Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 60
CHENEY -- An $800,000 bus stop, commonly called “Eagle Station,” is expected to open late this fall on Elm Street, adjacent to Eastern Washington University’s campus. The new facility, that serves 1,000 passengers a day, will house heaters for the winter and real-time screens to project route times. The shelter area, fitted with three bus bays, will be able to house 100 students at a time and will be painted red to “highlight the important partnership between STA and EWU.” “Eagle Station is one part of the larger Cheney Line...
CHENEY -- The Clover Street Rezoning Project failed to gain approval in its third and final reading at the Sept. 30 City Council meeting. The Clover Court/West Sixth Street area will remain an R-2 zone, capable of holding multifamily structures. In their decision, councilmembers cited a “lack of need” for a change. The effort to rezone the location was led by a collection of concerned residents who want to preserve the single-family nature of their neighborhood by preventing the construction of duplexes. “Right now, it’s...
CHENEY -- The City Council authorized integrating Tantalus AMI meters to streamline the reading of electric and water usage after a successful six-month pilot program. “This is a system where we can read our electric meters and our water meters and transmit that information back to the desktop,” Light Department Director Steve Marx said. “So, it’s remote read, new technology. We’re pretty excited about that back in the Light Department.” The cost for the network will be $194,026, with additional maintenance and software upgra...
CHENEY -- After two hours of heated debate over requiring employees to get a coronavirus vaccine, the City Council approved a resolution to produce a plan that would allow options for dissenting city employees. No final decision on vaccine mandates has been made and further debate and negotiation is needed to create a definitive plan, officials said. The framework will be created by Mayor Chris Grover and City Planner Mark Schuller, to be presented at the next meeting. The overriding concern expressed by council members...
CHENEY – The national labor shortage afflicting the country hasn’t left the Cheney community untouched. “Help Wanted” signs can be found in dozens of windows along First Street, across a variety of professions. Explanations for the deficit are varied and ambiguous. Some cite government aid dis-incentivizing workers; others point to COVID-19 concerns. And some highlight a societal change guiding workers away from manual positions. Regardless of the cause, local business are struggling. “I’ve been doing this for 43 years and I...
CHENEY – The city Parks and Recreation Department is offering another “Tea and History” program series with the Cheney Historical Museum’s Joan Mamanakis. Starting in October, the once a month virtual presentation will highlight community history through a well-researched, multi-media presentation, with the bonus of tea and scones, officials said. There are currently four presentations scheduled throughout the fall and winter: · Oct. 6 – Becoming Cheney: Settlers Come West · Nov. 3 – Cheney as County Seat: A Tale of Two S...
CHENEY -- The Cheney soccer team won a dazzling 3-2 shootout victory at home on Monday evening against the Central Valley Bears. The first half of the game started strong for the visiting team as CV’s Zoe Crockett hammered in a goal at the 7-minute mark, with the aid of Alexis Henry. Crockett continued her scoring frenzy 20 minutes later with another goal, curtesy of a great pass from Gracie Reidt. Late in the game, the tides turned in Cheney’s favor as Megan Collins helped Ellie Barden knock in the Blackhawk’s first score...
CHENEY – More than a dozen residents spoke or wrote letters in opposition of vaccine mandates at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Concerns voiced in the public comment portion ranged from possible negative health effects resulting from receiving the vaccine to infringements on civil liberties. The outpouring of frustration and anger has arisen from Resolution No. E-942 that would make the COVID-19 vaccination a condition of employment, to fight the rapidly spreading so-called “Delta” variant of the virus. The resolut...
CHENEY –, Eastern Washington University received an injection of life last Thursday and Friday as incoming students were welcomed back to campus dorms for the 2021-22 academic school years. Roughly 960 students are returning for in-person learning for the first time since COVID-19 mandates pushed classes online. The move-in days grew into the weekend as students began returning to off-campus apartments as well. New students are required to show proof of vaccination and go thro...
CHENEY – A symphony of honking car horns echoed down First Street last Thursday evening, Sept. 16, as a procession of nearly 30 sign-waving “anti-mandate” protestors paraded down the sidewalk. The march was the culmination of a rally that began beneath the gazebo at Sutton Park, where 6th Legislative District Rep. Mike Voltz, R-Spokane, spoke out against the Gov. Jay Inslee’s vaccine requirements for state workers and school employees. “This is not a Republican, Democrat...
CHENEY – A proposal to purchase body cameras for the Police Department was tabled for the next City Council meeting due to questions over funding. The total, including 16 new tasers, would cost the City $182,763 and be billed as a “discretionary request.” The need for body cameras arose from policing reforms handed down from the state because of the national spotlight on alleged police brutality. According to the new requirements, officers need to record interviews with all witnesses and victims, and any interaction with...
CHENEY – The Clover Street Rezoning Project was moved to a third reading after an outpouring of support from neighbors at last Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Nearly a dozen concerned members spoke or wrote in favor of the ongoing effort to redesignate an R-2 multi-family zone to an R-1 single-family zone within the Clover Court/West Sixth Street area. Those in favor the redesignation raised concerns over the introduction of Eastern Washington University students – and the associated issues resulting from parties and noise...
