Articles from the June 21, 2018 edition


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  • Airway Heights to repaint Sunset Park water tank

    GRACE POHL, Staff Intern|Updated Jun 21, 2018

    At the June 18 Airway Heights City Council meeting, the board approved a bid to recoat the Sunset Park water tank. In 2016, this project was advertised and since the bids were way higher than the city's budget, tit was rejected. Coming into this year, the Public Works Department budgeted $360,000 for the project and re-advertised. The project was opened on June 7 and the lowest bidder was Extreme Coatings, Inc. (ECI Services) at $366,458, about 7 percent higher than the...

  • Betz's best

    Updated Jun 21, 2018

    Betz Elementary School second-grader Abi Huntley performs a song during teacher Cindy Tilque's annual class talent show on June 13....

  • Lemaster retiring for good - really

    Paul Delaney, Staff Reporter|Updated Jun 21, 2018

    Few believe that Leroy Lemaster has finally coached his last crew of kids in tennis. Except, perhaps, Lemaster's knees and legs, which are just not what they used to be, even the new artificial knee he got in 2000. Lemaster's trying to "get by" with the other one, warding off major surgery at age 80, which he turned last November. He takes supplements, but it's time for him to simply be a fan. It was last week while conducting another of his 30th or so Medical Lake parks and...

  • You lookin' at me?

    John McCallum|Updated Jun 21, 2018

    Participants in the annual Medical Lake Founders Day parade last Saturday came in all shapes, sizes and species. Other activites at the festival included fireworks, a triathlon and lots of fun activities....

  • West Plains Briefs

    Updated Jun 21, 2018

    Feed Cheney June 25 Feed Cheney’s first free brown bag supper of the summer happens in Veterans Park, across the street from the Wren Pierson Community Center, on Monday, June 25. There will also be the usual free grocery distribution. The June meal is provided by the Cheney United Methodist Church. Groceries are provided by Second Harvest and Feed Cheney. For more information or to volunteer for Feed Cheney, go to www.feedcheney.org., email [email protected] or call (509) 324-1659. The clothing bank will not be open f...

  • Churches

    Updated Jun 21, 2018

    Cheney Community Church The Sunday morning worship service at Cheney Community Church on June 24 will feature, “His Song,” a vocal group from Spokane. They will lead the entire service which begins at 10 a.m. The public is invited to come enjoy the music and testimony of this outstanding musical group. A love offering will be taken. Bible classes for adults and teens are held at 9:45 a.m. Sunday. Nursery and children’s church are available during the main worship service. Our youth group meets every Monday at 6 p.m. in the f...

  • Col. Derek Salmi assumes command at FAFB

    GRACE POHL, Staff Intern|Updated Jun 21, 2018

    There is a new commander in town at Fairchild Air Force Base. On June 15, Col. Derek Salmi assumed command Fairchild during a ceremony in front of local of area leaders and other attendees. Salmi comes from the Royal Air Force Base in Mildenhall, United Kingdom, where he was the commander of the 100th Operations Group. The group was responsible for planning, scheduling and execution of all U.S. air forces in Europe air refueling operations. They were leaders in mission readiness, mobilization, employment, training and...

  • Looking Back

    Updated Jun 21, 2018

    1 Years Ago June 19, 2008 Albert Tripp was appointed as the new city manager for Airway Heights. Tripp had previously worked as the public works director for the city for three years. Fairchild Air Force Base Boy Scout Troop 342 announced that nine of its members achieved the rank of Eagle, the highest rank possible in the Boy Scouts of America. The nine included Cyrus Belenky, Adam Robo, Zachary Seals, Jarrod Swanson, Kyle Swanson, Mario Tedesco II, Nathan Walker, Kris Sampson and Zach Wilkinson. Medical Lake inducted its...

  • West Plains Police News

    Updated Jun 21, 2018

    CHENEY June 5 Police conducted a welfare check the 300 block of West Fifth Street on a juvenile who had made hints about committing suicide. Juvenile male was contacted and reports were found to be erroneous. June 11 Domestic violence/verbal dispute was reported on the 2200 block of First Street. A driver’s license was found and turned in to the police station. Individual was contacted and license returned. A brown, men’s wallet was found on the 600 block of Second Street. June 12 Valeria Orozco-Marquina, 19, was arr...

