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CHENEY – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will conduct controlled burns at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge during the fall and winter months. These burns started Friday, Oct. 13. Turnbull officials said burning will start this month and continue through February, weather permitting. The purpose of the fires is to reduce “fuel,” such as downed timber and dry grass and sagebrush, to help alleviate the potential for future wildfires. This will reduce the risk of wildfires on the refuge, and will also contribute to habit...
KENNEWICK – Free Press Publishing staffers brought home several awards from the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association annual gala celebration Saturday night, Oct. 7. Cheney Free Press staffers Paul Delaney, John Myers and Roger Harnack were recognized individually. Reporter Delaney won second-place for sports profile writing and graphic artist Myers won second-place in front page design. Owner/Publisher Harnack won first place in sports action photography, as well as onl...
SPANGLE – The Liberty Lancer girls volleyball team notched three wins and a loss since Sept. 26. The local girls topped Asotin on Sept. 26, Upper Columbia Academy on Sept. 28 and Reardan on Oct. 5. On Oct. 3, they lost to Northwest Christian (Colbert). On Sept. 26, the Lancer girls topped Asotin, 3-1. Set scores were 16-25, 25-13, 25-12, 25-9. Kendall Denny led the Lancers (5-3) with 10 kills, 16 assists and 9 aces. Brooke Redder added 9 kills, 16 assists, 7 digs and 2 blocks. Zoe Omlin added 10 digs, Devyn Cook 6 blocks and...
TUMWATER – The state’s minimum wage will jump 54 cents per hour on Jan. 1 On Friday, Sept. 29, the state Department of Labor and Industries announced it will raise the minimum wage from $15.74 per hour to $16.28 per hour effective Jan. 24. That’s an increase of $4.28 per hour in the last five years. According to agency officials, Labor and Industries establishes the rate based on the urban consumer price index. The new wage rates applies to all workers ages 16 and older. State law allows for a “training wage” of $13.84 pe...
SPOKANE – A local man was released from jail on his own recognizance less than a day after allegedly causing a fatal crash near Spokane International Airport on Sept. 24. Philip Garcia, 23, is charged with driving while under the influence and vehicular homicide. According to the Washington State Patrol, Garcia was eastbound on Interstate 90 in a 2002 Honda Accord when he merged lanes and clipped the 2014 Kia in front of him at approximately 9 p.m. Sept. 24. The Kia was driving by Elizabeth Stewart, 23, of Redding, Calif., r...
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE - Washington’s Army National Guard will soon relocate one of its aviation support facilities from Fairchild Air Force Base to the former Executive Flight building at Pangborn Memorial Airport. Chelan-Douglas Regional Port Authority operates the airport. Port Authority CEO Jim Kuntz says the guard will lease the building and two aircraft hangars for $350,000 a year over 10 years, while a more permanent flight facility and readiness center is built further down the runway. About 100 soldiers will conduc...
SPOKANE – Spokane County has a new court commissioner. Jerry Scharosch was appointed by Spokane County Superior Court Presiding Judge Julie McKay, effective Oct. 2. Scharosch received his undergraduate degree in geography from Portland State University and his Juris Doctorate from Gonzaga University School of Law in 2007. He has more than 15 years of legal experience in areas of law that are regularly heard by court commissioners including juvenile dependency, consumer debt collection, involuntary civil commitment and general...
SPOKANE - In collaboration with Spokane International Airport, Alaska Airlines employees held a ceremony on September 16 to place a new Fallen Hero Cart at the airport. This marks the second cart delivered this year and the 15th cart created by Alaska Airlines maintenance employees to honor fallen military personnel. The cart is designed to transport the remains of the deceased with respect and honor to and from the aircraft. "We are honored to bring this cart to Spokane,"...
PULLMAN – The Whitman County Sheriff's Office is looking for help catching a burglar last seen wearing a Cheney Rodeo hat early Sunday morning. Sheriff Brett Myers said many of the details are still considered investigatory. However, he confirmed "the hat the subject is wearing says Cheney Rodeo." The Whitman County emergency dispatch log show the burglary occurred at 7:22 a.m. at a business near Milepost 4 of State Highway 270. The sheriff said his office was withholding t...
SPOKANE – Teck American Incorporated, a subsidiary of Teck Resources Limited (Teck) has donated $20,000 to local organizations supporting emergency wildfire responses in eastern Washington. The money was given to two groups in the region. The Greater Inland Northwest Chapter of the American Red Cross, Spokane received $15,000 and Second Harvest Inland Northwest was awarded $5,000. “We’re so thankful for Teck’s generous donation,” said Lacie Clark, executive director of the American Red Cross Greater Inland Northwest...
MEDICAL LAKE – The final daily update on the Gray Fire was sent out From Northwest Team 7 on Sept. 2, who had been overseeing the firefighting efforts. Since this notice, all evacuation warnings have been lifted. This update shows over 200 personnel were still on site at time the notice was given, and the fire was at 97 percent containment. Northeast Washington Team 3 assumed command of the situation at 6 p.m. on Sept. 2 Incident Command Post will no longer be located at the Pine Lodge Correctional Facility in Medical Lake b...
OLYMPIA — As required by state law, political party declarations voters must sign when participating in the 2024 Presidential Primary were certified Tuesday morning by Secretary of State Steve Hobbs. Washington’s voters do not register as members of a political party. However, Revised Code of Washington 29A.56.050 requires voters to declare on their ballot envelopes whether their party of preference is Republican or Democratic to have their votes counted in the Presidential Primary. The voted ballot inside the envelope wil...
