Articles from the June 2, 2016 edition


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  • Council OKs salary ordinance

    John McCallum, Editor|Updated Jun 2, 2016

    Cheney’s City Council adopted seven ordinances at its May 24 meeting, most dealing with construction but also one that will pave the way for a reorganization of the city’s Police Department. Ordinance W-92 amends the city’s 2016 wage structure for some positions within the Police Department. According to information from the city, the ordinance is needed because “Changes in job duties necessitates a wage change to accurately compensate employees for their assigned duties.” City Administrator Mark Schuller said the salary adju...

  • West Plains' memorials

    Updated Jun 2, 2016

  • Payne speaks

    AL STOVER|Updated Jun 2, 2016

    Cheney High School senior Shayla Payne speaks at the May 30 Memorial Day ceremony at Fairview Cemetery in Cheney, asking those in attendance to honor veterans who have served and sacrified their lives for the U.S. Turn to page 12 to see more photos from various Memorial Day events in Cheney and Medical Lake....

  • Eunice Virginia Greener

    Updated Jun 2, 2016

    Celebration of a beautiful life who loved God, family and all people will be Saturday, June 25 at 2 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 318 S. Cedar St., Spokane, Wash. Eunice was born to Armand Victor Pallviny and Lydia Isaac Pallviny on March 26, 1923 in Leola, S.D. She passed peacefully on Feb. 25, 2016. She exemplified the love of Jesus throughout her life with kindness, compassion, generosity, hugs, a radiating smile, prayers of praise, thanksgiving and concerns, words of...

  • Looking Back

    Updated Jun 2, 2016

    1 Years Ago June 8, 2006 Ending nearly a year of negotiations, collective bargaining teams from Eastern Washington University and the United Faculty of Eastern reached a tentative agreement on a new faculty contract that will raise instructors’ salaries, yet stay within the school’s budget. The city of Cheney won a decision in the Washington Court of Appeals, and was awarded over $87,000 in reimbursement of legal costs associated with the recent Tom Myers Mobile Home Park case. Chris Spring was named new athletics and act...

  • West Plains Briefs

    Updated Jun 2, 2016

    Tyler Daze taking place June 4 Come out and enjoy the annual celebration of “Tyler Daze Community Firemen’s Breakfast and Flea Market,” Saturday, June 4, from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Flea market inside tables or outside spaces can be reserved now for $15. Bring your garage, yard, barn, household items, arts and crafts, antiques or collectibles. There will be free coffee, advertising and entertainment. Breakfast is served beginning at 7 a.m., lunch is from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Donations accepted. Tyler Grange 610 and Fire Station 3...

  • What's Happening On The West Plains

    Updated Jun 2, 2016

    Cheney • June 3, Baby Play and Learn Storytime (ages 0 – 18 months), community library, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. • June 4, All you can eat pancake breakfast to benefit local veterans and their families, Marketplace Bakery & Eatery, $11.99 per person, 9 a.m. – noon. • June 4, Tyler Daze annual Firemen’s Breakfast and Flea Market, Tyler Grange 610, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. • June 6, Dance Class, Wren Pierson Community Center, 7:15 – 8:15 p.m. • June 7, Senior Light Fitness, Wren Pierson Community Center, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. • June 8, Baby Pla... Full story

  • Churches

    Updated Jun 2, 2016

    Emmanuel Lutheran Church The congregation of Emmanuel Lutheran Church invites you to worship with us this Sunday, June 5, at 10:30 a.m. You may also watch our pastor’s sermons at emmanuelcheney.org or on YouTube at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Cheney. Christian education for grade school through adults begins at 9 a.m. Mark your calendars for Emmanuel’s 2016 Vacation Bible School program scheduled for July 11 —15. The theme this year is “Rooted. imagine what will grow!” from Ephesians 3:17-19. Registration forms will be availa...

