for the auction block won’t be found here.…

Workers guide a concrete beam into place for Pasco’s $36.2 million Lewis Street overpass project, which is expected to be completed in August or September. The overpass replaces the outdated underpass and will span the BNSF Railway yard and First Avenue. (File photo by Scott Butner Photography)

Roadway improvements in full swing across Tri-Cities

Warm weather has returned and roadmaking equipment is fired up. Engineers have been re-envisioning busy intersections and aging infrastructure to improve increased volume and safer walkability.  Here’s a city-by-city look…

After more than 40 years in business, Dan Stafford, owner of Dan’s Garage at 508 E. Bruneau Ave. in Kennewick, is looking to sell. The 2.5-acre property has become Eastern Washington’s destination for finding vintage and antique General Motors vehicle parts, as well as whole cars. (Photo by Laura Kostad)

Tri-Cities’ last stop for collectible car parts is for sale

A sturdy man, long of beard and hair walked before a lineup of American metal, wearing an insulated plaid flannel, reinforced work pants secured by a GMC belt buckle and…

Al Avelar stands in the open concept crepe kitchen at his new restaurant, Crepe Haus + El Compadre at 2100 N. Belfair St. in Kennewick. The restaurant features two diverse menus, crepes and Mexican.  (Photo by Laura Kostad)

2 menus, 1 roof: Kennewick restaurant caters to diverse dietary needs and palates

It’s not often that a vegan, a meat eater, a keto dieter and someone with celiac disease or a peanut allergy can all order from the same menu. Especially a…

Though plans for an indoor marketplace at Osprey Pointe are on hold to find a cost-effective solution for its heating system, James Sexton, owner of JMS Construction, is forging ahead to develop the waterfront site in Pasco.  (Courtesy JMS Construction)

Setbacks don’t deter big plans for Pasco’s Osprey Pointe Marketplace

Four years ago, plans to develop Osprey Pointe Marketplace were announced. When Eaty Gourmet couldn’t deliver, JMS Construction stepped up with a goal of breaking ground in 2020. Then Covid-19…

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Plans underway to open new food co-op store in Richland

The Tri-Cities is getting another shot to support a local food co-op. Alan Schreiber of Schreiber Farms in Eltopia is leading the effort. The fifth-generation farmer is leading a steering…

Spring begins this month and late March is when asparagus harvest season in our state typically gets underway. Though many of our region’s farmers markets begin in June with Pasco’s starting in May, there are other options to get fresh produce onto your plate. (Courtesy Historic Downtown Kennewick Partnership / Jan Mennenga)

Support local farmers by taking advantage of locally-produced food

The Tri-Cities is surrounded by farms, orchards and vineyards. Our state is a national leader in the production of apples, blueberries, hops, pears, sweet cherries and spearmint oil. It is…

Catholic Charities Eastern Washington hopes to begin leasing units at the new Bishop Skylstad Commons, 301 S. 20th Ave. in Pasco, during the last week of March. A grand opening for the $16.79 million project is planned for April 14. (Photo by Laura Kostad)

Catholic Charities’ new housing project edges to completion in Pasco

Catholic Charities Eastern Washington’s new $16.79 million housing development in Pasco is nearing completion, with leasing expected to begin at the end of March. The Bishop Skylstad Commons project, formerly…

Joe Molvik, 86, of Kennewick opened his own art gallery, Atelier JM – A Norwegian Artistic Journey, in the former office of his metalworking shop at 1218 S. Lincoln St. in Kennewick. He paints landscape and still-life scenes, carves wooden figures and handcrafts cutting boards and Norwegian tine bentwood boxes. The shop is open by appointment. (Photo by Laura Kostad)

86-year-old retiree opens art gallery in Kennewick

Joe Molvik of Kennewick is proving the old axiom you’re never too old to try something new. At 86, he decided to open an art gallery showcasing his Norwegian-inspired paintings,…

Columbia Basin Health Association is planning to build a new clinic in Pasco at the northeast corner of North Road 68 and Three Rivers Drive. CBHA operates three other clinics in Othello, Connell and Mattawa, providing medical, dental, mental health, eye care, pharmacy and more all under one roof. Pictured is the Connell clinic. (Courtesy Columbia Basin Health Association)

Rising costs delay plans for fourth CBHA clinic

Columbia Basin Health Association is coming to Pasco. The small health system, which operates clinics in Othello, Connell and Mattawa, bought an 18-acre site at the northeast corner of North…

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