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Long-time readers of the Cheney Free Press will remember the days of our end-of-year feature, “The Year in Review.” Usually a two-part synopsis of the year in a month-by-month format, they were long, ponderous recounting of the events of the year. If they proved difficult to read, rest assured, they were difficult to produce. In fact, there are probably a couple computer keyboards from that era in storage, blackened by the newsprint we had to wash off our hands every 20 minutes or so. A couple of years ago we decided to do so...
The Cheney High volleyball team's 2015 season was a rollercoaster that ended with the team accomplishing a feat they hadn't done in many years - winning a regular season Great Northern League championship. In 2014, the Lady Blackhawks, led by first-year head coach Courtney Webb, were 6-6 in Great Northern League play, 7-8 overall and finished third in the league standings. The team started off their 2015 campaign with a new attitude, and a new head coach, Heather Zorrozua. A...
Medical Lake High head cross country coach Gene Blankenship had been boldly boastful the past two seasons, successfully predicting his teams would do well in November at the state championships. This year he had to temper his prognostications a little, having graduated over two dozen seniors, among them Domenic Rehm, Micah Dingfield and Noah Kroeze, all top finishers as the Cardinals repeated winning in 2014 the State 1A boy's championship they first captured in 2013. Despite...
France and Russia’s military responses to mass murders in Paris and Egypt echo the U.S. response to mass murders in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania in 2001. Islamic State (IS) has welcomed this warlike response to its latest atrocities. Al Qaeda similarly counted on an aggressive response to 9/11. The U.S. invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq and the concentration camp at Guantanamo became the most valuable assets in its propaganda and recruiting campaigns, now complemented by the terror of drone strikes a...
On behalf of the ladies who devote their time to the Care and Share, I would like to thank all those in Medical Lake and outlying towns, who bless us by donating their treasures for resale and support our cause through their purchases. One hundred percent of the revenue from these sales supports the Medical Lake Food Bank Association. Because of you we were able to help so many in need in 2015 and look forward to continuing to serve in 2016. God Bless You All. Anne Starr Medical Lake Care and Share Director Medical...
Thank you to all the volunteers who helped at Feed Medical Lake in 2015! You put in many long hours and did a superb job. Thank you also to all who came to the meals. We greatly enjoy your company. Please continue to join us in 2016. Joanna Williams Feed Medical Lake Director Medical Lake...
Editor’s note: Capitalization, phrasing and line breaks from John Lennon’s song “Happy Christmas” used in this column have been retained in keeping with the original meaning of the work. I’m not sure why but once I heard John Lennon’s 1971 song, “Happy Christmas,” it was one of those tunes that became permanently trapped inside my head. Surely you know the lyrics: “So this is Christmas, And what have you done, Another year over, And a new one just begun,” just as you do “Jingl...
This editorial appeared in The Orange County Register, Dec. 27, 2015. Almost all mass murders committed with guns prompt calls for tougher gun laws. The problem is, in pretty much every recent mass shooting in America, any newly proposed gun control law would not have stopped the crime, even if perfectly enforced. In this month’s horrific attack in San Bernardino, the guns were legally purchased, then illegally transferred and altered. California’s gun laws already encompass most of the supposed “commonsense gun safet...
Hallett Elementary School announced its award winners for November and December NOVEMBER Pride — Myah Southwick, Wilhelm Bendewald, Colin Merritt, Tiana Schneider, Natalie Johnson, Sarah Halme, Amaya Cole, Rya Monroe, Nathan Richmond, Rianna Layton, Hector Gomez, Jamison Cook, Mavrick Rasmussen, Cody Peterson, Marin McKee, Eliot Beal and Adalyn Whitaker. Can Do — Daman Dolhay, Addison Spangler, Lily Gibby, Alivia Beal, Logan Chadwick Elizabeth Harrison, Connor Charette, Heather Neighbors, Cheylyn Brundage, Rylee Bolles, Pre...
In a news release, the Eastern Washington University Gallery of Art announced it is holding an exhibit titled "Domestic Legibility" featuring artists Aaron Trampush and Bradley Gunn. The exhibit will run from Jan. 14 through Feb. 18, 2016. There will an opening reception Jan. 13, 2016 in the EWU Gallery of Art at noon. "Domestic Legibility" incorporates a variety of ephemeral and often unseen domestic artifacts reclaimed from demolished homes. The show develops an evolving con...
For families that want a jump start to getting healthier in the new year, the Cheney School District is partnering with Communities in Schools (CIS) to host two health and wellness fairs, one at Betz Elementary School, Jan. 12, from 5:30 — 7 p.m., and another at Sunset Elementary School, Jan. 13, from 5:30 — 7 p.m. This is the second year for the events at both schools. Alise Mnati, program quality director for CIS, said both Betz and Sunset received 21st Century Learning Center grants. Mnati said the district and CIS decided...
The Thursday, Jan. 7 monthly meeting of the West Plains Chamber of Commerce will have as its special guest former Eastern Washington University and current Edmonton Eskimo linebacker J.C. Sherritt. Sherritt along with many past EWU student athletes and coaches will be present to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the national championship at Northern Quest Resort and Casino. Sherritt, a member of the 2010 EWU national championship team, just recently was on the Eskimos’ Canadian Football League Grey Cup Champion team. T...
