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CHENEY – The City Council concurred with a recommendation from the Planning Commission and unanimously approved a preliminary plat for a 46-unit residential development at their Sept. 22 meeting that could bring higher-end homes to the city. Parkside 2nd Addition would plat 31 single-family lots and 15 duplexes on 16.98 acres of property near the corner of Simpson Parkway and North 6th Street. The property, owned by Gordon Finch Homes, is currently zoned for R-1 (single family) and R-2 (two-family) development. The d...
OLYMPIA — Republic Police Chief Loren Culp came out swinging and kept incumbent Gov. Jay Inslee on the defensive during their only planned gubernatorial debate Wednesday night, Oct. 7. Culp, R-Republic, blasted Inslee, D-Bainbridge Island, for mismanaging state agencies, violating state and constitutional rights, and a lack of leadership. "What we have right here in Washington is a leadership crisis," Culp said as the one-hour debate kicked off. Rather than defend his r...
RENTON—More tweaks have come to the benchmarks for playing high school sports, as the WIAA updated its return-to-play guidelines Oct. 6 following new guidance given by Gov. Jay Inslee. Sports have been grouped into three categories based on the “risk level” they provide in regard to possible transmission of COVID-19: low-risk, moderate-risk and high-risk. Various sports can return based on their risk level compared to COVID-19 transmission within their community. Local COVID-19 activity will also be measured in three categori...
SPOKANE—Incumbent Mike Volz and challenger Zack Zappone, candidates for 6th Legislative District House Pos. 1, will take part in a debate hosted by KSPS on Thursday, Oct. 8. Candidates will be asked questions by two panelists and local journalists: Drew Lawson of the Cheney Free Press and Adam Shanks, a city hall reporter for the Spokesman-Review. Candidates will get one minute to respond to questions from moderators, except for the last question, where they may be asked to limit answers to 30 seconds. They will be given t...
Crews were busy replacing old and damaged tiles Monday morning on Cheney's historic Northern Pacific Railroad Depot. The depot was moved to its new location on 1st Street this summer and is undergoing repairs with the intention to return it to some form of public use in the future....
CHENEY — Incumbent Republicans are up for re-election against Democrat challengers in the race for both Position 1 and 2 in the House of Representatives in District 6, which covers the West Plains and portions of Spokane outside downtown. Twice-incumbent Mike Volz is being challenged by first-time politician and middle school teacher Zack Zappone for Pos. 1, while incumbent Jenny Graham is facing Spokane attorney Tom McGarry for Pos. 2. Following is a breakdown of the campaign donation totals each candidate has received since...
MEDICAL LAKE - After over a month of most students studying from home, the school district will be following many other Spokane County districts in beginning a slow and steady return to in-person learning, the district announced Sept. 25 on its Facebook page. In-person learning, beginning with preschool and kindergarten, will begin to phase in Oct. 12, pending approval of the district's re-opening plan by the board. A special board meeting to approve the plan will be held...
MALDEN, Wash. — The smoke has pretty much subsided, and with fall officially in the books and winter ahead, the victims of the Babb Road Fire gathered Sept. 23 to learn what the path ahead looks like. Meeting in open-air tents behind the makeshift city hall which is housed in a mobile office structure, many masked — and some not — area residents heard from a variety of government officials. They outlined the steps necessary to first clean up and then rebuild following the L...
MEDICAL LAKE—Those planning to head to Medical Lake this weekend may want to plan an alternate route to avoid construction occurring at the State Route 902/Medical Lake interchange off Interstate 90. The eastbound off-ramp at Exit 272 off I-90 will close Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. through Oct. 5 at 5 a.m. Additionally, a single lane of I-90 will close Oct. 3 from 3:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., according to a press release provided by Beth Bousley of the Washington State Department of T...
John Delbert Reitmeier John Delbert Reitmeier, age 79, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Sept. 19, 2020. John was born on March 19, 1941, in Spokane, Wash. to Harry and Theda Reitmeier. John graduated from Cheney High School in 1959, their golden anniversary. After high school, John met his wife Judy through a mutual friend and they were married in June of 1964. After marriage, John worked with his dad as a welder in his dad's welding shop before switching careers to...
REARDAN - A crowd of around 50 people gathered at the Mann family ranch off Highway 231 north of town Friday, Sept. 18 for a dedication of a historical marker recognizing Medal of Honor recipient and Reardan native Joe Mann, who died at 22 after jumping on a grenade to protect his comrades in World War II. The event began with a welcome message by Rae Anna Victor of the Jonas Babcock chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. A presentation of colors by the Fairchild...
CHENEY Sept. 21 A vehicle prowling was reported on the 1000 block of Betz Road. Vehicle was entered and rummaged through, but nothing was taken. Sept. 22 Richard O. Tracy, 32, was arrested for third-degree driving while license suspended on the 2300 block of 1st Street. Harassment was reported on the 100 block of 1st Street. Domestic violence/verbal dispute was reported on the 2400 block of University Lane. A hit-and-run collision was reported on the 1500 block of Washington Street. A vehicle hit a sign pole. Sept. 23...
