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Cheney residents could see an increase in their utility rates in 2018, should the city's Public Works Department budget proposal receive council approval. The increase is one of two proposed to deal with infrastructure needs, with the other being from the Light Department. At a budget public hearing held at the City Council's Oct. 24 meeting, Public Works Director Todd Ableman said the proposal bumps the residential water usage base rate from its current $8.26 to $10. The...
There has been a lot of conversation here in Medical Lake on the topic of having our own police force vs. contracting with Spokane County. The whole issue of contracting police services or not boils down to what uniform someone is wearing. The truth of the matter is that if the future City Council wants to hire their own police force, and somehow they find officers to fill the positions (not easy nowadays with a shortage of officers), those officers more likely than not aren’t going to live inside the city limits (it is i...
While Seattle is growing rapidly, our rural areas continue to struggle. They don’t have the corporate giants such as Amazon, Microsoft and Boeing creating jobs and economic opportunities. Farms are predominantly family-owned. Today, there is a rejuvenated effort to bring prosperity to Washington’s rural communities. While agriculture is the largest sector, timber, manufacturing, high tech and energy provide opportunities as well. Rural jobs and economic revitalization are nat...
By MICHAEL JAMES BARTON Contributor Right now, more than 500,000 federal employees and government contractors are awaiting security clearances. That poses a serious threat. The enormous backlog of clearance applications prevents talented analysts, engineers, and coders from working on today’s most critical national security challenges. Some applicants wait more than 350 days before starting their jobs. Unsurprisingly, many highly qualified and badly needed security officials take other employment due to the unreasonable d...
When should a news story out of Portland have relevance to the readers of the Cheney Free Press? Probably not much of the time is the short answer. But in this instance, let’s hope it is NEVER! What got my attention, and made my blood pressure probably elevated to unhealthy levels, were recent stories in the Portland Oregonian about Norman Scott and the Portland School District. Scott, a retired teacher, was one of those bad apples that ruin the rest. He was found guilty r...
Seniors Porter Westall and Makayla Geiger were crowned king and queen of Medical Lake's 2017 Homecoming celebration. The coronation occurred at halftime of the Cardinals' football game with Lakeside last Friday night at Holliday Field....
STA seeks rider input on proposed route changes Spokane Transit Authority is implementing “more and better” transit service as part of the its “Moving Forward” plan approved by voters in 2016. The agency is seeking the public’s input on some preliminary concepts for proposed changes that would go into effect in September 2018 on the following routes: Route 2 Southside Medical Shuttle Expansion, Route 21 West Broadway, Route 90 Sprague, Route 23 Maple/Ash, Route 25 Division, West Plains Routes ( 61 Highway 2, 62 Medical L...
OLYMPIA – Public Lands Commissioner Hilary S. Franz announced a new plan at an Oct. 27 ceremony near this summer’s Jolly Mountain Fire to treat Washington’s ailing forests and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires. The commissioner made her announcement in Cle Elum flanked by legislative, industry, environmental and community leaders. She stressed that implementing the plan will take time — it spans 20 years — and the vision is expansive. The plan involves a combination of scientific restorative work and prescribe...
Ballots must be postmarked no later than Election Day, Nov. 7. There are three locations on the West Plains where you may drop off your ballots: Airway Heights Library1213 S. Lundstrom St. Cheney Library 610 First St. Medical Lake Library 321 E. Herb St. Ballots may also be deposited at the Elections Office anytime at 1033 W. Gardner in Spokane, but will not be accepted after 8 p.m. on Election Day....
(Editor's Note: Some portions of responses may have been edited for space concerns.) Ted Olson won a three-way primary race with 46 percent of the vote and will face Gary Plumlee at 27 percent. How do you feel about Medical Lake's policing, contracting with the Spokane County Sheriff's Office: Olson: If there is any way to get our own police force back without financially crippling our fine citizens, I would be in favor. At the budget meeting on Oct. 19 the city proposed even...
Participants showed up for the first "Trick or Trot" at Cheney High School on Oct. 28. Runners ran two loops around Cheney and collected candy along the way. Organized by Future Business Leaders of America students Megumi Call and Evarosa Perry, the trot was designed to raise funds and donations of business attire to help low-income invididuals with their job searches....
(Editor's Note: Some portions of responses may have been edited for space concerns.) Tony Harbolt collected 43 percent of the primary vote to edge Don Kennedy with 38 in the closest of the Medical Lake City Council races. How do you feel about Medical Lake's policing, contracting with the Spokane County Sheriff's Office: Harbolt: There are many legitimate benefits in having a contract with such a professional and well-trained agency as the Sheriff. The largest of which is...
