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RENTON -- The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association announced Tuesday night that several traditional fall sports will now be played in early spring in light of the continuing increased spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the state. The move announced by the WIAA Executive Board essentially creates four sanctioned sports seasons by moving moderate and high-risk team sports from fall to spring. Those sports are football, girls soccer, 1B/2B boys soccer and volleyball -- which will form WIAA Season 3. In a July 21...
WENATCHEE — Since February, Washingtonians have experienced a dizzying set of mandates and orders related to the Covid 19 virus from the governor’s office. From business shutdowns to stay at home orders and mandating masks, the ongoing emergency declaration from Governor Inslee has caused frustration throughout the state. One group says they have had enough. Restore Washington, an activist group that includes former 12th Legislative District Rep. Cary Condotta, R-Wenatchee, has worked on several issues in the past, inc...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS—Michael T. Mattern, a correctional officer at Airway Heights Corrections Center, is being held in Spokane County Jail after being arrested by federal agents July 20 on suspicion of smuggling methamphetamine and other drugs into the corrections center for prisoners. According to media reports, Mattern, 45, faces charges of possessing meth with intent to distribute, which carries a minimum five-year prison sentence. Mattern was arrested in a secure part of the corrections center after authorities found a t...
WEST PLAINS – Fire chiefs in Spokane County issued burn restrictions on Monday to all residents due to hot weather conditions expected throughout the week. The restrictions apply to all jurisdictions within the county. “We did converse, as the County Fire Chiefs, and agreed that given the high temps this week with low relative humidity along with dry fuel conditions, it was time to invoke burn bans for recreational fires,” Cheney Fire Chief Tom Jenkins said in an email. The restrictions apply to all unauthorized recre...
CHENEY – Residents economically impacted by COVID-19 now have somewhere to turn to for help paying their city utility bills. At their July 14 meeting, the City Council approved creation of the CARES Utility Assistance Grant Program, dedicating at least $25,000 of the $372,300 the city is eligible to receive in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to the purpose. The program – which began July 15 – can provide up to $200 in one-time utility assistance to Cheney customers who have seen their house...
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to note the driver passed away MEDICAL LAKE -- A single-car, rollover accident Saturday afternoon closed one Interstate 90 westbound lane for several hours and sent a Post Falls, Idaho man to the hospital. According to a Washington State Patrol press memo, a 2007 Chevy PT Cruiser driven by 41-year-old Zachary M. Hanford, Post Falls, was westbound on I-90 at approximately 12:36 when the vehicle began drifting to the right around mile post 266 -- halfway between the Four Lakes/Cheney...
MEDICAL LAKE/FOUR LAKES -- Washington State Department of Transportation is alerting travelers using both directions of Interstate 90 near Exit 272 to be aware of overnight closures next week as work continues on the Medical Lake/State Route 902 interchange. Contractor crews working will be pouring concrete for the new bridge deck that spans over Interstate 90. According to a DOT news release, the eastbound I-90 lanes will be closed overnight Monday-Tuesday, July 20-21, from 9 p.m. -- 5 a.m. Westbound lanes will be closed...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS -- City officials announced in a press release today (July 16) that they are considering declaring a financial emergency in order to deal with a "sharp decline" in revenue. The city is anticipating a budget shortfall of $1.9 million, 19 percent of its budget, in 2020 due to the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The economic impacts have led to "uncertainty" in revenue sources for the city, putting in jeopardy the continuation of some programs and services provided for at the 2020 budget levels. "As a...
CHENEY – Eastern Washington University administrators and members of its board of trustees have outlined one path to take to deal with the university’s budgeting problems. Now, the university’s faculty have proposed another. At a July 6 special meeting held via Zoom, Faculty Organization legislative liaison and English professor Sam Ligon outlined part of a proposal to fill a projected $22.54 million budget hole through increased use of reserves and salary concessions negotiated with faculty and staff. The budget probl...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS – Asking taxpayers for money is an uncertain proposition even in the best of times. During a health pandemic, it’s even more of a gamble. Spokane County Fire District 10 Fire Chief Ken Johnson acknowledges that, and hopes voters will still understand their needs and support the district’s emergency medical services (EMS) levy renewal request on the Aug. 4 primary ballot. “In the back of my mind, I’m thinking there’s a lot of people out there who are hurting, st...
