Articles from the September 4, 2014 edition


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  • Council OKs Light Department increases

    John McCallum, Editor|Updated Sep 5, 2014

    In a harbinger of things to come, the Cheney City Council unanimously approved two ordinances and a resolution updating Light Department service charges and fees and changing how those will take place in the future if needed. The biggest change made through ordinances W-42 and W-43, adopted at the council’s Aug. 26 meeting, is removing specific service charges and fees under Cheney municipal code chapters 14.04 and 14.08 and inserting the language “established by resolution of the City Council.” Resolution E-248, also passed...

  • It's time to take supporting Eagles to a higher level

    John McCallum, Editor|Updated Sep 4, 2014

    It’s September and you know what that means? Cooler nights and days, that fall crispness beginning to hang in the air. Leaves changing splashing the landscape with paint pallets of color. The daily ritual of the school bus processionals transporting students to and from school. Yes, it means it’s time for fall sports. We’ve already begun the annual custom with Eastern Washington team swinging into action on the gridiron, the soccer pitch and the volleyball court. And in that regards — especially with Eagle football — I’m g...

  • Eagles roll, then wobble, but beat Bulldogs 41-9

    PAUL DELANEY, Staff Reporter|Updated Sep 4, 2014

    As expected, the Eastern Washington University football team handled their National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics brethren from Montana Western University with ease in Saturday night's 41-9 win at Roos Field before a crowd of 9,116. On the surface there were some impressive numbers. Eastern converted on 75-percent of third-down opportunities and were immensely effective in passing, a shade shy of 83 percent completion rate that helped generate nearly 600 yards of...

  • Eastern will try again against UW at Husky Stadium

    PAUL DELANEY, Staff Reporter|Updated Sep 4, 2014

    There's not much remaining of the place where Eastern Washington University first met the University of Washington on the football field and where the Eagles nearly pulled off its first win over a Pac-12 team. Husky Stadium, the site of UW's 30-27 win in 2011 hardly looks at all the same following a $261-million renovation. Nothing but the newer north upper deck grandstands remain, the track's gone, the field's lower and the new seats closer. The stadium is the largest single...

  • Highway 2 project almost done

    AL STOVER, Staff Reporter|Updated Sep 4, 2014

    Airway Heights residents driving along Highway 2 might notice a new addition. The city of Airway Heights is almost finished with the shared use path on Highway 2, from Garfield Road to east of Hayford Road. Public Works director Kelly Williquette said the shared use path was paid for with Transportation Improvement Benefit funds. Williquette said the deadline for the project’s completion is mid-September. He added that the shared use path would be a part of a regional project of a shared use path for bicycles. The Hayford O...

  • What's Happening on the West Plains

    Updated Sep 4, 2014

    City of Cheney • Sept. 5, Baby Play and Learn Storytime (ages 0 – 18 months), community library, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. • Sept. 8, Planning Commission meeting, City Hall Council Chambers, 5:30 p.m. • Sept. 8, Gardeners of Cheney meeting, Sessions Village Center, 6:30 p.m. • Sept. 8, Dance Class, Wren Pierson Community Center, 7:15 – 8:15 p.m. • Sept. 9, Senior Light Fitness, Wren Pierson Community Center, 9 – 10 a.m. • Sept. 9, Cheney Farmers Market, City Hall parking lot, 2 – 7 p.m. • Sept. 9, City Council meeting, City Hall Co... Full story

  • Looking Back

    Updated Sep 4, 2014

    1 Years Ago Sept. 9, 2004 Medical Lake resident and Spokane city employee, John Aiken, threw his hat into the ring for consideration to become Washington's next governor by adding his name to the ballot. Scott Blasingame became Medical Lake High School's new principal following the sudden departure of Roger Fox who resigned to accept the job of superintendent of schools in Quincy, Wash. Brett Igbinoba rushed for 186 yards and two touchdowns as the Cheney Blackhawks knocked...

  • Looking back with the Cheney Historical Museum

    Updated Sep 4, 2014

    Seventy-five years ago on September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. This action started a new European war just twenty-one years after the end of World War I. Many in our area had watched the growing unrest and turmoil in Europe through the last decade with dread. Learn more about our area’s history at www.cheneymuseum.org....