  • Don't condemn pit bulls, educate owners

    Updated Jun 21, 2018

    In response to the letter about banning pit bulls (Cheney Free Press, June 7). I’ve worked with them in stressful shelter situations, and found them to be just like any other dog. How their owners treated/trained them greatly influences how they will act. The Pitties I worked with were wonderful, calm, and very good dogs. Perhaps your neighbors would benefit from a visit of SCRAPS personnel who could encourage the owners to participate in some training classes, as well as socialization classes. It sounds as if they’ve been la...

  • Time for unified fireworks display in Medical Lake

    Updated Jun 21, 2018

    The Fourth of July will soon be here once again. Few people really know much about the actual history of how the original colonies declared their freedom from being ruled by England and all that was involved. We need much more education about the founding of our country and what it should stand for. Anyway, I continue to look forward to the time when every person’s freedom will be honored, including the freedom to have a quiet, sane and safe holiday celebration. I continue to advocate for public fireworks displays in place o...

  • Cheney Outreach is separate, serves community

    Updated Jun 21, 2018

    The Cheney Outreach Center is a separate 501c3 agency not affiliated with the Cheney Community Service Council or Cheney’s Food Bank’s individual 501c3 status. Donations made to Cheney Food Bank can only be used by the food bank and not Outreach. Donations made to Outreach can only be used by Outreach and not the food bank. Outreach partners with the food bank to eliminate duplication of service and assure that client needs are addressed. Outreach serves low-income individuals, seniors, disabled, families and children liv...

  • Teacher unions have brought many benefits

    Updated Jun 21, 2018

    In a May 10, Cheney Free Press column, Frank Watson wrote an opinion piece about the problems he found with teachers in public schools. His observations are based on his several years of teaching and biased by his personal background. My comments will be from a different frame of reference. First is the history of unions in our country and the positive impact they have for the working people. Teachers unions have continued to better our social structure. The best example is the union contract, which provides a rulebook for...

  • Planned Parenthood had bipartisan support

    Updated Jun 21, 2018

    Yesterday, June 11, I read an interesting fact: “In 1964 Dwight D. Eisenhower and Harry S. Truman became honorary chairmen of Planned Parenthood.” In 1968, President Nixon called population growth “one of the most serious challenges to human destiny in the last third of this century.” That is two Republicans and one Democrat who recognized the great value of national Planned Parenthood chapters. Formed in 1916 in New York, this organization has served lower income girls and women that have fewer insurance options, and has...

  • Trump may be unorthodox, but he's often right

    FRANK WATSON, Contributor|Updated Jun 21, 2018

    It is popular to pick on our president. He makes it so easy that anyone can do it. The recent meeting with the North Korean dictator should have been praiseworthy, but president Trump’s unorthodox leadership style brought criticism instead. I have worked for some very good bosses and a few bad ones. The good ones were all predictable. I found it easy to support them, because they kept their staff informed. I knew what they were thinking and what they were going to do. Mr. Trump, however, enjoys surprises. His offer to stop j...

  • 'Life is good today, Life is good today'

    Paul Delaney, Staff Reporter|Updated Jun 21, 2018

    Personally, there’s nothing like the crashing waves, the bubbling of a moving river or the pure solitude of a high mountain meadow to be able to reflect. While many seek church, I’m sold on God’s creations in Mother Nature. As those waves crashed night and day — and another spectacular, yet rare, sunset due to VOG, volcano-induced sulfur dioxide nasty air — it offered the perfect cocktail for serious thinking time. Oh, that’s along with the fleeting thoughts of favorite so...

  • Amy Anderson graduates from Western Oregon

    Updated Jun 21, 2018

    Cheney High School alum Amy Anderson was one of over 1,000 graduates receiving diplomas at Western Oregon University commencement exercises on June 16 in Monmouth, Ore. Anderson graduated magna cum laude (3.65-3.79 grade point average) with a bachelor of science degree in education. Founded in 1856, Western Oregon University located in Monmouth is the state’s oldest public university. Serving approximately 5,500 students, WOU is a mid-sized, NCAA Division II institution with nearly 80 percent of the student population b...