DAVENPORT – Here are the official results of the Aug. 25-26 Lincoln County Rodeo: Bareback Riding – 1. Duke Hanson, 76; 2. Mason Payne, 73; no other qualified rides. Saddle Bronc – No qualified rides. Ranch Bronc – 1. Steve Maupin, 84, 2. Zoe Johnson, 79; 3. Dustin Hennigs, 67; 4. Devin Newman, 67; 5. Tristan Newman, 61. Bull Riding – 1. Connor Dean, 92; 2. C.J. Schultz, 89; no other qualified rides. Steer Riding – 1. Dustin Dean, 80; no other qualified rides. Chute Doggi...
SPOKANE — U-Haul is offering 30 days of free self-storage and U-Box container usage to residents in and around Spokane impacted by two active wildfires, according to a company press release. Because the Gray and Oregon fires have displaced hundreds, if not thousands, of families, U-Haul has stated that self-storage may be a useful resource to offer communities in and around Spokane County. “One of the scariest things in life is being told to leave your home because of an unpredictable wildfire,” said Travis Lewis, U-Hau...
OLYMPIA – The work-related records of public employees are indeed public, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday, Aug. 24. In a public records-access lawsuit filed by the Freedom Foundation, the state’s highest court ruled that access to employees’ full names, dates of birth, job titles/positions, work email addresses, annual salaries, work location stations, employment statuses, their union representatives names and titles, and other information are public. The lawsuit stems from a lawsuit filed by the Freedom Found...
OLYMPIA – Some lucky hunters have an extra shot at obtaining additional permits this season. According to the state Department of Fish and Wildife, hunters who previously bought a multi-season application will have a chance to buy a surplus permit. The agency on Aug. 15 offered 129 multi-season elk tags to hunters who were already on the application list. The winners were notified by email. The winning hunters will have until midnight Thursday, Aug. 31, to buy their tags. An additional 2,491 multi-season deer tags are also a...
MEDICAL LAKE – Two people from Tacoma have been arrested and booked into Spokane County Jail on burglary charges. On August 21, 2023, at approximately 8:15 am, Spokane Police Detective Lynch was working in the Gray Fire evacuation zone. Lynch was called to respond to a reported burglary in the 20100 block of W. Thorpe Road in Medical Lake. The caller, who is a family member of the homeowner, reported a suspicious male and female arrived at the residence in a blue Audi. The caller was able to provide a license plate number. T...
COULEE DAM–Locals are invited to join Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area for a free, family friendly fishing festival Saturday Sept. 9. Lake Roosevelt has partnered with other federal, state, and non-profit agencies sharing the same goal to teach local youth fishing skills and provide education about water safety, aquatic invasive species, and more. The event takes place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Spring Canyon, about two miles east of Grand Coulee off State Highway 174. The first 300 youth ages 14 and under will r...
OLYMPIA – Some lucky hunters have an extra shot at obtaining additional permits this season. According to the state Department of Fish and Wildife, hunters who previously bought a multi-season application will have a chance to buy a surplus permit. The agency on Aug. 15 offered 129 multi-season elk tags to hunters who were already on the application list. The winners were notified by email. The winning hunters will have until midnight Thursday, Aug. 31, to buy their tags. An additional 2,491 multi-season deer tags are also a...
Fire District 10 responded to a semi rollover along U.S. 2 on Aug. 14. Engine 10-1 Secured the scene and protected the area from hazards or fire, the driver was transported by AMR to the hospital with non critical injuries. No other vehicles or injuries reported....
PULLMAN – The Washington State Patrol has stepped up its enforcement efforts as Washington State University students return to college in Pullman. The 10-day enforcement effort ends Aug. 20, the patrol said. District No. 4 troopers in Whitman and Adams counties, and District No. 6 troopers in Grant and Kittitas counties, will be focusing on speeding, distracted/impaired driving and other collision-causing violations during the emphasis. Troopers will also be monitoring southern Spokane County. The emphasis will target U.S. Hi...
SPOKANE - On Aug. 15, at approximately *** Spokane County Fire District 10 responded to a call regarding a rollover accident on eastbound I-90 near the Garden Springs exit. Washington State Patrol and Department of Transportation closed the eastbound exit to Garden Springs for several hours during the investigation. District 10 responders were supported by Spokane County Fire District 3, Airway Heights Fire and Spokane Engine 6....
LEWISTON, Idaho – Former Cheney high, University of Idaho and Eastern Washington football player Ty Graham will be the new assistant athletic director of marketing and promotions at Lewis-Clark State College. Graham announced his new role on social media. He enters the job after serving as the assistant director of ticket sales/marketing at University of Idaho where he began his collegiate football career. Graham has been around college athletics his entire life. He was b...
SEVEN BAYS – Fishermen will begin hitting Lake Roosevelt this fall in hopes of catching a large fish species that has existed for more than 175 million years. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife will open a white sturgeon season from Sept. 16 through Nov. 30. The species will be fair game along the entire length of Lake Roosevelt, from Grand Coulee Dam to the U.S.-Canada border. The fishery is also open on the Spokane River from the state Highway 25 bridge near Fort Spok...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS – One man was arrested and will be charged with attempted murder after firing a gun at a deputy and then leading police on a dangerous car chase. Robert L. Talley, 53 has been booked into Spokane County Jail and appeared in court Aug. 7. On August 3, at approximately 12:30 a.m., a Spokane County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to assist an Airway Heights Police Officer with an argument call in the 12500 block of W. Sunset Hwy. Spokane Regional Emergency Communications advised the call was an open line, and a mal...
