Local News

PNNL collaborates with medical isotope producers
Partnership to ensure continued nuclear explosion monitoring Medical isotopes are used daily around the world to visualize and diagnose cancer, heart disease and other serious ailments. However, their production can emit gasses that, while posing no danger to the public, have features that look similar to those produced by a nuclear explosion. The Department of Energy’s Pacific…

Picture Yourself provides create-it-yourself studio space
Family-owned business also offers photography classes Jim and Karen Pridemore have opened a new business at 627 The Parkway in Richland that aims to create lasting memories. Picture Yourself is a create-it-yourself studio for photography and videography in which customers can rent studio time by the hour or pay for a monthly membership. The company…

Pasco trenching company buys longtime septic tank business
C and E Trenching has been digging dirt for 25 years Curtis Wray can be pretty self-effacing and humble. When asked what he sees his company, C and E Trenching LLC and himself doing in five years, he said he doesn’t know how to do anything else. His father, Everett Wray, bought the business in…

Legislative session focused on spending, taxes
By Kris Johnson The 66th Legislature convened Jan. 14 and is slated to end April 28. During that time, the top job for lawmakers is to craft the state’s two-year operating budget. The good news is they have record tax collections to work with — more than $50 billion for the 2019-21 budget cycle. To…

Seeking love online? Be careful to protect your heart, wallet
This Valentine’s Day and beyond, millions of Americans are meeting others on matchmaking websites, dating apps and social media. But not all those new connections are meant to be, as 37 percent of Washington residents polled in a new AARP survey (aarp.org/onlineromancescams) reported that they, a family member or a friend have encountered attempted financial scams…

Read between the leaves: Tea is good brew for you
By Marilou Shea Did you know that for every cup of coffee consumed daily in the world three cups of tea are consumed? Or that next to water, tea is the most consumed beverage the world over? There are more than 1,500 varieties of tea varying in color and taste. Consumers today are beginning to…
Local or out-of-town attorney? Go local
By Beau Ruff When businesses need attorneys to assist on either day-to-day matters (e.g. labor and employment issues) or once-in-a-lifetime matters (e.g. selling the business), the business will need to choose whether to engage and rely upon local counsel or seek the services of an attorney located in a larger metropolitan area. Generally, the business…

List of closing Shopko stores grows to include Kennewick, Prosser
The Kennewick, Prosser and Walla Walla Shopko stores are scheduled to close May 5. The department store announced plans to close 38 stores nationwide but the local stores weren’t on the list when the news was announced three weeks ago. Shopko filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Jan. 16. The new closure list now includes 11…

New cellphone parking lot opens at Tri-Cities Airport
Hello? Have you landed? Coordinate your next airport pickup from the new cellphone lot at the Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco. Airport officials say the new lot will reduce traffic congestion along the curb and provide a safe place for those picking up passengers to wait for incoming flights. The lot allows people to wait for…

Tri-City gas prices among lowest in state
The price to fill up a gas tank in the Tri-Cities is cheaper than it’s been in a long time — and it’s among the cheapest in the state. The average price per gallon for regular gas in the Tri-Cities is $2.47, which is nearly 13 percent cheaper than it was a year ago, according…