Sorted by date Results 226 - 250 of 3077
CHENEY - Eastern Washington University officials announced on Monday, May 3, that the university's 26th president and first woman to serve in the position Dr. Mary Cullinan had passed away at age 72. Details of her passing have not been disclosed, and the family has asked for privacy. The news was a heavy blow to many in the campus, Cheney and Spokane region. "I have some sad news to share with you. I have recently learned of he passing of Dr. Mary Cullinan," May wrote in an... Full story
CHENEY -- An increase in positive COVID-19 cases has led to school district officials moving Cheney High School into a "level 2" status beginning today, May 3. While the school remains open, additional testing and quarantine measures will be required under certain circumstances and when there are additional cases within a two-week period. All other schools in the district remain at "level 1" status and will continue to operate as they have in recent weeks, Superintendent Rob Roettger said in an email to the community. All... Full story
CHENEY -- Former Eastern Washington University President Dr. Mary Cullinan has passed away. Interim President David May made the announcement in an email to the university community today, May 3. "I have some sad news to share with you. I recently learned of the passing of Dr. Mary Cullinan," May's email read. "I don’t have any details to share, but it is a shock. It is the wishes of her family that no one reach out to them at this time, and the university will be r... Full story
WEST PLAINS — It may not be everything, but at least it’s something. That’s likely how area municipal and agency officials feel about the compromise $6.3 billion capital budget agreement passed April 23 by the House and Senate and now awaiting Gov. Jay Inslee’s signature. The budget includes $14.955 million in funding for the city of Airway Height’s proposed water well, and $11.05 million for the city of Cheney’s proposed water reclamation “Purple Pipe” project. While not as much as the House’s $16.05 million for Airwa...
MEAD – The Blackhawks boys continue to show competitive form, albeit in a losing cause last Saturday at Mt. Spokane. Cheney lost a close meet, 75.5 – 64.5, to the Wildcats, with the girls falling 108-42. Ryan Rieckmann was pretty much “Mr. Everything” for the boys. The senior set a new personal record of 191 feet to win the javelin by a mile — actually 24 feet, 8 inches over Mt. Spokane’s Tyson Degenhart — and elevate him into second in the state overall in the event. Rieckmann also won the 200-meter dash with a time of 23....
CHENEY — The best time to buy is when the price is right, and Cheney’s Light Department believes that time is right now. Or more specifically April 16 — the date department Director Steve Marx told City Council at its April 13 meeting he was looking at to make a purchase of Tier 2 power for the city. Tier 2 power is energy purchased in addition to the city’s regular supply from the Bonneville Power Administration and is usually power produced by other utilities or energy companies and marketed through agreements with Northwes...
CHENEY — Blackhawks track and field head coach Derek Slaughter has always had confidence in the skills and abilities of his athletes and has never expressed apprehension about facing teams from larger schools. That includes Cheney’s first foray in its return to the Greater Spokane League as a 3A school. That took place April 16, with the Blackhawk boys edging 4A Gonzaga Prep 73-71 in action at Tom Oswald Field. While losing 94.5 – 46.5 to the Bullpups, Cheney’s young girls team was competitive despite missing a number...
SPOKANE VALLEY – Cheney High School’s men’s and women’s cross country teams wrapped up their first year as a 3A member of the revamped 4A/3A/2A Greater Spokane League with the Culminating Varsity Championships April 3 at Central Valley High School. The Blackhawk men finished seventh overall out of eight schools in 4A/3A with 172 points while the women were sixth out of eight with 156 points. Sophomore Samantha Habegger led Cheney with a 19th-place finish in 20 minutes, 50.60 seconds on the 5,000-meter course. Senior Marion...
CHENEY — No sooner has one sports season ended than a second has begun as Blackhawks traditional spring sports teams swung into action last week. Baseball The Blackhawks (0-2) are looking for their first win in their return to the Greater Spokane League as a 3A school — but then they haven’t played at home yet either, as of press time, April 20. Cheney dropped its first two games of the season, 10-7 at Ferris, April 15 and 9-3 at Lewis and Clark, April 16. Isaac Nesbitt led Ch...
Cheney — A lack of a quorum at the April 14 meeting has led to the Park Board calling a special meeting on May 12. In an email, Recreation Director Kelly McGinley Ashe said the meeting was canceled due to several members not being able to attend. The board is also looking for two new members to serve, a topic to be discussed at the May 12 meeting, which begins at 6 p.m. via Zoom. Also at the meeting will be presentation of information on possible park mitigation fees for a dog park, field use fees, the summer programs b...
CHENEY — Planning Commission members unanimously approved a motion on April 12 directing city staff to bring back an ordinance at the commission’s June meeting that would modify development densities and the number of units allowed in certain circumstances in R-3/multifamily zones. The proposed ordinance would allow developers to build three units on lot sizes of 5,000 square feet if those units were one-bedroom/one-bathroom units only. Currently, developers are only allowed 14 units per acre, but the proposal presented to...
A female moose takes a break from grazing last Friday evening near the end of the auto loop at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge. With warming temperatures, more and more animals are beginning to come out at the Refuge....
