Women Helping Women raises more than $132,000

The 17th annual Women Helping Women Fund Tri-Cities collected $132,080 with 949 people attending the Oct. 12 event in Pasco.

The money is used to fund grants aimed at addressing the unmet needs of women and children throughout the Columbia Basin.

This year’s grant recipients are:

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties’ Girls on the Run program.
• The Children’s Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia’s Ready! For Kindergarten training program for child care providers.
• Columbia Basin College Foundation’s Support Women in Worker Retraining program for unemployed or underemployed women.
• Elijah Family Home’s Transition to Success program, a program to help families emerge from homelessness or near homelessness to self-sufficiency.
• Mid-Columbia Mastersingers’ Women’s and Boys’ choirs’ presentation of Gonzales Cantata performance, a program designed to empower women as several women’s groups will be invited to attend the performance.
• Mid-Columbia Symphony’s Junior Strings Ensemble to train young musicians in grades three to six for the advanced repertoire of the Youth Symphony.
• Second Harvest Inland Northwest’s mission to increase access to food and nutrition education.
• Perfect Image Leadership Foundation’s Leadership for Benton City Youth program to engage Benton City grade-school students in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) activities in a safe environment.
• Safe Harbor Support Center’s The Incredible Years parenting class program.
• Young Life Kennewick-Richland’s program for pregnant or parenting teen girls in the Tri-City area.

Grant recipients don’t yet know how much they’ll receive. The grants will be presented at a Dec. 6 reception.

Last year’s event raised about $125,000.

The annual luncheon, held at the TRAC facility in Pasco, is the group’s sole fundraiser. Those who went to the annual luncheon paid a minimum of $100 to attend.

The Tri-City nonprofit is modeled after a similar program in Spokane.

The deadline for next year’s grant applications is in March. More information is available online at whwftc.org or by calling 509-713-6553.

New Kadlec music program brought to pediatric patients

Kadlec Regional Medical Center has added a music medical program to its pediatric unit to bring the healing power of music to its young patients.

MyMusicRx uses state-of-the-art music carts stocked with quality teaching instruments for children to explore and iPads loaded with music games and app. This is the first time the flagship program of Children’s Cancer Association will be in a general hospital in a pediatric floor in a regional market. The model was originally created for major markets and has reached more than 2,400 children across the country.

The volunteer music specialists offered bedside interactions for patients as well as at the off-site Healthplex for the patients as well as their families and staff. The website MyMusicRx.org enhances the program with music lessons, curated content and concerts.

The program was funded with a $15,000 donation from Northwestern Mutual, which was raised by team members. Kadlec provided an additional $5,000.

Kennewick man, woman of year nominations sought

Nominations are being sought for the 2017 Kennewick Man and Woman of the Year.

Nominees must live or work in Kennewick and will be evaluated based on their public service. Professional merit and activities also will be considered.

Nominations are due by Dec. 30 and the winners will be honored at a Feb. 26 banquet.

Applications can be found online at kmwoy.com.

Hanford’s required reading program saves time, money

The Department of Energy’s Richland Operations Office at Hanford is implementing a new system to save time and money.

DOE site services contractor Mission Support Alliance has consolidated and revamped the site’s required reading program, which will result in an estimated  savings of $100,000 annually at Hanford.

The required reading program is a tool used to ensure employees are aware of safety updates, procedure changes, company policies and other important information that guide safe work practices. With various reading requirements for the more than 9,000 employees on site, the need for a simple way to create, maintain and store completed assignments was essential.

“By standardizing the program across the site, the maintenance of multiple required reading programs was eliminated,” said Scott Boynton, projector director for MSA’s Training and Conduct of Operations organization. “The functionality of the new automated application saves money by reducing the workload of required reading coordinators and the need for re-training as companies and employees change over time.”

Required reading coordinators and program managers from all Hanford contractors played an integral part in finalizing the enhanced, site-wide program through both feedback and system testing.

