Articles written by Matthew Stephens
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Weekend brought record low temps
SPOKANE – Record cold temperatures hit the area over over the past weekend, Jan. 13-14. The National Weather Service-Spokane doesn’t collect specific data for Cheney. But on Saturday, Jan. 13, Spokane hit a low of minus-7 deg... — Updated 1/18/2024
Low snowpack could bring water deficit
CHENEY – The current water supply outlook for Washington is an early assessment, but it shows little snowpack through December. According to U.S. Department of A... — Updated 1/18/2024
Head-on collision kills one
FOUR LAKES – A Moses Lake man was killed in a head on collision just before 5:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 11, near Milepost 267 of Interstate 90. Roy Diamond, 30, of Moses Lake, died from his injuries while being transported to a S... — Updated 1/11/2024
Turnbull reducing timber fuels
CHENEY — Beginning Jan. 16, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will initiate targeted fuels reduction in northern areas of Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge. Visitors to the refuge may notice heavy machinery entering and exiting road... — Updated 1/11/2024
Veteran's History Project comes to Spokane County
SPOKANE VALLEY – An ongoing nationwide project got started as a simple family get together at a Father’s Day picnic in 2000. Representative Ron Kind (D-WI) overheard some old war... — Updated 1/11/2024
Blackhawk Invite
Hundreds of wrestlers were in Cheney on Saturday to compete in the annual Blackhawk Invite at Cheney High School. Pictured, Cheney's Mason Bennett uses a banana split to score... — Updated 1/11/2024
New Yoke's store taking shape
AIRWAY HEIGHTS – Eight months into construction and a new Yoke's Fresh Market is noticeably taking shape. So far, Yoke's officials have declined to say much about the new store b... — Updated 1/11/2024
Medical Lake council talks about Waterfront Park lease
MEDICAL LAKE – The City Council unanimously approved Resolution 24-648, which allots more time for the city to discuss leasing options for the state-owned Waterfront Park site. T... — Updated 1/11/2024
Local man recognized by Library of Congress
SPOKANE VALLEY – As part of a nationwide project that helps record and archive the stories of Veterans and gold star families, Jeremy Mullin with the Spokane County Library D... — Updated 1/11/2024
Public works expanding in Liberty Lake
LIBERTY LAKE – With the new year here, the city of Liberty Lake has begun looking into some of the changes that will be happening throughout 2024. According to Finance Director, K... — Updated 1/11/2024
Social media discussion moved
SPOKANE VALLEY – An ongoing discussion regarding city council members use of social media was moved to be discussed under the city governance manual with five votes for the a... — Updated 1/11/2024
Department growing with 2024 budget
LIBERTY LAKE – The Liberty Lake Police Department is the city department that was allocated the biggest chunk of the 2024 budget, with 33% being allocated for public safety. Accordi... — Updated 1/11/2024
Filtration building construction starts
CHENEY – Construction on a new addition to the city wastewater treatment plant is underway. The final filtration building, a component of the city’s public works network, aims to reduce stress on the system. The project traces bac... — Updated 1/5/2024
DIVCO gets nod to continue HVAC contract
CHENEY – The City Council has renewed its contract with DIVCO of Spokane to maintain heating and cooling systems in city buildings. The new contract shows a 2.21% increase from last year’s rates, but the city expected to see a hig... — Updated 1/5/2024
2023 Year in Review
CHENEY – Every year, communities are impacted by the stories that shape our lives; 2023 wasn’t any different. Natural disasters, deaths, the biggest crime stories and the most heartfelt community features were all part of our cov... — Updated 1/5/2024
Council approves tree grant
SPOKANE VALLEY - Council approved the opportunity to pursue a grant proposal to help the city create an inventory and maintenance plan for the existing trees taken care of by the ci... — Updated 1/4/2024
Council resumes sessions at City Hall
SPOKANE VALLEY – As the new year has started, Spokane Valley City Council has resumed weekly meetings in City Hall starting Jan. 2. Repairs have been ongoing since last April, a... — Updated 1/4/2024
Mayor and Deputy Mayor selected
SPOKANE VALLEY – The first item on city council’s agenda for 2024 was the council selection of Mayor and Deputy Mayor, and Pam Haley won by a vote of 5-2. City Clerk Marci Patterson... — Updated 1/4/2024
Traffic grant proposal gets green light
SPOKANE VALLEY - Assistant Engineer with Planning and Grants Dan Baker spoke about the grant opportunities available to the city for their City Safety Program. He said this funding... — Updated 1/4/2024
Cheney council approves land trade
CHENEY – The city has been involved in ongoing negotiations regarding a land transaction between the City of Cheney and North Cheney Mobile Home Park. Resolution F-216 moves to have 1 acre of city owned property in the Cheney I... — Updated 12/28/2023
Council increases utility rates
CHENEY – The City Council voted Dec. 12 to increase certain utility rates and fees over the next five yars. The rate plan, as explained by Public Works Director Todd Ableman, compared current rates to proposed future rates. A r... — Updated 12/28/2023
Some ratepayers' bills written off
CHENEY – Some residents and local businesses won’t have to pay their past due balances on utility bills after the City Council unanimously approved $14,705.39 in write-offs during the Dec. 12 council session. Unpaid utility bil... — Updated 12/28/2023
80s Rock
Spokane Tribe Casino recently hosted a rock-n-roll lineup performing a variety of '80s rock'n'roll. The list included Slaughter, Autograph, Great White and (pictured) Quiet... — Updated 12/28/2023
Top Valley news from 2023
These were the top stories of 2023 from the Spokane Valley News Herald: Kramer Overpass completion The Kramer Overpass was opened to the public on Sept. 9. This project cost $14 million, and according to Liberty Lake Mayor Cris... — Updated 12/28/2023
Christmas Eagle
Bald Eagles flock to Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, every winter to follow the salmon. This year, the federal Bureau of Land Management said there were a record number of eagles at the... — Updated 12/28/2023