Pasco School Board holding roundtable forum

The Pasco School District’s Board of Directors will hold its second board forum from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Jan. 19 at Ochoa Middle School, 1801 E. Sheppard St. in Pasco.

The forum on increased parental and family involvement will be presented in a roundtable format. Board members will sit at different tables and participants will be able to rotate through and talk with individual board members.

Donation provides equipment for CBC’s Planetarium

A recent $20,000 donation made by an anonymous donor to the Columbia Basin College Foundation has provided a new technology called SciTouch for the Bechtel National Planetarium at the Pasco college.

The new equipment allows control of planetarium shows from anywhere in the theater and for students to be involved in interactive lessons.

Learn more at columbiabasin.edu/planet.

MSA completes 30 Days of Caring, donates to charities

Mission Support Alliance held its 30 Days of Caring program Nov. 1-30.

All MSA and subcontractor employees were eligible to participate and nominate a nonprofit.

Every day during November one employee was randomly chosen and MSA made a donation in their name to the nonprofit of their choice.

Donations were made to more than 20 organizations, including Meals on Wheels, Chaplaincy Health Care, Benton Franklin Humane Society, Union Gospel Mission, Columbia Basin Veterans Coalition, Second Harvest, Wounded Warrior and the Alzheimer’s Association.

Nominations sought for Man, Woman of Year

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

Nominees must live or work in the city of Kennewick and prioritize public service for which no compensation is given.

Consideration also will be made for professional merit and activities.

Honorees rarely know of their nomination, so discretion when gathering background information about nominees is advised. The winners will be announced at the annual Kennewick Man and Woman of the Year banquet Feb. 28 at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick.

Nominations are limited to 1,000 words. No letters of support or other materials are necessary.

The event is presented by Soroptimist International of Pasco-Kennewick and the Kennewick Past Men of the Year Club, and Sun Pacific Energy is the title sponsor.

Visit kmwoy.com for more information. Submit nominees by Dec. 30 to P.O. Box 3905, Pasco, WA 99302 or kennewickmen_women@charter.net.

Federal court temporarily blocks overtime rule

U.S. District Court Judge Amoz Mazzant put on hold the U.S. Department of Labor’s new rule that doubles the minimum salary of employees who are eligible for overtime pay on Nov. 22.

The rule was set to take effect Dec. 1, and according to the Department of Labor, it “updated the standard salary level and provided a method to keep the salary level current to better effectuate Congress’ intent to exempt bona fide white collar workers from overtime protections.”

The court’s order was based on its determination that the labor department had exceeded its delegated authority by increasing the minimum salary level without congressional approval.

The agency disagreed with the court’s decision, stating its new rule is the “result of a comprehensive, inclusive rule-making process.”

The Department of Justice, on behalf of the Department of Labor, filed a notice Dec. 1 to appeal Mazzant’s preliminary injunction to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

L&I to increase workers’ compensation rates in 2017

The average premium for workers’ compensation rates in Washington will go up an average of 0.7 percent in 2017.

The state Department of Labor and Industries noted the increase will cost employers about $10 more a year per employee, and most workers will not see an increase in what they pay.

L&I sets workers’ compensation rates every fall for the following year. The premiums help pay for wage and disability benefits, as well as medical treatment of injuries and illnesses.

The new rates take effect Jan. 1.

Visit lni.wa.gov/rates for more information.

State apple harvest forecast increases by 3.4 percent

The Washington State Tree Fruit Association has revised its forecast for the 2016 Washington state fresh apple crop from 132.9 million standard 40-pound boxes to 137.4 million boxes.

The increased forecast is based on updated data received from association members through Oct. 31. The total represents harvested total volume of apples that will eventually be packed and sold on the fresh market, excluding product sent to processors.

The estimated total may be revised during December.

$50,000 grant to help WSU Tri-Cities with jet fuel research

Researchers at Washington State University Tri-Cities received a $50,000 National Science Foundation I-Corps grant to explore the market potential of their biojet fuel research.

The team has successfully demonstrated a new, water-based process for deconstructing and recovering lignin from biomass and converting it into jet fuel-range hydrocarbons. These could be certified as jet fuel in the future.

Lignin, a polymer that makes plants woody and rigid, is a waste product in the biofuels production process.

Bin Yang, WSU Tri-Cities associate professor of biological systems engineering and principal investigator for the grant, holds a patent on the process.

Commercial airlines are facing pressure to reduce emissions, which is why they may have an interest in seeing a lignin-derived alternative fuel brought to market, said Libing Zhang, WSU Tri-Cities postdoctoral research associate and entrepreneurial lead on the project.

Zhang said the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps program helps leading researchers develop a business platform for their research and technology by recreating processes and strategies already working well in the industry.

Benton Fire District 4 passes 2017 budget

Benton Fire District 4’s Board of Fire Commissioners recently passed its 2017 budget with the district’s increasing demand for service in mind.

About 50 volunteer and career firefighters, emergency medical technicians and paramedics respond to an average of 1,400 calls per year and call volumes have increased more than 46 percent from 2010-15.

Spending priorities for the new year include an emphasis on fire prevention education, funding emergency personnel, apparatus and facilities maintenance.

Benton Fire District 4 provides fire and emergency medical service to 17,000 people over 52 square miles, including West Richland.

March of Dimes Tri-Cities auction raises $62,000

The March of Dimes Tri-Cities raised $62,000 at its Signature Chefs Auction on Nov. 4 at the Three Rivers Convention Center.

The money raised will be used to support the mission of improving the health of babies in the Tri-Cities.

WSU offers dryland farming email service

Washington State University Extension’s small grains team offers updates of research-based information about dryland farming through a free email subscription service.

