The state Employment Security Department launched new online services for unemployment claimants and employers Jan. 3 — but the website is experiencing slower than anticipated response times due to high call volumes and the start-up of the system.Customers made nearly 750,000 calls to claims center staff on the first business...

’Tis the season for new year’s resolutions and the city of Kennewick would like its residents to weigh in on the city’s blueprint for the future.Kennewick’s community open house for its 20-year Comprehensive Plan has been rescheduled to Jan. 23 due to inclement weather. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. with...

Educational Service District 123 is celebrating the grand opening of its newly expanded Professional Development Center at 9:30 a.m. Jan. 12 at 3924 W. Court St. in Pasco.Following a grand opening ceremony, public building tours will be offered from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The building is at the corner...

It’s been 10 years since the Food and Drug Administration approved a vaccine against the primary culprit behind cervical cancer — the human papillomavirus, or HPV.Dr. Amy Person and nurse Heather Hill of the Benton-Franklin Public Health District will provide an update on this “public health success story.”Their free talk,...

Get the 2017 forecast for the Tri-City’s real estate and labor markets at the Pasco Chamber of Commerce’s January luncheon.Ajsa Suljic, regional labor economist with Washington State Employment Security Department, will provide a labor market and analysis, and Dennis Gisi, president of John L. Scott, will provide the snapshot of...

Businesses and residents have recently been targeted by two separate phone scams, both falsely identifying themselves as Benton REA representatives.A business owner reported that a caller threatened to immediately shut off the power unless a large payment was made. Another Benton REA member informed the cooperative that someone told her she...

A recent settlement with Warren Orchards will help make major environmental improvements to the Touchet River near Dayton, which provides critical habitat for threatened steelhead, according to the state Department of Ecology.The Department of Ecology fined Warren Orchards for illegally watering a 100-acre apple and pear orchard in Columbia County...

The Washington State Department of Revenue has launched a web page with links and resources to help annual business filers submit their returns and state taxes on time.Businesses have until Jan. 31 to file and pay online, by phone or by mail. If a business had no activity in 2016,...