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If the name of the Cheney Police Department's newest officer sounds familiar, it should - particularly if you're an Eastern Washington University football fan. Officer Rocky Hanni officially began with the Cheney department April 1. Hanni comes to Cheney after four years as an officer on the Sweet Home Police Department in Sweet Home, Ore., east of Corvallis. But Hanni's first experience in Cheney was when he signed to play for the Eagles. The Sumner High School product was...
Medical Lake residents will notice a new face coordinating the parks and recreation department's activities. Ivanna Lomas was hired as the new recreation coordinator for the city of Medical Lake, taking over for Ashlee King who recently took part-time counselor positions at Hallett Elementary School and The Community School in Spokane. Lomas interned with King for the summer prior to becoming Medical Lake's recreation coordinator. She also works part-time as a recreation...
“Water is life” — at least according to text on the city of Cheney’s Consumer Confidence Report for 2015 regarding water quality in the city. Part of that life these days is not only conserving the precious resource underneath residents’ feet, but also accounting for all of the water in the city’s system. As such, the report stated Cheney has accounted for 88.2 percent of the water it pumps from the ground, something Public Works Director Todd Ableman hopes increases from efforts to locate and repair situations that create...
Bill and Barbara Ifft of Silver Lake wish to announce the arrival of their second grandchild. Lyla Monica Ifft was born at 9:05 a.m. Thursday, July 28, 2016, weighing 10 pounds, 2 ounces and measuring 21 inches. She joins her parents, Andy and Ashley Ifft, and brother Jackson....
Carol J. Eastlund Carol J. Eastlund, age 86 passed away June 6, 2016 in Spokane, Wash. She was a survivor of gall bladder cancer, but lost a long, devastating battle with dementia. Carol was born in Dover, Idaho on Jan. 23, 1930 to Oscar and Lucy Robinson. She grew up in Sandpoint, graduated from Sandpoint High School and attended the University of Idaho. Carol married Robert "Bob" Eastlund and moved to Cheney. They had two daughters, Robin and Shelley. Carol opened a daycare... Full story
Cheney United Church of Christ Join us for our service on Sunday, Sept. 4, at 10 a.m. Pastor David Krueger-Duncan will deliver the message and preside at the Communion Service. Everyone is welcome to join us in our Communion Service, which are generally are held on the first Sunday of each month. The quiet fans in our sanctuary will keep us comfortable if the weather is warm. A coffee hour will follow in the fellowship hall. You are invited to participate and get acquainted. Last week we mentioned our efforts to help Nepal...
All events are free unless posted otherwise. To get your event or meeting in the weekly What’s Happening section send an email with date, time, location and event to jmac@cheneyfreepress.com. Cheney • Sept. 2, Light Fitness Hour (Adults 50+), Wren Pierson Community Center, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. • Sept. 2, Baby Play & Learn Storytime (ages 0 – 18 months), community library, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. • Sept. 2, Eco Green Compost Sale, Utility Building 112 Anderson Road, $14 per cubic yard, noon – 3 p.m. • Sept. 3, All You Can Eat Panca... Full story
1 Years Ago Aug. 31, 2006 State Route 904 was hailed as one of the most successful traffic safety projects in state history. The $350,000 project resulted in a 36 percent reduction in alcohol-related collisions, 70 percent reduction in fatal and disabling collisions, 24 percent reduction in total injuries and 21 percent reduction in all collisions. Cheney went international when a new business, First Street International Market, opened near Mitchell’s Harvest Foods. The Sterling Moorman House in Cheney was tentatively s...
After the Normal School burned to the ground on Aug. 27, 1891, the fall term classes were held in the wooden Cheney Public School and the upstairs rooms of the new Pomeroy Building in downtown Cheney. Today, the building is home to Against the Grain and Section 13. Learn more about our area’s history at www.cheneymuseum.org....
The Mower County Board of Commissioners recently voted to dedicate revenue from local wind farms to road repairs and maintenance. The payment, likely $330,000 to $500,000 each year for a 10-year period, will contribute significantly toward fixing important infrastructure in the county. Renewable energy generation continues to grow as an industry. New infrastructure has made it possible for projects to be built across the Midwest, bringing with them a range of benefits, some obvious, others less so. At the Center for Rural...
“The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry.” Author John Steinbeck borrowed these well-worn words from poet Robert Burns when he wrote his 1937 novel, “Of Mice and Men.” Today, the word “scheme” is often replaced by “plans,” and it just seems to sound better. Schemes just seem to have rocky connotations, where plans appear well drawn out. Regardless, the meaning holds true. In not so many words, the plot of the book follows Depression-era migrant workers, George...
For the better part of the summer of 2016, the Inland Northwest has been living on borrowed time when it comes to wildfires. It was just a year ago, as school was about to start, that a dingy horizon and smelly air greeted us for seemingly days on end as fires torched hundreds of thousands of acres in Okanogan, Ferry and Stevens counties. This year, both mornings and evenings, have been generally delightful. But on the afternoon of Aug. 21, the predicted dry cold front that passed through our region proved to be the trigger...
