Sorted by date Results 251 - 275 of 504
SPOKANE – Spokane County commissioners have joined the no income tax bandwagon. During their meeting Tuesday, Dec. 14, commissioners unanimously approved a resolution opposing any local income tax. Spokane County joined Franklin and Yakima Counties and a host of cities opposing a local income tax. “Such a tax would be in direct conflict with the high value Spokane County places on promoting economic development through the attraction and expansion of financially healthy, fam...
OLYMPIA – A Ritzville lawmaker has pre-filed a bill that would require the state to study the private long-term care market before implementing a new tax set to begin Jan. 1. Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, introduced Senate Bill 5503 to create a committee to study financial opportunities that could replace the long-term care tax that will be taken out of the paychecks of anyone working in Washington state after the first of the year. “It’s time for the Legislature to creat...
RITZVILLE -- Following Friday’s national inflation news that shows prices are 6.8% higher than a year ago, Sen. Mark Schoesler called on the state elected officials to provide tax relief for Washingtonians. Schoesler, R-Ritzville, noted the inflation increase reported is the highest since 1982. He wants Gov. Jay Inslee and Democrats in the state House and Senate to help offset the inflation. “Consumers throughout the U.S. have had to pay higher prices on many items over the...
OLYMPIA – The state Supreme Court on Friday, Dec. 3, declined to redraw new legislative and congressional maps. The decision follows an attempt by the Redistricting Commission to reapportion the state in the wake of the 2020 Census. And it means that the maps previously submitted by the commission will likely be the establishing documents for new legislative and congressional districts. If the maps are retained, Franklin and Adams Counties will be split between legislative d...
Medical Lake’s Mason Holt sprawls as Tekoa-Rosalia grappler Bryce Casey shoots a single leg during Friday night’s season-opening Reardan Takedown Tournament. Individual results from the tournament were not reported....
Under the guise of water conservation, the state Department of Ecology is once again moving to take water rights from farmers, ranchers and other private holders. Last month, the agency announced plans to fund creation of local “water banks,” in addition to the state “water bank” already in existence. The agency says the program helps municipalities buy water rights from private owners. It has set $14 million aside for the program. The goal, agency spokesman Jimmy Norris...
POMEROY – A 9th Legislative District representative wants to use the state's new carbon tax revenue as a way to eliminate the Discover Pass and cut fees to access and use publicly owned lands. Rep. Mary Dye, R-Pomeroy, is expected to introduce her Outdoor Recreation and Climate Adaption plan during the upcoming legislative session, which starts Jan. 10. The plan would dedicate previously approved Climate Commitment Act revenues – projected to be about $4 billion over the decad...
The last 20 months have been exceedingly difficult for most Americans. A-cross the country there have been coronavirus mandates, riots, increasing taxes, job losses and more. The crime rate in many areas is skyrocketing. Many stores have empty shelves. And mental health problems are out of control. The stress we feel is exacerbated by television news and social media. But rather than dwell on the negatives we are bombarded with daily, take this week to focus on the positives....
OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee has named a Lake Stevens Democrat to replace a Republican stepping down as secretary of state.. Sen. Steve Hobbs will replace Republican Kim Wyman in the statewide post that oversees elections, government records and documents, and other administrative duties in Washington. Wyman resigned the post to take a job in the Biden Administration in Washington, D.C.; Hobbs will take over the post Nov. 22 and serve until a special election in November 2022. "...
CHENEY – An Idaho man was arrested for attempting to elude police responding to a fight at an apartment complex early the morning of Nov. 14. Alberto R. Arroyo, 18, was arrested for attempting to elude police. According to a probable cause statement, police responded to a fight in progress at 1090 Betz Road, the Eagle Point Apartments. As police arriving at about 2:23 a.m. in front of Building No. 18, witnessed a black passenger car “backing out of a parking space at a hig...
YAKIMA – The Liberty Lancers girls volleyball team returned from the Yakima Valley SunDome on Friday, Nov. 12, with a seventh-place state 2B trophy. The Lancers, the No. 13 seed, opened the tournament against the No. 4-ranked Goldendale Timberwolves on Thursday. Goldendale took the game 3-1; set scores were 25-18, 25-23, 15 -25 and 25-18. The loss put the Lancers in the consolation, loser-out rounds. As one of the lower seeds in the tournament, they would have to win their n...
SPOKANE – The Cheney girls soccer team punched its ticket to the Class 3A state tournament Saturday, Nov. 6, by knocking off Mead, 2-0. The Blackhawks scored with 33 minutes left in the first half to take a 1-0 lead. Their second score came with 36 minutes left in the game. Individual stats were not reported. Cheney had 7 shots on goal, while the Mead Panthers had 6. The victory avenges a 3-2 loss to the Panthers on Oct. 1. It also gave the Blackhawks its first trip to the C...
