Join Visit Tri-Cities in celebrating National Travel and Tourism Week, May 3-9, 2021. This year’s event themed the “The Power of Travel,” highlights the tourism industry’s role in bringing back a more vibrant community, restoring the U.S. economy, rebuilding the tourism workforce and reconnecting America. 

“Prior to the pandemic, tourism generated $490 million in visitor spending and supported more than 5,600 jobs in the Tri-Cities. These dollars help fund police and fire, teachers and schools, the maintenance of roadways and the beautification of our parks,” said Michael Novakovich, President & CEO of Visit Tri-Cities. “While the pandemic continues to have a significant impact on the tourism industry, there are signs that we’re moving toward recovery. And with the spirit of recovery in mind, we invite the entire Tri-Cities community in joining us as we support local tourism-based businesses.”

We look forward to hosting our second (and hopefully last!) virtual National Travel & Tourism Week via Visit Tri-Cities' Facebook page. Each day at 1 p.m. Visit Tri-Cities will celebrate our tourism partners via Facebook Live: Hospitality (Monday, May 3), Delicious Dishes (Tuesday, May 4), History & Heritage (Wednesday, May 5), Outdoor & Adventure Recreation (Thursday, May 6) and Happy Hour Hangouts (Friday, May 7).

It’s not truly a celebration without a contest and outstanding prizes! Visitors and residents are invited to share their photos of their favorite Tri-Cities experience on Facebook and Instagram using hashtag #TCTourismMatters. Daily prizes include some of Tri-Cities favorites: Moonshot Brewing, Bayou Some Cajun, Greenies and AXE KPR. The Grand Prize features a two-night stay at the Holiday Inn Richland Riverfront and evening with Picnic Deluxe. 

Trios Health is pleased to announce that LifeCenter Northwest has recognized Trios Southridge Hospital with its Collaboration Achievement Award.

This award recognizes Trios’ support of life-saving organ donation and honors LifeCenter’s hospital partners that excel in the area of planning a collaborative family conversation with LifeCenter Northwest.

Trios is one of only 28 hospitals across LifeCenter Northwest’s entire four-state, 230+ hospital Donation Service Area (DSA) that reached or exceeded a 90 percent collaborative request rate in 2020.

“We are honored and grateful for this recognition and to be able to work with LifeCenter Northwest to collaborate with families and make organ donation possible,” said John Solheim, Trios Health CEO. “We are also tremendously grateful for our care providers and the compassionate care they deliver to these families and their loved ones.”

In 2020, LifeCenter Northwest transplanted 861 total organs from 298 total donors across its service area, saving 813 lives. 

“It is an honor to work with outstanding hospital partners like Trios Health Southridge Hospital,” said LifeCenter Northwest President and CEO, Kevin O’Connor. “We greatly appreciate the contributions they make to help save and heal lives through organ donation.”

As the Vit Plant team moves closer to starting up the first of two melters inside the Low-Activity Waste (LAW) Facility, Bechtel National, Inc. today launches a new website that explains the commissioning process, including critical activities such as the loss of power test and melter heatup process.
 
"We want our key stakeholders and local community to understand the steps being taken to ensure a safe, quality, and effective heatup of the first melter," said Mat Irwin, Department of Energy Office of River Protection deputy assistant manager for the plant. "We are approaching a 24/7 operational situation at a pace not seen at the Hanford Site in many years. We're excited to deliver on this commitment to our community."
 
The two 300-ton waste melters inside the LAW Facility will heat Hanford's low-activity tank waste and glass-forming materials to 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit and transform, or vitrify, it for safe disposal. Vitrify means immobilizing the waste and materials within a glass form. The loss of power test will demonstrate the team is able to protect the melter by putting the LAW Facility into safe condition and restoring power before any damage to the melter occurs. 
 
The Journey to Melter Heatup website includes information such as:

• The many activities that must be completed to enable melter heatup, such as installing key equipment and tuning the exhaust system.
• Definitions of common melter heatup terminology.
• Key facts such as how many days it takes to bring the melter up to target temperature.
• The latest news on progress toward heatup.

For example, initial heatup of the melter takes about 22 days, followed by several days of testing with the addition of glass startup materials that melt at low temperatures, and then another 30 days of feeding in glass-forming materials.
 
Melter heatup will culminate 2021's progress toward starting Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) treatment by the end of 2023. DFLAW is a system of interdependent projects and infrastructure improvements, managed and highly integrated as a program, that must operate together to vitrify low-activity waste.

