By Andrew KirkPort of Benton property not far from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is changing hands as plans are hatched to develop industrial flex space in north Richland.The Port of Benton manages 2,756 acres in the north, central and west side of Benton County, including 50 buildings on 12 sites, 16 miles...
By Andrew KirkAlmost 100 people will lose their jobs at Zirkle Fruit Co.’s Prosser plant in October and about 200 more will be laid off in the coming months.The layoffs are necessary as the Selah-based Zirkle Fruit Co.’s plant at 101 Max Benitz Road closes its apple packing line. The...
By Marilou SheaIn a recent column, I waxed poetic about how lovage, among other uncommon herbs, is trending as a culinary darling these days. I’ve just done a deep dive into lovage—which sounds like “luggage”—and it’s a pretty, cool herb, and while it won’t shake the shingles off your roof,...
By Aaron WellingSix trillion dollars.It’s a large sum and one that warrants a better understanding. How much is $6,000,000,000,000?It’s the estimated cost of the war on terror.It’s slightly larger than the gross domestic product of Japan ($5.4 trillion).It’s six times the value of Apple.And it’s the projected annual cost of...
By Beau RuffOne of the challenges facing anyone who owns property outside of his or her state of residence is the fact that a person’s estate generally must go through probate in the state of residence and any state where the deceased person owned real property. A relatively new law...
Association of General Contractors partners with schools to train next generation of workersBy Andrew KirkThis spring a few hard-working high school students in Pasco will get to work outside the classroom at an actual job site where they’ll earn $16 an hour or more, while earning class credit.The opportunity is...
By Don C. BrunellToo often, elected officials overlook the cumulative costs of regulations, taxes and fees on taxpayers; however, it comes back to bite them hard when people move, or take matters into their own hands by initiative.Consider what is happening in high-tax and cost-of-living states, such as California, New...
By Andrew KirkThose who graduated from college or a university this year could expect to make on average about $50,000 for their first year of work, according to several independent national surveys.They could also expect, on average, to have about that much in student debt.Those working in the construction trades...
By Andrew KirkAt statehood, the federal government granted Washington millions of acres of land to be managed for the support of public schools, including universities. Today, it, along with other lands dedicated to different state needs, is managed by the state Department of Natural Resources.A portion of the 1 million...
By D. Patrick JonesTo what degree will the Tri-Cities participate in the knowledge economy well underway this century? First, a quick definition: a knowledge economy is one where a large number of jobs exploit brainpower. We need to look no further than King County to see what this kind of economy looks like. In the economists’ taxonomy of jobs, where there’s...
