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.
Hanford staffers Juan Guajardo, left, and Lezlie Arntz use a special lock on the truck holding classified records with the key only accessible by the U.S. National Archives upon arrival. (Courtesy HMIS)

Top-secret Hanford documents travel cross-country under tight security 

— By Robin Wojtanik for Hanford Mission Integration Solutions    Drivers with top-secret clearance recently hauled classified documents cross-country from Hanford to Washington, D.C.  A tamper-indicating bolt and high-security lock…

WomenInBusinessGroup

State certification may offer new revenue for women-owned businesses

More than 30 businesses across Benton and Franklin counties took the extra step of becoming state certified as a small business owned by a woman or minority woman, adding their…

Winemaker David Rodriguez cut his teeth on farming and winemaking in the Yakima Valley and now plans to open a tasting room for Enodav Wine Co. in Prosser’s Vintners Village after buying land from the Port of Benton. (Courtesy Enodav Wine Co.)

Vintners Village to welcome $1M tasting room in 2024

A Washington state transplant who pursued a love of winemaking plans to front the latest winery to set up shop in Prosser’s Vintners Village. It’s a step forward in its…

Ashwin Joshi, a Southridge High School senior, has already started his own nonprofit and developed a curriculum focused on boosting knowledge about money. He’s also launched a school club on financial literacy in Kennewick and Richland. (Photo by Ryan Jackman)

Southridge senior kick-starts nonprofit to promote teen financial literacy

  While some teens used the pandemic shutdown to play Minecraft or learn TikTok dances, Ashwin Joshi was reading “Rich Dad, Poor Dad,” a book published decades ago about increasing…

Daniela Flores, Tino Flores and Sandra Gomez own and operate Family Deals Liquidation, a Kennewick store at 525 N. Edison St. that sells discounted items often returned to retailers. (Photo by Robin Wojtanik)

Shoppers dig for deals at Tri-City liquidation stores

Items that once lined the shelves of Target, Walmart, Costco, Best Buy, JCPenney or the virtual shelves of Amazon are now ending up at a handful of local retailers specializing…

Lemon Grass Gifts’ design center offers 3D technology to showcase how different color palettes, materials and styles look in a home before buying any furniture or decor. The Lemon Grass team consists of, from left, Robbi Nieman, who handles customer service; decorating specialists Melanie Pasco and Sarita Tomlinson; and owner Linda Pasco. (Photo by Robin Wojtanik)

Designers work to bring dream homes to life

A longtime Kennewick gift shop now offers a personalized approach to interior home design by helping customers visualize different looks featuring the rooms in their own homes. The new 3D…

Hollie Zepeda recently opened a “paint and sip” studio in west Pasco offering paint parties, workshops and art kits at 6303 Burden Blvd., Suite A. (Photo by Robin Wojtanik)

New studio aims to make everyone feel like an artist

An artist with a passion for teaching and working with others recently opened a studio in west Pasco that lets anyone become an artist and go home with a creation…

Courtesy Hop Growers of America

Low yields don’t damper hop growers’ optimism

Last year has been described as a challenging one for the hop industry, coming off a previous record crop, unseasonably cold and wet spring and increased costs for production. But…

Production manager Lupe Anguiano, left, and Katii Deaton, part owner and general manager of Columbia Label, show off one of the high-tech machines in their production area. (Photo by Robin Wojtanik)

Label maker manufacturer finds its niche in wine country

A Benton City wine label maker continues to grow its company, portfolio and staff of women managers. Headed up by part owner and general manager, Katii Deaton, Columbia Label has…

McKennah Martin, the great-granddaughter of AJ’s Edible Arts founder Alice Jones’, works an outdoor show selling condiments. (Courtesy AJ’s Edible Arts)

Pasco-based business still manufactures local mustards by hand

A small shop in Pasco pumps out tens of thousands of jars of mustard annually, all made by hand with recipes created in the 1980s by Alice Jones, now 90.…

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Partner Haiti’s 3rd Annual Fundraiser

September 29 @ 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Music Bingo at MG Wine Bar

September 29 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

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September 30 @ 9:00 am - 3:00 pm