Pasco's public works director is stepping down.

Employer groups in Washington state recently filed a lawsuit challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s new water quality standards for Washington state. The suit alleges the EPA’s standards are “so stringent that compliance cannot even be measured, much less achieved.”

A Southridge High School senior is helping to arrange student testimony to promote a proposed state bill that would require financial education before graduating from high school.

Bechtel recently reached a key milestone in its quest to turn hazardous Hanford waste into vitrified glass. The company, which oversees the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant, known around the Tri-Cities as the vit plant, completed the first set of test glass pours into a stainless-steel storage container designed to hold vitrified radioactive and chemical waste.

A state advisory council will decide in January whether to green light a Tri-Cities-based wind farm project to the governor’s office for approval.
Scout Clean Energy’s proposal could mean more than 200 turbines along the Horse Heaven ridges in Benton County directly south of Kennewick and to the south and west of the Columbia River.

The mission’s existing shelter for women and children is on North Second Avenue in Pasco. It’s in a building that’s more than 100 years old, with aging electrical, plumbing and heating systems.

The Brick Shoppe, at 3902 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite 110, is on track for a grand opening in January. The store will feature new and used Lego, including sets, minifigures and loose bricks to buy in bulk. Customers also will be able to create their own minifigures, or host birthday parties there.