Articles from the December 17, 2020 edition


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  • Carr to be inducted in National Wrestling Hall of Fame

    DREW LAWSON, Staff Reporter|Updated Dec 21, 2020

    MEDICAL LAKE - Former Cardinals wrestling coach Mike Carr, who spent 25 years at the helm of a highly successful program and 38 years teaching world and United States history in the school district, is a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2021. Carr was inducted into the Washington State Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2005. He was nominated for the national Hall last year, but didn't expect to make the cut. "I was shocked at first," Carr said. "All of a sudden...

  • Airway Heights woman dies in U.S. 2 accident

    STAFF AND NEWS SOURCES|Updated Dec 17, 2020

    AIRWAY HEIGHTS — A 40-year-old Airway Heights woman was killed in a two-car collision on U.S. Highway 2 Thursday evening, Dec. 10. According to a Washington State Patrol report, a 2003 GMC Envoy driven by Ashley L. Hamilton was exiting the Spoko Fuel station west of the city and making an eastbound turn onto the highway at approximately 6 p.m. when the vehicle was struck by a westbound 1990 Harsco BMY, a five-ton, 6x6 military transport that dates from the Desert Storm-era, driven by 35-year-old Jasper A. Jensen of S...

  • Spokane Valley man charged with vehicular assault

    STAFF AND NEWS SOURCES|Updated Dec 17, 2020

    AIRWAY HEIGHTS – A Spokane Valley man was charged with reckless driving in a Friday, Dec. 12, afternoon collision that injured a city of Spokane couple. According to a Washington State Patrol press memo, a white 2012 Ford Escape driven by 29-year-old Duckhein S. Joseph of Spokane Valley was eastbound on U.S. Highway 2 at approximately 3:20 p.m. Joseph was apparently speeding and passing traffic in the center median when he struck a westbound 2019 Honda Ridgeline head on driven by 73-year-old David E. Strand as it sat in t...

  • West Plains Police News

    Updated Dec 17, 2020

    CHENEY Dec. 7 Attempted online extortion was reported on the 100 block of I Street. Penny M. Lafountain, 34, was arrested on the zero hundred block of Cheney-Spokane Road for third-degree driving while license suspended and failure to transfer title within 45 days. Dec. 8 A 2020 Toyota Corolla was recovered on the 100 block of Blackhawk Lane. The vehicle had been previously reported stolen out of Spokane. Robert A. Burke, 43, was arrested on the 1100 block of 1st Street for driving under the influence, third-degree driving wh...

  • Eagle women searching for first season win

    John McCallum, Managing Editor|Updated Dec 17, 2020

    CHENEY – The Eastern Washington women are still looking for their first victory of the season on the hardwood after losses to Boise State and Grand Canyon University. The Eagles fell 84-64 to the Broncos of the Mountain West Conference on the road Dec. 10 and came up short, 84-78, to the Lopes of the Western Athletic Conference on Monday, Dec. 14. Eastern committed 18 of their 26 total turnovers in the first half Monday, leading to 22 Lopes points. Three-point shooting kept the Eagles in the game — with all 15 of their poi...

  • Balance brings EWU past College of Idaho

    DREW LAWSON, Staff Reporter|Updated Dec 17, 2020

    CHENEY-When sophomore forward Jacob Groves thundered down the lane and threw down a one-handed dunk in traffic around several College of Idaho Coyotes, he opted not to perform the "Raise the Roof" celebration his brother Tanner famously did after a SportsCenter Top 10 dunk almost exactly a year prior against another Cascade Collegiate Conference NAIA opponent, Multnomah. There was plenty to celebrate, however, as Groves' dunk with 7:32 left in the first half gave him two of...

  • Have you been good?

    Drew Lawson|Updated Dec 17, 2020

    Mr. and Mrs. Santa Clause – aka Ken and Terri Cooper – greet visitors to Re*Imagine Medical Lake’s Winterfest celebration last Saturday....

