Articles from the December 26, 2019 edition


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  • Medical Lake teacher's home burns in New Years Eve blaze

    Lee Hughes, Reporter|Updated Jan 2, 2020

    CHENEY - A local family was displace after a New Year's Eve fire made its rental home uninhabitable. Medical Lake Middle School special education teacher Ben Hill and his three children weren't home when a passerby noticed the fire at 439 N. Sixth St.and dialed 911 at about 6:30–7 p.m., according to Fire Department Lt. Tim Steiner, the incident commander on the blaze. Firefighters from Cheney and Spokane County Fire District No. 3 were able to quickly contain the fire to a s...

  • Snow blankets area in time for New Year's Eve

    Roger Harnack, Publisher|Updated Dec 31, 2019

    CHENEY – Area residents are awaking this morning to a Winter Weather Advisory issued for Spokane, Pend Oreille, Stevens and portions of Lincoln counties. The advisory was issued at 3:01 a.m. by the National Weather Service in Spokane and includes the Idaho Panhandle. It is set to expire at noon. "It also came as heavy snow was falling across the region. "The first in a series of wet and winter weather systems will arrive in the region through New Year's Eve bringing wintry t...

  • Updated Dec 30, 2019

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  • West Plains Police News

    Updated Dec 28, 2019

    CHENEY Dec. 17 Domestic violence/verbal dispute was reported on the zero hundred block of B Street. Jorge A. Sanchez Sanchez, 26, was arrested for second-degree theft on the 2700 block of 1st Street. A suspicious vehicle was reported on the 700 block of Betz Road. Second-degree assault was reported on the 1000 block of Salnave Road. Jatzen Rojas, 19, was arrested for fourth-degree assault/domestic violence on the 300 block of Clay Street. Dec. 18 Shawn S. Struck, 49, was arrested on Department of Corrections warrant for...

  • Caring local small businesses make ours 'A Wonderful Life'

    DON C. BRUNELL, Contributor|Updated Dec 28, 2019

    At Christmas, millions watch the 1946 movie classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” While it is labeled “fantasy drama”, the show gives us a glimpse of reality and reminds us of the importance of caring local business owners. The setting is mythical Bedford Falls, N.Y., on Christmas Eve. George Bailey, a family man with a wife and four children, was dogged by a greedy banker, Henry Potter, who wanted to shut Bailey Building and Loan Association down. (George inherited the strugglin...

  • Watson believes rich people work harder

    Updated Dec 28, 2019

    An ad in Washington DC reads, “Do you need to attend a congressional or judicial hearing but don’t have the time to stand in line? We provide professional, competitively priced line-standing and seat holding services for congressional and judicial hearings.” This is just sort of opportunity for the homeless and hopeless that Frank Watson promotes in his December 12, 2019, commentary for the Cheney Free Press. Lobbyists pay to have people hold a place in line for them to ensure they have a seat at public meetings — meetings th...

  • Has politics become a rich man's club?

    FRANK WATSON, Contributor|Updated Dec 28, 2019

    After the 2016 election, I wondered if only the filthy rich would be able to run for president. Hillary Clinton, with a net worth of around $35 million, was the Democratic favorite, and her only challenger was Bernie Sanders. Not being independently wealthy, Bernie had no choice but to fund his campaign with contributions. Hillary expected the contest to be a grand coronation, and was surprised Bernie put up as much resistance as he did. On the Republican side, Trump with probably a little less than the $12 billion he...

  • The theocracy of Liberty State

    Lee Hughes, Staff reporter|Updated Dec 28, 2019

    As has been widely reported, Rep. Matt Shea (R-Spokane Valley) has been labeled a “domestic terrorist” after the Washington State House of Representatives commissioned an independent investigation to determine if, and to what extent, Shea “engaged, planned, or promoted political violence against groups or individuals.” Conducted by Rampart Group LLC, the extensive 108-page report concluded that Shea did, in fact, engage in political violence and domestic terrorism on three s...

  • Cardinals send eight to state track and field - 2019 sports top 10 year-in-review

    Lee Hughes, Staff reporter|Updated Dec 28, 2019

    MEDICAL LAKE — The high school track and field team sent eight athletes out of District 7 competition to the State 1A track meet at Eastern Washington University this year. Jaxyn Farmen, Sophie Salinas-Sanders and Mayah Eberhardt led the girls by earning a trip to state in the triple jump and 100-meter races respectively. The Cardinal boys were led by first-place finishes from Colton Ellis throwing discus and and Ezekiel Lewis in the high jump. Both achieved first places and s...

  • Blackhawks earn trip to state volleyball - 2019 sports top 10 year-in-review

    John McCallum, Managing Editor|Updated Dec 28, 2019

    CHENEY — Cheney High School’s volleyball team peaked when it needed to most – at the end of the 2019 season to earn a trip to the state 2A tournament. The Lady Blackhawks battled to a third-place finish in the always difficult Great Northern League, finishing with a 7-5 record and never stringing more than three consecutive match victories together. But in the District 7 playoffs, with the No. 3 seed, Cheney downed No. 4 Clarkston in straight sets and then upset No. 2 East Valley, also in straight sets. The win over the K...

