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.
Steven Carbajo, lead line cook, left, and Paul Westover, sous chef, prep for the dinner rush at Taverna Tagaris in Richland. Westover said only 15 percent of those who applied for their recent job posting for a line cook were qualified. Columbia Basin College will launch a hospitality program this winter to provide job training for the growing restaurant and hotel industry.

CBC to launch new hospitality program to train workers

Columbia Basin College will launch a hospitality training program in January to better prepare workers to join the ranks of more than 6,000 people who work in the growing industry…

Customers Lisa Maloof, left, and Anna Riel assemble meals during a recent Dream Dinners session at the Kennewick store.

Kennewick meal prep service provides homemade option for busy families

“I am meal planning inept,” joked Lisa Maloof as she put together loaded barbecue pulled pork bites at a Kennewick meal-prep store. “It’s not my thing and it never has…

Kids from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties stand at the site of the future $4.3 million clubhouse off South Jean Place in Kennewick. (Courtesy Boys and Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties)

Capital campaign underway for new Boys and Girls clubhouse

The enthusiasm Craig Eerkes feels for his community is unmistakable when he talks about the plan to build a new clubhouse in Kennewick for the Boys and Girls Clubs of…

More than 300 acres off Kennedy Road behind the Richland Target now zoned as agricultural will be re-zoned to a mix of residential and commercial use when the city of Richland finalizes updates to its comprehensive plan.

Kennedy Road orchards face re-zoning for development

State leases 334 acres behind Richland Target; lease expires in 2021 Agricultural land owned by the state of Washington since the beginning of statehood may eventually be for sale following…

Deb LaVelle, resident manager for the Kennewick Garden Apartments, stands inside the common area at the affordable senior housing complex on West Fifth Avenue. The complex is undergoing an extensive remodel requiring residents to stay temporarily at a hotel for five days. The common area will be remodeled first and include more seating so residents can stay there during the day when work is happening in their apartments.

Seniors temporarily displaced during extensive remodeling project

An extensive remodel is underway at an affordable senior housing complex in east Kennewick that’s requiring residents to be temporarily relocated and their belongings packed up. The lengthy list of…

The Gesa Credit Union branch at 808 Dalton St. in north Richland will close Oct. 31 because it has been underused. It opened four years ago.

Underused north Richland Gesa branch to close in October

The Gesa Credit Union branch in north Richland will be closing permanently Oct. 31. Gesa reports that the 808 Dalton St. branch is “underutilized” and its “transaction volumes are low”…

The 6,000-acre Weidert farm in Walla Walla County, northwest of Touchet, is on the auction block, with sealed bids being accepted until Nov. 10. (Courtesy Peoples Company)

Sale of Walla Walla County farmland expected to draw national interest

The deadline to snap up 6,000 acres well suited for crops or a destination vineyard is fast approaching. The Walla Walla County property owned by the Weidert family is northwest…

Construction is underway on the Vista III warehouse in Kennewick. The first 40,000-square-foot building will be completed by end of year. A second is expected to be finished in March.

$4 million warehouse project underway in Vista Field Industrial Park

A new warehouse is under construction in the Vista Field Industrial Park in Kennewick will look similar to four others nearby. [blockquote quote=”I believe Vista Field is the hub of…

John Deere

Papé Machinery Construction buys Pasco John Deere dealership

A multi-million dollar new building is planned in Pasco following the sale of the John Deere dealership. The recent acquisition of Rowand Machinery, which owned John Deere dealerships in Pasco…

Richland Fred Meyer begins $12M remodel to bring new services, selection

Richland Fred Meyer begins $12M remodel to bring new services, selection

Cork and Tap shop, online grocery service, Starbucks, expanded selections among additions Fred Meyer is looking to appeal to foodies with a multi-million dollar renovation of its Richland store that…

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West Richland Area Chamber of Commerce Networking Luncheon

October 4 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm

Toastmasters – Women of Influence TM Club

October 4 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

First Thursday ArtWalk

October 5 @ 3:00 pm - 8:00 pm