Senioir Times - November 2022

Wartime service in Tri-Cities turns into lifetime commitment

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

A youngAltha Skogley cov ered plenty of ground before World War II steered her into ser vice at Naval Air Station Pasco.

Altha – “Al” to friends and family – was born March 4, 1923, in Montana to a World War I veteran who had served under Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell in the trenches of Western Europe.

Her father came home, mar ried and had 11 children. Al was fourth, arriving four years after her twin brothers.

Now 99 and just four months shy of her 100th birthday, Al –whose married names were Sim melink and Perry – is among a dwindling number of World War II veterans and is an impor tant advisor to Malin Bergstrom, president of Bergstrom Aviation and founder of the Pasco Avia tion Museum.

The museum is dedicated to

preserving the mem ory of the Naval Air Station on the old air field, better known to day as the Tri-Cities

Airport, where Al spent part of the war in uniform.

“She’s one of a kind,” Berg strom said.

Al was 6 when her family moved to Mott, North Dakota, which she remembers as “the spot God forgot.” But it was home.

As a young adult, she moved to Chicago, but returned to Mott when her mother was injured in a car accident and needed care. She took a job in the local courthouse and grew bored. Young men were scarce, and life was slow.

She told her parents she intend

ed to join the Navy’s Women Ac cepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) program and they gave their blessing.

Her journey to Pasco began when she enlisted in Bismarck and was shipped to New York City for WAVES training at the U.S. Naval Training Center on the campus of Hunter College in the Bronx.

At the conclusion of training, she refused an offer to be a sec retary.

“I just didn’t want to do that,” she said.

She was instructed to stand aside and before long, she and 30 other women were given their destination: Naval Air Sta tion Pasco, a busy flight training school for Navy pilots.

At its peak, Naval Air Station Pasco was the third-busiest train ing base in the country. Only Pensacola, Florida, and Corpus

ALTHA, Page 13

Joann moving into old Sears store at Columbia Center

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Joann, the sewing and crafts re tailer, is moving its Kennewick store to Columbia Center mall, where it is taking over a portion of the space vacated by Sears in 2019.

The new store is set to open in April, depending on construction being completed on time, said Joan Davis, Kennewick store manager, who confirmed the move.

Davis said the new location, less than a mile from the current one, will provide much-needed space

for Joann, a popular destination for crafters and quilters.

She referred further questions to a spokesperson at the company’s Hudson, Ohio headquarters, who could not immediately be reached.

Joann, which trades under the symbol “JOAN,” has 848 locations in 49 states and reported $2.4 billion in net sales for its 2022 fiscal year.

Construction documents filed with the city of Kennewick show a portion of the former Sears space is being demolished for the future store. The demolition work affects

23,000 square feet and entails de molishing interior finishes, includ ing drywall, ceiling tile, floor cover ings and column covers.

The work is valued at $125,000.

Drawings attached to the demoli tion permit indicate Joann will have entrances into the mall as well as the parking lot. The project leaves an L-shaped section of the old store unused.

Demolition work has begun at the south-facing parking lot entrance, near Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Simon Property Group, which

owns the mall, is the developer. Fox Design Group is the designer and CDI Contractors is performing the demolition work.

Sears left a 160,000-square-foot hole when it closed its Columbia Center store in 2019 after its parent company filed for bankruptcy.

The space remained empty, the vacancy obscured from mall visitors by a temporary wall that features a fashion poster and marketing infor mation about leasing mall space.

The move puts Joann at the cen

What Native American tribe did Sacajawea, who traveled a sizeable part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, belong to?

Courtesy Malin Bergstrom/Bergstrom Aviation Altha (Skogley) Simmelink-Perry poses in a jeep during her World War II service as a Navy WAVE at Naval Air Station Pasco in 1944.

Altha (Skogley) Simmelink-Perry

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Senior Times, a publication of TriComp Inc., is published monthly. Subscriptions are $21.69 per year, prepayment required, no refunds. Contents of this publication are the sole property of TriComp Inc. and can not be reproduced in any form without expressed written consent. Opinions expressed by guest columnists and advertisers do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Senior Times staff, other guest columnists or other advertisers, nor do they imply endorsement by Senior Times staff, other guest columnists or advertisers. Every effort will be made to assure information published is correct; however, we are not liable for any errors or omissions made despite these efforts.

JOANN, From page 1

ter of a shift in how traffic moves around the mall, and by extension, the Kennewick-Richland border zone.

Its future home faces Center Parkway, traditionally the mall’s back side. That is changing. In Sep tember, after 22 years of planning, the city of Richland began work to punch the road across a set of rail road tracks to connect the mall area in Kennewick to Tapteal Drive in Richland.

The new connection holds the promise of improving visibility and traffic for retailers with a presence “behind” the mall and along Gage Boulevard.

The move also creates a fresh op portunity for a newcomer to take over Joann’s current building, 721 N. Columbia Center Blvd. at West Gage Boulevard. Its 16,000-squarefoot store occupies a 1.5-acre site at

Little Badger trail construction starts in 2023

Friends of Badger Mountain will begin trail construction on Little Badger Mountain in early 2023 after reaching a key fundraising goal.

The nonprofit reports it raised more than $3 million to establish Little Badger Mountain Preserve, which will add three miles of new trail to its existing network.

The trail will extend from the east end of Badger Mountain Preserve to the junction of Rachel

one of the more prominent retail lo cations in Kennewick.

There was no evidence it had been listed for lease in early October. A

and Morency drives in south Richland.

Friends of Badger Mountain and the city of Richland will begin building the technically challenging trail in the spring.

Volunteers can sign up to help maintain existing trails at trailmas ter@friendsofbadger.org or go to friendsofbadger.org.

Pasco won’t hire animal control contractor

The city of Pasco will retain management of the Tri-Cities Animal Control & Shelter instead of hiring a contractor to operate the

space in Columbia Plaza, a neigh boring strip mall, was being offered at $14 per square foot per year on LoopNet.

facility.

Pasco oversees the facility on behalf of itself and the cities of Kennewick and Richland. The city has operated it since July, when it took over from the Benton Franklin Humane Society. The city said it has hired new staff and implement ed policies and procedures to pro tect the animals in its care.

