Contact:   Alan or Judy Bacon, Owners, Rollarena Skating Center, 509-627-6620, [email protected] 
When:   Thursday, Jan. 2:   Noon - 5 & 7 - 10 p.m.
Where:   Rollarena Skating Center, 849 Stevens Dr., Richland, WA
Cost: $7 admission which includes traditional roller skates 
Who:  This event is open to all ages

All admission and concession proceeds for Thursday Jan. 2 will be donated to My Friends’ Place, a homeless shelter for teenagers.  This fundraiser has become a tradition for Rollarena since its 60th anniversary six years ago when all proceeds for that event were donated to this organization.  Over $29,000 has been raised over this time.  

My Friends’ Place, part of the Safe Harbor Organization, is Southeastern Washington’s first safe overnight sanctuary for homeless teens.  My Friends’ Place is currently providing immediate basic human survival needs for youth on the streets. It provides warm meals, showers, laundry, and a safe place to rest, for youth ages 13 through 17.     

Rollarena Skating Center has been providing entertainment for the Tri-Cities for over 60 years. It conducts public skating sessions and private parties for schools, churches, clubs and businesses.  It also has birthday party packages and a skating lesson program. 

The Mid-Columbia Libraries Board of Trustees welcomed two new board members, Rosemary Ford and Ed Frost, to the Dec. 17 board meeting. They were officially appointed to the seven-member library board by joint resolution of Benton and Franklin County Commissions on Dec. 3.

Frost is a long-time community leader and volunteer. He retired from Ben Franklin Transit after 27 years as manager of Transit Development. Frost also served on the Kennewick Planning Commission, Kennewick City Council, and the boards of directors for Kennewick School District, Columbia Industries, and the Tri-City Water Follies. He was co-founder of the Mid-Columbia Literary Festival.

Frost loves books, libraries, and literary events. In his application, he stated, “To serve on the board of trustees would give me the opportunity to pay back to the library system for all it has done for me.”

Ford is an attorney and lives in West Richland. She also provides pro bono legal services for Disability Washington. Prior to her law career, she worked in the publishing industry in New York as a book editor. Ford believes libraries are a vital part of the local community and that, with thoughtful leadership, they can continue to contribute to the local culture.

Ford said, “The West Richland library was one of the first places I sought out on moving here, and I am now a regular user thanks to its great people and service.”
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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.

The Western BCA Pool Players Association has partnered with Wildhorse Resort & Casino to bring its first pool tournament to the eastern half of Oregon.  The Wildhorse 10-Ball Roundup that takes place June 11-14, 2020, is the only Oregon tournament to be held outside of Lincoln City.

Western BCA is excited to bring this special event to Wildhorse Resort & Casino and hopes to attract fans of the sport who may not travel to the Oregon coast to compete.

The tournament will feature a competitive 10-Ball Singles format for all skill levels as well as an exciting doubles format played with one game each of 8-Ball, 9-Ball, and 10-Ball.

Games will be played on seven-foot Diamond pool tables provided by Bad Boys Billiard Productions out of Indiana. Forty tables will be hauled in and set up inside Three Rivers Event Center for this noteworthy event.

The competition will be livestreamed on the Association’s website, www.westernbca.org, throughout the competition. Players and fans can go to the website to register for the tournament, join a league, watch the action, and find tournament and sport information.  Registration will open about two months prior to the tournament.

To be eligible to enter the tournament, players must be sanctioned and have participated in a minimum of eight weeks of league play between June 1, 2019 and May 31, 2020.

The Western BCA Pool Players Association is a non-profit organization that promotes and facilitates regional pool tournaments to players in member leagues throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and western Nevada. 

​Tree maintenance work in a portion of Zintel Canyon will begin on Monday, December 16 and continue through Wednesday, December 18. The Spirit of America Trail will be accessible during this maintenance but a side trail on the east side of the canyon, located approximately between West 15th Avenue and West 24th Avenue, will be closed. The work zone will be clearly marked and it is important that citizens do not cross in to the work zone area for their safety and the safety of the work crews.

The Spirit of America Trail through Zintel Canyon is a unique and beautiful natural area with wetland and wildlife right in the heart of the City. The trailhead is located at the southwest corner of West 7th Avenue and South Vancouver Street.

