(Courtesy Office of Financial Management)The Tri-City area’s population grew by 1.7 percent over last year to 283,830 people.That’s up from 279,170 last year, according to the state Office of Financial Management’s data released June 30.Since 2000, the population of the Tri-Cities metropolitan area — which includes all of Benton...

Mark Reddeman plans to step down in June 2018Energy Northwest’s CEO has announced plans to retire in a year.Mark Reddemann announced his June 2018 retirement plans in an email to employees June 28, following his notification of the Energy Northwest executive board during a regularly scheduled meeting in Portland, Oregon....

The Fourth of July weekend usually means summer grilling is in full effect with many Americans celebrating the holiday by serving up a backyard barbecue staple: hot dogs.Americans will eat seven billion hot dogs this summer between Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.That’s...

Kennewick and Richland are among the five Washington cities ranked among the best places in the West to live on six-figure salary, according to MagnifyMoney’s Best and Worst Cities To Live on a Six-Figure Income Report.The five metro areas in the state making the list were: No. 4, Yakima, No. 5,...

Lamb Weston building $3.4 million warehouse in PascoLamb Weston broke ground recently on a $3.4 million storage warehouse in Pasco as it nears completion of a new $200 million French fry expansion in Richland.The new 49,500-square-foot building will be located at 5410 N. Commercial Ave. in Pasco near the King...

SCORE volunteer helps launch 140 businesses SCORE volunteer P. Simon Mahler helped launch 140 businesses that employed more than 1,700 people in 2016, according to an annual report published by PricewaterhouseCoopers.Mahler created a 30-day virtual incubator program for those looking to launch a business.SCORE has helped more than 10 million aspiring entrepreneurs...

Washington sweet cherry farmers reported a good crop this year thanks to a moderate spring with warm temperatures.The state’s sweet cherry production is forecast at 255,000 tons of sweet cherries this year, compared to 195,000 tons last year, or a 31 percent increase, according to recent data released by National...

The Richland Rue21 store at 2741 Queensgate Drive across the parking lot from Target near McDonald’s is scheduled to close June 25.The store is among 400 underperforming stores in the Pittsburgh-based company’s 1,179 store fleet. The closures aim to help the company streamline operations, better align the size of its...

The federal government recently reached a settlement agreement in a discrimination lawsuit with Washington Potato Company and Pasco Processing LLC, which operate a Pasco fruit and vegetable processing facility.The U.S. Justice Department filed the lawsuit against the companies on Nov. 14, 2016, alleging that from at least Nov. 1, 2013,...