The trees, streets, buildings and landscapes throughout the city of Cheney and surrounding areas in the West Plains have become a winter wonderland, covered in snow and ice....
OLYMPIA – In a news release, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is seeking public comments on a newly updated program with a long history of protecting fish life. The department’s Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA) program is responsible for issuing permits for bulkheads, culverts, docks and other projects and activities in and around state waters. In an average year, HPA biologists review approximately 2,500 projects around the state to ensure they meet fish-protection standards outlined in the state’s Hydra...
A vandal, or vandals somewhere might be tempting intervention by higher powers after throwing a fist-sized rock through one of the windows of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Cheney. The damage likely occurred Christmas night, but it was not discovered until Saturday, Dec. 26, Fr. Paul Heric, the church's pastor said. "Things happen but I think it's such a sacrilegious thing, and I think the community needs to know someone did that," Heric said. A temporary fix using...
Few things that are 100 years old have a fresh look to them. But Lakeland Village, which turned 100 years old in 2015, might just be an exception. Because the place that has been known over its century of existence by names like Washington State Feeble Minded School, Washington State Custodial School or the Eastern State Hospital Annex at Medical Lake, has if nothing else, a mission that has evolved significantly, and continues to do so. The facility was named Lakeland...
United Methodist Church Happy New Year from the United Methodist Church. Sunday morning please join us for worship at 10 a.m. Pastor Alissa Bertsch Johnson will lead the service which will include Holy Communion. Sunday school classes are in recess this week and will resume on Jan. 10. The church office is closed during the holidays and will be open the first week of January. Emmanuel Lutheran Church All are welcome to worship with us this Sunday, Jan. 3 at 10:30 a.m. You may also watch our pastor’s sermons at our website w...
The Cheney Hi-Flyers Dance Club offers beginning square dance lessons starting Monday evenings in January at 6:30 – 8 p.m. in Cheney City Hall (609 Second St). New students are welcomed any Monday in January beginning Jan. 4. Round dance lessons (ballroom style) will continue at 8 p.m. on Mondays with an emphasis on the waltz. Hi-Flyers teachers Adam Christman and Nina Leisi encourage everyone to relax, make some mistakes, but most of all to make some friends and have fun. Lessons are $4 per person, but each person’s fir...
Michael Sheldon Nielson, age 54 of Cheney, died Dec. 11, 2015 due to heart complications. Mike was born May 30, 1961. Mike was raised in Fraser, Mich., lived in Denver, Colo., and Cheney. Always generous with his time and willing to help all, Mike was a jack-of-all-trades from electronics to construction to computer programming. He is survived by long-time partner, DeeDee Powell, his children: Parker, Madison, Harmony Nielson, Debra Nielson; his former wife, and many other... Full story
1 Years Ago Jan. 5, 2006 Cheney Mayor Allan Gainer was sworn into office by the city’s director of finance, Cindy Niemeier. Following a year of wetlands mitigation to satisfy requirements for a building permit from the Washington Department of Ecology, Tomlinson-Black announced they would break ground soon on the Silver Hills West development. Medical Lake won in 10 of 14 weight classes en route to its sixth consecutive M2 Mallet wrestling tournament title at Rogers High School. Cardinal winners included 275-pound Andy S...
The sleepy community of Four Lakes will have an added bustle to it soon with the completion of the Highline Grain terminal and accompanying track upgrades allowing Burlington Northern Santa Fe unit trains to efficiently ship Northwest crops to markets worldwide. Despite a return to a more traditional winter, the various elements of the project were on track to begin operation early in 2016. That's the word from Keith Bailey, general manager and CEO of Ag Ventures and the...
Sandy Zimmerman, Michael Anderson Elementary physical education teacher, is no stranger to challenges, especially when it comes to sports. Her accolades in athletics include playing basketball at Gonzaga University and being a former national judo champion. Now she seeks one more milestone - American Ninja Warrior. Zimmerman is training for the eighth season of "American Ninja Warrior" a popular sports entertainment TV show where athletes attempt to complete four stages of...
The Cheney High marching band has added some more hardware to its trophy case in fall 2015. They swept their division at the Harvest Marching Band Festival in Yakima, Oct. 17. They also won the AA Division — finishing fourth overall — at the Pacific Northwest Marching Band Championships at Joe Albi Stadium, Oct. 10 and were third at the Washington State University Marching Band Championships in Pullman, Oct. 24. “This year we are doing well, but none of us expected to be this good,” drum major Keenan Loughery said in an earl...
At their first meeting in April 2014, Cheney's City Council was presented with a last-minute challenge - find a way to move, install at a new location and maintain the former Northern Pacific Railroad depot "in perpetuity as long as the trains roll thru Cheney" and a private party would purchase new land where the 86-year-old station could rest and escape the wrecking ball. Faced with an estimated bill for doing that of $415,200, the City Council said "thanks, but no thanks."...
Record high winds ravaged most of Eastern Washington on Nov. 17, causing two deaths - including a Cheney woman - knocking down fences and trees, tearing off roofs and leaving thousands without power, some for weeks. Carolyn Marie Wilford, 70, died when her car was struck by a falling tree as she drove home on State Route 904 near Four Lakes. A woman was also killed on Spokane's South Hill. Reports indicated an estimated 200,000 customers of various area utilities were out of...
