Mid-Columbia Libraries (MCL) now offers personalized recommendations via its online “Ask the Library” service for readers looking to dive into their next great eBook or eAudiobook.

Customers can visit midcolumbialibraries.org/askus or click the “What should I read next?” banner on MCL’s website, then write three of their favorite books or authors in the message window. A library staff member will reply via text or email with several suggested titles, accessible in the library’s digital collection, based on customer input. Customers can use the free reading app, Libby, or visit midcolumbialibraries.org/ebooks to find and borrow a recommended title.

MCL’s 12 branches and Bookmobile remain closed through May 4 in compliance with Gov. Jay Inslee's statewide stay home order. Cardholders can enjoy 24/7 access to thousands of eBooks, eAudiobooks, streaming video, and more at midcolumbialibraries.org.

A $10,000 grant secured by the Yakima Valley Partners for Education (YVPfE) will be used to help 220 families in the Lower Yakima Valley impacted by the COVID-19 virus. The Latino Community Fund of Washington, one of the members of YVPfE, secured the grant from the Communities of Color Coalition, and will use the money to give food vouchers to families in Mabton, Grandview and Sunnyside hardest hit by business closures due to the virus. Fiesta Foods in Sunnyside is also providing $1,000 to help with this emergency relief.

Micaela Razo, project manager for Latino Community Fund in central Washington, said many low-income migrants in Mabton, Grandview and Sunnyside now have no incomes to feed their families after losing their jobs. “These families have no other way to provide for their loved ones, and are in need of the economic support this grant will bring,” said Razo.

Latino Community Fund is a member of YVPfE, an organization formed by Heritage University to tackle the challenges of educational attainment faced by communities in Yakima County across the cradle to career continuum – also known as collective impact. 

In administering this specific grant, the organization will work with the school districts of Grandview, Mabton and Sunnyside to identify the families impacted by COVID-19 to provide them with food vouchers they can use immediately. 

The Arts Center Task Force has created the ACTF COVID-19 Artist Relief Fund to provide short-term relief in the form of unrestricted grants to Tri-Cities artists and organizations who have lost income related to the COVID-19 crisis. Our necessary efforts to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic by "Sheltering in Place" has had catastrophic effects on artists, and arts and culture organizations in our community. 100% of all donations submitted through this fund will go to support local artists and arts groups. To make a donation or to apply for a grant please visit artscentertaskforce.com.

“The Arts Center Task Force was happy to step up and provide some support for local artists and organizations,” said Steve Wiley, ACTF Board Chair. “We know the arts, from music and movies, to paintings and poetry, have provided people so much comfort during this pandemic. It is important we do what we can to support them as much as their art has supported us.”

In addition to the Relief Fund, the ACTF is hosting a series of online discussions with local arts groups, artists and performers. Tune in to hear about how these amazing hometown arts-heroes are making, consuming, and sustaining art in the time of COVID-19. These events are free, but donations to the ACTF COVID-19 Artist Relief Fund are welcome. Each talk will be hosted via Zoom at https://us04web.zoom.us/j/75880721924.

Our first discussion, 'The Directors,' was held on Friday, April 17, was attended by over 40 people and on April 24 we will host our second panel discussion, the ‘Visual Artists’ featuring Ray Castaneda, Saul Martinez, Ashleigh Rogers, and Madison Rosenbaum.

For more information on all ACTF activities related to COVID-19 please visit artscentertaskforce.com.

​Campbell & Company, a locally owned HVAC, electrical, plumbing and sewer business, launched a challenge to the Tri Cities Community to proactively help local people in need during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A GoFundMe campaign has been created to contribute to the Community Strong program where every dollar donated will go to struggling local restaurants and we will in-turn provide free meals to those in need. “As of Monday, April 20, $15,630 has been raised!” announced General Manager Brian Campbell. ““The community has been great to us for over 37 years and we’re glad we could help support some of our neighbors in this time of need. We’ve seen overwhelming support from local individuals and want to thank everyone who made a donation. Tri-Cities truly is… Community Strong!” 

