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The Cheney City Council voted unanimously at its July 28 meeting to pass an ordinance lifting the city’s state law imposed levy lid limit and send a proposed property tax increase to the Nov. 4 general election ballot. The proposed increase would raise the current levy amount of $2.4038 per $1,000 of assessed property valuation to $3.10 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. If approved, the levy would be lifted for a single year, but would remain permanently in place for future years, meaning it would always be $3.10 annually, b...
CHENEY July 20 Third-degree theft was reported on the 300 block of Second Street. A Shop Vac was taken from a garage. Officers assisted a homeless man who was living in his car and had become dehydrated. The man was transported to a medical facility. Third-degree theft was reported on the 800 block of West First Street. A bicycle was taken. A cellphone was found on the 1700 block of Seventh Street. Lance T. Prince, 23, was arrested for third-degree driving while license suspended (DWLS) on the 1300 block of Second Street....
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit is offering their final boater education class, Aug. 8, from 8 a.m. — 4 p.m. at 6011 N. Chase Road in Newman Lake. The class is open to the public 12 years and older. Spokane County Marine Enforcement Deputies.will give in-classroom training on boaters safety and education. In this class, boaters will learn all the necessary information to be successful on the state exam. The exam will be given in this course. State law requires all boat operators born after Jan. 1, 1955 to car...
Ryan and Tessa Fairchild of Tacoma are pleased to announce the birth of their first child. Luke Xavier Fairchild was born July 18, 2015, at 5:53 p.m. at Tacoma General Hospital, measuring 21 inches and weighing seven pounds, seven ounces. Tessa Fairchild is a 2002 graduate of Medical Lake High School while Ryan Fairchild is from Florida. The family is currently living in Tacoma....
Editor’s note: Luella Dow continues her story from last week of challenges faced in her youth. Even at my age I understood they didn’t like me. I’d go home again. I managed to gather the armful of school supplies I had brought to school and started down the road. I hadn’t gone 10 steps before I heard a blaring horn and a man’s voice, “Get off the road. You’re too little to be out here by yourself. I ain’t gonna be responsible for you.” I ran to the other side of the road. The man raced his car past me and left me in sheets...
Emmanuel Lutheran Church All are welcome to worship with us this Sunday, Aug. 2, at 10:30 a.m. You may also watch our pastor’s sermon at www.emmanuelcheney.org or on YouTube at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Cheney. Adult education begins at 9 a.m. “Worship in the Park” will be held at the gazebo at Sutton Park Sunday, Aug. 9 at 10:30 a.m. Bring your family, friends, a comfy chair and worship with us in God’s creation. A two-site Vacation Bible School will be held Aug. 10 – 14. “Unvanquished” will be the theme for this year’s prog...
1 Years Ago Aug. 4, 2005 Several locations in the Cheney area had fliers promoting “white pride” distributed on their property according to Police Chief Jeff Sale. Eastern Washington University hired the executive search firm of A.T. Kearney to assist it in finding a new president for the school to replace the outgoing Stephen Jordan. Both EWU men’s and women’s basketball teams were to face challenging schedules their coaches announced. The Mike Burns’ led Eagle men would play Marquette in the Great Alaska Shootout...
Betty passed away peacefully on June 24, 2015 in Spokane, Wash. Betty was born on April 22, 1927 to Elsie and William Springer in Otis Orchards, Wash. She was the youngest of seven siblings: Bev, Phyllis, Jay, Jean, Velma and Bill, all of which have preceded her in death. She was married to Delbert Spear in June of 1946 (divorced 1980). After marrying, the couple made their home in Four Lakes, Wash., where they had five children together: Linda (deceased), Janet Spear... Full story
Many of us got our start in taking pictures - "snap-shots" if you will - when we received our first Kodak Instamatic camera. The difference between the vast majority of us and Mike Ault, however, are the steps we took next. What separated potentially boring, out of focus or poorly framed photos from the works of art Ault, Larry Conboy and Gareth Davis currently have on display in "Perspectives in Black and White," at the Eastern Washington University Downtown Student Art...
Earlier this month, my son’s baseball team qualified for the 9/10 State Little League tournament, which was to be held in Cheney July 18 – 26. As most are aware, the tournament had to be moved to Montesano, Wash. at the last minute because of a watering issue here in town. Hosting this tournament would have brought a lot of revenue into the city. Despite this lost opportunity, I am writing today to tell you that the people and businesses in the West Plains area are amazing. When our team won the district tournament, coa...
On behalf of the board of directors and all the members of the Cheney High School Alumni Association (CHSAA) kindly allow me to express our gratitude for your support of our annual All Class Reunion Picnic. We enjoyed one of the best reunion picnics we have had in recent years. The classes of ‘45, ‘55, ‘65, and ‘75 celebrated special milestones and everyone had a good time. The Free Press’s support contributed a great deal to our success. The picnic is an exceptional event that occurs in very few communities, bringing...
The last time I checked you can still buy your POM Wonderful at our local supermarkets. This despite the fact that a judge issued a “cease and desist,” ordering POM to stop claiming its beverage benefits everything from your brain to your prostate (see www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/pom-not-so-wonderful/). Distributors aren’t going to remove the stuff just because its maker’s lied, not as long as people keep buying it, and they do. POM’s 8-ounce bottle is now the fastest selling, single-serve premium refrigerated juice. Ho...
