Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 55
CHENEY – In the past couple of years, the Inland Northwest has seen the housing market in places like Spokane and Coeur d'Alene reach record highs. Cheney has also seen the boom in the housing market. This year, the market has started leveling out but the average selling price for a home in Cheney hovers around $425,000. "Overall, the housing market is still a seller's market but it has seen significant changes in the last few weeks," said Danielle LaBar, owner of T...
CHENEY - A West Virginia University student has joined Free Press Publishing as a summer intern. Brenton "Brent" Johnson, 26, of Morgantown, W.V., is interning on an International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors program; his first day was June 6. "Brent will contribute extensively this summer to our Cheney and Ritzville publications," Co-owner and Publisher Roger Harnack said. "He comes highly recommended and enjoys small-town life. "I grew up in Weaverville, North...
CHENEY- Sunday morning, community members gathered at Roos Field on Eastern Washington University's (EWU) campus for a 5K run honoring the life of Sativa Transue, an EWU alum who lost her life to domestic violence. Forty percent of the proceeds were donated to Spokane Regional Domestic Violence Coalition and another 40% was donated to Vanessa Behan, a crisis nursery for children. The remaining 20% of the money was retained by the EWU Exercise Science Club to support future...
CHENEY— The city of Cheney has postponed its decision on approval or disapproval of the Blackhawk Ridge Preliminary Plat and moved into a brief closed session to address questions and concerns about the modified plan presented at the meeting on Tuesday. After a handful of public comments related to the proposed plat, Todd Ableman, public works director for the city of Cheney, presented the modified plan of the preliminary plat. “We’re now at 34 lots so we removed 14 lots...
The Blue Grass Band provided musical entertainment for browsers at the annual Tyler Daze Community Flea Market on Saturday, June 4....
CHENEY-For the second summer in a row, the Spokane Transit Authority (STA) offers free summer bus passes for children between the ages of 6-18 or any students enrolled in kindergarten-12th grade. Brandon Rapez-Betty, Spokane Transit's chief operations officer, said this region-wide program is an opportunity for students and families should grab hold of. "It's a great way for families seeing surging gas prices to keep kids focused on activities during the summer," he said. "On...
CHENEY- Students in the Mechanical Engineering & Technology department at Eastern Washington University (EWU) were in the spotlight last Wednesday, May 8, when the university hosted the Mechanical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Technology Capstone Expo. Eight teams took part in the event. The categories they could submit their projects included 4WD Baja Buggy, Search and Rescue Drone, RV Lift, Log Splitter, VIP Cooler, Tabletop Wind Tunnel, Carbon Fiber Electric Scoote...
CHENEY-The Palouse to Cascades Trail State Park will see improvements, including a new trailhead, grading in three locations and trestle repairs between Malden and Rosalia by the end of the year. Brian Patnode, the eastern region construction project coordinator for Washington State Parks and Recreation, said the improvements are a step in the right direction for Malden and Rosalia. "There's going to be a new trailhead in Malden and surfacing improvements between Malden and...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS- Sixty cars, some capable of reaching speeds upward of 170 mph, raced sped around the 2.25-mile-long track at Qlispé Raceway Park (QRP) last weekend, competing in the 10th annual OVREN Spokane Festival of Speed (SFS). The three-day-long event saw races in seven categories, including vintage cars, large-bore productions, road racers, formulas and sports racers over 1600cc. Some spectators seated on a small hill in the middle of the tracks got an up-close look of...
CHENEY-Cheney School District Community Transition Program (CTP), designed to provide more independence and life readiness skills to students with disabilities between 18-21 years old, celebrated six students on Wednesday night at Cheney Middle School. This year's CTP graduates are Aaron Brammer, Calissa Kaley, Christian Rivera Perez, Ethan Rogers, Braxton Seitzinger and Zander Ziolkowski. Franklin Day, director of student support services, said all had spent 18 years in...
CHENEY- In efforts to maintain the sustainability of Cheney, the city council has identified a few of its main priorities like infrastructure, growth management and things that benefit the function and people of the city. Cheney Mayor Chris Grover said the council is concerned with projects and infrastructures impacting the majority, if not all, Cheney community members. "The city of Cheney really needs to focus on infrastructure. We've got a very old water system and a very...
CHENEY- Kimberly Pearson is the new ad manager for Free Press Publishing (FPP). Pearson, a former company sales representative, was promoted to the position after the retirement of DeeAnn Gibb. "Kim has been one of the top advertising and marketing consultants in the West Plains for several years," said Free Press Publishing Co-owner and Publisher Roger Harnack. "She's more than ready to manage a sales team that will help local businesses grow and succeed." Pearson has worked...
CHENEY – Following a two-week postponement, the Cheney School Board has approved the staggered school schedule. Cheney Middle School, Cheney High School and Westwood Middle School will be attending earliest from 7:50 a.m.-2:30 p.m., with Salnave somewhere around those same times. Elementary students will attend class from either 8:50 a.m.-3:20 p.m. or 9:00a.m.-3:30 p.m. Superintendent Rob Roettger asked the board for general approval during last Wednesday night’s meeting, May...
