Sorted by date Results 376 - 400 of 642
CHENEY – A local woman has been hired as a reporter at the Cheney Free Press and its sister publications. Sarah D. Stephens, 45, of Cheney, began working on stories for the Ritzville Adams County Journal and Cheney Free Press on Friday, Oct. 1. "I have a relentless passion for keeping people aware of what is going on in their small towns." Stephens said of her interest in being a reporter. "Please feel free to come say, "Hi." "That's the kind of drive our community n...
The Cheney High School Marching Band took to the football field during halftime of Friday night's football game against Mead. The performance portrayed a lonely girl who found companionship through music. The halftime show brought the crowd to its feet....
OLYMPIA – Washington State Parks officials have rescheduled a public meeting on a proposal that would end camping and require a hiking permit at Palouse Falls. The rescheduled meeting is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19 online at https://bit.ly/BlueMtnMeeting. The state is also planning to host in-person meetings at 6 p.m. Nov. 8 and 9; the locations have yet to be determined. In addition to rules to prevent “overcrowding” at Palouse Falls, the meeting will include discu...
The last week has not been good for small businesses in our part of the state. The U.S. Postal Service began slowing “snail mail” services. Stores were ordered to stop using plastic bags and required to make their paying customers pay for a paper bag. And the state announced the minimum wage would jump to $14.49 per hour Jan. 1. If you don’t own or manage a business, this may seem overly dramatic. Who cares if it takes an extra day for your mail to arrive, right? It’s only 8...
CHENEY – The national labor shortage afflicting the country hasn’t left the Cheney community untouched. “Help Wanted” signs can be found in dozens of windows along First Street, across a variety of professions. Explanations for the deficit are varied and ambiguous. Some cite government aid dis-incentivizing workers; others point to COVID-19 concerns. And some highlight a societal change guiding workers away from manual positions. Regardless of the cause, local business are struggling. “I’ve been doing this for 43 years and I...
OLYMPIA – A new plan for managing Palouse Falls State Park may end camping and require hiking permits if its approved. Washington State Parks officials will take comments on the plan during a virtual 6 p.m. meeting Oct. 5. The meeting will be accessible online at https://bit.ly/3tYuVAo. According to State Parks' Lauran Moxham, the meeting will also include discussions of agency-planned changes for Lyons Ferry and the Lewis and Clark trail State parks Under the proposal for P...
SPOKANE – It was all Bullpups. A bad snap on the first play from scrimmage cost the visiting Blackhawks 13 yards and set the tone for Friday night's game as Gonzaga Prep rolled over Cheney. Cheney (0-3) heads to West Valley (Spokane) this Friday night to play the Eagles (1-1). Kick off is at 7 p.m. The Eagles opened their season Sept. 3 with a 35-17 win over Class 1A Newport, then fell Sept. 10 to Lakeland (Rathdrum, Idaho), 42-13. Last Friday's West Valley at East Valley (...
OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee this afternoon extended his coronavirus-related eviction moratorium through Oct. 31. Calling the moratorium a “bridge,” Inslee said his action will allow municipalities to put in place financial assistance programs for those who haven’t paid their rent or mortgages during the 18 months of his orders related to the virus that originated in Wuhan, China. Money is available, he said, adding: “We think this extension provides ample times for these funds to get out to citizens.” In early August, the...
Photo by Roger Harnack | Free Press Publishing Brenda Hulett of Cheney plays the accordion as a member of the Oom Pas and Mas during the annual Deutchesfest celebration. The polka band provided the primary entertainment during the festival that attracted thousands of visitors to Odessa from Sept. 16-19. Brenda Hulett's husband, Donovan Hulett, is also part of the band, playing the trumpet....
PULLMAN – The Washington State University Extension Office is applying the governor’s Wuhan coronavirus vaccination requirement to all 4-H volunteers. In a letter dated Sept. 3, Extension Office Director Vicki A. McCracken gave all volunteers until Oct. 18 to prove they have been vaccinated or be removed from their post. “… WSU is required to comply with Governor Inslee’s recent vaccination proclamation requirement,” McCracken wrote. “This health and safety proclamation that h...
OLYMPIA – Under a revised order by Gov. Jay Inslee last Thursday, Sept. 9, residents and visitors are now required to cover their faces when attending outdoor events that attract more than 500 people. The revised edict applies to sporting events, concerts and fairs. As of Monday, Sept. 13, face coverings are required of all event-goers, even if they’ve gotten a coronavirus vaccine and a booster. During the press conference in which he announced the new mandate, the gov...
Talk about a bureaucrat with delusions of grandeur. On Sept. 3, Washington State University Extension Office Director Vicki A. McCracken took it upon herself to dictate that all 4-H volunteers now have to be “fully vaccinated” to continue in their position or face being “inactive.” She cited Gov. Jay Inslee’s edict that everyone connected to education – from preschool through the university system – must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18. Apparently, neither McCracken nor...
