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The search for a new mayor of Airway Heights is over. At Tuesday's meeting, the City Council voted 4-0 to appoint Deputy Mayor Kevin Richey as the new Airway Heights mayor. Richey abstained from voting and Councilman Steven Lawrence was absent. Richey has served on council since 2007 and currently works as a deputy for the Spokane County Sheriff's Office. He takes over for former Mayor Patrick Rushing, who resigned Aug. 17 due to health concerns. Since Rushing's departure, Ric...
1 Years Ago Sept. 15, 2005 Cheney voters were ready to pare down the current three mayoral candidates — Dennis Higbee, Hipolito Sarmiento and Allan Gainer — to two for the November general election. Making the various circles in Cheney communicate better to create a more vital downtown was the top priority for Dr. Sue Wright, the newly named Pathways to Progress President. Three fumbles by the Blackhawks helped pave the way for West Valley’s 21-6 Greater Spokane League football victory over Cheney. Denny McKee scored the l...
United Methodist Church The fall schedule begins this Sunday morning at the United Methodist Church with Sunday school classes at 9 a.m. followed by worship at 10 a.m. Our district superintendent, the Rev. Dale Cockrum, will be preaching and continuing a sermon series entitled “Set apart: Holy Habits of Prophets and Kings.” In addition to classes for children, two adult Sunday school classes are being offered this fall including one that is a grief support group. Sunday evening will be the first fall gathering of the adu...
Janet Anne Kondratowicz, (Moore) passed away peacefully at Hospice House of Spokane, July 26, 2015. She was born in Missoula, Mont. to Harold and Ruth Moore on Aug. 9, 1942. The family moved from Moiese, Mont. to Four Lakes, Wash., in 1953. Janet attended Four Lakes Grade School and graduated from Cheney High School in 1961. She married John Kondratowicz in 1965 after attending beauty school. Janet and John lived in the Springdale, Wash. area for many years before moving to Sp...
By AL STOVER Staff Reporter Airway Heights residents will have an opportunity to learn some martial arts techniques. The city’s Parks and Recreation Department is holding a free self-defense class, every Tuesday from Sept. 15 to Oct. 20, from 6-8 p.m. at the community center. Students who attend the class will learn basic Wing Chun techniques. Wing Chun is a Chinese martial art that utilizes both striking and grappling in close-range combat. Its concepts and principles are designed to end a violent encounter in a way that i...
I can still remember the cold winter day when my wife and I first saw Cheney. We had driven up from Portland in the late ‘80s for a job interview, and I recall that in the last 100 miles we had passed through a very dry and desolate country. I now know what a wonderful, unique place the channeled scablands are, but at the time it seemed only to be a lot of nothing all the way from the Tri-Cities north to the Spokane County line. It was when a line of pine trees appeared on the northern horizon near the exit for Fishtrap Lake...
By AL STOVER Staff Reporter Airway Heights residents should not worry if they soon see a large group of motorcyclists at Sunset Park. The American Legion Riders Chapter 9 is holding its 9/11 Memorial Ride, open to motorcycles and cars, Saturday, Sept. 12, in honor of military veterans, police officers and firefighters. The ride will start at Sunset Park and end at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery, 21702 W. Espanola Road, in Medical Lake. Mike Giese, of the American Legion Riders, explained that Inland Northwest...
CHENEY Aug. 31 A child was found on the 2400 block of First Street. The child left the house and wandered to a nearby retail store while the parents were preoccupied. Sept. 1 Third-degree malicious mischief was reported on the 200 block of Buena Vista Street. A window was broken. Sept. 2 A suicide attempt was reported on the 1600 block of Third Street. The individual was voluntarily committed. Sept. 3 A vehicle reported stolen out of Spokane was recovered on the 800 block of West First Street. Fourth-degree assault was...
The Cheney Police Department (CPD) is a small, but professional police agency, staffed with caring and compassionate public safety professionals. For several years, the CPD has been a state-accredited police department and serves as a model to others in this area. However, behind this façade of excellence and exceptional service, the CPD suffers from a lack of funding support in several key areas. As I near the completion of my fourth year as your chief of police, I find myself examining the state of the police department....
A pair of news items last week has left us wondering if we aren’t becoming too sensitive in our approach to race and cultural relations in society. The first was the incident of five Whitworth University women soccer players who were suspended by their head coach for posting photos of themselves on social media in costumes that included the use of blackface makeup. Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used by performers to portray black people that began being used in the early 19th century. The practice contributed to t...
For retirees who want to brush up on their history or creative writing, the Community Colleges of Spokane is offering two ACT 2 classes through its extended learning program at the Cheney Care Center. The first class is “The Lincoln Legend: 150th Anniversary of His Death,” which will be taught every Monday, from 9–11 a.m. from Sept. 21 to Oct. 26. Dick Donley, a retired Eastern Washington University professor, will guide students through the life of President Abraham Lincoln, from his days as a prairie lawyer to his later...
Medical Lake Middle School students and parents may notice a new face in the hallways and at the main office. Tim Cruger joined the Medical Lake School District as the middle school's new assistant principal. Cruger grew up in the Hillyard area of Spokane before moving to Medical Lake where he attended junior high and high school. He said he has a lot of family in the area and Medical Lake is "near and dear" to his heart. "I'm excited to start my administrative career in my...
