(330) stories found containing 'irrigation'

New facility could put Eastern Washington University at the center of alternative energy education By JOHN McCALLUM Editor Rodger Hauge is convinced there's a revolution going on – it's just the average Joe doesn't realize it yet. The revolution is the growing use of renewable, alternative energy resources. Hauge wants to make Cheney ground zero for its promotion in the Inland Empire by creating the Eastern Washington University Center for Alternative Energy Education on 1.5 acres of land donated by the university west of R... Full story

They built it for those who come; volunteers, Cheney employees help build field of dreams By JOHN McCALLUM Editor In the movie “Field of Dreams” a voice in a cornfield tells former-hippie and Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella that, “If you build it, he will come.” Build what and who will come Kinsella asks? He eventually figures it out, plowing under choice Iowa acreage to install a lighted baseball field. Who comes? Hey, do I have to answer all your questions? Watch the movie! In 2004 a group of West Plains folks dedicated to develop...

By BECKY THOMAS Staff Reporter Cheney Mayor Tom Trulove has worn several different hats through the years. At last week's Cheney City Council meeting, he donned one he doesn't usually wear: he was taken aback, bowled over, at a loss for words as city staff told him he was the recipient of the Paul J. Raver Community Service Award from the Northwest Public Power Association. The award is given to an individual or a group that has worked toward the betterment of cities, states or regions, and Trulove said he feels unworthy to...

By RYAN LANCASTER Staff Reporter The Airway Heights Kiwanis club approached the City Council March 21 with a proposal that would revitalize a long stalled drive to build a community recreation center. “Central to Kiwanis' mission is the belief that the most effective way to enhance a community is to enhance its children,” Kiwanis board member Kelly Osterberger told the council. “We feel that a recreation center would allow kids to learn, dream and succeed.” In 2005 the city tried unsuccessfully to pass a $5.5 million bond to...

Removing fire protection costs will lower water charges, but increase utility tax rates By RYAN LANCASTER Staff Reporter Airway Heights customers may see some changes on their water bill next year, including slight rate increases, but sewer rates should stay flat for some time. The city commissioned a study of utility rates to determine how adjustments might help pay for projects and maintenance if the economy stays stagnant. FCS Group consultant Ed Cebron presented recommendations to the City Council Monday, including...

By RYAN LANCASTER Staff Reporter Airway Heights' preliminary budget slices into most departments but it also provides necessary city services without increased costs, City Manager Albert Tripp told city council members Monday. The city expected an expenditures/revenues gap of approximately $225,000 next year because of the down economy, but Tripp said “creative solutions” at the departmental level reduced that discrepancy to less than $24,000. Department managers shared key aspects of their budget plans during a public hea... Full story

Water conservation key in ML and AH, Cheney continues plugging leaks By BECKY THOMAS Staff Reporter Water is a simple element that has caused countless headaches for West Plains cities, farmers and ecologists. While the cool summer has been a welcome respite from heavy irrigation for Cheney, Medical Lake and Airway Heights, water issues remain constant. Medical Lake and Airway Heights have experienced a loss of water level in city wells for several years, a phenomenon known as “groundwater mining” that occurs when water is...

Collapsed well being repaired while crews examine second well's reduced rate of production ##M:[Read more here]## By RYAN LANCASTER Staff Reporter Airway Heights crews expect to finish repairs on a collapsed municipal well by the end of this week before investigating why a second well hasn't been producing to its full potential. Early last week Airway Heights City Council passed an emergency resolution to bypass bidding requirements for acquiring a new pump and related drilling work at Well No. 8, which is located near 21st... Full story

By RYAN LANCASTER Staff Reporter Medical Lake council members had the opportunity Tuesday to tell Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich their thoughts on how Spokane County deputies have performed since taking over the city's law enforcement last November. Knezovich listened to concerns over occasional missed calls and a perceived lack of police presence but said until recently he was unaware the problems even existed and that he needs specific information to deal with them. Knezovich pointed to a 6-month countywide incident report... Full story

Part 4 of 4 – Six vie for position of Spokane County Assessor By BECKY THOMAS Staff Reporter The office of Spokane County Assessor is highly contested this primary election. Five individuals are challenging incumbent assessor Ralph Baker to lead the office that doles out property values to residential and commercial properties throughout the county. The top two vote getters will move on to the November General Election. The position has an annual salary of $88,350. Following are candidate biographies and answers to five q... Full story

By PAUL DELANEY Staff Reporter Roos's red rug is rolling right along, and ahead of schedule too. The upgrade of Woodward Field – soon to be renamed Roos Field in honor of the $500,000 donation by the former Eastern Eagle and current Tennessee Titan – is well ahead of schedule following the conclusion of site preparation last week. The Roos donation was the catalyst for raising some $750,000 towards the project. “The project was officially two weeks ahead of time as of last Thursday,” Mike Davis, project manager said. The shi...