CHENEY – Locals and visitors alike came from all over to watch the recreation of a piece of American history at the Spokane Civil War Reenactment over the Memorial Day Weekend in Cheney. Lillian Applington portrayed a typical housewife taking care of her children, who were also dressed in timely attire to demonstrate what a typical home would look like during the Civil War. Applington said her interest in the era of time began when she was 12-years-old while watching a Ken B...
CHENEY—Federal policies on oil, fuel and other markets have created a tough economy and a tough year for producers and consumers of Ag products. Kyle Cordill is a fifth generation cattle rancher and wheat farmer on his land in the southern parts of Cheney. Considered to be a small farmer, with 1500 acres in crop and 4,000 cattle in pasture, Cordill has been hit hard by the high gas prices. “Diesel is just over double what we were a year ago on fuel,” Cordill said. “I’m...
CHENEY – Eastern Washington University's (EWU) new bus stop, Eagle Station, located on Elm Street, offers EWU community members an inexpensive, sustainable way of getting from point A to point B. The project was under construction for more than nine months. It officially debuted with a ribbon-cutting on Earth Day, April 25, as a testament to the sustainable aspect of public transportation. Shawn King, associate vice president of facilities and planning at EWU, said the idea b...
CHENEY – Still in its beginning stages, Eastern Washington University’s (EWU) science building has been undergoing renovations for two months and is seeking an additional $45 million to complete updates. Shawn King, the associate vice president of facilities and planning at EWU, expects Phase I of the project to be complete in the fall or winter of 2023. “The project is a total renovation of the whole building and building systems,” he said. “That includes the heating a...
CHENEY – After nearly 25 years of employment with the Cheney Free Press, Advertising Manager DeeAnn Gibb is settling into retirement. "When I first started, Bill Ifft (owner) was a friend of mine and needed an office girl to do whatever stuff needed to be done," Gibb said. "A few months into that, the sales person that was here was military and was being transferred and I took his job. That's how I got into sales." Gibb said if Ifft had asked her to enter sales initially, s...
CHENEY— A Civil War reenactment this weekend offers a tribute to the lives lost in war and an opportunity to bring history to life. The reenactment takes place at 112 Anderson Road daily from Friday, May 28, through Monday, May 30. On Monday, there will be a Memorial Day Service after the final battle to honor those who have died serving their country. Reenactment coordinator Sheena Black said the event stems from a tradition started by real Civil War veterans. “They got tog...
CHENEY— With inflation growing and affecting all aspects of everyday life, food insecurity is asserting itself as a prevalent issue in the Cheney community and surrounding areas. The United States Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as a “lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life.” In a study done by the University of Washington in March 2022, research showed that rural Ag communities in Washington State are at a higher risk for exper...
CHENEY- Senior Program Officer for the Center for Russia and Europe at the U.S. Institute of Peace Heather Ashby visited Eastern Washington University last week to present her series, "Peace Studies Podcast: Russia's War on Ukraine." The podcast series started at Spokane Community College, where Ashby met Scott Finnie, an Eastern senior faculty member. It was the third podcast they've hosted together, but Ashby travels beyond Eastern Washington to attend panels and host other...
CHENEY— A packed house at the Mason Jar downtown Thursday night, May 19, was treated to 45 minutes of classical music performed by the Spokane Symphony. The appearance was part of the symphony’s “Out and About” concert series. The traveling series intends to provide something unique to local communities and integrate the symphony into people’s everyday lives. Spokane Symphony Executive Director Jeff vom Saal said the concept of the “Out and About” performances have floated...
CHENEY— Local organizations are coming together through different events over the Memorial Day weekend to honor the many lives lost in the nation’s wars. American Legion Post 72 is setting up a “Poppy” table at 9a.m.-3p.m. outside of Mitchell’s Harvest Foods and Yokes Market and Ace Hardware on Saturday, May 28. Members will hand out paper poppy flowers for people to wear on Memorial Day. The poppy symbolizes remembrance and hope for a positive future and peaceful world. Po...
CHENEY-Eastern Washington University (EWU) hosted its 25th anniversary of the Student Research and Creative Works Symposium last week to showcase the hard work and dedication of EWU student research. Symposium committee chair and anthropology professor Julia Smith has been a part of the event for 15 years and was grateful to be back celebrating student success after a two-year break. "Doing this research is important because it lets them do projects from first to last," Smith...
CHENEY- After almost two years of strictly delivery and pickup orders, Inferno Wings moved out of Bene's kitchen on May 1 and opened their own place to call home at 401 1st St. "During COVID when we were only doing takeout, we were running Inferno Wings through the Bene's kitchen as a ghost restaurant," Operations Director Sabrina Anderson said. "It was still its own restaurant but it was only a night time kind of thing." Inferno Wings had to take a back seat after the...
