Dean Strawn, business and civic leader, dies

Dean Strawn, a Tri-City businessman and devoted civic leader, died March 5 following a long illness. He was 77.

Strawn was a longtime member of Columbia Center Rotary and was named Tri-Citian of the Year in 1997 and Kennewick Man of the Year in 1998.

Originally from Fruitland, Idaho, he spent his adult life in the Tri-Cities, where he worked for and then became owner and president of Dependable Janitor Service.

He served on a dizzying array of civic groups, including the Kennewick Chamber of Commerce, the Tri-City Development Council, the Tri-Cities Visitor and Convention Bureau, the Private Industry Council and many more.

He and wife Sandi, former Benton County commissioner, celebrated their golden anniversary on June 8, 2013, with their children, Diona and Steve, and grandchildren.

Scott Smiley, Nate Higgins headline YP event

Scott Smiley and Nate Higgins will headline Tri-Cities YP Kick-Off 2021, an event for young professionals and Washington Policy Center members from 6-8:30 p.m. March 18.

Smiley is a Pasco native and U.S. Military Academy graduate who was blinded and temporarily paralyzed in an attack on his platoon in Mosul, Iraq, in 2005. He has earned numerous military and civilian honors and serves as a motivational speaker while working as an investment banker for Drexel Hamilton.

Higgins grew up in Richland was paralyzed from the chest down in a workplace accident. A swimmer, he overcame doctors’ predictions that he would be severely incapacitated. He set three American Paralympic swim records and represented the U.S. at the Para Pan American Games. A Gonzaga University graduate, he is a local real estate investor and is training for the Paralympic Games.

The event is open to all. Tickets are free to YP and WPC members and $10 for nonmembers.

Go to bit.ly/TCYPevent.

WPC creates income tax petition website

The Washington Policy enter is gathering signatures at PetitionBuilder.org calling for Washington to reject taxing capital gains and calling it an excise tax.

The state Senate approved SB 5096 on a 25-24 vote to tax capital gains. WPC research shows the Internal Revenue Service and all other states treat capital gains as income.

The House was expected to approve the bill and send it to Gov. Jay Inslee. If approved, it is widely expected to face a referendum vote as well as legal challenges.

The petition is at bit.ly/WPCtaxsite.

Columbia Park Trail is temporarily eastbound only

The Richland stretch of Columbia Park Trail will serve eastbound traffic only through April while the city makes road improvements.

The change affects the stretch of road between Fowler Street and Columbia Center Boulevard. Westbound traffic will be directed to Fowler Street.

It does not affect the stretch of road to the east in Kennewick.

Go to bit.ly/ColParkTrailEast.

SBA has training for emerging leaders

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Emerging Leaders program is offering free education and training for executives of small companies poised for growth.

The program includes 100 hours of virtual classroom time and gives business owners an opportunity to learn from coaches and mentors. Workshops and networking are available as well.

The program is open to small business owners or decision-makers for businesses with $250,000 to $10 million in annual revenue and that have been in business for at least three years.

Go to bit.ly/SBAleaders.

Washington retains ‘best state’ status

Washington is the best state in the U.S. for the second consecutive year, according to U.S. News & World Report’s annual assessment of states.

Rankings are based on health care, education, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, crime and the natural environment.

The magazine cited the strength of the state’s tech sector, its low-carbon energy system and its “robust” higher education system for its strong showing in an article that generally highlighted west side politics and businesses.

Rounding out the Top 10 were No. 2 Minnesota, No. 3 Utah, No. 4 New Hampshire, No. 5 Idaho, No. 6 Nebraska, No. 7 Virginia, No. 8 Wisconsin, No. 9 Massachusetts and No. 10 Florida.

The bottom 10 were No. 41 Kentucky, No. 42 South Carolina, No. 43 Oklahoma, No. 44 Arkansas, No. 45 Alaska, No. 46 Alabama, No. 47 West Virginia, No. 48 New Mexico, No. 49 Mississippi and No. 50 Louisiana.

Oregon was No. 22.

Go to: usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings.

Covid-19 dashboard adds vaccination data

Washington’s Covid-19 “dashboard” has added demographic data about vaccination recipients to its sprawling list of metrics related to the pandemic.

The new additions include the percentage of people by age group who have been vaccinated as well as the race/ethnicity of those 65 and over who have had at least one vaccine and those who are fully vaccinated. Information is available by county.

The dashboard includes a variety of infection, testing and vaccination statistics to measure Washington’s progress fighting the virus.

Go to doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/COVID19/DataDashboard.

For demographic data, click on the “Vaccinations” tab and the top and then select “Who is getting vaccinated?”

National Park Service seeks ideas for Manhattan Project

The National Park Service will hold a series of virtual events as it plans to develop the multi-state Manhattan Project National Historical Park, with locations at Hanford, Los Alamos, New Mexico and Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Stakeholder sessions begin in April. Residents of the communities and cities in each of the Manhattan Project locations are invited to participate in the interpretive planning process.

Go to bit.ly/ManhattanStakeholder.

Tri-Cities Airport: Stop trespassing at 20 Dead Cows

The Tri-Cities Airport is increasing security to halt pervasive trespassing in the area northeast of Runway 12/30.

The area, commonly known as “20 Dead Cows,” has been closed to the public since 2017 but continues to be used illegally for off-road vehicles, firearms practice and other pursuits.

It is posted with “No Trespassing” signs. New security measures include gates and other barriers as well as an increase in police patrols.

3 Rivers Foundation opens Covid-19 grants

3 Rivers Community Foundation is accepting grant applications for a second round of Covid-19 grants.

The foundation will distribute $53,000, in addition to the $153,000 already granted to local nonprofits.

Nonprofits in Benton and Franklin counties affected by the pandemic can apply for up to $10,000 in funds through March 31. Apply at 3rcf.org/non-profits/how-to-apply-for-a-grant.

Make donations at threeriverscf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate.

Suicide Prevention Line to get new number in 2022

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number will change to 988 in Washington in July 2022 after the Department of Health received a state planning grant.

The $190,000 grant from the nonprofit that oversees the suicide prevention line will help the state plan for infrastructure, growth in call volumes and access to the new 988 number.

Until the changeover, anyone can reach the lifeline at 800-273-8255.

Brown Paper Tickets to refund $9M to customers

Brown Paper Tickets of Seattle will refund $9 million to 45,000 ticket purchasers who bought tickets for canceled events following a lawsuit in King County Superior Court by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson.

The AG’s office received 1,200 complaints about the company between March 19, 2020, and Feb. 23, 2021. Consumers do not need to file a claim. Brown Paper Tickets will arrange refunds directly.

The average amount owed is less than $50. The company will pay $70,000 in attorney’s costs and fees as well.