Tri-City Area and Real Estate Blog

Washington State University has diverse campuses throughout the state, however the Tri Cities branch campus is leading the group as the fastest growing, with the health and science fields seeing the most growth. Steadily rising enrollment numbers at the Richland campus have been seen with 1,507 student currently attending classes. Nursing programs are specifically up 30 percent over last fall and engineering programs are up 25 percent.  Officials at the university are envisioning a Wine Science Center with labs, a teaching vineyard and greenhouse.  Student government leaders also are hoping to find a way to bring together the diverse ages of students attenting the Tri Cities facility.  To read more information about upcoming plans – http://bit.ly/bpBW46

Washington State University Tri Cities is $500,000 richer after an award from Hanford contractor, Mission Support Alliance. It is MSA’s intent to assist in strenghening the number of under-represented students who will be studying engineering, technology, math and science. It is MSA’s hope the invest in students and create a STEM-trained work force in the Tri Cities. The funding will be disbursed over 10 years with the majority of it will be for scholarships that will assist students studying STEM curriculum.

Preparations are being made by three Tri-City leaders to file a federal lawsuit stopping the Obama administration from eliminating the previously set in place plans to use Yucca Mountain, Nevada, a national repository for Hanford waste.  This is one of what is expected to be many lawsuits calling for the federal government to cease-and-desist abandonment of plans to use Yucca Mountain as a national repository for used fuel from commercial nuclear power plants and high-level radioactive waste from nuclear weapons production.

Tri-Citians Bob Ferguson, Bill Lampson and Gary Petersen had a letter delivered to the White House requesting a chance to have a dialogue regarding the issue.  Aiken County, S.C. has also filed a federal lawsuit as well because 13 states have weapons waste that by law must go to a national repository. Congress had previously designated Yucca Mountain as the national site for high-level waste, and that designation is in the law, and the administration is unilaterally changing the law.

If the plans are abandoned, Yucca would become a $10 billion hole in the ground, and it is believed that the decision is political rather than scientific . If Yucca Mountain used utilized, then Hanford waste could stay here indefinitely.

Yes, Hanford is still the core of the Tri Cities economy but there is so much more happening here that generates revenue for the Tri City economy. In the last 2 decades, other businesses have developed and created the diversity this area needed badly.

In the past, the economy of the Tri Cities has been cyclic with extreme ups and downs depending on the funding provided to the Hanford employers. With the hard work of many individuals and organizations, the economy here has diversified to include major employers in the agricultural, food processing and health care industries, which have added the most significant growth and more stability to the Tri City area.

Pacific Northwest National Labs (PNNL) have played a significant role in the job growth as well since they are the area’s largest single employer, with only 7 percent of their work being related to Hanford in 2009.

The Tri-Cities has established it’s own identify away from Hanford, and this has been supported by the increase of the population that has occurred over the last 10 years, without following the hiring trends at Hanford. We have become home to a diverse marketplace that will continue long past the cleanup at Hanford.

The Tri Cities will play host to a group of young adult book authors this week, with hopes of encouraging students to read more and perhaps, become authors themselves. A workshop on Friday will give authors a chance to discuss the process of writing, such as finding inspiration to writing for TV.

For the second year in a row, the Calvalcade of Authors will be held at Pasco’s Red Lion.  Not all students will be able to attend the event, so some of the authors will make the rounds to local schools to speak and encourage students.

Some Richland middle and high school students will attened, as will some high school students from Kennewick High this year, and organizers are hopeful that this will become an event that all Tri Cities schools will add.

For more information, visit www.cavalcadeofauthors.org

On a sunny, but chilly Sunday morning last weekend, hundreds of motorcycle enthusiasts rode together from Flat Top Park in West Richland, through Kennewick’s Columbia Park and gathered together in the parking lot of Full Throttle Motorcycle in Central Kennewick. (Take a look at the video below).

Desert Thunder Mototorcycle Club sponsored the run again this year and each biker had purchased a new toy to bring with them along on the ride, and at the end loaded up their toys into the back of three pickups. The toys are being donated to a local organization that will distribute them to local area unprivledged children.

Washington Operation Thank You is a non-profit group that send care packages to troops every 6 weeks they received monetary donations from the bikers to aid in their mission to send Christmas care packages to our local troops serving overseas.