Restaurants can open to 50 percent indoor dining capacity March 22 (which is great news!), but restaurant workers still don’t know when they’ll get access to the vaccine. Today, more than 3,500 restaurant and hospitality workers and their supporters are sending a petition to Gov. Jay Inslee to ask to be included in the next phase alongside other essential workers so they can get the vaccine this week. 

“If we want vaccine access to be equitable, we must include restaurant and hospitality workers alongside other essential workers. Forty percent of our team members across the state are people of color who have been reporting for work throughout a deadly pandemic,” said Trey Lamont, who owns Jerk Shack in Seattle and is a member of the Seattle Restaurant Alliance Board.
 
“Restaurant and hospitality workers have been absolutely essential throughout the pandemic, yet they cannot get access to the vaccine alongside other essential workers. We have been working for months to ensure our team members can have access to the vaccine, and now we’re asking for the public’s help,” said Anthony Anton, President and CEO of the Washington Hospitality Association. “You can support your favorite restaurant by signing the petition, wearing your mask, practicing physical distancing, and dining indoor, outdoor, or ordering takeout."
 
The petition, organized by the Seattle Restaurant Alliance and Washington Hospitality Association, asks Gov. Jay Inslee to include food and hospitality workers with other essential workers, including those who work in grocery stores, food manufacturing, and processing. These groups will be eligible for the vaccine this week. 
 
Paul Osher with Porkchop and Co. in Ballard and Seattle Restaurant Alliance Board member said separating restaurant and hospitality workers out of the essential workers phase is inconsistent. “We’ve been classified as essential throughout  the pandemic — except when it comes to vaccine access. As we expand indoor dining, we must expand vaccine access to keep our team members safe.”
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You can find, sign, and share the petition here: https://p2a.co/xLG1QeM 

As part of an ongoing effort to support community recovery, STCU this month purchased $30,000 in gift cards from locally owned restaurants, donating them primarily to organizations serving women in Eastern Washington, Tri-Cities, and North Idaho.

“Restaurants and restaurant workers have been hard hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, and women have suffered the greatest financial losses of all,” said Ezra Eckhardt, STCU president and CEO. “These cards are a small piece of a much larger effort to help sustain and strengthen communities.”

In the year since the pandemic started, STCU has provided substantial support to businesses, schools, families, and community groups. Whenever possible, those efforts have included elements of surprise and creativity. They have included doubling its dues to 16 chambers of commerce on National Support Your Local Chamber of Commerce Day; sending care packages to STCU members in the fire-ravished town of Malden; surprising 23 nonprofit groups with checks of $10,000 to $32,000; and randomly handing out gift cards to clients at Columbia Basin food banks. 

The credit union also processed more than 1,700 forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loans to help businesses stay open and preserve jobs. It has helped thousands of STCU members by restructuring loans or allowing them to skip payments.

STCU’s purchase of 600 $50 restaurant gift cards coincides with the Great Dine Out, a collaboration between the Inlander, STCU and 13 other banks and credit unions to help restaurants in Spokane and Kootenai counties. It is one of several business-boosting media efforts that have had substantial STCU support.

The restaurant gift cards went to 22 non-profits groups, to be gifted to clients who may be in need of additional food assistance, including YWCA Spokane, Women and Children’s Free Restaurant, Transitions, Safe Passage in Coeur d’Alene, and Domestic Violence Services of Benton-Franklin County.

STCU is celebrating Women’s History Month by highlighting past, present and future female leaders. Nine women and one man signed STCU’s Articles of Incorporation in 1934. Today, women represent 72% of STCU staff and 64% of its leadership.

All Mid-Columbia Libraries (MCL) branches are open for "Curbside Plus," which now includes limited in-branch browsing for books and materials and computer use, as well as curbside pickup and returns.

Online print drop and pickup, which offers five free prints per person daily, and in-person copying, printing, and scanning are also available.

Curbside pickup continues during regular branch hours, but hours for browsing and the use of public computers varies and is limited at some branches. Hours are available for high risk customers.

Mid-Columbia Libraries’ Kennewick Branch, the largest branch in the library system, welcomes walk-ins Monday through Saturday, from 10:30 am to 5 pm, and Sunday from 1 to 5 pm. High risk customers are welcome Thursday from 10:30 to 11:30 am.

Libraries in Basin City, Connell, Kahlotus, Merrill’s Corner, and Pasco offer in-branch services during regular branch hours.

For all other branches and more details, customers can contact their local branch, or visit the branch web page at midcolumbialibraries.org/branches to learn more.