The city ended the previous con tact after a police raid found ani mals starving and living in filthy conditions in November 2021. The former operators also were accused of stealing money left to the facility by an area veteran.

The humane society temporarily operated the facility until the city stepped in.

The move comes as Pasco pre pares to break ground on a new ani mal shelter.

Tri-Cities Animal Control & Shelter has an annual budget of $2 million, divided between the three cities.

Chaplaincy Health Care

fundraiser set for Nov. 8

Chaplaincy Health Care holds its Lighting the Path Breakfast, a key fundraising event, from 7:30-8:30 a.m., Nov. 8 at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick.

Tickets are by donation, with tables seating up to 10.

Chaplaincy provides hospice and grief care to Tri-Citians in their homes and at its Kennewick hos pice.

Go to chaplaincyhealthcare.org/ lighting-the-path.

Photo by Wendy Culverwell

Construction has started to prepare a portion of the former Sears at Columbia Center mall in Kennewick into a new store for sewing and crafts retailer Joann.

uBRIEFS

Chillier temperatures mean it’s time to safeguard homes

December is the worst month of the year for home fires, with January close behind. The worst single day of the year for home fires is right here in November – Thanksgiving Day.

Home fires kill over 3,000 people a year, so it’s obvious everyone should do all they can to spot and eliminate fire dangers in their homes. It is especially true for seniors, since older folks account for a dis proportionate share of those who die in home fires.

As we previously reported, Capt. Brian Ellis, deputy fire marshal of the Kennewick Fire Department, told us that those age 65 and over are twice as likely to be killed or injured in a fire. At age 75, that rises to three times as likely and at age 85 it increases to four times.

Those statistics are confirmed by the National Institutes of Standards and Health. Those over 65 account for 13% of the U.S. population and 32% of home fire deaths.

It is clear why seniors are more likely to be injured or killed in a fire. We tend to get more easily distract ed, sometimes forgetting there is food cooking in the kitchen while we tend to other chores.

We chill more easily and rely on home heating devices. Home heaters are one of the leading causes of home fires.

When fire does break out, we are less likely to hear an alarm sounding and we tend to have physical limita tions that make us slow to respond. Fires double in size every 30 sec onds.

When fire breaks out, you may have five minutes or less to escape. That you may not be able to escape a fire once it begins, makes it essential that you do all you can to prevent fire from breaking out in the first place.

Smoke detectors

Early warnings are key to prevent

ing death and injury.

That means installing smoke detec tors in each bedroom, one outside the area where family mem bers sleep and one on each floor. Ellis recommends testing them at least twice a year.

Put in fresh batteries each time you test.

The Red Cross created the Home Fire campaign in 2014 to install smoke alarms in homes that lacked them.

Since then, it has installed more than a million alarms, which have saved at least 1,414 lives.

The victims were at home when fire broke out and had enough time to escape because they heard an alarm.

To learn more about Home Fires and to have a Red Cross alarm installed in your home, go to red cross.org/nwhomefire.

Many older people experience hearing loss as they age, making it difficult to hear an alarm. Ellis sug gests a “bed-shaker” device that will shake you awake in case of fire. Contact your local fire department to learn more about these devices.

Finally, remember to “close while you doze.” Keep all bedroom doors closed when you retire at night. Should a fire start during the night, the closed door will help keep smoke and flames out of your bedroom.

Space heater tips

It’s not always easy to stay warm when winter hits.

It’s no surprise then that the Red Cross reports that “nearly half of American families use alternative heating sources such as space heat

ers, fireplaces or wood/coal stoves to stay warm.”

Unfortunately, where there is heat, there can be a fire.

The National Fire Protection Association reports that home heat ing gear accounts for nearly 50,000 home fires a year – killing 500 peo ple, injuring 1,350 more and doing more than $1 billion in fire damage.

First step to space heater safety is to make sure the heater will automat ically turn itself off if it tips over. Make sure the plug is in good shape and the wiring is not frayed

In fact, do the same sort of check up on every electrical cord in the house. If you see damage or wear, replace the cord and/or the appliance.

Never run appliances with an extension cord. That’s true for heavy duty devices such as space heaters, which should be plugged directly into wall outlets.

Never run an electric wire under a carpet; if there is damage, you won’t see it.

Never let anything flammable come within 3 feet of a heating device. This includes space heaters, fireplaces and outlets for the home heating system.

Beware of curtains that could drop on a heating device. Keep your space heater far enough from your bed that a kicked-off blanket won’t cover it.

Place the heater on a hard, nonflammable surface. If you use a fire place, always use a metal or glass screen to keep fire inside. Make sure all heating devices are turned off, and fire in a fireplace is extinguished

leaving the house.

Kitchen safety

Fires can break out in any room, but they are more likely to start in the kitchen.

Because we spend so much time in the kitchen on Thanksgiving Day, it’s the worst day of the year for kitchen fires.

Christmas Day and the day before Thanksgiving are close behind.

A few simple rules should help keep your kitchen safe.

First, stay close to the stove and stay focused while cooking. If you must leave the room, turn off all cooking fires.

Keep anything that might burn away from any open flame. That could include towels, shopping bags, curtains, even floppy sleeves on a robe. Don’t put grocery bags on the range top while you are unloading after a shopping trip.

Finally, know how to deal with a fire should one start.

Never pour water on a cooking fire; it will help spread the flames. If the fire is in a pan on the stove, place a lid or a cookie sheet at the edge of the pan and slide it until the pan is completely covered. Slamming the lid down could cause flames to blos som out. Slowly slide the lid until the pan is covered.

Home escape routes

Think about how you would escape your home.

Would your physical condition allow you to get out in five minutes

before

GUEST COLUMN

Gordon Williams American Red Cross

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

NOV. 4-5

• Richland Players present, “Nightfall” with Edgar Allan Poe by Eric Coble: 7:30 p.m., 608 The Parkway, Richland. Go to richland players.org.

NOV. 5

• Veterans Day Parade and Chili Feed: 9:30 a.m. parade, 11:30 a.m. chili feed, Flat Top Park, 4705 W. Van Giesen St., West Richland. Details at westrichlandchamber.org.