MALDEN, Wash. — Almost wherever one travels on the streets of Malden, Wash. piles of ash and rubble are all that remain following the Babb Road Fire that raced through the community on Labor Day. Even the Mason’s Hall was reduced to just ashes and a few small artifacts that volunteers found as they sifted through the basement on Sept. 16, a little over a week after the wind driven blaze torched some 18,000 acres with the nearby community of Pine City also feeling its eff...
Cheney Community Church On Sunday, July 26, the congregation of Cheney Community Church transitioned to a new pastor. The baton was passed from pastor Todd Luce to pastor Trevor Jensen. Luce moved to South Carolina to be closer to family on the East Coast. He served at Cheney Community Church for five years. Pastor Jensen and his wife, Christina, have attended and been involved in the church since 2010, so felt right at home in their new position. They are excited to take on this new role. The Jensens have four children. The...
Over two weeks after the Babb Road Fire, the wheat at the Pine City elevator was still on fire in a smoldering smoky blaze....
MEDICAL LAKE — Small businesses who experienced negative financial situations directly attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic can now apply for coronavirus relief funding (CRF) grants through an application process available on the city website. The city received $225,225 in virus relief fund allocation from the state as part of the federal CARES act. Council agreed with city administration’s plan to allocate $120,000 of those funds for small business grants, and city adm...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS—Revitalizing and developing the downtown area of the city has been a hot topic for years. Now, council and the planning committee are anxious to start making practical steps toward downtown development, a sentiment discussed during council’s study session Sept. 29 that included a joint workshop with the planning committee. The city received a $50,000 grant from the Department of Commerce to prepare a downtown plan in spring 2020 and is partnering with SCJ Alliance Consulting Services to develop that plan, whi...
Donald Trump and his staff have created a method to destroy Social Security and Medicare. The President signed an order that allows employers to choose the option of not collecting and submitting payroll taxes to the federal government for the rest of the year. These taxes are not part of the federal income taxes paid monthly but they are funds dedicated to pay for Social Security and Medicare. The payroll tax is 7.65%. If a person makes $15 per hour working a normal year of approximately 2,000 hours their income is $30,000...
Local manufacturing businesses and jobs have experienced a resurgence in recent years that needs to continue for our state’s livelihood and connection to the global economy. Before the pandemic, the manufacturing sector employed 11.6 million workers in the United States. During the past three years, approximately 500,000 manufacturing jobs were added to the economy. In 2018 alone, 264,000 manufacturing jobs were added, the most created in any single year in more than two decades. Locally in Washington state, there were n...
COVID-19 is wreaking havoc on Americans’ mental health. One in three Americans suffers from severe anxiety, and one in four battles depression, according to recent Census Bureau data. Texts to federal emergency mental health lines are up 1,000 percent for the year. And a May survey from the University of Chicago found that four out of 10 respondents felt a sense of hopelessness at least once a day. Sadly, insurance companies are exacerbating the mental health impact of the pandemic by making it needlessly difficult for p...
SPOKANE – The County Library District is offering programs and events for kids, tweens and teens in October that are slightly spooky, mysterious and strange. According to a Sept. 29 news release, kids in grades 6–12 are invited to the “Whodunit Costume Ball Mystery.” Participants try to solve the puzzles and crack the codes to figure out the whodunit and discover the mystery of the ball. Costumes are encouraged – getting into a sleuthing character can help to solve the virtual mystery. Registration is required, and you’ll ne...
CHENEY – Eastern Washington University’s Women and Gender Studies has undergone a name change while also now being offered as a major. Gender, Women’s & Sexuality Studies (GWSS) replaces the program name that started as Women’s studies in 1974 and was changed to Women and Gender Studies in 2007. It is now also being offered as a major, incorporating current best models into its structure, types of courses offered and expansion of student choice while also retaining its long-standing commitment to social justice and community...
CHENEY – School district administrators laid out a phased return to in-person instruction to school board members at a special workshop last Thursday, Sept. 24, that if approved in a special meeting, Sept. 30, could have some students back in classrooms on a limited basis as early as Oct. 5. According to information presented at the workshop, special education students with disabilities and preschool for students in the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) could begin in-person instruction on Monday, O...
COLVILLE – Statistical fire starts in the Department of Natural Resources Northeast Region this year have exceeded a five-year average so far, according to a report from the DNR. On the flip side, acreage burned is below the five-year average, a figure skewed somewhat by the fact that almost 650,000 acres was burned in 2015 from Jan. 1 – Aug. 31. In the period ending Aug. 31, the four units that compose the Northeast Region have seen 494 statistical fires — 474 caused by human activity. The five-year average is almost 481.6...
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