Richland News

News from Richland: city council, Hanford and PNNL, schools, utilities, Horn Rapids and Badger Mountain growth.

Bagged leaves stacked at the curb next to a waste cart on a residential Tri-Cities street in fall

Home & Yard

Kennewick's free leaf pickup ends Friday; here's the Tri-Cities yard-waste rundown

Kennewick's free bagged-leaf collection runs through Friday, Nov. 6, while Richland's gray-and-green can system works differently. Here's what to know.

November 5, 2026

Exterior of a state psychiatric hospital building under an overcast sky

Local News

Man who killed Richland shopper seeks unsupervised hospital outings

A man found not guilty by reason of insanity in a fatal 2022 Richland Fred Meyer shooting is asking to leave a psychiatric hospital unescorted.

October 28, 2026

Exterior of an aging mid-century school building similar to Chief Joseph Middle School in Richland

Local News

Richland to ask voters for $94M to improve Chief Joseph, River's Edge

Richland School Board votes to put a $94 million bond on the Feb. 9 ballot to modernize Chief Joseph Middle School and River's Edge High School.

October 28, 2026

A property tax statement and calculator on a table in front of a suburban home, representing Richland's 2027 levy changes

Local News

Richland property taxes may dip slightly despite 8% levy adjustment

Richland plans an 8% property tax levy adjustment for 2027, but a dropping library debt levy means most homeowners will see a small decrease.

October 22, 2026

A residential sprinkler backflow device on a frosty lawn in autumn, ready for winter shutoff

Home & Yard

Not on Kennewick Irrigation District? Here's who to call for your sprinkler shutoff this fall

Columbia Irrigation District, Pasco, Richland, West Richland and Badger Mountain all run separate fall shutoff schedules — here's who to call before freezing temperatures hit.

October 19, 2026

A homeowner building a wood fence in a suburban backyard on a sunny fall day

Home & Yard

Before you build that fall fence or shed, check these Tri-Cities permit rules first

Dry weather this week is a good window for finishing fall fence, shed and deck projects. Here's what Pasco, Kennewick and Richland actually require — and what West Richland homeowners should check before they start.

October 18, 2026

A homeowner trims a street tree along a sidewalk in a Tri-Cities neighborhood during fall

Home & Yard

Tri-Cities homeowners: know the rules before pruning street trees this fall

Kennewick, Pasco and Richland homeowners face different permit rules for street trees this fall, plus a WSU-backed deadline for watering trees before winter.

October 15, 2026

Empty school hallway representing the Richland School District's review of a teacher's hiring history

Local News

Richland School District reviews teacher's hiring history after murder charge

Richland School District is reviewing special education teacher Xavier Johnson's five-year hiring history after he was charged with murdering his mother, reopening questions about the district's vetting practices.

October 12, 2026

A police patrol car parked outside a suburban middle school building

Local News

Threat at Richland's Chief Joseph Middle School ruled unfounded, news reports say

Richland police responded to a reported threat at Chief Joseph Middle School on Wilson Street. Local news outlets later reported the threat was unfounded and stemmed from a student being teased.

October 10, 2026

Industrial manufacturing facility under construction representing a planned fusion-machine plant in Richland, Washington

Business

Fusion energy firm, TRIDEC plan Tri-Cities manufacturing plant, hundreds of jobs

Avalanche Energy and TRIDEC are advancing plans for a fusion-machine manufacturing plant near Richland's FusionWERX site, projected to add hundreds of jobs.

October 8, 2026

A license plate reader camera mounted on a pole along a city street

Local News

Richland to restart license plate camera network within a month, chief tells council

Richland police expect to reactivate license plate reader cameras within a month after shutting them down to comply with a new state privacy law.

October 5, 2026

High-voltage transmission towers in a desert landscape near an industrial facility, representing the proposed power intertie for a nuclear fuel plant

Business

Richland council to vote on BPA power study for $3B nuclear fuel plant

Richland City Council will decide Oct. 6 whether to help fund a Bonneville Power Administration study needed to serve a proposed $3 billion nuclear fuel plant.

October 4, 2026

Exterior of a generic federal courthouse building under an overcast sky, representing a federal criminal case.

Local News

Richland DOE employee charged with trying to aid Houthis, no threat to Hanford, DOJ says

A Hanford-based Department of Energy employee from Richland faces a federal terrorism charge; DOJ says the case poses no threat to Hanford workers.

October 1, 2026

A homeowner shovels snow from a sidewalk in front of a suburban home

Home & Yard

Who clears the sidewalk? Snow rules differ across Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, West Richland

Kennewick, Pasco, Richland and West Richland all put sidewalk snow duty on homeowners — here's each city's rule, plow priority list and parking advice before winter hits.

September 30, 2026

Empty kennels inside a community animal shelter

Local News

Pasco City Council weighs hybrid animal shelter model after public comment

Pasco City Council heard hours of public comment on Tri-Cities Animal Services and asked staff to keep studying a nonprofit-run hybrid shelter model.

September 22, 2026