CHENEY — Area firefighters were kept buys last weekend by a pair of small wildfires that broke out Saturday and Sunday. The first took place early Saturday afternoon, April 17, when Cheney Fire Department crews responded to a small fire on the 100 block of Terra Vista Lane near Cheney-Plaza Road. Crews were able to knock the fire down quickly, containing it to low-lying brush. No other details were available at press time. Public safety officials haven’t determined a cause of the fire, but suspect a group of juveniles spo...
CHENEY — City staff will be putting out a request for quotes from consultants to conduct an evaluation of Cheney’s public safety agencies — an evaluation that includes organizational structure, equipment and whether or not proper funding mechanisms are in place to support maintenance of police and fire services. At the City Council’s April 13 meeting, City Administrator Mark Schuller presented an outline of what such a request would look like and what the city hoped to learn. The evaluation, which was discussed and approve...
CHENEY — Eastern Washington University’s search for its next president has officially begun. At a special meeting on Monday, April 19, the university’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved the formation of an 18-member Presidential Search Advisory Committee (PSAC) that will review candidate application materials and provide input to the board on the strengths and weaknesses of candidates meeting the job qualifications. The board also authorized the issuing of a reque...
CHENEY - The insurrection that took place Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol Building caught many people off guard not only in the United States but around the world. In foreign lands where democracy's survival has struggled to overcome the shackles of totalitarianism, people watched in disbelief as the heart of the world's leader in championing democracy was attacked by individuals bent on stifling its performance. For author, historian, author and teacher Kathleen Belew, the... Full story
CHENEY — City officials are proposing to change the zoning of the Industrial and Commerce Park located in southwest Cheney in order to accommodate the location of a self-storage facility that is not allowed under the current zoning. The city’s Planning Department filed a notice of application for the city’s intentions on April 5, and is taking public comments through May 10 when a public hearing by the Planning Commission is scheduled to address the issue, beginning at 6 p.m...
CHENEY — Two Spokane residents have been arrested after they were involved in a drive-by shooting incident at The Grove apartment complex last Wednesday evening. According to police, officers responded to a report of shots at the complex at just after midnight April 7. According to witnesses, a male and female suspect later identified as 24-year-old Damian C. Dunigan and 21-year-old Alisa R. Boston were together at a small party in one of the units but were asked to leave. After leaving, Dunigan stood in the parking lot o...
The driver of a Ford F-150 pickup truck leans on the Jersey barrier waiting for a tow truck in the aftermath of a two-vehicle, non-injury accident that took place around 11:48 a.m. Saturday, April 10. The accident happened in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 90 at the top of the Sunset Hill, slowing traffic for several hours before it was cleared. No other information on the accident was available from the Washington State Patrol at press time....
OLYMPIA - Sixth District lawmakers have been busy with several pieces of legislation this past session that address issues ranging from health care benefits to foreclosure protection and requiring legal counsel for victims of violent crimes. Sen. Jeff Holy's (R-Cheney) bill to help health care workers with benefits during the pandemic successfully passed the House of Representatives on April 8, although several changes were made for the version that passed the Senate on Feb....
CHENEY - The Blackhawks girls swim team won 10-of-11 events to capture its second straight Eastern Washington District title in competition March 25-26 at University of. The only event Cheney did not win was the 50-yard freestyle; the Blackhawks girls finished second. Four Cheney swimmers accounted for seven of the eight individual event wins, as well as victories in all three relays – including the 200-yard medley where the four teamed up to produce a new school record of 1...
SPOKANE - Travel between Cheney and all points north on State Route 904 is going to become much more congested over the next 4-5 months as construction of Spokane Transit Authority's Four Lakes station begins. The station is part of the $5.23 million Cheney Line, which itself is a component of STA's overall 10-year "Moving Forward" project to improve mass transit in the region. The Cheney Line is designed to bring "high-performance" transit capabilities to the region, providin...
CHENEY - Come April 19, all students in the Cheney School District should be back to full-time, in-person instruction. The final piece of the transition from all-online instruction instituted last spring in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to resuming in-person instruction in as much of a normal setting as allowed took place last Wednesday night, March 31, with the school board's approval of a plan to return all secondary level students to campuses, beginning on April 19....
SPOKANE COUNTY – Fire protection agencies and regional air-quality officials are concerned about a growing increase in illegal outdoor burning activity in the county. In a March 31 news release, fire officials say they are seeing an increase in calls reporting possible illegal outdoor burns. Besides the possibility of these burns getting out of control and causing wild or structure fires, there’s also the aspect of health conditions stemming from more smoke in the air — smoke that weather conditions can often work to preve...
CHENEY — Violators may find their wallets a little lighter in the near future as the city is set to increase its fines for parking and safety infractions. At its March 23 meeting, City Council agreed to hike parking fees to $40 and safety zone violations to $60 — an increase of $15 from the current rate with the former and $10 for the latter. The new fines take effect after an ordinance is brought back for council approval at a future meeting. The change comes after a review of current fines by Police Chief John Hensley. Inf...
