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SPOKANE — Innovia Foundation has opened a Wildfire Emergency Response Fund to support nonprofit organizations, businesses and community organizations working to meet the needs of those impacted by the Grays, Oregon Road and Winona wildfires. The Oregon Road Fire has burned more than 8,000 acres in Elk area of Spokane County. The Winona Fire burned more than 5,000 acres of wheat land and sage steppe in the Winona area of central Whitman County. And the Gray Fire destroyed at least 185 homes and killed one person in the M...
CHENEY - The incoming incident management team hired to oversee Gray Fire response doesn't expect to have the blaze contained until Aug. 30. In an update on the fire released at 8 p.m. Saturday night, Aug. 19, the team reported the fire is 0% (zero percent) contained, burning in dry timber, 2.5-foot-tall grass and brush. The team said the fire is believed to have burned 9,500 acres; 234 firefighters have been assigned to the blaze. Because of smoke, only one helitack team was...
CHENEY — Fire officials are expecting gubernatorial candidate and State Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz to visit the fire-ravaged areas in Medical Lake and Cheney on Sunday. At last estimate, the Gray Fire was between 8,000 and 9,500 acres in size - and growing. At least 185 homes, were destroyed Friday, and more succumbed to the flames Saturday. As the state Department of Natural Resources prepares to turn over management of the growing fire to a Type II Incident M...
MEDICAL LAKE - Multiple fires exploded Friday afternoon across both Spokane and Whitman Counties, leaving at least one person dead and burning thousands of acres. Evacuation notices were issued for Medical Lake, Cheney, Four Lakes, Elk, Winona and other places. The larger fires were reported in Medical Lake and Elk, both in Spokane County, and Winona, in central Whitman County. At least one person died and multiple homes were destroyed in the Gray Fire, which broke out about...
CHENEY — An area here that was under a Level 2 evacuation notice has been upgraded to Level 3 because of the encroaching Gray Fire. This includes the area east of Interstate 90 south of Salnave Road, west of Mullinix Road and North of State Highway 904. Level 3 notices mean fire is imminent and those choosing to evacuate should do so. A new area has been put under a Level 2 notice, as well. A Level 2 notice means fire is approaching and residents who want to evacuate should be...
ST. JOHN - As harvest season wraps up in the Palouse, farmers are reporting a less-than-impressive crop yield in the face of high heat and low precipitation. Cory Christensen, Grain Merchant at Northwest Grain Growers, expressed concerns about the adverse effects of the lack of timely rains and early spring heat on this year's wheat crop. "We've seen yields reduced to 75-85% of the 10-year average and elevated proteins in the areas in those same fields," he said. The reliance...
OLYMPIA – It took only a minute Friday, Aug. 11, for the state Fish and Wildlife Commission to reject a petition to resume spring bear hunting in 2024. The commission’s almost-immediate, unanimous rejection of spring bear hunting followed a very short presentation by state Department of Fish and Wildlife Game Division Manager Anis Aoude. “From our position as a department … we’re recommending you deny this petition,” he said. “There really isn’t a reason to revisit.” The state’s presentation and commissioner’s fast...
Wheat harvests are in full swing in the region as tractors can be seen rolling along the hills. Washington is the third leading state in terms of wheat production putting out 144 million bushels last year according to the Washington Grain Commission. That number was a 65 percent increase from the previous year. The average in for winter wheat was 68 bushels per acre, and the spring yield was 46 bushels per acre according to the United States Dept. of Agriculture. Conditions ha...
The National Weather Service predicts we will see the hottest temperatures of the summer this week. It’s even gone so far as to declare an “excessive heat warning” until 11 p.m. today. Granted, 100 degrees is hot. But in our neck of the high-plains desert, that’s not excessive. Even if we hit 105 degrees, it’s not excessive here. Eastern Washington has a track record of hot daytime highs in June, July and August. The hottest day on record for most of our readership area was...
FOUR LAKES – An Interstate 90 crash Monday evening, Aug. 7, has left an Idaho woman dead. Suzanne M. Twete, 77, of Post Falls, Idaho, was killed in the 5:30 p.m. crash near Milepost 268 south of Four Lakes. According to the Washington State Patrol, Twete was a passenger in a 2021 Toyota Rav4 being driven by Tamra Callaway, 53, of Lake Stevens. Callaway was injured in the crash; her condition was not reported. Callaway’s vehicle was westbound in the passing lane of the highway when it veered into the median, the patrol rep...
CHENEY – Two area fires that drew a large fire response have been completely contained and downgraded to patrol status. The West Anderson Fire started at approximately 5:00PM on August 2, and has now been fully contained according to the final update by the Department of Natural Resources. The fire burned through brush, tall grass and timber for five days before being downgraded to patrol status. The wildfire torched 47 acres total. The Fish Lake/Columbia Plateau trail were c...
