Local News
Tri-Cities Cancer Center CEO announces retirement
Chuck DeGooyer, the longtime leader who was instrumental in establishing the Tri-Cities Cancer Center more than 25 years ago, will retire at the end of the year. DeGooyer, who has served as chief executive officer of the cancer for seven years, announced his plans to step down on July 1. His last day is Dec. 31, 2020. DeGooyer helped form cancer…
Pasco tees off on its next fire station project in July
Jackson Contractor Group Inc. of Walla Walla breaks ground in July on the Pasco Fire Department’s long-anticipated new fire station and headquarters. Jackson submitted the winning bid of $7.5 million to build the 21,800-square-foot Fire Station 84, administrative offices and storage at 4929 W. Court St. The project is expected to be completed in February…
Dutch Bros adding coffee stand on approach to Duportail Bridge
Dutch Bros Coffee, the popular Oregon coffee chain with a dedicated fan base, will open its seventh local stand in Richland, where it has a deal to buy land on the road leading to the new Duportail Bridge. Bruce Barnes, a Pasco-based Dutch Bros franchisee, will buy a 42,000-square-foot site for the Tri-Cities’ seventh Dutch…
West Richland hires contractors for police facility
The West Richland City Council has hired the construction and design team for the first phase of the city’s new police station. Chervenell Construction of Kennewick and Design West Architects of Kennewick were awarded a progressive design-build contract June 2. The contract is not to exceed $819,672. Design West chose TreanorHL Architects, based in Lawrence,…
Benton County Commission endorses face masks to reach Phase 2
The Benton County Commission encourages area residents to wear face masks to reduce the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19. The move came after the Washington Department of Health said it was pausing applications to move both Benton and Franklin counties to Phase 2 of the Safe Start program because of high infection rates in the Tr-Cities. Phase 2 allows the following…
Paycheck Protection Program still has $130B to support struggling businesses
During the past few weeks, I’ve been reading a lot about hope and its necessary role in healing, recovery and moving forward, not only as individuals, but as communities and a nation. I’ve been talking to our local team about the role the U.S. Small Business Administration, or SBA, must have in providing hope to…
Together in harmony: Developing young voices
How do we, as a society, know that our next generation will be capable of solving the global problems left behind for them to handle? How do we ensure that our future leaders will be able to think independently and multidimensionally, with compassion and confidence? How can we prepare them to face obstacles with the…
Updated: Face masks could be key to reopening Tri-City businesses
Shaun Ehlers ended 2019 on a contented note. He’d opened a second edition of his small fashion boutique in Columbia Center mall in September. By year’s end, the Free Culture Clothing stores in downtown Kennewick and at the mall were breaking even. He knew the first few months of 2020 would be rough. January is…
Could Covid-19 restore air service to Portland?
The Covid-19 crisis blew a hole in the aviation industry, but there could be opportunity hidden in the mayhem for airports with strong underlying business models like the one in Pasco. The Tri-Cities Airport could gain new air routes and even see airlines resume direct service to Portland International Airport. That’s the scenario laid out…
Lamb Weston pulls back curtain with first-ever sustainability report
The region’s largest potato processor sheds new light on french fry-making in its first-ever corporate sustainability report. Lamb Weston Holdings Inc. issued its 2020 Environmental, Social, and Governance Report on June 2. In it, the Eagle, Idaho-based company describes its corporate and environmental goals, the steps it is taking to meet them and the progress…