  • Local wrestling icon inducted into hall of fame - 2019 sports top 10 year-in-review

    Lee Hughes, Staff reporter|Updated Dec 28, 2019

    MEDICAL LAKE - After years of leadership and emersion on the local and regional folkstyle wrestling scene, Wayne Terry, co-creator of Medical Lake's Mat Maulers Wrestling Club and the Washington Little Guy Wrestling League, received a Lifetime Service to Wrestling award and was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla., for his decades of service and leadership to the sport at a June 2 ceremony in Olympia. Mat Maulers originally began as part of th...

  • Cheney runners pick up championship pace - 2019 sports top 10 year-in-review

    John McCallum, Managing Editor|Updated Dec 28, 2019

    CHENEY — Cheney’s boys cross country team was on a mission to right what they felt was a wrong done them in 2018 when they were edged out of advancing as a team in the post-season at district competition by West Valley. The Blackhawks put in the off-season miles – and it paid off with a District 7 championship and a second-place finish at regional competition between the Central Washington Athletic Conference and the Great Northern League. Both achievements were the best...

  • WP Little League All Stars make history - 2019 Top 10 – No. 6

    Lee Hughes, Staff reporter|Updated Dec 28, 2019

    CHENEY — History was made in August when the West Plains 11 – 12 Little League All Stars went to the state championships and won — twice — in a David and Goliath-type victory. In the surface the feat may not seem spectacular, after all, the team had made the playoffs many times in the series. In the league’s 15-year history they only won only one tournament game. But this year they won their first two games and advanced to the second round of play. What made the victories...

  • Blackhawk wrestlers take third in tournament

    Lee Hughes, Staff reporter|Updated Dec 28, 2019

    CHENEY — The Blackhawks wrestling squad took third overall at the Eisenhower Cadet Classic in East Valley on Wednesday, Dec. 18. “We were happy with our finalists,” head coach Jason Connor said, adding that the team scored 20 pins in the tournament. “Everyone contributed to the third-place finish as a team.” The big wines of the match were William Seeberger, who went 4-0 for first place in the 113-pound weight class with two pins and a decision and one bye. Dylan Straley a...

  • Lady Blackhawks soccer has stellar year - 2019 sports top 10 year-in-review

    John McCallum, Managing Editor|Updated Dec 28, 2019

    CHENEY — With nine seniors — most of whom had played together since elementary school — the Cheney High School girls soccer team looked favored to advance deep into the postseason. But even though the Lady Blackhawks came up two games short in their bid for the program’s first 2A Final Four appearance in over a decade, they hardly disappointed fans. Cheney finished 15-4 overall, 11-1 in Great Northern League matches and winners of the regular-season GNL title. The Lady Bl...

  • Card girls take fifth place at state - 2019 sports top 10 year-in-review

    Lee Hughes, Staff reporter|Updated Dec 28, 2019

    MEDICAL LAKE - The Cardinal girls earned fifth place at the state playoff games at the Hardwood Classic at the Yakima SunDome for the second year in a row after going 2 for 2 in the state 1A championships. The team started out with a decisive 49-36 victory over the No. 8 Kings Knights in a game that saw both teams exchange the lead several time in back-and-forth play. The Cardinals were led to the win by Jaycee Oliver before taking on the Meridian Trojans in a follow-up 41-33...

  • Blackhawk basketball crews go 0-3 against Idaho schools teams

    John McCallum, Managing Editor|Updated Dec 28, 2019

    CHENEY — Cheney High School basketball squads found competition in the nearby state of Idaho to be pretty challenging last week. The Blackhawk boys are still looking for their first win under new head coach Frankie Keplinger, falling to 0-6 on the season with losses at Coeur d’Alene on Dec. 18, 62-50, and at Lakeland on Dec. 21, 76-45. The Lady Blackhawks lost their lone match up of the week, a 55-49 setback at home against Coeur d’Alene where getting out-scored 20-10 in the second quarter proved to be the difference. Maggi...

  • Sports Week

    Updated Dec 28, 2019

    (Note: All schedules subject to change. Consult school, club or facility websites to confirm.) College men’s basketball Saturday, Dec. 28, EWU at Weber State, 1:05 p.m. Monday, Dec. 30, EWU at Idaho State, 6:05 p.m. College women’s basketball Saturday, Dec. 28, EWU vs. vs. Weber State, 2:05 p.m. Monday, Dec. 30, EWU at Idaho State, 6:05 p.m. Boys high school basketball Thursday, Dec. 26, Medical Lake vs. Sandpoint, West Valley High School, noon. Friday, Dec. 27, Cheney vs. Lake City, 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 27, Medical Lake vs. S...