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With the coming of cooler temperatures and the wetter weather of fall and winter, Cheney's water supply issues have been solved. That is, for now. What the future holds is anybody's guess. For Cheney's public works director, Todd Ableman, if that future holds more of what has happened with weather patterns over the past two years, then the city and its residents will be looking at new approaches to supplying water. From October through April, the city's water usage averages...
Mendel Keith Vandine passed away on Aug. 16, 2015, peacefully with family by his side. He was born in Pasco, Wash. to Clarence Elgin Vandine and Opal Mae Phillips on Feb. 2, 1948. He moved to Cheney, Wash. in 1968 and worked at Ratcliff Ford to 1971 and that is when he started with the city of Cheney. Mendel was also a volunteer fire fighter for the city and Spokane County Fire District 3 from 1969 – 1979. In 1970 he married Kristy Smith and they had Tammie in 1973 and H... Full story
Claudia Adell (Anderson) Tarbert was born Oct. 26, 1945, and died peacefully Sept. 7, 2015 with family at her side. Claudia was born to Melvin and Ella Anderson of Cheney and attended Cheney schools with her sister, Janice (Anderson) Harris and brother, Jerry "Red" Anderson. She met her husband, Donald E. Tarbert, prior to graduating from Cheney High School. They married in 1963 when Claudia was 17 years of age at the Hitching Post in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. In 1975, they adopte... Full story
Cheney United Church of Christ Cheney United Church of Christ has been exploring rituals in the medieval church. Join us Sunday, Sept. 20 at 10 a.m. for a lesson on the Compline. Pastor David Krueger-Duncan will lead us through that lesson. A coffee hour will follow in the fellowship hall. Everyone is welcome. If you are new to the area, or otherwise looking for a church home, you are cordially invited to join us at Cheney UCC. Emmanuel Lutheran Church The congregation of Emmanuel Lutheran Church invites you to worship with...
1 Years Ago Sept. 22, 2005 Amy Jo Sooy edged Allen Gainer by a margin of 410-365 votes in mayoral primary election to emerge from a four-way battle that included Dennis Higby (157 votes) and Hipolito Sarmiento (81). Recent improvements to State Route 904 were paying dividends as statistics showed an 18-percent reduction in crashes. The Cheney Blackhawks’ volleyball team finished a week that started with two Greater Spokane League losses by winning four matches to claim the Blackhawk Volleyball Invitational title. Jenna Donne...
One hundred years ago in 1915, the State Normal School opened its new Manual Arts Building. The building was known as the Industrial Arts Building in 1932, the maintenance shop in 1969, and the Computer Science Building from 1984 until 2006. Learn more about our area’s history at www.cheneymuseum.org....
CHENEY Sept. 9 Leslie A. Fordham, 19, and Sarah M. Giadone, 18, were arrested for minor in possession on the 600 block of Irene Place. Financial fraud was reported on the 800 block of West First Street. An individual offered to buy a scooter for more than what was asked if the owner would cash a $2,100 check, keep $500 for the scooter and send the individual the rest, ostensibly for providing shipping of the scooter A violation of a no contact order via third party was reported on the 2200 block of First Street. No arrests we...
Where did the fire trucks go? Nowhere. I am a retired firefighter with 35 years of service at the Cheney Fire Department. A year ago I relocated to the west side of the state. Recently, I called back to ask some of my former crew members how they were handling the rash of statewide wildfires and to my shock and disappointment I was informed that Cheney had not sent any trucks or personnel. I was perplexed as to why the city would not send any equipment or personnel in such a dire state of emergency. We are in a summer of...
Some of you may have noticed a slight difference in the Cheney Free Press’s coverage lately. If you haven’t, it will become more apparent over time. In the past, areas of news coverage here at the paper have typically been divvied up geographically, meaning someone will be covering government, community and education news by city. For instance, I have covered Cheney government and education while staff reporter Al Stover has been covering the same in Medical Lake, as well as government and community news in Airway Hei...
Football is back and everybody is giddy over it. And yet, as always, there are things happening in the sport watched and played by millions of Americans that make you scratch your head about what it’s doing to our culture. Two of those events wasted little time imposing themselves on our national conscience, taking place on the opening weekend of high school and collegiate play. One was close to home, the other a little further away. Both of them evoked passions over what is known as “the cheap shot.” First, the one close...
The chance for area businesses to showcase themselves in one location, on one day and to a bigger than usual audience takes place this Friday, Sept. 18 with the annual Taste of the West Plains. Taking place at The Fairways Golf Course from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Taste of the West Plains is a food festival and golf scramble hosted by the West Plains Chamber of Commerce. This year, more than 30 vendors will be on hand with food, products and services. The first 150 attendees will receive a special 2015 Taste of the West Plains...
Crews have been moving quickly on First Street in Cheney with backhoes, graders and cement trucks laying the groundwork for the new O'Reilly Auto Parts store. Now the skeleton of the building is visible. The 7,000 square-foot store currently has no specific completion date but, "We'd like to have it open by the end of this year or early next year," Mark Merz, director of external reporting and investor relations for O'Reilly Automotive, said. The company, headquartered in...
