* The Tough Enough to Wear Pink night at Walla Walla Frontier Days rodeo raised $55,000 for programs, services and equipment to support breast cancer treatment. The money was donated to Providence St. Mary Foundation.
* Ana Robles has joined Prosser Memorial Health's heart center as a nurse practitioner. She previously worked as a nurse practitioner in cardiac electrophysiology at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland, where she specialized in assessing, diagnosing and treating complex cardiac conditions. Robles is a graduate of Walden University, where she earned her Master of Science in nursing as a family nurse practitioner. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Washington State University.
* Omar Escalera is the inaugural executive director of Broetje Family Trust. He brings more than two decades of experience in public education and community-centered leadership in the Tri-Cities region. Escalera holds bachelor's and master's degrees in elementary education, as well as a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Washington.
* Ashley Christensen has joined Hermiston's Good Shepherd Healthcare System as a family nurse practitioner. She has more than six years of experience providing care across Eastern Oregon, building a strong foundation in both family medicine and sleep health. She completed her Master of Science in nursing from Maryville University in St. Louis, Missouri and earned her Bachelor of Science in nursing from Oregon Health & Sciences University in Portland.
* Caitlin Wilhelm is the newest broker at Distinctive Properties in Kennewick. She is a third-generation real estate broker and Tri-Cities native. She graduated from Tri-Cities Prep and then from Central Washington University with a degree in business and marketing.
* AHBL, which has an office in Pasco, has added two new employees to its landscape and architecture team: James Davis is the new landscape architect and project manager. He has worked on numerous projects, including public parks and multi-family communities. He most recently worked at Bernardo Wills Architects. Blake Remington has joined as a landscape designer. He previously interned with AHBL but now returns to the team officially. Remington recently earned his bachelor's degree in landscape architecture and environmental planning from the University of California, Berkeley.
* Dr. Jonathon Fox has joined Prosser Memorial Health's Prosser Clinic. He is board certified in family medicine and provides a wide range of services including annual physicals and preventative care, well-child checks, immunizations and more. Fox is a graduate of Nova Southeastern University's College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his residency training with Sollus Northwest Family Medicine Residency in Grandview. He has published research with the Family Physicians Inquiries Network and has presented on a variety of topics including pediatrics, infectious disease and chronic care management. He is fluent in medical Spanish through a cultural immersion program in Guatemala.
* Dr. Sonia Afshari, a board-certified endocrinologist, has joined the Prosser Specialty Clinic. Afshari brings extensive training in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism from Indiana University School of Medicine. She provides care in diabetes management, thyroid disorders, osteoporosis and bone health, pituitary gland disorders, adrenal disorders, and cholesterol and metabolism management.
* Veronica Klicker has joined Trios Health Urgent in Kennewick care as a new provider. She earned her Master of Science in nursing with a family nurse practitioner focus from Chamberlain University and her Bachelor of Science in nursing from Western Governors University.
* Mariana Guerrero-Sanchez has joined Prosser Memorial Health's Grandview Clinic as an advanced registered nurse practitioner. She brings more than a decade of health care experience in the Yakima Valley, including work as a registered nurse and most recently, serving patients as an advanced registered nurse practitioner in Sunnyside. She earned her Master of Science in nursing from Gonzaga University and her Bachelor of Science in nursing from Washington State University. She is fluent in Spanish.
* Architects West, which has an office in Kennewick, has hired a new billing/resource specialist and architectural designer.
* Andrea Gamboa is the new Tri-Cities area manager for Indigo Urgent Care, which is new to the region. Gamboa is a Kennewick native and graduate of Pasco High School. Certified as both a medical assistant and an EMT, Gamboa expanded her skills further by joining the U.S. Air Force in 2020 as a medic. After a year of active duty, she transitioned to private practice management in Arizona, first at a small clinic and later in a large ophthalmology practice.
* Haley Schow is the new community outreach coordinator at Tri-Cities Chaplaincy. She has spent more than a decade in the medical field, including durable medical equipment, home health and critical access hospitals.
* Dr. Joshua Spendlove has re-joined Trios Health in Kennewick as a urologist. He will see patients at the Trios Care Center at Southridge in Kennewick. He treats patients for kidney and bladder stones, male and female incontinence, prostatitis and more. Spendlove is board certified and studied at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, where he completed a Bachelor of Science in microbiology with a minor in chemistry. He then completed medical school at Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska. He is fluent in Spanish.
