Articles from the August 9, 2018 edition


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  • A deeper look at Medical Lake police reports

    PAUL DELANEY, Staff Reporter|Updated Aug 9, 2018

    When weekly police reports for Medical Lake arrive from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office they run the gamut from response to alarms to traffic stops and dozens of other interactions. While the reports offer specific addresses, the Cheney Free Press identifies these instances simply by the block on which they occurred. Most are simple blips on the law enforcement radar, so-to-speak. But each week there are others that resemble a massive storm system with addresses that r...

  • West Plains Police News

    Updated Aug 9, 2018

    CHENEY July 24 Andreis D. Valencia, 22, Tavion E. Lewis, 20, and a 16-year-old male were arrested for second-degree theft/shoplifting for a theft from a vehicle incident that took place on May 16 on the 2800 block of First Street. July 26 Tyler L. Rasmussen, 30, and Adan P. Monreal, 27, were arrested for second-degree rape for an incident that took place on the 700 block of Villard Street on Aug. 26, 2017. July 29 Omar M. Suliman, 22, was arrested for fourth-degree assault for an incident that occurred earlier in the day on...

  • James William Dickenson

    Updated Aug 9, 2018

    James William Dickenson died July 30, 2018 in New Braunfels, Texas where he had moved to be near his family. He was born on Nov. 16, 1937 in a coal-mining community in West Virginia. He was the oldest of five boys, Alvin Edward (Ed), Thomas Franklin (Tom), Everett Douglas (Doug) and Rodger Dale J.D had three children: Donna White, Linda Sanchez and Sam Dickenson, who passed away in 2009. His daughter, Donna, says he was married “many times-I think three, not more than four.” He is also survived by his brother Doug, gra...

  • Medical Lake benefits from Angels

    Updated Aug 9, 2018

    West Plains Angels held a “Christmas in July” fundraiser at Medical Lake’s Pizza Factory on July 22., raising $1,120, which was split between the Medical Lake High School Associated Student Body and the Medical Lake Care and Share Thrift Store....

  • Churches

    Updated Aug 9, 2018

    Cheney Congregational Church Another hot week. Looking for relief? Come and visit the members of the Congregational Church. Not the chilliest place in town, but the conversation is warm and friendly. The Congregation Church is interested in knowing our neighbors. On Saturday, Sept. 29 from noon – 3 p.m. we will be hosting an outdoor event. More details to come. Cheney Congregational Church holds church services every Sunday starting at 10 a.m. A social hour is held after the meeting. Some finger food and small talk. Sunday A...

  • Brian Scott Savage

    Updated Aug 9, 2018

    Brian Scott Savage was born Sept. 26, 1980 and passed away July 15, 2018. Brian was a father, son, brother and lifelong friend to many. He was born in Vancouver, Wash. to Deb Savage. When he was four-years-old Rick Kinnie became his dad. When he was five he moved to Cheney with his family. Brian attended Cheney schools and received his GED in 2000. In high school Brian was part of the Cheney Thespians. Brian and his friends Eric McNees, Jay Groves, Brian Dempsey and Mike Morrison formed the band “Bad Ride.” They played tog...

  • LOOKING BACK WITH THE CHENEY HISTORICAL MUSEUM

    Updated Aug 9, 2018

    Twenty-five years ago in 1993, the Cheney Community Fair restarted as a place for local 4H and community members to show livestock, food preservation, and other participatory activities at the Cheney Rodeo grounds. Learn more about our area’s history at www.cheneymuseum.org....

  • West Plains Briefs

    Updated Aug 9, 2018

    West Plains Arts Academy holds ‘Blackbeard’ auditions West Plains Arts Academy is holding auditions for Missoula Children’s Theatre production of “Blackbeard the Pirate” on Aug. 13 at 10 a.m. at Cheney City Hall. There are roles for students entering first-grade through 12th-grade. Approximately 50-60 local students will be cast to appear in the show. There is no guarantee everyone who auditions will be cast in the play. Students wishing to audition must arrive by the scheduled starting time and stay for the entire two-hour...

  • Looking Back

    Updated Aug 9, 2018

    1 Years Ago Aug. 14, 2008 Medical Lake’s Stan Johnson was promoted to postmaster of his hometown station after three years of heading up the Chewelah post office. Eastern Washington University hosted 10 faculty members and graduate students from Iwate Prefectural University (IPU) in Japan Aug. 6-21 for collaborative research. A countywide burn ban began Aug. 7 and remained in effect for 90 days with the support of the local fire districts. 20 Years Ago Aug. 20, 1998 The Cheney Free Press unveiled a new front page design and...

