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Corey Jenkins - one half of the music group "Jenks" - tosses around juggling clubs in front of a group of children during a July 29 concert at the Cheney Public Library....
Crime continues to be steady in the city of Airway Heights According to statistics from the Airway Heights Police Department, there were 2,870 reported incidents from January to June of this year. This is down 2 percent from 2,931 incidents from January to June of last year. The northeast portion of the city still counts for most of the criminal activity (59 percent) with 1,707 incidents, a 9 percent increase from last year’s number of 1,558. Airway Heights Sgt. Robert Swan said the area, which includes Walmart, Cedar Summit...
It has been two years since the Cheney Summerhawks 15U and 17U baseball teams withdrew from the American Legion system. For the second season, the 17U team played an independent schedule, playing against various club and American Legion teams from Washington and Idaho, and competing in three tournaments. Cheney finished with a 13-15 record and ended the season on a high note after they finished second in the Smash N’ Splash tournament in Moses Lake. The 15U squad competed in the Spokane Indians Youth Baseball program for t...
Note: This column was printed on Aug. 2 when Ichiro Suzuki’s hit total was 2,998. Former Seattle Mariner Ichiro Suzuki is one or two games away from joining an exclusive club — the 3,000 hit club. The Japanese star is currently at 2,998 hits as of press time, but once he achieves his 3,000th hit he will join 29 other players on the list, including former Mariner Alex Rodriguez as well as legends like Derek Jeter, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. Suzuki, who is 42 years old, has been a well-known and popular player among Ame...
Eastern Washington University is in the ninth year of its community food drive. The food drive is accepting monetary and food donations until Aug. 10. The money will be donated to the Cheney Food Bank, Cheney Outreach — for backpacks and school supplies — and the Community in Schools Food Pantries and Clothing Closets. This year the food drive has already helped collect 64 banana boxes full of food. EWU is also accepting donations of backpacks and school supplies. Donations can be dropped off at the Rozell Plant rec...
At its July 26 meeting, the Medical Lake School Board approved its operating budget for the 2016-17 school year. During the meeting, Chad Moss, director of finance, said the general fund revenue for 2016-17 is projected at $21.5 million, a 5 percent increase from last year. From the revenue side, the state accounts for $963,893 while $20,000 is federal money and $50,365 is from local dollars. Expenditures for this year are projected at $21.9 million, a 5 percent increase from last year ($20.81 million). Moss said the projecte...
At a special July 26 meeting, the Cheney School Board approved an addendum to the Fisher Building sale agreement with Eastmark Capital Group, with Director Mitch Swenson abstaining. According to Kassidy Probert, the district's director of finance, Sean Barnes, manager for Eastmark Capital Group, requested a 45 day extension to the feasibility study because his Historic Preservation Tax Incentive application is still pending approval from the National Parks Service. The...
The Cheney 17U Summerhawks baseball team ended their season on a high note after they finished second in the 16U bracket of the Smash N' Splash tournament in Moses Lake, July 24. In a July 21 Cheney Free Press story, head coach Austin Sharp said the Summerhawks were allowed to compete in the 16U bracket as long as the two 17-year-old players did not pitch. Before the tournament, Cheney split a July 19 doubleheader against the Prairie Cardinals, losing game one, 4-2 and...
The Airway Heights City Council went through a light agenda at its July 25 meeting. Council received an update on the Garfield, Russell and Sprague Phase 1 Road Improvements project. The project includes reconstructing and widening a portion of a transportation loop along Garfield Road and Sixth Avenue from its intersection with U.S. Highway 2 to its intersection at Russell Street. The cost of the project is $1.9 million. A grant from the Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) covered $1.7 million and the city provided matchi...
The city of Medical Lake is preparing for some changes at City Hall. At its July 19 meeting, the City Council voted to update the recreation coordinator job description. This is a result of current recreation coordinator, Ashlee King, leaving her position with the city in mid-August, according to City Administrator Doug Ross. King has taken part-time jobs with both Spokane Public Schools and the Medical Lake School District. Ross said the updates for the job description are suggestions from King. These include: ● o...
Friends, families and fans gathered at Salnave Park, July 22 to send off the West Plains Little League 10-11 All Stars baseball team as they traveled to Clarkston to compete in the state tournament last weekend. Turn to sports to learn how the team fared in the state tournament....
Col. Ryan Samuelson stood in front of hundreds of airmen, local dignitaries and family as he said, "I assume command." Samuelson took command of the 92nd Air Refueling Wing from Col. Brian McDaniel during a July 19 ceremony. McDaniel, who has been the commander of the 92nd for the last two years, will return to Scott Air Force Base, Ill., for his next assignment. Prior to taking command at Fairchild, Samuelson was head of the 379th Expeditionary Operations Group, 379th...
