Help convince Trader Joe’s to open a location in the Tri-Cities | Opinion

Get Trader Joe’s for better TCs

Please help the Tri-Cities secure a Trader Joe’s. Tri-Cities leaders have long tried to recruit a Trader Joe’s with the closest one over 2 hours away in Spokane.

Trader Joe’s siting criteria is population, access, adequate parking and neighborhood, all of which are easily met by the Broadmoor shopping development and its close proximity to I-182. Local leaders in discussion with Trader Joe’s find they are confounded by the Tri-Cities, viewing us as distinctly separate versus a contiguous population.

However, Trader Joe’s is open and appreciative of individual input on store location. In your browser go to “Request a Trader Joe’s” and it will take you to a site with an online request form.

You’ll have 700 characters to make a case. Stressing that this will be a Tri-Cities location serving a population of over 300,000 is the most important followed by easy access by all Tri-Cities residents via I-182 with abundant parking and surrounded by established neighborhoods and growing new homes and apartments.

Please help the Tri-Cities gain a Trader Joe’s by showing them your support and enthusiasm. I did it and it was quick and painless.

Marty Conger, Pasco

April 28 vote is vital to district

Pasco School District voters have a very important decision to make by April 28. Our district’s levy is up for renewal. The levy funds programs and services for our students: academics such as STEM, activities such as athletics, staffing including school resource officers (security) and operations including transportation.

Our district has made tough decisions over the last two years to place its finances on strong footing including making $4 million in spending reductions and implementing fiscally responsible budgetary reforms to strictly control spending.

The district would have to eliminate hundreds of jobs if the levy fails. That means families losing their primary breadwinner. That means the loss of disposable income that supports local small businesses. That means our community is worse off.

To prevent a devastating loss of about $50 million in funding for student programs in the 2026-2027 school year, all you have to do is vote yes.

We will vote early to renew the levy because doing so means making a vital investment in our young people and in our community’s future. Join us in voting to support our students and schools. Vote yes for the levy!

Ana Ruiz Kennedy of Pasco

John Kennedy, Pasco School Board Director

Gambling is bad for a community

I’m not a politician or a business owner. I’m just someone who grew up right here in the Tri‑Cities and saw firsthand how gambling can fracture a family long before it ever enriches a community.

I grew up watching my father disappear into the local card rooms scattered around Pasco.

For him, it wasn’t entertainment. Gambling was an addiction that drained our bank accounts and shattered our trust. I can still hear the screaming fights echoing through the walls of our home.

Back then, there weren’t many mental health services available, and even if there were, his pride would have kept him from seeking help.

I’ve lived the fallout of gambling addiction. I’ve watched it hollow out a home from the inside. If expanding casino access in Pasco risks putting even one more local family through that pain, we owe it to our neighbors to pause and demand better.

Let’s make sure that before anyone breaks ground, we fully understand the long-term consequences for Pasco, not just the glossy short-term promises. Behind the bright lights is a darkness my family had to endure, and I’m speaking up now to make sure our community’s future doesn’t include more of the same.

Iresema Rojas, Pasco

Pasco schools an asset for all of us

Superintendent Michelle Whitney makes Pasco proud. She earned the distinction of being named Washington’s 2026 Superintendent of the year.

Michelle’s focus on student success, building a culture of belonging and working to strengthen public trust for the past decade makes her stand out among her peers. She faces challenges, questions and suggestions from our fast-growing, diverse community with intelligence, experience, grace and confidence.

School funding in our state is complex. Pasco schools are in a better financial position than some of its neighbors and will stay that way with voter support of the April 28 school levy. Under Michelle’s direction, the financial discipline being exercised by the district is not just about reducing budgets, it is also about building budgets committed to kids while doing their best to minimize unexpected expenses.

Whitney has been a teacher, counselor, assistant principal, McLoughlin Middle School principal, director of teaching and learning, and human resources director — all in Pasco. I value not only her leadership in our community and capable management of the Pasco School District, but also our friendship.

Please join me in supporting the vital Pasco School District levy by voting YES!

Anne Hayden-Ray, Pasco