Members of Congress representing states or communities adjacent to former nuclear weapons production sites have made another plea to restore cleanup funds in the fiscal year 2009 budget.

A chiropractor has been suspended by the state for alleged sexual misconduct with a preteen patient.

The sun was shining and the air was congratulatory at Washington State University Tri-Cities on Thursday as more than 200 people turned out for the dedication of the new Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory.

Bobbie Jo Weems didn't know what to do with her life when she found herself going through a divorce after four years as a stay-at-home mom.

WALLA WALLA -- Black balloons with red strings were released Thursday into the gusty early morning air over the Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center.

A Southridge High School teacher alleged to have gone on an unauthorized trip to Seattle with about five students has resigned after he was put on paid leave and the district started an investigation.

Tri-City media should be doing a better job of showcasing the diversity of races and cultures here, panelists and audience members generally agreed at a forum Thursday night in Pasco.

HERMISTON -- A four-term incumbent and a 28-year-old businessman with no government experience are pitted against each other for Hermiston mayor.

Remnants of a warehouse in the Big Pasco Industrial Center in Pasco that was destroyed in a February fire will be cleared soon.

Jack McElroy planned on a peaceful retirement when he built his rural Pasco home 10 years ago.

A Walla Walla sheriff's deputy who posthumously received the Medal of Honor will be remembered next week at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Benton County commissioners have appointed Matthew Strong of Richland to the Kennewick Irrigation District board of directors.

Kadlec Medical Center will clear its parking lot at Swift Boulevard and Goethals Drive on Saturday to make room for more than 40 local agencies and about 3,000 people.

It's been more than a year since Ja Na Alexander submitted an application and a $300 fee to withdraw from the Kennewick Irrigation District.

A longtime Pasco woman's "kids" need a new home.

A piece of cardboard listing 16 team rules hangs on a wall at a no-frills gym in downtown Pasco.

The state Senate's budget committee kicks off its statewide road show in Kennewick today to talk taxes in an election year event likely to be rife with political posturing.

Shirley Hankins didn't sound like a woman who was giving up politics when she announced Wednesday her retirement as a longtime state representative.

SUNNYSIDE -- Four Lower Valley residents were arrested after a "beer run" turned into a high-speed pursuit down several streets near Sunnyside, police said.

Washington is not business-friendly.

The National Park System Advisory Board will consider naming Hanford's B Reactor a National Historic Landmark in July.

The employees sitting at the Pasco Vision Clinic table shared smiles, fist pumps and a few hugs as they realized their business had won the 2008 Small Business of the Year award Wednesday night.

The lawyer for a former Richland High music teacher accused of having sex with a female student is trying to get the charges dismissed, saying they were "two consenting adults engaging in nothing more than ... intergenerational sexual intimacy."

Burglars are hitting Kennewick homes during the day, and they're taking guns, police say.

Two local law enforcement officers were recognized in the nation's capital for tracking down a former cop accused of raping his daughter and posting the videos on the Internet.

A 26-year-old man pleaded innocent Wednesday to charges that he kidnapped his girlfriend and threatened to kill her and the couple's two young children.

Alisha Gonzalez gripped the binoculars and rocked up on her tip-toes to get a better look.

Rob Welch on Tuesday announced plans to challenge state Rep. Larry Haler for his seat this fall in what could be a spicy Republican affair between two former Richland mayors.

The director of the Washington state Department of Veterans Affairs gave a ringing endorsement Tuesday to veterans services being provided in the state.

The $2 billion uranium enrichment plant planned by Areva will go to Idaho rather than the Tri-Cities.

For 24 hours, Tony and Aracely Lurenz glanced expectantly out the front window of their Richland home, searching every face that passed with hope they would see their son returning.

Friends of Badger of Mountain has less than 60 days to raise $1 million to match a potential state grant for buying another chunk of ridge real estate overlooking the Tri-Cities.

BENTON CITY -- More than a quarter-century since its inception, Benton City's vision of having its own aquatic park appears to be living on.

PROSSER -- Benton County intends to construct a new administrative building in Kennewick and renovate the county courthouse in Prosser, but the project isn't a done deal yet.

Asking five community groups for their support paid off for Kathy Blasdel. She became the newest member of the Kennewick Public Facilities District on Tuesday.

Expect cooler and drier weather than normal this month in the Tri-Cities, said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

After volunteering thousands of hours to Tri-City organizations, Bruce Spanner said there's no question that his gift is for service.