  • Eagle Bites is new Cheney food delivery service

    PAUL DELANEY, Contributor|Updated Dec 17, 2020

    CHENEY - Not only have Derek and wife Alexx Baziotis successfully steered one business through the COVID-19 quagmire, but out of that challenge has emerged a new venture. The Baziotis own and are on the frontlines at Bene's Restaurant, a breakfast-focused eatery where Eggs Benedict are the signature dish - hence the name. It opened in 2017. Now Eagle Bites, Cheney's first food delivery service, has been hatched. That Plato-authored proverb, "Necessity is the mother of inventio...

  • Start the count: Area bird counting options this month

    DREW LAWSON, Staff Reporter|Updated Dec 17, 2020

    CHENEY—Dec. 14 marked the start of Audubon National Society’s 121st Annual Christmas Bird Count, when veteran and beginner bird-counters alike gather on a specified date to gather in their area and spend the day counting birds. The counting season runs to Jan. 5, as it does every year. The closest bird counts marked on Audubon’s website this year are in Cheney and Spokane. Cheney’s listed compiler is Sandy Schreven. She said the Cheney count is taking place Dec. 19. “It is a bit more challenging with COVID restricti...

  • Swenson's Trees "busier than usual" this year

    DREW LAWSON, Staff Reporter|Updated Dec 17, 2020

    CHENEY - The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed or completely shut down many businesses. Not so at Swenson's Trees, located off Sherman Road about 15 minutes east of town toward Spokane and Marshall, where owner Mitch Swenson says their Christmas tree business has actually increased this holiday season. "We typically sell between 150 and 200 trees (each Christmas)," Swenson said. "It looks like we'll be above that this year." Long wait times at other tree farms may be increasing...

  • Churches

    Updated Dec 17, 2020

    Cheney Congregational Church 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 request a link to on our website. With the social isolation of this season, we are organizing groups of no more than five people outside your...

  • Chipping in to spread joy to kids

    John McCallum, Managing Editor|Updated Dec 17, 2020

    CHENEY – In a Cheney Care Center building is a small room where several "old guys" like to gather and talk. Oh yes, and build small, wooden toy trucks. They call themselves "Cheney Chipsters," and they've not only been meeting and building since around 2010, but furnishing these little wooden marvels to area children who are facing life challenges and in some cases might not receive any gifts for Christmas. According to a list from Chipster Cliff Ferguson, there are 10 o...

  • Serving the Nation

    Updated Dec 17, 2020

    FORT GORDON, Ga. – U.S. Army Private First Class Jackson Schreiber has graduated from AIT and become a cyber operations specialist (MOS 17C). Schreiber received a Distinguished Honor Graduate award for having the highest GPA in his training class, and an Army Award of Excellence. The training also qualifies him for approximately 30 college credits in computer science. Schreiber has also achieved the following IT certifications: CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+ and C...

  • Introducing wind blade concrete mixture

    Don C. Brunell, Contributor|Updated Dec 17, 2020

    Would you believe in the future when a cement truck shows up to pour your foundation or patio, the mixture will likely contain ground-up wind turbine blades? As a part of new agreement between GE Renewable Energy and Veolia North America (VNA), old blades, consisting mostly of fiberglass, are shredded at a processing facility in Missouri and then shipped to cement plants across America where they replace coal, sand and clay in manufacturing. Like the coronavirus vaccine, the...

  • Building global unity through tolerance and universal rights

    DAVID GALLUP, Contributor|Updated Dec 17, 2020

    Dec. 10, 2020 marked the 7nd anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Two related documents also celebrate significant anniversaries this year: the 25th anniversary of the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance and the 75th anniversary of the United Nations Charter. Both declarations and the charter provide a framework for building unity in a diverse world. The impetus for creating the Declaration on Tolerance was, as the Declaration’s Preamble states, “the current rise in acts of intolerance, violence, ter...

  • Airway Heights council gets another resignation

    DREW LAWSON, Staff Reporter|Updated Dec 17, 2020

    AIRWAY HEIGHTS — Councilman Steve Lawrence announced his intentions to resign from his position due to a move out of city limits at council’s study session Dec. 14. His resignation becomes effective Dec. 31. Lawrence has lived in the city since 1974 and has been on council for 10 years, including a two-year stint as deputy mayor. He raised three children in the city. Lawrence became the second councilmember to announce his resignation this year. Mayor and council chair Kev...