Eastern Washington University recently named the following West Plains students to the spring quarter dean’s honor roll for the 2015-16 academic year. Airway Heights — Gregory Allen, Jared Costilla, Wade Hampton and Cory Loucks. Cheney —Cody Ableman, Abdulrahman Al Musharraf, Holiel Alboraik, Abdullah Almohaimeed, Khaled Almuhaidib, Muteb Almutairi, Ahmed Almutairi, Mohammed Almutairi, Hassan Alnemri, Abdelaziz Alqisy, Mohammed Alshawaf, Mahmood Alshengeete, Samantha Ayotte, Christina Baber, Cody Bafus, Mohammad Bagaz...
Eastern Washington University has received a $179,713 Landmarks Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities for a collaborative project that will examine the history of Grand Coulee Dam and its impact on different social groups. The title of the project is “Grand Coulee Dam —The Intersection of Modernity and Indigenous Cultures.” It is a joint effort between EWU and faculty from several universities, including the University of Arizona, Washington State University and Maastricht University in the Netherlands. The p...
Seva Beauty says it has pioneered the idea of what is called, “the fast-casual spa.” They plan to test that concept locally with the company’s first Eastern Washington location, which will open soon inside the Airway Heights Walmart. There is not a specific date set, but it will be in the next couple of weeks, Jason Bleick, local franchise owner, said. What McDonald’s did for fast food, Seva is looking at doing for the spa business, Bleick said. “Spas have typically been a hig...
A different option in housing hopefully awaits Eastern Washington University students for the fall term. Crews from Brumback Construction are racing against a tight window of time to complete The Nest, a complex of six duplexes on Fifth and Washington streets that will have 12 total units. Kathy Nichols, owner of River City Management, which will market the properties, said the plan is to have the units completed by Sept. 19. "Their (the contractor) whole issue is going to...
Hallett Elementary School students and their families attended the building's Aug. 30 open house. Students had a chance to meet their teachers, find their classrooms and reunite with friends they had not seen during the summer break....
The following West Plains residents graduated from Washington State University this spring. Graduates are listed by their names and degrees. Airway Heights — Leanna Jean Waalkens, doctor of pharmacy. Cheney — Nancy Jean Blake, bachelor of science in nursing, cum laude; Jessica Renee Isabelle Faunce, bachelor of science in zoology; Johnathan Morgan Gingrich, bachelor of arts in business administration; Elizabeth Rose Harwood, bachelor of arts in business administration; Heather Marie Lowmaster, doctor of pharmacy; Jordan Mar...
The Medical Lake School Board went through some housekeeping items at its Aug. 23 meeting. In action items, the board approved the first and second readings of the updated “Nondiscrimination” policy. The only change to the policy is the district must provide auxiliary aides and services to individuals with disabilities upon request. The board also approved the second reading of policies “Effective Communication,” “Separation from Employment” and “Disciplinary Action and Discharge.” Kim Headrick, director of teaching and le...
Local residents who have wanted to obtain their GED (General Education Development) but could not make the commute to Spokane finally have a chance to complete the process at the Cheney Public Library. To be granted a GED, a person has to take four exams in the subjects of Language Arts, math, science and social studies, and score well enough to be awarded their diploma. Cheney will be the first West Plains library offering this opportunity and anybody is welcome to be a part...
Les Schwab parking project comment period opens The Cheney Planning Department is accepting public comment on an application from Les Schwab Tires to pave the upper portion of its property at 7 Spokane St. to provide more parking. The proposed project would remove approximately 1,575 cubic feet of fill from the site, which is mostly hard-packed gravel, and pave the area to provide better maneuverability and 32 additional parking spaces. The work will cover approximately 52 percent of the 13,500-square-foot site with... Full story
Crews from Spokane County Fire Districts 3 and 10 responded to an ammonia leak at the Johanna Beverage Company, located on the 5000 block of West Thorpe Road on Saturday, Aug. 27. Mitch Metzger, Fire District 10 deputy fire chief and Airway Heights Fire Department fire chief, said crews first received an emergency call from the Flying J truck stop about a man who was sick from an ammonia leak. “We initially were going to evacuate Best Western (Peppertree Airport Inn),” Metzger said. “We were told the leak was at Johan...
The Medical Lake Planning Commission flew through their Aug. 25 meeting with a light agenda. City Administrator Doug Ross told the commission that they need to come up with a new Comprehensive Plan for the citizens of Medical Lake.” We need to come up with a new document that is less confusing,” Ross said. “It needs to be a simpler document for communication and more user-friendly.” In other news: the old Bruchi’s building in Medical Lake is now apart of Cela’s Creative learning center, which is ready to accept students th...
The sound of many sirens filled the Cheney air last Thursday morning as a high-speed pursuit wound its way through the city before eventually terminating miles later east of Ritzville on Interstate 90 with the capture of two individuals. According to a Washington State Patrol media release, at approximately 9:30 a.m. Aug. 25, Kalispel Tribal Police contacted a suspicious vehicle in a parking lot at Northern Quest Resort and Casino in Airway Heights. The driver of the vehicle,...
Airway Heights Public Works Director Kevin Anderson has not been with the city for a full year, yet there are many projects he and his department have embarked on, one being a six-year transportation improvement plan. City Council approved the plan, prepared by Century West Engineering, at its Aug. 8 study session. Anderson said the plan is a “living document.” “Council can revisit and amend it in the future,” he added. With the council approving the plan, staff was to be able to apply for Transportation Improvement Board g...
