Articles from the September 16, 2021 edition


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  • Two injured in plane crash near Palouse

    Whitman County Gazette|Updated Sep 23, 2021

    PALOUSE – Two people were injured when a small plane crashed at a private airfield near Palouse on Sept. 15. The plane crashed at Schoepflin Airport on Ringo Road at around 11 a.m., according to Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers. “Initial reports indicate the student pilot, accompanied by his flight instructor, attempted to make a landing when the plane made a hard touchdown causing the landing gear to malfunction,” said Myers. “As a result, the plane flipped and came to...

  • Inslee extends eviction moratorium

    Roger Harnack, Cheney Free Press|Updated Sep 23, 2021

    OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee this afternoon extended his coronavirus-related eviction moratorium through Oct. 31. Calling the moratorium a “bridge,” Inslee said his action will allow municipalities to put in place financial assistance programs for those who haven’t paid their rent or mortgages during the 18 months of his orders related to the virus that originated in Wuhan, China. Money is available, he said, adding: “We think this extension provides ample times for these funds to get out to citizens.” In early August, the...

  • Book Clubs returning to Medical Lake library

    Cheney Free Press|Updated Sep 17, 2021

    MEDICAL LAKE — Local Book Clubs are returning to the Medical Lake branch of Spokane County Library District. Organizational meetings are planned for 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 22, and 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 25. The meetings are open to the public. The local branch library is located at 321 E. Herb St....

  • Updated Sep 16, 2021

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  • Heated mask discussion at school board meeting

    Scott Davis, Reporter|Updated Sep 16, 2021

    CHENEY – A conversation regarding contingency plans due to rising COVID-19 infection rates elicited an impassioned response from community members at the Sept. 9 School Board meeting, including an attendee who was asked to leave. The angry parent – who had already spoken at-length during the public comment portion of the meeting – continued to shout throughout the event, despite continued requests to save his comments for a private conference, or for after the meeting. In keeping with an established School Board policy that...

  • Remembering 9/11

    Fairchild AFB Special to Cheney Free Press|Updated Sep 16, 2021

    On Saturday, Fairchild Air Force Base personnel observed the 20th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., with a somber ceremony. The attacks occurred when Muslim hijackers took control of four commercial aircraft, piloting two into World Trade Center buildings and killing 2,763 people. One crashed into the Pentagon, killing 187 people. Passengers on the fourth aircraft, United Flight 93, wrestled for control...

  • Losh to lead West Plains chamber

    Matthew O. Stephens, Reporter|Updated Sep 16, 2021

    AIRWAY HEIGHTS – The West Plains Chamber of Commerce has a new executive director. Mark Losh recently joined the chamber as the new executive director. "I am very excited about this opportunity and challenge," Losh said. Losh comes into the position with more than four decades of business management experience, he said. He is also currently the director of membership for the Missoula Area Chamber of Commerce, a title he has effectively worked for more than three years. Losh sa...

  • WSU orders 4-H volunteers to get vaccinated

    Roger Harnack|Updated Sep 16, 2021

    PULLMAN – The Washington State University Extension Office is applying the governor’s Wuhan coronavirus vaccination requirement to all 4-H volunteers. In a letter dated Sept. 3, Extension Office Director Vicki A. McCracken gave all volunteers until Oct. 18 to prove they have been vaccinated or be removed from their post. “… WSU is required to comply with Governor Inslee’s recent vaccination proclamation requirement,” McCracken wrote. “This health and safety proclamation that h...

  • Two local businessmen recognized

    SCOTT DAVIS, Staff Reporter|Updated Sep 16, 2021

    CHENEY – Two local businessmen have been honored for their community service work. Tom Jarms of Jarms Hardware and Dennis Williams of System Transport were presented awards for community service last week by the Spokane Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. After the devastating Babb Road fire in Malden last year, Jarms quickly mobilized the Cheney community to collect funds, distribute vital comfort supplies to victims and attain building products at reduced c...

  • Sits with hogs

    Dean Henrich, Valley News Herald|Updated Sep 16, 2021

    Carter Baldwin of Medical lake hangs out with his 6-month-old hog, “Buddy,” a Hamp X breed. “I have to feed him. Walk him, and give him a whole bunch of mud so he can cool down in the hot sun,” Baldwin said. Baldwin attends Hallett Elementary School....

  • Wear masks outdoors

    Roger Harnack, Cheney Free Press|Updated Sep 16, 2021

    OLYMPIA – Under a revised order by Gov. Jay Inslee last Thursday, Sept. 9, residents and visitors are now required to cover their faces when attending outdoor events that attract more than 500 people. The revised edict applies to sporting events, concerts and fairs. As of Monday, Sept. 13, face coverings are required of all event-goers, even if they’ve gotten a coronavirus vaccine and a booster. During the press conference in which he announced the new mandate, the gov...

  • Third roundabout work begins off Geiger

    Cheney Free Press|Updated Sep 16, 2021

    AIRWAY HEIGHTS -- Travelers who use the Geiger-Grove intersection just north of Interstate 90 will experience extended detours due to continued construction near the interchange. Contractors are moving into the second stage of construction on the third and final roundabout here, state Department of Transportation officials said Tuesday, Sept. 14. Stage 2 construction began Tuesday. The work is part of the I-90 Geiger interchange improvements project. Stage 1 to complete the northern half of the final roundabout is nearing...

