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Medical Lake will continue to hold its court in the city of Cheney. At its Dec. 20 meeting, the City Council renewed the city’s interlocal agreement with Cheney for municipal court services and facilities. City Administrator Doug Ross said the agreement is for five years and will cost the city $59,000 annually with inflators included. Inflators are adjustments to cost of service if case filings increase or decrease by more than 20 percent from 2016. Terri Cooper, Cheney Municipal Court’s administrator/commissioner who ove...
Emmanuel Lutheran Church Happy New Year. The congregation of Emmanuel Lutheran Church invites you to worship with us at 10:30 a.m. this Sunday, Jan. 1 for our “Lessons and Carols” worship service. You may also watch our pastor’s sermons at our website or on YouTube at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Cheney. No Christian education classes will be held this week. Classes resume next Sunday, Jan. 8 at 9 a.m. All are welcome to visit Emmanuel’s Little Free Library and Free Community Pantry located at 639 Elm St. Donations of books a...
Cheney • Dec. 30, Light Fitness Hour (adults 50+), Wren Pierson Community Center, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. • Dec. 30, Baby Play & Learn Storytime (ages 0–18 months), 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. • Dec. 30, Texas Hold’em (adults 50+), Wren Pierson Community Center, 1 – 3 p.m. • Jan. 2, Country Quilters (adults 50+), Wren Pierson Community Center, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. • Jan. 2, Dominoes (adults 50+), Wren Pierson Community Center, 1 – 3 p.m. • Jan. 3, Knitting Group (adults 50+), Wren Pierson Community Center, 9 – 11 a.m. • Jan. 3, Light Fitnes... Full story
1 Years Ago Dec. 28, 2006 Medical Lake Outreach and the food bank each received charitable donations. Denny’s Harvest Foods owner Denny McDaniel presented Outreach with a $500 check from Medical Lake Blue Waters Bluegrass Festival while the food bank received over 100 hams from local developer Jeff Amistoso. Medical Lake City Council updated several city contracts, and approved the request from the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife to extend next year’s fishing season to March 1 through Nov. 30. It was previ...
In a photo from a Feb. 18 story, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints missionaries Sister Taya Worthen (center) and Sister Monica Schmidt are happy to let Eastern Washington University volunteer Ryan McVair do some of the heavy lifting during work at Medical Lake's Care and Share Thrift Store....
By DON C. BRUNELL Contributor As 2017 approaches, it is fascinating to look back at the vast changes in our lives over the last century and then imagine where we may be headed in the next 25 years. It is hard to picture that in the year 1900, more than 100,000 horses were in New York City. However, in 1917 the final horse-drawn carts, cabs and carriages left the city to be replaced by trucks, cars and buses. Henry Ford had perfected the “horseless carriage.” The Economist, a London-based magazine, highlighted the tra...
Stopping at Napa Auto Parts a couple weeks ago, Bob and I were discussing the passing of Ronnie McKinley. Bob shared in all his years, he never waited on a nicer customer. Ron Schmitt was at the counter too and added his "two bits" saying in all his years he never heard Ronnie say anything bad about anyone. We all three agreed there was no nicer man in our community as we mourned his loss. You see Ron McKinley set the bar for kindness as a neighbor and a friend. We live a...
The boom in apartment construction in Cheney is more than noticeable with the sound of hammers pounding and nail-guns popping in a number of locations. That signals a potential shift in the habits of tenants both here and across the West Plains and Keith Walker sensed it was a great time to improve the visibility of Walker's Property Management. "All we do is manage properties," Walker said. "We are a full-fledged real estate company, licensed, bonded, insured - all that...
Should teachers be allowed to have weapons on school property? That is something the Mountain View School District in Idaho is wrestling with in regards to a proposed policy that would allow school personnel to carry weapons on the district’s campuses. According to a Dec. 20 article in the Lewiston Tribune, one or more of the board members have reservations about the policy. Most Idaho school districts do not allow staff to carry weapons with the exception of the Garden Valley School District north of Boise. The Salmon River,...
By PAUL DELANEY Staff Reporter You've seen and heard about the big boom in apartment construction in the area. But there's another hot property these days and that's because there is way too little of it - houses for sale. One of the basic laws of economics, supply and demand, is keeping many area real estate agents hopping, particularly, Benji Estrellado at Cheney Realty and Pat Isbell from Hilton Real Estate. "They're selling fast and we're getting multiple offers on some...
Three businesses that enjoyed long-term stable ownership changed hands in 2016 on the West Plains. Led by two generations of family guidance and some 60 years operating in Cheney, Boots Insurance sold to Buck and Affiliates; The Buckhorn Inn spent 35 years in the hands of one family and Cheney Glass has had a similar familiar face at the counter. All told, they had a combined 125 years or so of operation by essentially three families with the hope of more similar longevity in...
