Drop in for this one-day-only event and get an early start on your holiday shopping. Shop for one-of-a-kind handcrafted items, décor, unique gifts, homemade housewares, and more with 125 vendors to choose from!

This event is brought to you by the City of Kennewick Parks & Recreation Department.
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Join us on Saturday, October 20 from 9am to 3pm at the Southridge Sports & Events Complex. Admission is $3 per person or $5 per couple. Kids under 12 are free.

​As part of the Connect Tri-Cities event, keynote speaker Edward DeJesus will speak to student veteran at Washington State University, Tri-Cities on Monday, October 1. The free event will take place from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. at the WSU Tri-Cities Veteran’s Center and is open to all student veterans and media. Lunch will be provided and there will be an opportunity for additional questions after the formal presentation. 

WSU Tri-Cities earned the 2017 Military Friendly School designation from Victory Media, publisher of G.I. Jobs, STEM Jobs and Military Spouse. “We’re pleased to partner with Edward DeJesus and Connect Tri-Cities to bring this opportunity to our veterans and campus community. We have a very dynamic student veteran population on our campus that are leaders in and out of a classroom and many of them chose to work in the Tri-Cities after graduation,” says Dr. Chris Meiers, Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs and Outreach.

Edward DeJesus is the president of DeJesus Solutions, which works to improve programs and policies for youth, young adults and veterans transitioning to the workforce. DeJesus is a W.K. Kellogg Foundation National Fellow and holds a Master’s Degree in Management and Urban Policy Analysis. He is the author of several books and publications about the importance of social capital and making connections to be successful in the workplace.

Mid-Columbia Libraries (MCL) celebrates its fall literary festival, NEA Big Read: Mid-Columbia, with a kick-off event and book giveaway Oct. 1 at 4 pm at Mid-Columbia Libraries’ Keewaydin Park Branch, located at 405 S. Dayton St. in Kennewick.

This year’s featured title is the dystopian novel “Station Eleven,” by international bestselling author Emily St. John Mandel. The book was a finalist for a National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award and won the 2015 Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Toronto Book Award, and the Morning News Tournament of Books; it has been translated into 31 languages.
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The event is open to the public; light refreshments will be served. It marks the first of a variety of special programs culminating in A Conversation With Emily St. John Mandel on Nov. 8. For details and a complete event calendar, readers can visit midcolumbialibraries.org/nea-big-read-mid-columbia.

NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. NEA Big Read: Mid-Columbia is presented in partnership with Batelle, Leidos/Centerra, Abadan, Tri-CU, and Friends of Mid-Columbia Libraries. The Mid-Columbia region is one of 79 communities nationwide participating in the NEA Big Read from September 2018 through June 2019.

Connect Tri-Cities is a multi-faceted event, including a job fair, STEM competition, veterans outreach, apprentice panel discussion, resume and interview assistance, science demonstrations, networking, and more. More than $25,000 in giveaways, including books, Chromebooks, wireless headphones, trade tools and more, will be given away on Oct. 3 (must be present to win).

Connect Tri-Cities brings together job seekers, policy makers, educators, labor, Tribes, veterans and industry to build the local workforce of the future. All events are free and open to the public. Connect Tri-Cities is a unique community event championed by TRIDEC and sponsored by Hanford contractor Mission Support Alliance and their corporate partners Leidos and Centerra Group.

Connect Tri-Cities 2018 is designed to enable career path and job connections and is a unique opportunity to engage with the Tri-Cities community, small businesses and the young minds of our future.

Where: Three Rivers Convention Center; 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd. in Kennewick

Tuesday, Oct. 2
8:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. – High School STEM Scholarship Competition
Seventeen teams of local high school students will participate in oral presentations before a panel of judges. Winners will be announced that evening, with $20,000 being awarded to the top three teams.
5 – 7 p.m. – Opening Reception, Hosted by UA Local 598 (*public by invitation only; media please RSVP)

Wednesday, Oct. 3
7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Job Fair and Resume/Interview Support
Join more than 70 organizations, including organized labor, educators, local businesses and Hanford contractors to learn about employment opportunities. Over 1,000 high school students will be bussed in throughout the day. Human Resources representatives from Hanford contractor Mission Support Alliance will be available to provide resume and interview support.
8 – 9:30 a.m. – Veterans Breakfast (*public by invitation only; media please RSVP)
Keynote speaker Edward DeJesus will discuss the challenges veterans face in finding a job and share advice on navigating these challenges. Nick Weathers with Helmets to Hardhats will also discuss opportunities for veterans.
8:30 – 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. – Apprentice Panel Discussion
Attendees will learn what an apprentice program is, what programs are available in our community and meet current or recently graduated apprentices.
9:30 – 10 a.m.; 11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. and 1 – 1:30 p.m. – Experience Science with Kevin Delaney
Join renowned science presenter Kevin Delaney (you may recognize him from The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon) for live action science demonstrations!
10:30 – 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. – Veterans in PipingTM
Representatives from Helmets to Hardhats and Veterans in PipingTM will present their programs, which help veterans turn their military skills into life-long careers paying a higher family wage.
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Diversity & Inclusion Lunch (*public by invitation only;media please RSVP)
Panelists will include Edward DeJesus; Major (retired) Scott Smiley; Dr. Sandra Haynes, WSU Tri-Cities Chancellor; Dr. Rebekah Woods, Columbia Basin College President; and Semi Bird, Team Concepts Training Services.

RSVP: For the STEM Competition, an RSVP is requested prior to 3 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 1. For other events, please provide advance notice to our media contact.

​Senior customers are invited to Benton PUD’s annual Senior Day on Thursday, October 11 at both the Kennewick Benton PUD Auditorium and Prosser Benton PUD Auditorium.  
 
