Articles by Robin Wojtanik

Robin Wojtanik spent most of her career in broadcast journalism, working at television stations around the country. She spent nearly a decade managing newsrooms in the Tri-Cities and Yakima. She enjoys volunteering for Junior Achievement and Christ the King School and serves on the board for the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ Northwest chapter. She lives in Richland with her husband and children.
Leadership Tri-Cities classmates and representatives from Domestic Violence Services of Benton & Franklin Counties pose in front of a new store that will benefit domestic violence clients at 3311 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite B-120, Kennewick. A grand opening is set for June 2. (Photo by Robin Wojtanik)

Leadership Tri-Cities’ service project helps nonprofit launch new store

A boutique resale shop that will provide a future income stream to support clients of Domestic Violence Services of Benton & Franklin Counties is set to open in Kennewick, wrapping…

Roberta Chalaris-Davis, left, and Marina de Albuquerque leaned into their design skills to launch a charcuterie food truck in fall 2021. Its success led to their next goal: opening a delicatessen and entertainers’ hub storefront at 617 The Parkway in Richland. (Courtesy ROMA Visionaries)

Interior designers parlay food truck success into Richland delicatessen

Roberta Chalaris-Davis and Marina de Albuquerque have an eye for design, and they’ve branched out from interior spaces to designing artisanal charcuterie boards and home décor at a storefront in…

Marlando and Stephanie Sparks opened Restoration Market, a Kennewick food hub offering free food to members of the community who need it, at 4000 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite 110, Kennewick. The market provides weekly shopping opportunities in a unique environment for families looking for food assistance, with no documentation required to receive help. (Photo by Robin Wojtanik)

Market aims to restore dignity with free food distribution

There seems to be no coincidence between a family whose last name is “Sparks,” and the way they have set ablaze a full-time lifestyle of impacting the community. From churning…

Teresa VanDoorn offers a wide range of gift items, from classy to sassy, at her new store, The Teal Box, in Richland’s Parkway shopping area. (Photo by Robin Wojtanik)

Parkway gift shop fueled by sarcasm and sass

A new shop in Richland’s Parkway is filled with snarky gifts, fresh flowers and a few four-letter words for good measure. “I call it a sassy gift shop with a…

Tiger Cool Express’ plan to build an intermodal ramp in Wallula will provide new opportunities for shipments in and out of the region using rail.  (Courtesy Tiger Cool Express)

Rail site expansion opens local import-export access

A Kansas-based company plans to pick up where Union Pacific Railroad left off and complete an intermodal ramp in Wallula, bringing increased transportation capacity via rail. The project will open…

A rise in overdose deaths among construction, labor and trades, and restaurant and food service workers industries prompted the Benton-Franklin Health District to begin an outreach campaign. The drive involves equipping and educating the public to be ready to treat an overdose with naloxone. (Courtesy Benton-Franklin Health District)

Campaign underway to get life-saving medication in everyone’s hands

Overdose prevention could be viewed as the new CPR: the Benton-Franklin Health District wants everyone to be prepared and know how to help anyone at any time. The BFHD is…

Claude Hafez provides personal training to clients of all ages, but has a passion for working with seniors, including, from left, Joan Young, Maggie Shearer and Loria Kirsch. (Photo by Robin Wojtanik)

Trainer motivates seniors to keep moving to stay fit

Personal trainer Claude Hafez believes most everyone can move and she won’t take “no” for an answer. “Regardless of age or injuries or limitations, everyone can move. You think you…

Meier Architecture - Engineering staff focus on a wide range of services for clients throughout Washington and Oregon. From left are Paul Giever, Thomas Kastner, Bobbi Keen and Antony Cockbain. (Photo by Robin Wojtanik)

Employee-owned firm creates blueprint for sustained success

From small updates to large-scale projects, commercial or residential, Meier Architecture – Engineering has designed a wide range of structures across the Tri-Cities and beyond. In business since 1982, and…

Dorcas Buckley, front of the house manager for Ethos Bakery and Café, displays the proposed building planned for its new location at 2290 Keene Road in Richland. Customers can visit the store at 702 The Parkway in Richland. (Courtesy Ethos Bakery)

Ethos’ evolution includes return to Queensgate area later this year

Ethos Bakery & Café wants the community to know it has not closed, even though its shop on Richland’s Keene Road is empty. Ethos temporarily consolidated operations into its Richland…

The Guaranteed Admissions Program, or GAP, is now available to students in the Kennewick, Richland and Kiona-Benton City school districts. (Courtesy Richland School District)

New program accepts students to college without applying, taking tests

A new program could help more local students get accepted to multiple Washington state universities – without them ever applying.   The Guaranteed Admissions Program, or GAP, is now available to…

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