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Randall Craig Geschke 1964 - 2021 Randy was born on March 19, 1964, to Jerry and Claudia Geschke. Randy graduated from Cheney High School in 1982. He met the love of his life, Colleen Renfro, in 1986 and they were married on July 23rd, 1988. Randy and Colleen welcomed their first child, Kaylie in 1997. Their son, Jared, followed in 2001. Randy was a wonderful husband and father and was so very proud of their children. He loved snowmobiling and camping in which he passed that...
Ashley Lentz of Medical Lake, Wash., and Preston Schumacher of Spokane, Wash., celebrate their upcoming nuptials Saturday, May 29, 2021, at Commellini Estate, 14715 N. Dartford Drive. The bride works at Community Colleges of Spokane and is the daughter of Michael Lentz of Spokane Valley and Sonya Marlton-Sievers of Spangle. The groom works at Franz Bakery and is the son of Joe Schumacher of Spokane and Lisa Bice of Spokane Valley. Following their wedding and honeymoon, the...
CHENEY – The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for most of Eastern Washington for Memorial Day weekend. The outlook begins Thursday, May 26, and continues through Tuesday, June 1. West or southwest winds are expected to gust to between 35-45 mph beginning Thursday afternoon, according to the forecast. Gusts were expected to begin in the Pullman, Moses Lake, Ritzville, Spokane and Wenatchee areas following the arrival of a strong cold front c...
OTHELLO — State officials say they have linked an E.Coli outbreak to contaminated yogurt from a local dairy farm. The state Department of Health said the outbreak is connected to yogurt produced by Pure Eire Dairy, owned and operated by Richard and Jill Smith, and sold at PCC Community Market stores. State health officials said Monday that at least 11 people, including six children younger than 10, have been sickened by the contaminated yogurt; seven have been hospitalized. The cases are in King, Benton, Snohomish and W...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS — With Airway Heights being the fastest growing city in the state of Washington there is a seemingly never-ending need to find land on which to build to accommodate that surge. Two residents holding 180 acres of land east of Hayford Road and north of U.S. Highway 2 would like to help by turning that property into those sought-after lots. But the Urban Grown Area boundaries, so far at least, stand in the way. That issue was discussed at length at the May 10 A...
CHENEY — The proposed rezone of the city’s Industrial and Commerce Park could head to an upcoming City Council meeting — but without an approval from the city Planning Commission. At a May 10 public hearing, the city proposal to change the 36-acre park from its current Business Park (BP) zoning to Light Industrial (I-L) failed to receive a vote after none of the members offered to second to Commissioner Dan Hillman’s motion to vote on the proposal. Some of the issues that likely led to the none-vote were impacts to surroun...
CHENEY - Senior Ryan Rieckmann swept to wins in all three of his track and field events while the Blackhawks baseball team ensured it wouldn't have to wait until next year to earn its first Greater Spokane League win as spring sports teams concluded action last week. Baseball The Blackhawks got an offensive explosion to get into the win column in their final game of the season. Carson Jefferies went 3 for 4, scoring three runs and driving in two more as Cheney shellacked...
Staff and News Sources PULLMAN – Washington State University professor Lav Khot has been named interim director of AgWeatherNet. Khot takes over as director for Dave Brown, who stepped down. “We want to make sure this high-quality data is collected and distributed to grower stakeholders so they can make informed decisions that benefit their operations and the state of Washington,” Khot said. Khot will serve an interim term of two years and is an associate professor in biological systems engineering. The weather data will also...
CHENEY – After a year of virtual/hybrid operations due to coronavirus mandates, Eastern Washington University is opting for a vaccine “expectation rather than a mandate.” University Interim President David May sent an email May 6 regarding vaccination expectations. “In the spirit of transparency, we know that the decision to get vaccinated is not one that we can make for you,” May wrote. “There are good reasons, religious, medical, and philosophical, why someone may choose not to be vaccinated.” Eastern joins University of...
Add productive garden space and raise your planting bed with straw bale gardening. This technique allows you to create a raised bed garden on the patio, lawn, or poor compacted soil. Straw bale gardening has been around for centuries, but thanks to Joel Karsten's book "Straw Bale Gardens" it has gained new popularity. All you need are a few straw bales, fertilizer, a bit of compost and time to condition, plant and water your garden. Purchase straw bales made from alfalfa,...
MEDICAL LAKE — The first major fundraiser for Medical Lake Dollars for Scholars is being hailed as a success despite ongoing coronavirus concerns. The event raised $9,500 to support graduating students, Medical Lake Dollars for Scholars President/Treasurer Steven Meltzer said Monday. “Medical Lake Dollars for Scholars held its first major fundraiser this past weekend and had a great turnout from the community and surrounding area,” he said. “With people responding to beautif...
Cheney Community Church Cheney Community Church welcomes you to attend worship with us. We are open for in-person worship, Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. Masks are required and social distancing practiced to be in compliance with the state’s order. The children meet for worship during the main service, and nursery care is available. For those who cannot attend, the service can be viewed on Face book. Pastor Trevor Jensen is presenting a series of messages from the New Testament book of Colossians Come join us. Youth Group m...