NOV. 6

• Richland Players present, “Nightfall” with Edgar Allan Poe by Eric Coble: 2 p.m., 608 The Parkway, Richland. Go to richland players.org.

NOV. 8

• Healthy Living for Your Brain & Body: 1-2:30 p.m., virtual event. Call 509-943-8455 or register online at kadlec.org/KNRC.

• Lighting the Path Fundraising Breakfast: Three Rivers Convention Center, 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. Details at chaplaincy healthcare.org.

NOV. 10

✪ Bring your grandchildren and families to events with a star.

• Learn to Declutter & Downsize: 10-11:30 a.m., virtual event. Call 509-943-8455 or register online at kadlec.org/KNRC.

NOV. 11-12

• Richland Players present, “Nightfall” with Edgar Allan Poe by Eric Coble: 7:30 p.m., 608 The Parkway, Richland. Go to richland players.org.

NOV. 12

• Tri-Cities Cancer Center

Autumn Affair: 5:30 p.m.-midnight, Hapo Center, 6600 Burden Blvd., Pasco. For more information contact Lori Lott at 509-737-3373 or lorin. lott@providence.org.

NOV. 13

• Richland Players present, “Nightfall” with Edgar Allan Poe by Eric Coble: 2 p.m., 608 The Parkway, Richland. Go to richland players.org.

NOV. 18-20

• Jurassic Quest dinosaur event: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 18-19; 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday,

Nov. 20, Hapo Center, 6600 Burden Blvd., Pasco. Detail and tickets available at jurassicquest.com.

NOV. 19

• United Way’s fifth annual Festival of Trees: 5:30 p.m., Three Rivers Convention Center, 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. Tickets available at uwbfco.org/festi valtrees.

NOV. 24

• Turkey Trot: 7:30 a.m., Columbia Park, Kennewick. 5K or 1-mile walk/run is annual fundraiser for the Benton-Franklin Chapter of the American Red Cross. Call 509783-6195.

DEC. 1

• Senske’s annual Holiday Light Show: 5 p.m.-midnight runs nightly in December, 400 N. Quay, Kennewick.

DEC. 2

• City of Richland Winter Wonderland: 5-10 p.m. runs night ly in December, John Dam Plaza, 815 George Washington Way, Richland. The stage, trees and park

For holiday bazaar listings, see page 12.

will be lit with thousands of dancing lights set to a soundtrack of holiday tunes.

• Downtown Kennewick

Hometown Holiday Parade: 10 a.m., downtown Kennewick. Old-fashioned parade welcoming Santa and featuring holiday-themed floats, police and fire vehicles and entertaining characters. After the parade, join Santa for activities and treats.

DEC. 2-3

• Lighted Boat Parade: 6 p.m. Decorated boats begin parade under the cable bridge at Clover Island in Kennewick, traveling upriver along Columbia Park. Boats turn around about 7:30 p.m. at the far end of Howard Amon Park in Richland.

Bulldog-Lions rivalry tradition drew community to gridiron

By Gale Metcalf for Senior Times

It was a high school football rivalry like no other in the TriCities, before, during or since.

Fans of other Tri-City schools with a personal and heartfelt associ ation with their teams identify pride fully with their own rivalries.

Those rivalries, however, have never reached the fever pitch of pas sion once associated with the Kennewick-Pasco football rivalry playing out with community-wide intensity between the two towns when their schools met on the grid iron.

In the early years, trains were chartered to carry Pasco fans to Kennewick for the game, and vice versa, with the game in Pasco. These trainloads of cheering boost ers traveled to and fro when only ferries existed to carry automobiles across the Columbia River between the two towns. The tradition contin ued even after the old green bridge opened to automobile traffic in 1922.

Merchants in the towns shuttered their stores to attend the game, whether it was a holiday or not. Fans of one team arriving by charter train often found a gracious wel come waiting at the depot by resi dents of the opposing town and fans of the hosting team.

Prominent in the mid-years of the rivalry was the Wright-Howard Trophy that went to the victor.

It was personally presented by well-known Tri-City grocers Gene Wright and Jules Howard, huge boosters of the game, who opened and operated major grocery enter prises in Pasco and Kennewick, including the East Side and West Side markets in Pasco, and the Gene and Jules store anchoring Kennewick’s Midtown Plaza.

Both local competing daily news

papers at the time, the Columbia Basin News and the Tri-City Herald, prominently chronicled the game with a photo spread on inside pages..

During much of the rivalry’s his tory, the game was played annually every Veterans Day, Nov. 11, although the rivalry started long before Veterans Day or its predeces sor, Armistice Day, founded on Nov. 11, 1918, with the Armistice ending World War I.

As the rivalry intensified, students in the two schools designated the season-ending clash as the schools’ “homecoming game,” even if travel ing as visitors to the opposing team’s field.

The rivalry began more than a century ago in 1914 with a 9-0 Kennewick win, but before the regu lar season ended, the two teams met for a second time and Pasco reversed its fortunes with a 14-6 win.

There have been six ties in the rivalry, occurring before the advent of overtime. Interestingly, the Pasco-

Kennewick rivalry didn’t wait long to get a tie on its registry. Two of those six ties came in the second season of the rivalry. Pasco and Kennewick played to a 6-6 tie in the first of two clashes that year, and a 13-13 tie the second time they met in autumn of 1915.

The last time the rivalry ended in a tie was Nov. 11, 1959, when they played to a 14-14 stalemate in

A seventh tie came within inches and unaccounted seconds in 1923.

In the first of two 1923 clashes, the game was 0-0 when Kennewick drove to within six inches of Pasco’s goal. Bulldog players, thinking the game was over, left the field.

However, the referee determined time still existed for one more play by Kennewick and ordered Pasco’s team back on the field.

Players refused and Kennewick was awarded a 1-0 forfeit.

Regulation ended in a tie in 1983 and Pasco won 28-21 in double overtime. Kennewick won in over time 13-7 in 1987, and Kennewick added a 30-24 double overtime win to its resume in 2007.

While Kennewick has enjoyed its share of success, particularly in the 1980s, and fairly even in wins dur ing the millennium years, Pasco overall has known much greater suc cess. One hundred years after the rivalry began, Pasco led the series 68-44-6.

