Articles by Robin Wojtanik
Kennewick School District buys church for alternative high school
Remodeling to begin in September, with Legacy High’s new building opening in 2019 Kennewick’s alternative high school is getting a new home as the school district makes way for a new Kennewick High School about three years from now. Legacy High currently sits next to the Kennewick High School Annex on South Dayton Street. The…
Richland roundabouts expected to alleviate Queensgate jams
More roundabouts are coming to the Tri-Cities. Construction begins next month on two Queensgate Drive traffic circles in Richland. Though delays, backups and detours will come with construction of the $3.9 million road project, the end result is expected to improve traffic flow in the congested south Richland area. It’s common for rush hour traffic…
Global Credit Union closes grocery-based branches in Pasco, Kennewick
Yoke’s Fresh Market seeks to fill vacancy with another bank, credit union Global Credit Union has closed its two Tri-City grocery store branches. Officials shuttered locations inside the Pasco and Kennewick Yoke’s Fresh Market stores on Jan. 31. Global Credit Union’s 1,600 Tri-City members may keep their accounts open and rely on mobile banking, online bill…
Long-awaited Columbia Gardens opens, second phase beginning soon
Public plaza, space for food trucks to be completed this summer Now that wine is being made and poured at Kennewick’s waterfront wine village, the community can look forward to the next ribbon cutting, as the second phase is set to get underway this summer. A larger-than-expected crowd gathered for the Feb. 9 ribbon cutting…
Legislative council brings Tri-City goals to Olympia
A group of Tri-City business leaders will travel this month to the state Capitol to promote a regional economic development agenda. The Tri-Cities Legislative Council will make its annual visit to Olympia on Jan. 25-26. The group is made up of members from all of the area chambers of commerce, including the Pasco, West Richland…
Experts discuss ways to find deductions before new tax law takes effect
Tri-City tax professionals are boning up on the new tax code as they prepare for the start of the 2017 tax filing season. Signed into law just before the end of the year, the changes mark the first major reform of the tax code since the mid 1980s. It won’t take effect until 2018 taxes…
Richland School District chooses sites for new district office, elementary school
The Richland School Board will build its new Teaching, Learning, and Administration Center in West Richland and its 12th elementary south of Badger Mountain. The board made the decisions at the Jan. 9 school board meeting. The new $10 million Teaching, Learning, and Administration Center, or TLAC, would replace the aging 70-year-old administration building on…
Kennewick strip club on hold after city denies permit
An effort to bring a strip club to an industrial portion of Kennewick is on hold after the city denied a business license to City Stars Gentleman’s Club LLC. The city rejected the application because the club’s owners failed to complete required tenant improvements. One of the main improvements needed is a stage for the…
Franklin County farm adding $2.5 million warehouse
Onions piled as long as a football field fill a Franklin County agriculture warehouse, and now two more warehouses are under construction to store the same amount of crops. Premier Seed is doubling its capacity to keep onions or potatoes in a climate-controlled environment. The $2.5 million project is underway at the company’s location on…
Gale-Rew Construction building big red barn for new headquarters
Richland remodeling company’s new offices will be complete by July A big, red barn will be the new headquarters of Gale-Rew Construction in Richland, providing a permanent home base for the home builder and remodeling company that completes hundreds of projects each year. Since merging Rew Construction with Gale Developments in 2008, owner and president…
