New flights prop up traffic at Tri-Cities AirportThe Tri-Cities Airport reports a respectable increase in air traffic in 2021 thanks in part to the arrival of new carriers.With 346,503 people boarding flights, enplanements were up 83% over 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic battered travel and left planes mostly empty.Buck Taft,...
The Port of Kennewick commission has agreed to hire an outside attorney after it was faulted by the state auditor’s office for reimbursing a commissioner for $49,000 in legal fees. The Washington State Auditor issued the port its first such finding in 27 years on Jan. 19, faulting its decision to...
The Washington Attorney General’s Office filed a civil rights lawsuit against Thelbert “Thadd” Lawson Jr. and the Wenatchee nonprofit he founded to serve veterans, saying they discriminated against and sexually harassed at least a dozen women who worked at its two thrift stores.Operation Veterans Assistance & Humanitarian Aid operates thrift...
We were heartbroken to see 10 people lose their homes and at least seven businesses destroyed by a two-alarm fire in the heart of Kennewick’s historic downtown on Feb. 4.The two-story building that burned was at West Kennewick Avenue and North Cascade Street. Built in 1940, it contained a mix...
Matt SweezeaRegional vice presidentSweezea Financial Group / PrimericaMatt SweezeaTeam size: 7Brief background of your business:Sweezea Financial Group is an independent investment and insurance agency backed by Primerica.Primerica has been committed to helping families save and invest for their futures since 1977.Through PFS Investments Inc., Primerica’s broker-dealer, we show people how...
How to keep experienced older workers from retiringExperienced older workers will retire eventually, but a recent study suggests how employers could persuade some of them to stick around for a few more years.It all comes down to offering a specific type of work environment – one that includes autonomy, participation...
Trios Southridge Hospital is expanding its medical/surgical floor as it adapts the existing hospital for the new birthing center, which opens in the spring.LifePoint Health, parent to the Kennewick hospital, is spending $22 million on the birthing center and added $6 million to the budget to expand the third-floor medical...
Tax season returns, and, once again, the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program stands ready to assist taxpayers with form preparation.Tax-Aide sites began taking appointments for free tax preparation and e-filing services in early February. The program has a special focus on assisting taxpayers over 50 or those who have low to...
An established physical therapy clinic with offices in Pasco, Kennewick and Walla Walla and two in Richland has joined an Alabama-based physical therapy provider network. Mindi IrvineWalla Walla native Mindi Irvine started Oasis Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab with a single outpatient clinic in 2002, growing it to five locations.As...
Washington residents can request free at-home Covid-19 tests online at sayyescovidhometest.org or sayyescovidhometest.org/casa.html for Spanish speakers.The initiative by the state Department of Health provides rapid-antigen tests to help individuals and families monitor for potential exposure to the coronavirus.People can order up to five free tests. The program expands on an existing...