The Bulldogs were particularly dominant from the mid-1920s to the mid-1930s. At one stretch, they shut

Pasco’s Edgar Brown Memorial Stadium.

Courtesy East Benton County History Museum

The Pasco High School football team, circa 1938, poses for a team photo.

Mid-Columbia Meals on Wheels se nior dining sites serve hot meals from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday (Tuesday through Friday in Connell). Meals are free for seniors age 60 and older.

Seniors must make reservations 24 business hours in advance by calling 509-735-1911.

Monday, Nov. 7: Herbed chicken, mushroom gravy, au gratin potatoes, tossed salad, yogurt and berries.

Tuesday, Nov. 8: Sweet and sour pork, fluffy rice, Asian vegetables.

Wednesday, Nov. 9: Beef lasagna, Italian vegetables, tossed salad, garlic bread.

Thursday, Nov. 10: Chicken fajitas, rice and beans, flour tortilla.

Friday, Nov. 11: Closed

Monday, Nov. 14: Dijon chicken, rice pilaf, seasoned beets, tossed salad.

Tuesday, Nov. 15: Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, brown gravy, broc coli.

Wednesday, Nov. 16: Chicken pot pie, squash medley.

Thursday, Nov. 17: Roast beef with gravy, mashed potatoes, Italian vegeta bles, wheat roll, ice cream.

Friday, Nov. 18: Macaroni and cheese, sausage patty, garden vegeta bles, tossed salad.

Monday, Nov. 21: Teriyaki chicken,

fluffy rice, Asian vegetables.

Tuesday, Nov. 22: Beef stroganoff, garlic noodles, garden vegetables.

Wednesday, Nov. 23: Roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, stuff ing, green beans, cranberry sauce, roll, pumpkin dessert.

Thursday, Nov. 24: Closed for Thanksgiving Day.

Friday, Nov. 25: Closed

Monday, Nov. 28: Chicken and rice, casserole, glazed carrots.

Tuesday, Nov. 29: Tuna noodle casse role, green beans.

Wednesday, Nov. 30: Chili, mixed vegetables, cornbread.

Dining site locations:

• Kennewick Community Center, 500 S. Auburn St.

• Pasco First Avenue Center, 505 N. First Ave.

• Pasco Ray Pfleuger Center, 253 W. Margaret St.

• Richland Community Center, 500 Amon Park Road North.

• Benton City Desert Rose Facility, 510 14th St.

• Prosser Senior Center, 1231 Dudley Ave.

• Connell Community Center, 211 E. Elm St.

• Meals on Wheels Café, 1834 Fowler St., Richland. No reservations required at this site.

HOME FIRES, From page 6

or less?

Consider moving your bedroom to the first floor. If your limitations make escape from a fire question able, let your fire department know you might need to be rescued in a fire. If oxygen is used in your home, let the fire department know that, too.

Know what you need to do if it is likely you would have to shelter in place in a fire. Seal openings into the room by stuffing clothing or towels under doors and into vents. Touch doors with the back of your hand. If the door feels warm, don’t open it. When report ing the fire, make sure dispatchers

PASCO FOOTBALL, From page 5

out the Lions in 10 consecutive games (included was a 0-0 tie in 1928), and in 12 of 13 games. The one game Kennewick scored was its 9-0 shutout of Pasco in 1936, meaning that 13 straight games in the rivalry during this period pro duced a shutout.

When the state high school football playoff system was imple mented in the 1970s, it forced an end of the Veterans Day rivalry. The date was smack in the middle of the playoff lineup.

Before then, Pasco and Kennewick almost always played their season-ending game against each other, including some sea son-ending back-to-back games.

From 1946-74 when the change was implemented, the schools played 29 consecutive season-end ing rivalry games.

know that people in the home will need to be rescued. Stay at a win dow so responders can spot you as soon as they arrive at the scene.

Finally, there is this bit of often overlooked advice from the Red Cross. Make sure your house num ber is visible from the street and illuminated. If there is a fire, you want responders to know which house is yours – with no time wasted trying to guess where to find you.

Gordon Williams is a volunteer with the American Red Cross’ Northwest Region Communications Team.

Today, they might open their football seasons playing each other, and intra-city rivalries now exist with Chiawana High in Pasco, and Kamiakin and Southridge high schools in Kennewick.

The glorious intensity of the Pasco Bulldog-Kennewick Lions Veterans Day homecoming rivalry is history.

search East Benton County History Museum: 205 W. Keewaydin Drive in Kennewick; 509-5827704; ebchs.org.

Gale Metcalf of Kennewick is a lifelong Tri-Citian, retired Tri-City Herald employee and volunteer for the East Benton County History Museum. He writes the monthly history column.

AARP Tax-Aide seek volunteers for return to in-person service

AARP Foundation Tax-Aide service will be back providing in-person ser vice for 2023 and is looking for com passionate and friendly people throughout Washington to join the team.

Tax-Aide is an all-volunteer organi zation whose tax counselors are trained and certified by the IRS, so no previous experience is needed to join. Our tax preparation services are open to anyone but are especially for people 60 and older and for those with low to moderate incomes. We provide on-site service at libraries, community centers, senior centers and other local facilities. There are no fees or sales pitches for the service, and AARP membership is not required.

Being a tax counselor is an intellec tually challenging job that brings peace of mind to taxpayers and serves

AARP

GUEST COLUMN

the community while being part of a local team. The IRS works with Tax-Aide to make sure all tax counselors have the knowledge they need to accurately file

returns. But volunteers don’t need a financial background to get involved.

“We’re emphasizing that volunteer ing doesn’t necessarily mean doing tax preparation,” said volunteer Washington State Tax-Aide Coordinator Cindy Gossett of Seattle. “We have a number of other jobs that don’t involve preparing returns, such as public relations, greeters, managing

our technology and leadership posi tions of all types.”

More than 200,000 taxpayers were helped in our state in 2019, the last year of in-person service due to the pandemic. Over 51,000 federal returns were filed and $4 million in refunds were obtained for Washington resi dents.

AARP Foundation Tax-Aide oper ates the nation’s largest volunteer-run free tax preparation service and it’s the fourth largest tax return service of any type, paid or free.

