Articles by Wendy Culverwell
Swampy’s BBQ wants to put down roots at Columbia Gardens
It’s time to grow or die for Ron Swanby, who brought his barbecue truck and equipment to Kennewick’s Columbia Gardens Urban Wine and Artisan Village a little over a year ago. Swanby, owner of Swampy’s BBQ Sauce and Eatery, wants to buy a sliver of land at the Port of Kennewick-owned site to build the…
Yakima Valley Farm Workers opens Miramar Clinic May 10 in Kennewick
Kennewick’s newest medical and dental clinic opens May 10 near Vista Field. The nonprofit Yakima Valley Farm Workers plans to debut Miramar Health Center, its $20 million, state-of-the-art medical center at 6351 W. Rio Grande Ave. after more than a year of construction. The center will employ 70, including 15 physicians, dentists and pharmacists. Miramar…
Did someone say cookies? Crumbl coming to Kennewick, too
Crumbl Cookies, the Utah-based dessert juggernaut, is continuing its expansion into the Tri-Cities with plans for a Kennewick location. Ranae and Matt Rusk of Pasco will open Crumbl Cookies at 1102 N. Columbia Center Blvd., a former GameStop location outside the Kennewick Target. The Kennewick shop is the second Tri-City outlet for Crumbl. The first…
Jersey Mike’s confirms plans to open in Kennewick, Richland
Jersey Mike’s Subs is building not one but two restaurants in the Tri-Cities. The New Jersey-based company confirmed it has leased space in a new strip mall at 1659 N. Columbia Center Blvd., in the parking lot of JCPenney. It will be sandwiched between a Starbucks coffee shop that opened recently, as well as the future outpost for Kennewick’s first MOD Pizza. Jersey Mike’s leased a 1,200-square-foot…
Local Pumpkin thrives as Covid-19 propels demand for food delivery
Cathy and John Franklin were vacationing with family in Arizona one year ago and watching television when former President Donald Trump advised citizens to avoid groups of more than 10. As the couple watched the president and Dr. Anthony Fauci address the Covid-19 threat, they felt the weight of the coming shutdowns. Back home in…
New $22M Trios birthing center speeds up plans for recovery center
Trios Health is moving its birthing center to Southridge, a move that could accelerate plans to transform the former Kennewick General Hospital into a detoxification and recovery center for Tri-Citians facing drug addiction and mental health disorders. If everything comes together, the birthing center and Two Rivers Rehabilitation Center both will open by mid-2022. LifePoint…
National Guard digs in on $15M Richland readiness center
It took 10 years of meticulous planning, but a modern take on a military armory is taking shape in north Richland. The Washington Army National Guard is building a $15 million, 40,000-square-foot readiness center at Horn Rapids Industrial Park to serve a 150-member Stryker Infantry Unit. It will be ready by spring or summer 2022,…
Richland High grad is a ski, backcountry safety legend
One of Paul Baugher’s favorite memories of growing up in Richland involves snow. On the rare occasions it accumulated, Baugher and his friends would slip into smooth-soled shoes and hold onto the bumper of a slow-moving car as it pulled them across compact snow and ice. The child nearest the tailpipe would get a face…
Red Mountain veteran makes big jump to small vineyard
Viticulturist Matt Halldorson came from Arizona to make the vineyards of the Yakima Valley his professional home, working most recently for the biggest of the big, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. In February, he made another big move when he left the mega producer to join Kiona Vineyards and Winery, the family-owned estate that was the…
Family-owned Grocery Outlet in Pasco is tops for Northwest sales growth
In a little more than two years, Pasco’s Grocery Outlet validated the decision to open on Road 68. Of the 150 or so Grocery Outlets dotting the Northwest, Pasco recorded the biggest growth in sales in 2020, said Charles Grimm, who operates the store with his wife, Janice. The Grimms opened the grocery at 5710…