  • Gene Lilienkamp

    Updated Sep 4, 2014

    Gene Lilienkamp (age 75) peacefully went home to be with Jesus Aug. 29, 2014 at Hospice of Spokane (South) after many days of being surrounded by his family following complications from outpatient cancer surgery. He was born Jan. 29, 1939 in Spokane. He grew up in the Silver Valley and graduated from Wallace High School in 1957. He attended the University of Idaho for two years where he also played football before joining the U. S. Air Force. During Gene's lifetime he had a... Full story

  • Cheney High School class of 1942 reunites again

    LUELLA DOW, Contributor|Updated Sep 4, 2014

    Did you know the class of Cheney High School seniors in 1942 had a reunion Aug. 21 at Darcy's Restaurant in Spokane Valley? This was their 72nd reunion. Their classroom in 1942 was in the old Wren Pierson building, accommodating 46 graduates. World War II was just beginning. Many of the classmates were almost immediately called into the service. Earlier, the seniors had decided to have a reunion every five years. After about 25 years they moved the time to every two years and finally to every year. By the current year the...

  • McMorris Rodgers' response shows lack of understanding

    Updated Sep 4, 2014

    Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ canned email response to my concerns about the current Israeli-Palestinian armed conflict reflects her alarming lack of understanding of the basis of the conflict and a callous attitude toward the sanctity of human life. Her assertion twice that the Palestinian rocket attacks are “unprovoked” indicates a fundamental ignorance of the strangled economy and dire poverty inflicted on Gaza Strip Palestinians by the Israeli (and Egyptian) blockade. And her refusal to mention the over 2,100 Pales...

  • Reflecting on time spent with the real friends in one's life

    PAUL DELANEY, Staff Reporter|Updated Sep 4, 2014

    This Labor Day weekend offered up a little bit of everything. There was some family and fun time. I tinkered and got caught up on all kinds of nagging little projects. Worked a little, too, getting up close and personal — as much as the side judge at Eastern Washington University’s football game Saturday would allow — to shoot photos. The weekend concluded Monday, however, on a bit of a somber note with a memorial service for the mother of a friend. She had recently passe...

  • Businesses should get their red on and support their team

    Updated Sep 4, 2014

    Fans dressed in red from head to toe fill the bleachers of Roos Field every home game in a show of support of the Eastern Washington football team. Football lovers who cannot make it to Roos Field will watch the game and cheer the Eagles from their tailgating spot, home or restaurant. There’s no doubt that Cheney is passionate about the Eagles when they’re playing. However, we feel that passion should go beyond game time. To show support for the football team, it has been somewhat of a tradition to wear red every Friday and...

  • Everett transitions into role as ML special education coordinator

    AL STOVER, Staff Reporter|Updated Sep 4, 2014

    There are some changes coming for Medical Lake School District’s Special Education program. Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) coordinator Ann Everett is the new special education coordinator for the school district. Everett spent most of last year working on grants for the high school’s STEM lab. During this time, she was finishing her administration credentials for the position. For Everett, helping students succeed is a passion. “In 14 years of teaching in the career and technology field I have had a lot of s...

  • New to the district

    John McCallum|Updated Sep 4, 2014

    Some of the close to 40 new teachers and staff hires in the Cheney School District pose for a photo during the Aug. 20 orientation session at the district's support site on Needham Hill....

  • Cheney school board accepts technical grant, approves ASB fees

    John McCallum, Editor|Updated Sep 4, 2014

    Other than passing a resolution to hold a high school construction bond vote in 2015, the Cheney School Board's agenda for their final meeting, Aug. 20, before the start of the 2014-2015 school year was rather light. The board unanimously approved the district's application for a $25,033 Carl Perkins Grant for the coming school year. The federal grant is available annually through the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction for career and technical education, and is used to partially fund the high...

  • Medical Lake School District adopts Engage NY Math curriculum

    AL STOVER, Staff Reporter|Updated Sep 4, 2014

    At the Aug. 26 school board meeting, the Medical Lake School District board of directors approved the Engage NY Math Curriculum. According to the Engage NY website, the curriculum is created by the New York State Education Department to implement aspects of the New York State Board of Regents Reform Agenda. The curriculum focuses on implementing the state’s Common Core standards, as well as teacher effectiveness and data-driven instruction. Their website provides materials and resources for teachers across the state. S...

