Registration underway for Manhattan Project National Historical

Park tours at Hanford

By Senior Times staff

Registration is now open for the U.S. Department of Energy’s free public tours of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park facilities at the Hanford site.

Tours start April 3 and continue into November, including six days per week through the summer, and throughout the Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day holiday weekends.

DOE offers two tours of the national park at Hanford.

The first is to the B Reactor National Historic Landmark, where visitors can stand face to face with the world’s first full-scale nuclear production reactor. Built in 11 months, the B Reactor started operations in September 1944 and produced the plutonium used in the Trinity Test in July 1945 and the “Fat Man” atomic weapon dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, in August 1945 to help bring an end to WWII in the Pacific. The tour lasts about four hours and includes transportation to and from the B Reactor, and a walking tour of the facility.

The second park tour explores the history of the Mid-Columbia Basin area of Eastern Washington prior to the government’s eviction of homeowners and tribes in 1943 as the Manhattan Project began.

The tour offers visitors an understanding of the communities and successful agricultural operations along the Hanford Reach that became known for their early-ripening fruits that shipped all over the world. The tour lasts about four hours and includes bus transportation and a short walking tour at four of the remaining buildings from that era.

The park, which also includes historic properties at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Los Alamos, New Mexico, preserves and interprets the complex story of the Manhattan Project and the dawn of the atomic age. Created in 2015 following congressional action, it is jointly administered by DOE and the National Park Service.

Both Hanford tours are free and open to visitors of all ages and nationalities. Cameras, cellphones and other recording devices are welcome on the tours.

Visitors can register for up to six tour seats at a time. School and group tours may also be available on a firstcome, first-serve basis and with a minimum of 20 participants.

Registration is available online, at manhattanprojectbreactor.hanford.gov.

Visitors who would like help scheduling a tour or have special requests, including wheelchair transportation or American Sign Language interpretation, are invited to call 509376-1647, or stop by the Manhattan Project National Historical Park visitor center, at 2000 Logston Blvd. in Richland.

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Study: Irregular heart rhythm appears to heighten dementia risk

People with a recent diagnosis of atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common irregular heart rhythm, have a modestly higher risk of developing dementia than people without the condition, according to recently published research in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

The research involved nearly 197,000 patient records from California health systems. Half of

MARKET, From page 11 term solution and the box distribution meant people might receive items they weren’t likely to use or cook with. But the Sparks had built a connection with the community and felt rewarded by what they were doing, with a dream they could impact even more.

It took almost a year from start to finish to plan and open the doors of Restoration Market.

Restoration Community Impact received a $100,000 grant from the Washington State Department of Agriculture through its Food Assistance the patients had been recently diagnosed with atrial fibrillation; counterparts in the control group were selected for similar age and health profiles but did not have AF. Both patient groups’ medical records were reviewed for three years, on average, to identify subsequent diagnoses of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.

Overall, people with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation had a 13% higher risk of developing dementia. That risk appeared to be amplified in people whose AF diagnosis came before 65 years of age (65% higher risk) and people who did not have

Resiliency Grants, allowing it to staff, operate and establish the food hub, which offers parking for about 20 vehicles.

Its location was also key, thanks to the building’s owner, George Ahearn of Trinity Realty and cofounder of EastWest Food Rescue, a nonprofit focused on redirecting food from the bountiful east side of the state to the denser populated west side.

Restoration Community Impact hasn’t shifted all its resources to the market. With its core team of family volunteers, partners and the state, the Sparks say they still host food distribution events across nine counties chronic kidney disease (20% higher risk). No such significant differences in risk were seen based on patients’ sex, race or ethnicity.

“Previous studies that have examined the link between atrial fibrillation and dementia have yielded conflicting results, and we hope that our study’s large sample size helps to establish confidence in our findings,” said Dr. Nisha Bansal, a professor of medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She was the paper’s corresponding author.

Atrial fibrillation, typically a very rapid heart rhythm, can spur in Eastern Washington, covering the Yakima Valley and as far north as Okanagon. They say they’re not trying to compete with other food banks, they’re just trying to fill a need.

“Looking at the inflation numbers and everything else going on, you don’t have to be part of the working poor to be affected,” said Irene Mendoza, chief administrative officer for the nonprofit. “Just one week’s worth of groceries will help supplement your bills and you can afford other priorities because no one asked to be put in this position at any level of economic value, so we don’t have restrictions. You can just come get what blood clots in the heart, increasing someone’s risk for stroke and heart failure and shorten lifespan.

Richland seeks volunteers for various board position

The city of Richland seeks volunteers to serve on its boards, commissions or committees.

Position openings are available with the following groups: Arts Commission, Board of Adjustment, Planning Commission, Public Facilities District Board and Utility Advisory Committee.

For more information or to apply, go to ci.richland.wa.us/bcc.

you can get to hold you over for the week.”

The Sparks are still seeking additional partners and donors to help advance their efforts to impact the community at large.

Restoration Market is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and noon to 7 p.m. Thursday. Appointments are preferred due to demand. The store offers walk-ins the first and third Saturday of each month from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Search Restoration Market: 4000 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite 110, Kennewick. Contact: restorationcommunityimpact.com; 509-987-9281.