“There are so many seniors and low-income people that need that kind of help. And if they have to go to a paid preparer, it’s very expensive,” said volunteer tax preparer Ron Yaden of Tacoma. “I would say 99% of the people we serve are extremely happy with our service at Tax-Aide. So it’s

fun, it’s satisfying and we are a pretty friendly group of volunteers. I’m always recruiting.”

“I absolutely love volunteering for Tax-Aide. It’s a great way to meet people and provide a service,” said volunteer Debby Ryan of Spokane. “I’m not a tax preparer. I’m a greeter. I help check people in, make sure they’ve got the proper forms and that everything is ready. We’re doing taxes at different facilities in the Spokane area, and we always need more volun teers.”

To find out more about this oppor tunity, email aarpwa@aarp.org, go online at aarp.org/taxaide, or call 1-888-227-7669.

Bruce Carlson is associate state director of communications for AARP Washington.

Downtown Kennewick group accepting award nominations

The Historic Downtown Kennewick Partnership is accepting nominations for its annual Downtown Awards through Nov. 11. The awards will honor individ uals and businesses that made an impact in the city’s historic down town in 2021. Winners will be hon ored at the partnership’s annual meeting and breakfast, to be held Dec. 9.

Business of the Year honors busi nesses located or operating in downtown for exceptional growth and performance, employment

practices and other metrics.

uBRIEFS West Richland celebrates Veterans Day

The Ralph & Jo Benton Volunteer of the Year award honors individuals whose efforts have ben efited downtown over an extended period of time.

The Revitalization Award honors those who have improved proper ties, places and storefronts in the downtown area.

The Ken Silliman Downtowner Award is the highest honor and rec ognizes significant contributions over an extended period of time and is presented by past winners.

For information or to submit a nomination, go to historickenne wick.org/nominations.

Sgt. Kelsey Gray Lehto of the Washington Army National Guard’s 104 First Transportation Co. has been selected as grand marshal for the 2022 Veterans Day Parade in West Richland.

Festivities begin at 9:30 a.m.,

Nov. 5 in downtown West Richland near Flat Top Park and include a chili feed following the parade at the park at 11 a.m.

The parade is sponsored by Combat Veterans International. For information and parade entry forms, go to westrichlandchamber.org/vet erans-day-parade. There is no fee to enter.

Bruce Carlson

SENIOR ACTIVITIES

Pasco First Avenue Center

505 N. First Ave., Pasco 509-545-3459 pascoparksandrec.com

• Billiards: 9 a.m.-noon. Mon days; 1:30-4 p.m. Wednesdays; 9 a.m.-noon, 1:30-4 p.m. Fridays.

• Mexican train dominoes: 1:30-3:30 p.m. Mondays.

• Pinochle: 1:30-4 p.m. Tues days.

• China painting: 9 a.m.-noon. Wednesdays.

Keewaydin Community Center

500 S. Auburn St., Kennewick 509-585-4303 go2kennewick.com

• Bunco: 1-3 p.m. Fridays. Cost: $1 per day.

• Bridge: 12:30-4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Cost: $1 per day.

• Mahjong: 12:30-4 p.m. Wednesdays. Cost: $1 per day.

• Dominoes: 12:30-2 p.m. Tues

days and Fridays. Cost: $1 per day.

• Pinochle: 1-4:30 p.m. Wednes days. Cost: $1 per day.

• Creative palette art: 9 a.m.noon Tuesdays.

• Sewing: 1-4 p.m. Tuesdays.

• Woodcarving: 1-3 p.m. Wednesdays. Cost: $1 per day. 9 a.m.-noon Fridays. Bring supplies or borrow from the class.

• Billiards: Daily. $2 per day or $20 monthly pass.

Richland Community Center

500 Amon Park Drive, Richland 509-942-7529 ci.richland.wa.us

• Fitness room: 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturdays and noon-4 p.m. Sundays. Location: Fitness room. Cost: $2 per day or $8 per month.

• Billiards: Daily. $2 per day.

• Greeting card recycling: 1-3 a.m. Tuesdays. Cost: free.

• Pinochle players: 6-8:30 p.m. Fridays. Location: game room.

Cost: $1.

• Party bridge: 8:30-11:30 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays. Location: game room. Cost: $1.

• Senior duplicate bridge: 12:30-3:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays. Location: game room.

• Table tennis: 6:30-8:45 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, 12:303:45 p.m. Sundays.

Prosser Senior Community Center

1231 Dudley Ave., Prosser 509-786-2915 cityofprosser.com

• Pool: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. MondaysFridays. Cost: free. Location: pool room, membership is required.

• Mahjong: 1-3 p.m. Tuesdays Location: living room. Membership is required.

• Daytime bingo: 9 a.m. Wednesdays. Location: dining room Cost: 3 cards/$1.

• Evening bingo: First Friday of every month. 6 p.m. Cost: $10. Location: dining room

• Foot care: Second Wednesday of each month: Appointments can be made by calling 509-790-1905.

• Pinochle: 1 p.m. Thursdays. Location: living room, membership is required.

• Crafts: 10 a.m. Tuesdays. Register by calling 509-786-2915.

• Bunco: Third Friday of month. 6 p.m. Cost is $2 per person.

Location: dining room.

• Tai chi quan: 6 p.m. Mondays. Contact Kraig Stephens at 509-4301304.

• All you can eat community breakfast: Last Sunday every month, 8-11:30 a.m. Location: din ing room. Cost: Suggested donation $7 per person and $4 per child, 8 and under.

West Richland Senior Center

616 N. 60th, West Richland 509-967-2847

• Bunco potluck: noon, first Wednesday and third Friday of the month.

Just for Fun

--- Hauptmann, the Lindbergh kidnapper

Solutions on page 11

California border lake

Native American village

Formerly, one sixteenth of a rupee

Woodpile

Stage joke Down

He coined the comment: “A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore”

Cockneys, Liverpudlians et al.

Incredulous response

Trainers

Portuguese holy one

Software program, briefly

Word search - Fall

The character of “The Count” (officially Count von Count) was introduced on Sesame Street. True to his name, the friendly children’s show puppet vampire helped children count.