* Dr. Daaron McField has joined Trios Health in Kennewick as a general surgeon. McField specializes in general surgery (hernia, gallbladder, etc.), robotic surgery, foregut surgery and bariatric surgery. He earned his medical doctorate from St. Matthew's University and is board-certified by the American Board of Surgery.
* Dr. Candice Pollard has joined Prosser Memorial Health's Benton City Clinic as a geriatrics and family medicine specialist. She provides wellness exams, acute illness and injury care, joint injections and referrals to specialists. She earned her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, where she also completed her undergraduate degrees in biochemistry and economics. She went on to complete her family medicine residency at Trios Health in Kennewick, serving as chief resident, and completed a geriatric fellowship at the University of Washington. She is fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese.
* Andre Bowers has joined Lourdes Behavioral Health in Richland as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. He treats patients for various psychiatric needs such as depressive mood disorders, psychotic disorders, anxiety disorders, borderline personality disorder, ADHD and more. Bowers earned his Bachelor of Science in nursing in 2019 from Washington State University Tri-Cities and has since worked in diverse health care settings and is a licensed registered nurse.
* The Port of Pasco promoted Stephen McFadden to deputy executive director. In this new role, he will head the port's economic development division and advise Executive Director Adam Lincoln as the port works to implement its strategic plan. McFadden has been the port's director of economic development and marketing since November 2020.
* Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has received the 2025 National Nuclear Security Administration Chief Information Office Achievement Award for developing an innovative solution to enhance secure communications. The honored researchers, known as the "NESTNet Red Team," were recognized for their contributions to the Assured Communications portfolio and were led by Technical Advisor Katie Knobbs. Key technical contributions were provided by Bill Nickless, principal cybersecurity architect, who led the development of novel wide-area network approaches; DJ Moore, cloud engineer, who guided the implementation of modern cloud technologies; and Scott Snyder, senior IT engineer, who spearheaded secure endpoint technologies.
* David Heldebrant, a chemist and director of the Physical Sciences Division at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, received the 2025 Distinguished Service Award from the American Chemical Society Division of Energy & Fuels. The award is given to a society member who has been part of the division for at least 10 years and who has had "a significant and continued impact on the advancement of energy and fuels chemistry through research, teaching, service or a combination of the three over an extended period of time."
* Rick Gullotto of Trios Health in Kennewick has received the Daisy Award for Extraordinary Nurses. His nomination stood out to the award committee not only because of his exemplary service, but also due to the volume and heartfelt nature of the nominations he received. Since Trios began presenting the award, Gullotto, who has been working in Trios' emergency department since October 2023, has been nominated four times by patients who wanted to recognize his empathy, professionalism and comforting presence.
* Brian Ace, chief executive officer of Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties, has earned the Blue Spirit Award from Boys & Girls Clubs of America. He received the award at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America's Pacific Leadership Conference in Las Vegas for going above and beyond to drive impact and make a difference.
* Bechtel has been named to Fortune Today's 2025 Change the World list, which recognizes companies driving innovation by embedding social and environmental impact into core business strategies. Bechtel was highlighted for its Low Energy Ejector Desalination System, an energy-efficient process that recycles industrial wastewater into a reusable resource for farms, industries and communities.
* Petersen Hastings Wealth Advisors in Kennewick ranked No. 38 in CNBC's list of top 100 financial advisory firms for 2025. CNBC analyzes a variety of core data points to determine its list, including the firm's number of years in business, compliance record, number of investment advisors registered with the firm, assets under management and number of certified financial planners, among other factors.
* Miranda Jimerson of Benton REA was recognized with a national member spotlight award at the 2025 National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC) Member Information Conference held in Louisville, Kentucky. The award honors those who demonstrate leadership, innovation and excellence in leveraging NISC software to improve utility operations and member service. Jimerson has implemented automated processes that reduce manual work, enhance operational efficiency and improve members' experiences.
* Gabriela Whitemarsh, a bilingual math teacher at Pasco High School, has been named the 2026 Washington State Teacher of the Year. She is the first Pasco School District teacher to win the award in nearly 20 years. Whitemarsh has 18 years of teaching experience at the college level as well as in K-12 schools. She's held multiple leadership roles, currently as multilingual department chair and bilingual facilitator at Pasco High. In 2018, she launched Pasco High's Advanced Multilingual Mathematics Program, designed to give students new to the U.S. the ability to take advanced math courses while gaining English proficiency. The award means she is eligible to participate in state and national professional development opportunities and serve as a teacher-in-residence for the Teacher of the Year Program for the latter half of the 2025-26 school year. She also will now be considered for the National Teacher of the Year Award.