Looking Back

10 Years Ago

Nov. 13, 2003

The new structure of the revived Cheney Parks and Recreation Department continued to take shape with the recommendation that a department head be named.

Just three votes separated Medical Lake City Council candidates Lahnie Henderson from Howard Jorgenson in the race for Position No. 5.

Ground was broken on Medical Lake’s skate park with completion expected by spring.

Medical Lake concluded a 10-0 season with a 27-0 football win over Pullman and would host Yakima’s East Valley in the first round of the upcoming playoffs. Zack Hansen scored twice and rant for 151 yards.

20 Years Ago

Nov. 11, 1993

Among the promises from newly elected Cheney Mayor, Al Ogdon, was to continue to press for improvements to SR 904 between Four Lakes and Cheney. “The four-lane highway, we’re still on line to have that in place by 1998,” Ogdon said.

Renovations to Cheney High School hit a bump in the road when the gym floor was damage by leaks in the roof after a sudden heavy rainstorm.

Medical Lake’s 26-14 Northeast A League football win over Kettle Falls earned the 8-1 Cardinals a top seed and a first-round playoff home game against East Valley of Yakima. Ryan Martin had a pair of touchdown catches for ML.

30 Years Ago

Nov. 10, 1983

Residents receiving their electrical power from the Cheney Light Department were notified that their bills would increase by an average of about 22.5 percent following a vote by the City Council. Eastern Washington University would absorb the biggest increase, 37 percent while commercial customers saw a bump of 14 percent.

Veteran Medical Lake school board member and long-time local wheat farmer Loren VonLehe passed away recently at age 65 at Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane. VonLehe served on the school board 22 years at the time of his passing.

Cheney’s 17-12 football loss in Millwood to West Valley decided the Frontier League championship but the Blackhawks still earned a berth in the playoffs with a game in Selah. Mike Bunting and Pat McDermott scored for Cheney.

40 Years Ago

Nov. 8, 1973

Missing from our archives.

50 Years Ago

Nov. 8, 1963

Four Fairchild Air Force Base airmen were killed in a firery crash on U.S. Highway 10 just north of Cheney when their automobile slammed into the back of a gasoline tanker truck that had stopped at railroad tracks. It was the worst car crash since a 1960 wreck that claimed the lives of six.

Still in search of his first Evergreen Conference football win in a game against Pacific Lutheran University, Eastern Washington head coach Dave Holmes was planning on juggling his lineup, including moving leading rusher Dick Zornes from running back to linebacker.