MALDEN — A family who lost their home in a Thursday morning, July 20, fire is asking for community support. “It’s like our whole life just disappeared,” renter Alysha Galindo, 35, said. “It’s so much to process.” Galindo lived in the home at 124 S. Main St. with Bobby Robbins, 37, and six children – Nevaeh, 15, Capryce,15, Skylar, 14, Danni, 11, Novah, 7, and Baynz, 6. They were left homeless and lost most of their belongings as well as cherished memorabilia, a Chevrolet Subur...
CHENEY—Several Free Press Publishing staffers will receive Better Newspaper Contest awards in October. At the Cheney Free Press, graphic artist John Myers, sports journalist Paul Delaney and Owner/Publisher Roger Harnack will be receiving awards. Part-time journalists Byrne Bennett at the Lincoln County Record-Times and Dale Brown at the Ritzville Adams County Journal have also been named as award-winners. The staffers will be receiving awards in reporting, photography and digital efforts. The company’s Whitman County Gaz...
CHENEY – It’s not your everyday rodeo. But Jaripeo Rodeo and Dance will feature a whole lotta of Western action Sunday, July 30, in the 14310 S. State Highway 904 arena north of the city. Jaripeo is a traditional Mexican rodeo, with a tradition that dates back to the 16th Century. The name is derived from the Spanish word “jaripear,” which means to lasso. “This is something different that you don’t see in Spokane and Cheney,” Jaripeo spokeswoman Claudia Delgado said of the eve...
MALDEN - Two dogs are missing and unaccounted for after a blaze destroyed a home and travel trailer Thursday morning, July 20. Nobody was injured in the blaze at 124 S. Main Street; the cause remained under investigation at press time. Alysha Galindo resided in the rental home with her two dogs, officials said. The dogs were in cages at the time of the fire and could not be rescued by the neighbors and volunteer firefighters. As of press time, the dogs remain unaccounted for,...
REARDAN - A local man has pleaded not guilty in the death of a toddler that may or may not be his child. During a Tuesday, July 11, hearing, Jordan Mills-Jay, 30, of Reardan and Spokane, pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree reckless manslaughter and second-degree. He is being held on $150,000 bail in the Lincoln County Jail. Visiting Whitman County Superior Court Judge Gary Libey presided over the hearing. Mills-Jay was charged after medical officials allegedly found...
PATEROS -- A Cheney man was the man to beat in the annual Apple Pie Jamboree watercross races Friday and Saturday, July 15-16. Only nobody could beat him. On a hot weekend on Columbia River, Curtis Pitman, an Eastern Washington University student who moved her from Lake Stevens, won three classes in rounds 4-5 of the Pacific Northwest watercross tour. Watercross racing is like motocross, but is more difficult with the closed course's ever-changing water conditions. In weekend...
FISHTRAP – Fire crews from Adams, Lincoln, Whitman and Spokane counties have contained the Fishtrap Lake fire to about 500 acres. The blaze burned mostly in Lincoln County, but breached the Spokane County line Monday afternoon, July 17. The fire broke out at 1:59 p.m. near Interstate 90. Winds whipped up the flames and blew heavy smoke over the roadway, prompting the state Department of Transportation to close the interstate at 2:44 p.m. Winds slowed enough for the state to r...
Wearing a hat that's too big, Wyatt Pierson of Cheney takes in Cheney Rodeo action during the Friday night, July 7, performance. The youngster was among many who got an up-close-and-personal look at agricultural athletics....
FISHTRAP – Smoke from multiple wildfires is creating near-whiteout conditions along portions of Interstate 90, prompting the state Department to of Transportation to close the highway. Fires erupted earlier this afternoon at multiple locations along the highway. "Brush fire smoke over road, on I-90 eastbound at Milepost 218," an alert issued by the agency said, announcing the interstate closure west of Ritzville. The fire started about 2:26 p.m., the state reported. "It's l...
DAVENPORT - Former Lincoln County Sheriff Wade Magers will no longer be eligible to serve as a peace officer following the commission's final decision to revoke Magers' Peace Officer Certification. The decision to revoke his certification was final on June 21 after the commission found Magers in default. Magers did not contest the decision or defend against the Statement of Charges (SOC) and failed to respond within the time provided by law. On March 22, 2022, Assistant...
CHENEY – An Odessa-area cowboy was named All-Around Cowboy at the Cheney Rodeo. Caleb McMillan won the title and with it, $2,193 for his performance in bull riding, tie-down roping and steer wrestling. McMillan was the top bull rider, scoring 80.5 points atop Day Time Crime. He was the only bull ride with a qualifying time. So, he took home a $6,748 purse. McMillan was eighth overall in steer wrestling with a time of 6.3 seconds, which earned him an additional $168 and he d...
Members of the West Plains Special Olympics wave to the crowd during the Chaney Rodeo Parade. More parade photos on page B8...
