Local News
New entrance to welcome visitors to Benton County Museum
$100,000 renovation project also will fix leaking roof The project to move and renovate the entrance to the Prosser museum started out as a plan to fix a leaking roof. But once planning for the roof work began in earnest, Benton County Museum and Historical Society members said it was apparent there was an opportunity…
Memory care home fills up weeks after opening in Pasco
Pasco’s newest memory care assisted living facility was nearly full after being open for about three weeks. There were two of the 17 rooms available in late October at Rosetta Assisted Living at 5921 Road 60. It’s a good thing a second 17-room identical wing is ready to open once this one reaches capacity. “We…
Wildhorse casino expansion project changes entrances, parking
Construction of the $85 million entertainment center at Wildhorse Resort & Casino near Pendleton, Oregon, shows signs of progress now that the parking areas have been completed and more work is underway. “It was important to first accommodate our guests by replacing the parking spaces absorbed by the development,” said Gary George, chief executive officer…
New indoor pickleball courts pave way for future tournaments
Construction on Tri-City Court Club’s new courts began in September The 200 active pickleball players in the Tri-Cities soon will have indoor courts to play on. Construction on the Tri-City Court Club’s new pickleball courts began in September. A grand opening to celebrate the six new courts is planned for Nov. 18-20. Pickleball—a cross between…
Mall celebrates 50 years of success amid changing retail market
Columbia Center continues to welcome new tenants, hopes to fill vacancies around perimeter of property Vintage advertisements once touted the Columbia Center mall as the “Manhattan of the Northwest,” and likened it to being like “Tahiti all year long,” where it was a balmy 72 degrees indoors, allowing shoppers to escape the wind inside air-conditioned…
Goodwill’s auction site showcases its ‘coolest, weirdest’ donations
Donations made to Tri-City area Goodwill stores listed for nationwide sales A small team of employees spend their workday at Goodwill Industries of the Columbia sorting through unique instruments, collectible jewelry, antique artwork, vintage toys and often the unexpected—like framed animal teeth. “The teeth I can’t get out of my head for some reason,” said…
State’s retail sector projected to see growth this holiday season
Washington Retail Association monitoring several key issues affecting retail sector this legislative session It’s already starting to look a lot like Christmas as retailers rearrange their store layouts and offer new merchandise for the holiday season. With Thanksgiving a week later than usual—this year it falls on Nov. 28; in 2018 it fell on Nov.…
Retail sector ranks as fourth largest employer in Tri-Cities
By D. Patrick Jones The sale of goods is big business in the greater Tri-Cities. As Benton-Franklin Trends data reveals, the retail sector has consistently ranked as the fourth largest employer in the area’s workforce. Over the course of the past 15 years, local retailers’ share of the workforce has stayed constant at around 10.5…
Q&A with Marla June Barnhart
CEO/owner of Marla June’s Clothing Co. Number of employees you oversee: 10 Brief background about your education: Associate degree, Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, Oregon. How did you find your current role? I became chief operating officer for Marla June’s Clothing in 2005, when I changed my career from advertising to store owner. We…
Retail sales hit $39.4 billion in first quarter 2019
Benton County’s total increases, Franklin County’s total dips A steady increase in construction once again helped boost the state’s total taxable retail sales. The most recent numbers released by the state are for the first quarter of 2019, and showed 4.9 percent growth over the same period in 2018, reaching $39.4 billion. Data from the second…
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