Sorted by date Results 251 - 275 of 673
TOKIO — A Gonzaga university student was killed Saturday morning, Feb. 18, in a fiery, one-vehicle crash 10 miles east of Ritzville. Diego H. Garza, 18, of Lakewood, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash near Mipepost 230, at about 5:30 a.m., the Washington State Patrol reported. According to the patrol, Garza was eastbound in a 2003 Chevrolet Blazer on Interstate 90 when his vehicle drifted in to the median. Garza over-corrected and the vehicle overturned and c...
OLYMPIA — Farmers and ranchers will be likely continue to be taxed on agricultural diesel fuel after House and Senate committees last week failed to advance exemption bills. Senate Bill 5728, introduced by Sen. Perry Dozier, R-Kennewick, and co-sponsored by Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, didn’t make it out of the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee. And House Bill 1780, introducted by Republican Reps. Joe Schmick of Colfax and Mary Dye of Pomeroy met a sim...
Washington state has high tax rates — gas, property, you name it. Government agencies billions of tax dollars annually from residents and businesses here. So why then are government agencies taking Washington taxpayer dollars and buying goods and services out-of-state, goods and services that are readily abundant in Washington? Those agencies are penalizing state taxpayers (residents and businesses) for paying the high taxes the agencies collected under burdensome r...
WARNS. Interesting acronym for a survey being pushed by the state Department of Education, Washington State University and public schools statewide. The Washington Assessment of the Risks and Needs of Students has been around a few years, but largely disappeared during the coronavirus shutdowns — when students were at home and parents would have an opportunity to see it, read the questions and determine appropriateness. But now that classes are back in-person statewide, the s...
Cheney Blackhawk Jalisca Holmgren mixes it up on the mat....
A gang of elk seen from Cheney Spangle road the morning of January 9....
6 was a year of change and growth for the members of the Cheney Free Press. Reporters, interns, employees, came and went. Every member of our team left an important mark on the press and on our community. Here we take a brief look at some of the ups and downs of 2022 in the press. January Presents with a Purpose serves 80 Cheney students this year By Sarah Stephens Sarah wrote this piece on Cheney resident Andrew Graham, a 26 year old real estate agent who started Presents With a Purpose. “His organization began three y...
CHENEY — A steady rain, recent warming temperatures and predicted gusty winds prompted the National Weather Service to issue a flood warning for much of southern Spokane County, including Cheney, Medical Lake and Spangle. Areas of Whitman County were also expected to see localized flooding. As of press time Tuesday night, Hangman Creek was rising from Tekoa to Spokane, and Paradise Creek was expected to continue rising in the Pullman-Colfax area. “Runoff from rain and rap...
A strong mind and body are crucial to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I learned that while recently completing basic training for the U.S. Army at Fort Sill, Okla. I was never a stranger to the gym. In fact, I spent every morning working out at FIT gym in downtown Colfax prior to leaving for the military. As a regular there, I always focused on strength training and cardio. Afterward, I would get my morning cappuccino and find myself at my desk in the bullpen at The Whitman...
Cheney emerged from the Dec. 22 Tri-County wrestling tournament at Central Valley High School with some notable finishes. Anthony Moore-Carr had the top finish among a handful of Blackhawks, finishing third at 220 pounds with a 6-3 record. "Anthony Moore had a great tournament as is getting better every week after coming back from illness and injuries," head coach Jason Connor wrote in an email. Stevie Rasmussen (170) finished 5-4 and lost in the third round of the...
As a youngster, I looked forward to Christmas. I loved the food, the traditions and especially the presents — what kid doesn’t? In high school and college, the luster subsided. As a wrestler, Christmas was a time for fasting so I didn’t have to move up a weight class. I dreaded running extra bleachers, doing additional up-downs and all the “fat man” jokes from teammates. Christmas would become just one of those “OK” holidays for me after college. As a journalist, I...
MEDICAL LAKE — A young Bronco girls basketball team (1-1) kept pace with Medical Lake for a quarter, but the Cardinals depth helped them prevail, 48-41, on Friday, Dec. 9. Head Coach Bryce Court said he was proud of his team, which only has three seniors with limited experience. The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague/Washtucna/Harrington girls have two freshmen and five sophomores on the varsity lineup. “I’m super ex cited at how we did against a team like that,” he said. “They’re a big t...
MEDICAL LAKE — The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague/Washtucna/Harrington boys basketball team held Medical Lake nearly scoreless in the first half as the Broncos dunked the Cardinals, 69-14, in a nonleague boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 9. The Cardinals (0-3) could only muster a single bucket in each of the first two quarters of play for a total of 5 points. Meanwhile, the Broncos offense dominated the court, rolling up 41 points before the break. The undefeated Broncos (3-0) s...
