Sorted by date Results 301 - 325 of 515
OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee this afternoon extended his coronavirus-related eviction moratorium through Oct. 31. Calling the moratorium a “bridge,” Inslee said his action will allow municipalities to put in place financial assistance programs for those who haven’t paid their rent or mortgages during the 18 months of his orders related to the virus that originated in Wuhan, China. Money is available, he said, adding: “We think this extension provides ample times for these funds to get out to citizens.” In early August, the...
SPOKANE VALLEY — The state Department of Fish and Wildlife is closing the Newman Lake Access Area from Sept. 12-14 for milfoil treatment. A contractor hired by Spokane County and the Newman Lake Flood Control Zone District will apply a herbicide to approximately 55 acres on the south shoreline and 4 acres on the west side of the lake Sept. 13, officials said. The treatment day is dependent on lake and weather conditions. The lake access is being closed to reduce "wave action from boats," which dilutes herbicides used to k...
Several southern Spokane County residents participated in the Lincoln County Open Rodeo last Friday and Saturday nights in Davenport. Cory Perryman of Spangle was among the ranch bronc riders Saturday, but he didn’t complete an 8-second ride. Hanna Perkins of Medical Lake competed in junior barrel racing on Saturday evening. She posted a time of 23.38 seconds. Roger Harnack | Cheney Free Press...
Kelly Cordill of Cheney, 12, gives her Hampshire crosses a drink of water Thursday at the Lincoln County Fair in Davenport. Cordill was among area residents participating in the Lincoln County Fair and Open Rodeo over the weekend in Davenport....
ST. JOHN – Several thousand race fans turned out Saturday for the second installment of Sprint Boat racing at Webb's Slough. The fastest time was posted by the No. 69 boat, Overkill, piloted by Dennis Hughes and navigated by his daughter, Samantha Hughes, both of Greenacres. Sprint boat racing pits a driver and navigator against a maze of channels and the clock. At speeds reaching more than 80 mph, the driver concentrates on making turns as the navigator memorizes the c...
CHENEY – The high school football season officially gets under way Friday night with Cheney at home and Medical Lake and Liberty (Spangle) on the road. The Cheney Blackhawks will host the Mount Spokane Wildcats. Meanwhile, The Medical Lake Cardinals travel to Priest River, Idaho, to take on the Spartans. To the south, the Liberty Lancers head to Jimmie Snider Field in Ritzville to take on the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos. The games all kick off at 7 p.m. Cheney returns a n...
SPANGLE — Several hundred people stood on the Liberty High School baseball field Thursday evening, Aug. 12, singing the National Anthem. A World War II-era P-51 fighter flew overhead, piloted by Jared Segebartt of Moscow, Idaho, as the “Stars and Stripes” waved in the wind. Some in the crowd waved American flags; others hoisted signs demanding the governor rescind his edict requiring public school students to be masked when classes resume in the coming weeks. On the dais,...
Rescue units from Lincoln County and Spokane County Fire District No. 3 responded to a one-vehicle injury crash Monday morning at Milepost 257 of westbound Interstate 90, between the Tyler and Fishtrap exits. According to the Washington State Patrol, at about 9 a.m., a driver lost control of the vehicle, veered on the median and overturned; the car came to rest against some trees. The driver, whose name was not immediately available, was transported to a Spokane hospital with...
Parents of public school students in the 9th Legislative district have had enough of coronavirus-related mandates from Olympia. Shutter schools, curtail sports, wear masks, limit field trips and restrict access to graduation. Those actions have not been embraced here. And neither has Gov. Jay Inslee’s renewed call for all public school students to remain masked for the upcoming 2021-22 school year. Area parents are pushing back. This week, led by a group from Fairfield, many p...
SPOKANE VALLEY — Leading law enforcement officers from across Eastern Washington are warning residents that new laws will make it difficult to serve the public on possible criminal activities. During a press conference Thursday, July 22, nine police chiefs and eight sheriffs gathered at Center Place to voice their concerns about Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 1310 and House Bill 1054, and Senate Substitute Bill 5066. Those laws went into effect at 12:01 a.m., S...
CHENEY - Rodeo action got underway this afternoon, Friday, July 9, with matinee slack competitions in Tie-Down Roping and Barrel Racing. Slack is offered when too many competitors enter into an event for the main rodeo performances. Tie-Down competitors in slack included: • Travis James of Colville • Brett Hale of Tenino • Kass Kayser of Ellensburg • Jeff Coelho of Echo, Ore. • Augie Robinson of Nampa, Idaho • Riley Carel of Enumclaw Barrel Racing entries included: ...
CHENEY - The Andrus Fire continued to burn Tuesday night, prompting evacuation notices to remain in effect north of the city and east of Four Lakes. The cause of that blaze - the largest and most recent of three in the area since Friday - remains under investigation, Spokane County Fire District No. 3 Chief Cody Rohrbach said, noting there hasn't been any injuries or home losses. The other fires were reported on Phillips Road, south of Cheney, and near the intersection of...