The Capital Budget, approved late last week by the Washington State Legislature, will deliver $7.5 million in funding to construct infrastructure to serve the Port of Pasco’s new Reimann Industrial Center.

A large allocation for infrastructure, the funding will make it possible for the Port and its community partners to begin Phase 1 of development.  When complete, the Reimann Industrial Center is expected to create more than 1,000 manufacturing jobs and inject over $10 million in new property taxes into Franklin County. The state Capital Budget funding is contingent upon a new large ag processor officially committing to locate at the Reimann Industrial Center.

“Port of Pasco’s Commissioners are pleased and grateful for the Washington Legislature’s funding of the Reimann Industrial Center project,” said Commission President Jim Klindworth. “We appreciate their vote of confidence in the Port, and its ability to create successful economic development projects.”

The port district received support from all local legislators in the 8th, 9th, and 16th Districts. Klindworth also acknowledged the support of the Senate and House Capital Budget Committees and leaders of those committees.

The 300-acre Reimann Industrial Center is the Port’s newest development area. Currently undeveloped, the Reimann is on the East side of Railroad Avenue between Foster Wells Road and Vineyard Avenue.

State funds will be combined with the Port’s own investment from its Economic Development Opportunity Fund as well as support from other local partners. The Phase 1 project will cost an estimated $15.8 million. The funds will install a water main, sewer main, railroad crossing and rail spur, broadband, and improvements to a portion of Railroad Avenue to include left-hand turn lanes into the Reimann.

“This has been a coordinated team effort over several months,” said Executive Director Randy Hayden. “The Port appreciates all the hard work and effort by our state legislators, the City of Pasco, Franklin County, Franklin PUD, TRIDEC and many others.”

Developing the Reimann will continue the Port’s successful tradition of establishing industrial development projects that have historically attracted food processing, cold storage, and distribution facilities.

​TBEX North America 2021 will take place October 12-14, 2021 at the Three Rivers Convention Center in in Kennewick. The event was rescheduled from August due to the ongoing uncertainty of the pandemic. 

“We are excited to bring this event to Tri-Cities and the decision to postpone was not made lightly,” said Rick Calvert, CEO of TBEX.  “We believe rescheduling the event allows more time for traveler confidence to grow, more people to get vaccinated and for additional restrictions to be lifted, resulting in a more successful event and better experience for attendees and sponsors.”

In July 2020, it was announced the Tri-Cities was selected as the host destination for TBEX North America 2021, the largest conference and networking event for influential travel content creators from throughout North America and beyond. TBEX is expected to attract approximately 350-400 travel bloggers, online journalists, content creators and industry professionals with an online reach of more than 300 million.

“We are looking forward to welcoming TBEX to Tri-Cities in October,” said Michael Novakovich, President & CEO of Visit Tri-Cities. “Partnering with TBEX provides a great opportunity to highlight the amazing tourism assets and attractions available in our community and will aid in our region’s economic recovery by creating additional interest and future visitation to our destination. October is a fantastic month to experience the Tri-Cities. Fall festivals and activities will be underway and the weather is ideal to take advantage of the numerous outdoor recreation activities available.”

The conference program features three days of educational and networking opportunities as well as familiarization tours throughout the Tri-Cities highlighting the region’s exciting and unique attractions, from STEM activities and outdoor recreation to wineries and farm-to-table. The Tri-Cities can look forward to immediate and exponential exposure as attendees share their Tri-Cities experience via social channels.  
 
To learn more about TBEX, visit https://tbexcon.com/. 

Dr. Rachel Fidino, CEO and owner of New U Women’s Clinic and Aesthetics, and founder of the Healing Hands Project has been contacted by Wellspring Living in Atlanta Georgia for help with young girls rescued from sex trafficking. The girls receive transformative care through therapeutic services, education, life skills and personal and professional development. The Healing Hands Project has sent 1500 free menstrual hygiene supply kits and educational information to assist them during their 90 day stay in the program. “We are so grateful for this help”, Dr. Heather Quaile, Medical Administrator for the Wellspring Living Receiving Hope Center noted.

HHP was also contacted by a middle school in Brooklyn New York for kits as well.

 “Our non-profit started as a way to provide free hygiene kits to homeless women throughout the Pacific Northwest. The need is nationwide. We are able to do this with the help of generous donors” Dr. Fidino explains.

New U Women’s Clinic & Aesthetics offers a unique experience for women with specialized services that are not offered anywhere else in the Tri-Cities region. The Clinic is a one-stop solution to handle virtually every aspect of a female’s life. 

