Remote Surveillance Trailer in Pasco, WA

The Brief

PASCO, Wash. — Tri-Cities Airport is undergoing one of its most significant infrastructure overhauls in years, with Port of Pasco commissioners getting an exclusive look July 15 at the construction reshaping the terminal's backbone.

The multi-phase expansion represents a critical investment for a region experiencing explosive growth. Tri-Cities Airport (PSC) handled 975,372 total passengers in 2025, marking the busiest year in the airport's history and its third consecutive year of record-breaking passenger growth.

Phase One, already underway with a budget of nearly $23 million, focuses on improvements passengers won't see but will definitely feel when they travel. The work includes adding three jet bridges that will serve Gates 2 and 5, and expanding the inline baggage system—the non-public space where baggage is sorted.

"It's one of our largest economic drivers in the whole Tri-Cities, so it's important they get the opportunity to come out and see the projects they're helping fund and are a part of," said Adam Lincoln, the Executive Director for the Port of Pasco, during the commissioners' tour of the construction site.

The baggage system expansion addresses a pressing operational challenge. The current inline baggage sorting system is too small to handle both current passenger demands and the projected growth expected in coming years. By enlarging this critical infrastructure, the airport can process more travelers simultaneously and reduce turnaround times between flights.

Buck Taft, the Director of the Tri-Cities Airport, emphasized that while passengers may not notice dramatic visual changes, they will experience the benefits of improved operations. He also assured travelers that the renovations will not affect flights or current airport operations.

"The passenger isn't necessarily going to see anything other than the jet bridges, but they may feel it because it's going to be a more efficient way of operating," Taft said.

Lincoln outlined the broader vision driving the project: "We're trying to create efficiencies so people can get on and off more readily, quickly… and their baggage gets to them more quickly."

Phase One is expected to wrap up by the end of 2026, marking the beginning of what airport officials are calling the next generation of travel at Pasco.

The expansion unfolds across four distinct phases, each targeting different areas of the terminal. Phase Two, scheduled for 2026-2029 with a budget of nearly $28 million, will expand ticket counters and include work on the second floor of the terminal. Phase Three, set for 2032-2033 with a budget of nearly $32 million, will expand the baggage claim area and create a new rental car facility. Phase Four, beginning in 2033 with a budget of $63 million, will add Gates 6 and 7 and expand the terminal apron.

The funding structure for the project protects local taxpayers. Rather than relying on property tax revenue, the airport is financing the expansion through airport user fees, federal grants, and passenger facility charges—fees paid by travelers.

The airport's investment reflects confidence in the region's economic trajectory and commitment to supporting the infrastructure that connects the Tri-Cities to the broader world. With three consecutive years of record passenger growth, the expansion ensures the airport can continue to serve the community's needs well into the 2030s.

​COPYRIGHT 2026 BY APPLE VALLEY NEWS NOW. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.

UPDATE: August 4 at 3:15 p.m.

***Article updated for clarification regarding Monday night's vote***

Pasco City Council voted at its August 3 meeting to support a letter tied to Compas LLC's license application and also moved ahead with a separate process that could allow more cannabis retailers in the city.

The council's action did not change the city's current limit right away. It pushed the issue forward, with more votes still ahead before any expansion could take effect.

The clarification matters because the council took two related but separate actions at the same meeting. One involved the support letter for Compas LLC. The other advanced the city's review of whether to increase the number of marijuana retail stores allowed in Pasco.

Before that cap can change, the council still must vote on a date for a public hearing. That hearing is expected later this month.

After that, the council must hold the public hearing before deciding whether to approve any change.

UPDATE: August 3 at 9:30 p.m.

The city council voted 4-3 in favor of an additional cannabis business license. The city's ordinance will be revised to reflect an increase in the cannabis retail license density limit from four to five.

PASCO, Wash. — A locally owned cannabis business is asking the City of Pasco for its support to open at a location on Road 90.

The site at 5804 Road 90, Suites F and G previously housed Green 2 Go, which operated there starting in July 2023 before relocating elsewhere in Pasco.

According to the city council’s agenda report, Compas LLC, owned by Tri-Cities resident Zachary Fairley, applied through Washington's Social Equity in Cannabis Program, which is designed to give communities disproportionately impacted by drug enforcement access to the legal cannabis market.

If approved, the city would need to update its city code in parallel because the current limit remains at four cannabis retail licenses until it is amended.

Pasco received about $41,650 in fiscal year 2025 through the state retail sales distribution from its existing four licenses. Compas’ projected first-year pre-tax sales between $2.4 million and $3.6 million and 10 to 15 local jobs at opening, according to the agenda report.

A support letter from the property owner said nearby tenants had raised no issues with cannabis retail at the site and that required security measures had added to safety in the building.

During its August 3 meeting, the city council can either vote to move the process forward or take no action at all.

A public hearing and notice process would still be needed before Pasco could finish the code change, and that work is expected to take two months.

PASCO, WA - A Pasco middle school teacher is being recognized for her work inspiring students to think creatively and pursue STEM and CTE education.

Shelia Tomlinson, an eighth-grade teacher at Ochoa Middle School, was selected as the 2025-2026 Washington Mona Bailey Outstanding MESA Teacher Award recipient.

The award is given through MESA, which stands for Mathematics, Engineering, Science and Achievement, and recognizes educators who inspire students in STEM fields.

For Tomlinson, that inspiration often comes through hands-on learning — and allowing students to fail.

“I just take the challenge and give the kids the hands-on things, and it’s interesting to see them fail forward,” Tomlinson said.

She says when a project doesn’t work, she encourages her students to figure out why and determine what they need to change.

“Okay. So fix it. What do you got to do? What do you need? Tell me what you need so I can give you that, so you can make it work,” she said.

Tomlinson says that kind of problem-solving is especially important in a world where students can find answers to almost any question online.

“They can Google the answers,” Tomlinson said. “But it’s can we build it? Can we then adjust it? And that’s where we need to go.”

After 21 years in education, Tomlinson says one of the most rewarding parts of her job is watching students have an “ah-ha” moment — when they begin to approach a problem in a different way.

“I stay because of the impact I see that the kids get,” Tomlinson said. “My biggest joy is seeing the kids get an ‘ah-ha!’ moment.”

Tomlinson didn’t originally plan on becoming a teacher.

She said she began teaching through activities with her daughters, including Sunday school, while also running a home business.

When she needed a more stable income, she realized teaching was something she already had experience with.

“I looked at my life and I said, I’m already teaching. Can I teach kids?” Tomlinson said.

She started as an emergency substitute teacher and soon realized she had found her calling.

“I was able to learn that I was actually pretty good at it,” she said.

Tomlinson says she chose to work with middle school students because she believes it is an important time to help them make positive choices.

“You get a better chance in middle school to reach them and help them see some better choices,” she said.

This school year, Tomlinson is taking on a new challenge as she teaches career and technical education to sixth, seventh and eighth graders.

She’s also looking forward to giving her students more opportunities to compete in STEM events.

One of those competitions involves drones. Students learn how to safely operate the drones, complete a safety certification and navigate an obstacle course.

Tomlinson also plans to participate in the MESA Engineering Design Challenge, a coding competition that includes regional, state and national levels.

Students in that competition will be tasked with using human-centered design to create something that could make their community better.

For Tomlinson, the competitions are another way to take what students learn in the classroom and put it into practice.

She says she’s looking forward to seeing what her students can build — and how they respond when their first idea doesn’t work.

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