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CHENEY— The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is restricting campfires and other outdoor activities due to the high risk of wildfires on the state’s east side. Their website makes the following statement of details about restrictions. Overall, the emergency order that imposes restrictions east of the Cascades prohibits: · Fires or campfires, including those in fire rings. Personal camp stoves and lanterns fueled by propane, liquid petroleum, or liquid petroleum...
CHENEY- A local advocate for community engagement and now an active member of law enforcement, Maria Fell was sworn into the Cheney Police Department (CPD) last Wednesday and is prepared to protect and serve the community that formed her passion for public service. "My experience goes back with the city of Cheney-I started in 2009 working part time as a clerk for the Cheney Municipal Court," Fell said. "I didn't know what I wanted to do and while I was working at the court I b...
CHENEY- Eastern Washington University's (EWU) urban and regional planning program presented 10 months of research at a community event last Wednesday contributing to the Point-in-Time Count- a county-wide census for Spokane's homeless population. Daniel Ramos, a member of Spokane's Community Housing and Homing Services board, was searching for an academic component for this census and got in touch with Matthew Anderson, an associate professor and director of the urban and...
CHENEY-Owning a salon and practicing as a licensed cosmetologist seemed like a nice spot to settle until Angela Evans stumbled across one of Cheney's local gems that she described as having a welcoming bohemian-western vibe. Downtown's Cottonwood Creek Boutique was something that instantly drew her in and she couldn't help but leap at the opportunity to be the newest owner of the unique space. Evans took over the small business on July 1 and said that even though it was a...
Volunteers are serving up good eats at the new Meals on Wheels Silver Café location in Cheney's United Methodist Church located at 204 4th Street. The program is designed to offer more opportunities for socialization and dining to seniors on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m....
CHENEY- The Eastern Washington University Board of Trustees (BOT) elected Jay Manning to serve as board chair for the 2022-2023 academic school year and Vicki Wilson as vice-chair. Manning, an alumnus of EWU, began serving on the BOT when he was appointed in November 2014 and is currently in his second term. "Manning previously served six years as the director of the Washington State Department of Ecology, and from 2009-2011 was chief of staff for former Gov. Christine...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS-Spokane International Airport officials have solidified expansion plans to keep up with the needs of the continually growing city. The first expansion of the Spokane International Airport in two decades, the project, known as TREX, will cost a total of $150 million. "It [funding] is going to come from a combination of grant funds and a number of other things," Spokane International Airport CEO Larry Krauter said. "Between all the different sources of funding we...
CHENEY- Cheneyites had one week to visit six participating local eateries and decide which one would get the bragging rights and a trophy for "best burger in town." On Saturday afternoon, Bene's took home the winning title with Yoke's and Lenny's right on their tail, placing second and third. Operations Director of Bene's Sabrina Anderson said there was a 10–point difference between votes for their Elote Burger, Yokes' Bold #20 Burger and Lenny's Bootleg Stromboli Burger. B...
CHENEY—The Associated Press reported on July 2 that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending people in six Washington counties should begin wearing masks indoors in public and on public transportation again due to an increase in COVID cases. According to the latest information from the CDC, Spokane County, Lewis County, Pacific County, Thurston County, Grays Harbor County and Garfield County all have COVID-19 community levels rated “high,” meaning they...
CHENEY— Seth Hinnen and Jay Brown are the new owners of NorthStarTaps. The two took ownership on June 1 and say they are ready to become a part of the Cheney community and turn NorthStar Taps into everything they want it to be and more. “It feels like we’ve owned it a lot longer because there has been a lot of trial by fire,” Seth said. “I’ve really only worked in local business but nothing quite this small and intimate— it’s just me and Jay right now.” There is a lot to...
CHENEY- Cheney High School (CHS) students took on Chicago June 28–July 2 at the Future Business Leaders of America National Conference and placed Top 15 in six events. The conference featured over 12,000 students and more than 90 events where students showcased hard work in their technical education courses. "It's a filtering process. You have a regional contest in February, then a state conference in April, and then nationals. Each time you move up, you eliminate options," s...
CHENEY- Fresh from the Golden State, Shari McMahan is ready to settle in as the 27th president of Eastern Washington University. McMahan served as Provost at California State University, San Bernardino the past six years. Before that, she was a faculty/administrative member at California State University, Fullerton. McMahan finds an alignment between her values and the mission of Eastern as an inclusive, diverse university. "There's a lot of parallels with what I had been...
CHENEY— After three months of working out technicalities, the City Council passed a modified proposal for the Blackhawk Ridge Preliminary Plat granting 34 homes and an unplatted 2.4 acres south of the development. The proposed plat was the subject of a workshop with developer Steve Emtman and Public Works Director Todd Ableman, following new questions and concerns presented by the community, the Planning Commission and the council. Per Ableman’s presentation, the proposed pre...