  • A tale of two budgets

    John McCallum, Managing Editor|Updated Dec 17, 2020

    CHENEY – With little fanfare or comment, the City Council took care of two budgets at its Dec. 8 meeting. The first involved passage of an ordinance adopting the city’s nearly $32.74 million 2021 budget. The budget included appropriations revenues and expenses of $9.99 million for the Light Department — revenues officials have acknowledged may be about 10 % lower than projected due to reduced activity at Eastern Washington University as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The budget also includes just over $8.5 million in to...

  • Broemmeling named director of business development

    STAFF AND NEWS REPORTS|Updated Dec 17, 2020

    SPOKANE – Former West Plains Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Toby Broemmeling has been named the new director of business development at business coaching and consulting services firm Champion Empire. According to a news release, Broemmeling will oversee development of the organization’s strategic partnerships and establish strong long-term relationships with clients. Broemmeling recently stepped down as executive director of the West Plains Chamber of Commerce in October where he served in that capacity since Jan...

  • Outreach email correction

    Updated Dec 17, 2020

    In last week’s article on local assistance groups adding services, the email for the Cheney Outreach Center was incorrectly listed. The correct email is [email protected]....

  • State takes over wolf management

    JAMIE HENNEMAN, The Davenport Times|Updated Dec 17, 2020

    COLVILLE – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced in late October that it would be removing endangered species protections for wolves in the lower 48 states, essentially turning management of the predator fully to the state. The federal agency had listed wolves as endangered in much of Western Washington until the Oct. 29 announcement. As the state Department of Fish and Wildlife assumes the totality of the responsibility for wolves, with many of its action items s...

  • High-steppin' fun

    Drew Lawson|Updated Dec 17, 2020

    Participants kicked up their heels and pace during the Santa Run at last Saturday's Winterfest, hosted by Re*Imagine Medical Lake....

  • Joint session on growth

    DREW LAWSON, Staff Reporter|Updated Dec 17, 2020

    AIRWAY HEIGHTS — The city’s population growth has a natural effect on public safety. Recognizing this, the Planning Commission approved a letter to go to council requesting a joint meeting about the impacts that growth has on public safety at its Dec. 9 meeting. The letter was written in close consultation with Fire Chief Mitch Metzger and Police Chief Brad Richmond, city planner Heather Trautman reported to the Planning Commission, as the commission had unanimously voted to do at its Nov. 12 meeting after a lengthy dis...

  • An increase in uncollectables

    John McCallum, Managing Editor|Updated Dec 17, 2020

    CHENEY – It may not seem like a lot, but the annual city practice of writing off uncollectable utility bills could grow larger over the next several years thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. At its Dec. 9 meeting, the City Council approved a resolution writing off $22,890.70 in uncollectable utility accounts resulting from utility bills under $50, small credits and bill from owners who have passed away with no collectable estates and accounts no longer within the legal period of collections. While less than the $32,282.06 w...

  • Domestic violence, crime on the rise in 2020

    DREW LAWSON, Staff Reporter|Updated Dec 17, 2020

    AIRWAY HEIGHTS — The COVID-19 pandemic, combined with the city’s population growth, appear to be major factors in contributing to an increase in domestic violence and assault cases, as well as rising crime numbers overall. Police Chief Brad Richmond informed City Council on Nov. 23 of the rise in these cases during his budget presentation and shared the facts: In 2019, there were 74 assault and 171 domestic violence calls for service through November. From January to early December of this year, that number has risen to 99 as...

  • COVID vaccine arrives

    John McCallum, Managing Editor|Updated Dec 17, 2020

    CHENEY – Doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine hit the tarmac at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Monday - with a final destination in the arms of health care workers and first responders this week, along with some of the more vulnerable individuals to the infection as early as next week. According to a state Department of Health Dec. 14 news release, Washington has received 62,400 doses of Pfizer's vaccine - the first of a half dozen vaccines being developed. The first d...

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