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After a strong couple of outings last week, the Cheney tennis team was unable to overcome a strong Mt. Spokane team Tuesday, March 19, losing 0-7. The final score, however, doesn’t factor in the absence of the team’s three top players. Boys’ team head coach Jesse Erickson said their absence was heavily felt, especially against Mt. Spokane’s experienced team. “Mt. Spokane has a much more experienced team, and they’re much more consistent,” he said. Mason Van Stone had the lone set win of the day, going 6-4, 4-6, 8-10. “That w...
A variance to the city’s nuisance ordinance came forward at the monthly study session for the Airway Heights City Council Monday, March 26. The Washington state Department of Transportation applied for the variance, in advance of its upcoming work on Highway 2 later this year. Public Works Director Kelly Williquette said most of the work would be done at night, and would affect some of the city’s noise ordinances, in effect from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Adjusting the ordinance would allow the work to take place during night hours. W...
Medical Lake resident Mark Hudson asked the Medical Lake School District board of directors to consider adding curriculum that would introduce scientific questioning of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. At the Tuesday, March 26 board meeting, Hudson wasn’t alone, however, and brought along a petition signed by 299 others in Medical Lake who hoped the item would be added to the district’s curriculum. Some, he pointed out, thought the theory of evolution was correct, but wanted children to have the opportunity to quest...
The future of the city’s recycling center received a lengthy discussion at the last Medical Lake City Council meeting, stemming from a decision to change the facility’s pick-up service. At the Tuesday, March 19 meeting, the city reiterated it had changed from Recycle America to Sunshine Disposal to pick up recyclable material dropped off at the center. Recycle America transported items to Waste Management’s new recycling center, which opened toward the end of last year. The change stemmed from a heavy price increase imple...
The first steps to planning future regional roads took place last Thursday night, March 21 at Sunset Elementary School in Airway Heights. The city of Spokane hosted the first of two workshops to gain public input on developing a united regional transportation plan. Participants included the city of Spokane, Spokane County and Airway Heights. Bill Grimes, principal with Studio Cascade, Inc., said the plan will factor in plans for the typical major highways as well as non-motorized transportation methods for groups like...
The Cheney boys’ tennis team rebounded from a rough start, winning both of its matches last week against Shadle Park and Rogers. Head coach Jesse Erickson said the match against Shadle Park, which Cheney won 4-3, went down to the wire. In singles matches, Cheney won only one out of four, with Solomon Springberry defeating Jimmy Chow 7-5, 5-7, 6-1. Erickson said Springberry handled pressure well throughout each match, especially in the third. Doubles against Shadle Park p...
By JAMES EIK Staff Reporter Macy LaValley is an Eastern Washington University student by day, but in 2013, she is also Miss Spokane Interstate Rodeo. With the title, she will be visiting several surrounding counties for their events, along with many around Spokane itself. This past weekend, she was in the St. Patrick’s Day parade, although things are just getting started. LaValley said after May, nearly every weekend will be spent at a different event, whether it’s the Spo...
The future of regional transportation was brought forward to the Airway Heights City Council at its Monday, March 18 meeting. Kevin Wallace from the Spokane Regional Transportation Council detailed plans for the proposed Horizon 2040 document, which seeks to upgrade existing transportation methods in the region. It also looks at the development future in the Spokane region, and plans a 20-year blueprint. Wallace said the plan factors in multi-modal transportation, including bicycles, pedestrians, air and freight...
Offenders enrolled in the Thinking for a Change program at the Airway Heights Corrections Center have demonstrated just how big of an impact modified thinking can have in a prison unit. The program teaches offenders to change their thinking patterns and develop positive social and problem-solving skills. During the time the pilot program was implemented in the unit, violent infractions dropped by 75 percent compared to the neighboring unit. The non-pilot unit had 40 violent in...
Firefighters on the West Plains received some in-depth training Saturday, March 16 next to St. John’s Lutheran Church in Medical Lake, participating in a house burn on the 200 block of South Hallett Street The church, which owned property next to the main building, donated a vacant house for training purposes. Medical Lake’s Fire Department went through the house, which was in major disrepair, removing any potential hazardous material. Fire Chief Jason Mayfield said the house...
The Medical Lake City Council approved a revised interlocal agreement with the Spokane Regional Transportation Council at its Tuesday, March 19 meeting. City Administrator Doug Ross said the agreement didn’t really have much influence in Medical Lake, as it deals with distributing federal grant funds. In the city limits, only the arterials would be considered for some work. “They divvy out federal grant funds, for the most part,” he said. “We aren’t traditionally eligible for federal grant funds because we’ve repaired al...
Medical Lake may be small, compared to other cities in the Inland Empire. But its recent stance on Spokane County’s Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) is commendable, holding out on approving the land-use document. The City Council has held strong against unfathomable pressure from surrounding jurisdictions, sticking to the interests of its residents. Many came to open houses last year to speak against the document and the numerous regulations it imposes on homeowners and developers. JLUS was created with the main intent of protecti...
As technology improves, school tests improve as well. The Smarter Balanced Assessment will be the new test for Medical Lake School District beginning in the 2014-15 school year. Currently, the district administers the Measurements of Student Progress in grades three through eight and the High School Proficiency Exam for 10th-graders. End of course assessments are also given to juniors as their final high school test. Director of Teaching and Learning, Dan Mueller, said the Smarter Balanced test is computer adaptive, which...
