Visit Tri-Cities has hired Kevin Lewis, a tourism and marketing executive from St. George, Utah, to succeed Michael Novakovich as its president and CEO. Novakovich left in July to lead Columbia Industries, a Kennewick nonprofit serving people with disabilities and other barriers to success. Lewis joins the region’s tourism bureau from the Greater...
Half a dozen members of Rambling Travelers, a travel and adventure group, staked out a shady spot at the All Senior Picnic to dine on pulled pork sandwiches and potato salad skewers and to dish about their upcoming adventures. They were among the more than 500 seniors who flocked to Howard...
Seniors can button up their favorite Hawaiian shirt or slip into their favorite tropical dress to celebrate the return of the All Senior Picnic on Thursday, Sept. 29. The 27th annual event was postponed Sept. 15 because of unhealthy air quality.It returns to Howard Amon Park in Richland after taking a...
The All Senior Picnic planned for Sept. 15 in Richland has been postponed because of poor air quality caused by wildfires.The picnic is sponsored by Active4Life, which said it will announce a new date soon.The Washington Department of Ecology rated the air quality in the Tri-Cities as unhealthy for all...
2022 apple crop will be smallerWashington’s celebrated apple industry is projected to produce 108.7 million 40-pound boxes in 2022, an 11.1% decrease from 2021’s 122.3 million boxes.The Washington State Tree Fruit Association said it is pleased with the harvest given the long, cold spring.“Growing seasons are never the same and...
Recent reports about dismal K-12 test scores should raise alarm in our business community.Nationwide, elementary school math and reading scores fell to levels unseen in 32 years, according to the recently released National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test, known as the “nation’s report card.”Average scores for 9-year-old students in...
Aha! Airlines, which launched service from the Reno-Tahoe International Airport to small markets such as the Tri-Cities last fall, shut down abruptly Aug. 22 as its Atlanta-based parent filed for protection from creditors in federal bankruptcy court in Delaware. The startup airline provided a weekly flight between the Tri-Cities Airport in...
Meaghan BrooksMeaghan Brooks, a former credit union employee, is accused of stealing nearly $75,500 from HAPO Community Credit Union.Brooks, 40, was charged with first-degree theft with aggravating circumstances in Benton County Superior Court on Aug. 9.Brooks pleaded innocent on Aug. 31. A jury trial is tentatively set for Nov. 14.The...
Bob FergusonA prominent Tri-City energy executive, philanthropist and business leader died Aug. 12 at the age of 89.Robert L. “Bob” Ferguson, a longtime resident of Richland, died after suffering a stroke in August 2021 in north Idaho. He was most recently living in the Chicago area in an assisted care...