Benton PUD Customer Service Representatives and the Community Action Connections will provide information and assistance on Benton PUD’s low-income discounts.  Customers can receive one-on-one enrollment help and receive income verification from the Community Action Connections. 
 
The low-income monthly discounts are 10%, 15% or 25% based on their household total annual income.
 
The low-income senior discount qualifications are based on annual household income and age (62+).  The low income disabled discount qualifications are based on annual household income and a qualifying disability of the customer or member of the household.  Income verification is required for both discounts and is completed by the Community Action Connections.
 
There will also be presentations at the Benton PUD Kennewick Auditorium on Weatherization & Home Automation at 9:30 a.m. and Safety Tips at 10:30 a.m. 
 
Senior customers will receive a packet with information on electrical safety, energy saving tips and other items. Coffee, juice and cookies will be served.   

On Friday, September 28th, 2018 from 6:30 – 8:00 a.m. the Tri-Cities Cancer Center will kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month with our Let’s Make Pink Just Another Color event. The awareness event is open to the public and is free of charge.
Commemorative Let’s Make Pink Just Another Color Sweatshirts will be available for free to the first 100 people through the doors.

Attendees will learn about our nationally-accredited NAPBC Breast Center, breast self-exams, ways they can reduce their risk, clinical trials and our community survivorship program created to help patients achieve the highest quality of life after treatment. Fun booths, treats, tours and raffles to benefit breast cancer awareness efforts in our region. Once again, we will be lighting the building PINK with 3,000 twinkling lights in honor of those impacted by Breast Cancer.

The Resource Center at the Tri-Cities Cancer Center provides many valuable non-reimbursed cancer programs and services for patients, their families, and the community. Programs include Patient Nurse Navigation, no-cost screenings, cancer-education presentations, and wigs, hats, scarves, mastectomy bras, breast prostheses and so much more. These services are provided at no cost thanks to generous community support of the Tri-Cities Cancer Center Foundation.

What: Let’s Make Pink Just Another Color Breast Cancer Awareness Event
When: Friday, September 28th, 6:30 – 8:00 a.m.
Where: Tri-Cities Cancer Center, 7350 W. Deschutes Ave., Kennewick

At Tuesday night's City Council meeting, the Department of Ecology presented the City with the 2017 Wastewater Treatment Plant Outstanding Performance award for achieving full compliance with its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit in 2017. The City was evaluated on its compliance with effluent limits, monitoring and reporting requirements, spill prevention planning, pretreatment, and overall operational demands of the NPDES permit.

“It takes diligent operators and a strong management team, working effectively together, to achieve this high level of compliance,” said Department of Ecology Water Quality Program Manager Heather Bartlett. “It is not easy to operate a wastewater treatment plant 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, without violations.”

This is the eleventh consecutive year the Kennewick Wastewater Treatment Plant has received this award!

Fuse SPC will be deploying an extension of Fuse Launch, formerly known as TC Launch, an eight-week course called Launch University: Startup. Each week will feature a different topic ranging from customer service to legal to team building. Classes will be instructed by a Fuse mentor, member, or key partner; these people walk their walk, and consequently each class will have a slightly different feel.  However, each class will follow a standard program proven to boost learning and retention.

This eight-week course is designed to give startups, entrepreneurs, and small businesses a deeper understanding of their business model, including strengths and gaps. Students who go through the course will gain the confidence and skills to create their own action plan to launch their business to the next level. Launch University: Startup is structured to focus on the most useful and transferable skills for owners, C-level executives, and presidents of existing, early-stage companies. Ideally these are companies that have already formed, currently have customers and revenue, and are working through some challenges.

Classes will be held every Tuesday starting October 9th running through December 4th, with a one-week gap for Thanksgiving week. Each class will run approximately two hours starting at 6:30 p.m. The cost to attend for Fuse members is $292, or $36/class; non-members $396.

For more details and to register: fusespc.com/fuse-launch or email [email protected].

The Mid-Columbia Mastersingers return to the B Reactor National Historic Landmark for a weekend of concerts commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Manhattan Project. The performances will take place Friday and Saturday, September 28 and 29 (5:30pm bus departure), and Sunday, September 30 (4:30pm bus departure).

The concert program will explore aspects of why the U.S. chose to join World War II, framed by a celebration of our democratic system of government. Music will include Stravinsky’s arrangement of the Star Spangled Banner, the opening chorus of John Adams’ opera Doctor Atomic, Francis Poulenc’s Un Soir de Neige, Benjamin Britten’s Holy Sonnets of John Donne featuring tenor soloist Jason Wickson, Ligeti’s Lux Aeterna from Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, and more.

The Friday and Sunday performances ($100) include dinner and are for guests 21 years of age and older. The Saturday performance ($75) includes heavy appetizers. There is an optional add on fee for beer/wine service on Friday and Sunday. Catering will be provided by Ethos Bakery & Cafe. All three performances will include bus transportation to the reactor site. Visit www.MCMastersingers.org to order tickets. Tickets must be purchased in advance and none will be sold at the door. A portion of each ticket sold will be donated to support the Hanford Unit of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park.

For more information, call (509) 460-1766, email [email protected] or go to www.MCMastersingers.org.

MBC has been providing full service medical billing and practice management solutions for medical providers and businesses in the Tri-Cities community and outlying areas for the past 15 years.  MBC is now expanding our services to other areas of business as well.

We will be having an open house on Friday October 19th at our office located at 7320 West Hood Place, Suite 101 (downstairs from main building) in Kennewick from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. There will be refreshments, drawings and giveaways. If you are unable to attend, please make sure to check out our Facebook page MBC Tri-Cities. We will be doing a separate drawing and giveaway on Facebook on the 19th.

Please join us in celebrating our anniversary and come to learn more about the new services we are providing.