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Team Fairchild continues to grow. Fairchild Air Force Base announced June 6 it would be the new home of 12 primary-assigned KC-135 Stratotankers and three backup inventory aircraft. The KC-135s are scheduled to transfer from McConnell Air Force Base, in Wichita, Kan., in fiscal year 2020. In a June 5 news release, Heather Wilson, Secretary of the Air Force, announced Fairchild as the "best choice for additional Air Force tankers." Fairchild became the home of six...
One of the contested races in Medical Lake is City Council Position No. 4, which is held by incumbent Destiny Stein. Challenging her is former mayoral candidate Tony Harbolt and Don Kennedy, who has run for different council positions in past elections. Destiny Stein Destiny Stein has served on council for the last four years, which she described as a “great experience” for her in learning how local government worked, how much effort goes into governing the city and how its finances work. She has also served on the fol...
Three residents have thrown their names into the hat for Medical Lake City Council Position No. 2 — Elizabeth Rosenbeck, who currently serves on council, Monica Manza, a long-time member of the Fox Ridge Homeowners Association and John Merrick, former Medical Lake firefighter. Monica Manza Although this is Monica Manza’s first time running for a City Council position, she has over 10 years of experience on the Fox Ridge Homeowners Association, and serves as its current president. She said a resident approached with the sug...
Eastern Washington University's Downtown Student Gallery is holding an exhibit, "Bound for Home," until Aug. 18. The exhibit features quilts by members of the Washington State Quilters. One of the quilts in the showing, Robin Waggoner's "Palouse Spring," was inspired by the landscape and rolling hills. The gallery, located at 404 Second St. is open Monday – Friday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m....
Hela and Randy Hummel, 511 S. Grant St. was selected as the Medical Lake Kiwanis and Cheney Garden Club's "Yard of the Month" for July. The Hummels' yard included a variety of plant life including roses, Russian Sage and Euonymus alatus - also known as Burning Bush. They received a $25 gift certificate from Village Supply. From left to right: Margaret Norlin Cheney Garden Club, Steve Meltzer Medical Lake Kiwanis, Randy Hummel, Hela Hummel and Jean Nelson Cheney Garden...
For the last year, the Airway Heights building department has been seeking a full-time building inspector to help with the influx of commercial and residential developments sprouting in the city. The department has found their inspector — at least for a year anyways. During its July 3 meeting, City Council approved a 12-month employment agreement with Michael Schelling, an International Building Code certified building inspector. Schelling would receive all of the benefits a city inspector would get, but he will not be a p...
With Medical Lake Mayor John Higgins not seeking another term, three candidates are vying for his seat in the 2017 August primary election. Two are longtime City Council members, Shirley Maike and Laura Parsons, while the other, Mikael Suniga, is a police officer and former mayoral candidate in 2013. Shirley Maike Shirley Maike said her 20 years on City Council and time as the chief operating officer at Eastern State Hospital has helped her build leadership skills she can...
In the Jan. 19 issue of The Cheney Free Press I wrote that a fantasy superfight between boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr. and UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor was “a long way from happening.” Well fight fans, since I last wrote in this space that fantasy is becoming a reality. Mayweather will come out of retirement to face McGregor in a 12-round boxing match on Aug. 26 in Las Vegas. According to a June 16 Forbes article, Mayweather is expected to make $100 million from the fight while McGregor is estimated to net...
For Airway Heights City Council and employees, there was a lot to learn from the recent water situation. During a June 28 study session, council and city department heads held the first of what is scheduled to be several debriefings of the perfluoro chemical contamination issue the city experienced in May. “This is an opportunity to see how we did, what we could improve upon and how we can work with stakeholders in the future,” City Manager Albert Tripp said. “This is an opportunity to apply what we’ve learned to future...
Well West Plains, it’s been a fun three and a half years. Some folks already know this, but I am going to be leaving the Cheney Free Press and going to work as a staff reporter for The Ritzville-Adams County Journal. To put this into context, Free Press Publishing prints five newspapers, including The Journal and I’m essentially moving to another newspaper but I’m still under the company umbrella. If you’re a wrestling fan like me, it’s kind of like when a WWE superstar moves from the company’s Monday Night Raw brand to it...
Like many cities in Washington state, Airway Heights is gearing up to complete some well-needed street repairs. In May, staff had a preliminary meeting with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) personnel to review projects that could be paid for with emergency federal funds resulting from the storms and flooding that occurred during the winter. Public Works Director Kevin Anderson recently submitted an application for a FEMA grant that would help fund street repairs....
