October 2018
Volume 6 • Issue 9
How livable is the Tri-Cities? About average BY SENIOR TIMES
RCCH HealthCare buys Lourdes
Page 3
Holiday bazaar calendar
Page 10
Foodies to open new restaurant in Richland Page 14
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Senior Times Expo Tues., Oct. 16 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. New Location! Southridge Sports and Events Complex, Kennewick
Benton and Franklin counties posted average scores in an AARP database that rates the livability of communities. AARP defines “livability” as places that are safe and secure, and have affordable and appropriate housing and transportation options and supportive community services. The database gives scores for seven categories of livability: affordable housing, public transportation, social engagement (civic and social involvement), neighborhood (access to life, work and play), environment, health (prevention, access and quality) and opportunity (inclusion and possibilities). Communities are scored on a scale of 0 to 100. Benton County scored 52 and Franklin County, 51. Kennewick scored 54; Pasco, 52; Richland, 54; West Richland, 53; Prosser, 51; Finley, 50; Benton City, 55; Connell, 51; and Burbank, 46. Kennewick’s highest score in an individual category was 61 in environment, which looked at water and air quality. Pasco posted 66 in the same category, while Richland scored 56. Richland scored 62 in the opportunity category, which assessed equal, educational and economic opportunities, as well as age diversity. West Richland scored 65 in both the environment and opportunity categories. The AARP says the livability index is a valuable tool to help community leaders and individuals improve their communities and better meet the needs of people of all ages as the number of older adults in America continues to grow. uLIVABILITY, Page 16
Jim House, center, laughs during a ceremony honoring him for his efforts in helping replace the basketball courts at Columbia Playfield in Richland. The 1963 Richland High School graduate donated $50,000 toward the project. House is flanked by former Richland cheerleaders Kippy Brinkman, left, and Ellen Weihermiller.
Former Richland star player helps bring basketball courts back to life BY ANNIE FOWLER for Senior Times
The uneven blacktop is gone. So are the weeds growing in the middle of the court, and the basketball hoops that had no nets. In their place is a quality playing surface, complete with green keys and gold free-throw lines. The baskets are reinforced to withstand even the mightiest of player. And, in a couple of weeks, the LED lights will be operational, bringing night basketball back to Columbia Playfield in
Richland. None of the above would have been possible without a $50,000 donation from 1963 Richland High School graduate Jim House, who spent countless hours honing his skills on the courts before he became a star player for coach Art Dewald’s Bombers. “This facility looks amazing,” said Richland Parks and Recreation Commissioner Aaron White. “Thanks to Mr. House and his donation. I hope to see a lot of use come out of it. It has not looked this good in a long time.” uBASKETBALL, Page 2
Libraries note uptick in audiobook downloads as popularity grows BY JESSICA HOEFER for Senior Times
Nearly one in five Americans now listen to audiobooks. That’s because smartphones have helped usher in a new way for consumers to digest books, and audio has quickly become the fastest growing format in the publishing industry. That’s according an Audio Publishers Association’s May 2017 survey. Despite the surge in popularity of audiobooks, voiced books have been around for almost a century. In the 1930s, the American Foundation for the Blind and the Library of Congress Book for the Blind program established the Talking Book Program. The first recordings included parts of The Bible, The
Declaration of Independence and Shakespeare’s plays. By 1985, there were more than 20 audiobook publishers in operation, but their popularity had yet to take off. Charles Kahlenberg of Richland began narrating audiobooks in the 1990s while working as an actor in Los Angeles. His first project was a series on American presidents he voiced under the pseudonym, Ira Claffey. “That was when books came out on cassette — a book called ‘The American Century.’ By the time I finished voicing it, you needed a steamer trunk to haul it around,” he said, referencing the number of cassettes required to create the audiobook version of the book. uAUDIOBOOKS, Page 6
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