To ensure safety for staff and the public:

• Face masks and social distancing are required.
• Occupancy, browsing times, and computer use times are limited.
• Computer stations and all high-touch areas are sanitized frequently.
• All returned items are quarantined for 72 hours; they will remain checked out to cardholders’ accounts during this time.
• There are no in-person programs, and library study and meeting rooms remain closed.

The health and safety of library staff and customers is of the highest importance, and MCL is complying with all safety requirements from the State. In its guidelines, the State affirms public libraries should continue to facilitate services through curbside pickup where possible to limit interaction between staff and customers within enclosed spaces. Customers can place books and materials on hold then visit their branch’s designated curbside pickup area once they receive notice that items are ready for pickup.
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MCL does not charge overdue fines.

Ben Franklin Transit (BFT) has adjusted some of its services to offer the community additional transportation options for increased connectivity to local COVID-19 vaccination sites. The changes, effective Monday, March 15, include:

• Expanded access to reserved rides for seniors and those with mobility challenges regardless of ADA (Dial-A-Ride) eligibility, including round-trip scheduling to vaccine sites and shortened wait times for return trips.
• Added connectivity options using BFT CONNECT.
  
  

“We’ve been working with the Benton-Franklin Health District and other amazing local partners to identify solutions to known transportation challenges associated with reaching COVID-19 vaccine sites,” said BFT General Manager Gloria Boyce. “BFT is committed to assisting our community in meaningful ways and we are pleased that we could adjust our services to help address some of these challenges.”

SERVICE OPTIONS TO REACH VACCINE SITES

Seniors and Mobility Challenged Individuals:
Seniors and mobility challenged individuals, regardless of ADA (Dial-A-Ride) eligibility, will be able to schedule trips to and from vaccine sites. These round trips will be scheduled at the time of initial request, with return trip pickup available as soon as 40 minutes after drop-off. These round-trip reservations to reach vaccine sites must be made at least one (1) day and up to seven (7) days in advance by calling 509-735-0160 (toll free 1-877-646-4287).

Reservation lines are open Monday thru Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, reservation lines are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for scheduling Monday rides only.

BFT CONNECT:
BFT CONNECT, our on-demand service, will offer expanded destination options with front-door drop-off to local COVID-19 vaccination sites. Additionally, adjacent zone trips will be allowed using BFT CONNECT to expand access to vaccine sites outside the passenger’s service zone of origin. To request a ride:

• Download and open the Via app on your smartphone and follow prompts, OR
• Call 509-204-4189 to request a ride

Bus Service:
BFT has 18 bus routes serving Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, West Richland, Benton City, and Prosser. Customers throughout the Tri-Cities and Finley may use BFT CONNECT to reach the bus network. For the most up-to-date bus schedules we recommend that riders download and use the Transit app, or go to bft.org/BusRoutes.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SERVICE OPTIONS AND VACCINE SITES

A list of eligible vaccine sites with BFT service options and additional information can be found at bft.org/VaccineTransportation. We will update this page as additional resources and information become available. At this time, the Fairgrounds mass vaccination site is not available for transit service due to being a drive-thru only site, however we will update our information page and service options if this changes. For complete COVID-19 vaccine information, including all available vaccine locations, please refer to the Benton-Franklin Health District’s website at bfhd.wa.gov.

BFT will notify customers via Facebook and Twitter, on its webpage at bft.org and by other means as appropriate of any further changes in service.

BFT Customer Service phone support is available Monday thru Friday, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. to assist passengers with questions or trip planning.

When using BFT services and at our facilities, we ask all riders to adhere to the following:

• Wear a face covering (if needed, drivers can provide free face coverings while supplies last), in accordance with the federal order
• Maintain a safe distance from others
• Wash hands frequently with soap and water (or use hand sanitizer)
• Stay home and do not use public transit if sick or experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms.
  
  

BFT services are currently fare-free until further notice. Our most current safety efforts are shared and updated as appropriate at bft.org/Safety and on our social media accounts.

​The next seminar in Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Special Edition Community Science and Technology Seminar Series, “Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3 (And What’s Up With The New Vaccine, Anyways?),” presented by Kristin Omberg, lead scientist for PNNL’s River Corridor Scientific Focus Area project, will take place on Tuesday, March 23, 2021, at 5:00 p.m., via Zoom.
 
Over the last year, a herculean scientific effort has gone into producing the three main types of COVID-19 tests and four different vaccine approaches. With copious amounts of scientific information generated so quickly, in addition to research that is adapting to this new landscape as rapidly as COVID-19, it’s no wonder that questions abound. Thousands of genome and protein sequences have influenced the tests and have served as the foundation of the vaccines. Each of the three different tests have unique strengths and weaknesses. The four different types of candidate vaccines are also distinct in how they work. In this talk, we’ll discuss the ins-and-outs of both COVID-19 tests and vaccines and how they can be leveraged most effectively in this race against the clock.
 
