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With shopping behind us, it is time o turn to Santa for those final Christmas presents on our wish list. After comparing the options, here are five of the high-demand policy gifts sure to delight users of all ages. 1. A Sherlock Holmes tax transparency bundle kit. Enjoy hours of sleuthing and tax mystery-solving with your favorite detective’s personal kit for understanding taxes. Included in the easy-carry leather bag are a magnifying glass and directions to a tax transparency website, taxpayer receipt, Truth in Taxation p...
Just as memories of COVID lockdowns and mask mandates were fading to the back of our collective minds, the hysteria is returning, and many are wondering how to react. The two new strains responsible for the surge in cases are known as EG.5, or “Eris,” and BA.2.86, or “Pirola.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers show COVID hospitalizations have increased by almost 15.7% in one week, and deaths have increased by 10.5%, although these numbers greatly fluctuate day by day. Director Mandy Cohen said up to 10,000...
SPOKANE VALLEY — The Council heard the first reading of a Comprehensive Plan Amendment which would, if passed, rezone the New Park Area from Single Family Residential (SFR) and Neighborhood Commercial (NC) to Parks, Recreation and Open Space. The New Park Area is located in the north of the city between North Forker Road in the east and North Progress Road in the west. It is composed of four parcels totaling approximately 19 acres which are currently zoned Single Family Residential. According to city documents, the p...
Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee is busy signing bills. I think he should start putting his John Hancock on apology letters to former state workers who were terminated because of his vaccine mandate. I doubt he will. In a press release about the move, the Inslee administration says that the end of the employment requirement “aligns with the end of the federal public health emergency and the lifting of vaccination requirements for federal employees and contractors on May 11. Last week, the World Health Organization announced a...
CHENEY — The council voted unanimously to pass the second reading of Ordinance Y-41, Comprehensive Plan & Zoning Map Amendment, at their regular meeting on April 25. During the public comment section of the city council meeting, Douglas Brunell, a resident of the Presnell Mobile Home Park said, “Todd Tarbert (owner) does not want what’s best for the city. Tarbert wants what’s best for Tarbert. He has lied to me and to the members of the city council. Is it legal for Tarbert...
A miracle of sorts took place under the Capitol dome on April 23. The state Legislature adjourned its 2023 legislative session without raising taxes. I want to point it out because I’m not sure anyone outside Olympia will notice. There have been a dozen major tax increases in the state since the Legislature fell under one-party control in 2018. The biggest ones kicked in this year and are just beginning to bite. We also saw four big new tax proposals. None of them passed this session, but don’t worry – they’ll be back on...
CHENEY - Installation of new water main pipes and infrastructure has begun on Clay Street and is scheduled to be completed toward the end of April, 2023. After the water main is installed, the team will move on to Elm Street, between North Sixth and Fifth Street, according to Public Works Department Director Todd Ableman. "We try to have annual water main projects, but winter started early last year and hit hard, so this project was delayed." Ableman said. The Community...
NOTICE OF TRUSTEE’S SALE TS No. 160690 Grantor: Gordon Reynolds and Sally Reynolds, a married couple Current beneficiary of the deed of trust: Rocket Mortgage, LLC f/k/a Quicken Loans, LLC f/k/a Quicken Loans Inc. Current trustees of the deed of trust: Jason L. Cotton, Attorney, and Eric Marshack, Attorney, The Mortgage Law Firm, PLLC Current mortgage servicer of the deed of trust: Rocket Mortgage, LLC f/k/a Quicken Loans, LLC f/k/a Quicken Loans Inc. Reference number of the deed of trust: 6630661 and Re-recorded on 1...
CHENEY — Residents turned out again Tuesday night, March 14, to voice concerns over a possible relocation. The comments came at a meeting where the state Department of Commerce also addressed council members on the subject. City resident Corinna Donnerberg asked the council vote against re-zoning of 2225 First St., the location of Presnell Mobile Home Park. “I am here to ask you to vote ‘no’ on this ordinance,” she said. “The choice is clear; voting ‘yes’ is voting for displacement of these residents.” Donnerberg said s...
SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION SUPERIOR COURT, STATE OF WASHINGTON, COUNTY OF SPOKANE No. 23-2-00129-32 MAIN AVE, LLC, a Washington limited liability company, Plaintiff, vs. RONALD JACKSON; the ESTATE OF RONALD JACKSON; ALL INHABITANTS OF 11808 E. MAIN AVENUE, SPOKANE, WASHINGTON, and THE PUBLIC AT LARGE, Defendants. TO: RONALD JACKSON; the ESTATE OF RONALD JACKSON; ALL INHABITANTS OF 11808 E. MAIN AVENUE, SPOKANE, WASHINGTON 99206-5156 and THE PUBLIC AT LARGE A lawsuit has been started against you in the above-entitled Court by...
PUBLIC NOTICE Let it be publicly known to all persons, Medical Lake School District #326 Board of Directors will meet in a public meeting on Tuesday, March 28 at 5:45 p.m. at the Medical Lake Middle School Library located at 1010 E. Lake Street to review redistricting for director district boundaries. These minimal boundary changes are required in conjunction with the release of the 2020 census data and ensure equal representation opportunities for the five director districts. The boundary adjustments are completely...
CHENEY – Council votes unanimously to approve 2023 budget on Tuesday Dec. 13. The third and final public hearing and reading took place at the meeting, as well as a reading of the amendments to the budget. Approved discretionary requests for the police department included two new patrol cars, the drone equipment and training program, and a digital fingerprint scanning system. Parks & Recreation received approval for a replacement deicer unit and a new director for the d...
