Sorted by date Results 151 - 175 of 224
OLYMPIA — A recent update to proclamations concerning outdoor recreation for counties in Phases 1 and 2 of the state’s re-opening plan has pumped the brakes on many motor sport events and related activities. Gov. Jay Inslee’s Aug. 24 update to the proclamation declared that counties in Phase 1 or 2, which includes Spokane County, aren’t allowed to have active go-kart tracks, ORV facilities, Motocross facilities, raceways and other participant-only motor sports. The proclamation also bans spectators, spectator camping, spectat...
Airway Heights/Reardan resident Aaron Inman loads donations from Airway Heights citizens into his truck to take to victims of the Malden fire. Inman has taken three truck and two trailer loads’ worth of surviving goods down to Malden residents. He plans to continue the effort when the smoke clears....
Gun owners anticipating the fall hunting season or hoping to get in some target practice are having more difficulty than normal acquiring the ammunition necessary to operate their firearms. Fox Business reported in early August that gun sales in 2020 had already surpassed sales in 2019, but the available ammo stock wasn’t keeping pace. There are several possible reasons for an ammo shortage. Mainly, the COVID-19 fallout caused a spike in gun sales (a July Recoil Magazine article likened the spike to the toilet paper h...
By Drew Lawson Staff Reporter SPOKANE—A banking company with 24 locations in Eastern Washington and North Idaho may be expanding even further. STCU is seeing approval to acquire four new Umpqua Bank locations, including the banks in Medical Lake and Ritzville. “(We) were looking for opportunities, and this presented itself,” STCU strategic communications manager Dan Hansen said. The other Umpqua branches STCU is seeking to acquire are located in Othello and Coulee City. The Ritzville and Othello locations would be STCU...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS—The two families that lost homes in the Bartholomew and Christensen fires Aug. 27 and Sept. 7, respectively will soon be getting some assistance from the community. Wolffy’s Burgers is hosting a spaghetti feed Saturday, Sept. 19, with 100% of proceeds benefitting those fire victims. “When the fires hit here in town … we had thrown around the idea of doing something for the community,” owner Jessica Davis said. “We ran with the idea and put it into play.” Orig...
DEEP CREEK--A Level 2 Evacuation notice given by Fire District No. 10 remained in place for residents between Deep Creek and Brooks Rd due to a 75-acre vegetation fire in the area west of Airway Heights and Fairchild Air Force Base as of Tuesday morning (Sept. 8). Crews responded to the fire off South Christensen Road at 2:17 p.m. Monday afternoon. The fire momentarily jumped Highway 2, causing a momentary highway closure westbound beginning at 3:18 p.m., but re-opened by...
A Level 2 Evacuation notice has been given by Fire District No. 10 for residents between Deep Creek and Brooks Rd due to a vegetation fire in the area west of Airway Heights and Fairchild Air Force Base Monday afternoon. Residents from Deep Creek to Ritchey Road are asked to be ready to leave "at a moment's notice," per an emergency alert from Fire District No. 10. South Christensen and South Brooks roads are currently closed. Highway 2 closed momentarily Monday afternoon due...
MEDICAL LAKE—Small businesses and residents with issues paying utility bills as a result of pandemic-incited economic hardships will soon have a chance to apply for some financial relief. The city’s CARES act allotment under the Coronavirus Relief Fund totaled $150,500. $30,000 was allocated for utility relief, while $100,000 was designated for small business grants. City administrator Doug Ross said he hopes to have grant applications for affected parties written and available in the next couple weeks. “We’re trying to get...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS—Smoke filled the West Plains skies and city residents stood by awaiting potential evacuation recommendations due to a 260-acre fire burning grass and timber northeast of Northern Quest Casino Monday. Crews responded to a vegetation fire off North Old Trail Road at 4:31 p.m. Monday and remained on scene into Tuesday. As of press time, one outbuilding had burned, according to Guy Gifford of the Department of Natural Resources. The fire had been controlled, but 0% containment had been reached as of Tuesday m...
MEDICAL LAKE — Fire crews reached 100% containment on a 310-acre fire just east of the city by the end of their shift Aug. 29. Authorities responded to a fire burning in dry grass, brush and light timber north of state Highway 902, east of Bartholomew Road, at 12:32 p.m. Aug. 27. The fire -- later dubbed the Bartholomew Fire -- burned northeast of the city and onto Fairchild Air Force Base. One primary residence and three outbuildings burned, according to Guy Gifford of the s...
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE-On Aug. 31, 1956, the KC-135 stratotanker took its first flight off base. 64 years later, the refueling tanker continues to be the model used by the base for refueling missions and deployments. The base celebrated the "birthday" of the KC-135's first Fairchild flight Monday. That KC-135 flight occurred two years after the Air Force purchased the first 29 of an eventual 732 plane fleet. The prototype was the Dash 80, designed in 1954 at the beginning...