Campbell & Company has partnered with the local Non-Profit, Communities in Schools of Benton-Franklin, to distribute the proceeds to the families in the most need throughout our communities. This non-profit currently does amazing work with our local school districts to help students and families overcome any barriers that prevent them from achieving in school and in life.  This includes connecting them with the various resources our community has to offer. 

Logistically, Campbell & Company will collect the funds, then purchase gift certificates from local restaurants.  Communities in Schools of Benton Franklin will distribute the purchased gift cards to to the students and families identified as needing.

"Our staff is working hard to ensure we have communicated with our students and families that we assist and properly identify the needs and ensure that we connect them with the proper resources.  For those who need assistance with food or have a food insecurity, our staff will ensure that they have access to the supplied gift certificates.  How students and families actually receive the certificates would be dependent of what our staff and our families feel most comfortable with.  For most it is a coordinated doorstep drop off and for others it is simply emailing the certificate to them," explains Tommy Heppler Director of Development for Communities in Schools of Benton-Franklin.

As part of the Community Strong Campaign, Campbell is demonstrating their faith in American courage and resiliency by displaying over 180 American flags on their trucks and headquarters.

Ben Franklin Transit (BFT) will launch a new on-demand transit service in West Pasco on April 20, 2020, starting with support for essential travel needs during the COVID-19 crisis. The service—called BFT CONNECT—will be powered by Via, the company that provides digital infrastructure to power public mobility in cities across the world, under a contract approved by the BFT Board of Directors and signed earlier this year.

The service was originally scheduled to launch in early April as a first-and-last mile service that would extend access to affordable, efficient, and convenient public transit, and has been rapidly transformed to support residents and essential workers during the current pandemic.

BFT CONNECT will allow riders within active service zones to request a ride directly through the Via mobile app. Via’s powerful technology directs passengers to a nearby corner for pickup, allowing for quick and efficient trips to or from designated Transit Connections within the same zone.

Under normal operations, Transit Connections will include major bus stops and transit centers. However, as an added service during ongoing emergency response in the community, select essential service locations including pharmacies, grocery stores, and health clinics will be included as Transit Connections with front door drop-off and pickup.

In the Via app, customers can see, in real time, their available trip options, how far away their driver is, and estimated time of arrival at their destination. Customers without smartphones will be able to call in to request rides and receive text updates as appropriate. During the state of emergency, no fares will be collected for this service in accordance with BFT’s ongoing safety measures. Once normal fare collection resumes, fares will be collected for BFT CONNECT rides through the Via app, cash, or BFT tickets and passes.

Under current emergency operating conditions, only one passenger will be allowed in each vehicle per trip, though the service is intended to and will eventually be a shared ride service, with Via’s advanced algorithms allowing multiple riders to seamlessly share a vehicle. At launch, a second passenger will be allowed only as a companion traveling to and from the same destinations, and riders must sit in the back row of the vehicle to maintain proper social distancing from the driver.

“We have been planning for many months to introduce this exciting new on-demand option in our service area,” said BFT general manager Gloria Boyce. “And though we initially delayed it due to the pandemic declaration, we have realized bringing it online now represents a value-added community service during this time of emergency and hardship for so many. It will allow us to help better meet the mobility needs of our riders and community at this critical time, give us flexibility to adapt to changes in staffing availability at BFT, and fill service gaps as they arise.”

For Via’s part, the company is pleased to partner with the BFT team to bring a flexible approach to solving transit needs in the community: “We are proud to work with BFT to rapidly introduce on-demand public transit to support their community with essential travel needs at this critical time,” said Via CEO and co-founder Daniel Ramot. “Via’s technology provides a flexible mobility solution that currently enables dozens of partners around the globe to transform existing transit infrastructure swiftly and efficiently when it is needed most in emergency situations, and the launch of BFT CONNECT represents an opportunity for innovation-forward cities and transit agencies to follow.”