Establishment of a port district in Spokane County, an old idea which would make it easier to help businesses development, is getting a second look. Spearheaded by Greater Spokane, Incorporated, formation of this new taxing authority would aid economic development, proponents like Cheney Mayor Tom Trulove say. The proposed vote will not come until at least 2017 and not before GSI initiates an educational campaign on the perceived benefits of such an entity. Cheney and Airway...
Cheney locals who are interested in viewing artwork by their neighbors will get a chance in the next month. The Eastern Washington University Downtown Art Gallery is hosting the “Everything Cheney” art show, which runs from Oct. 2 to Nov. 20. Works on display will be from local artists in several mediums including paintings, photography, tapestry, sculptures and multimedia. “We’ve had quite a few submissions of all mediums and we are very pleased,” Elizabeth Baker, who works in the EWU Student Affairs Office, said. Baker sai...
It’s going to be a night of music and fun at the Cheney Rodeo Grounds. Cheney Future Farmers of America Alumni Association is having their third annual dinner and benefit auction, Oct. 3. All proceeds from the event will go toward the Cheney High School FFA. Walt Netz, of the Cheney FFA Alumni, said the association works with the high school, attending meetings and helping students with tasks such as livestock judging. Netz said the group started the dinner two years ago as a way to help pay for Cheney FFA students to a...
Improving Cheney High School and bringing their peers' voices to the forefront are priorities new student advisers, junior Bridget Calvert and senior Tea Hickman, bring to the Cheney School Board. Both Calvert and Hickman are involved in school in different ways. Calvert is a PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Support) student executive and the junior representative on ASB and she also played tennis. Last year she went undefeated during the regular season and finished third...
The Medical Lake High School band welcomed new some faces this year - 21 to be exact. The 21 freshmen are just some of the new changes to this year's band, which total s66 students, and who are gearing up for a busy year. Craig Johnson, director of the middle school and high school bands, said part of the appeal is having the high school students tour and perform in front of middle school and elementary students at the different buildings. "The elementary and middle school...
The Cheney School District’s enrollment numbers continue to grow. At its Sept. 9 meeting, the Cheney School Board received its first look at enrollment numbers for the beginning of the 2015-16 school year. Kassidy Probert, the district’s executive director of finance, said the district currently has 4,323 full-time equivalent students, which is 16 over what the district budgeted for this year. “We had some students who did not show up for the first week of school,” Probert said. “We are about 160 more students than last year...
Motorcyclists ride along Highway 2 on the way to the Washington State Veterans Cemetery on Espanola Road near Medical Lake. The Veterans Cemetery was the last stop in the 9/11 Memorial Ride, hosted by the American Legion Riders Chapter 9 on Sept. 12....
Cheney Police tie suspect to additional break-ins The Cheney Police Department has tied an alleged member of a Cheney-Spokane burglary ring to two more break-ins in Cheney’s Salnave area. Matthew J. Horpel, 28, was arrested Aug. 12 in conjunction with burglaries of residences on Dubois Street and Clover Court. Horpel was working with four other individuals, two males and two females who were subsequently arrested by Spokane police on burglary charges. Cheney Police Sgt. Rick Beghtol said Monday that fingerprints taken from i...
Richey held Position 5, not Position 2 In the Sept. 10 Cheney Free Press story about Deputy Mayor Kevin Richey being appointed the new Airway Heights mayor, it was incorrectly stated that he held City Council Position 2 prior to the appointment. He actually held City Council Position 5....
Maria Fell has visited community-wide yard sales in Reardan and Spokane’s Hillyard area and asked the question, as have her friends, why not Cheney? That will change this weekend as Fell has worked to coordinate the first Cheney Yard Sale, which runs Sept. 18 – 20. As of Sept. 14, Monday, 21 residences have notified Fell they are holding yard sales, 15 in Cheney and six outside the city limits. Fell has compiled the locations she has so far into a map and list, which can be found on a Facebook page she has created for the...
In an otherwise light agenda at their regular September meeting, the Medical Lake City Council unanimously approved adoption of a contract for electronic home monitoring as an alternative to jail time for individuals sentenced through the city’s court services. Medical Lake currently contracts its court services through Cheney Municipal Court, who utilizes the same contractor for home electronic monitoring that the council agreed to work with — Moon Court Services. City Administrator Doug Ross told the council that some Med...
Cheney High School cross country runner Kaleb Lerch (left) listens to Chelan High's Henry Elsner describe his experience after the pair crossed the finish line in the junior boys race at the Highlander Invitational last Saturday at Shadle Park High School. The Blackhawk junior boys finished a surprising third overall as a team....
The Cheney Firefighters Local 1919 may be a small union — just nine members — but they are looking to do big things, and soon. The union has established the Cheney Firefighters Benevolent Fund, and is holding its inaugural Benevolent Fund Fundraiser Saturday, Sept. 26, to raise money to be able to provide for whatever community needs may arise. Cheney firefighter Lt. Chris Munoz said while the fund will be managed by the firefighters, it is separate from the union and as of July carries the appropriate 501 (c) 3 non...