  • Cheney graduate trains at renowned Navy center

    JERRY JIMENEZ, Contributor|Updated Aug 9, 2018

    PENSACOLA, Fla. – A 2008 Cheney High School graduate and Spokane native is serving at the Navy’s largest aviation training center. Airman Bradley Witter is an aviation electronics technician and operates out of Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC) at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, Fla. An aviation electronics technician is responsible for troubleshooting and repairing complex aircraft electronics systems. Witter credits success in the Navy with lessons learned growing up in Spokane. “I learned indep...

  • Gerbers named Cheney's Yard of the Month

    John McCallum|Updated Aug 9, 2018

    The home of Sterling and Laurelle Gerber, 372 Nolan Brown Place, has been named the Yard of the Month for August by the Cheney Garden Club and the Cheney Kiwanis. For their efforts the Gerbers receive a $25 gift certificate from Jarms Ace Hardware. Picture above left to right are Sterling and Laurelle Gerber, Cheney Kiwanis member Pat Isbell and Cheney Garden Club member Betty Ray....

  • Avista institutes dry weather measures

    Updated Aug 9, 2018

    In response to dry summer conditions and high wildfire danger in the region, Avista is undertaking temporary changes to power line operations in its Washington and Idaho service area. The utility said in an Aug. 6 news release that these temporary changes are being made to decrease the potential for wildfires that could occur when re-energizing a power line. In most cases, lines located in rural and/or forested areas are normally re-energized automatically. However, during the current dry weather conditions, Avista’s line p...

  • West Plains Angels event raises $1,120 for locals

    Updated Aug 9, 2018

    Our “Christmas in July” fundraising event at the Medical Lake Pizza Factory was a great success. Angels, a Roman Centurion (to deal with any bullies) and Rudolph were all in attendance. The former mayor of Cheney, Allan Gainer, was our auctioneer. There were many wonderful angel gift surprises for moms, dads, boys, and girls. Many thanks to the Medical Lake Thrift Store, Food Bank, School District office, Church of Redemption, Girl Scout Troop and to all the others in Medical Lake who were of great help and support. Ross Nib...

  • Thanks Medical Lake for a successful Tennis-A-Thon

    Updated Aug 9, 2018

    I would first like to thank our committee members, Sharon Lemaster, Glenda Haugen, Dawn Eliliasen, Jake Wesselman, Ivanna Lomas and Robert Haugen for all their help and time to create a successful 21st year of the 24-Hour Medical Lake Tennis-A-Thon. Thank you also to Jay LeMaster for and Robert Bremer for our music. Thank you to our high school tennis players who helped with lessons for approximately 40 kids from ages 3-12 and volunteered painting faces. Approximately 60 adults participated in the Tennis-A-Thon. A special...

  • McMorris Rodgers, GOP target Social Security funds

    Updated Aug 9, 2018

    Cathy McMorris Rodgers is after $2.9 trillion of our Social Security money. She is now on record as being in support of stealing $2.9 trillion of the American people’s earned Social Security benefits. When Social Security runs a surplus, Social Security holds the funds in trust. We have built up a $2.9 trillion surplus over the decades to cover the retirement of the Baby Boomer generation. We earned it; it’s our money to be kept safe until we need it. While 96 percent of Democrats voted to protect our money, Cathy and eve...

  • Law enforcement should be pursuing phantom scammers

    FRANK WATSON, Contributor|Updated Aug 9, 2018

    Last week my wife and I both received scam attempts. The scammers didn’t get any money from us, but they did cause some inconvenience. In some way that I don’t pretend to understand, they hacked into my wife’s computer, locked it up and demanded that she pay a ransom to have it released. She took it to our local computer store who got rid of the scammers in less than a minute. Mine was a phone call from a sexy voiced computer telling me that I had problems with my credit card, and I needed to call them to have the problem res...