A young boy takes advantage of the first Parks and Recreation "Spray Day" by cooling off at Veterans Park under water provided by the Cheney Fire Department. Two more spray days – Aug. 5 and Aug. 19 – are planned this summer....
AIRWAY HEIGHTS – The South Mintle Street and West 19th Avenue block in Airway Heights is a bit cleaner after a neighborhood cleanup day organized by city code compliance officer Kristina Blake and the God Squad on July 2. Blake saw that the area needed a lot of cleaning, and residents would struggle to be able to afford the dumpsters they needed to tidy up. "This is the hardest-hit street in the mobile home parks," Blake said. "We are really trying to bring in resources to h...
MEDICAL LAKE—Medical Lake Parks and Recreation and the Medical Lake High School tennis program will still host its annual Tennis-A-Thon fundraiser this year. There just won’t be any tennis played. The fundraiser will be Saturday, July 25 from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Donations of canned food or cash can be made at the lower tennis courts during that time period. Proceeds will go to the Medical Lake Food Bank and Medical Lake Outreach Program. Volunteers will have certificates from McDonald’s and other prizes to hand out to child...
RENTON — The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) announced Tuesday, July 7, that the start of fall sports practices will be delayed to Sept. 5 for football and Labor Day, Sept. 7 for all other fall sports. “The (Executive) Board will continue to work with staff, member schools and state agencies to monitor the impact of COVID-19,” the WIAA said in a release. Because teams are required to practice for at least two weeks and hold 10 practices in that time span before beginning competition, this rulin...
Have you noticed recently that things are collapsing? Sure, the rightwing, nationalist rulers of many countries never stop telling us that they have made their nations “great” again. But we would have to be dislocated from reality not to notice that something is wrong ― very wrong. After all, the world is currently engulfed in a coronavirus pandemic that has already infected more than 12.5 million people, taken more than 550,000 lives, and created massive economic disruption. And the pandemic is accelerating, while, accor...
Far too few people remember the 1972 Seattle billboard: “Would the last person who leaves Seattle please turn out the lights?” The reference was to the massive job losses at Boeing when the supersonic transport project collapsed and the company, then headquartered in Seattle, was on the ropes. That was a painful time especially for working families and local government leaders. Those who lived through it have no interest in a repeat performance. However, given the dir...
CHENEY – The best laid plans of mice and men can these days fall victim to bugs. That’s the gentle way of saying the Parks and Recreation Department’s plans for resuming the annual Concerts in the Park and Friday night movies at Sutton Park has been delayed due to measures surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. In a story in last week’s Cheney Free Press, city officials had hoped to launch both series this week, with the first concert July 15 and movie July 17. The concerts would run each Wednesday through Aug. 19 – except for...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS – The Airway Heights Police Department has been fielding calls and trying to identify prime suspects in response to racist propaganda being posted in the Walmart parking lot and on cars around town. Some residents posted pictures and videos to social media over the weekend showing flyers that had been or were being taped to their cars from the group “14 First,” which names itself as a “Pro-white organization,” discourages “race mixing” and promotes other racist, Neo-Nazi and white supremacist beliefs. The...
WEST PLAINS – Two Democrats, Tom McGarry and Christian McLachlan, are running against incumbent Jenny Graham (R) for Position 2 state representative in District 6. Ballots are expected to be mailed July 17 with the primary elections, which will eliminate one candidate from this race, taking place August 4. McGarry advocates for data-driven approach to COVID response, economic recovery A housing attorney and chair of the board of fire commissioners in Spokane County Fire District 9, Tom McGarry is looking to take the next step...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS — The city of Airway Heights is facing a $1.5 million budget gap due to losses in local government revenues, and city government leaders would like the public’s help in making tough decisions on where to make cuts. City manager Albert Tripp and department managers were asked to present recommended reductions to city council at council’s study session July 13. A 2020 mid-year budget adjustment was discussed, which the public can access at cawh.abalancingact.com. The budget is interactable, and the city is asking...
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