Following recent demonstrations with the Department of Energy, additional functionality is being implemented to support use of the system by federal employees as well.

Northwest Farm Credit Services reports earnings

Northwest Farm Credit Services, an agricultural lending cooperative, announced 2017 third quarter earnings of $67.8 million, compared to $62.7 million for the same quarter of 2016.

Earnings for the nine months ended Sept. 30, were $187.8 million, a 4.9 percent increase, compared to $179.1 million for the same period last year. Total capital increased 5 percent during the year to $2.3 billion.

“Our continued growth and solid financial performance is a reflection of the overall health of our customers,” said President and CEO Phil DiPofi. “Despite weather and market challenges in some areas, most Northwest agricultural, forestry and fisheries business owners we serve are performing well.”

Northwest FCS is an $11 billion financial cooperative providing financing and related services to farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses, commercial fishermen, timber producers, rural homeowners and crop insurance customers in Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Alaska.

Nominations being taken for Athena Leadership awards

Nominations are being accepted for the Athena Leadership awards through Nov. 30.

The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Athena Leadership Award and Athena Young Professional Leadership Award recognize women who have attained and embodied the highest level of professional excellence, devote time to improve the quality of life for others and assist other women to reach their full leadership potential.

The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce Awards and Recognition Committee will select the two winners to be presented at the annual Women in Business Conference on Jan. 31. Winners must be present to receive the award.

For questions on the awards, call event director Tara Diver at 509-491-3242, email tara.divers@tricityregionalchamber.com. For nomination forms, go to tricityregionalchamber.com/women-in-business-conference.html.

Somos Pasco group releases report

Somos Pasco, a communitywide effort to identify what’s next for Pasco, has released its summary report that is available at somospasco.org.

The effort is collaboration among the Port of Pasco, city of Pasco, Franklin County, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Pasco Chamber of Commerce, along with the Pasco School District, Columbia Basin College and other Tri-City organizations and businesses.

WSU Tri-Cities gets $11.7M grant to better colleges rates

Washington State University Tri-Cities was awarded an $11.7 million grant to prepare students in low-income schools for a post-secondary education.

The U.S. Department of Education GEAR UP (which stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) award will pay for the hiring of nine new salaried staff and a number of tutors to work with middle school students. The program aims to improve academic performance, completion of rigorous courses, state exam pass rates, on-time graduation, and increase knowledge of financial aid and post-secondary education.

The One Vision Partnership grant will work with sixth- and seventh-graders in Clarkston, Columbia, Finley, Ephrata, Kiona-Benton City, Mabton, Pasco, North Franklin and Prosser school districts. Staff will assist and follow the students through high school and into their freshman year in college.

It is the eighth time WSU Tri-Cities has received the grant, and the total of GEAR UP grants is more than $123 million.

Unemployment claims center changes hours

The Washington Employment Security Department has extended hours for its unemployment claims center.

Agents are now available to answer questions via phone from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Unemployment benefit applications and other requests can also be made from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays.

Customers also can apply for benefits and ask questions online at esd.wa.gov 24/7.

WSU awarded grant to up crop competitiveness

A $1.5 million Specialty Crop Block Grant funds from the state of Washington and the U.S. Department of Agriculture will help seven research teams at Washington State University enhance the competitiveness of Northwest crops by fighting diseases and advancing sustainable agriculture.

WSU crop scientists, engineers, plant pathologists, economists and other specialists will join forces to support crop industries. The grant will be divided among several areas of research.

Benton County among best to secure home loan

Homebuyers take note: Benton County was named among the best places to get a mortgage by SmartAsset.

The list compiled by the online financial technology company looked at top markets to get a home loan by evaluating ease of securing a mortgage, overall borrowing costs, cheap property taxes and cheap annual mortgage payments.

Benton County came in No. 2, preceded by Whatcom County with Island, Chelan and Jefferson counties rounding out the Top 5 in Washington. Benton County was nationally ranked at 218.