The Medical Lake School District continues to serve as a beacon for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) in the area. This year, the state Office of Public Instruction (OSPI) selected the Medical Lake as one of the Washington STEM Lighthouse Schools — making it the No. 5 top education story for 2016. According to OSPI’s website, Lighthouse Schools provide technical assistance and advice to other educational institutions and communities in the initial stages of creating a STEM-focused learning env...
By AL STOVER Staff Reporter Carter Lefler and Collin Novo became the first students from Westwood Middle School to compete at the 2016 SeaPerch National Challenge at Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge, La., last May. The team finished 57th out of 92 with 165 points - making them No. 4 in the Top-5 education stories for 2016. Lefler and Novo of Aqua Troopers took first place at the sixth annual Inland Northwest SeaPerch Challenge at the Eastern Washington...
After a false start of sorts, Eastern Washington University's renovation of the Pence Union Building kicked off this past fall. The $35 million work on the student's main activity building brings long-awaited expansion and modernization of space for organizations and other uses, as well as sales tax dollars to the city of Cheney's coffers, making the project No. 3 among 2016's Top-5 education stories. But before construction could begin in October, changes had to be made last...
The Cheney branch of the U.S. Postal Service held its annual Christmas coloring contest, with five winners receiving a Christmas stocking full of goodies. Winners pictured above are front row, Alaina Madison, age 4; and back row left to right Isabella Marie Adaszewski, age 8; Tyler Ashcroft, age 12 and Andrew Ward, age 7. Not pictured is Cameron Freuk, age 9....
Cheney American Legion Post 72 is inviting the community to its New Year’s Eve celebration this Saturday, Dec. 31. The Post is located at 116 College Ave. The celebration begins at 6 p.m. with a prime rib dinner, featuring baked potato loaded with the fixins’ just how you like it, along with salad and a roll. Dinner is $15 a plate, and tickets are still available but limited. After dinner, dance from 7 — 10 p.m. to the music of Plaid Cats....
The Cheney Free Press is closed Jan. 2, 2017, in observance of New Year’s. Deadlines for the Jan. 5 issue, including legal notices, classified ads, West Plains Briefs and letters to the editor, are Friday, Dec. 30, by 5 p.m., however the office closes at 3 p.m. The Cheney Free Press will be open at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 3....
By AL STOVER Staff Reporter The Medical Lake’s Maintenance Department went from having its shop burned, and vehicles either destroyed or damaged beyond repair in an April fire to having the fleet replaced, which led it to being voted the No. 5 top news story of 2016. An overnight fire April 13-14 destroyed one vehicle and damaged several others in the maintenance shop. In an April interview, Scott Duncan, the city’s maintenance supervisor, arrived at the shop and felt something wasn’t right. When he reached the shop door...
Talk to relatives and others who, over the past 50-plus years, knew and worked with Howard Jorgenson and "shy" or "reserved" would not be words that come to mind when describing this iconic community figure. But that's how Medical Lake High School's current principal, Chris Spring, described his first encounter with Jorgenson, who passed away May 2 at age 76. His passing was voted as one of the top news stories in 2016. "It was a unique beginning of a relationship with him,"...
Cheney's Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on North Sixth Street featured a snow-carved depiction of the Nativity prior to Christmas, complete with manger (above), three Wise men and a camel (to the left of the photo)....
The West Plains Recruit Structural Academy graduated 19 recruits from its recent class, along with six crew leaders, during a Dec. 22 ceremony at Medical Lake High School's auditorium. The academy consists of firefighter recruits from Airway Heights and Medical Lake fire departments and Spokane County Fire District 10. It requires a large time commitment by the new recruits as they spend about four and a half months and over 200 hours of hands-on training. During the academy,...
A healthier than usual revenue stream helped change Cheney’s general fund budgeting process from one centered on cutting to one with the actual hope of planning for the future, leading it to be voted the No. 3 top news story of 2016. While the city isn’t flush with cash by any stretch, improvements in property tax distributions and sales taxes from increasing construction led officials to feel better about spending in 2017. Updated figures were not available at press time, but through September the city had received 56....
The Airway Heights wastewater reclamation plant recently celebrated its fifth year in operation. According to Chuck Clawson, lead operator of the facility, things have been going pretty well in the last five years. “We’re well within compliance of our permits,” Clawson said. “That’s one of the keys of our success.” The plant treats wastewater to Class A reclaimed water levels. Development for the plant began in 2003 after Airway Heights completed a facilities plan to help mitigate water resource and wastewater challenges...
Colby Anderson puts the finishing touches on a Christmas card to Santa Claus at the Cheney American Legion Post 72's "Pictures with Santa" festivities, Dec. 21. Over 40 children of all ages stopped by to eat macaroni and cheese, drink fruit punch, take part in arts and crafts and get a chance to meet and talk with Santa....
Cheney Fire Department and Eastern Washington University officials have collaborated on a solution reducing the frequency of fire alarm calls at two university residence halls while also improving students' safety. That solution boiled down to something as simple as a $50 switch. Cheney Battalion Chief Ken Johnson said the department routinely responds to fire alarm calls at the university's eight residence halls, only to find the alarm stemmed from smoke generated by a studen...