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Community Science and Technology Seminar Series was launched to help the general public better understand and explore how science transforms our world.
 
Those who are interested can register here.

​The next seminar in Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Special Edition Community Science and Technology Seminar Series, “Behind the Mask: The Science on Stopping the Spread,” presented by Katrina Waters, division director for the Biological Sciences Division at PNNL and leads the Computational Modeling Core for the University of Wisconsin Center for Predictive Modeling of Infectious Diseases, will take place on Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 5pm via Zoom.
 
Despite the gains made in science and modern medicine over the last century, our bodies still work in sometimes mysterious ways. COVID-19 presents a real-life medical mystery that has put doctors across the globe to the test. What are the short- and long-term health effects of COVID-19, including some particularly strange lingering effects, such as COVID toe? Why do people present such widely varying symptoms, from being asymptomatic to deathly ill? How is the pathogen transmitted and how could increased air flow in buildings reduce the risk of the disease spreading? How long can the virus survive on different surfaces? In this talk, you will learn about the range of strategies we can employ to keep ourselves and our communities safe and healthy.
 
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Community Science and Technology Seminar Series was launched to help the general public better understand and explore how science transforms our world.
 
Those who are interested can register here.

Prosser Memorial Health Foundation has announced that the 2021 Bottles, Brews, Barbecues event that was to be held June 11-12 at Vintner’s Village has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“It is with a heavy heart that we’re announcing the cancellation of Bottles, Brews and Barbecues this year,” said Foundation President Julie Sollers. “This is an extraordinary time for all of us and it’s changing our day-to-day “normal” lives constantly. As a healthcare organization we would rather err on the side of caution and keep our community, volunteers and eventgoers as safe as possible.”

Bottles, Brews, Barbecues is an annual event held in Prosser in partnership with the Pacific Northwest Barbecue Association. In 2019, Prosser Memorial Health Foundation took over as the lead sponsor and organization as its main fundraising event. 

“This was not a decision that we came to lightly as this will have a financial impact on the Foundation in the short-term, as well as the local businesses who plan on the additional revenue that comes from the event, but after consulting with Prosser Memorial Health’s COVID-19 Incident Command Task Force that includes physicians, infection preventionists, and nursing leaders, we were told that a large group gathering in early June would be ill advised. This recommendation was brought to the Foundation’s Board of Directors who voted unanimously to cancel the event,” said Foundation Executive Director and PMH Chief Communications Officer Shannon Hitchcock.

On a positive note, we are looking toward September for our first annual golf tournament at Black Rock Creek Golf Course. The Foundation is still moving forward with awarding three $2,000 scholarships to seniors in Prosser, Grandview and the Kiona Benton School Districts who are pursuing a higher education degree in healthcare. To learn more about the Prosser Memorial Health Foundation visit prosserhealth.foundation. 

The Tri-City Americans will return to play at Toyota Center on Thursday, March 18th at 7:05 pm against the Portland Winterhawks. This will be the Americans first game in 372 days since playing on March 11th, 2020 here against the Kamloops Blazers.

The Americans organization is among the many companies in Washington that were directly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and forced to close as well as it’s home, the Toyota Center. The team is rebounding from the closure to play a 24-game spring season. All 12 home games will be carried live on SWX which is available on Spectrum Cable 183, over the air at 25.3 digital in the Tri-Cities and 23.3 digital in Yakima. Due to the pandemic, virtually no fans will be allowed currently to attend.

The Americans are entering their 33rd season in the Mid-Columbia and in its continuing effort to be a valued community partner and asset would like to help a reopening Mid-Columbia business trying to recover from the pandemic with an ad schedule on the club’s live radio broadcasts aired live on NewsTalk 870 AM KFLD and on 98.7 FM. One area business will be selected and receive the complimentary advertising.

Businesses that were closed due to being ruled “non-essential” by the state may apply for this radio time. The applicants are requested to send an email to Craig West, Vice President of Sponsorship and Broadcasting of the club to [email protected]. Emails will be considered through Sunday, March 21st deadline at 11:59 pm.

Winner will be contacted by email. No phone calls please.

Washington State University Athletics and Gesa Credit Union have announced a partnership to provide Gesa the naming rights to the playing surface at Martin Stadium, now named Gesa Field. The 10-year agreement is valued at a minimum $11 million, that will escalate as additional Gesa consumer-based incentives are reached.

"Washington State University was established 130 years ago to serve the citizens of our state," said Kirk Schulz, President of Washington State University. "That commitment to improving the lives of Washingtonians is in our DNA. For that reason, we are thrilled to partner with Gesa Credit Union, an organization that shares our pledge to community service."
 