Attorney general releases annual data breach report

Nearly three million Washington residents were affected by data breaches between July 2016 and July 2017, according to a report released by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson.

The rate was more than six times the number for the previous 12 months and the number of breaches reported was twice that of the previous year.

The data breach from the credit-monitoring company Equifax was after the dates covered by the report and was not included in the data.

Cyberattacks account for the largest share of the 78 breaches reported. Other breaches resulted in unauthorized users such as third-party vendors and employees accessing information. A small percentage was from theft of property.

Washington law requires business and governments to notify the attorney general’s office after suffering breaches affecting the personal information of at least 500 Washingtonians.

More information about data breaches in Washington is available at atg.wa.gov/data-breach-notifications.

Hanford public comment period underway

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of River Protection and Bechtel National are holding a 60-day public comment period to support a proposed Class 2 permit modification to the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) Dangerous Waste Permit.

The public comment period runs through Jan. 5, with a public meeting scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Dec. 7 at the Richland Public Library, 955 Northgate Drive.

Pasco seeks community input on survey

The city of Pasco seeks community input for its biennial survey it has conducted since 2005.

The survey measures public opinion in eight key areas of community livability.

Residents report their perceptions about the quality of their community and related services, as well as their own engagement within the community.  Survey information will be used in developing city council goals and objectives for the next two years.

As in previous years, the printed version will be mailed out to a statistically-valid sample of city utility customers starting Nov. 13. There will be an additional online version (in both English and Spanish) to reach a wider audience starting around Dec. 11.

In addition to the standard survey questions, the council included policy questions designed to gauge the opinion of the community on three particular issues:

• Code enforcement: To gauge the community’s interest in seeing more, less or about the same level of code enforcement in Pasco.
• Fire/EMS facilities: The city will need to build/relocate fire stations to meet the increase in population; this question asks respondents their level of comfort in paying for new fire facilities via a property tax bond.
• Recreation facility: The city has been considering if residents support the construction of a community recreational center and asks what type (or types) of facility residents would like to see in Pasco.

“The city values the input from the community via the survey,” said Pasco Mayor Matt Watkins, “as it will help guide the council’s goal-making process and gives a snapshot of what the citizens of Pasco are thinking.”

The results of the 2015 survey are available on the city’s website at www.pasco-wa.gov/979/National-Citizen-Survey.

Irrigators push for barging fish instead of more spill

The Columbia-Snake River Irrigators Association recently filed a motion to rehear U.S. District Judge Michael Simon’s decision in March requiring more spill at the dams to help downstream migration of juvenile fish.

The irrigators favor increased barging of juvenile fish instead of spill. The association wants no additional spill at dams where the young salmon and steelhead are collected for transportation. The group is seeking an evidentiary hearing that would get the court to overturn its injunction for more and earlier spill starting in spring 2018.

The association’s reply brief filed Oct. 20 said new information was available that was not completed when Simon decided on the spill case this past spring.

SBA taking nominations for awards through Dec. 18

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Spokane branch is accepting nominations for its 2018 National Small Business Week Awards.

The office is part of the SBA Seattle District, which serves Washington and northern Idaho.

Several awards will be given during the National Small Business Week from April 29 to May 5.

For more information about the award categories, criteria, guidelines and to get a form, visit sba.gov/nsbw/awards.

Preliminary nominations must be submitted no later than 3 p.m. Dec. 18 using the short form at tinyurl.com/WA-Awards-18. Final nominations must be submitted no later than noon Jan. 9. All nomination packages must be hand delivered or mailed to SBA Seattle District Office, Attn: 2018 NSBW, 2401 Fourth Ave. Suite 450, Seattle, WA 98121. Email submissions will not be accepted.

For more information, call Desiree Albrecht at 206-553-2664, email desiree.albecht@sba.gov or go to sba.gov/nsbw/awards.

