Articles from the December 10, 2020 edition


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  • Local assistance groups add services

    John McCallum, Managing Editor|Updated Dec 11, 2020

    CHENEY – Local charitable organizations and nonprofits are managing to keep up with assisting residents in need despite seeing increased demand for services. In some cases, the organizations have made some changes to their services to provide additional help. Cheney Food Bank President Jerry Stewart said money “pouring” into Spokane via the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act indirectly helped the purchasing power of organizations such as 2nd Harvest — which provides supplies to area food ba...

  • Cheney to go to remote metering, incident calls

    John McCallum, Managing Editor|Updated Dec 11, 2020

    CHENEY – A couple aspects of the city’s Light Department are scheduled to soon function on a remote basis. At their last meeting in November, the City Council approved two pilot program purchases by the department – one for a new remote metering program and the other for a centralized incident call center program. Both approvals total $18,247, with the metering program the most expensive at $13,497. According to Light Department Director Steve Marx, the metering program is a six-month agreement with Raleigh, N.C.-based Tanta...

  • School district officials dispute tax increase claims in proposed levies

    John McCallum, Managing Editor|Updated Dec 10, 2020

    CHENEY — School district officials pushed back against claims at a Dec. 2 school board meeting that a proposed education programs and operations levy this February is really a disguised tax increase. School board members approved putting two levies on the Feb. 9 special election ballot at their meeting last Wednesday — an EP&O levy taxing property owners $1.65 per every $1,000 of assessed valuation and a capital projects levy placing a 10 cent tax on every $1,000 of val...

  • West Plains Police

    Updated Dec 10, 2020

    CHENEY Nov. 30 Possible sexual misconduct with a minor was reported at an undisclosed location in Cheney. Samantha C. Baker, 27, was arrested for third-degree theft/shoplifting on the 100 block of West 1st Street. Baker was also arrested on a Spokane County warrant for third-degree theft. Shawn S. Struck, 50, was arrested for fourth-degree assault/domestic violence on the 1400 block of 2nd Street. Also arrested was Mark W. Robinson, 44, on a felony Department of Corrections warrant. Dec. 1 A single-vehicle collision was...

  • Eagle women dropped two in opener with Northern Arizona

    John McCallum, Managing Editor|Updated Dec 10, 2020

    CHENEY – Aaliyah Alexander may just be the real deal. The freshman from basketball powerhouse Todd Beamer High School in Federal Way scored 18 points for Eastern Washington University in her first collegiate game Saturday, Dec. 5, against visiting Northern Arizona, then turned around 24 hours later to score 16 more on Sunday against the Lumberjacks. But it proved to be for naught as the Eagle women lost both contests, 89-60 on Saturday and 69-55 Sunday to open the 2020-2021 B...

  • COVID-19 cancels Eagles men's game at UNLV

    STAFF AND NEWS SOURCES|Updated Dec 10, 2020

    CHENEY – University of Nevada-Las Vegas Athletics announced Dec. 8 that its scheduled men’s basketball game against Eastern Washington has been canceled. The game was scheduled to take place Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center. The Runnin’ Rebels report a member of the UNLV men’s basketball program tested positive for COVID-19 during routine testing. The Eagles, who lost at Oregon 69-52 on Monday, Dec. 7, were notified of the situation before traveling to Las Vegas from Eugene. Eastern’s next scheduled...

  • EWU drops pair of games to PAC-12 foes

    DREW LAWSON, Staff Reporter|Updated Dec 10, 2020

    CHENEY-The third time wasn't a charm for EWU men's basketball's attempt to vanquish a PAC-12 opponent. The Eagles (0-3) fell to Oregon 69-52 Dec. 7 after hanging tough with Arizona but failing to hold a lead in a 70-67 defeat Dec. 5. The pair of defeats, coupled with a seasoning opening loss to Washington State on Nov. 28 71-68, meant the Eagles were unsuccessful in their three tries at claiming their first victory over a PAC-12 opponent since a 2017 victory at Stanford....

  • New fire station opens in downtown Medical Lake

    DREW LAWSON, Staff Reporter|Updated Dec 10, 2020

    MEDICAL LAKE—City residents can now expect much quicker emergency response times for medical and fire needs, according to Fire District No. 3 Chief Cody Rohrbach. District No. 3 opened Station #311 on Dec. 1. The station is adjacent to city hall and houses at least two firefighters around the clock. Rohrbach noted that calls for service within city limits and just outside the city can now be responded to from a station within the city. Previously, Fire District No. 3’s clo...

