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FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE-Col. Cassius T. Bentley became the new commander of the 92nd Air Refueling Wing during a change of command ceremony at Fairchild Air Force Base Wednesday (July 1) morning. He takes over for outgoing commander Col. Derek Salmi, who will be "assigned to the joint staff at the Pentagon in Washington D.C.," according to a press release from the 92nd. Salmi was commander of the 92nd for the allotted two years. Bentley takes over at Fairchild after a stint... Full story
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE -- It was a great day for the families and 19 members of the 92rd Air Refueling Squadron, who returned to Fairchild Air Force Base July 1 after being deployed in Turkey for seven months (some even longer). It was the longest amount of time that two KC-135 Stratotankers have been deployed from Fairchild. Soldiers were originally scheduled to return in April, but due to COVID concerns, weren't given the clearance to come home until the last couple...
CHENEY – In a way, the COVID-19 crisis was Eastern Washington University’s perfect storm. Already engaged in a college realignment and facing declining enrollment, the pandemic that hit earlier this year has culminated recently in over 400 staff layoffs, a steep loss of revenue and Monday’s vote of no confidence in the university’s president. Realignment In 2008 – 2009, Eastern’s trustees endorsed a reduction in the number of degree/major options offered at the university. EWU Provost Dr. David May said there was no follow th...
CHENEY – A woman convicted of molesting an 18-month-old girl and who admitted to having as many as 15 other child victims has relocated to Cheney. Laura Faye McCollum, 62, was convicted of the molestation charge in 1990 and was civilly committed to the state’s Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island for violent sexual offenders in 2004. She was the first woman to be committed to McNeil. McCollum was originally released to an apartment unit in Lakewood south of Tacoma last June after a psychologist filed a report in Decembe... Full story
SPOKANE-Washington governor Jay Inslee paid a visit to Spokane today (June 25) to meet with essential workers, members of the medical community, local leaders and media. As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Spokane County, Inslee’s message was clear: wear a mask. Masks will be mandated by law to be worn statewide in public places beginning June 26. Inslee noted that there is reason for concern about the spread of the virus in Spokane County. “Spokane is right on the verge of a very dire situation because of this pan... Full story
CHENEY June 15 Police investigated the suspicious death of a cat on the 400 block of Annie Place. An iPad was found on the 1200 block of 1st Street. A 16-year-old male was arrested for fourth-degree assault/domestic violence and malicious mischief/domestic violence on the zero hundred block of North 2nd Street. A mental health issue was reported on the 800 block of West 1st Street. Subject was involuntarily committed. Violation of a court order was reported on the 200 block of Cheney-Spangle Road. Trespassing was reported on...
Greg and Roxanne Dempsey, 1120 Moyer St., have been named Cheney’s Yard of the Month winners for June by the Cheney Kiwanis and Gardners of Cheney clubs. Pictured above from left to right are Pat Isbell, Cheney Kiwanis; Lisa Bennett, Gardeners of Cheney and Greg and Roxanne Dempsey. The Dempseys have lived at the home for 33 years, slowly adding to their yard with plants, flowers and trees that have thrived in Cheney zone. Their yard is low maintenance at this point, with drip irrigation and minimal weed control, which l...
Hello readers, my name is Drew Lawson and I’ve recently come on as a reporter for Free Press Publishing, working for both the Cheney Free Press and Davenport Times. I grew up in Vancouver, WA, surrounded by my parents and three younger siblings. I’m a huge sports fan, particularly the NFL, NBA and NCAA football and basketball. My favorite teams are the Seattle Seahawks, Portland Trail Blazers and Seattle Mariners. I enjoy hiking and road trips while exploring places I’ve never been before. I graduated high school in 2016....
June Marie Lemley Roloff, beloved wife, mother and grandmother passed away unexpectedly on June 11, 2020. She was 87. A 20-year resident of Cheney, Washington, June was born in Ridgefield, Washington on Nov. 11, 1932, to Les and Ruth Lemley. She leaves behind her husband of 68 years, Norman, daughter Kelly Morgan and her husband John, daughter Jan Couture and her husband Jacques, cherished grandchildren Michael and Olivia, treasured friend Cheri Wickstrom, her constant compani...
Emmanuel Lutheran Church Greeting from Emmanuel Lutheran Church. Although we cannot worship together as a congregation, we invite our community to access our website emmanuelcheney.org for weekly worship materials. If you should need pastoral support during this difficult time, please contact pastor Arianna Arends at 509-954-5886. Emmanuel plans to gather for worship services outdoors two weeks after Spokane County opens Phase 3. Our Free Community Pantry remains open to the community and all are invited to take what they...
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Two West Plains-area residents have joined more than 7,000 students representing all 50 states and 73 countries who recently earned degrees as part of Oregon State University’s class of 2020. Molly E. Jarrells, Cheney, was awarded a bachelor of science degree in natural resources. Zeth W. Swanger, Medical Lake, received a bachelor of science degree in agricultural sciences. While Oregon State’s traditional commencement ceremonies were postponed in keeping with the university’s measures to help reduce...
NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Cheney’s Brayden W. Bruess has been recognized on the Dean’s List at Norwich University for the spring 2020 semester. According to a June 22 release, full-time undergraduate students who earned a semester grade point average of at least 3.40 and had no failures in the previous fall or spring semester are awarded Dean’s List honors. These students cannot have any pending incomplete (I) grades. In addition to the above criteria, students in the spring 2020 semester had to meet the following criteria relative t...