Rob Welch on Tuesday announced plans to challenge state Rep. Larry Haler for his seat this fall in what could be a spicy Republican affair between two former Richland mayors.

About 250 more Tri-Citians filed for unemployment benefits last month than in April last year.

The Pasco Chamber of Commerce and the Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce are breaking ground for new bridges.

The owner of the All American Fish & Chips wagon made an emotional plea to Richland City Council members Tuesday night, asking them not to adopt a zoning code change that would limit him to operating only six months out of each year.

Hector Torres, 32, gave his all to his family, his faith and his job at Pasco City Hall, said his wife and people who worked with him.

A former grocery store building on West Fourth Avenue will be used in some way to help handle growth in the Kennewick School District.

Pasco Mayor Joyce Olson lit into the Franklin County commissioners Monday, scolding them for not acting on new commission district boundaries and then listing a series of complaints about how they operate.

Fluorescent yellow and orange ribbons floated over the scrubby cheat grass Monday between Rattlesnake Ridge and Highway 240 on the Hanford Reach National Monument.

PROSSER -- Benton County commissioners voted unanimously Monday to seek an architect to draw plans for a new county administrative building in Kennewick and to remodel the Prosser courthouse.

The dozen agencies that operate communication towers and other facilities on Rattlesnake Mountain won't be evicted anytime soon, the U.S. Department of Energy clarified Monday.

Benton County commissioners voted 2-1 on Monday to send a proposed 0.2 percent criminal justice sales tax to the voters in November amidst tense exchanges between the lone dissenter, Commissioner Claude Oliver, and other county leaders.

With the Northwest's mountains still packed with snow, this year's runoff has barely started, which bodes well for fish, recreational river users and power generation this summer and possibly beyond.

State Rep. Steve Hailey will seek re-election to his 9th District seat this fall after being diagnosed with colon cancer in January and missing most all of this year's legislative session.

Charges have been filed against a 26-year-old man for allegedly kidnapping his girlfriend, beating her and threatening to kill her and the couple's two young children during an ordeal that extended from Kennewick to Connell.

Emergency sirens sounded just after 9 a.m. after a mock fire and explosion at the Umatilla Chemical Depot sent a plume of toxic smoke toward Benton County.

The charred debris of a College Place home that burned Sunday evening, injuring two people, was too unstable Monday for investigators to work in the ruins, officials said.

A new pediatric clinic in Richland is expected to reduce travel time for Mid-Columbia families who might otherwise have to drive to Seattle for treatment.

About 70 homeless veterans in the Mid-Columbia will receive housing assistance through a federal program, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Monday.

Seventy-eight international wine importers, distributors and hoteliers from more than 20 countries are touring the Mid-Columbia for a taste of Washington wines.

Molasses injected into the soil at Hanford last fall is nourishing bacteria and may be a recipe for success in cleaning up the ground water.

PENDLETON -- The gloves are off in Umatilla County as three men vie to be the county's top law enforcer.

Oh yeah, they're excited.

A 26-year-old Kennewick man is in critical condition at a Richland hospital after driving into the Columbia River in Richland on Saturday.

Academic excellence was celebrated Sunday with four Tri-City students receiving top honors for earning good grades since fourth grade.

PROSSER -- Twangy guitar rhythms set dry, calloused hands to tapping in the basement of the Calvary Baptist Church.

Cloudy skies and scattered sprinkles didn't dampen spirits Saturday at the annual Cinco de Mayo celebration and opening of the Pasco Farmers Market.

Choosing higher education wasn't an easy decision for Norma Garcia-Meraz.

Dave Weiser is apprehensive about his first summer in the broiling Tri-Cities, but West Richland's new city administrator has confidence in the power of air conditioners.

For at least the last two years, Sherry Bingman and Peter Hudson have tolerated stray long hairs around the house, innumerable ponytails and even strands caught in armpits during restless nights.

Remember that endless day you spent Christmas shopping at stores throughout the Mid-Columbia? And the wine aficionado relatives who visited the Tri-Cities and spent a small fortune on a selection of vintages?

A date to discuss setting a date.

Plans to drill at the Port of Walla Walla's Wallula Gap Business Park to see if carbon dioxide can be injected into and stored in a thick layer of basalt are being delayed, and a proposed power project may never take shape.

