News

CHENEY Feb. 12 A two-vehicle non-injury collision occurred on the zero hundred block of West Fifth Street. Feb. 13 Brett L. Fagan, 50, was arrested for domestic violence- related assault on the 1200 block of First Street. Diabetic equipment was found on the 1100 block of Washington Street. A skate boarder hit a vehicle on the 100 block of West Second Street. Feb. 14 A black bicycle was found on the 2300 block of First Street. A set of keys was found on the 200 block of Simpson Parkway. An identification card and credit cards... Full story

By JAMES EIK Staff Reporter An adult male was struck and killed by oncoming traffic while crossing Hayford Road in Airway Heights the morning of Feb. 15. Around 5:55 a.m., officers from the Airway Heights Police Department and the Spokane County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the collision, which occurred at 9th Avenue and Hayford Road. They determined the man was crossing Hayford Road in an attempt to reach the bus station on the west side of the street. An SUV traveling south struck him, followed by a second vehicle... Full story

By JAMES EIK Staff Reporter A series of three open houses Feb. 21-23 aim to inform West Plains residents about the impact of the county's Joint Land Use Study, which will be implemented by local jurisdictions in the coming months. The study, funded through a grant from the Department of Defense and carried out by Spokane County, aims to set standards across the region in order to protect Fairchild Air Force Base from encroachment and land uses that would conflict with its current or future missions. With the document's... Full story

By JAMES EIK Staff Reporter At its Feb. 14 meeting, the Airway Heights planning commission considered multiple items it needs to look at in 2012. The largest and most time-consuming item on the list, according to city planner Derrick Braaten, was the mandated review and update of the city's comprehensive plan. The state Legislature pushed the completion date back by three years, extending it to 2015. Apart from reviewing the document, the city must perform a land quantity analysis and environmental analysis, while taking... Full story

By BECKY THOMAS Staff Reporter Cheney resident Heath Barden is under investigation for vehicular assault after he rolled his car on the afternoon of Feb. 6. Barden, 35, was driving north on Murphy around 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6 when his car left the road in the 1400 block of South Murphy Road, rolling at least two times before landing back on the road on the driver's side. Barden's two children, a 5-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl, were in the vehicle at the time. All three were injured and taken to the hospital, with the...

Medical Lake resident Mark Johnson has been appointed by the Board of County Commissioners to the Spokane County Library District's (SCLD) Board of Trustees. Johnson replaces Jacob Laete, who served on the library board for 10 years. Johnson, whose term began Jan. 31, 2012 and will run through Dec. 31, 2016, has strong organizational, contract and long-range planning experience through his more than 25 years with West Company, Inc. He is currently the general manager of the highway construction firm and a member of a highway... Full story

It's Girl Scout cookie time, and Scouts throughout Eastern Washington and North Idaho begin taking orders for Girl Scout cookies Feb. 10. Local Girl Scouts will be offering Thin Mints, Samoas, Do-si-dos, Tagalongs, Trefoils, Savannah Smiles, Dulce de Leche and Thank U BerryMunch cookies. Samoas and Thin Mints continue to be the most popular cookies, but each cookie has a loyal following. All eight varieties of Girl Scout cookies are still just $4 per box. The annual Cookie Program is the largest girl-led business in the count...

By JAMES EIK Staff Reporter At the Feb. 6 Airway Heights City Council meeting, Mayor Patrick Rushing updated the council about recent discussions regarding the only known encroachment to Fairchild Air Force Base from the city. Rushing said he had been in meetings with representatives from the offices of Sen. Patty Murray, Sen. Maria Cantwell and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, as well as other local state representatives from Legislative District 7. They continued discussing options regarding the housing development on the... Full story

Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich has been named the 2011 Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Champion for Washington. Knezovich received the award in recognition of work on behalf of early learning and home visiting for low-income children throughout the state. According to a press release, Knezovich was praised for meeting with state legislators, members of Congress, speaking at news conferences, submitting newspaper commentary as well as signing advocacy letters to elected officials urging more investments in proven crime...

Since July 2008 a cooperative land-use planning effort between the Department of Defense, Fairchild Air Force Base (FAFB), Spokane County and the surrounding communities of Spokane, Medical Lake and Airway Heights has taken place. Now the FAFB Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) is entering its final planning approval process. The study identifies land use compatibility issues and actions that can and should be taken jointly by the communities and Fairchild to solve existing encroachment problems and prevent future ones. Urban...