  • Back in town: Talbot joins Free Press

    SHANNEN TALBOT, Staff Reporter|Updated Aug 9, 2018

    Driving across the mountains and entering the West Plains felt to me like the whole world had heaved a sigh of relief. Out from under concrete skyscrapers and away from bumper-to-bumper traffic, moving back to Eastern Washington was as much of a transformation as leaving it behind had been nearly 10 years before. I grew up spending my childhood enjoying the best our county has to offer — riding the carousel at Riverfront Park on weekends, running through wheat fields in fading red sunlight and splashing in the river until t...

  • Cheney's Bicycle Time to close doors by October

    John McCallum, Managing Editor|Updated Aug 9, 2018

    Mark Sheldon got involved in the bicycle repair business when he was 15 years old - a 45-year career that will come to an end this October with the closure of his Cheney business, Bicycle Time. Sheldon's first job at an actual bike shop was with the former Velo Sports in Cheney 38 years ago. He also worked in Spokane at Spokane Sport and with North Division Bike in the early 1980s. "I was the first employee he (North Division Bike) ever had," Sheldon said of his time there. A...

  • Maverik plans to open new location in Airway Heights

    GRACE POHL, Staff Intern|Updated Aug 9, 2018

    Maverik, the convenience store and fueling station company, is adding another location on the West Plains on the southeast corner of Hayford Road and Highway 2 in Airway Heights. “They have been looking at the development for quite some time,” Airway Heights Public Work Director Kevin Anderson said. During the city’s July 11 Planning Commission meeting, the board looked over a request from Maverick to perform a SEPA review for the proposed station and included a public hearing. The property will be on 2.8 aces (94,997 squar...

  • Call leads Cheney FBLA club with second place at nationals

    Updated Aug 9, 2018

    The Cheney High School FBLA Club (Future Business Leaders of America) finished their trip to the National FBLA Leadership conference a couple of weeks ago. The chapter had 14 members compete in eight different events In a July 20 news release, FBLA adviser Adam Smith said the clubs only national placer was 2018 senior Megumi Call, who was second in the nation in Electronic Career Portfolio. "Electronic Career Portfolio is an event where Megumi prepared a seven-minute...

  • Cheney names Andrus director of support services

    Updated Aug 9, 2018

    Cheney Public Schools announced in an Aug. 2 news release that Dr. Robin Andrus has been selected as the new Director Of Student Support Services. Andrus was selected for the assistant director position in June after an extensive interview process, but was elevated to both positions after former Director of Student Support Services Kristi Thurston was offered a position with another school district. Andrus earned her bachelor’s degree at Eastern Washington University, graduating cum laude, as well as her master of science d...

  • Mobile home fire lands two in hospital

    SHANNEN TALBOT, Staff Reporter|Updated Aug 9, 2018

    A mobile home fire in Airway Heights resulted in two people, including a firefighter, being transported to the hospital Saturday night. Firefighters responded to the scene on the 12500 block of Sunset Highway at about 5 p.m. Saturday and the flames were extinguished within an hour. Mobile home fires can be particularly dangerous due to the proximity to other homes, but fire engines were able to respond to the scene in record time, Airway Heights Fire Chief Mitch Metzger said. In a fortunate twist of fate, the fire department...

  • Cossalman story correction

    Updated Aug 9, 2018

    The Aug. 2 story on the inclusion of the Cossalman House on Cheney’s historic registry contained an incorrect first name of one of the home’s owners. The home is owned by Fred and Catherine Lauritzen. We incorrectly named Catherine as Ruth....

  • Airway plans for rec center's future

    SHANNEN TALBOT, Staff Reporter|Updated Aug 9, 2018

    For the Airway Heights Recreation Center, the future is bright. As construction on the 46,000 square foot facility continues, the recreation center nearly two decades in the making is finally taking shape. Though the center is not yet open, the city is already thinking ahead and trying to anticipate future needs. Workers are laying conduit for outdoor field lighting to be added later, and the city is contemplating putting in a 2019 legislative request for additional lighting...

  • Silver Lake fire held to 100 acres

    John McCallum, Managing Editor|Updated Aug 9, 2018

    Thanks to quick mobilization and nearby water resources, firefighting crews were able to contain to 100 acres a grass and timber fire that broke out on Monday about three miles northwest of Cheney. While over 50 homes were put on evacuation notices, only one outbuilding was destroyed in the blaze. Spokane County Fire District 3 Fire Chief Cody Rohrbach said the fire, which was reported at 1:10 p.m., had multiple ignition points that eventually merged into two fires centered...

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