CHENEY – Five Eastern Washington University student-athletes were recently bestowed with honors by their respective academic departments at virtual commencement ceremonies on June 13 concluded the 2019-20 academic year at EWU. Track and field standout Madison Doepker was honored by the College of Business as this year’s winner of the Frances B. Huston Medallion Award. The Frances B. Huston Medallion recognizes 20 graduating seniors throughout the EWU campus for excellence in academics, leadership and service. Huston is a for...
RENTON- The WIAA released guidance for opening high school athletics and activities in accordance with Gov. Jay Inslee’s four-phase state re-opening plan Monday. The guidance document detailed guidelines for schools for each of the four phases. The document also noted that if a school or school district is closed over COVID-19 concerns, then all training, practices and games for that school or district should be canceled. Points of emphasis for all four phases included decreasing exposure to respiratory droplets through p...
In early June, the financial website WalletHub released its rankings of “Best and Worse State Economies” and Washington led the field of 51 as best by a healthy margin. WalletHub economists viewed the states from three key dimensions — economic activity, economic health and innovation potential. Then the analysts from Dartmouth and Carthage colleges and the University of Texas-Austin looked a 28 key indicators of economic performance and strength when comparing all 50 state...
Having spent some time perusing social media in the last few weeks, I am appalled at the words some will haphazardly sling at those with whom they disagree. There are many racist, sexist and homophobic terms that should simple be removed from our vocabularies. Here, I wish to discuss a variation of an insult that is hurled at those who have a liberal point of view. “Libtard.” Clearly derived from “retard” and intended to imply that liberals are mentally deficient. I have seen this term used from “friends” on Facebook an...
Are government agencies and big tech tracking your every move via your smartphone? The answer is maybe. Gov. Jay Inslee has repeatedly said the state is using smartphone data to track interactions and travel as it may relate to coronavirus exposure and spread. That data may include time, date, location and even a “marker” for each mobile device. Indeed, anytime your cellphone is turned on, it connects to towers for telephone calls or texting. Using three tower con...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS – A suspect is in custody Monday after Kalispell Tribal Police responded to a report of theft and trespassing at Northern Quest Resort and Casino in the parking lot behind the M&D Theater around 12:50 p.m., according to Erin Johnson and Chief Brad Richmond of the Airway Heights Police Department. Officers located the suspect, whose name was not released, within minutes and attempted to apprehend them. Instead of cooperating with the initial investigation, the suspect fled the scene, got into a car and crashed i...
MEDICAL LAKE- Scalding flames enveloped the front and right side of a duplex on 513 S. Jefferson St. in Medical Lake on Saturday, June 13, leaving much of the building severely charred and damaged. Eighteen Spokane County Fire District 3 firefighters responded to the call at 3:51 p.m. that day. The fire had started in a couch and began to spread, according to District 3 Deputy Chief Don Crawford. Firefighters managed to limit the fire to one side of the duplex, Crawford said....
SPOKANE – Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD) officials have announced that a COVID-19 testing site has been established in Airway Heights. The site is in partnership with Multicare Rockwood Clinic and is located at the organization’s clinic at 10414 W. Highway 2, Suite 10. The Airway Heights testing location is open beginning Friday, June 19, and is available to residents from the city and the surrounding areas. The latter includes residents of the West Plains and even further, SRHD media coordinator Kelli Hawkins said....
After some discussion, Medical Lake City Council carried Resolution 524, which authorized the adoption of the Spokane County multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan, at its June 16 meeting. The carried motion was among the notable moments from the council meeting. According to the meeting agenda, the municipalities of Spokane County have been working on a plan that “identifies potential disaster mitigation projects and by adopting the plan makes those projects eligible for FEMA grant funding.” Medical Lake was the las...
CHENEY- “Hands up! Don’t shoot!” “I can’t breathe!” “Say their names! George Floyd! Breonna Taylor!” These were some of the chants ringing as around 30 people participated in a Juneteenth march in Cheney Friday in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Organized by EWU super-senior Justin Heller, a history major, the march was mostly students, although there were some locals who joined as well. The roughly 90-minute event started with a walk from Showalter Hall on the EWU campus before heading down College Avenue,...
CHENEY – The goose has landed! DB Davis owner Dell Davis's pronouncement may not have the poetic sounds of astronaut Neil Armstrong's famous statement trumpeting mankind's first landing on the Moon, but to Cheney Depot Society member Sue Beeman, the words announcing the end of the depot's move were just as sweet. "Whew! What a day," Beeman said in a June 18 email. "I'm doing a bit of basking in the success of the moment today!" She and other members of the society have every r...
Robert (Mac) McDonald, 73, of Clarkston, Wash. died Friday, June 19, 2020, at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston, Idaho. Pikeminnow anglers up and down the Columbia and Snake rivers in Washington and Idaho revere Mac as a bounty hunter for the predatory fish, and he met his soulmate Linda Moore while working to protect juvenile salmon and steelhead with the Pacific States Marine Fishery Commission. Mac is a U.S. Air Force Veteran, and during his career as a KC-135... Full story
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