There wasn’t much notice for August’s webinar hosted by the WA Cares Fund. It was titled, “Long-Term Care Planning for Near-Retirees.” I finally went back for a watch. In addition to presentations from government employees about changes that were made for near-retirees in the last legislative session when it comes to WA Cares — the new social program supporters and public agency heads are trying to pass off as an insurance policy for workers, even calling a new payroll tax a “premium” — there also were helpful presentations f...
CHENEY – They city of Cheney sent notice to residents on March 2 that potentially harmful chemicals known as polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were found in Well No. 5. The well is a seasonal water source located on Presley Drive used to compensate for additional water use during the summer months. According to the notice, the city's water division collected PFAS samples from the well on Oct. 7, 2021. A second set of samples taken on Dec. 6 confirmed the initial test r...
FAIRCHILD – An innovative partnership between Fairchild Air Force Base and the Spokane County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) to build a shared secure educational and training facility is finally coming together. The project has been in the works for eight years. Todd Mielke, chief administrative officer with the SCSO, explained how unique the partnership is. "This is the first public to public partnership of its kind," Mielke said. "It's a totally new process for the Air Force." The...
MEDICAL LAKE – The food bank in Medical Lake recently requested emergency funds to help remodel and expand the group’s current facilities. City Administrator Doug Ross announced the request to council on December 7, and council voted to approve the dispersal of $75,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to the food bank. The food bank will be utilizing the funds to build a drive through station to pick up food items, and this will help keep volunteers and workers out of the elements. Some of the funds will be used to exp...
MEDICAL LAKE – Mayor Shirley Maike requested council help categorize funding from the American Rescue Plan Act during a meeting Tuesday, Nov. 2. She also advocated utility and small business assistance when Councilwoman Heather Starr asked for the cost of broadband implementation. City Administrator Doug Ross said the most recent estimate to integrate broadband citywide is $8-10 million. He also said the city could go section-by-section and cover about 25% of the city for about $2 million. Testing broadband services would b...
With Gov. Jay Inslee telling us his ongoing mandates — developed behind closed doors and imposed without public involvement — are a “raging success,” do we still need the public legislative process for governing? Should one individual decide all policy for Washington, governing by press conference, with no opportunity for the public to comment o lawmakers to offer alternative proposals? These are the questions I find myself asking recently. I’ve spent most of my professio...
CHENEY – Entrepreneur Carlos Fuentes is a solid example of a small town success story. At 25, Fuentes operates several businesses in the area. When he moved from Mexico to California at 15 years old, he could barely speak English. He lived in Massachusetts for his sophomore year of high school, but ended up completing his junior year at Ferris High School in Spokane before graduating from Cheney High School. Shortly after graduating, Fuentes opened the only used car lot in t...
Long before I became a state legislator for the 6th District, I served 22 years as an officer with the Spokane Police Department. During my time with the SPD, my top priority always was to protect and serve the public. It has been 15 years since I stepped down from the department. Though I no longer wear the uniform and badge, I still care very much about the men and women who put their lives on the line each and every day to protect the public. That’s why I’m so concerned about the future of law enforcement here in Was...
CHENEY — The City Council took steps at their June 8 meeting to resume holding its regular meetings in-person. Like all other legislative bodies, Cheney’s City Council has been holding its twice-monthly meetings remotely via Zoom due to Gov. Jay Inslee’s March, 2020 declaration of a state of emergency due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Part of that proclamation prohibited in-person meetings and waived and suspended a number of laws and rules established by the Public Records Act. Inslee has since announced the state will effec...
CHENEY — City officials are proposing to change the zoning of the Industrial and Commerce Park located in southwest Cheney in order to accommodate the location of a self-storage facility that is not allowed under the current zoning. The city’s Planning Department filed a notice of application for the city’s intentions on April 5, and is taking public comments through May 10 when a public hearing by the Planning Commission is scheduled to address the issue, beginning at 6 p.m...
CHENEY — The City Council approved a new three-year contract with local Chapter 270-C of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union at its March 23 meeting, granting a pay raise each year along with several language changes. The contract — which runs Jan. 1, 2021 – Dec. 31, 2023 — provides a 1.25% wage increase for 2021, retroactive to Jan. 1. A 1.25% wage increase over 2021 levels is provided in 2022, and 1.25% over 2022 levels in 2023 is also included. City Administrator Mark Schuller told th...
CHENEY - Fire Department officials are pursuing another engine upgrade, but this time are looking to the federal government for funding assistance. At the Feb. 9 meeting, City Council gave approval to Fire Chief Tom Jenkins to pursue a Department of Homeland Security Fiscal Year 2020 Assistance to Firefighters Grant to apply for $210,000 to purchase a new Type 5 wildland fire engine. The grant would provide for the engine, training and equipment out fitting of the vehicle, and require Cheney to assist with a 5% - $10,500 - ma...
Everything that comes out of the White House today — the lies, the false claims of election fraud, the absurd lawsuits — makes me retreat and recoil. But I feel a particular sense of dread whenever I am watching the TV news and press secretary Kayleigh McEnany steps up to the podium in the White House briefing room. Even before McEnany says her first word, I cannot help but notice the gold cross she wears around her neck, right at her throat, highly visible to the camera. The cross, I believe, is intentionally obvious and is...
