More than 300 graduates will walk at the commencement ceremony, which will begin at 1 p.m. 

The long-awaited space will have tables and seating along with green space and a small open-air theater with artificial turf to serve patrons of all ages. 

The Tri-Cities leader will take on the additional role beginning June 1 when the outgoing WSU Vancouver chancellor retires. She also will co-chair the committee that will lead the new search for a permanent chancellor for WSU Vancouver this fall. 

Homeownership rates declined across nearly all age groups over the past year. Compared to the peak of 69.2% in 2004, the homeownership rate is 4.1 percentage points lower and remains below the 25-year average rate of 66.3%. 

Washington state saw a decline of more than 14,000 construction jobs in past year, with Kelso-Longview as the state’s only metro area seeing an increase. The Tri-Cities had one of the smallest declines, both in number and percentage.

City leaders are hoping to combine multiple planning efforts and community input to develop a unified vision for the city’s future. 

The company says more than 60% of clients stay in care for 180+ days, above the national average, while 93% of clients engage in treatment each month.  

Leadership Tri-Cities Class 28 will soon begin work on landscaping 21,000 square feet of property outside the future Columbia Valley Center for Recovery in Kennewick.

Ecology officials are seeking public feedback on an updated clean water permit for Simplot Feeders, the largest feedlot in the state. The 705-acre feedlot typically has 40,000 head of cattle on site with capacity for 100,000.

Vancouver came in as the top Pacific Northwest city, followed by Gresham, Oregon, then Kennewick. The only other Washington city on the list, Spokane, came in at No. 6 for the region.