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For six of eight quarters over two games last week the Cheney High School boys basketball team was everything their coach hoped they’d be — playing with intensity and utilizing good ball movement to produce high-percentage shots. But in those other two quarters, both in the second half Friday night against East Valley, that disappeared, particularly the high-percentage shots if not the intensity. The result was a split of the two games, a 68-54 non-league win over Idaho 5A Lake City and a 55-50 loss to the Knights in Gre...
The Cheney High School girls basketball team's fortunes changed a bit with a pair of losses last week, ending their season-opening four-game winning streak. The Lady Blackhawks fell 54-30 to Idaho 5A classification Lake City at home last Tuesday. The Wolves used a 20-point second quarter to open a 29-14 halftime lead and never looked back, helped by Cheney's 19 turnovers. Brette Draper led the Lady Blackhawks with 11 points. Friday, Cheney again struggled in the turnover...
It may not be readily obvious to residents, but the city of Cheney has a good bit of vacant land on its hands. That is according to information from the Spokane County Assessor’s Office, and presented to the Cheney Planning Commission at its Dec. 12 meeting as part of its look at the city’s comprehensive plan. The assessor puts Cheney’s vacant land at 33 percent, but it comes with a caveat, senior planner Brett Lucas told the commission. “That doesn’t mean that land is developable,” Lucas said, noting that assessment...
For Cheney head coach Gregg Smith, the reasons for the Blackhawks overtime loss at West Valley last Friday boiled down to one simple fact. “We didn’t take care of business,” Smith said of the 71-68 road setback. The game was Cheney’s to win as much as it was the Eagles’. The Blackhawks had a lead late in the game against West Valley, only to have several costly turnovers allow the Eagles to pull even and force overtime, where they made some big shots to secure the win. One reason Smith pointed to was free throw shooting....
Greetings sports fans. Those of you who know me and remember when I used to write regularly in this column probably know that if it’s December and John’s writing, then it must be that time of year again. Yep — it’s bowl season! This bowl season is particularly interesting because it’s like year three or four of a phenomenon that gets more disappointing every year. By that I mean the selection of teams who have mediocre to losing seasons as participants worthy of playing in the postseason — such as it is for the NCAA’s Foot...
So far, so good for the Cheney High School girls basketball team in 2016-2017. Four games, four wins - including two last week, one of which came down to the wire against new head coach Lorin Carlon's former team. The Lady Blackhawks endured a see-saw battle at West Valley last Friday against the Eagles, but managed to pull out a 47-46 win. Cheney was up by seven points on a couple of occasions in the contest, led 20-19 at the half, but fell behind by seven in the third and tr...
An incident occurred the other day that got me thinking about this time of year. Walking into a grocery store last Saturday, I encountered a Salvation Army red kettle bell-ringer standing outside the entrance in the cold and snow, trying best to stay warm while doing his job. As I approached, he greeted us with a cheerful, if somewhat numb “Happy Holidays.” My response was immediate. I replied, “Happy Holidays,” and added “to you as well.” I’m not particular about holiday greetings, other than I appreciate it that someone is...
For the fourth month in a row, enrollment within the Cheney School District has increased, currently hovering at just under 4,500 students through December. At the Dec. 7 school board meeting, Executive Director of Finance Kassidy Probert told the board they had grown by an additional three full-time equivalent (FTE) students in December, putting the district up 60 FTEs overall since September. In fact, the district started the 2016-2017 school year ahead of what was anticipated. “We’re at 139 FTEs above budget at this poi...
Cheney firefighters begin removing furniture from an apartment where a fire started last Monday afternoon at the Townhouse Apartments, 621 Seventh St. Crews from Cheney Fire Department and Spokane County Fire District 3 responded to the fire that displaced two families. Cheney Fire Department officials said the Red Cross is providing assistance, and that the blaze could have been more serious if it hadn't been for the building's fire suppression sprinklers being activated....
The Cheney School Board made it official at their only meeting in December last Wednesday that their proposed $52 million capital facilities bond measure will be on the upcoming Feb. 14, 2017 ballot. The board approved the bond resolution, which includes ballot language, 5-0 at the Dec. 7 meeting. According to information from the district, if voters approve the measure, the 21-year bonds would be repaid by a 78 cent per $1,000 of assessed value increase in property taxes in the district. The eight-page resolution contains la...
At the halfway point of the annual Christmas Gifts for Cheney Kids, drive organizers say they are ahead of last year’s number when it comes to children signing up, but behind in what they hope to give them on Dec. 16. Drive coordinator Elsy Lusk said as of Monday, Dec. 5, 105 children had signed up with the hopes of receiving presents this year. Last year at this time the drive had just 75 kids signed up, and ended up distributing gifts to over 200. “Last year, we had quite a bit more (at this time),” Lusk said regarding gift...
The Cheney boys’ basketball team built a big enough first-half lead that it was able to overcome an old nemesis and earn a 60-54 win at North Central in the season-opener last Friday night. The Blackhawks played aggressively on both ends of the court, attacking the basket with success despite an Indians front line that averaged 6 feet, 7 inches while also preventing passes inside to that front line on defense, head coach Gregg Smith said. Cheney built a 36-19 lead at the break, but as has happened before, was sluggish out o...
