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Cheney High School girls basketball coach Lorin Carlon gives some advice to Holly Flynn (10) as Hannah Lemelin listens in during the Lady Blackhawks game against St. George's at the West Valley Eagle Classic Dec. 29. Cheney rallied to take a four-point lead in the fourth quarter before falling 49-45 to the Dragons....
The Eastern Washington University women's basketball team's version of the Big Three helped the Eagles score a 67-57 victory over defending Big Sky Conference champ, Idaho, Dec. 31 to open up league play. Seniors Ashli Payne and Tisha Phillips, along with junior Delaney Hodgins combined to score 47 of EWU's points to help the Eagles avenge a season-ending loss to the Vandals in last season's Big Sky Tournament. Payne led the way with a season-best 21 points, while Phillips...
Physical therapist Blondel Assonken demonstrates movements to his Sessions Village class, which is geared towards helping prevent injury in older individuals through manual therapy....
Cheney Public Schools saw the beginning of a new era in 2016. Dr. Deb Clemens resigned as superintendent, a post she held since 2013, in March to take up the superintendent position at the North Thurston School District in Lacey, Wash. In May, the school board hired Rob Roettger, former superintendent of Lind and Ritzville Cooperative Schools, to replace Clemens, who had served the district in different roles since 1999. Clemens' departure and Roettger's transition into the Ch...
Cheney Fire Department officials are advising residents to not pile snow around fire hydrants and residential vents when they clear their sidewalks, driveways and other areas. "Fire hydrants should also be kept uncovered in case of an emergency," Cheney Battalion Chief Ken Johnson said in an email, quoting instructions from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). "If they are covered in snow, it makes it difficult for emergency responders to access them." In an email,...
Medical Lake's Boaz Guidry drives his team's robot during FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Stronghold Competition on March 5, 2016. Both the Cheney and Medical Lake high robotics teams are gearing up for the 2017 season....
Some of the highlights of 2016 included Elisabeth Moseley (middle in top photo) selection as the Medical Lake Kiwanis Senior Citizen Volunteer of the Year in February; Fairchild Air Force Base winning the prestigious Omaha Trophy, held by former base commander Col. Brian McDaniel, in March (middle); and July's annual Cheney Rodeo and rodeo parade, featuring Cheney Rodeo Queen Allison Douglas (left)....
Virgil Eugene Bowen It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to and with supreme joy that we celebrate the life of Virgil Eugene Bowen, affectionately known as "Manny," who left us early Saturday morning, Dec. 31, after a prolonged illness. We will remember Virgil for his happy nature and quick wit, his undying love of the outdoors, and his childlike excitement of all living things. Everyone who knew Manny will treasure his unwavering ability to maintain friendships...
One-hundred twenty-five years ago in 1892, the Charles A. Ratcliffe Co. began business selling farm implements and lumber at Second and E streets, taking over from the Frank Bros. Company. Learn more about our area's history at www.cheneymuseum.org....
Cheney • Jan. 6, Light Fitness Hour (adults 50+), Wren Pierson Community Center, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. • Jan. 6, Baby Play & Learn Storytime (ages 0–18 months), 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. • Jan. 6, Texas Hold’em (adults 50+), Wren Pierson Community Center, 1 – 3 p.m. • Jan. 7, All You Can Eat Pancake Breakfast, Marketplace Bakery and Eatery, $11.99, 9 a.m. – Noon. • Jan. 9, Country Quilters (adults 50+), Wren Pierson Community Center, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. • Jan. 9, Dominoes (adults 50+), Wren Pierson Community Center, 1 – 3 p.m. • Jan....
1 Years Ago Jan. 4, 2007 There was a tentative agreement, with approval still needed at the state and federal levels, that paved the way for a sprawling new casino and hotel operated by the Spokane Tribe of Indians near the existing Spoko Fuel gas station west of Airway Heights. Spokane County Sheriff’s Office investigators were still trying to locate a suspect who broke into a West Plains business. The thief struck Wear Tek at 8021 W. Highway 2 and stole hand tools, copper wire and copper from power cords. Eastern W...
The number of police officers shot and killed last year rose dramatically. So did the number of assaults on cops and the stress under which they work. That trend ought to concern every American because violence impacts our neighborhoods, schools and where we work and shop. Ask any realtor and they will tell you that safe streets and good schools are top of the mind among renters and home buyers. “Officers Down,” the group sponsoring the national law enforcement memorial, rep...
We want to thank everyone who has supported Feed Medical Lake in 2016 whether by donation or participation. Feed Medical Lake is a vital program for the community of Medical Lake and nearby communities. Supper is served the second Monday of each month from 5–6 p.m. with groceries distributed at 4:15 p.m. Lunch is served the fourth Monday of each month from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Take out available at all meals. Groceries and meals are free, and no proof of income is required. Everyone is welcome to attend these meals — a...