CHENEY — Jason Connor spends his days as a biologist for the Kalispel Tribe working to improve the health of fish species that travel the Pend Oreille River and its watershed. Since 2018, however, he's spent much of his free time trying to perform similar duties as head coach with Cheney Blackhawks wrestling, of which he's both competed and coached for years. Connor, who wrestled for and graduated from Cheney High School in 1991, has woven his way in and out and very much t...
MEDICAL LAKE--The Reardan wrestlers earned a second-place finish at the Medical Lake Scramble on Saturday, Dec. 3. The host Cardinals finished fifth out of the 10 teams in the tournament. Pullman won the event with 266 points while Reardan had 206. Lewis and Clark placed third with 165 points, followed by Rogers who had 150 points. Medical Lake scored 116 points, which put it in fifth place, and West Valley placed sixth with 105 points. Cheney had 101 points, Mt. Spokane had...
The building blocks were placed in 2021-22 for what head coach Garrett Roulston thinks could be a resurgence for Medical Lake wrestling. "Last year we had a really young team and a lot of freshmen - three quarters of our team were freshmen," Roulston said in a recent interview. The result was a fifth-place finish in the Northeast A League, arguably, year-in, year-out, one of if not the most competitive 1A league in the state of Washington. The NEA has produced three of the...
CHENEY - The first snow storm of the season moved into the area overnight, bringing several inches of snow and near whiteout conditions. All this more than 20 days before the first day of winter. Most schools across the region were on a 2-hour delayed start or had canceled classes for the day. Eastern Washington, too, had shuttered the campus and a scheduled men's basketball game had been canceled. Cheney School District initially called for a delayed start, but officials deci...
CHENEY – Full city plow underway, with eight plows and several employees on the ground working to clear the roadways and sidewalks. Todd Ableman, chair of city planning, said "We have just about everything we have, all the equipment and every employee, in the city trying to clear the snow." Ableman said that while everyone is working hard, he is trying be conscious of how hard the plow operators are working. "We don't want to overwork our people." He said. "The city will c...
It seems like every time you open a webpage, turn on the TV or listen to the radio, you’re bombarded with negativity. We’re on the verge of nuclear war. The recession is upon us. Inflation is high. Every storm is “historic.” Race-based politics are invading every inch of our educational system and lives. And if that’s not enough, the 2024 election season has already begun. It’s enough to get you down, and keep you there. But cheer up. You have plenty to be thankful for this Th...
NE2B Coaches of the Year The Northeast 2B football league recognized Liberty Assistant Coach Brian Goodwin, left, and Coach Brian Harrington as Coaches of the Year during a short ceremony Sunday, Nov. 20, at their home high school outside Spangle. Roger Harnack | Cheney Free Press...
YAKIMA – The Liberty (Spangle) girls volleyball team survived to Day 2 of the state 2B tournament, but couldn't get past league rival Lind-Ritzville/Sprague. The Lancers were eliminated by the Broncos, 3-0, on Friday morning, Nov. 11. Set scores were 25-15, 25-17, 25-23. In winning, the Broncos avenged a loss to Liberty in the district tournament. Liberty, seeded No. 7, reached Day 2 in the Yakima Valley SunDome by opening Thursday with a 3-1 win over the No. 10-seeded B...
Cheney's trip down U.S. 395 on Nov. 5 to compete at the WIAA state cross country championships certainly had its high points. But, perhaps, the biggest takeaway might be what the Blackhawks' showing did for the future? Most notable was yet another individual championship in the wheelchair division by freshman Caitlin Shaffer in a time of 12 minutes, 58.7 seconds to claim the championship on the 5,001-meter course. She's pointing to follow Isaiah Rigo who, from 2014 to 2017...
MEAD – The Cheney Blackhawks (11-8) girls volleyball team's post-season prospects were swept away Tuesday night, Nov. 8. Cheney (11-9) lost to Mount Spokane, 3-0, in a winner-to-state/loser-out matchup. Set scores were 25-22, 25-11, 25-17. The 16-4 Wildcats earned a state 3A berth. The Blackhawks season ended. Individual statistics for the game were not available prior to press time. Cheney, the No. 7 seed in the tournament, wasn't expected to reach the game. But on Nov. 1, t...
SPANGLE – Sometimes, a football game is decided solely on turnovers. Such was the case Friday night, Nov. 4, when the Liberty Lancers held off the visiting Lake Roosevelt Raiders, 15-6, to advance to the state 2B football playoffs. With a cold, steady rain and a muddy filed, the District 6/7 crossover proved to be a defensive battle, with little offense on both sides of the ball. Two Raider fumbles and an incepted Lancer pass made the difference in the game. The first quarter...
SPANGLE – Liberty boys football team took time before the District 6/7 crossover game to tell a local woman she's not alone in her fight with cancer. Prior to the start of the Friday night, Nov. 4, game, Liberty Athletic Director Kyle Dodge presented Dianna Harrington with a football all of the players had signed. The ball also contained a short note of support: "NO ONE FIGHTS ALONE." After the presentation, Harrington received several words of encouragement and hugs from p...