CHENEY – A conversation regarding contingency plans due to rising COVID-19 infection rates elicited an impassioned response from community members at the Sept. 9 School Board meeting, including an attendee who was asked to leave. The angry parent – who had already spoken at-length during the public comment portion of the meeting – continued to shout throughout the event, despite continued requests to save his comments for a private conference, or for after the meeting. In keeping with an established School Board policy that...
CHENEY – Two local businessmen have been honored for their community service work. Tom Jarms of Jarms Hardware and Dennis Williams of System Transport were presented awards for community service last week by the Spokane Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. After the devastating Babb Road fire in Malden last year, Jarms quickly mobilized the Cheney community to collect funds, distribute vital comfort supplies to victims and attain building products at reduced c...
CHENEY – The booths and chairs of the Speak Easy restaurant (formerly Willow Springs) were filled with an assortment of clowns, flappers, and gangsters Friday night to raise funds for Shriner's Hospital and Feed Cheney. Organized by the West Plains Angels, founded by Tony and Amy Blount, the evening included a colorful fashion show of Shriners clowns and a feast of food that netted over $1,000 in donations. "It went very, very well," Tony Blount said. "Everyone was very h...
CHENEY -- A betrayal of the Afghan people. That's how local author, humanitarian and National Guard veteran Trent Reedy characterizes the Aug. 31 American withdrawal from Afghanistan. "Biden comes along, and he throws it all away," Reedy said, shaking his head in disgust. "I don't care what anybody says, he's the only president, he's the only commander-in-chief. "He's the only guy that gave that order. And he condemned millions of people to Taliban oppression." The withdrawal...
SPOKANE – Former Cheney fire Lt. Cody Traber was killed in the line of duty Aug. 26 after falling from a bridge in north Spokane while serving with Spokane County Fire District No. 9. At the time of his death, Traber, an 18-year veteran of the department, was attempting to “gain a better vantage point” on a brushfire when he was “fatally wounded” in the fall, officials said. Traber served with the Cheney Department from 2002-03. The local community expressed sympathy...
CHENEY – The Mount Spokane Wildcats mauled the Cheney Blackhawks in a lopsided, 54-0, victory at Friday night’s GSL season opener. The Wildcats set the pace early, marching down the field on their first possession and pounding into the endzone with a run straight up the middle. It would be the first score of many for the visiting team that evening. After going four-and-out on their ensuing drive, Cheney booted the ball back the Wildcat offense who, in a matter of minutes, battled down field and tumbled across the goal lin...
CHENEY – A local boy is among the best bass fishermen in the nation. Mason Bridges, a Cheney Middle School eighth-grader, is headed for the Big Bass Zone Junior Championship World Finals in Branson, Mo., after winning the state title for biggest 5-bass limit. Bridges will join 53 other anglers from across the nation Saturday, Oct. 20, to compete in one of the most prestigious events in the world for teenage fishermen. Bridges will represent Washington state. According to h...
On Tuesday, August 24, Cheney City Council members discussed mask mandates in the wake of surging COVID-19 infection in the region. According to City Administrator Mark Schuller, the City will follow State masking guidelines and CDC recommendations in all city facilities and properties; extending to employees, volunteers, and program participants. To uphold masking requirements within the community, Councilmember Paul Schmidt suggested the possibility of police officers distributing tickets to those who don’t adhere to m...
The Clover Street Rezoning Project, an ongoing effort to redesignate an R-2 multi-family zone to an R-1 single-family zone within the Clover Court/West 6th Street area, was deferred by City Councilmembers due to legal considerations regarding private property rights. A new wrinkle, neglected in previous debate, arose relating to the legality of community members dictating the use of private property through zoning actions. Councilmember Vince Barthels noted the parallel between the Clover Street Rezoning Project and a...
CHENEY - Over $314,000 in scholarship funds were awarded to 124 students in Eastern Washington and North Idaho for the 2021-2022 academic year by the Innovia Foundation. According to a press release, the Foundation overseas 30 scholarships programs, “on behalf of donors who have established funds to support access to higher education.” Nine recipients are headed for Eastern Washington University: Megan Corwin, Vanessa Shafer, Timora Sharp, Gunner Dacosta, Patsy Aubrey, Mario Reyes-Serrano, Lisbeth Ruelas, Malea Canaday, and...
CHENEY - After 38 years of continuous service to the Cheney Community, Doctor Charles Hough is finally hanging up his stethoscope – well, sort of. “Once you’ve worked 55-to-60-hour weeks for 38 years, you can’t just stop. I look at this as a transition time to keep working but trying to learn to take time off and be OK with that,” Hough said with a smile. “I’m a box checker, we’re all box checkers, right?” It’s that “box checking” attitude – supplemented by an intere...
CHENEY - One of the oldest American Legion Posts in the country is getting a facelift in downtown Cheney thanks to the efforts of a small, dedicated staff of volunteers. "It's been really difficult because of Covid to try and keep the doors open and keep the bills paid and everything. I want the community to know we're still here, we're open," Commander Mitch Hankel said. In recent years, fraternal veteran organizations have fallen victim to declining enrollment due...
Cheney High football players line up for drills in preparation for the upcoming season....
