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Some notable names in bluegrass are coming to Medical Lake to pay tribute to one of the genre's trailblazers. One of the headline acts for the 14th annual Blue Waters, Bluegrass Festival, Aug. 7-9 at Waterfront Park in Medical Lake, is the Hazel Dickens Tribute set. Born in Montcalm, W.V., on June 1, 1935, Dickens was the eighth of 11 siblings. In the 1950s, she moved to Baltimore and worked in a factory before meeting Mike Seeger, one of the founding members of the New Lost City Rattlers. Dickens soon became active in...
The Cheney School Board will decide at a July 29 special meeting how it will respond to controversial comments made by Airway Heights Mayor Patrick Rushing on his personal Facebook page that became public almost two weeks ago. Rushing’s comments regarding President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama made national news, generating claims of racism and demands by Airway Heights City Council members for his resignation. Rushing has apologized for the remarks, but has refused to resign and has had sanctions imposed on h...
A life well lived, Don Peck was born on Dec. 16, 1944 in Ellensburg, Wash. to Louis and Lillian Peck and passed away on July 1, 2015 in Spokane, Wash. Don will be remembered as a man of faith who thought of others before himself and shared his love of hunting, fishing, skiing and boating with his family and friends. Don had a larger than life presence, and carried himself impeccably as a gentleman with a rare sense of honor and integrity. He is survived by his wife Julie, his children Jennifer (Mike) Michaud and Lucas (Elli)... Full story
1 Years Ago July 28, 2005 Responding to a call about a burglary in progress, Medical Lake police found a suspect vehicle and engaged in a car chase that resulted in a non-injury roll-over accident. The Starbucks coffee chain announced they would open in Cheney in the fall of 2005. A West Plains Little League team featuring Blaine Ralph, Dennis France, Max Harris, Ronnie Miller, Logan Hennessey, Bryce Dressler, Nick Pacheco, Ryan Dixon and Zach Letch, and coached by Rob Swanson and Jason Skjothaug, advanced to state...
Barbara Ann Feyh, age 75, passed away Monday, July 13, 2015 at the Deaconess Hospital in Spokane after a 10-year battle with cancer. Barbara was born in Canacao, Philippines, May 19, 1940 to Clarence William Feyh and Florence Marie (Brennecke) Feyh. She was an only child and never married but was surrounded by many male friends. She transferred around with her father in the military attending school in multiple locations. Barbara attended the University of Washington in 1958,... Full story
Virgil Dean Bonk passed away July 17, 2015 in Spokane, Wash. He was 86. Virgil was born March 31, 1929 in Sprague, Wash. to Carl A. and Lyda E. Bonk and was the youngest of three children (Ted and Evelyn). Virgil was raised in Sprague and graduated from Sprague High School in 1947. He married the love of his life, Iva Ruth Lefebvre, March 26, 1955 and moved to Cheney. There they bought their first home and had two daughters, Lori and Teresa. Virgil started working for the... Full story
This is the true story of some events that happened when I was very young. I grew up on my father’s dairy farm that was exactly one mile from the country school. My mother decided one mile was the perfect distance for me to walk to school, even though I was not yet old enough to be in first grade. She decided as well that one mile would use up a lot of my energy, which would be helpful for teachers and other children. I guess she meant they wouldn’t get too tired if I moved slower. My sister, several years older than I, had...
City of Cheney • July 24, Baby Play and Learn Storytime (ages 0 – 18 months), community library, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. • July 24, 2015 Movie Series presents: “Big Hero 6,” Sutton Park, starting at dusk. • July 27, Dance Class, Wren Pierson Community Center, 7:15 – 8:15 p.m. • July 28, Senior Light Fitness, Wren Pierson Community Center, 9 – 10 a.m. • July 28, Farmer’s Market, City Hall Parking Lot, 2 – 6 p.m. • July 28, City Council meeting, City Hall Council Chambers, 6 p.m. • July 29, Toddler Play and Learn Storytime (ages...
At the Center for Rural Affairs, we’ve heard from farmers across the Midwest and Great Plains about the negative impacts of federally subsidized crop insurance for over a decade. A farm safety net is important to help family farmers mitigate risks, but there are real concerns with the current crop insurance program. The best way to begin addressing those concerns is through honest assessment of the crop insurance system. Toward that end, the Center for Rural Affairs recently released a crop insurance report card, entitled ...
The 24-Hour-Tennis-A-Thon committee would like to give a big thank you to all the generous supporters, countless volunteers and community members who participated. Much of this year’s success is attributed to the generosity and assistance we received from sponsors and supporters like you. This year’s event benefited the local Food Bank, Medical Lake Outreach Program and the Medical Lake High School Tennis programs. During the 24 hours, we had approximately 100 players involved in the marathon. Altogether, everyone’s combi...
Last week was a roller coaster week for the city of Airway Heights, which has been under the microscope due to the actions of Mayor Patrick Rushing. I won’t go into full detail because you can read on the front page of this week’s Cheney Free Press to learn what happened. I could attack this issue from many angles. I could go on about First Amendment rights, which was something that was repeatedly brought up at Monday night’s City Council meeting. The First Amendment does give us the right to free speech but it doesn...
