Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 32
1 Years Ago March 6, 2003 The search for a new superintendent of schools for Cheney was pared down to three, including Terrell Dinicht from Twin Falls, Idaho; Michael Dunn, Spokane School District 81 and Dennis Friedrich from Waterville, Wash. The candidates visited the district recently to participate in a community forum with questions posed from school board members, district employees and residents. With voters turning down tax increases to the city utilities bills in...
JoAnn L. (Neglay/Johnson) Keele, age 73 died Feb. 18, 2013 at her home in Cheney, Wash. She was born to the late Dale and Margaret Neglay on June 11, 1939. JoAnn married the late Merril (Butch) Johnson in 1956. They lived in many cities throughout the United States and Canada. She worked many years with her husband Butch throughout their 46 years of marriage as a bookkeeper. JoAnn and Butch loved to travel and went on numerous cruises. She spent the last seven years of her... Full story
Joyce N. Smith passed away unexpectedly but peacefully in her sleep Feb. 17, 2013 at the age of 77. She was born in Cashmere, Wash. to Edward and Esther Hoff on June 12, 1935. She grew up in Marlin, Wash. where she graduated in 1954. She then moved to Spokane where she attended Kinman Business College. After her dad passed away she moved back to Marlin. She married Quentin (Smitty) Smith on Aug. 6, 1956. They moved to Spokane and then to Medical Lake where they raised five... Full story
There is an old saying, “If you want something done ask a busy person.” Those words ring true many times. Say hello to Steven and Colleen Messetter. Both of them grew up in Montana. They met in high school and wore out a lot of shoe leather whirling around the dance floor. When Colleen graduated from high school she enrolled in Eastern Washington University. Steven Messetter was working in a sawmill at Livingston, Mont. The sawmill was shut down for the winter and Steven fol...
Cheney is in for a rare treat as American Legion Auxiliary national president Peggy Thomas pays a visit in early March during a swing through Washington. Thomas will be the guest speaker at a dinner March 8 at Cheney’s American Legion Hall on College Avenue downtown. Thomas is a 31-year member of the Auxiliary, joining through her late husband U.S. Army veteran John C. Thomas, and is the first president from Virginia since Anna Gear in 1983-1984. A retired vice president of a...
It can be a challenge playing what Nancy Gasper termed the “designated adult” in a play centered on teenagers and their struggles for identity. In Gasper’s case, the Cheney resident is playing two adults in the Interplayers Theatre production of “Speech & Debate,” a drama based on the 2005 sex scandal surrounding former Spokane Mayor Jim West. West, who passed away in 2006 from cancer, was a staunch conservative Republican who as a state Legislator pushed an anti-gay...
Didn’t know what to make of it. President Obama’s denunciation of sequestration, and the plagues, pestilence, death, destruction and horrible heartburn that he assures us are sure to follow if sequestration goes into effect, had me thinking (briefly) that my memory had gone. So I looked it up. What do you know? I remembered correctly. On Aug. 2, 2011, President Obama signed the Budget Control Act into law! That’s right! President Obama signed the law that, if he’s to be believed, has gotta be the worst thing since Dill Pi...
As a Cheney resident I look out my window and see many hungry college kids wandering the streets at night. I think that this has great potential for the members of our society to be brought together through their hunger. All of the places in Cheney that are open 24 hours a day are always booming. I think that opening up a small 24 hour grocery store would be very beneficial for the Cheney population and bring some lively spirit to downtown Cheney. A grocery store has more variety and if there are personal items that needed...
I am writing this due to the short memory of some of our high school senior parents. It is amazing to me that some parents view their lack of convenience as more important than the safety of the entire class on graduation night. Unlike a few of these parents in Cheney, I do remember having friends from high school die way too soon! Yes, most kids who do go to the sponsored all nighter are “good” kids that may not get hurt or in trouble. But, my plea to all parents is - let’s consider all the kids. As more and more paren...
We, the U.S.A., have reached a cultural and economic tipping point, the recent school shooting in Newtown, Conn., the recent killing of Christ Stevens, ambassador in Libya, the refusal of our former Secretary of State to take full and unconditional responsibility for insufficient security at many U.S. diplomatic residences and embassies around the world. Plus the display of absolute dysfunction within the legislative branch of our government, which the whole world can easily see. And our dysfunctional national government has...
Things are about to change. It might not be apparent just yet, but the world is living in an exciting time for technology. In truth, we’re living among the Teslas and Edisons of today’s generation and the level of technological growth is just about to heat up. Many readers will remember some of the first home computers that came out in the 1970s, running BASIC programming. I just barely remember floppy discs from elementary school when they were actually floppy. Today, a more powerful computer than the one I used just 10 yea...
Over the last 29 years of my life, I have worked for the federal government- both in military and civilian status. For the most part I have enjoyed working my career, but I like many of my hard working and dedicated colleagues we have endured many bumps and bruises along the way. This time is different. Government employees are now being vilified by the press and Congress that have tried to paint us as all making over $100,000 dollars and having great benefits. Most of us in the rank and file do not make anywhere near that...
OK, we survived the Mayan apocalypse Dec. 21 and not long after were steered away at the last minute from the fiscal cliff Now we’re led to believe if we listen to President Obama that come March 1 there’s yet another end-of-the-world as we know it crisis awaiting us. He speaks daily now of massive dissection of defense; crippling cuts to cops; trimming teachers and so on, and so on and so on. Pick a federal program and it will be a mere shadow of its former self. The country will simply fall apart, oh my! All over losing a f...