  • Illuminating

    John McCallum|Updated Dec 10, 2020

    Santa Claus watches as Cheney Merchant Association Chair Douglas LaBar lights the city's Christmas Tree last Friday night to begin the Holiday Hoopla home Light Show procession....

  • Joanne F. (Guilbault) Shreeve

    Updated Dec 10, 2020

    Joann F. Shreeve passed away peacefully of kidney failure Friday, Nov. 27, 2020 surrounded by family. She was born March 14, 1933 and grew up in Missoula, Montana. She attended Loyola Sacred Heart all girls Catholic High School and graduated in 1955 from University of Montana with a bachelor's degree in Education with an emphasis in Home Economics and English. She taught one year in Conrad, Montana before marrying Bill Shreeve June 2, 1956 and joining him in Johnstown, Colo....

  • Joseph Wesley Stone

    Updated Dec 10, 2020

    With considerable sadness, we, the family of Joe Stone share the news of his recent passing and reflect on his momentous life story. Joe was the third born child to Wes Stone and Darlene Ritter (then Stone), on Oct. 22, 1964 in Moscow, Idaho. As a child he was diagnosed with a rare metabolic disease that affects the kidneys known as Cystinosis, which at the time had very little medical research to promise an optimistic future for his life. When Joe was extremely young, his...

  • David Mack Perry

    Updated Dec 10, 2020

    David Mack Perry (aged 69) left us on Friday, Nov. 20 in Spokane Valley. Once, way out west, there was this fella… A man by the name of David Perry... But he liked to be called… the Dude. You see, the Dude was a man of the people. Born in 1951 in Ithaca, N.Y. to John and Mary Perry as part of an Army family, they moved all over this great land of ours with stops in Germany, El Paso, Queens, Tacoma and finally settling down in Medical Lake, Wash. Medical Lake became his muc...

  • Chet Bettcher

    Updated Dec 10, 2020

    Chet Bettcher, of Spangle, Wash. passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020 on his 78th birthday. He was born in Portland, Ore. on Dec. 2, 1942 and attended Rainier High School in Sea-Tac. In his younger days he enjoyed bull riding, playing softball and hanging out with friends. An avid Seahawks fan from the beginning, he never missed a game. On Aug. 31, 1990 he married his best friend, Ann Bettcher at the Hitching Post. During his career...

  • Churches

    Updated Dec 10, 2020

    Cheney Congregational Church We continue to host live Sunday morning services on Zoom at 10am. You can request a Zoom link through our website, www.cheneycongregational.org. We will be hosting a drive-in Christmas Eve service on Dec. 24 at 5:30 p.m. in our church parking lot. The service will be broadcasted to your car radio, so you can participate from the warmth and safety of your own car. We will sing carols, hear a Christmas story, and light candles. A live stream of this service will also be provided, which you can...

  • Doctors should have higher behavior standards

    Updated Dec 10, 2020

    I don’t understand the rules. If a man or woman puts their hands on me, against my wishes, does status allow this? Is this a ‘perk’ of being an important personage like Dr. Lutz? Spokane Councilman Breann Biggs says that even knowing what he knows, he would not have voted to fire Dr. Lutz. When would he have voted for firing? How much does he countenance? Fifty percent of voters are women, Councilman. What ‘perks’ do you think your elected position allows? Michael Dunn, Superintendent of ESD 101, argues that Lutz’s fi...

  • Confession, repentance only fix for a life of lies

    Updated Dec 10, 2020

    The people that deserve the most suspicion are the ones who lie the most. The people who lie the most are salespeople. Not all salespeople lie, but the honest ones are hard to find. Who is the most famous salesman in the United States today? When a salesman makes some kind of claim, the first thing you should ask him is “Can you show me some evidence that your claim is true?” If he does not show you evidence and just says things like “Everybody knows this is true,” the smart thing to do is to keep your money and walk away. A...

  • "Unnecessary" care: Is it really a significant cost driver in our health care system?

    Dr. ROGER STARK, Contributor|Updated Dec 10, 2020

    Regardless of a person’s political views, we can all agree that rising cost is a major problem with our health care system. Last year, Americans spent 18 percent of our economy, or $3.6 trillion, on health care. The ever-increasing cost curve would suggest that by the 2030s the country will spend 30 percent of our gross domestic product on medical treatments. Extensive research has been done to identify unnecessary care and wastefulness in the system. Estimates vary, but from 20 percent to 30 percent of health care in the U...