The Cheney High School boys swimming season got off to an impressive start last Saturday at Lions Pool in Yakima. The boys swept a four-team meet, winning head-to-head match-ups against Selah, Grandview, Prosser and East Valley-Yakima. Blackhawks head coach Jennifer Hochwalt said all teams but Selah were much smaller than Cheney so the scores were not very competitive. What was impressive to her was the boys 93-75 victory over an evenly-match Vikings squad. “I think we’re starting where we left off (last season),” she added...
New Cheney High School girls basketball head coach Lorin Carlon had a simple reply to a question about the beginning of the Lady Blackhawks 2016-2017. “It’s a start,” Carlon said of his team’s 2-0 performance in the first week of play. Cheney staked itself to early leads it never relinquished in road wins over Deer Park and North Central. The Lady Hawks outscored Deer Park in all four quarters for a 60-43 win in the season opener Nov. 29, and shutout a cold-shooting North Central in the first quarter en route to a 56-44 win o...
The Cheney School Board voted 4-0 at a Dec. 1 workshop to officially “direct district administration to work with bond counsel to prepare a resolution submitting such capital projects and bonds to the district’s voters on Feb. 14, 2017.” In other words, the Cheney School District is trying a third time to get voters to approve a bond renovating the district’s high school. This time, however, the district’s $52 million proposal will also address overcrowding issues through expansion at three elementary schools, along wit...
The final piece in Cheney’s proposed $24.34 million 2017 budget is Public Works. Maybe that really should be final pieces. There are a total of 12 departments and funds that fall under the category of Public Works, including the Planning Department, Building Department, Transportation Funds along with water, solid waste and wastewater divisions. Projected revenues for these in 2017 total $7,510,700, with expenses coming in at $7,544,000. Charges for service make up most of that revenue stream, 75 percent, while operations a...
When it comes to the case of the Cheney School District’s surplused Fisher Building, apparently the fourth time is the charm. After three previous purchase proposals for the district’s former high school, junior high and administration building fell through, school officials closed a deal Monday with Eastmark Capital Group of Seattle. District Superintendent Rob Roettger said Tuesday the final sale price to Eastmark was $750,000. The Fisher Building, originally constructed in 1929, was declared surplus by the school dis...
Cheney High School’s girls and boys varsity cross country teams competed in the Nike Cross Northwest Regional Qualifier Nov. 12 at Eagle Island State Park in Boise, Idaho. The Blackhawks were among 1,700 runners from Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Alaska and Hawaii competing in the event. Hannah Spakousky led the Cheney girls, running as West Plains, by placing 99th overall with a time of 20 minutes, 56.3 seconds. She was followed by Lexi Brooks in 214th (22:02.6), Jolene Whiteley 254th (22:33.8), Lecia B...
The Cheney City Council has approved a new contract for the city’s union employees, but only for one year. City Administrator Mark Schuller told the council at its Nov. 22 meeting that the reason for the shorter time period, rather than the typical three to four year contracts of the past, boils down to medical benefits. Mainly what will happen with the federal Affordable Care Act now that Republicans, who have tried to repeal the law known as Obamacare, hold both chambers of Congress and the White House. In an email, S...
Cheney Light Department linemen Will Birrenkott (yellow vest) and Dan Holtan hang lights on the city's Christmas tree at the public library downtown in preparation for Thursday's (Dec. 1) tree lighting ceremony....
The Cheney Light Department has around $197,500 in capital projects it hopes to accomplish in 2017 — if they can find the time. Department Director Steve Boorman told the City Council at a Nov. 22 budget presentation that construction, along with some significant repair and improvement work, had kept his crews busy in 2016. Cheney linemen installed 325 new meters through the first nine months of the year, including at five new buildings in the Eagle Point apartment complex on Washington and Betz roads, Harvest Bluff s...
If St. Peter was the one to meet Cheney Care Center resident Flossie Dickey at the "pearly gates," he had better made sure he had a shot of whiskey to offer her. Dickey, who would have turned 111 years old this coming Feb. 18, passed away Nov. 23. The long-time West Plains-area resident was witness to much of the history of the Pacific Northwest during her time. Last year she gained local and internet fame when a video clip of her interview on "Good Morning Spokane," with her...
Cheney School Board directors voted unanimously at their Nov. 16 meeting to set Thursday, Dec. 1, as a work session to determine the final composition of a potential capital facilities bond the district hopes to advance to an election in February. The work session begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Cheney High School Library. The school board has one more regular meeting in 2016 in which to make a final decision on the bond in order to make the time frame necessary to get it on the February ballot. That meeting is Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. at...
The relocation of Cheney's 87-year-old train depot has taken another step towards reality with the apparent acquisition of property by the group spearheading the effort. Cheney Depot Society volunteers have announced two separate land agreements along First Street, one a donation of property at First and Union streets while the other is a successful auction bid on the adjacent property at First and I. Combined, the two provide just under 40,000 square feet of land between Firs...
Although not “flush with cash,” as Cheney Mayor Tom Trulove put it at a previous City Council budget workshop, additional anticipated revenues from several sources have presented city departments with a bit more leeway with their 2017 budgets. With 2015’s levy lid lift helping the police and fire departments with funding, Cheney’s increase in assessed valuation the past several years will now help other general fund departments with planning financially for the future. Administration Department The Administration Departm...