Computer monitor letters

Hot --- (M A S H role)

Nuts

Respectful form of address

“Forget it!”

Current units

Revere or Robeson

Best possible

Crockery

--- He (Chinese river)

Youth org.

Letters on some party invitations

Section of a race

How to beat Str8ts: No single number, 1 to 9, can repeat in any row or column. But rows and columns are divided by black squares into compartments. Each compartment must form a straight, a set of numbers with no gaps but it can be in any order, eg: 7, 6, 8, 9. Clues in black cells remove that number as an option in that row and column, and are not part of any straight.

Rules of Sudoku - To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 such that each row, column and 3x3 box contains ever number uniquely.

For more strategies, hints and tips, visit www.sudokuwiki.org and www.str8ts.com.

was a member of the Shoshone tribe.

TRI-CITY BOOK CLUBS

• 6:30 p.m. Nov. 21, Richland Public Library, 955 Northgate Drive, THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS by Booth Tarkington.

THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK by Kim Michele Richardson is the Dec. 19 book.

The group meets the third Monday of the month. Contact: Sue Spencer, sue_spencer_eng land@hotmail.com or 509-5724295.

• 1 p.m. Nov. 16, Mid-Columbia Libraries, Pasco branch, 1320 W. Hopkins St., Pasco, WHERE THE FOREST MEETS THE STARS by Glendy Vanderah. Voting for 2023 books and a Christmas party takes place at the Dec. 20 meeting.

The group typically meets the third Wednesday of the month.

Contact Susan Koenig at 509302-9878 or SMKoenig@ymail. com.

• 1:30 p.m. Nov. 17, Richland Public Library, 955 Northgate Drive, DEATH AT LA FENICE by Donna Leon.

THE BEST LAID PLANS by Terry Fallis is the Dec. 15 book. The group meets the third Thursday of the month but takes summers off.

Contact: Evelyn Painter, ec_painter@yahoo.com or 509-420-4811.

• 6 p.m. Nov. 22, Mid-Columbia Libraries, Benton City branch, 810 Horne Drive, WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens.

THE NIGHTINGALE by Kristin Hannah is the Dec. 20 book.

• 6 p.m. Nov. 28, Mid-Columbia Libraries, West Pasco branch, 7525 Wrigley Drive, CIRCE by Madeline Miller.

THE NICKEL BOYS by Colson Whitehead is the Dec. 19 book.

• 6:30 p.m. Nov. 29, Kennewick branch, 1620 S. Union St., Read the Rainbow, a LGBTQIA+ & Allies book club. THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Bring a book you are reading or have read recently to discuss on Dec. 27. The meeting will be at the Richland Public Library, 955 Northgate Drive.

• 7 p.m. the first Friday of the month, Caterpillar Café at Adventures Underground, 227 Symons St., Richland. Contact Sarah at 509-946-9893 for upcoming titles.

To add your book club to this list, email details to info@tcjournal.biz.

Capitol building named for Newhouse being replaced

A “temporary” building on the Capitol Campus in Olympia will be demolished and replaced starting in mid-2023.

The Irving R. Newhouse building was constructed in 1934 as a tem porary structure and was named for the late Irving Newhouse, a farmer and longtime lawmaker who was the father of U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside.

Ginny Streeter, spokeswoman for the Legislative Campus Modernization Project, said the building will keep its name.

The state identified the need to replace it in the 2017 State Capitol Development Study. Design and development began in June. Miller Hull Partnership created schematics for the new building, which will be constructed by Hoffman Construction Co.

Demolition of Press House struc tures and Visitor Center begin this fall. The building itself will be demolished starting in July. The new building should be complete by 2025.

Irving Newhouse was a farmer who served in the state House of Representatives from 1965-80 and

in the state Senate from 1980-99. He was succeeded in the state Senate by Jim Honeyford, who is retiring from the post at the end of the year. Newhouse died in 2001.

Sign up now for foster children Christmas stockings

The annual Heads Up Tri-Cities Foster Children Christmas Stocking Program is accepting requests from area residents who want to ensure local children living in foster care get Christmas gifts.

The nonprofit works with the Benton-Franklin County Guardian Ad Litem Office and the Department of Children, Youth & Family Services to ensure all chil dren who are wards of the state get something to celebrate on Christmas.

Participants should email the program with the number of chil dren they wish to sponsor and indi cate any age or gender preferences. They will receive a return email confirming the request and making arrangements to provide wish lists.

Gifts can be dropped off Dec. 8, 9 and 12 at United Way, 401 N. Young St., Kennewick.

Email headsuptricities05@gmail. com for more information.

Prosser dishes up Vets Day breakfast, procession

Prosser Memorial Health holds its annual Veterans Day Breakfast from 7-10 a.m., Nov. 11 at the Prosser Senior and Community Center, 1231 Dudley Ave.

Veterans and their families are invited to the free hot breakfast, including coffee and pastries.

The Prosser Chamber of Commerce Veterans Day Procession will follow at 11 a.m. in the downtown area.

Prosser Memorial opened in 1947 to serve World War II veterans and is now a community health center pre paring to build a new hospital.

Call 509-786-6601 for details.

Knights raising money for Ukrainian refugees

The Richland Council of the global Knights of Columbus Charities is seeking donations to secure a $50,000 match for efforts to provide relief to refugees fleeing ware in Ukraine.

Knights of Columbus is working to bring shelter, food, medical supplies, clothing and religious goods to refu gees now in Poland and western Ukraine.

Checks can be mailed to Knights of Columbus Charities Inc., c/o Council #3307, 2500 Chester Road, Richland,

WA 99354. Note “Ukraine Fund Council #3307” in the memo field.

Richland trauma pioneer honored for global impact

Dr. Lewis Zirkle, a retired Richland ortho pedist who cre ated a local non profit to treat broken bones in third world countries, has been honored by the Orthopaedic Trauma Association with its Lifetime Achievement Award.

“(Dr. Zirkle) has set a standard that none of us can live up to, but all of us can aspire to. Lew Zirkle is the best of us. And we salute him for that,” said Dr. Tom Higgins of the OTA Board.