SPOKANE VALLEY — The state Department of Fish and Wildlife is closing the Newman Lake Access Area from Sept. 12-14 for milfoil treatment. A contractor hired by Spokane County and the Newman Lake Flood Control Zone District will apply a herbicide to approximately 55 acres on the south shoreline and 4 acres on the west side of the lake Sept. 13, officials said. The treatment day is dependent on lake and weather conditions. The lake access is being closed to reduce "wave action from boats," which dilutes herbicides used to k...
Several southern Spokane County residents participated in the Lincoln County Open Rodeo last Friday and Saturday nights in Davenport. Cory Perryman of Spangle was among the ranch bronc riders Saturday, but he didn’t complete an 8-second ride. Hanna Perkins of Medical Lake competed in junior barrel racing on Saturday evening. She posted a time of 23.38 seconds. Roger Harnack | Cheney Free Press...
CHENEY – A local photographer has been hired as a reporter at the Cheney Free Press. Matthew O. Stephens, 39, of Cheney, will be covering the cities of Medical Lake and Airway Heights for the Cheney Free Press. "Matthews photography skills will bring a much-needed facelift to the newspaper," Publisher Roger Harnack said. "And his local knowledge will be an asset for both the newspaper and readers." Pursuing a lifelong passion of working with his camera and informing people, S...
Kelly Cordill of Cheney, 12, gives her Hampshire crosses a drink of water Thursday at the Lincoln County Fair in Davenport. Cordill was among area residents participating in the Lincoln County Fair and Open Rodeo over the weekend in Davenport....
ST. JOHN – Several thousand race fans turned out Saturday for the second installment of Sprint Boat racing at Webb's Slough. The fastest time was posted by the No. 69 boat, Overkill, piloted by Dennis Hughes and navigated by his daughter, Samantha Hughes, both of Greenacres. Sprint boat racing pits a driver and navigator against a maze of channels and the clock. At speeds reaching more than 80 mph, the driver concentrates on making turns as the navigator memorizes the c...
CHENEY – The high school football season officially gets under way Friday night with Cheney at home and Medical Lake and Liberty (Spangle) on the road. The Cheney Blackhawks will host the Mount Spokane Wildcats. Meanwhile, The Medical Lake Cardinals travel to Priest River, Idaho, to take on the Spartans. To the south, the Liberty Lancers head to Jimmie Snider Field in Ritzville to take on the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos. The games all kick off at 7 p.m. Cheney returns a n...
SPANGLE — Several hundred people stood on the Liberty High School baseball field Thursday evening, Aug. 12, singing the National Anthem. A World War II-era P-51 fighter flew overhead, piloted by Jared Segebartt of Moscow, Idaho, as the “Stars and Stripes” waved in the wind. Some in the crowd waved American flags; others hoisted signs demanding the governor rescind his edict requiring public school students to be masked when classes resume in the coming weeks. On the dais,...
Rescue units from Lincoln County and Spokane County Fire District No. 3 responded to a one-vehicle injury crash Monday morning at Milepost 257 of westbound Interstate 90, between the Tyler and Fishtrap exits. According to the Washington State Patrol, at about 9 a.m., a driver lost control of the vehicle, veered on the median and overturned; the car came to rest against some trees. The driver, whose name was not immediately available, was transported to a Spokane hospital with...
Is this it? Is this all we can expect now from the Cheney Free Press in terms of local area news and commentary? Publisher Harnack’s opinion piece on Aug. 12, 2021 (Parents should push back on Olympia masks in schools mandates) leaves a reader with big dose of “huh”? Of all the critical local issues swirling about, we get a commentary from Publisher Harnack on how parents should rise up and reject mask mandates for students to return to school. No discussion on why masks are again necessary, no discussion on why our child...
Parents of public school students in the 9th Legislative district have had enough of coronavirus-related mandates from Olympia. Shutter schools, curtail sports, wear masks, limit field trips and restrict access to graduation. Those actions have not been embraced here. And neither has Gov. Jay Inslee’s renewed call for all public school students to remain masked for the upcoming 2021-22 school year. Area parents are pushing back. This week, led by a group from Fairfield, many p...
SPOKANE VALLEY — Leading law enforcement officers from across Eastern Washington are warning residents that new laws will make it difficult to serve the public on possible criminal activities. During a press conference Thursday, July 22, nine police chiefs and eight sheriffs gathered at Center Place to voice their concerns about Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 1310 and House Bill 1054, and Senate Substitute Bill 5066. Those laws went into effect at 12:01 a.m., S...
CHENEY - The Andrus Fire continued to burn Tuesday night, prompting evacuation notices to remain in effect north of the city and east of Four Lakes. The cause of that blaze - the largest and most recent of three in the area since Friday - remains under investigation, Spokane County Fire District No. 3 Chief Cody Rohrbach said, noting there hasn't been any injuries or home losses. The other fires were reported on Phillips Road, south of Cheney, and near the intersection of...
Power shortages, rolling brownouts and blackouts? In the Pacific Northwest? One regional utility alone – Avista – had brownouts that affected 15,307 ratepayers last Monday, 6,793 last Tuesday and another 602 last Wednesday. Other utilities, too, had brownouts. I know we’ve had a day or two of record-setting high temperatures. But that’s not an excuse to shut down power to residents and businesses here in Eastern Washington. Columbia River basin dams generate roughly 44% of...