Much has been made — and sometimes not too positive — in the media about K-12 students academic progress, or in some cases lack thereof, as measured through the national Smarter Balance Assessment methods. When it comes to determining how well their students are learning, Cheney School District officials seek a different path, or more accurately, paths to augment the national assessment. According to results from the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) and the WAKIDS inventory of ski...
The home of John and Rose Szprejda at 403 North Third St., has been named the September Yard of the Month by the Medical Lake Kiwanis Club and Gardeners of Cheney. The Szprejdas received a $25 gift certificate to Village Supply from Umpqua Bank. From left to right: John Szprejda; Sharry Cowan, Gardeners of Cheney and Dan Dorhorst, Medical Lake Kiwanis Club....
Washington State University Extension, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency and Risk Management Agency, is holding a crop and disaster insurance workshop Monday, Sept. 14. The workshop takes place in Spokane at the WSUE’s Spokane County office, 222 Havana St., from 10 a.m. to noon. The focus will be on USDA-FSA and USDA-RMA program assistance for crop, forage and forage-based livestock operations. Participants will learn how they can qualify and apply for the “Noninsured Crop Disas...
The water tower in Sunset Park in Airway Heights is getting a makeover sometime in the next year. In August, City Council approved a work order for Century West to prepare the contract for the bid to repaint the tower. Interim Public Works Director Ross Dunfee explained that water tanks have to be recoated after a certain amount of time. “Depending on its thickness, the protective coating should last 10-20 years,” Dunfee said. Although Dunfee offered council a chance to change the colors, he said the water tower will kee...
On a crisp Sunday morning, Aug. 30, members from the Medical Lake Citizens Deer Advisory Committee conducted a deer census around the city where they found 73 doe, 38 bucks and 34 fawns. This is an increase from the committee's April count where they found two bucks, 10 doe and 15 fawns. Unlike April's count, this census included data from Eastern State Hospital and Lakeland Village in addition to the residential areas of the city, according to Candace Bennett, wildlife...
Feed Medical Lake Sept. 14 Feed Medical Lake will serve beef stroganoff, buttered noodles, garden salad, roll and cookies on Monday, Sept. 14 from 5-6 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 223 S. Hallett St. Free groceries are available. Everyone is welcome. For more information contact Joanna Williams at (509) 714-1150. ML Friends of Library meet The Medical Lake Friends of the Library will be discussing “Primates of Park Avenue” by Wednesday Martin. The Monday, Sept. 14, meeting starts with a social hour and refre...
He's a mason by trade, in recent years an Information Technology guy, and most recently a consultant. And now Julius Tepp can add bar owner to his resume. Tepp, 57, the new owner of the old Goofy's in Cheney, admits he never intended on owning a bar. But when his wife, Oksana, told him, "You need a project," and his son, Ignatius, let him know the bar was for sale, Tepp's first reaction was, "Yeah, so?" When he started checking into it he determined that yes, he could make it...
The "For Sale" signs that once stood outside the former Gatto's Pizza are gone. Inside, crews are busily getting the building ready for its new life in an ambitious project being undertaken by Cheney resident Lori Musgrave. By the third week in September and the home-opening football game for Eastern Washington University against Montana State, Musgrave hopes the doors on her Marketplace Bakery and Deli will swing open to welcome residents and visitors alike. The Cheney...
In the Sept. 3 Cheney Free Press story on Cheney Federal Credit Union’s logo change, CFCU’s chief executive officer’s first name was spelled incorrectly. The correct spelling is Jo An Sanders....
Another Airway Heights elected official has garnered some heat after a post they made on their personal Facebook account. As reported in a story on the Cheney Free Press website, Sept. 3, the city of Airway Heights released a press release, announcing that Councilman Dave Malet posted an offensive picture on his personal Facebook account, Sept. 2. Deputy City Manager Lee Bennett said he received a phone call regarding Malet’s post. According to Bennett, the picture was of an African American man and a Caucasian man with t...
In the short term, Cheney’s communications system is up and running after a fire last week in an Eastern Washington University utility tunnel knocked out the city’s fiber optic system. In the long term, how long that temporary fix will remain in place, and what a permanent fix will look like, has yet to be determined. Light Director Steve Boorman gave an update to the City Council at its regular meeting Tuesday night, Sept. 9, providing some brief details about the incident that started Aug. 31. Sparks from a cutting too...
Construction crews recently began excavation work that will accommodate construction of an expanded Holiday Inn Express in Cheney. The $5 million project will include a 46-room addition, larger conference center and remodeling of the existing 76 rooms. The anticipated completion date is March 2016....
While water quantity has been top priority for the city of Medical Lake this summer, one piece of good news comes in the form of the city’s water quality. According to its most recent water quality and efficiency report, the water Medical Lake provided residents in 2014 met or exceeded all federal and state requirements for safe drinking. The city treats its well water with chlorine to eliminate any microbial contamination of drinking water. In the report, it stated the city collected 72 samples and DSHS collected 36 s...