Tattooing is just an art form for Matt Quale at his new shop in Airway Heights, No Surrender Tattoo. Quale and his wife Terese opened the shop about three weeks ago at 12924 W. Sunset Highway, hiring four tattoo artists. Combined, everyone in the shop has about 25 years of experience in the industry. A big part of the reason for choosing Airway Heights as the location for the shop was competition. Compared to Spokane, where the market is saturated, the area seemed like a perfect venue. “We didn’t want to open a shop with a t...
“Dogs leave paw prints on your heart.” The phrase stenciled on a blue wall, next to a pair of paw prints, at D’Tails Pet Salon may be about owner Shelley Clark’s personal preference for our canine friends but it is just as applicable to about any animal an owner might bring through the doors of Cheney’s newest pet salon. “One guy called about getting his guinea pig shaved,” Clark said with a shrug. “I guess I could do that.” Clark draws the line at anything bigger than some...
Standing left to right: sophomore Andrew Tenney, world languages; sophomore Madison Neperud, science; senior Kendall Case, family & consumer science; junior Konstantin Mikhalchuk, social studies; freshman Diana Borodin, language arts. Sitting left to right: junior Logan Best, mathematics; sophomore Mikhala Perez, art; senior Brianna Wolter, agriculture; senior Andrew Horton, graphic arts. Not pictured: junior Heather Medaglia, business; freshman Codi Onda, business; freshman...
Students at Medical Lake’s Hallett Elementary School earning the HAWK Award for January are: Levi Dunham, Connor Preeo, Cailee Hawkins, Rianna Layton, Josh Henry, Makenna Wieck, Kobe Turnbough, Bryan Hawkins, Atlas Martin-Labrucherie, Vanessa Goodman, Emily Sorey, Alivia Gies, Ellie Haas, Grayson Cogswell, Chloe Brawswell, Griffen Davis, Samantha Wolfe, Grace Remendowski, Charlotte Reiber, Isabella Sweeney and Kolby Wren. Hallett students earning the CAN DO Award for January are: Katelyn Rodgers, Isabella Price, Taylyn D...
Most people think of the role of assistant principle as disciplinarian in chief. While there is some of that, Cheney High School assistant principal Ray Picicci believes the role is much more – focusing on teacher development as well as student growth. “At the end of the day, we’re really trying to improve relationships and impact lives,” Picicci said. “That’s part of our work as teachers. We never stop learning.” Picicci has played key roles in helping spearhead dev...
As part of their ongoing effort to promote programs in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Eastern Washington University with the assistance of Greater Spokane Incorporated will once again bring the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) to EWU’s Reese Court Pavilion April 4-6. The Spokane regional will bring more than 1,500 people to campus each day of the event. It is one of three regional robotics competitions statewide, and one of 57 in the U.S., with all participants hoping to make it to the national stage. F...
The Medical Lake Fire Department is in a state of transition right now, with the departure of Fire Chief Jeff Estes. Assistant Chief Jason Mayfield is serving as interim chief until a final decision is made on the top job. City Administrator Doug Ross said Estes’ departure wasn’t entirely a surprise, although the timeline had moved up from previous guesses. “We talked last fall about it,” Ross said. Estes worked full-time with the Spokane Fire Department in addition to his duties as chief of Medical Lake’s 20-plus volunteer...
The Medical Lake City Council faced criticism last week during its legislative session, much of which according to Mayor John Higgins, wasn’t warranted. “It was a bit out of line,” he said. City resident Bob Kibling told the City Council it wasn’t been invested in the growth of Medical Lake, nor had it strengthened the community. He said members of the council weren’t active in the community, which in turn has led to a somewhat stagnant business environment in the city. City Administrator Doug Ross said the city had its o...
Reese Court got a physical remake in 2012 with new seats and a video display. Those improvements at the home of Eastern Washington University’s basketball and volleyball programs have now been augmented with an entirely new atmosphere and vibe with the introduction of Code Red. The music ensemble that is the product of a collaboration of a variety of EWU entities has drawn rave reviews from fans, school officials, players and coaches. “Code Red is definitely first team all...
It’s a challenge. Ask any of the over 1,500 firefighters signed up for Seattle’s 22nd annual Scott Firefighter Stair Climb Sunday March 10 why they’re willing to don their protective gear and ascend 788 feet virtually straight up the Columbia Center Tower – the second tallest building west of the Mississippi River – and that’s the answer you’ll likely get. But probably all of them, including the six members of Spokane County Fire District 3 signed up to take part in this year...
Discussions regarding Spokane County’s Joint Land Use Study continue in Medical Lake, which remains the only jurisdiction that hasn’t approved the document. Medical Lake sent Spokane County a memorandum of understanding with certain provisions the city believed were necessary to begin discussions on JLUS. City Administrator Doug Ross said the county had the document for almost a month before it sent a response back with around half of what Medical Lake originally put in. Last week, the Medcial Lake City Council voted to not...
Cheney’s final City Council meeting in February was long – relatively – on information items and short on action. Council members were briefed by Spokane County GIS manager Ian Van Essen and Greater Spokane Incorporated vice president for business development Robin Toth on being included in a tool the city hopes will help land some new businesses more industrial in nature. The city is now part of the Spokane Regional Site Selector Consortium of jurisdictions that have some of their properties listed on the Spokane Site Selec...