  • Memorial scramble

    AL STOVER|Updated Jun 2, 2016

    Jase Winner of the Boy Scout Troop 356 (right) serves scrambled eggs to a local veteran during a Memorial Day breakfast at the Cheney American Legion Hall. The breakfast, which is a fundraiser for the Cheney Cemetery Association, was held for the first time in two years on Monday. Last year's event was canceled due to construction work taking place at the hall....

  • Medical Lake-area retirees hear council work overview

    Updated Jun 2, 2016

    Maria Britton-Sipe, the executive director of the Retired Public Employees Council of Washington, speaking at the Chapter 14 meeting in Medical Lake May 25 presented an overview of the council’s work in the Washington State Legislature and the challenges retirees face. Some of these are: • Currently 48 percent of Washingtonians between 55-64 do not have a pension. We need to work on their behalf to ensure those who work have access to a decent retirement. • We are asking our legislators to restore the $33 health insurance ben...

  • Riding the customer service merry-go-round

    PAUL DELANEY, Staff Reporter|Updated Jun 2, 2016

    Tom Davis, where were you when the big mega-cable folks first came to Spokane in the 1970s? Oh, I forgot, you just told me you were staking your territory out here on the West Plains where your tech support is within driving distance. Or on the phone where locals work to solve the problem, and if not, you dispatch someone who can. If you think you’ve heard this story before about issues pertaining to Comcast, my cable and Internet provider, you have not. In my estimation t...

  • Events don't happen without volunteers

    Updated Jun 2, 2016

    During the recently completed Cheney Mayfest celebration, the 3-on-3 basketball tournament was in jeopardy, lacking volunteers for important positions such as scorekeepers and courtside monitors. But then players and parents from the Cheney High School Lady Blackhawks basketball team stepped up to volunteer, asking, “What can we do to help?” With their assistance, the event took place, providing fun and competition for players and spectators alike. For those aware of this, it’s an important reminder of what volunteering means...

  • Cheney Middle School announces Term 3 honor roll

    Updated Jun 2, 2016

    Cheney Middle School announced its honor roll for term 3 of the 2015-16 school year. 4.0 —Cruz I. Avila, Tilly A. Baldwin, Bailey M. Benson, Miles C. Blomgren, Aaron M. Brown, Emily R. Clausen, Kady A. Cullen, Sofia I. Day, Emma L. Dennstaedt, Dylan J. Doney, Serenity R. Dow, Lydia E. Duncan, Meaghan E. Estock, Annika R. Fiala, Abby L. Fillmore, John T. Gasper, Gabe Gerber, Jade A. Gere, Cale J. Gundlach, Moriah G. Hallin, Grace C. Hammermeister, Kendal A. Harman, Ella D. Hilliard, Reagan N. Huggins, Noah D. Jackson, J...

  • Eastern selects Bowman as new dean of CSTEM

    Updated Jun 2, 2016

    Eastern Washington University announced that Dr. David Bowman has been named the new dean of the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (CSTEM). His appointment will begin Aug. 1. Bowman is currently the interim dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and professor of geophysics at California State University—Fullerton. He previously spent six years as the chairman of the Department of Geological Services at Cal State Fullerton. “I’m thrilled to be joining an institution that feels confi...

  • Reitmeier's named Yard of the Month

    John McCallum|Updated Jun 2, 2016

    The Fox Ridge home of Kent and Monica Reitmeier, behind sign, is the Medical Lake Kiwanis pick to be June's Yard of the Month. The Reitmeier's immaculately-manicured yard, featuring several memorial bushes and trees and a children's play area in the backyard that could be the envy of most parks and recreation department's, is located at 1103 Olson Hill Court. Kent Reitmeier said they were one of the first homes to be built in the north-end development, and have enjoyed great...

  • Veterans Cemetery becomes part of national legacy

    John McCallum, Editor|Updated Jun 2, 2016

    Thanks to a local Boy Scout Eagle project, the gravestones at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery on Espanola Road will soon become part of a national legacy project helping educate the public about the sacrifices people have made in serving the United States. Eagle candidate John Demke of Scout Troop 321, Moran Prairie, led a group of 30-35 other volunteers on a clear, unusually calm day for the West Plains Saturday, May 21, in walking the cemetery's rows of markers, as we...