On Saturday, December 14, the public is invited to bring new, unwrapped gifts to the Ranch & Home in Kennewick to help fill the Ben Franklin Transit (BFT) toy trolley. BFT is the co-title sponsor of this event, a toy drive for local foster children spearheaded by Townsquare Media. Everything collected will be donated to children in foster care in the Tri-Cities.

Visitors will have the opportunity to show their holiday spirit by donating to hundreds of local children in need.

Who: All community members in the Tri-Cities area are invited to help local foster children

What: New, unwrapped gifts (for kids up to age 17) to help fill the BFT toy trolley

When: Saturday, December 14, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Where: 845 N Columbia Center Blvd, Kennewick, WA 99336, at the entrance to Ranch & Home

Why: Dec. 14 is a perfect time for a holiday-themed community story

Visual: Local children and families donating gifts to help fill BFT’s trolley

ADDITIONAL SOURCE OF INFORMATION: The BFT website (www.bft.org/ToyTrolley).

SERVPRO is proud to present the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl, scheduled to kick-off on December 30, 2019, at 12:30 ET at the Gerald J. Ford Stadium, located on the campus of Southern Methodist University (SMU) in University Park, Texas. This is the second annual SERVPRO First Responder Bowl, and it honors the sacrifice and service of those who stand as the first line of defense in local communities – the brave men and women who respond when the unexpected or the unthinkable happens, says David Smith of SERVPRO of Tri Cities West. This year’s game, televised by ESPN, will feature the Western Michigan University Broncos and the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers.

This year, SERVPRO asked their franchisees nationwide to submit the name of a local first responder to be considered for special recognition at this year’s game. SERVPRO has selected one first responder from this group of nominees to be honored with an award during a presentation on the field at the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl. In addition to the award presentation, SERVPRO will provide the selected first responder with complimentary airfare, accommodations, and tickets for the game. 

Even if you can’t attend the game, you can still participate. Kennewick area residents who wish to honor the dedication of these hometown heroes across the country may purchase a “Sponsor a Responder” ticket for $15 at https://www.firstresponderbowl.com/first-responders-1 to help send a first responder to the game for free. According to Smith, SERVPRO’s goal is to distribute more than 10,000 complimentary SERVPRO First Responder Bowl tickets to first responders and their families nationwide. Everyone who chooses to “Sponsor a Responder” will be recognized on the stadium’s video board during the game.

First responders - including police officers, firefighters, EMS workers, correctional officers, search and rescue teams, dispatchers, security guards, federal agents, border patrol agents, and military personnel—may register to receive complimentary tickets at https://reservations.aresttravel.com/attraction/single/7045/1425.

“Every day, across the nation, ordinary people make an extraordinary commitment to their friends and neighbors to put themselves in harm’s way when the unexpected happens,” said Rick Isaacson, CEO of Servpro Industries, LLC. “The SERVPRO First Responder Bowl is one way we celebrate these dedicated first responders and their families as the hometown heroes they are.”

SERVPRO specializes in disaster restoration, cleanup, and repair services, helping to remediate damage, making it “Like it never even happened,” for both commercial and residential customers. For more information on SERVPRO of Tri Cities West, please contact David Smith at (509) 943-9290 or [email protected]. For more information about SERVPRO, please visit https://www.servpro.com.

Kenyon Zero Storage plans to expand their cold storage capacity in Franklin County with the recent purchase of 21 acres at the Port of Pasco’s Foster Wells Business Park. Kenyon plans to construct a 202,000 sq. ft. cold storage facility in 2020, which will complement their nearby 410,000 sq. ft. facility built in 2015.

“One of the main deciding factors in constructing our cold storage facilities at the Port property was the proximity to the many existing food processors at the Pasco Processing Center, the diverse Agricultural crops grown in the Columbia Basin region, and the ease of access to major transportation routes to the Pacific Northwest,” stated Scott Wingert, Kenyon Zero Storage, Inc. President.

Kenyon Zero’s facilities have the capability to freeze and/or refrigerate products and are equipped with bulk storage and racking to meet all of their clients’ needs.