  • West Plains Briefs

    Updated Sep 4, 2014

    Gardeners meeting Sept. 8 The Gardeners of Cheney meets Monday, Sept. 8, at 6:30 p.m. at the Sessions Village Center. Club members will share their craft ideas. Guests are always welcome. Feed Medical Lake Sept. 8 Feed Medical Lake hosts the Medical Lake Library at the free meal and free grocery event on Sept. 8 from 5 - 6 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 223 S. Hallett St. The meal will consist of spaghetti with/without meat sauce, garlic bread, salad and cobbler. For more information, contact Joanna Williams at (509) 7... Full story

  • Ball and Dodd funeral home demolished

    AL STOVER, Staff Reporter|Updated Sep 4, 2014

    The Ball and Dodd funeral home and the house next to it, once used as a caretaker's residence, located on 111 W. Brooks Road, is being removed. The city of Medical Lake purchased the funeral home in 2002 from SCI Washington Funeral Services, Inc for $175,000, paid for by a low-interest loan from the city's water/sewer fund. City Administrator Doug Ross said the intention was to move the city's Police Department into the funeral home, which was built in the 1950s. "It was...

  • Cadence moves downtown Cheney

    John McCallum, Editor|Updated Sep 4, 2014

    Cadence Massage and Esthetics owner Kahla Noel is a Cheney-ite to the bone. Noel grew up here, was Cheney Rodeo Queen in 2006, graduated from Cheney High in 2007, went to Eastern Washington University while beginning her practice in her hometown. So when the time came to consider a change in locations from her previous storefront in the business park at First Street and Cocolalla, Noel faced an easy decision. "I want to see this community thrive," she said Friday morning...

  • Parks and Rec vs. Heights Church

    Updated Sep 4, 2014

    Alex Adams (left) of the Parks, Recreation and Services department and Keith Austin (right) of the Heights Church let go of their racers during the fourth annual Watermelon Races at the Airway Heights Festival Aug. 22-23....

  • Nadine Arévalo leaves Cheney with many pleasant memories

    PAUL DELANEY, Staff Reporter|Updated Sep 4, 2014

    The official face of Eastern Washington University the past eight years has been that of recently retired president Dr. Rodolfo Arévalo. But those most familiar with the school might argue there was another - Arévalo's wife, Nadine. The two were constantly front and center at every type of Eastern function. The Arévalo's Cheney stay began April 1, 2006. It officially ended Aug. 23 following Eastern's 56-35 football game win over Sam Houston State University. Nadine Ar...

  • Get Your Red On

    Brittani Montecucco|Updated Sep 4, 2014

    Cheney Free Press staff display their Eagle colors and support for Eastern Washington's football team last Friday. The Cheney Free Press is challenging all Cheney businesses to show their support by wearing red on Fridays and Saturdays during football season - and get the chance to possibly have your picture here....

  • Silverbird airstrip proposal receives county approval

    John McCallum, Editor|Updated Sep 4, 2014

    The Spokane County Hearing Examiner’s office has given approval to a conditional use permit for construction of a private airstrip on 151 acres of land located about a half mile northeast of Cheney along the Cheney-Spokane Road. Dennis Reed, the property owner, originally applied for the permit in 2010, only to be challenged by a group called The Prosser Hill Coalition, consisting of nearby homeowners. Spokane County hearing examiner Michael Dempsey approved Reed’s original conditional use permit, filed under Silverbird, LLC....

  • AH holds hearing on expansion

    AL STOVER, Staff Reporter|Updated Sep 4, 2014

    At a special Aug. 27 meeting, the Airway Heights Planning Commission held a public hearing for the proposed Seaport Steel expansion. Seaport Steel intended to present their plans at the Aug. 13 Airway Heights Planning Commission meeting for expanding their existing facility, located at 1617 S. Hayden Road, with an approximately 60,000 square foot facility, and the installation of a new 1,900-foot rail spur next to the facility. The meeting was canceled due to lack of a quorum. Development Services supervisor Derrick Braaten...

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