PASCO – Three Cheney Blackhawks competed Saturday in the state cross country meet at Sun Willows Golf Course. In the boys, 5,000-meter race, senior Dylan Thornburg posted the fastest time for the Blackhawks. Thornburg completed the course in 17:21.50, finishing 80th overall in the Class 3A boys event. Teammate senior Luke Hurd ran the same course in 19:06.30, finishing 190th of the 204 runners that qualified for the state meet. Samantha Habegger was the only Blackhawk r...
SPANGLE – The Liberty Lancers girls volleyball team is headed to the Class 2B state volleyball tournament in the Yakima Valley SunDome. The local girls are seeded No. 13 and will open state play against No. 4-seed Goldendale at 9:45 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 11. The Lancers earned a spot in the state tournament after sweeping both the Asotin Panthers and the Jenkins (Chewelah) Cougars in the final two games of the District 7 tournament Thursday, Nov. 4. The Lancers opened d...
PASCO – One boy and one girl represented Spangle at the state cross country meet Saturday at Sun Willows Golf Course. In the Class 2B boys 5,000-meter race, Liberty Lancer freshman Mitchell Hanegan ran the course in 18:17.70. He finished 44th out of a field of 112 runners who qualified for the event. In the girls 5,000-meter race, Lancer junior Angelia Widman finshed 22nd. She completed the course in 21:40.40. The state meet was the culminating event of the 2021 high school c...
CHENEY – Three Blackhawks cross country team members have qualified for the state meet Saturday in Pasco. Samantha Habegger is the only girl to qualify from Cheney. Luke Hurd and Dylan Thornbug will represent Cheney boys at the event at Sun Willows Golf Course, 2535 N. 20th Ave., Pasco. A junior, Habegger qualified for the meet with an 11th place finish Saturday, Oct. 30, in the District 8 championship state-qualifier at Wandermere Golf Course in Spokane. Her time on the 5...
ELTOPIA - A local farm girl taking on entrenched Sen. Patty Murray for a U.S. Senate seat has raised almost $2 million in her campaign bid. And Tiffany Smiley added several thousand dollars to her campaign warchest Friday night, Oct. 29, during a gathering of hundreds of anti-Murry, anti-Gov. Inslee residents from Franklin County and nearby communities. "We have a choice," Smiley said, kicking off her speech. "And our choice begins today." Smiley was the keynote speaker that...
CHENEY – Pandemic politics may have cost two incumbent School Board members their seats in the Tuesday, Nov. 2 general election. As of press time, incumbents Marcie Estrellado and Suzanne G. Dolle were trailing challengers spurred on by the way the School District and board handled coronavirus mandates, including school closures, mask requirements, and vaccination requirements. As of press time Tuesday night, challenger Mark L. Scott was leading incumbent Estrellado in the r...
CHENEY – Pandemic politics may have cost two incumbent School Board members their seats in the Tuesday, Nov. 2 general election. As of press time, incumbents Marcie Estrellado and Suzanne G. Dolle were trailing challengers spurred on by the way the School District and board handled coronavirus mandates, including school closures, mask requirements, and vaccination requirements. As of press time Tuesday night, challenger Mark L. Scott was leading incumbent Estrellado in the r...
CHENEY – In a split 4-3 vote Tuesday night, Oct. 26, the City Council rejected a last-minute ordinance that would require employees and volunteers – but not elected officials – to get a coronavirus vaccine or lose their jobs. Council members Vincent Barthels, Ryan Gaard, Dan Hilton and Jill Weiszmann objected to requiring a related inoculation, an effort supported by Councilman Paul Schmidt and backed by council members John Taves and Teresa Overhauser. During the meeti...
CHENEY – The West Plains may have stronger representation in county government under a final redistricting plan developed by the Spokane County Independent Redistricting Committee. On Oct. 21, the commission approved a plan that would replace the current three commissioner districts with five districts. The plan includes keeping the cities of Cheney, Medical Lake and Airway Heights contained within a single district. Under the plan, starting next year, each district would e...
MEDICAL LAKE – The Nov. 2 all-mail general election is underway with voters having to decide a number of important races in the coming days. One of the most important is the faceoff between incumbent Medical Lake Mayor Shirley Maike and challenger Terri K. Cooper. Maike, a longtime Eastern State Hospital employee, has a political career dating back to 1997 when she was first appointed to the City Council. Cooper, a political newcomer, said its time for a change and a r...
A family of moose cross through the wetland in the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge along Cheney Spangle Road last week....
CHENEY – The Cheney boys football team will look for its first win of the season this Friday, Oct. 29, as the Blackhawks (0-8) travel to Ferris to take on the Saxons (2-6). Cheney is coming off a 13-3 loss to the Lewis and Clark Tigers last Friday. In that game, the Tigers (3-5) drew first blood in the first quarter to take a 7-0 lead. Cheney answered with a field goal in the second quarter to make the score 7-3 at the half. After the break, Lewis and Clark added 6 more p...
