Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 28
CHENEY – Eastern Washington University’s Board of Trustees have approved using more cash reserves and an allocation of reduction targets in order to close a $22.54 million operating budget shortfall. At a special meeting today (July 24) held via Zoom, the board voted 8-0 in approving expense reduction targets of 13.5 percent for all university areas except Diversity and Inclusion and Academic Affairs. The latter will look for ways to come up with a 22.3 percent reductions in expenses while the former will be exempt from red... Full story
MEDICAL LAKE-A year ago, leadership at the Washington Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Medical Lake applied for some grant money from the Department of Veteran Affairs. On July 17, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers announced via press release that the cemetery's grant had been approved, totaling $3.5 million. "The Washington State Veterans Cemetery provides a final resting place for the brave men and women who answered the call of service," McMorris Rodgers said in the press...
MEDICAL LAKE - It's construction season on the West Plains, and residents driving through the roundabout on State Highway 902 and Craig Road can see work being done one task that's been underway since the beginning of summer. That undertaking is the city of Spokane Intertie Project with Medical Lake. The project's purpose is to provide an emergency water source for Medical Lake outside its current aquifer, "in the event there is ever a contamination event such as the one from...
Crews begin to install the new red turf at Eastern Washington University's Roos Field on Tuesday, July 21. It's the second go-around for the turf, which was first installed in 2010, replacing the original grass while the university changed the name of the facility from Woodward Field to Roos....
CHENEY — The National Weather Service says critical fire weather conditions will exist across most of Eastern Washington today. The agency issued a Red Flag Warning that continues through 8 p.m. The Northern Columbia basin can expect breezy conditions and low humidity. "Breezy to windy conditions will continue this afternoon with a second cold front reinforcing the winds," the Red Flag Warning said. "Rapid fire spread will be possible with any new or ongoing fires" in E...
Update: The couple was safely located Monday evening, July 28, around 10:38 p.m. SPOKANE VALLEY -- Police deputies are attempting to locate 79-year-old Maure L. Labonte and 77-year-old Ruth A. Labonte to check their welfare. They are possibly traveling in a white 2016 Subaru Outback with Washington license plates BHE7400. According to a July 27 news release, their daughter stated Maure and Ruth went to Colfax to visit family. When she tried to call her parents Sunday night, the phone was answered by the manager of a... Full story
SPOKANE -- The National Weather Service is projecting temperatures to reach well into the high 90s and even low triple digits this week. According to a July 27news release, the high temperatures could be coupled with low humidity and breezy conditions -- a recipe that could lead to increased fire danger in central and eastern Washington. Temperatures in the Columbia Basin should exceed 100 degrees all week, with high 90s forecast for Eastern Washington and Spokane -- touching... Full story
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...
Members of the Cheney School District presented the Airway Heights Police Department with thank you gifts on Wednesday afternoon, July 8. The AWPD has been assisting in handing out lunches on a daily basis to students at Sunset Elementary School in Airway Heights during the coronavirus pandemic....
CHENEY – City officials have made the decision to close the community's municipal pool for the 2020 season as well as put a pause in an activity recently launched to compensate for the lack of cooling off options for area youth - and adults. City Administrator Mark Schuller told the council last Tuesday, July 15, that he and Mayor Chris Grover made the decision to close the pool for a number of reasons, but mainly because rising cases of the novel coronavirus in the region h...
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – Eastern Washington University’s womens golf team finished tied for 15th out of all Division I institutions to earn a Womens Golf Coaches Association all-Scholar Team GPA award. The award was announced Monday, July 20. The Eagles tied Rutgers University with a team GPA of 3.832, and are the only Big Sky Conference school to make the list, according to a July 20 news release. It’s Eastern’s first-ever All-Scholar award, going back to 2005 when the award was first presented. “This is a great honor. Th...
Cheney Congregational Church Greetings! Cheney Congregational will begin hosting outdoor Sunday worship services in our parking lot on Aug. 2 at 9:30 a.m. We had a “soft opening” Sunday morning service on July 19 at to check out our process. We have developed a Covid-19 safety plan that is in compliance with guidelines set up by the state. Masks are required, and we are using social distancing. We encourage you to bring your own lawn chair, and we will have chairs provided. You are also welcome to pull up in your car and rol...
Pat Trout poses in her yard at her residence on North Jefferson Street in Medical Lake next to a sign honoring her for "Yard of the Month." Pat Trout and her husband, Bill, won the award from the Medical Lake Kiwanis club. The Trouts received the sign to display and a $25 gift card to The Fischin' Hole Saloon....