Power shortages, rolling brownouts and blackouts? In the Pacific Northwest? One regional utility alone – Avista – had brownouts that affected 15,307 ratepayers last Monday, 6,793 last Tuesday and another 602 last Wednesday. Other utilities, too, had brownouts. I know we’ve had a day or two of record-setting high temperatures. But that’s not an excuse to shut down power to residents and businesses here in Eastern Washington. Columbia River basin dams generate roughly 44% of...
BASIN CITY — Thousands of rodeo fans turned out Friday and Saturday, June 25 and 26, to watch the second Freedom Rodeo. Temperatures neared 100 degrees at performance time Friday night and topped 105 at the start of Saturday’s rodeo. To keep cool, several fans put on canopies on the rim of the arena, while at least one family brought a toddler wading pool and filled it with water. The event got underway Friday morning with slack competition and a vendor area, compete with gia...
SPOKANE – It's going to be a record-setting day, in terms of high temperatures that is. According to National Weather Service meteorologist Laurie Nisbet in Spokane, the region should set all-time record high temperatures this afternoon. Nisbet this morning went through decades of weather data for several small towns within the Free Press Publishing readership area from Spokane to Pasco and Odessa to Colfax. In Colfax, today's recorded record high is 100 degrees, set in 1...
ST. JOHN - A local sprint boat race team that ended a qualifying run after landing upside down in Webb's Slough rebuilt the top half of a motor and finished the high-speed event inside the Top 8 on Saturday, June 19. Sprint boat racing pits a driver and navigator against a maze of channels. At speeds reaching more than 80 mph, the driver concentrates on making 7G turns as the navigator memorizes the course and directs the driver using hand motions. More than two dozen North...
Spokane County Fire District 3 firefighters monitor a vent pipe for a fuel tank at a Medical Lake home along State Route 902 that was destroyed by fire last Wednesday afternoon. Both occupants of the home were evacuated, with one taken to a local hospital for smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire is under investigation....
There’s a lot of talk about endangered species. But the most important endangered species in America, may not be a plant or a wild animal. The most endangered species may actually be in your home, a friend’s home or next door. The endangered species I’m talking about is the American Dad. This coming Sunday is Father’s Day, the one day set aside each year to honor the American Dad. Honoring and thanking the fathers in your life should be your highest priority this weekend...
There’s a lot of talk about endangered species. But the most important endangered species in America, may not be a plant or a wild animal. The most endangered species may actually be in your home, a friend’s home or next door. The endangered species I’m talking about is the American Dad. This coming Sunday is Father’s Day, the one day set aside each year to honor the American Dad. Honoring and thanking the fathers in your life should be your highest priority this weekend...
ROSALIA - Crews working on the Rosalia Trestle restoration project expect to wrap up around June 23. In the meantime, motorists on Rosalia Road can expect delays of up to 20 minutes between Pine City-Malden Road and U.S. Highway 195. Traffic delays are necessary to allow Rock Supremacy crews to apply shotcrete to damaged areas of the trestle. Shotcrete is a spray-on concrete that fills in cracks and holes. Once the shotcrete finishes, height-restriction signs will be posted...
TEKOA – A Mennonite cycling group crossing the U.S. to race awareness for climate action rode out of the state on Saturday, June 5, after spending the last several days in Eastern Washington. The group of 16 riders, two leaders and two support-vehicle drivers were at the Idaho state line midway through Day 6 of their ride. "We're biking from Seattle to Washington, D.C., to promote (climate) awareness," cyclist Isaac Alderfer of Harrison, Va., said Saturday. "We expect to r...
TEKOA - The John Wayne Trail Riders have reached their final destination. Riders have been arriving here all day today, June 3, following a trek along the 285-mile John Wayne Pioneer Trail, now called the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail. Their ride began May 20 in Easton and concludes tomorrow with a 12-mile round-trip journey from Tekoa into Idaho and back. That ride is expected to depart from the trail adjacent to the Iron Horse Arena between 8-9 a.m., officials said....
SPOKANE COUNTY — Fewer residents in southern Spokane County are getting vaccinated against the coronavirus than their neighbors further north. According to the tentative figures released by Spokane Regional Health District this week, only about a third of Cheney, Medical Lake and Spangle residents older than 16 have started a vaccine regimen. And fewer than that are seeking vaccinations in Airway Heights, Latah and Fairfield. At least two of the available coronavirus v...
SPOKANE – Interstate 90 was closed to traffic for a short time Tuesday evening, May 25, following a crash involving eight vehicles. According to the Washington State Patrol, the crash occurred about 5:11 p.m. near Milepost 281, at the Division Street interchange. Camilla A. Zachary, 33, of Spokane, was eastbound in her 200 Ford Explorer on the interstate when she struck the Jersey barrier, pushing it into the westbound lands, the patrol said. She was not wearing a seatbelt. Za...
OLYMPIA – The state Department of Labor and Industries is requiring business owners to verify employees have been vaccinated. Under the new May 21 mandate, the agency is also requiring employers to create a “log of workers who have verified they’ve been vaccinated and the date of verification. “I believe they are crossing the line,” farmer Sen. Mark Schoessler, R-Ritzville, said Tuesday, May 25, reacting to the new mandate. The rule also requires employers to check vaccinati...