Sign Fracture Care, based in north Richland, manufactures equipment to treat long bone injuries and trains surgeons working in humble settings to treat injuries that would be incon veniences in first world countries but potentially catastrophic in less devel oped ones.

Dr. Daniel Scuito, a Sign surgeon in Kenya, accepted the award on Zirkle’s behalf.

Support Sign at signfracturecare. org/donate.

~ Bazaar Listings ~

Here’s our annual roundup of Tri-City area bazaars: NOV. 4

• Jefferson Fall Craft Bazaar: 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Jefferson Elementary School, 1550 George Washington Way, Richland. NOV. 4-6

• Custer’s Christmas Art & Crafts Show: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5; and 10 a.m.4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, Hapo Center, 6600 Burden Blvd., Pasco. Jewelry, hand-thrown pottery, fused glass work, wood turning, metal art, photography, soaps, candles, paintings, wearable fiber art, mixed media, seasonal decor and specialty foods. Cost: Adults $7, kids 12 and under are free.

NOV. 5

• Southridge High School Holiday Bazaar: 9 a.m.-4 p.m., 3520 Southridge Blvd., Kennewick. Benefits Southridge High School music program.

• Craft Bazaar: 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Meadow Springs Presbyterian Church, 325 Silver Meadows Drive, Richland. Handcrafted items, fine art and gourmet specialty food.

• Maya Craft Show: 9 a.m.3 p.m., Maya Angelou Elementary, 6001 N. Road 84, Pasco.

NOV. 6

• Fall Fest: noon to 4 p.m., Highlands Grange, 1500 S. Union. St., Kennewick.

NOV. 12

• Miracle of Christmas Craft Bazaar: 9 a.m.- 4 p.m., Richland Nazarene Church, 2500 Jericho Road.

• Fall Harvest Bazaar: 9 a.m.3 p.m., Pasco Eagles, 2829 W. Sylvester St., Pasco.

NOV. 19

• Marcus Whitman Winter Bazaar: 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Marcus

Whitman Elementary, 1704 Gray St., Richland. Over 60 local arti sans, silent auction and food avail able for purchase.

• Lincoln Holiday Bazaar: 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Lincoln Elementary, 4901 W. 20th Ave., Kennewick.

• Jason Lee Bazaar: 9 a.m.3 p.m., Jason Lee Elementary School, 1750 McMurray, Richland. Over 50 vendors, arts, crafts and food.

• Brookdale at Canyon Lakes Holiday Bazaar: 10 a.m.- 2 p.m., 2802 W. 35th Ave., Kennewick. Hand-carved woodwork, jewelry, art and more. Hot dog lunch is available to purchase for $5, entry is free.

NOV. 26

• Small Business Saturday Support local small businesses. DEC. 2-3

• Holiday Bazaar: 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Pasco Eagles, 2829 W. Sylvester St., Pasco.

DEC. 3

• Grace Hollow Winter Market: 9 a.m.-3 p.m., 3500 W. Deschutes Ave., Kennewick. Vendors with handcrafted wares and treats to eat.

DEC. 11

• Dear Santa Bazaar: 10 a.m.4 p.m., Gesa Carousel of Dreams, 2901 Southridge Blvd., Kennewick. DEC. 16-18

• Sixth annual Home for the Holidays: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18, Hapo Center, 6600 Burden Blvd., Pasco. Free admis sion.

To be included on this list, email ads@tcjournal.biz with details about your bazaar, including time, date, place and cost.

The holiday season is upon us and for those who have lost a loved one, it’s not always an easy time of the year.

We want to make sure that you and your family are able to celebrate the life and memories of your loved ones who have passed on.

All events will take place at 915 Bypass Highway in Richland.

National Wreaths Across America Day | Sat., Dec. 17 at 9:00 am

Dr. Lewis Zirkle

Christie, Texas, were busier. It trained 1,800 pilots and spawned a small city of thousands, including all the servic es they needed.

“We had never heard of it,” Al said, laughing at the memory of the small dot on a map.

Al and her fellow WAVES boarded a westbound train, memorable for the tomato soup they ate while waiting in Chicago for the train that would take them to Pasco. She arrived in June 1944 and was assigned to work as a journalist for the base newspaper.

Armed with a tidy black bag and a winning smile, she told the stories of members of the service, VIPs and the odd movie star making the circuit of military installations. Her work took her to Naval facilities across the re gion, including Tillamook and Klam ath Falls.

“We had so much fun,” she said.

There were treks across the Co lumbia River to Camp Hanford to sell war bonds and interact with workers on the top-secret Manhattan project.

No one knew the details, but every one had their suspicions.

“We all knew something was going on,” she recalled. “When we finally heard they were making a bomb over there and we were working with all these guys, it was unreal.”

She spent the war in Pasco after re

sisting a trans fer to Hawaii.

Three of her brothers were serving over seas. It would not be fair to deploy four siblings, she ar gued.

At Pasco, she lived in the WAVES barracks overlooking the runway and remembered the interminable dust blowing across the site.

The women weren’t supposed to fraternize with men, but they did any way.

There were dances, dining halls and a swimming pool, among the many recreation offerings that brought WAVES into contact with sailors and officers. The Navy issued cigarettes and whiskey. Al didn’t partake of either, so she’d supply her share to whomever she was seeing.

The wartime service at a far-flung Navy base turned into a lifetime com mitment to the Tri-Cities when she met Neil Simmelink, a Kennewick native who passed through Pasco en route to serving overseas.

They were engaged by the end of the war. Al was discharged and re turned to Mott. Neil made his way home and found her there.

The couple married and settled

on a small farm in the Horse Heav en Hills outside of Kennewick. The nearest neighbor was a mile away. Al opened an antiques store in 1962 on Vista Way and closed it about 20 years later.

The couple raised four sons and a daughter, Jenny, who died as a teen. The family grew with the arrival of some of her Skogley siblings, who joined her in the Mid-Columbia.

She estimates she has about 50 children, grandchildren and others scattered across the area.

Two great-grandchildren teach in local schools, and she boasts at least two great-great granddaughters.

“They’re just all over the place,”

she said.

Neil Simmelink died in 1985 and she married John Perry.