The partnership between WSU and Gesa is the credit union's latest commitment to making a positive impact in the communities it serves across the region.
 
"This is an exciting day for our team members and nearly 260,000 members throughout Washington state," said Don Miller, President and CEO of Gesa Credit Union. "WSU's mission to advance, extend and apply knowledge aligns with our mission and long tradition of supporting educational causes. Partnering with WSU Athletics provides Gesa with elevated name recognition to expand our reach and strengthen membership, and supports education, students, and alumni by positively impacting our communities through financial education and awareness, all while continuing to return value to our members."
 
The agreement with WSU Athletics will formalize the first major sponsorship announced under the new Gesa Credit Union which recently merged with Inspirus Credit Union making it the second-largest credit union in the state. Under this new agreement, specially designed WSU co-branded debit and credit cards will be available to members that directly support student-athletes. Each time cardholders swipe their WSU co-branded Gesa VISA® debit or credit card, a donation is made to the Cougar Athletic Fund which supports student-athletes in continuing their education. The WSU co-branded cards are free to Gesa members with a checking account. Community members wishing to obtain a WSU Gesa VISA® debit or credit card can visit one of Gesa's branches and have a new card instantly printed or receive one by mail to support WSU student-athletes.
 
"Today begins a historic partnership between Gesa Credit Union and Washington State University," said WSU Director of Athletics Pat Chun. "This partnership unites two organizations with a shared vision of educating and impacting communities throughout the state of Washington and Pacific Northwest. In addition, this partnership will impact our goal of providing a first-class experience for our student-athletes. We welcome Gesa Credit Union as the newest members of the WSU Family and look forward to great victories, memories and moments for WSU Football taking place on Gesa Field."
Beyond the naming of Gesa Field, Gesa Credit Union will have a significant visual presence within the football stadium, including digital and static signage, game entitlement opportunities, as well as branding within other WSU Athletic venues and satellite campuses. Additional opportunities include promotion on the Cougar Radio Network and collaboration on WSU Athletics-branded products and services. 
 
Several new products and incentives also will be offered to Gesa members and Coug fans across the Northwest, including a student-run branch in the heart of the Pullman campus scheduled to open September 2021. Gesa members will be eligible for early access and exclusive ticket discounts for football events and post-season play. Gesa will offer WSU-themed account packages, drawings for exclusive events, discounted single-game tickets to WSU Athletics, Junior Cougar Kids Club offerings, select VIP parking, and Gesa member-only access areas on gamedays. Members can learn more by following Gesa on social and at gesa.com/wsu.
 
The Cougars' first game at the newly-named Gesa Field is scheduled for Sept. 4, 2021, when WSU hosts Utah State. Gesa Credit Union's brand-new relationship with WSU Athletics – Gesa's  first foray into the collegiate landscape – came together with the assistance of Learfield IMG College, the university's athletics multimedia rights holder, ISE Properties, a division of Independent Sports & Entertainment, and Leona Marketing Group.

The Ben Franklin Transit (BFT) Board of Directors approved the agency’s 2021 Modified Annual Service Plan and accompanying Title VI service equity analysis for release for public comment at the regular monthly Board meeting on Thursday, March 11, 2021. Per the Governor’s COVID-19 Proclamation 20-28 Open Public Meetings Act, a physical meeting location was not provided for this meeting, however, telephonic access information was provided to allow public attendance via Zoom.

The 2021 Modified Annual Service Plan seeks to implement the remaining service initiatives from the agency’s Comprehensive Service Plan and the Service Restoration Plan to improve connectivity and meet rider demand within BFT’s service area. The phased plans are scheduled for implementation between June and August of 2021 and include:

Frequent Service Corridors (FSC)
The goals of the FSC program are to reduce travel time, transfers, and passenger wait times with:

• Increased frequency on select bus routes with high weekday ridership 
• Increased frequency on several Saturday bus routes 

Sunday Service
The Sunday service plan represents a significant operational transition from six to seven days a week for BFT services. The planned services would be available on Sundays from 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. including:

• Select bus routes operating every 30 minutes
• Full Dial-A-Ride service
• Full BFT CONNECT service 

BFT is offering three opportunities for community input and encourages the public to participate and provide feedback on these significant new service initiatives planned for 2021.

1. Two virtual public open houses with LIVE Q&A:

• March 17 | 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. 
• March 24 | 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. 

2. Public Hearing:

• April 8 | during the regular BFT Board meeting

3. 30-day Comment Period (ends April 12, 2021):

• Email input to [email protected], OR
• Call the Customer Comment line at 509-734-5201

The 2021 Modified Annual Service Plan in its entirety and links to the virtual open houses are available at bft.org/newplaces.