Jan. 15 deadline to buy insurance on Exchange 

People looking for private health insurance purchased on the Exchange have until Jan. 15 to buy a policy. Open enrollment began Nov. 1. For coverage to begin by Jan. 1, enrollment in a policy must be complete by Dec. 15.

Consumers looking for a policy should go to Washington’s Exchange at wahealthplanfinder.org. Eligibility for free coverage through Apple Health, the state’s Medicaid program, and help with financial assistance for premiums, co-pays and deductibles are also available. Cost-sharing subsidies are available to those who qualify under the Affordable Care Act.

Two new tools this year give consumers additional options to review coverage. An app, WAPlanfinder, gives a more mobile-friendly shopping option. Smart Planfinder helps people customize their choices based on the prescriptions they take, the number of doctor visits they make in a year, and their preferred providers and facilities. Both are available on wahbexchange.org.

In-person assistance for enrolling is available at 13 full-service centers and broker assistance sites across the state.

For more information, call the consumer hotline at 800-562-6900.

Online registration open for Thanksgiving Turkey Trot

Registrations are being accepted for Tri-City’s annual Turkey Trot benefiting the American Red Cross serving Central and Southeastern Washington.

The 5K run/walk will start at 9 a.m. and the one-mile run/walk starts at 9:10 a.m. Nov. 23 at Columbia Park in Kennewick.

Deadline to register online is Nov. 20. Registration in person on the day of the event is $25 for the 1 mile and $30 for the 5K with cash or check only.

For more information and to register, go to gesaturkeytrot2017.eventbrite.com.

Regional chamber draws more than 180 new members

The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce 2017’s membership event brought in 181 new memberships and upgrades.

Member chairs included Tri-Citians of the Year, Steve and Shirley Simmons, as well as Andy Stirling, Numerica Credit Union regional vice president, and Michael Novakovich, Tri-Cities Cancer Center strategy and business development director.

In addition to the more than 100 volunteers who made the event a success, the following were honored:

• Most memberships sold by individuals: First place, Kris Lapp; second, Mason McCurley; third, Brandy Fortney.
• Most membership sold by teams: First place, Mason McCurley’s team; second, Derrick Stricker’s team; third, Mac Gayler’s team.
• Most money raised by individuals: First place, Kris Lapp; second Kedrich Jackson; third, Brandy Fortney.

Most money raised by a group: First place, Kris Lapp’s gold group; second, Andy Stirling’s light blue group; third, Matt Sweeza and Jason Jones’ orange group.

Corps of Engineers event attracts 130 businesses

The Walla Walla Corps of Engineers’ district office in Walla Walla held a Corps Industry Day in October with more than 130 business owners.

The event was open to those who wanted to learn about how to do business with the Corps, contract opportunities, competing for contracts or showcasing capabilities.

The Walla Walla District awards contracts for construction projects, architect-engineering studies, and supplies and services needed to operate their facilities. These contracting opportunities total between $90 million and $130 million annually. The district is responsible for managing environmental, hydroelectric, navigation, engineering, construction, emergency management and recreation services within a region covering 107,000 square miles in six states.

The Walla Walla District’s Contracting Facebook page aims to keep prospective attendees updated on future events as they are scheduled.

Nonprofit helps low-income homeowners with repairs

More than 12 families in Kennewick, Pasco, Richland and Prosser received help with needed home repair projects thanks to 400 volunteers during a community rebuilding event on Oct. 28.

Rebuilding Mid-Columbia, a nonprofit that helps low-income homeowners make repairs to their homes with volunteers and business partners, organizes two community rebuilding days each year.

The agency also offers an urgent needs program for homeowners who have vital needs due to medical or other issues.

Rebuilding Mid-Columbia is 13 months old and has served 56 families to date.

For more information about the fundraiser or how to apply for home repairs, call 253-753-8324 or visit rebuildingmc.org.