By Beau RuffWhen a person endeavors to buy a piece of real property(i.e. land and any associated buildings), the buyer would be wise to study upon the potential liability he or she may be taking on.Notably, the buyer should beware of liability for theexistence of hazardous materials on the land....

By D. Patrick JonesDatatracking life in the Tri-Cities reveal many departures from the overall profileof life in Washington. Considerthe racial and ethnic make-up here. In 2017, an estimated nearly 39 percent ofthe population was non-Caucasian, versus slightly over 30 percent for thestate. And the estimated Hispanic population in 2017 made...

By Kevin AnthonyJoe Sanchez had no intentions of starting a business.He just wanted to have a nice beard.“I never heard of beard products before my brother-in-lawgave me beard products for Christmas,” said Sanchez, who started Average Joe’sBeard Essentials in January 2017.Average Joe's Beard Essentials beard balm sells for $15.When he...

Courier services gain popularity as local drivers bring groceries, supplies from out-of-town storesBy Gary CrawfordThe Tri-Cities has long said it would love to welcome aTrader Joe’s, a second Costco and an IKEA furniture store.But until that happens, consider hiring a courier to do runsto your favorite store for you.Two local...

By Kevin AnthonyLong before Brad Rew ever imagined running his own construction company,he dreamed of owning a golf course.He grew up playing the courses of the Tri-Cities and his first job aftergraduating from Richland High School was mowing the greens at Buckskin GolfClub.He studied golf course management in college, figuring...

By Kevin AnthonyThe message is simple. Clean, you might say.While cleaning up one of the biggest environmental messes inthe United States, it’s best to leave as small a footprint as possible.It’s an attitude that Mission Support Alliance stresses in its role as a key contractor at the Hanford nuclear reservation....

By Andy PerdueCabernet Sauvignon is the king of Washington wine country.Washington winemakers harvested 261,000 tons of wine grapesin 2018, up from 229,000 tons in the previous year, based on numbers releasedin March by the Washington Wine Commission. Washington is the No. 2 producer of wine grapes in theUnited States, second...

By Andy PerdueMore than anywinery in Washington, Richland’s Barnard Griffin has a well-earned reputationas a leader in the Northwest’s burgeoning rosé wine market.Now thelongtime winery is testing a new kind of innovative packaging: putting wine inan aluminum can.Along the WestCoast and in the Northwest, more wineries are putting wine in...

By Jennifer L. DreyThe Washington Hospitality Associationis hoping to see more job seekers land work in the hospitality industry thisyear through a proposed bill in the state Legislature.The bill would provide $150,000 for theassociation’s nonprofit educational wing to use to hold career fairs focused onon-the-job-learning opportunities, said David Faro, director...

By D. Patrick JonesNearly allcommunities want to be popular with visitors. The sentiment has sound economicsbehind it since visitors bring new dollars into the local economy. Their visitscatalyze economic transactions that wouldn’t have happened otherwise. Thereare, of course, other, non-monetary reasons to embrace visitors, such asintroducing the outside world to...