Articles by Guest Contributor

Col ruff timeshare

Timeshares have hidden challenges after death

Guest Contributor
By Beau RuffWe have all been there. We take a vacation to Florida, Hawaii, Arizona or Mexico, and we are presented with the deal of a lifetime: a timeshare. Proponents of thetimeshare declare it is an affordable way to own a slice of a dream property.Furthermore, the owners often can...
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Planning key to independence in retirement

Guest Contributor
By Eileen L. GriffinA recent Wall StreetJournal column attempted to dispel the myth of an impending retirement crisisin the United States. It said most private sector employees are well preparedfor retirement, having saved and invested for many years with bothemployer-sponsored plans and Individual Retirement Accounts. Recent dataindicates 61 percent of...
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Estate planning too important to ignore

Guest Contributor
By Beau RuffProperty owned by aspouse does not automatically transfer to the surviving spouse at death.Instead, something more is needed in the estate plan to accomplish this feat. In all the complexityof the estate plan, the community property agreement is one document inparticular that offers simplicity, and yet still is...
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Washington may be in tight spot at next downturn

Guest Contributor
By Kris JohnsonThe 2019 legislative session was a busy one by any measure, with unprecedented challenges for Washington employers, and it led to dramatic growth in the state budget.One of the bright spots was watching thousands of hairstylists and salon owners rally in Olympia like never before to tell lawmakers...
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Tri-Cities has hold on NW industry hub

Guest Contributor
By Mark FountainToday, many people do not know where their food comes from. But Tri-City residents can just look down the road and see some of the country’s largest food and beverage manufacturing facilities. Mark Fountain,Food NorthwestThe Pasco-Kennewick-Richland area and its surrounding counties are a major hub of food processing....
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Agricultural processing seeing rapid growth

Guest Contributor
By D. Patrick JonesManufacturing in the greater Tri-Cities is synonymous with agricultural processing. Out of the nearly 7,900 manufacturing workers in the two counties in 2017, more than 70 percent commuted daily to an agricultural processing facility. Unlike other EasternWashington metro areas, manufacturing doesn’t rank in the top five by...
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Herbal love can go beyond the stockpot

Guest Contributor
By Marilou SheaWhat’s green andtypically soft, smells good and blankets you, your plate or room withswoon-worthy fragrance? Herbs.Marilou Shea,Food Truck AcademyI love herbs! Can’tget enough of them. Mostly because they’re often pretty, smell good and havelots of variety. Sounds like a good first date, right? And what appeals to thelogical...
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Snake River dams key to economy

Guest Contributor
By Don C. BrunellThere are some dams that should come down and those that shouldn’t.Hopefully, as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducts its review of the 14 federal dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers, that will become abundantly clear. That review is expected to be ready for public...
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Fine vines: Wine industry has come into its own

Guest Contributor
By Andy PerdueWhen a young grapevine begins growing in the sandy soils of Washington’s Columbia Valley, it takes a few years to establish itself and build a foundation of strong roots before producing fruit.After a period known as the juvenileyears, the vines mature, and with the right care and coaxing,...
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Juice grapes

Juicy fruit: State dominates U.S. for Concords

Guest Contributor
By Andy PerdueWhile the Washington wine grape market booms, even approaching the state apple industry in size and economic importance, there’s another grape industry that tops the nation in size: juice grapes.Last year, Concord grape growers broughtin nearly 200,000 tons of fruit — 3 percent over the prior year, valued...
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