The mission of The Healing Hands Project is to empower women with dignity, knowledge, and basic human rights by improving menstrual health, access to necessities and quality of life.
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For more information go to www.thehealinghandsproject.org.

The Prosser Memorial Health Foundation Board has approved awarding (1) $2,000.00 scholarship for each of the three high schools in the Prosser Memorial Health services area including: Prosser, Grandview, and Kiona-Benton. This scholarship is available to seniors pursuing a higher education degree in the healthcare industry.

“The Prosser Memorial Health Foundation Board and its Auxiliary Volunteers are excited to offer this scholarship opportunity to seniors in our community. We want to encourage and support students who are interested in a career in the healthcare industry whether that be as a doctor, nurse, or healthcare administrator – all play an important role in Prosser Memorial Health’s ability to deliver high quality, affordable healthcare to the communities we serve,” said Shannon Hitchcock, Executive Director.

Applications must be received by May 5, 2021 and are available now on the Foundation website at prosserhealth.foundation. Completed applications may be emailed to [email protected].

HAPO, Gesa and Numerica joined forces to do “Whatever It Takes to Build Great Futures” for children in our community! In partnership with the Boys & Girls Club, during the month of April we are hosting an online fundraising campaign to raise funds for local youth programs. Broadmoor Storage Solutions will be matching all donations up to $15,000 and our credit unions will be triple matching donations each week.

Additionally, HAPO, Gesa and Numerica are battling it out in weekly challenges to show our commitment in doing Whatever It Takes for kids. Credit union contestants will go head-to-head eating the world’s spiciest gummy bear, participating in the electric shock “hot potato” game, and braving disgusting bowls of mystery items in the blindfolded box contest. Challenges will air live on the organization’s Facebook and YouTube channel each Thursday at 1:30 pm through the end of the month.

The Boys & Girls Club was able to provide help to over 10,000 kids and families during the pandemic and that wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our community. We ask you to join in, make a donation and your donation will not only be matched, but tripled. The Boys & Girls Clubs rely on individual donations and corporate contributions to ensure their services are available to support the needs of children, teens, and families throughout our community.

Donations can be made on the organization’s website: greatclubs.org.

The next seminar in Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Community Science and Technology Seminar Series, “Catalysis – Nature’s Way,” presented by Bojoana Ginovska, a staff scientist at PNNL, will take place on Tuesday, April 27, 2021, at 5:00 p.m., via Zoom.
 
Enzymes are nature’s catalysts. They are biomolecules that help facilitate chemical reactions so that they can occur under mild conditions. At PNNL we study enzymes in order to understand the functional principles they use to regulate the chemical reactions. This knowledge allows us to transfer some of these principles to synthetic catalysts that are more efficient, cheaper and cleaner and can be used in industrial processes. In this presentation, I will give an overview of a few enzymes that are relevant to chemical transformation for energy applications and present some findings that have revealed some of their unique properties.

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.

Mid-Columbia Libraries (MCL) welcomes Ivone Guillen as the newest member of its Board of Trustees. She was officially appointed to the seven-member library board by a joint resolution of Benton and Franklin County Commissions on March 9.

Guillen has extensive experience in public service and is dedicated to working for social change that embraces, protects, and equips vulnerable and underserved communities. She joined the Broetje Family Trust in fall 2020 as an immigration outreach manager. In this role, she leads a new initiative aimed at reaching and supporting immigrant communities in the Tri-Cities. She is also currently the vice chair of the Tri-Cities Immigrant Coalition (TCIC).

Bilingual and biliterate in English and Spanish, Guillen has a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Spanish from Gonzaga University and a Master of Public Administration from American University in Washington, D.C., with a concentration in public policy analysis.

In her role on the MCL Board of Trustees, Guillen says she seeks to further strengthen library accessibility, expand community participation, and build on MCL’s efforts surrounding inclusion, equity, and diversity. As a DACA recipient herself, she knows firsthand the barriers many families face and believes equitable access to services is key.

“Growing up, I spent hours each summer at the Pasco branch reading and doing research on computers,” Guillen recalls. “I was able to access libraries largely due in part to mentors who directed me to the library. I took that practice with me when I left the area. Literacy and equitable access to resources are some of the ways people can really expand their horizons.”
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Board member terms are seven years. The Board is the policy-making body for the library district. Board meetings take place on the third Tuesday of the month and are open to the public and comments are welcome.