CHENEY-Somethings in this world are genuinely timeless. At Flor Inmortal, a new business located in the heart of downtown Cheney, they believe that everything has the potential to be just that. The shop opened for business on May 6. "Flor Inmortal' is Spanish for 'immortal flower," Owner Kim Davis said. "It's an ode to the fact that things can be forever if we take good care of it." Davis owns the store with her husband, Gareth. The couple frequently brings in "new" vintage...
MEDICAL LAKE— Similar to its neighboring towns, distribution of ARPA funding was a hot topic at the council chambers at Medical Lake City Hall on Tuesday night, June 21. Koss Ronholt, the administrative clerk, presented the breakdown of funds and their distribution, which sparked conversation on proposed allocations for civic nonprofits. “I would like more data. I would like us to be able to review the applications themselves,” said Councilmember Heather Starr. “I would l...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS-The Spokane International Airport (SIA) hosted a full-scale emergency exercise on Wednesday, June 22, required every three years by the Federal Aviation Administration. SIA Director of Marketing and Public Affairs Todd Woodward said the event's objective is to provide the airport's Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Department and other first responders a "refresher course" on what to do and protocols for working with external agencies in case of an actual...
CHENEY— Who has the best burgers in town? Your chance to weigh in happens July 2-8 when six local eateries go head-to-head in the Battle of the Burgers. The event leading up to the Cheney Rodeo is sponsored by Eagle Bites. The participating restaurants are Bene’s, Eagle’s Pub, Wild Bill’s Long Bar, Marketplace Restaurant & Amish Store, Lenny’s Classic and Yokes. “Saturday through Friday will be the community event. On the days that the contenders are open, they can serve t...
CHENEY— Cheney School District has updated its summer food service program. The program began on June 27 week of June and continues into August. Children between the ages of 1-18 can eat for free at Cheney High School (CHS), Cheney Middle School (CMS) and Sunset Elementary. All three locations will provide food service Monday through Friday except for July 4 in observance of Independence Day. CHS will be operating from June 27-July 27, with breakfast between 8 to 9 a.m. and l...
CHENEY- As part of their summer research work, six students from Gonzaga University's (GU) biology department have been out and about in the Turnbull Wildlife Refuge to try and find out how microplastics affect aquatic communities. The students work in a section of Eastern Washington University's (EWU) field station known as the Turnbull Laboratory for Ecological Studies. Part of their research is at a pond inside Turnbull. Kaitlyn Palacio and Gracie McRae came up with the...
CHENEY – For generations, high school students have complained about learning all kinds of things including how to write a five-paragraph essay, find the hypotenuse of a triangle and do textual analysis. But acquiring skills like how to balance a checkbook, pay off loans or learn ways to create a financial budget have been overlooked in curriculum. New legislation is attempting to change that. On March 30, Governor Jay Inslee signed Senate bill 5720 into law that requires a...
CHENEY – Rodeo season is just around the corner and the Cheney Rodeo is looking for volunteers to get the Bi-Mart Arena ready for festivities in the second week of July. Heidi Monter is in charge of sponsorship and marketing for the Cheney Rodeo. She said workdays are an excellent opportunity for the community to come together and get excited for the biggest rodeo in Spokane County. "We're out there every Saturday at 9 a.m. and we're ready for more volunteers on June 18, 25 an...
CHENEY – When the phone lines at city hall were out of service last week, it presented a big problem for Cheney resident Megan Humphrey as calls got rerouted to her cell phone. "People have been calling for inspections, the fire department, police department and courts," said Megan's mom, Lori Humphrey. Megan endured the calls for two days. City Finance Director Cindy Niemeier said the issue was unrelated to its IT department or Lumen, the city's telecommunications company. "...
CHENEY – Three candidates, Renee Bailey, Brandon Bouge and Eli Holm, were interviewed for the Cheney Middle School (CMS) principal vacancy in an open forum at the CMS commons on June 16. Bailey is currently the interim principal of Deer Park Elementary School, Bouge is the associate director of special education at Spokane Public Schools and Holm is the assistant principal at CMS. Each candidate had 20 minutes to introduce themselves and answer the following questions, curated...
CHENEY – A residential structure fire roused a sleeping neighborhood around 12 a.m. on Thursday morning, June 16. The Cheney Fire Department was the first to respond to a call of a home on fire on Hillview Drive. Chief Tom Jenkins said the department doesn’t have the explicit training to do a proper fire investigation, but he does need to determine if there was foul play involved or any fatalities. “I am confident that it was not malicious intent and there were no fatal...
CHENEY – Pizza Hut put out its final delivery order from its location on 1st Street and closed its doors for good on June 13, There were questions as to why the Cheney franchise owned by Spokane Valley Pizza LLC shut down, but the reason remains unknown. “There are so many different reasons that go into the business decisions that we make. But one thing I can tell you is that rent didn’t factor into our decisions at all,” said Regional Director of Spokane Valley Pizza LLC Joe...
