The Bonneville Power Administration is looking to build a new transmission line, the Central Ferry-Lower Monumental transmission line, between two eastern Washington substations. This transmission line will go between a substation south of Kahlotus, a little over an hour from the Tri Cities, Washington, and a substation in Garfield County. The route the Bonneville Power Administration is considering is concurrent with another existing transmission line which could be good and bad. If the line was built next to a pre-existing line then they wouldn't have to worry about acquiring additional real estate, but if the lines are built next to each other and a storm comes along knocking them both down, it could cause more damage. The project will be starting…

1242 Views, 0 Comments

money-stackThe state Legislature is considering a proposal that, if passed, would allow property owners to pay their property taxes online. The bill would also allow taxpayers to set up a payment plan so that instead of paying twice a year a taxpayer would be able to break up the payments to fit a family's budget.  Benton County Treasurer Duane Davidson says that if the bill were to pass and people took advantage of the online paying option the money would distribute to the tax districts on a more consistent basis which would even out the revenue flow. Rose Bowman, legislative chairman for the Washington Association of County Treasurers thinks the bill will put county treasurers into competition with private businesses. She doesn't want the county treasurers to turn…

1018 Views, 0 Comments

Duck Pond, Kennewick WashingtonThis Friday and Saturday, January 29 & 30, the Pasco Kiwanis will be holding an all-you-can-eat Crab Feed fundraiser at Columbia Park. The money raised will go to support the Boys and Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties. The clubs use the money to buy car seats, bike helmets; they also provide scholarship opportunities for high school students. The Boys and Girls Club also sponsor school events like cross-country meets, invitational track meets and other events. A total of 150 tickets will be sold for the event, so far 60 tickets have been sold; each ticket is $35. Call Darin Oman at 509.521.1200 for more information about the event.

2023 Views, 0 Comments

Beaver Bark in Richland Washington has begun to build their own 10,000 square foot greenhouse. The green house will enable the company to control the quality of the plants they sell as well as to help them avoid importing as much from other areas such as Salem, OR; Seattle, WA; and California. The $500,000 greenhouse will have a retractable roof and sides to give the plants natural light when needed as well as to reduce the use of heaters and lights. By building this new greenhouse Beaver Bark's costs and energy used will be cut down a great deal. The green house will be used to grow plants such as tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, and other herbs, petunias, and pansies.

1259 Views, 0 Comments

RichlandWaPNNL_1Pacific Northwest National Laboratory was recently awarded two Excellence in Technology Transfer Awards by the Federal Laboratory Consortium. The awards recognized the Department of Energy's Richland Lab for their partnership with other companies to transfer technology. With these two new awards PNNL now has more awards than any other lab since the awards program began in 1984; they have 71 awards.  The first award was for their work to speed up protein analysis. PNNL teamed up with Pressure BioSciences Ind. in Massachusetts to make proteain analysis quicker and more cost effective. In order to do this they found out that is proteins were under high pressure instead of just placed with enzymes to make them smaller then it cuts the process down to a few…

1215 Views, 0 Comments

9-11 Memorial at Howard Amon ParkCombat Veterans International Chapter 3, locatied in the Tri Cities, has donated $15,ooo to Columbia Basin College in Pasco Washington. The money was raised by the group to help veterans and their children so they can go to CBC without the hassel of paying alot for books, fees, and other expenses. Each quarter two scholarships will be awarded, they will be open first to combat veterans and their children, if there aren't enough applicants then the scholarships will be open to all veterans. The Combat Veterans chapter have been raising money for months by auctioning off a Victory Kingpin motorcycle with a costum paintjob, compliments of John and Jean Richardson. They also used the money raised to support combat veterans in others ways like paying for…

1212 Views, 0 Comments

Tonight, January 23, at the TRAC in Pasco there will be a cage fighting event called Night of Champions 2. The creator of the event, Anthony Hamlett, says the event is not noe of those "no-holds-barred kind of bloody battles." The event is for all ages with weight classes and plenty of watered down rules to attract major sponsors. The evening will hold a total of 14 fights including 12 title fights. This is an amateur event but many of those entering are hoping to get to the big time. Doors open at 6:00 pm and the fights start at 7:00 pm.  Tickets are $25 for general admission and $35 for reserved seats. Tickets can be purchased at the door or by calling 360-888-6837. Directions to the TRAC

1839 Views, 2 Comments

Prosser Balloon RallyIt's that time of year when people are coming around door to door, not to sell things but to do the census. The Better Business Bureau came up with some cautions for people so they do not fall victim to fraud or identity theft. If a person does come to your door claiming to be a U.S. Census worker they will have a badge, a handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag, and a confidentiality notice. Check for these things before answering any questions, especially check their identification and their badge. When Census workers come by do not give them your social security number and you are not required to give out financial information. The primary thing Cencus workers are looking for is number of residents in a household. Be cautious about people coming…

1146 Views, 0 Comments

Historic Franklin County CourthouseThe Tri City Regional Chamber of Commerce will be putting on their annual legislative trip to Olympia Washington next month. The trip will include; transportation, lodging, and receptioans to show the Tri Cities to the elected officials. While in Olympia those in attendance have the chance to meet Governor Chris Gregoire. They will also be able to participate in Economic Development, Agriculture, Transportation and Energy discussions. To RSVP and to reserve your spot contact the Tri City Regional Chamber at info@tricityregionalchamber.com. To register for the event complete the registration form. For more information call Colin Hastings at509.736.0510.

1140 Views, 0 Comments

Columbia River TubingThere are two developers looking to build water parks in the Tri Cities and both are proposing plans in the next couple of weeks. The first plan to make the headlines was proposed by a man from Orlando, FL, Jim Hale. Hale is looking to build a 27-acre water park, Bahama Bay, in Pasco, he went before the Pasco Planning Commission today, January 21, to get a special permit for having slides that exceed the height limit for Pasco buildings. Hale's park would include a lazy river, water slides, pools, a gift shop, a concession stand, locker rooms and go-kart features. The other developers Mike Hillman and Dave Schlott-hauer, Brother-in-laws and owners of Kennewick's Columbia Basin Satellite, have been working on a plan to build a water park in the Tri Cities…

1893 Views, 1 Comments