  • Medical Lake prepares for summer program

    Updated Jun 2, 2016

    By AL STOVER Staff Reporter The Medical Lake School District is gearing up for the summer. At the May 24 school board meeting, Kim Headrick, director of teaching and learning, gave an update on the upcoming Summer Reading Program for students at Hallett and Michael Anderson elementary schools. The program, which will run Aug. 1-18, will be a reading intensive program for students who are reading at their grade level or below it. Students will engage in reading and writing instruction practices to meet their needs, as well as...

  • Cheney School Board appoints Calvert, Short as student advisers

    AL STOVER, Staff Reporter|Updated Jun 2, 2016

    The Cheney School Board went through a light agenda at its May 25 meeting, which included appointing the board's student advisers for the 2016-17 school year. The board reappointed junior Bridget Calvert as one of the student advisers. She served in that role this year, along with graduating senior Tea Hickman. Calvert, who will be a senior next year, wrote in her application that she wants to "make deeper connections with board members and contribute my ideas and thoughts"...

  • School districts to offer free breakfast and lunch

    AL STOVER, Staff Reporter|Updated Jun 2, 2016

    Even after the school year is over, West Plains' students can go to their schools' cafeterias for breakfast and lunch during summer break. In a news release, the Cheney School District announced it will once again sponsor the Seamless Summer Feeding Program for Children, which offers free breakfast and lunch for children under 18. Medical Lake School District announced it will also offer free meals for children ages 1-18 through its Summer Food Service Program. For Cheney...

  • Memorial Day on the West Plains

    Updated Jun 2, 2016

  • News briefs

    STAFF AND NEWS SOURCES|Updated Jun 2, 2016

    Schoesler, Baumgartner honored by WFIA Washington Senate Majority Leader Mark Schoesler and Sen. Michael Baumgartner were recognized this week for their views on legislation important to local independent grocers, suppliers and other members of the Washington Food Industry Association. Baumgartner, R-Spokane, and Schoesler, R-Ritzville, each received the association’s “In the Bag” award during a ceremony Wednesday evening at the Second Harvest food bank in Spokane. The awards are based on votes they cast in 2015 and 2016....

  • Medical Lake's 'Godfather'

    PAUL DELANEY, Staff Reporter|Updated Jun 2, 2016

    Talk to relatives and others who, over the past 50-plus years, knew and worked with Howard Jorgenson and "shy" or "reserved" would not be words that come to mind when describing this iconic community figure. But that's how Medical Lake High School's current athletics director, Chris Spring, described his first encounter with Jorgenson, who passed away May 2 at age 76. "It was a unique beginning of a relationship with him," Spring said, who was hired as baseball coach at...

  • Grants help Cheney with lighting project

    John McCallum, Editor|Updated Jun 2, 2016

    While residents likely haven’t noticed, Cheney’s nights are becoming a bit brighter. Thanks to funding from the Washington state Transportation Improvement Board and the Bonneville Power Administration, Cheney Light Department crews have been busy since March replacing old high pressure sodium street light fixtures with newer, more energy efficient light emitting diode (LED) fixtures and lamps. The $315,360 project is funded by $264,260 from the TIB’s Relight Washington program, with the BPA’s conservation program taking...

  • Quiet and at rest

    John McCallum|Updated Jun 2, 2016

    While hundreds of people coming to area Memorial Day observances paid respects to deceased servicemen and servicewomen with music, speeches and ceremony, others such as this woman at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery spent the moment in solitary remembrance....

  • City asks for vigilance

    John McCallum, Editor|Updated Jun 2, 2016

    While malicious mischief is a frequent occurrence, several recent incidents of vandalism have Cheney officials asking residents to follow one simple directive City Administrator Mark Schuller relayed to the City Council May 24 - "If you see something, say something." On April 27, the restrooms at Centennial Park were vandalized, causing $2,148 in damage. Police Chief John Hensley said they subsequently linked the crime to a group of 11 high school-age teens when video footage...

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