Members of the military make great sacrifices throughout their time in the service. Although they aren’t enlisted members, the families make just as many sacrifices along the way. Last week, Medical Lake High School’s Mark Newberry received the honor of being named Operation Homefront’s 2013 Military Child of the Year for the Air Force. Newberry was selected from over 1,000 applicants nationwide for the award. He learned of his placement in the top 20 just a few weeks ago....
The final stages of work in chapter three of Airway Heights’ comprehensive plan are in motion after the Monday, March 11 meeting of the city’s Planning Commission. The document has been under review for the last several months as the commission works on wording for issues facing the city, vision statements and goals for the next couple of decades. At Monday’s meeting, the latter two portions of the chapter were advanced to a final review that will come in the next couple of months. “This entire chapter will come back in a mon...
In the past two years, case filings for the Medical Lake Municipal Court have been cut in half. Judge Richard Kane was on hand at the Tuesday, March 5 City Council meeting to deliver an annual court report, detailing the types of cases he’s seen over the past year. Overall, filings are down over a 10-year period and from last year. Total filings dropped from 358 in 2011 to 232 in 2012. Of the cases in the court, driving with license suspended (DWLS) and reckless driving, which make up criminal traffic cases, increased. C...
Updates regarding the Legislature’s ability to fully comply with the McCleary decision were presented to the public at the Medical Lake School Board meeting Tuesday, Feb. 26. Superintendent Dr. Pam Veltri said high concern was being placed on an upcoming $1.2 billion budget shortfall while also finding ways to become compliant with the McCleary decision by the Washington state Supreme Court. Veltri said the state is currently spending an average of around $6,500 – $6,600 per student. In order to comply with the Supreme Cour...
Airway Heights will be able to maintain and repair the city’s sewer and stormwater systems on its own following a fairly quick Tuesday, Feb. 19 City Council meeting. The City Council approved the purchase of a 1996 International Vactor truck for $38,000 plus sales tax. “We will be able to break out and clean throughout the city on an annual basis,” public works director Kelly Williquette said. The truck cleans the sewer and stormwater pipes running throughout the city. Previously Airway Heights needed to contract the work...
Residents in Medical Lake will soon have the chance to provide insight into what direction they want the city to grow. The Planning Commission, at its Thursday, Feb. 28 meeting, discussed preliminary plans to send out a survey to city residents regarding future development in Medical Lake. A similar survey was mailed out with utility bills in 2001 by an outside partner, asking what priorities residents had for the city. The top results from 12 years ago included having more sit-down family restaurants, additional fast food...
City streets in Airway Heights could see some improvement if a Transportation Benefit District is approved by the City Council. The first of two public hearings was held at the Monday, March 4, City Council meeting where public works director Kelly Williquette outlined a preliminary plan for the project. After considering all the potential areas for tax revenues, the benefits district would pursue a .2 percent increase in sales tax, which amounts to 2 cents for every $10 spent in city limits. The other potential areas that...
Things are about to change. It might not be apparent just yet, but the world is living in an exciting time for technology. In truth, we’re living among the Teslas and Edisons of today’s generation and the level of technological growth is just about to heat up. Many readers will remember some of the first home computers that came out in the 1970s, running BASIC programming. I just barely remember floppy discs from elementary school when they were actually floppy. Today, a more powerful computer than the one I used just 10 yea...
Tattooing is just an art form for Matt Quale at his new shop in Airway Heights, No Surrender Tattoo. Quale and his wife Terese opened the shop about three weeks ago at 12924 W. Sunset Highway, hiring four tattoo artists. Combined, everyone in the shop has about 25 years of experience in the industry. A big part of the reason for choosing Airway Heights as the location for the shop was competition. Compared to Spokane, where the market is saturated, the area seemed like a perfect venue. “We didn’t want to open a shop with a t...
The Medical Lake Fire Department is in a state of transition right now, with the departure of Fire Chief Jeff Estes. Assistant Chief Jason Mayfield is serving as interim chief until a final decision is made on the top job. City Administrator Doug Ross said Estes’ departure wasn’t entirely a surprise, although the timeline had moved up from previous guesses. “We talked last fall about it,” Ross said. Estes worked full-time with the Spokane Fire Department in addition to his duties as chief of Medical Lake’s 20-plus volunteer...
The Medical Lake City Council faced criticism last week during its legislative session, much of which according to Mayor John Higgins, wasn’t warranted. “It was a bit out of line,” he said. City resident Bob Kibling told the City Council it wasn’t been invested in the growth of Medical Lake, nor had it strengthened the community. He said members of the council weren’t active in the community, which in turn has led to a somewhat stagnant business environment in the city. City Administrator Doug Ross said the city had its o...
Discussions regarding Spokane County’s Joint Land Use Study continue in Medical Lake, which remains the only jurisdiction that hasn’t approved the document. Medical Lake sent Spokane County a memorandum of understanding with certain provisions the city believed were necessary to begin discussions on JLUS. City Administrator Doug Ross said the county had the document for almost a month before it sent a response back with around half of what Medical Lake originally put in. Last week, the Medcial Lake City Council voted to not...