  • Great Conjunction has us looking up -- for a change

    John McCallum, Managing Editor|Updated Dec 10, 2020

    It’s been a difficult year for us all. I know that’s an understatement. But methinks I shouldn’t have to go into many details to explain why. Unfortunately, those reasons are still all around us. It’s said hard times bring out the best and worst in people. I’ve come to see the truth in that first-hand, and — put mildly — it’s disheartening. I’ve seen people come together as a community to support each other, and I’ve seen people who talk about the need for community support refusing to do so by undertaking the sim...

  • Airway Heights Village Centre Cinemas up for sale

    DREW LAWSON, Staff Reporter|Updated Dec 10, 2020

    AIRWAY HEIGHTS - The theater frequently used around the West Plains is up for sale, Windermere senior commercial broker Chris Bornhoft confirmed last week. Village Centre Cinemas off Sunset Highway is on the market with an assessed value of $5.3 million. The property is listed on North Sound Commercial's website courtesy of Windemere Real Estate Manito, the information on which Bornhoft confirmed is accurate. "It was put on the market about a week and a half ago," Bornhoft...

  • Sending cheer to Cheney Care Center

    Updated Dec 10, 2020

    CHENEY — The high school’s H3 Club is inviting the community to help it send some Christmas cheer to residents of the Cheney Care Center. The club is partnering with a second-grade class at Betz Elementary School to create holiday cards for members of the Care Center who have been virtually isolated for months due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Completed holiday cards may be dropped off in a box at the high school front office. All cards will be delivered to the Care Center on Friday, Dec. 18....

  • Williams-Gilbert settles in as new school board member

    DREW LAWSON, Staff Reporter|Updated Dec 10, 2020

    MEDICAL LAKE — In a true sign of the times, Wendy Williams-Gilbert was sworn in to the school board on Nov. 24, taking her oath via Zoom as dictated by board president Rod Von Lehe. Williams-Gilbert replaced Peggy Schweikhardt, who resigned in October after 31 years on the board. She’s a clinical associate professor at Washington State-Spokane’s College of Nursing and the pre-licensing Bachelor of Science-Nursing director. She’s been at WSU for five years, but her higher...

  • Cheney High School Students of the Month

    Updated Dec 10, 2020

    Cheney High School has announced its Student of the Month/Partners Advancing Character Education (PACE) award winners for November. Receiving awards are Colbie Monter, Alexander Bowman, Selena Martinez, Quaid Kraft, Sage Cramer, Evan Stinson, George Emert, Charles Gerber, Breanna Hewey, Steven Johnson, Paisley Spencer, Joshua McRitchie, Serenity Dow, Jovana Nozinic, Loren Wiley, Grace Payne, Landon Moad, Mackenzie Buck, Jennifer Swisher, Miquela Overmqan, Abigail Jenkins, Dylan Thornburg, Amelia Killin and Ivan Lepekhin. The...

  • Cheney schools delay reopening dates

    John McCallum, Managing Editor|Updated Dec 10, 2020

    CHENEY — School district officials told board members at their Dec. 2 meeting that work on reopening schools to in-person student instruction had been put on pause as requested by the Spokane Regional Health District. The Health District cited sharply rising identification of positive cases and hospitalizations locally and across the state of COVID-19 as a reason for the pause. Public Schools Superintendent Rob Roettger told the board the district’s tentative plans would have had third-grade students returning to in-person in...

  • ADT gifts Malden Fire Department $10,000

    DREW LAWSON, Staff Reporter|Updated Dec 10, 2020

    MALDEN-Like most of the town, the fire station in Malden was burned down during the Babb Creek Fire Labor Day Weekend. The fire station received a $10,000 check from security company ADT Sunday, Dec. 7. The check, presented by Bob Tucker, ADT Director of Corporate Affairs, to Malden volunteer fire chief Chad Fanara, will be used to help rebuild the fire station, which will in turn help support the department's six to 10 volunteers. "Any donations at this point are great,...

  • Airway Heights moves mayor proposition to public vote

    DREW LAWSON, Staff Reporter|Updated Dec 10, 2020

    AIRWAY HEIGHTS — After some discussion and clarification work from mayor Kevin Richey and city attorney Stanley Schwartz to make sure everyone was on the same page, council unanimously approved Proposition No. 1, which sends a ballot measure to voters on Feb. 9, 2021 that would adjust how the city selects its mayor. It was part of a busy legislative session held Dec. 7 via Zoom. If approved by voters, the city will move from selecting its chair of council in Pos. 1, who is by default the ceremonial mayor, to allowing c...

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