  • Groundbreaking for Cheney High School work June 27

    Updated Jun 21, 2018

    Cheney School District officials and corporate partners Lydig Construction, ALSC Architects and OAC (the district’s construction and project management firm), are holding a groundbreaking ceremony at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 27, for the Cheney High School additions and modernization project. The school board invites any interested community members to attend. Please contact the Superintendent’s Office at (509) 559-4502 for additional information....

  • News briefs

    STAFF AND NEWS SOURCES|Updated Jun 21, 2018

    Butterfly event at Turnbull is family friendly and free The public is invited to attend a free hands-on, family-friendly event at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge to learn about monarch butterflies, their habitat and how you can help conserve these important pollinators. The educational event is being coordinated by the Xerces Society. The program is from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. June 23 at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, 26010 S. Smith Road, about five miles south of Cheney on Cheney-Plaza Road. Space is limited and advance regis...

  • Cheney school district budget grows with enrollment

    John McCallum, Managing Editor|Updated Jun 21, 2018

    The Cheney School District’s 2018-2019 general fund budget is scheduled to top $60 million for the first time ever — and that’s just the beginning. During a budget workshop at the school board’s June 13 meeting, Finance Director Jamie Weingart said the budget will continue to grow as the district grows in enrollment, something district officials are being conservative with their estimates right now. If current class sizes stay as is, and new estimates from projected residential construction materialize, the distric...

  • Cheney approves $600,000 state loan for fire engine

    John McCallum, Managing Editor|Updated Jun 21, 2018

    Cheney’s purchase of a new main attack engine for its fire department is officially paid for. At its June 12 meeting, the City Council voted 7-0 to approve an ordinance with all three readings and final passage authorizing execution of a financing contract with the state treasurer’s office to receive $600,000 loan from the state’s LOCAL fund. The council then followed that with unanimous approval of a resolution stating the entire purchase of the engine — approved by council last October — will be made from revenues...

  • Airway Heights commission holds hearing

    GRACE POHL, Staff Intern|Updated Jun 21, 2018

    The Airway Heights Planning Commission met on June 13 and held a public hearing on an Eastern Washington Growth Management Hearing Board ruling against the city. Starting in October 2011, the city began to update AHMC (Airway Heights Municipal Code) 17.37, which was a mixed-use overlay. It was labeled as too broad and it did not provide any standards for future developers. Since that time, the Spokane International Airport, city of Spokane and Spokane County sued Airway Heights over three areas in the city limits. One of...

  • Founders highlights

    John McCallum|Updated Jun 21, 2018

    Heather Leigh Collazo of Reardan gets some face painting done between her father's 3-on-3 basketball games during activities at last Saturday's Medical Lake Founders Day. The annual event drew hundreds of people to the city's downtown....

  • Irrigating instructions

    John McCallum, Managing Editor|Updated Jun 21, 2018

    Even though the spring weather has been mostly cool, Cheney Public Works officials aren’t taking any chances when it comes to the city’s water supply. Cheney has implemented its annual water conservation schedule it recommends residents and businesses follow in order to reduce any potential strain on its 4.438 million gallon storage system. As in previous years, the schedule is advisory. “It’s not mandatory,” Public Works Director Todd Ableman said. “It’s just be conscious of your water needs.” The schedule calls for odd-e...

  • Rotenone treatment not so scary

    Paul Delaney, Staff Reporter|Updated Jun 21, 2018

    Editor's note: This is part two of a series started in last week's issue. Mention the use of rotenone treatments to help create a healthier fishery and it can make some people panic. But it should not be thought of as such a scary word, Department of Fish and Wildlife district fish biologist Randy Osborne said. The planned treatment of West Medical Lake in the fall to rid it of an invasive goldfish population will use rotenone for the first time since 2009. Rotenone has been...

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