REARDAN - Joe Mann lived in Reardan scaling church steeples and overcoming broken collar bones in football games because he didn't want to sub out before graduating from the high school in 1941. He died at age 22 making the ultimate sacrifice in World War II, jumping on a grenade at age 22 to protect his companions from a German attack in 1944. He posthumously received the highest war decoration for his highest sacrifice, the Medal of Honor, in 1945. Now, his family ranch...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS—It may not be possible to catch the latest flick at the cinema, but residents driving east on Highway 2 may notice the bustle of construction in the adjacent lot. That construction is for the Hazelwood Square project, a three-phased, 7.5 acre commercial development that promises to bring more businesses to town. Baker Construction & Development of Spokane is the general contractor, while Ryan Zane of Bernardo Wills Architects, PC was the lead architect. The ownership group, Sadaqa Group LLC, signed on the H...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS—As city population is anticipated to continue growing and the mission expands at Fairchild Air Force Base, the city planning and public works departments are developing plans for future city growth, business expansion and transportation improvements. The downtown plan is one major development in the works. Three scenarios have been posed for public feedback, as reported in the Aug. 27 edition of the Cheney Free Press. A decision on which scenario to proceed with is expected by April, principal planner H...
MEDICAL LAKE--A brush fire that broke out at 12:32 p.m. north of state Highway 902 and east of Bartholomew Road on Aug. 27 has spread to approximately 200 acres as of 10 a.m. today (Aug. 28). About 50 acres are on Fairchild Air Force Base. Authorities consider the fire to be 80% contained, according to Guy Gifford with the Department of Natural Resources. However, one residential structure and three outbuildings have been lost. "There's a fire trail 100% around the fire,"...
REARDAN – A basketball coach for the Reardan School District will not be returning in the coming year, following an investigation that he made inappropriate race-based comments to a student. Coach Damon Dewey was investigated by the school district after a player’s parents made a complaint about Dewey on Feb. 15. In response, athletic director Eric Nikkola conducted an investigation that found Dewey “more likely than not” violated the civil rights of a mixed-race player on the girl’s basketball team. The player’s name was no...
MEDICAL LAKE - Authorities responded to a fire burning grass, brush and light timber north of state Highway 902, east of Bartholomew Road, at 12:32 p.m. today. The 100-plus-acre fire is burning northeast of the city and on Fairchild Air Force Base. Several homes and other buildings on the northeast side of the fire and off Bartholomew Road are threatened, but none are believed to have burned, a state Department of Natural Resources spokesman said. Level 3 evacuation notices...
Harvest season has arrived, and farmers are hard at work gathering the wheat crop. This combine was seen combing the hills on South Betz Road Aug. 21....
Volunteers wash cars and hold signs directing passersby to a car wash fundraiser hosted by West Plains Angels and C&S Automotive on 1st Street Aug. 22. Volunteers raised nearly $1,600 during the seven-hour event. All proceeds went to benefit the Cheney High School and Medical Lake High School robotics clubs and the Cheney High band....
Members of the Eastern Washington University women’s basketball team and Athletic Department administration help hand out chunks of the football field’s red turf, or “Inferno.” EWU updated its turf this summer and sold pieces of various sizes of the old turf to fans, who picked up their section Aug. 19....
AIRWAY HEIGHTS—Airway Heights is growing. The population grew from 6,114 in 2010 to 10,010 in 2020-a 64% growth rate. The city estimates the population will continue to grow to 14,298 by 2037. Therefore, city planners are seeking community feedback on downtown commercial and housing developments under the US 2 Corridor Plan. There is no official area designated as “downtown,” but it is “generally” considered to be the area between Russell and Ziegler Streets east to west, and...
MEDICAL LAKE — The city received $150,500 of funding via the federal CARES act. Now, it must decide how to allocate those funds. Council heard a discussion with city administrator Doug Ross and mayor Shirley Maike on such a topic at its Aug. 18 meeting before carrying their proposal for fund divvying. Ross explained that the city can’t use CARES funding to replace lost revenue. However, it can use funds for cleaning supplies, additional staff time due to COVID-19, cleaning the lift station, food security, utility bills and re...
Curtis and Candy Faulks, of Seattle, beat the heat by fishing off one of the piers at Clear Lake near Medical Lake Aug. 17. Temperatures hovered around 100 degrees on the West Plains all weekend....
AIRWAY HEIGHTS—The city continues to face a $1.9 million budget gap, but council elected to not declare its financial state an “emergency” at its legislative session August 17 after such a recommendation from city manager Albert Tripp on August 10. Tripp informed council August 10 that the intent of the emergency declaration was to spread awareness about the city’s financial state, which he felt could potentially lead to some federal aid in the form of CARES Act money. However, as Congress continues to grapple over the pos...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS-The Highway 2 and Hayford Road intersection is "one of the busiest in the county," according to public works director Kevin Anderson. The city hopes Phase 1 of the West Plains Connection project will help amend that. The project, which is a collaboration between Airway Heights, Spokane and the Kalispel Tribe, has been in various discussions and traffic for over 10 years, but a recent plan for a 6th/10th/12th corridor has finally gained traction after funding...