Although school is out for the summer, the Medical Lake School District will have several courses and activities for students in July and August. During its June 27 meeting, the school board of directors approved the district's summer school and enrichment programs. Michael Anderson Elementary School will have its extended school year for special education students from July 31-Aug. 17. During that same timeframe, Hallett Elementary School will once again host its summer...
The Medical Lake Fire Department doesn’t usually have a lot of problems managing outdoor burning in the city. In most cases, when firefighters or Spokane County Sheriff’s Office deputies ask people to extinguish illegal fires, folks oblige. However there are a few incidents with repeat offenders or people who disregard the request to put out the blaze. During the June 20 Medical Lake City Council meeting, Fire Chief Jason Mayfield submitted an ordinance for the city’s municipal code regulating portable outdoor fireplaces and...
More units will be added to the Northern Heights apartment complex project. During a special June 21 meeting, the Airway Heights Planning Commission approved a planned unit development (PUD) overlay request to increase the Northern Heights apartment complex from 216 middle-income rental units to 232. The apartment complex will be located on 10.85 acres of property designated multi-family, on the southwest corner of Sixth Avenue and Garfield Street. The project's developer,...
Linda Haladyna (left) received the 2017 Golden Service Award from Hallett Elementary School Principal Cindy McSmith during the school's June 15 talent show. Haladyna was honored for helping at the school this year....
Medical Lake School District won’t be changing its structure or course materials when it comes to its health education curriculum for K-12 students for the 2017-18 school year. That was the conclusion staff came up with after spending several months last year researching how its curriculum aligns with the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s (OSPI) health education standards. “As a committee, we reviewed the outcomes and felt we were addressing them adequately to meet state expectations,” Kim Headrick, direc...
The city of Medical Lake received some additional funds to help with its summer street patching. During its June 20 meeting, City Council approved the state Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) fuel tax grant distribution agreement for the $23,274 the city received from the board’s 2017 Emergency Repair Program. The money can only go toward fixing the streets that were damaged from the moisture in winter and spring. City Administrator Doug Ross said staff will be renting the equipment and repairing the streets in early J...
Normally during the summer, the Airway Heights' splash pad in Sunset Park would be operating and children would be playing on it. However, there have been a couple situations has kept the city from operating the water feature at this time. The first was the recent water crisis where the city enacted water restrictions advising residents and businesses not to use Airway Heights water for consumption from May 16 to June 8. Staff did not operate the splash pad as a cautionary...
The Airway Heights Municipal Court will go through a new consultant for advocate services that it provides to domestic violence victims. During its June 19 meeting, the Airway Heights City Council approved a $7,500 contract between the city and Ginger Johnson of Relationship Advantage for these services. Based out of Spokane, Johnson is a domestic violence court and community advocate, and a Washington state certified domestic violence perpetrator treatment provider. The city previously went through the YWCA for advocate...
The health district recommends draining anything with standing water, such as old tires and beverage coolers (pictured) to avoid mosquitoes. The presence of insects and things like bug bites can put a damper on anyone’s summer. That’s why Spokane Regional Health District launched its “Bring It, Summer Pests,” program, which aims to provide residents with information on confronting pests and preventing them from ruining a person’s summer. Kim Papich, Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD) public information office, explained...
Medical Lake is known for producing good high school athletes, particularly in track, cross country, basketball and baseball. However, there are a couple local kids in the city who are making waves in roller derby. Medical Lake High School student Bristol Grundstrom and her younger sister, Daytona Grundstrom, skate for The Pixies, an Inland Northwest Roller Derby team comprised of girls from Eastern Washington, Idaho and Montana. The sisters, along with the rest of the...
Family and friends of Vincent "Duffy" Ready III came together June 16 for the dedication of the Duffy's Point memorial. The memorial is dedication to the life and memory of Ready. Many of his relatives competed in the Trailblazer Triathlon as a part of "Team Duffy." The triathlon was also dedicated to his memory. Read the full story here....
Several businesses, organizations, clubs and groups participated in the annual Medical Lake Founders Day parade. Fairchild Air Force Base 92nd Air Refueling Wing commander Col. Ryan Samuelson was the parade's grand marshal. See more Founder's Day photos here....
The 2017 Medical Lake Founders Day celebration had a plethora of events for all ages. On Friday (June 16) there was the return of the street dance, featuring four area bands. On Saturday, there were numerous returning activities, including the Pick N Roll basketball tournament, the car show and the Trailblazer Triathlon. See more Founder's Day photos here....
Hallett Elementary School celebrated the end of the school year with a talent show. The event featured students singing and dancing, as well as some comedy and magic....