“We have sold nearly all of the vacant land at the Foster Wells Business Park,” stated Mayra Reyna, the Port’s Director of Properties. We only have two lots available for sale and once those are sold both the Foster Wells Business Park and the Pasco Processing Center will be fully built out. This highlighted the need for additional industrial land, leading to the Port’s recent purchase of 300 acres about a mile north of the Pasco Processing Center, to be known as the Reimann Industrial Center.

“Kenyon Zero’s expansion demonstrates the success of our economic development strategy,” said Randy Hayden, Port of Pasco Executive Director. The Port partnered with the City of Pasco and Franklin PUD to develop the Pasco Processing Center. We were not only successful in recruiting food processing to our region, but also companies serving that industry, like Kenyon Zero. The strategy helped bring new jobs to Pasco.Kenyon is one of the top ten taxpayers in Franklin County which helps support local governments and local schools.”
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The Foster Wells Business Park is a 50-acre development geared for light industrial development. Today, businesses such as Second Harvest, Rock Placing Company, Volm, Teton Gold, Pioneer Packaging and PECCAS, LLC call it home.

​Long-time Junior Achievement volunteer and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory employee, Bridget Bersell was recently named Junior Achievement’s 2019 Volunteer of the Year! Awarded annually to a local volunteer, the Volunteer of the Year award is one of the highest honors given by our Junior Achievement of Washington, Southeastern Region office. 

Bridget has a passion for helping students prepare for the workforce and has been an advocate for JA many years.  An incredible classroom volunteer for 16 years, Bridget has inspired hundreds of students in the classroom.  Bridget also serves as Company Coordinator for JA’s annual Bowling Classic, organizing 11 bowling teams.  Tamra Meyer, Regional Director of Junior Achievement, Southeastern Region, stated “Bridget has made a huge difference in the lives of our students.  She is a wonderful supporter of JA and is always willing to share the mission with great enthusiasm.  She is an inspiration to the students she works with and those around her.”

Bridget, a Team Battelle volunteer, stated “I volunteer for so many reasons.  I truly think giving back to the community is something we should all aspire to do.  There is something remarkable and unique about being a JA volunteer.  Helping students realize the potential their future holds and seeing them respond to that potential is an incredible feeling.”

The Port of Kennewick’s 2018 financial statement audit, and the 2017 & 2018 accountability audits were clean, complete and accurate – with no findings, according to the Washington State Auditor’s Office (SAO).

“The port takes the responsibility of receiving and managing taxpayer dollars to grow and improve the local economy very seriously,” said Tim Arntzen, port chief executive officer. “These audits and the decades of clean audits before that confirm that
we steward public dollars in a transparent and trustworthy manner.”

Independent audits of the port’s financial records and procedures are performed annually to ensure complete and accurate reporting; a proper expenditure of tax dollars; and to validate that the port follows its own policies and procedures as well as local, state and federal laws.

The port’s Chief Financial Officer, Nick Kooiker stated, “These audits mark 24 years where we’ve received no audit findings. That’s significant because people don’t always trust government, and these independent audits and reviews help assure the public that our port has tight internal controls in place which safeguard their funds."

The audited reports are available on the State Auditor’s website at sao.wa.gov.

Santa is coming to Kennewick for the Numerica Hometown Holiday on Saturday, December 7 in Downtown Kennewick from 10 am to 1 pm. An old-fashioned parade welcoming Santa and featuring holiday themed floats, police and fire vehicles, and entertaining characters starts at 10:30 am. Get there early and grab a free cup of hot chocolate for the entire family at the Numerica Credit Union hot chocolate bar in Claus Plaza. After the parade, snap a Selfie with Santa and tell him what you want for Christmas. Last year thousands of people lined Kennewick Ave. between Dayton and Auburn streets to experience holiday nostalgia.

Road closures/detours start at 7 am, and vehicles should be removed from the parade route by that time (parked outside of the green areas indicated on the parade route/road closure map). By noon, Kennewick Ave. will reopen to traffic. Afternoon activities will take place in the “Flag Plaza” (aka “Claus Plaza”) parking lot at Kennewick Ave/Benton St. until 1 pm.