Today, she lives alone in the Can yon Lakes home she shared with Perry, though she is seldom alone thanks to a constant parade of family visitors.

A son and grandson live in her Horse Heaven Hills home, but she doesn’t visit, saying she can’t bear to see the residential development creeping up the hill.

For Al, the secret to a long and healthy life is no secret: Strong faith and a good attitude are the key.

“Just be nice to everybody,” she said.

December 17, 2022

Deadline to order wreaths for this year’s ceremony is November 25, 2022.

Altha (Skogley) Simmelink-Perry

Pasco church added to state Heritage Register

Pasco’s Morning Star Baptist Church has been added to the Washington Heritage Register, a roster of more than 2,100 historic and culturally significant properties throughout the state.

The church at 631 S. Douglas Ave. also is nominated through The Black American Experience in Pasco for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the larger story of the discrimina tion Black workers faced when working in the area for the

Manhattan Project and later as the community evolved beyond the original Hanford mission.

Read the application at bit.ly/ PascoBlackAmericanExperience.

Yakima Valley Memorial being acquired by MultiCare

The Yakima Valley Memorial health system is being acquired by MultiCare, a Tacoma nonprofit, and will be rebranded as MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital in 2023.

Terms were not disclosed.

The Memorial system includes a 226-bed hospital, five primary care clinics and several specialty care services, including the only level-3

NICU in central Washington. With 3,000 employees, it is the largest employer in Yakima County.

The change is not expected to dis rupt care and Memorial patients will have the same access to doctors and services.

The MultiCare system includes 11 hospitals with locations in Tacoma, Auburn, Olympia, Covington, Spokane, Puyallup and West Seattle as well as clinics across the state.

Tri-City Herald moves to mail delivery

The days of local carriers deliver ing the morning daily newspaper soon will be over in the Tri-Cities.

The Tri-City Herald, the region’s daily newspaper based in Kennewick, announced plans to deliver papers by mail starting Dec. 12.

The Herald, which prints its paper in Spokane after shuttering its own press in 2012, will drop off papers at the U.S. Postal Service’s Spokane mail distribution center for delivery in the Tri-Cities.

“For 95% of our customers, the weekday papers will continue to arrive on the same day that you receive them now,” said Laurie Williams, executive editor for the Herald, in a column announcing the change.

The Sunday edition is scheduled to arrive in Saturday’s mail.

The Herald noted the change was necessary to provide dependable and reliable service.

Local carriers, who are indepen dent contractors, will continue to deliver newspapers to homes until the change takes effect in December.

In announcing the change, the Herald encouraged readers to engage with its new digital eEdi tion, which arrives around 5 a.m. daily. It features a replica of the print edition, as well as access to dozens of pages of additional con tent, without the restrictions of an early print edition deadline.

Just Roses sells business as owner begins cancer treatments

By Kristina Lord publisher@tcjournal.biz

A longtime flower shop has changed hands so the former owner can face down a fast-spreading cancer.

Connie and Sandy Wormington sold Just Roses Flowers & More, which has shops in Kennewick and Pasco, along with their wholesale flower shop, Co lumbia Wholesale.

Leslie and Richard Underwood of Diamond Back Farms are the new own ers. The deal closed Sept. 1.

When reached for comment, Leslie said she and her husband preferred to stay out of the limelight and to let the Wormingtons talk about the sale since they were the longtime business own ers.

No terms were disclosed.

The Underwoods’ granddaughter Taylor Rathbun has worked at Just Ros es for about a year-and-a-half and plans to oversee the business’ management and success, according to Connie.

“It was our baby for 33 years. I want it to be continued on,” Connie said.

The Wormingtons owned Just Roses for more than three decades.

They launched in 1988, offering de livery of a dozen affordable red roses by a tuxedo-wearing driver. Connie told the Journal of Business in 2018 that the

shop owned 35 tuxedo suits for its team of drivers.

In 1996, the couple bought out their former partners.

They launched the Pasco shop, locat ed at 1835 W. Court St., in 2000.

Customers liked their drive-thru windows and floral delivery service so much that the company expanded and offered franchise opportunities, and in its heyday, operated 18 shops in the Northwest until the Great Recession took its toll on the business.

The Underwoods bought the busi nesses but not the Kennewick property, which the Wormingtons own. Just Ros es has long leased the Pasco property.

The Kennewick property at 5428 W. Clearwater Ave. is for sale, along with the couple’s self-storage business, Just Storage, Connie said.

It is listed at $1.3 million, with a 6% capitalization, or “cap” rate. The cap rate reflects the return on the investment to the buyer. It is comparable to interest rates on savings accounts.

The property includes 4,574 square feet of retail space and 6,608 square feet of storage. Three buildings are leased to Just Roses. The NAI Tri-Cities listing indicates that 50 of the 56 storage units are occupied.

Connie, 74, and her husband, 75, knew it was time for their next chapter.

“We both have worked all our lives,” Connie said.

Connie’s worsening cancer also made it clear retirement was necessary.

She was diagnosed with breast can cer eight years ago and recently learned the cancer had metastasized.

“That was a determining factor – we want to enjoy some of our life. I keep telling Sandy that I don’t want to retire and die, but I want to retire and live a fun life,” she said.

And what’s fun for Connie is travel ing to play softball.

She’s a die-hard, lifelong, awardwinning softball player, racking up plenty of trophies along the way in the senior leagues, playing on and against the top teams in the country in her age bracket.

“I’ll continue to play as long as I’m able to,” she said.

She had hoped to play in the Hunts man World Senior Games in St. George, Utah, in October but her doctors ad vised against it.

“But you know, I’ll continue to fight this. That’s the way I am. I just really wish I could have gone. I wasn’t strong enough. I didn’t expect the cancer to go so fast,” she said, noting with pride that her team earned medals at the game.

Connie said she’d like to be able to attend a tournament in Panama City, the last one of the year, but isn’t sure it’s possible.

She said in early October that she planned to begin chemotherapy and ra diation.

“I just have to see how I do,” she said.

TCAJOB file art

Connie Wormington and her husband Sandy recently sold their longtime businesses Just Roses Flowers & More in Pasco and Kennewick, and Columbia Wholesale, which supplies flowers to other shops.