(Editor’s Note: Some portions of responses may have been edited for space concerns.) Medical Lake Council Position No. 2 John Merrick collected just shy of 46 percent of the votes in August over Elizabeth Rosenbeck’s 27 percent in a with three-way battle that included Monica Manza, now a write-in candidate for Position No. 1. How do you feel about Medical Lake’s policing, contracting with the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office: Merrick: At the risk of sounding like a politician, I honestly stand in the middle with the issue o...
(Editor's Note: Some portions of responses may have been edited for space concerns.) Medical Lake Council Position No. 1 John Paikuli ran unopposed in August but now has Monica Manza, who ran unsuccessfully for Position No. 2, as a write-in opponent. How do you feel about Medical Lake's policing, contracting with the Spokane County Sheriff's Office: Paikuli: I'm quite happy with the Sheriff and the service they provide. They have been professional, responsive and our level of...
Alternative rock fans won’t want to miss 3 Doors Down when they kick off their “Back Porch Jam” tour, an acoustic interpretation of the band’s hits, fan favorites and deep album cuts at Northern Quest Resort & Casino’s Pend Oreille Pavilion on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018. Show time is 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $55/$65/$85 and go on sale Friday, October 27 at 8:30 a.m. Purchase tickets online at www.northernquest.com or call the Northern Quest Box Office at (509) 481-2800 or toll-free at 877-871-6772. Box Office hours are 9 a.m...
On Oct. 26, the Spokane Tribe Casino held a job fair at their office space located at 13918 West State Route 2 Highway in Airway Heights. There was a constant flow of applicants throughout the entire day with an unofficial head count around 400 people. The fair featured a variety of job openings including, marketing, food and beverages, gaming operations and customer service positions. "There was no headcount, but people were coming in and out all day," Jamie Sijohn, the...
One of the world's best-known skeptics will present his fascinating theory on how and why we believe what we do as part of "The President's Forum for Critical Thought" at Eastern Washington University on Thursday, Nov. 9. New York Times best-selling author Michael Shermer is a historian of science and founder of the Skeptics Society as well as editor in chief of the magazine Skeptic. During his visit, Shermer will discuss themes from his book "The Believing Brain," a...
EWU Gallery of Art is pleased to present new artworks by J. Casey Doyle, Nov. 8 through Jan. 11, 2018. An opening reception will be held Wednesday, Nov. 8 at noon in the gallery. Thinking outside the gender binary, Doyle's "They Play" is a body of work that questions our desire as a society to label and assign gender to almost every aspect of our lives. Gender is fluid and part of a spectrum. Doyle is an associate professor of art and design at the University of Idaho. He...
Medical Lake’s School Board learned at its Oct. 25 meeting about a new assessment program now in place in the district. Kim Headrick, the district’s director of teaching and learning, presented information on Aims Web, a program that will supplement state-mandated yearly testing conducted each spring. “We want to know how our kids are doing more than simply once year,” Headrick said. “Now when testing is conducted at the state level the results are not available until Aug...
The Cheney school board found out during a schematic design review of the proposed remodel of the district’s high school that the work is over the budgeted amount specified in the February 2017 bond by just over $3.21 million. The board also found out that the district might be eligible for more state matching funds than the $2.2 million estimated it could receive under that $54 million capital facilities bond. Like the design work currently underway for renovation and expansion of three of the district’s elementary sch...
Due to a typographical error, Tim Gainer was incorrectly mentioned as a Cheney mayoral candidate in a letter to the editor headline in the Oct. 26 issue. Gainer is not running or mayor, but running for City Council Position 1. Current Position 1 Councilman Chris Grover is running unopposed for Cheney mayor....
Medical Lake voters have many decisions to make in the Nov. 7 general election. They will select a new mayor and four city council members. In the second of a series of candidate profiles, this week we look at those council races. Candidates for those seats filled out a series of questions on key issues that face Medical Lake residents. To help you make more of an informed decision, see how those running responded to our questions, beginning on page 6. Ballots are due Tuesday, Nov. 7....
The Cheney City Council took the first steps towards dealing with the city’s water production issues at its Oct. 24 meeting. The council approved a public works department request to apply for a loan from the Washington State Department of Health’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. If successful, funds received would be used in the redrilling of the city’s well No. 3, estimated to cost approximately $1.8 million. Well 3 was originally drilled at a depth of 549 feet in 1960, producing around 900 gallons per minute. That...
Eastern Washington University mascot Swoop prepares to toss a poster of a Weber State helmet into the prep rally bonfire Sunday night. It's EWU's Homecoming, and the Eagles take on the Wildcats Saturday at 1:05 p.m....
Airway Heights currently has an Accident Potential Zone II (APZ) near Fairchild Air Force Base that has been an issue since 1995 after there was an installation study when it was brought to everyone's attention. According to the city's website, Airway Heights follows regulations for Air Installation Compatible Use Zones (AICUZ) from Fairchild Air Force Base, and Airport Overlay Zones (AOZ) from Spokane International Airport. AICUZ and AOZ are the accident potential zones...