CHENEY — Eastern Washington University will offer virtual coronavirus stress and trauma education. The university’s School of Social Work and Office of Community Engagement are partnering with Priority Spokane to offer the program, with funding from an Innovia Foundation grant. The program will help community members to understand the virus’ effects on their well-being, officials said. It will also team them skills to manage any related increase in stress, fear, anxiety and isolation. “This is really an exciting and collabo...
Very seldom do I agree with Rep. Liz Cheney on policy. I disliked her father making too many decisions for George W. Bush, and usually disagreed with them. But right now, Liz Cheney is my No. 1 hero and I’d gladly vote for her for U.S. representative — not President. Why? Because she may become most instrumental in saving our democracy. A few Congressional Republicans publicly agree with her, including southwest Washington’s U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera-Beutler. But Cheney may best understand the danger we’re in, be most courage...
Masks are coming off. Most residents wanting a coronavirus vaccination have gotten one. Sports are on and students are back in the classroom. It’s not a coronavirus emergency that’s keeping Washingtonians from going back to work. Over the past several weeks, I’ve had numerous conversations with owners and managers trying to get their small businesses back on solid financial ground. Given residents’ frustration of being pent up for more than 14 months, you’d think that would be...
When Congress established the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) in 1935, it was intended to provide temporary and partial income replacement for workers who lost their jobs through no fault of their own. It was supposed to be a “bridge” to a new job and not “in lieu of compensation” to remain jobless. The coronavirus pandemic produced massive layoffs. The resulting economic downturn swelled the ranks of unemployed Americans by more than 14 million — from 6.2 million i...
We knew it was coming. The moment lawmakers tried to get clever and thought they could gain support for a Low Carbon Fuel Standard (House Bill 1091) and Cap and Trade (Senate Bill 5126) by linking the policies with a future transportation tax package, it was clear what the governor would do – veto the restriction. Never mind the fact it appears to be illegal to do this. But since he has previously issued questionable line-item vetoes, there was never any doubt that he would do it again to secure his top environmental prioriti...
EWAN — It’s the beavers fault. Rock Lake Conservation District Manager Andrew Wolfe told Whitman County commissioners Monday that the recent increase in Kamiak Creek flooding is due to beavers that gnaw and topple trees along a 1,200-foot-long grove of willows. Those trees build sediments and slow the water flow rate, causing the water level to rise, he said. The district is seeking a permit to remove the willows and replace them with trees that beavers won’t be interested in. “We hope to find a favorable solution to this to...
SPOKANE COUNTY — A measure just signed into law could help prevent home foreclosures for some taxpayers. Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1410, signed May 12 by Gov. Jay Inslee, reduces the annual rate of penalty and interest charged to delinquent property taxes which currently totals 23% in the first year. State 6th District Rep. Mike Volz (R-Spokane), who also serves as Chief Deputy Treasurer of Spokane County, was the prime sponsor of the legislation. According to a news release from the county Treasurer’s Office, und...
SPOKANE – Barbara Rockness is suing Whitman County for lack of a policy prohibiting romantic relationships between deputies and former victims of crime. The Rosalia woman named her ex-husband and former Whitman County undersheriff Ron Rockness as a defendant in the lawsuit, seeking money for his alleged abuse. Ron Rockness served in law enforcement for 17 years before resigning his position after being charged in Whitman County with felony assault in the second degree for a...
OLYMPIA — A bill sponsored by 6th District Sen. Jeff Holy, R-Cheney, helping health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic took effect immediately upon Gov. Jay Inslee’s signing of the measure May 12. The law created by Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5190 will extend unemployment-insurance eligibility to health-care workers who must leave work to quarantine during a public-health emergency. It also will provide presumptive workers’ compensation coverage for health-care workers who contract the disease that is the subje...
COLFAX – Tracy Porter pled guilty to reckless burning for lighting five fires to burn tall grass in Rosalia that spread to three abandoned mobile homes. Porter, 65, of Rosalia, was charged with reckless burning in the first degree on May 3 in Whitman County Superior Court. He pled guilty on May 7. He was sentenced on May 14 to 90 days in jail but Porter was granted a first time offender waiver for the jail time. Conditions of his waiver include 12 months of supervised probatio...
The hiking trails and overlook area of Palous Falls State Park are open to visitors. While the park is open for day use, the camping area remains closed. The park is located southeast of Washtucna, of state Highway 261....
Two vie for same Cheney School Board seat Staff and news reports CHENEY — It’s filing week for candidates seeking local offices in Washington state. At least one local race has two candidates. In the Cheney School District, both Suzanne G. Dolle and Chad Smith had filed for the District No. 2 school board seat prior to press time, Tuesday, May 18. At that time, several candidates had filed for office with the Spokane County Auditor’s Office for positions up for grabs in southern Spokane County. Here are the candidates that...
PASCO — Five voters led by a Pasco City Councilman have filed a petition to recall Gov. Jay Inslee from office for abusing the powers of his office during the coronavirus pandemic last year. The recall petition was filed with the Secretary of State’s Office in Olympia on Monday, May 17. Gov. Inslee has yet to respond to the recall petition. Under the state Constitution, any elected official in the state can be removed from office for misfeasance, malfeasance and violating an...
