10 Years Ago
August 24, 2000
Cheney took a big step toward moving the city's police force to the former Ball and Dodd building on G Street when the city council voted 6-1 to allow Mayor Amy Jo Sooy to enter into a purchase agreement with property owners. Councilman Curt Huff was the lone dissenting vote.
The fire chief of Medical Lake, Cliff Denman, was put on paid administrative leave based on a complaint received by Mayor Jim Hill. No further details on the complaint were released and any action on the matter had to await the return of city administrator Curt Kelling.
Eastern Washington University student Brandon Moen returned from his appearance on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire,” quite a bit short of winning the top prize but feeling as though he was rich after pocketing $16,000.
The 50-mile journey of the 95-year-old Jore Schoolhouse from Newport to Cheney hit a snag, literally, just 50 yards form its final resting place on the EWU campus. Maintenance workers had to cut limbs off of a tree to let the former one-room school building pass. The relocation of the school, a tribute to the many teachers Eastern has sent to similar buildings over the years, is a project of education professor, Charles E. Miller.
20 Years Ago
August 23, 1990
Downtown Cheney came alive this week as some of the top bicyclists in the country gathered here for time trials during the Washington Trust Cycling Classic. A number of five-member teams rode a route west to Tyler, crossed I-90 and returned to Cheney.
As part of its road improvements for this season, the City of Cheney had hoped to upgrade the railroad crossings on a pair of roads leading out of town. Due to higher than anticipated costs those projects will likely be pushed back another year. The city had hoped to improve Cheney-Spokane Road and Cheney-Plaza roads but the requirement from the railroads to post a $6 million bond, added a cost of between $5,000 and $10,000 to the project.
Summer is traditionally the slow period of the year in a university town but Cheney police are reporting a sudden rise of arrest reports. In his July report, Chief Jerry Gardner noted his department dealt with 23 “part one” offenses, the most serious type of crimes. Those consisted of 12 thefts, nine burglaries and two cases of arson.
30 Years Ago
August 21, 1980
Fire District No. 3 is “flat broke,” and is going to voters to seek a property tax increase for two measures in the upcoming Sept. 16 primary. Issue No. 1 asks if the district will be authorized to increase their tax rate from $.887 to $1 per assessed $1,000 of valuation. The second issue asks voters to approve an additional $1 per $1,000 in value to raise $126,203 for maintenance, operations and capital improvements.
Cheney merchants, through cooperation from City Planner Tom Richardson, have received an $8,000 redevelopment grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs. Downtown merchants now have until Dec. 3 to finalize their plan to redevelop the downtown along a railroad theme.
A Spokane County Superior Court jury acquitted two Pine Lodge escapees of a series of felony charges, including assaulting members of the Jerry Pitman family at their farm between Medical Lake and Cheney. Escapees Robert W. Fehrs and Richard L. Hughes pled guilty to escaping from the corrections facility, but also said Pitman helped aid their escape.
Worden's, Spokane's first winery, opened this week at a location along I-90 near the Geiger exit. The winery presently uses California grapes but soon hopes to use Pasco grapes for its first batch of wine that is expected to reach market in early 1981.
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