Laurie Zapf loves flowers. He comes by it naturally as his dad and grandfather also loved and cultivated flowers. This year he planned to cut back, maybe not plant as many. Shari, his wife, is not sure he accomplished that, and while she won't take credit for any of it, but she appreciates the work and the beauty that has made the Zapfs Cheney's July Yard of the Month. The Zapfs have lived at 430 North 3rd Street for 18 years and Laurie is always working to build a garden...
SPOKANE – The County Library District is offering online programs and events for adults this summer that are entertaining and educational. For entertainment, people can tune into the following: • Virtual Concert: Brett & Janet Dodd – all ages, Saturday, July 25, 2–3 p.m. • Virtual Trivia: Harry Potter & Hogwarts – all ages, Friday, July 31, 6:30–7:30 p.m. • Watermelon Salsa – all ages, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2–2:30 p.m. • Virtual Concert: Plaid Cat – all ages, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2–4:30 p.m. • Virtual Trivia: Gilmore Girls – adu...
CHENEY July 14 A wallet was found in Spokane Valley and turned into the Cheney police station. Dwayne A. Gunderson, 36, was arrested on a Department of Corrections escape warrant on the 2700 block of 1st Street. A stolen vehicle was recovered on the 400 block of North 8th Street. Police recovered a 2000 Mazda Protégé reported stolen out of Spokane Third-degree theft was reported on the 2800 block of Al Ogdon Way. A bicycle was taken. July 15 A suicide attempt was reported on the 1000 block of Betz Road. Subject was i...
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...
Wilson’s listening skills needed here On Friday, July 1, 2016, I chanced to meet congressional candidate Dave Wilson on Main Street in Walla Walla. Being a newly retired healthcare administrator, my eye caught a reference to critical-access hospitals in his campaign brochure. I was pleasantly surprised when he accepted my request to meet over coffee later that afternoon to talk about rural healthcare in particular and his campaign in general. That meeting eventuated into a deep friendship that is now over four years in the m...
There are two legal options to respond to a state budget deficit: The governor orders across the board budget cuts, or a special session of the Legislature occurs liquidating the deficit. The first is a blunt instrument allowing no thoughtful response. The second provides the people’s legislative branch of government the opportunity to deliberate a more surgical response. ov. Jay Inslee, however, has made it clear he doesn’t plan to call a special session to allow lawmakers to...
Recently, rural Americans have missed out on many services usually offered in their communities. However, library employees have worked even harder to provide for their patrons. For example, in Wayne, Nebraska, library staff have stepped up to show their community how resilient small-town libraries can be. A week after closing to the public, the library initiated curbside book pickup. They are also offering virtual assistance to patrons through online resources like Ebooks and audiobooks, online databases, learning games,...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS — The City Council unanimously authorized City Manager Albert Tripp to sign an interagency agreement for coronavirus relief funding at its July 6 meeting. The funding totaled $286,350 and can be used for costs related to the COVID-19 fallout, such as medical expenses or business/economic shortfalls. The funding will be provided to the city through reimbursement. Tripp presented resolution 2020-014, which would declare financial emergency for the current 2020 expense fund budget due to financial hardships create...
CHENEY – School district officials are evaluating the pros and cons of three proposed models for reopening schools this fall. The first is onsite/in-person instruction, a direction 70 percent of respondents to a recent survey indicated they preferred. Option two is a K-12 hybrid that features a split schedule of in-person instruction with online learning, while option three would provide K-5 onsite learning with a grades 6-12 hybrid. All three options are being evaluated by three separate committees, who are due to report o...
MOORHEAD, MINN. – Officials at Concordia College have announced that Cheney High School graduate Jacob Smith has been awarded a Music Excellence scholarship at the liberal arts college. Smith was one of 17 students receiving Excellence or Presidential scholarships and the only student from Washington. Concordia College is a four-year liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America offering more than 50 majors, including 18 honors majors as well as 12 preprofessional programs....
CHENEY – The City Council gave its go-ahead to two construction projects while putting a third briefly on ice at its July 14 meeting. The council elected to delay giving final plat approval to Phase 1 of the View Acres 5th Addition, postponing the decision until its July 28 meeting. Phase 1 would allow construction of 16 of 28 proposed homes on the 14.2-acre parcel at the end of Ridgeview Drive near Salnave Elementary School. The decision to defer final approval, which is contingent on three conditions developer Gary Geschke...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS — In the midst of a $1.9 million budget gap, the City Council elected to table a resolution on whether to declare a financial emergency at its legislative session Monday. The resolution, presented by City Manager Albert Tripp, was proposed as a way to spread awareness of the city’s financial struggles amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The importance of spreading awareness was reiterated by Tripp and echoed by Deputy Mayor Sonny Weathers, who presided over the meeting in Mayor Kevin Richey’s absence. Counc...
