Articles by Wendy Culverwell
Washington ag is ready to put pests, plague and politics in rearview mirror
How tough was 2020 for Northwest agriculture? This tough: Discovery+ is streaming “Attack of the Murder Hornets,” a 90-minute documentary about the hunt for bee-murdering, crop-threatening Asian giant hornets in Washington state. The documentary crew followed Sven Spichiger, managing entomologist for the Washington State Department of Agriculture, and his team of hornet hunter-eradicators as they…
Ag exporters left behind as consumers shop online
A side effect of the Covid-19 pandemic is hurting Washington’s ability to export its fresh cherries, apples, frozen french fries and other signature products to the rest of the world. A shipping container shortage sparked by frenzied online shopping is the latest complication faced by farmers and ranchers, who have been battered by difficult trade…
Growers look to Mexico for export recovery
In 2020, Washington potato growers faced a staggering surplus of potatoes. In 2021, they’re banking on a revival of the food service industry, including in-person dining, improved shipping conditions and a just-opened Mexican market to help reverse the chaos left by the trade wars and Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic brought restaurant dining to a standstill…
Isoray raises $50M to expand Cesium-131 cancer treatments
Isoray Inc., the Richland company that makes radioactive seeds to treat prostate cancer, has raised more than $50 million through supplemental stock offerings in recent months, with most targeted to expand its reach to other types of cancer. Isoray (NYSE American: ISR) raised nearly $10 million in October to fund operations through a pandemic-related slump…
2020 wasn’t a great year for Washington wine. Or was it?
Northwest wine economist Chris Bitter painted a bleak picture when he recapped the state of Washington’s $8.4 billion wine industry in March. The state’s wineries shipped almost 1 million fewer cases in 2020. All sales channels – to consumers, to retailers, to distributors – fell in 2020, according to Bitter, of Vancouver, B.C.-based Vintage Economics.…
Pole buildings get new life as unique, affordable homes
The Tri-Cities is becoming a center for Instagram-worthy barn-style homes after a pair of Tri-City entrepreneurs with a big social media following built one for themselves. Olivia “Liv” and Tanner Berg converted an old pole barn on their Kennewick property into a family home. The process was so rewarding – and interest from followers so…
Wave Design Group needed space. Its client had office space for rent
A Tri-Cities architectural and engineering firm was bursting at the seams when the owner’s wife spotted an obvious solution. Christelle Walker-Prickett advised her husband, Harvey, to lease space in the building he was designing for Tri-Cities Insurance Professionals in Pasco. Harvey Prickett, president and principal of Wave Companies, took his wife’s suggestion. In September, he…
Kennewick medical office complex gets makeover
A medical office complex in downtown Kennewick is getting a makeover to appeal to tenants who do not need a hospital across the street. The Kennewick Medical and Dental Center faces the former Kennewick General Hospital across Auburn Street and provided office space for hospital-adjacent businesses such as doctor and dentist offices, a laboratory and…
Is there room for low-income housing at Kennewick’s waterfront?
The Port of Kennewick’s efforts to revitalize a stretch of the downtown waterfront are being called into doubt over a last-minute addition to the concept: low-income housing. The port wants to incorporate low-income and other supportive housing at The Willows, the 6.55-acre former manufactured home site on Clover Island Drive, near the Columbia River and…
Make new memories and honor old ones this Memorial Day
Monday, May 31, is Memorial Day, the day reserved to honor the memories of those who served our country in uniform, particularly those lost in the line of duty. It is also an opportunity to make new memories and explore the stories of those who died and were laid to rest in Tri-City cemeteries. In honor of the holiday, the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business news team…