The Cheney School District has chosen to go for round three of the bond proposal vote. In 2015, the voters rejected the $44.8 million bond twice. I have pleaded with the school board, at their meetings, to come up with a lower bond amount and only go for the needs not all the wants. Instead, they have pushed the amount from the previous $44.8 million to now $52 million. This is a new tax, and since it is an unlimited general obligation bond, it is like a new mortgage on our property. Even those who rent pay through their rent...
What is it about winter and impaired judgment? First off, it generally has little to do with too much spiked eggnog punch like that Clark Griswold wolfed down while surrounded by a house filled with dysfunctional family members in the movie classic, “Christmas Vacation.” Now the acronym DWI — driving while intoxicated and the term many of us grew up with has given way to DUI, driving under the influence — is ripe for a rebrand. DWI from now on ought to signify: Driving...
One thing is certain — 2017 will be an interesting year for journalism. In fact, it will be interesting for media in general. And, that might not be limited to just 2017, but 2018, 2019 and on. Nationally, we are all aware of the challenges to news organizations. The term “fake news” has been kicked around so much, it’s beginning to take on other forms than what was originally referenced. That early focus was on websites that were blatantly making things up, and could be disproved through facts of all shapes and sizes....
In June, Medical Lake welcomed the Lefevre Street Bakery Café that took over the former Chan's Bistro and did a major remodel. Kevin and Brenda Gerhart brought years of experience in the restaurant business to the venture. Above: Kevin Gerhart pulls fresh loaves of bread from the oven....
Some notable developments brought new business, and a different look to the West Plains. A former lonely southwest corner at the busy intersection of U.S. Highway 2 and Hayford Road is now home to a busy retail complex - Hayford Crossing. Down the road, just west of the State Route 902 on exit 272 from Interstate 90, the parent Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations introduced Speedco, a national provider of on-highway preventive maintenance and tire service to the commercial...
On an aptly themed unusually warm November day with not a cloud in the sky, the Spokane Tribe of Indians officially broke ground on their long-awaited casino project in Airway Heights Nov. 9. With a crowd estimated in the neighborhood of 200 tribal members, local dignitaries and others on hand, the first shovels of dirt were turned in the first phase of what will ultimately be a $400 million project. The history and scope of this project made it the Cheney Free Press's No. 1...
Medical Lake High School seniors Hailey Hostetter, Kristina Michener and Katy Parr are moving on to phase II of the Act Six Spokane scholarship application process. An initiative of the YMCA of the Inland Northwest, Act Six Spokane is a program that provides eight local future urban leaders a full ride scholarship to either Gonzaga University or Whitworth University, which are two of the program’s six partner colleges. Hostetter, Michener and Parr participated in a Dec. 10 half-day interactive event where they demonstrated t...
When it comes to the case of the Cheney School District’s surplused Fisher Building, apparently the fourth time was the charm. After three previous purchase proposals for the district’s former high school, junior high and administration building fell through, school officials closed a deal Nov. 28 with Eastmark Capital Group of Seattle to purchase the building for $750,000. The sale, and subsequent renovation by Eastmark, is the No. 2 education story for 2016. The Fisher Building, originally constructed in 1929, was dec...
When it comes to Cheney Public Schools, the phrase "If you build it, they will come" might be a little behind reality. The school district is hoping voters approve a $52 million capital facilities bond this February expanding not only its only high school but also three elementary schools that are at or have exceeded capacity. That growth enrollment, and the challenges presented in meeting it, is the Cheney Free Press top education story of 2016. According to numbers from the...
Crews are currently removing portions of the Fisher Building's interior in order to begin renovation. When completed, estimated for this fall, the former Cheney School District educational facility will be upscale housing for Eastern Washington University students....
Cheney’s Public Works Department received an early Christmas gift in the form of a grant helping fund street preservation work in 2017 on Simpson Parkway. The City Council approved a local agency agreement at its Dec. 13 meeting allowing it to take receipt of a $442,560 grant from the state Transportation Improvement Board. The grant provides about 90 percent of the $497,880 project, money that comes from the TIB’s Arterial Preservation Program. The project will include both street and sidewalk preservation work on the 2,8...
Airway Heights residents have something to look forward to in the next couple of years - the completion of a recreational center. In August, residents approved a $13 million unlimited tax general obligation bond proposal -503-320 votes- that will fund construction of Phase 1 of a facility to be built on 70 acres of land located north of the city, south of Deno Road. The city's commitment to provide a recreation center for its residents and the passing of the bond is the No. 1...