The Cheney 17U baseball team began its last leg of the season with a 10-9 loss in a nine-inning game against Pullman’s AA American Legion team, July 14. The one game against Pullman was originally scheduled as a doubleheader, but one contest was canceled due to American Legion playoffs, according to Cheney head coach Austin Sharp. Sharp said Pullman opted to make the game a nine-inning one. With the game tied 8-8 at the end of five innings, Cheney scored one run in the sixth to take the lead. Pullman took back the lead w...
In an effort to make football more exciting for fans, the NFL is looking at ways to increase the difficulty of the kicking game. One idea that has been brought up over the years is narrowing the width of the goal post uprights, which is currently at 18 feet, 6 inches. But this isn’t something league officials are going to hammer out overnight. They are taking more of a methodical approach to it. According to a story on NFL.com, the league is thinking about planting microchips into footballs during preseason games. If the p...
The Cheney High School Alumni Association sponored its annual all-class reunion picnic, July 17 at Salnave Park. Many former Cheney High School students flocked to the event to catch up with old classmates....
The Rob Roettger era has officially begun. At its July 13 meeting, the Cheney School Board passed a resolution that designates Roettger as the Cheney School District superintendent. Roettger took over for Dr. Deb Clemens who has served as Cheney's superintendent from 2013-16 and recently became the new superintendent of the North Thurston School District. Roettger was previously the Lind-Ritzville Cooperative Schools superintendent from 2011-16. The board passed resolutions...
The Airway Heights City Council breezed through a light agenda at its July 18 meeting. In action items, council approved a settlement agreement between the city and Jim and Jill Cook. Through the agreement, the city acquired a lift station and property in the Aho subdivision for $24,000. City Attorney Stanley Schwartz explained that the lift station had been installed by developers. A homeowner’s association acquired the station after the development did not move along. The Cooks later took ownership of the facility from t...
The Blue Waters Bluegrass festival celebrates its 15th anniversary, Aug. 12-14 at Waterfront Park in Medical Lake. "We've seen festivals come and go," Kevin Brown, Blue Waters music director, said. "We've got a good group of people who have been involved for several years." Brown said the festival has had a steady growth in the last five years. He enjoys seeing new people coming to the festival for the first time. "One of my favorite things to see is families camping here for...
Cheney and Medical Lake students may notice some new or changed features in their school when they return from summer vacation. Both school districts' maintenance departments are working on various projects during the next two months. In Cheney, Salnave Elementary School's main foyer and arena lighting will be replaced with light emitting diode fixtures. Jeff McClure, director of maintenance and operations, said after maintenance crew installs new lighting it will change "the...
The Fairchild Toastmasters has expanded its presence beyond Fairchild Air Force Base and into the city of Airway Heights. The club, which began in 2014, has re-launched as a community club open to military and nonmilitary residents of Airway Heights. The Toastmasters meet on the second and fourth Fridays of every month from noon – 1 p.m. at the Airway Heights Library. The club is a part of Toastmasters International, a supportive and positive learning group that officially began in 1924. According to the Toastmasters I...
At its July 11 study session, the Airway Heights City Council forwarded several items to its July 18 meeting, including a land swap agreement with Spokane Rock Products. The agreement would provide the city with 45 feet of additional right-of-way on 21st Avenue north of the existing 30 feet between Lundstrom and Albert streets. The right-of-way is necessary for the future connection of 21st Avenue westward to Craig Road. In return, Spokane Rock Products would receive portions of unused city right-of-way at Albert Street that...
Crime has seemed to have dropped in the city of Medical Lake - at least in the first five months of the year. According to statistics from the Spokane County Sheriff's Office, officers responded to 216 incidents in Medical Lake from January to May. This is a 10 percent decrease from the previous year's number of 241 responded incidents. Property crimes decreased by 19 percent (78 to 63). Theft incidents dropped by over 50 percent (28 to 13), while burglaries (seven) and...
Crews from Airway Heights, Medical Lake, Spokane, Cheney and Fairchild Air Force Base fire departments and Spokane County fire districts 3 and 10 responded to a structure fire at an apartment complex on the 1500 block of South Lawson Street. Airway Heights Fire Chief Mitch Metzger said the fire started at approximately 7:20 p.m., July 3. "The fire destroyed two lower units and the laundry room and damaged three units on the upper floor," Metzger said. The American Red Cross is...
The Medical Lake Planning Commission breezed through its June 30 meeting, which included a light agenda with no action items, but several city updates. City Administrator Doug Ross informed the commission the service line on Grace Street, across from the Lefevre Street Bakery, broke, but maintenance crews were able to dig it up and repair it. “We had about 12 residents and businesses without water for at least five hours, but the crew was able to patch it up,” Ross said. Ross told the commission that the city purchased a fif...
A recreational sports complex in the city of Airway Heights is close to becoming a reality. In May, the Airway Heights City Council approved an ordinance to authorize placing a $13 million bond initiative on the Aug. 2 ballot. The proposed bond will provide funding to construct a 35,000 square foot building that will include a modern aquatic facility with a pool for lap swimming. If voters approve the measure, the obligation bond would be levied against all taxable property...