West Pasco will be the only BFT CONNECT service zone to launch on April 20, due to bus route reductions implemented last week in the area to address staffing availability and temporarily realign service to essential locations. The remaining five planned BFT CONNECT zones will be active by end of May. Details about the service, including how it will work during and after the state of emergency, are available at www.bft.org/ConnectOnDemand. This page will be updated as new zones are announced and/or emergency operating conditions change.

Campbell & Company, a locally owned HVAC, electrical plumbing and sewer business, has launched a challenge to the Tri Cities Community to proactively help local people in need during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A GoFundMe campaign has been created to contribute to the Community Strong program where every dollar donated will go to struggling local restaurants and we will in-turn provide free meals to those in need. As of Friday, April 3, $10,770 has been raised!

Campbell & Company has partnered with the local Non-Profit, Communities in Schools of Benton-Franklin, to distribute the proceeds to the families in the most need throughout our communities. This non-profit currently does amazing work with our local school districts to help students and families overcome any barriers that prevent them from achieving in school and in life.  This includes connecting them with the various resources our community has to offer. 

The Community Strong logo has been developed for anyone to use. There’s no copyright so it’s available for those that want to emphasize community spirit.  Just copy the j-peg logo under donate now at www.trustcampbell.com while making your donation

Also as part of the Community Strong Campaign, Campbell is demonstrating their faith in American courage and resiliency by displaying over 180 American flags on their trucks and headquarters.

For kids at home, a Community Strong thank you coloring sheet is available here for exercising creativity and gratitude. 

Beginning April 13, 2020 and until further notice, Ben Franklin Transit (BFT) will suspend five regular bus routes in Pasco and replace them with two new interim routes as the agency continuously works to maintain a balance between maximizing connectivity to essential services, adjusting for significantly decreased demand in response to Governor Jay Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order, and managing fluid changes in staffing availability.

The following bus routes will be suspended effective Monday, April 13, 2020:

• Route 64
• Route 65
• Route 66
• Route 67
• Route 268

The following new bus routes will begin on Monday, April 13, 2020 on a temporary basis to maintain accessibility to essential services:

• Route 61E. This route will replace Routes 64 and 65, and provide one-way service departing 22nd Avenue Transit Center along Route 64 and continuing to Tierra Vida before returning along Route 65 to 22nd Avenue Transit Center. It will run every 25 minutes or less Monday through Saturday until further notice.
• Route 69E. This route will combine and replace Routes 66 and 67 and provide westbound service on Sylvester Street and eastbound service on Court Street. It will run every 60 minutes on weekdays until further notice.

Customers who normally ride Routes 64, 65, 66, or 67 can visit www.bft.org/Services/Route-61-69-E/ to see maps and schedules for Routes 61E and 69E, and which stops they can use to access the new routes.
Impacts in West Pasco:

• There will be no bus service available in West Pasco south of I-182 and west of Road 68 because of these changes. BFT is working to implement an on-demand service to address this coverage gap in the near future.

“BFT remains committed to protecting our employees while serving members of our community in need of essential transportation services during this time,” said BFT general manager Gloria Boyce. “We have been carefully monitoring ridership and staffing and have reached a point where additional changes are necessary and prudent.“

The routes being suspended in Pasco have limited connectivity to essential businesses, significantly focus on service to schools which are not in operation, and have recently been experiencing very low ridership. The goal of the two temporary replacement routes is to continue providing as much bus network coverage as possible, while prioritizing route connectivity to essential services.

In addition, BFT had been planning to implement a new on-demand service designed to help customers connect to the bus system in April, prior to the pandemic declaration and the Governor’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order. Though the launch for this service, to be named BFT CONNECT, was initially delayed, BFT is now working with its contracted partner to explore implementation in the near future to help maintain service coverage and flexibility during ongoing emergency response conditions and beyond.

BFT will continue to provide regular service on all other bus routes at this time and will notify customers via Facebook and Twitter, on its website at www.bft.org/Covid-19, and by other means as appropriate of any further changes in service.

For the most up-to-date bus schedules we recommend that riders download and use the Transit app, or check MyRide.BFT.org. Phone support is also available Mon-Fri 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sat 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 509.735.5100.

