Amazon’s Pasco facility is officially up and running, filling a key role in the Seattle-based company’s national delivery system.

The state Department of Commerce recently announced $37 million in grants to boost clean energy innovation and to support clean energy projects in Washington, and multiple Tri-Cities projects are on the list.

Washington’s minimum wage will climb to $16.66 an hour next year, a 38-cent-an-hour increase.

Providence Heart Institute of Spokane is planning a $42 million renovation project at its 30-year-old facility on the Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center campus at 62 W. Seventh Ave.

The two financial institutions, both of which are based in the Tri-Cities, announced the deal in a joint statement on Oct. 8.

The nonprofit Mirror Ministries is close to opening its long-planned Esther’s Home, which is billed as “a haven of hope and restoration” for young survivors of domestic sex trafficking.  

The Tri-Cities area, like the rest of the nation, suffers from a shortage of physicians, leading to long wait times for appointments and an increased burden on health care workers. 

The Washington Officials Association – the organization that oversees almost all sports officials in the state – recently named this Pasco School District special ed teacher the Official of the Year for slowpitch softball.

The co-founder of Ethos Bakery died in late September from natural causes, according to a social media post from Ethos. He was 48 years old.