CHENEY Jan. 30 Jonathon M. Cantu, 20, was arrested on the 500 block of First Street for two Spokane District Court warrants. A 13-year-old male was arrested for an assault that occurred at the middle school on Jan. 27. A backpack with a laptop in it was reported stolen from a vehicle on the 100 block of College Hill Street. A soccer bag was reported stolen from a vehicle on the 200 block of Betz Road. Jan. 31 Video games were reported stolen on the zero hundred block of Third Street. A 12-year-old male was arrested at Cheney...

It's Seattle-based and yet in spite of its name, Livemocha doesn't have anything to do with coffee. It's the latest addition to Spokane County Library District online resources. The world's largest online language learning community, Livemocha, offers free online language courses in 38 languages including Russian, Spanish and Mandarin to over 12 million members from over 190 countries. It also offers extensive English as a Second Language (ESL) support, including assistance from native speakers. With a valid SCLD library...

By MAIDA SULJEVIC WNPA Olympia News Bureau OLYMPIA – Washington State Parks patrons purchasing multiple Discover Passes may soon find some monetary relief if a bill, approved by the Senate on Friday (Jan. 27) allowing the use of one pass for two vehicles is accepted by the House and signed by the governor. It would have an immediate effect following a six-month introductory period that produced an estimated $9 million less revenue than expected from the single-vehicle pass approved by legislative action last year. With a p...

By BECKY THOMAS Staff Reporter The year 2011 brought staffing changes and an increase in felonies to the Cheney Police Department. Criminal activity was down in the city overall in 2011, with 68 fewer crimes reported from 2010. However, felony arrests rose significantly last year, with 104, higher than the 81 in 2010, a 28 percent increase. “Felonies are on the increase,” Cheney Police Cmdr. Rick Campbell said. “So while crime itself may be down, the violence inherent or the severity of that crime has increased.” While a...

Officers from Cheney, Airway Heights and Eastern Washington University take part A report released Jan. 4 by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission revealed that in Spokane and Pend Oreille Counties, 188 motorists were stopped and arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) during a holiday DUI enforcement campaign conducted from Nov. 24, 2011 to Jan. 2, 2012 while statewide law enforcement officers arrested 3,812 drivers for DUI. Police departments from the cites of Cheney, Airway Heights, Liberty Lake, Spokane and Spok...

Taxable retail sales increased 3.2 percent to $27.3 billion during the third quarter of 2011compared to year-earlier results, the Washington State Department of Revenue reported in a Jan. 6 press release. Locally, Spokane County saw taxable retails sales of $1.8 billion, a 2.2 percent increase. Retail trade, a subset of all sales that counts only retail store sales and excludes other sectors such as construction and services, was up 2.4 percent to $12.2 billion. In Spokane County, retail trade reached $869 million, a 0.9... Full story

Construction would remove parking lot but increase drainage with new landscaping around 104,000-square-foot, five-story 178 room facility By JOHN McCALLUM Editor Cheney residents have until Jan. 17 to provide comment to the city Planning Department on an Eastern Washington University proposal to build a new dorm on university property north of Cedar Street between Tenth and Eleventh streets. At approximately 104,000 square feet the new dorm will be five stories tall, about 70 feet, and will provide living space for up to 352...

One of the best ways to improve the efficiency and profitability of a farm operation is to invest time in getting refreshed and organized before the production season. The 2012 Women in Agriculture conference is designed to help women farmers regenerate themselves and their farm planning this spring by offering engaging speakers and networking opportunities. The Feb. 11 conference will feature two engaging speakers, farmer Lyn Garling and author Rita Emmet, and be broadcast to 16 different locations throughout the state....

CHENEY Dec. 28 Jermaine S. Bedford, 22, was arrested on the 1100 block of Mallon Avenue in Spokane for two Spokane County assault warrants. Cheney Police Detective Matt Pumphrey, a member of the U.S. Marshals fugitive task force, coordinated the arrest. Tyrone J. Carell, 23, was arrested on the 1100 block of Mallon Avenue in Spokane for two Spokane County felony warrants. This arrest was also part of the U.S. Marshals task force. Dec. 29 Civil problems were reported on the 900 block of Summit Drive. Graffiti on a garage was...