Farmers and crop consultants can sign up at smallgrains.wsu.edu/subscribe to receive emails from researchers about trending agricultural topics and perspectives.

Contact Blythe Howell at 509-335-1719 or blythe.howell@wsu.edu for more information.

Meals on Wheels in need of kitchen, driving volunteers 

Meals on Wheels is looking for volunteers to help at dining site locations in Pasco, Kennewick and Richland.

Volunteers, who will be asked to obtain food handlers’ cards, are needed to package, serve, set up and clean up, typically one day per week from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Volunteer drivers also are needed one day a week and on a substitution basis, typically from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., to deliver warm, balanced meals to seniors who are homebound.

In 2016, more than 350 volunteers have helped serve and deliver 170,000 meals throughout the community, giving more than 24,000 hours and driving more than 84,000 miles to help more than 1,800 people.

Background checks are required for volunteers.

For more information, contact Volunteer Coordinator Melanie Blatman at 509-735-1911 or mblatman@seniorliferesources.com.

Reach Museum offers winter break ‘Ice Age Days’ event 

The Reach Museum is offering an Ice Age Days event from 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 27-29. Each day will provide both indoor and outdoor activities for families to learn about life during the Ice Ages.

Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for military, seniors and students; those age 5 and under, as well as Reach members, are free.

Call 509-943-4100 or go to visitthereach.org for more information.

IRS launches online application to help taxpayers

The Internal Revenue Service has launched a new and secure online tool at irs.gov that allows taxpayers to view their IRS account balance. The new feature complements existing online payment options.

The IRS plans to continue adding online capabilities to give taxpayers more ways to quickly and conveniently take care of their tax obligations.

Before accessing the tool, taxpayers must authenticate their identities through a two-step process.

Visit irs.gov for more information.

Habitat for Humanity seeks volunteers, resources

Tri-County Habitat for Humanity is working on its $2 million capital campaign to build 21 more homes in its Whitehouse Addition in Pasco during the next two years.

The nonprofit is looking for individuals willing to help find resources—volunteers, financial donors and vendors — to help build homes at discounted prices.

Visit habitatbuilds.com or call 509-943-5555 for more information.

More than 4,500 employers have used L&I program 

Stay at Work, a program of the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, has provided more than $50 million to participating businesses and helped more than 20,000 workers to date.

The program helps support light-duty jobs after workplace injuries by paying employers for part of the costs associated with offering light-duty jobs to injured workers. It also helps defray some of the expenses so businesses can allow eligible employees to keep working during their recovery and stay connected to their workplace.

To date, more than 4,500 employers have used the program to help workers return to light duty work as soon as medically possible as part of their recovery from a workplace injury or illness.

Programs such as Stay at Work, as well as efforts to ensure quality medical care and other improvements to the workers’ compensation system have saved an estimated $700 million in wage replacement, disability and medical costs to Washington employers and workers.

The Department of Labor and Industries encourages employers to establish return-to-work programs at their worksites. Visit lni.wa.gov/stayatwork for more information.

Social Security, VA partner for disability decisions

The launch of a new partnership between the Social Security Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs now enables all Social Security disability case processing sites to receive medical records electronically from the VA.

This means veterans will receive a faster decision on their Social Security disability claim, speeding them and their dependents through this new process, according to a release from Social Security. Both agencies will save time and money with an automatic request through the eHealth Exchange.

The new program was tested successfully at Social Security offices around the country and went live nationally on Veterans Day to all Social Security disability case processing sites.

Social Security requests nearly 15 million medical records annually from health care providers and organizations to make medical decisions on about three million disability claims, according to the Social Security release.

Historically, the agency obtained medical records through a manual process (mail, fax, secure mail). This new national initiative puts in place an automated process to obtain medical records electronically without human intervention.

The partnership adds the VA to Social Security’s more than 50 other partners. Social Security said its goal is to continue expanding the number of health care organizations and federal agencies providing electronic health records.

To learn more, visit socialsecurity.gov/disabilityssi/hit.

Kadlec offers free Medicare informational classes

Kadlec Healthy Ages is offering a class twice a month at the Kadlec Healthplex to inform attendees about Medicare, Medigap and Medicare Part D Prescription Drug plans available to those who live in Benton and Franklin counties.

Call 509-942-2700 for a schedule and to reserve a spot.

CBC to offer degree in nursing

Columbia Basin College will begin a bachelor of science in nursing degree in spring quarter 2017.

The first CBC RN-BSN class will be for 25 students. Applications are available at columbiabasin.edu/nursing through Feb. 1, and classes begin April 3.

The addition of the degree is in response to state and national recommendation to increase the number of nurses prepared at the baccalaureate level or higher. The CBC degree is a completion degree and those with an associate degree in nursing are eligible for the program. The program can be completed in as little as four quarters and much of the coursework is completed online.

The program has been approved by the Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission and is seeking new applicant status through the Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education accrediting body.

Pet food drive through Dec. 20

Because many seniors are on a fixed income, Changing Places, a company that helps seniors to move or downsize their homes, is sponsoring donation sites to drop off pet food of any kind so seniors can feed their furry companions. The drive runs through Dec. 20.

Pet food can be dropped off at any of the following locations: Retter & Company Sotheby’s International Realty, 329 N. Kellogg St., Kennewick; Century 21 Tri-Cities, 89 Gage Blvd., Richland; Life Care Center, 44 Goethals Drive, Richland; Coldwell Banker, 8836 Gage Blvd., Kennewick; Paw’s Natural Pet Emporium, 8551 W. Gage Blvd., Kennewick; Doggie Divaz Salon, 210 N. Perry St., Kennewick; Brookdale Canyon Lakes, 2802 W. 35th Ave., Kennewick; and Blylee’s Natural Pet Food and Supplies, 8823 Sandifur Parkway, Pasco.

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