Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 32
Cheney officials believe they’ve dodged a bullet fired their way by Spokane County regarding unexpected increases in booking fees at the county jail — at least for now. In an Oct. 17 memo, Chief Budget Officer Tonya Wallace informed contracting agencies such as Cheney, Airway Heights and Spokane Valley that a proposed new fee schedule for jail services would be presented at an Oct. 18 meeting. The proposal would do away with the old system and institute a new pay-for-service function. Under the proposal, agencies using the co...
It might be said that Jeremy Bahr got a late Christmas present - on Valentine’s Day. That’s when he learned a long-time wish would be fulfilled when Bahr was selected as the newest person to guide the Medical Lake High School football program. He replaced Mo Owen who resigned the position in November 2017 after two seasons where his teams went a combined 0-18. But while bursting at the seams with excitement, because school was closed that day due to snow, Bahr could not tel...
The Cheney varsity wrestling team powered through a series of valiant opponents at their Dec. 19 dual meet, relying on their middleweights to propel them to a 52-22 victory over East Valley — the first win against the Knights on the mat since 1988. Three major wins in a row from middleweight competitors put Cheney well on the path to success, as Cheney’s sophomore Jackson Showalter won his match against his East Valley opponent by a 10-0 major decision after a long battle. In the 160-pound weight class, sophomore Blake Seu...
Saturdays in the fall have always centered around football. In the beginning it was listening on the radio and later on television. A semi-organized file cabinet drawer in my home office is stuffed with game programs that provide proof I have seen my share of games in person. There’s the 1968 program from the inaugural game of the Continental Football League Spokane Shockers. Another from a 1971 game at the University of Idaho reminded me of watching football in the stadium th...
Chaves leaves EWU for North Dakota post After just over a decade on the job as Eastern Washington athletics director, Bill Chaves left Cheney for the opening at the University of North Dakota. First announcing in early in January that he was a finalist for the position at the Grand Forks school, Chaves officially announced his move on Twitter, Jan. 13. "After a decade of memories that I will carry for a lifetime, I have been offered and accepted the UND AD's position," he...
CHENEY Dec. 17 Guy S. Heltsley, 30, was arrested on the 200 block of North 11th Street for fourth-degree assault/domestic violence and a Whitman County warrant for felony motor vehicle theft. A wallet was found on the 1700 block of Fourth Street. Dec. 18 A vaping device was recovered/confiscated on the 400 block of Annie Place. Jessica R. Edgar, 37, was arrested on the 2200 block of First Street for violation of a court no contact order. Dec. 19 Kendrick M. Mellinger, 26, was arrested on the 300 block of B Street for...
Did you know that some adults believe drinking alcohol is a rite of passage for our youth? They are allowed to drink alcohol as the family gathers. And at other events during the holiday season, this practice is especially persistent, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). The numbers don’t lie: teens who do NOT drink alcohol until they are 21 are 85 percent less likely to be involved in an alcohol related motor vehicle crash than those who drink before the age of 14. Research clearly shows that the younger a p...
The Spokane Tribe Casino and Spokane Tribe of Indians council members presented 20 checks totaling $100,000 to various non-profit community and educational organizations at the casino on Wednesday, Dec. 19. It was the first of many charitable efforts by the Airway Heights casino, according to a press release. Some beneficiaries expressed surprise at the donations after receiving an invitation from the tribe. Like many of the recipients at the event, Mable Dunbar, director of...
Cheney blood drive set for Friday, Dec. 28 The Inland Northwest Blood Center together with Vitalant and Cheney community volunteers led by coordinator Duane Isaac will hold a blood drive on Friday, Dec. 28, from 1:30 – 5 p.m. at the Marketplace Bakery & Eatery on First Street in Cheney. INBC needs an average of 200 blood donors every day to meet the needs of more than 35 hospitals in the Inland Northwest. A single donation can save the lives of up to three people. County libraries closures for New Year’s All Spokane Cou...
1 Years Ago Jan. 1, 2009 Speculation arose that the Pine Lodge Correctional Center for Women in Medical Lake might close in 2010 due to budget restrictions. Cheney City Council considered leasing some of the city’s unused communication and data lines to Windsor Elementary to help get the school on the district’s network. Cheney’s mayor and city staff declared a state of emergency due to snowfall to protect residents and help with snow removal. 20 Years Ago Dec. 31, 1998 Employees in Cheney received a 2.5 percent cost of li...
Cheney Congregational Church Welcome to Cheney Congregational Church. We invite you to join us in worship, no matter where you are on your journey of faith. This Sunday, Dec. 30, we will have a special musical offering presented by Ryan Gunn and Leilia Smith. It’s a treat not to be missed. If you like to sing, come and join the choir. Rehearsals are Thursdays at 5 p.m. or call Kate at (509) 481-5234. Do you like to explore new restaurants, have good conversation and build new friendships? New “Dining Out” groups are formi...
The line to sit on Santa’s lap and pick out a toy stretched halfway across the meeting room at the American Legion Hall Post 72 in Cheney on Dec. 19 as kids waited excitedly to tell Mr. Claus what they wanted for Christmas. Happy shrieks of small children bounced off the walls and around the brightly decorated room, decked out with long tables featuring holiday crafts for kids to try. Infants, teenagers and kids of every age in between decorated sugar cookies, made candy cane ornaments and painted paper gingerbread men. The A...