To protect our passengers and drivers, BFT is continuing daily disinfection procedures in all our vehicles and facilities and continuing all implemented social distancing measures, including no fare collection and rear-door bus entry until further notice. Our top priorities are to continue essential service and to keep our employees and customers healthy and safe.
Reminders for Riders:

• IF YOU ARE NOT FEELING WELL, DO NOT TAKE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. Call your healthcare provider before you leave your home and follow their guidance.
• At this time, public transportation should only be used for ESSENTIAL TRIPS, including for food/grocery needs, medical appointments, pharmacy, and work.

BFT will continue to monitor COVID-19-related developments and take appropriate action using guidance from public health authorities.

Bechtel delivered 1,000 N95 masks to Tri-Cities emergency responders and health care providers on Wednesday to help in the global fight to protect communities against the coronavirus pandemic, in cooperation with the Tri-City Economic Development Council.

“Our first responders, nurses, doctors and care providers are on the front lines of this fight in our community and around the world,” said Valerie McCain, Bechtel Principal Vice President. “They are our last defense, and we’re grateful for their heroism. I’m glad we can help in even a small way to keep them safer.”
The donation was made in connection with a community drive TRIDEC launched in March to collect personal protective equipment, such as masks and gloves, being distributed to local hospitals, nursing homes, and police and fire departments.

“A donation of this size is truly an investment in our community,” said TRIDEC President and CEO Karl Dye. “This is another example of Bechtel’s commitment to supporting people and working families in the Tri-Cities. We're grateful for their leadership and generosity during these uncertain times.”

The Tri-Cities donation is part of a larger effort for Bechtel, which has delivered more than 16,500 masks and other PPE to local communities around the country where its employees work at projects and corporate offices. Workers delivered the donated masks to the Franklin County Emergency Management facility in Pasco.
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“We are all in this together,” McCain said. “And we will get through this together.”

Trios Health has launched an online community platform that allows friends, family, church communities and the community at large to connect with current patients. Trios Chaplain, Ondria Hitt shares, “For hospitalized patients, staying connected to their support systems and receiving encouragement and love from family and friends is a meaningful part of healing and recovery. We know that our patients not being able to have visitors and loved ones at their bedside can be an isolating and lonely experience. We want our patients to know they are not forgotten, and that people care about them.  Prayers, poems, scriptures, or your heartfelt messages will matter and make a difference.” Isolation has become a very real concern since our local hospitals have restricted visitation to protect both patients and staff during the COVID-19 outbreak. 

Staff at Trios will be printing out the messages and delivering to patients with the hope that this communication will bring comfort, encouragement and peace during this very challenging time.  And, for a community self-isolating at home, Chaplain Ondria shares, “We are finding creative ways to help keep our patients spirits up while helping the community know how they can remain close to their loved ones and other patients. The kindness of our community has been like a prayer in motion as they continue to reach out to help in so many ways.  We acknowledge the community with deep gratitude for their care. 
Anyone from the community can share well wishes and words of inspiration online Trios patients. Please visit bit.ly/2V9bFPA to fill out your message. The link will also be posted on the Trios website - trioshealth.org/COVID-19/.

Mid-Columbia Libraries' (MCL) 12 branches and Bookmobile are closed through May 4 in compliance with Gov. Jay Inslee's extended statewide stay home order aimed at curbing the state's outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19).

MCL has added titles to its digital collection to keep up with increased demand; thousands of eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMagazines, Read-Along books, and more are available 24/7 at midcolumbialibraries.org/ebooks. An instant digital library card is available using just a mobile phone number; new customers can download the Libby app to get started.

Other digital resources offered by the library include the genealogy search tool Ancestry, which is now available from home with a library card number. MCL has also increased viewer credits from five to 10 per month for its streaming video service, Kanopy, and offers unlimited kids’ viewing in Kanopy Kids.

Customers can read and engage with MCL online this spring for a chance to win great prizes during the Spring Reading Challenge. Information and updates, as well as weekly Facebook Live storytimes, are available on MCL’s website and on Facebook.