Editor’s note: The following editorial from the Detroit Free Press does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Cheney Free Press editorial board. Until last week, Pluto had been a distant dot in the sky; far out on the edge of the universe and so small and remote that it had lost its full status as a planet. But now, as the first images from the New Horizons trans-lunar mission stream back to Earth, we are getting up close and personal with Pluto and are quickly learning answers to questions that are c...
Eastern Washington University Theatre Department and Spokane’s Modern Theater invites audiences to a co-production of William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.” Directed by Jess Sanders, “Twelfth Night” is about love lost, love found and love turned upside down. Shakespeare’s sparkling comedy turns desire on its ear when shipwrecked twins Viola and Sebastian roam Illyria stirring up attraction and distraction wherever they go. Orsino loves Olivia, but she pays him no mind. Olivia loves Viola, whom she’s mistaken for a boy. Viol...
Eastern Washington University will have a new student voice on its board of trustees. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has appointed EWU senior Mariana Garcia as the student representative to the board, replacing the graduating Francisco “Frank” Navarro. Garcia officially joined the board July 1, took part in the recent vote to approve the 2016 fiscal year operating budget and will continue serving through June 30, 2016. A 2011 graduate of Granger High School in the Yakima Valley, Garcia has been very active in promoting div...
The Gardeners of Cheney and the Kiwanis Club selected the yard of Jane Button, of 113 Greenbriar Lane, as the July Yard of the Month. Button will receive a $25 gift certificate for gardening supplies from Jarms Hardware. From left to right: Jane Button, Shirlee Jenkins, Gardeners of Cheney and Pat Isbell, Cheney Kiwanis....
The Cheney School District has named Celina Brennan and Nicole Nanny to new positions within the district. According to news releases, Brennan was named the new principal at Salnave Elementary School on June 24 while Nanny became the new director of teaching and learning July 9. Brennan graduated from Eastern Washington University in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in education, and from Whitworth University in 2010 with a master’s degree. She has taught at Salnave for nine years, and in 2011 was named a recipient of the Out...
A new piece of playground equipment was recently installed at Pioneer Park in Medical Lake. The wooden playground equipment previously at the park was vandalized in late 2014. The new equipment is geared toward school-age children and cost the city $20,000....
Starting in the fall, Medical Lake School District teachers will have a one-hour late start release time on Friday mornings to give them additional work and collaboration time. One of the concerns for this was to create a place for younger students to go if they cannot be at home because their parents have to work in the morning. Part of this was solved for students living at Fairchild Air Force Base as the Youth and Child Development centers will be open earlier on Friday mornings. For students living in Medical Lake, the...
The public is invited to provide input into the Cheney School District’s 2015-16 budget process at a special meeting Wednesday, July 29, at Betz Elementary School. The meeting begins at 6 p.m., with continuance of a public hearing started at the board’s July 15 meeting resuming at 6:05 p.m. The board will then consider possible approval of the general operating budget in regular session. Betz Elementary School is located at 317 N. Seventh Street in Cheney.... Full story
Cheney became one of the new focal points of residential development on the West Plains with the official opening of phase one of the Harvest Bluff development. From left to right are: Cheney City Council members John Taves and Jill Weiszmann, Mayor Tom Trulove and Joe Jackson,West Plains Chamber of Commerce executive director. Also taking part were Susan Bolin, regional sales manager for Hayden Homes and John Francisco, West Plains Chamber of Commerce president. Developers...
Airway Heights residents who cannot make public meetings but still want to keep up with the various projects happening around the city have a new avenue of doing so. In a news release, Airway Heights announced it launched its new “Open City Hall” application on its website. Open City Hall gives citizens the opportunity to engage other residents, as well as city staff and officials in a conversation and voice their input and opinion on projects and issues happening throughout Airway Heights. Peak Democracy, a Cal...
After an initial viewing in May, and passing an interim budget for the 2015-16 academic year in mid-June, the Eastern Washington University board of trustees approved a final spending package Friday, July 17. Meeting both in person and over the telephone in the trustees boardroom in Showalter Hall, the operational budget of $271.5 million for fiscal year 2016, which began July 1, was unanimously approved. The board also voted to accept a 2015-17 capital budget totaling $84.9...
Perhaps the best way to get Eastern Washington University back to the bargaining table on a dispatch service contract with Cheney Police Department might be to equate the services the city provides the university to another business most about everybody in the world uses — and for just about everything. “We are more than a dispatch center for them,” Cheney Police Chief John Hensley told the City Council at its July 14 meeting. “We are more like Google.” Hensley briefed the council on the negotiations’ status, which began...
Residents, staff and dignitaries filled the Airway Heights City Council chambers Monday night to watch the political fate of Mayor Patrick Rushing. During its meeting, council approved a resolution, 5-1, that declares Rushing’s Facebook offensive comments about First Lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama inexcusable and prejudicial, and that his personal views do not represent the values or beliefs of the city. It also declares the council has no confidence in Rushing to perform his duties as mayor and directs s...
Friends, families and fans gathered at Salnave Park, July 17 to send off the West Plains Little League All Stars as they traveled to Montesano, Wash., to compete in the state tournament. The All Stars qualified for the tournament after winning the District 13 championship, but were eliminated from state play after losing their first two games over the weekend. The West Plains community raised over $7,000 to cover the team’s travel expenses after water supply issues forced the tournament to be moved from Cheney to M...