By RYAN LANCASTER Staff Reporter Fire completely destroyed a two-story house in the Malloy Prairie area south of Medical Lake Monday afternoon before spreading into an adjacent field and threatening a nearby wooded area. Deputy Fire Chief Bill Dennstaedt of Spokane County Fire District 3 said the blaze at 16102 S. Wood Road started around 3 p.m. and was caused when strong winds knocked a tree branch into a domestic power line, pulling the line and a service conduit from the house. The renter of the home promptly noticed a...

By RYAN LANCASTER Staff Reporter Work is winding up at the Eastern Washington Veterans Cemetery and scores of services have taken place since its Memorial Day dedication ceremony. From June 7 to the end of last month 81 internments were completed and more than 900 individuals have now preregistered for burial, according to cemetery director Richard Cesler. “Lots of folks were holding on to cremains, waiting until we opened,” Cesler said, adding that every week the cemetery holds an average of 15 ceremonies for veterans or...

By JOHN McCALLUM Editor With the nation focusing more attention on alternative energy, one outlet for purchasing individual renewable power production is now available on the West Plains. Cascade Pacific Wind and Alternative Energy has become a dealership for Endurance wind turbines. Endurance is manufactured in Canada and is now beginning to make a presence in the U.S., Cascade Pacific president and project manager Darrin Arbogast said. An area resident since 1995 and an EWU graduate, Arbogast came into the small wind...

By RYAN LANCASTER Staff Reporter It's widely known that the underground body of water that supplies fresh drinking water to Airway Heights, Medical Lake and Four Lakes has been in decline for years. The aquifer's subsurface geography has so far been extremely difficult to map, but research suggests basement rocks with a very low permeability, such as granite, are acting as a barrier to groundwater recharge, which is limited to between 15 and 19 inches of yearly rain and snowfall. Precipitation is though to flow between thick...

By RYAN LANCASTER Staff Reporter Medical Lake's City Council set water use efficiency goals during the Tuesday, June 15 meeting, as mandated every six years by the Washington State Department of Health. City Administrator Doug Ross reminded council that the city held a meeting last November to take public input on setting goals to meet the requirement. At least one goal must be set on the supply side and one on the demand side of the water system and each must be accompanied by a minimum of five actions for their attainment....

Intertie with Spokane moves forward as dry months approach, city officials to revisit how much water should be allowed per household By RYAN LANCASTER Staff Reporter A wet spring has so far kept the need for irrigation low in Medical Lake, but city officials are looking for water solutions before shortages begin in the dry summer months. Medical Lake Mayor John Higgins said the city is getting closer to purchasing water from Spokane on a contingency basis via an intertie at Craig Road. The city has held about $100,000 for a...

By RYAN LANCASTER Staff Reporter Major work is wrapping up at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery just west of Medical Lake in advance of a Memorial Day dedication May 31. The cemetery broke ground last Memorial Day on 120 acres near Espanola and Ritchey roads, funded in large part by an $8.8 million federal grant. Administrative, maintenance and other buildings are now in place, with most landscaping and paving expected to be near completion by the one-year deadline. Cemetery director Richard Cesler said a few items are... Full story

The following was produced by StatePoint Media It's one of springtime's most popular activities: preparing your yard for enjoyable summertime use. However, the rising scarcity of water across the country continues to drive up the cost of landscaping and gardening. In fact, more and more states nationwide are beginning to prohibit daily watering altogether. “Fortunately, there are an increasing number of efficient approaches to home landscaping that are surprisingly easy to get started, such as mulching and installing new n...

Project aims to enhance student learning while bridging the gap between school and community By RYAN LANCASTER Staff Reporter It all started with a couple of teachers and a pipe dream. A garden now in the final planning stages on the campus of Medical Lake High School is the brainchild of health teacher Val Von Lehe and Dr. Laurie Morley, an instructor in the college of education and human development at Eastern Washington University. The two developed the idea of a “living laboratory” on school grounds as a way to int...

Medical Lake, West Plains water districts look to city of Spokane water connections as a way out of recurring drought problems By RYAN LANCASTER Staff Reporter As West Plains officials prepare to meet the upcoming dry season they'll consider how the mild temperatures and scant snowfall of our recent El Niño winter might impact an already dwindling aquifer. “The lack of snow pack doesn't directly affect this area too much but in general terms it will lessen the recharge of groundwater out here,” John Livingston, mete...

Switch in winter's dry weather pattern will not be enough to fix our precipitation problems By PAUL DELANEY Staff Reporter If Eastern Washington University professor of meteorology Bob Quinn is correct it's going to be a good year to be a firefighter and a bad one for those who make their money river rafting. As the El Nino conditions that have brought us another record-setting winter – this one being a season of historically sparse snowfall – began to weaken, Quinn worked his weather Ouija board and sees a rough spring and... Full story

By BECKY THOMAS Staff Reporter Some communities know the debilitating effects of a building moratorium. Thanks to a recent upgrade to Cheney's wastewater treatment plant, that threat is far from city officials' minds. Though most people don't like to think about where the unmentionables go when they flush the toilet, plant operator Dan Ferguson understands just how important it is for a city to have ample wastewater capacity. He said the construction of the plant in 1994 spurred growth in the city. “We put our (plant) in, C...