There’s a television ad these days that speaks to cellphone users who decided to take the offer of a competitor only to find when all was said and done the service was just not as good as advertised. Those who left were offered a financial incentive, which the advertiser is willing to match should they return. The idea reminded the Cheney Free Press editorial board of the current tug-of-war between the city of Cheney and Eastern Washington University when it comes to police dispatch services. While it appears that the c...
Veteran’s benefits seminar Attention military veterans. Representatives from the Spokane Veteran’s Center are conducting outreach seminars to the surrounding community in an effort to update personnel on changes to benefits and policies. Representatives will be in Cheney Aug. 8, from 10 a.m. – noon at the American Legion/VFW Hall located at 116 College Ave. They will provide a short introduction and briefing then open the floor up for questions. All veterans are welcome to attend. For more information contact Carl Close... Full story
Airmen from Fairchild Air Force Base stopped by to lend a hand with a car wash sponsored by the Stars & Stripes, Boots & Spurs Car Club on Saturday, July 11 at the Airway Heights Grease Monkey. People waiting to get their cars washed were treated to refreshments of bananas and milk, with proceeds raised benefiting the veteran's organization, A Time of Remembrance....
It’s been another busy year for the Airway Heights Police Department According to crime statistics provided by the department, there were 2,931 recorded incidents from January to June this year. This is down from last year’s number of 3,145 from January to May 2014, however it’s up from incidents that happened in the same timeframe in 2013 (2,802). While overall crime stats are down, the Police Department conducted 599 reports, investigations and arrests, which is an increase over last year’s number of 573. Traffic inciden...
Not much changed in terms of crime for Medical Lake. According to statistics from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, there were 1,061 computer aided dispatch calls from January to June, an 8 percent increase from last year’s number of 976 around the same timeframe as last year. However, the 2015 CAD incidents were down from 2013’s numbers (1,077). Some areas where crime increased include self-initiated incidents, which were up 14 percent (534 to 621) and traffic stops, which rose 1 percent (173 to 175). Traffic incid...
Rick Roig's career with the Cheney Fire Department not only spanned several decades, but also included being on the forefront of many changes in the field of emergency response. And, it included delivering a couple of babies. Roig was honored by the city at the City Council's July 14 meeting on the occasion of his retirement after 31 years of service. Department Lt. Tim Steiner said Roig began as a firefighter with Cheney in 1984, advancing to the rank of captain in the late...
A pair of Cheney High School graduates will be spending part of their summer cooling off — literally. Connor Netz and Evelyn Rowe are joining 110 other high school and university students and 80 staff members representing 18 countries on a journey from Ottawa, Canada to Greenland and the Canadian Arctic as part of the 15th annual Students on Ice annual expedition. According to a news release, the two-week combined sea and land-based expedition, which departed Ottawa July 27, will journey to the communities, coasts and f...
Cheney Holiday Inn Express owners Debbie and Brian Anderson have filed an application with the city’s Community Development Department to expand their 76-room hotel and conference center. The proposed $3.5 million expansion would add 46 more guest rooms along with increasing the size and capabilities of the conference center to accommodate events of up to 200 people. The expansion is also part of a $1.5 million remodel of the existing hotel rooms and lobby spaces, bringing the total cost of the project to $5 million, all of w...
With a rodeo that may be better than ever, even after nearly a half-century, and a city in search of staying power for a community event, perhaps the two can help both parties thrive. The 48th annual Cheney Rodeo recently completed its three-day run at the Bi-Mart Arena and was one of the best officials said. "In a word, good," Rick Edwards said. Edwards is secretary of the Cheney Events Association, the organization behind the rodeo. "I think 2013 was the best year we ever...
It was a relatively safe Fourth of July for the city of Medical Lake. At the July 20 City Council meeting, Assistant Fire Chief Corey Stevens said the department had two fire trucks on patrol. They also received help from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and SCOPE. “I’ve also got to give it to our citizens for taking part in the voluntary fireworks ban,” Stevens said. “The deputies did a great job of keeping it out of the streets.” Medical Lake requested residents to refrain from using fireworks on July 4 due to the weat...
The Airway Heights Planning Commission followed suit with many residents and staff regarding Mayor Patrick Rushing and his ability to lead the city. At its July 22 meeting, the commission asked staff to draft a document stating they do not agree with Rushing statements and asks him to resign from his position as mayor. Airway Heights has been the subject of controversy since Rushing posted comments on his personal Facebook account that compare President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama to “monkeys.” City Council, st...
Airway Heights firefighters called to the scene of an early morning fire Monday at Sixth and Beeman found a good portion of the house fully consumed. See the story in Sect. 1, page 9....
With a few exceptions, most categories in the Cheney Police Department's year-to-date figures from the June Monthly Accountability Report (MAR) reflect a downward trend when compared to this time last year. Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) totaled 286 through the first half of 2015, compared to 303 in 2014, a decrease of just over 5.6 percent. Seven of the 11 categories were at or near 2014 levels, with significant decreases seen in assaults (24.49 percent), burglaries (32.14...