The compromise farm bill secures several victories for conservation, beginning farmers, and rural communities, while failing to cap payments to the largest farms or secure stable long-term funding for working lands conservation. We are pleased that Congress maintained the Conservation Stewardship Program in the final bill and included policy changes to strengthen the program. Changes include increased support for cover crops, resource-conserving crop rotations, and advanced grazing management. We are disappointed that...
The Trump administration has proposed several reforms to drive down prescription drug prices. One measure would force pharmaceutical companies to mention the sticker prices of their medicines in television advertisements. The new mandate covers all prescriptions drugs reimbursed by Medicare or Medicaid that cost more than $35 a month. The administration hopes this change will empower patients to choose more affordable drugs and embarrass companies into reducing their prices. But the rule won’t achieve those goals. Instead, i...
It’s been a joy to see downtown Cheney all dressed up for the holidays this year. I’m especially enjoying the lights on the kiosks and the painted windows in the downtown businesses. Thank you to the participating businesses and to the Cheney Merchants Association for engaging Medical Lake artist Denny Wuesthoff of “A Brush Stroke Away” to paint the windows. I hope these will become Cheney traditions. Christie Bruntlett Cheney...
President Trump has “commander in chiefed” an end to the illegal U.S. role in the war in Syria. And there are reports the Commander in Chief may order a draw down in Afghanistan, the war that keeps on giving! Knock me down with a feather! Turns out it ain’t that hard to end a war! It must be a Christmas Miracle! In the lifetime of the post 9-11 generation, the U.S. has started many a war, but ended nary a one. Is this a new era? Is it evidence that this Christmas, Christ may return? I do not know how else to understand it. O...
Hello readers, I’m Lee Hughes, the newest addition to your Cheney Free Press editorial staff. Like most journalists, I’m somewhat averse to being the subject of a story. My job is to report on others, not myself. But when you’re the new guy and your managing editor assigns you a story — even your own story — you get it done. So here we are. I’ll be brief. First, I’m a native Washingtonian. And although I’ve lived all over Washington state and North Idaho during my life...
Gov. Jay Inslee has appointed Donald J. Richter — a former public defender with the Cheney Municipal Court — to Pacific and Wahkiakum County Superior Court. He replaces Judge Doug Goelz, who will retire at the end of the year. Richter spent the past four and a half years as a deputy county prosecutor in Pacific and Cowlitz Counties, most recently working as the chief deputy prosecutor in Pacific County. In his current role, he has helped stand up and support a successful drug court that benefits both the participants and the...
In November 2017, Medical Lake voters elected a new mayor, Shirley Maike, who was charged with leading a largely new City Council into 2018. One new councilman, Tony Harbolt, overtook Don Kennedy for Council Position No. 4 in a wildly close election that required a hand re-count. Others claiming victory included John Merrick in Position 2, who ousted incumbent Elizabeth Rosenbeck, and Ted Olson in Position 5 who topped Gary Plumlee. Incumbents John Paikuli in Position 1 and...
One person is dead and five more were injured following a three-car accident on U.S. Highway 2 near Christensen Road three miles west of Airway Heights at 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 19. Spokane resident Ryan Labreck’s Subaru Crosstrek was stopped in the left turn lane when it was struck by a 2002 Dodge Caravan driven by Thomas Aripa, 45. The Crosstrek was pushed into the eastbound lane, where it was hit by a Ford F350 pickup truck carrying two adults and two children. Labreck, 36, was pronounced dead at the scene. Aripa, the driver o...
For the past nine years, Cheney School District art teacher Sherie Syrie has spearheaded an effort to make sure at-risk students have an opportunity to do some Christmas shopping for their families - and even for themselves. The Holiday Store takes place the Thursday before Christmas in whatever school Syrie is assigned to, and enables low-income familiy students selected to take part the chance to come to the library and use distributed "Santa Bucks" to purchase about $40 in...
Can you have too much of a good thing? The Cheney School District was left wondering that this year as its enrollment numbers skyrocketed past earlier projections, making the ongoing school construction more vital than ever. School officials watched as the district’s population continued to climb steadily throughout the year, reaching its peak last month. The district has added nearly 300 students to its rolls since the end of the last school year in June. Enrollment at s...
It was a busy year in Cheney news in many ways. Besides water, fires and construction, a number of other events came and went on the local radar. Grover takes over After winning an uncontested election in November 2017, local businessman and Cheney High School alum Chris Grover began his first year as mayor. In a Jan. 11 Cheney Free Press article, Grover cited water supply needs, economic development through business recruitment, public safety and cultivating the relationship with Eastern Washington University as area in...
The Medical Lake City Council voted to sign an agreement associated with a $504,365 grant from the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board for various improvements to city streets at it’s Dec. 18 meeting. The agreement requires the city to contribute $26,545 in matching funds. The work is two fold, according to City Manager Doug Ross. First, the city will be repairing streets suffering from deteriorating asphalt. The work will remove and replace the asphalt and, w...
The tone of the West Plains Chamber of Commerce breakfast on Dec. 19 was decidedly uneasy as a panel of local experts discussed the state of housing in the West Plains. The message was simple: there aren’t enough houses. At least not yet. “We’re in a scary situation as far as housing is concerned, and we may not be able to meet this new demand,” said Joel White, an executive officer at Spokane Home Builder’s Association (SHBA). “This growth is not what we’re going to have to see going forward.” The looming housing shortag...