Michael Graff and his date are planning a laid-back prom.

An estimated 100 jobs will be created when Lydig Construction of Spokane and George A. Grant Inc. of Richland start a $106 million project to complete a new 200,000-square-foot research facility that has been under way since last year at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

A state appeals court has upheld the conviction of Mark Tucker, saying there was "no reversible error" in the trial or his five-year sentence for driving James Moran away from a double-murder scene.

The Washington State University Board of Regents picked Tri-City attorney Fran Forgette as its chairman for the next year at its meeting Friday in Pullman.

A personalized learning plan that places more responsibility on high school students is getting high marks around the state and at Southridge High School.

Motorcyclists say the best way to travel is on a bike. They feel the curves of the roads, smell the air and feel the temperature change.

Stefanie Nunez stood on a stage Friday night in front of nearly 2,500 people wearing a nervous smile and holding a certificate with shaking hands.

Shane Thorson of Pasco hoped to serve his country in elected office.

Three Kennewick teens were cited for forgery after passing fake $100 bills that detectives say are connected to a counterfeit money investigation that began last month.

A Pasco man, his girlfriend and another woman have pleaded innocent to charges stemming from a Safeway gas station robbery and the theft of electronics from Target.

State Rep. Larry Haler announced Friday that he is seeking re-election, citing his legislative accomplishments and his efforts to make state government more transparent.

The $15 million tucked in the Farm Bill for asparagus growers in Washington, California and Michigan appears to have made it through the scrutiny of a Senate-House conference committee.

Holly Kathlene Harwood, 53, of Richland, died May 1 in Richland.

Meghan Waddle has a double major in sociology and leadership and professional studies, and a minor in global studies.

Strum. Strum. Strumstrumstrumstrumstrum!

PROSSER -- The Prosser Memorial Hospital Board of Commissioners voted Thursday night to move forward with negotiations to transfer ownership of the hospital's aging and cramped nursing home to Eagle Healthcare Inc.

Richland police are investigating a new twist on an identity theft crime, in which the alleged suspects used the victim's address to order computers and intercept deliveries of the equipment.

After seeing all walks of life come before her on the bench in the last six years, Jerri Potts says she is committed to ensuring victims are protected in the judicial process, offenders are given opportunities to be productive in society and the voices of all who come before the court are heard.

Workers from Phinny Hill Vineyards have spent nearly a week installing a trellis system for wine grape vines at Washington State University Tri-Cities.

The murder trial for a Benton City man has been postponed six weeks so the defense can look into reports from a state expert about the victim's injuries and cause of death.

Dick Goranson was undergoing an eight-hour surgery to receive a mechanical heart last fall when Kadlec Medical Center employees accepted an award on his behalf for his service to the hospital and community.

Mike Kluse's job as interim director for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has become permanent, said his employer, Battelle Memorial Institute, which manages the Richland lab for the Department of Energy.

A Richland teen was arrested and four others were identified as being involved in break-ins at two Richland convenience stores last weekend, police said.

A Walla Walla optometrist accused of sexual misconduct can no longer have women or minor patients and can only hire male assistants, the state Department of Health said Thursday.

David Webster is going back to prison in Walla Walla until his October trial for allegedly raping a cellmate in the Franklin County jail.

Victor Rogers has a goal: To take first place among the men 90 and older competing in Sunday's Lilac Bloomsday race in Spokane.

Mike Kluse's job as interim director for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has become permanent, said his employer, Battelle Memorial Institute, which manages the Richland lab for the Department of Energy.

The state Court of Appeals, in an opinion that could affect record-releasing policies of animal control operations across the state, has ruled Tri-City Animal Control acts as a public agency and is subject to the Public Disclosure Act.

Brad Elzie was an old pro at job interviews with two already under his belt. But that didn't keep his stomach from flip-flopping as he waited for his name to be called.

Home sales in the Mid-Columbia dropped about 22 percent during the first quarter of 2008 compared with same period last year, according to Multiple Listing Service figures.

The family of The Rev. Roland Andrews hoped to dress his body in one of his suits and to place his Bible beside him for his viewing Friday.

A 26-year-old Connell man has been arrested on suspicion of kidnapping after allegedly forcing his girlfriend into a car and repeatedly assaulting her.

The fate of Prosser Memorial Hospital's aging Transitional and Long Term Care facility might be decided at the board of commissioners meeting tonight.