  • All-Alaskan Racing Pigs return to fair 

    DEAN HENRICH, Valley News Herald|Updated Sep 16, 2021

    SPOKANE VALLEY -- The All-Alaskan Racing Pigs are regulars each year at the Spokane County Interstate Fair. The “racetrack” is on the North Lawn at the fairgrounds, with show times daily through the run of the fair. Owner Bart Noll says he started the show 34 years ago when he and his wife, Deanne, lived in Fairbanks, Alaska. “I was working in the fair business at the time and we heard about this pig racing thing. I pitched it to my boss,” he said. “He didn’t think it was a very good idea. “The next year, my wife and I re...

  • The rise of arrogance and the need for 'Sense'

    Lou Marzeles, Editor & Publisher, The Goldendale Sentinel|Updated Sep 16, 2021

    Arrogance is running wild in Olympia. It has consumed the State Legislature and the office of governor. This article addresses only the arrogance, not the specific policies, of these institutions. It is time for Uncommon Sense. In 1776, Thomas Paine published a 47-page pamphlet that, as much as any other factor at work in the American colonies, emboldened the populace to rise up against the monarchy of Great Britain. The pamphlet was called Common Sense. It was a runaway bestseller in its time, ubiquitous from pulpits to...

  • Shot order for 4-H volunteers goes too far

    Roger Harnack, Cheney Free Press Publisher|Updated Sep 16, 2021

    Talk about a bureaucrat with delusions of grandeur. On Sept. 3, Washington State University Extension Office Director Vicki A. McCracken took it upon herself to dictate that all 4-H volunteers now have to be “fully vaccinated” to continue in their position or face being “inactive.” She cited Gov. Jay Inslee’s edict that everyone connected to education – from preschool through the university system – must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18. Apparently, neither McCracken nor...

  • Heat but no light at School Board meeting

    Updated Sep 16, 2021

    The Sept. 8 Cheney School Board meeting had some heat. Public comments were heard and limited to the opening minutes. These comments may be delivered in person or emailed prior to the meeting. An angry parent at the meeting complained about the education being delivered. He had a variety of complaints. But what stuck with me was his need to hire a tutor for his second-grade child to insure she could read. At a digital meeting last October, a parent submitted a question wondering what the district planned to do for students...

  • West Plains Police News

    Updated Sep 16, 2021

    Cheney September 6 Harassment was reported on the 500 Block of 2nd Street. September 7 A blue 1994 Wilson utility trailer was stolen on the 2300 Block of the Cheney Spokane Road. Attempted prescription fraud was reported on the 100 Block of F Street. Joshua M. Bader, 30, was arrested for a noise violation on the 2200 Block of Hillside Drive. Methamphetamine was found on the 900 Block of 4th Street. Jacob T. Savidge, 26, was arrested for a DUI, ID theft, ignition interlock violation, and making false statements to a public ser...

  • Charity event raises $1,000

    Scott Davis, Reporter|Updated Sep 16, 2021

    CHENEY – The booths and chairs of the Speak Easy restaurant (formerly Willow Springs) were filled with an assortment of clowns, flappers, and gangsters Friday night to raise funds for Shriner's Hospital and Feed Cheney. Organized by the West Plains Angels, founded by Tony and Amy Blount, the evening included a colorful fashion show of Shriners clowns and a feast of food that netted over $1,000 in donations. "It went very, very well," Tony Blount said. "Everyone was very h...

  • Wheat Foundation offers scholarships

    Updated Sep 16, 2021

    CHENEY -- The Washington Association of Wheat Growers is accepting applications for the Wheat Ambassador Program. The program offers leadership and advocacy opportunities within the wheat industry and is open to children of organization members who are entering their senior year of high school. The application deadline is Oct. 15; two candidates will be selected to receive a Washington Wheat Foundation scholarship; one is for $5,000 and the other $4,500. To apply, log onto http://www.wawg.org/washington-wh...

  • Bread

    Updated Sep 16, 2021

    Workshop writers are often challenged to write a short piece on a prompt while in session. They are given 7-10 minutes to write, then share their work with each other. During a recent session, the prompt was “bread.” Though sometimes similar, no two pieces are the same. Here are three of the impromptu works: Bread By Venus Bratsveen Bread, bread It’s in my head My tummy calls To line its walls With beautiful, yummy bread. Bread, scratch, dough, moolah, the Benjamins, green backs, cash not coin, tender, bucks. It’s all the...

  • Joel Edward Hughes

    Updated Sep 16, 2021

    Joel Edward Hughes Sept. 19, 1979 – Sept. 8, 2021 Joel Edward Hughes went to be with the Lord on Sept. 8th, 2021. He was born on Sept. 19, 1979 in Montclair Calif., moving to Newport, Wash. at the age of two. His family then moved to Spokane, Wash. for a few years, settling in Cheney, Wash. when he was seven. He attended Cheney schools from elementary school through graduation. He attained his baccalaureate degree at Washington State University. Joel worked many years in r...

  • Sprague Days offered family fun

    Joy Wilken, Special to the Free Press|Updated Sep 16, 2021

    SPRAGUE – Residents and dozens of visitors hit downtown over the weekend for the annual Sprague Days celebration, enjoying the sunny weather. The theme of the event was Remembering 9/11. The festival parade was led by a National Guard truck and various veterans and enlisted service members. There was a lot of classic chassis and motorcycles, too, in the parade as well as the Car and Bike Show. The celebration included live music, good food, free family fun activities and v...