News

By JAMES EIK Staff Reporter The Jensen Memorial Youth Ranch dedicated a large sign in front of the property in memory of two brothers and a friend who died in the Vietnam War. Made by Jensen family members, the sign includes the names of Dana and John Jensen as well as their friend Dannie Turnbull. The brothers died three days apart from each other in the war in 1969. Evolving over nearly eight months, the sign was part of the initial announcement of the ranch's creation three years ago. Carl Grub, the current owner of the...

By BECKY THOMAS Staff Reporter If there was a time to speed in Cheney, that time was the first half of 2011. Traffic enforcement is on the rise after police contacts with drivers sunk to less than 150 per month this spring. According to the Cheney Police Department's monthly accountability review, officers made 215 stops in May and 208 in June following lower-than-average numbers earlier this year. Traffic enforcement is still down for the year, with 36 percent fewer contacts and 47 percent fewer citations through June...

By BECKY THOMAS Staff Reporter Cheney Mayor Tom Trulove is part of a new task force with a big task: fix state funding for transportation. Gov. Chris Gregoire earlier this month announced appointments for the Connecting Washington Task Force, a group charged with developing a 10-year funding plan for the state's transportation system. Trulove, who is also chair of the Economics department at Eastern Washington University, said he's looking forward to tackling the problem of transportation funding in the state. “If we're succe...

By JAMES EIK Staff Reporter Thanks to a couple of Eagles Scout candidates the Washington State Veterans Cemetery near Medical Lake recently received some new amenities. Christopher and Zachary Taylor, of Boy Scout Troop 340, each took on separate projects that helped finish some uncompleted areas at the cemetery. Christopher worked on the Honor Guard Walkway, and Zachary helped to further the Scattering Garden's development by introducing foliage. The walkway allows volunteer Honor Guard and Rifle Team members to make their...

Expansion plans for both eastern and western boundaries, impacts to other jurisdictions reviewed By JAMES EIK Staff Reporter The Airway Heights Planning Commission focused on annexation to the east and west of the city at its July 11 meeting. Annexation to the east of the city will add approximately 405 acres through a new interlocal approach. “It allows for jurisdictions to annex certain areas that are under the service area of a fire district,” assistant planner Derrick Braaten said. The district in question is Fire Dis...

By AMY MEYER Staff Intern The Historic Preservation Commission met on July 7 in the Cheney City Council Chambers. The commission was informed it was awarded a federal grant marked for Certified Local Governments to use to hire a consultant to create detailed reports of eight parks within Cheney and their historical aspects. Those parks have an age of 50 years or more and include Sutton, Pugh and Webb parks. The grant will “really nail down the research and help tell the stories,” commission secretary Susan Beeman said. The...

By JAMES EIK Staff Reporter The annual 24-hour Tennis-a-thon is set to invade the tennis courts of Medical Lake High School July 20 and 21. Lessons are one-hour segments, with times for different age groups throughout the day. Organizer for the past 13 years, Medical Lake High School boys' tennis coach Leroy Lemaster has contributed donations from the event to local charities. “The people in Medical Lake have really done well to support our program over the years, as well as the communities of Airway Heights and Cheney,” he...

By AMY MEYER Staff Intern A poor economy and a difficult location are both contributing to the closure of Cabin Fever and the Pottery Shed Sept. 30. Leslie Johnston opened Cabin Fever and the Pottery Shed at the end of June 2008. She had been working at Spokane Stainless Products, but they laid her off. “I just thought that Cheney doesn't really have any antique shops or they only had a part-time thrift store,” Johnston said. “They don't have it here. I don't know why they don't have it here, but they should have it here....

CHENEY July 5 A 13-year-old male was arrested for stealing a bicycle trailer on the 200 block of Lincoln Street. A black bicycle was found on the 200 block of G Street. July 6 A 16-year-old male was arrested for a Spokane County felony warrant on the 25000 S. Carmen Road. Theft was reported on the 300 block of North Fifth Street. A broken sign and graffiti were reported on the 200 block of First Street. A two-vehicle, non-injury collision occurred on the 2800 block of Al Ogden Way. July 7 Jason E. Clough, 39, was arrested in...

By JAMES EIK Staff Reporter A 51-year-old man was placed in custody after he shot his 81-year-old father as they argued at their West Plains home on Mirage Lane Thursday July 7, according to the Spokane County Sheriff's Office. Vladimir Serebryakov was arrested with a felony assault charge by county deputies. The weapon used was a .12-gauge shotgun, using a birdshot. The victim was injured in the arm and torso. According to a news release from the Sheriff's Office, deputies believe the two men were alone at the Mirage Lane...

By BECKY THOMAS Staff Reporter The Eastern Washington University Eagles have inspired a theme for the free movies this summer at Sutton Park: football. Coordinated by Cheney Parks and Recreation, the free movies and free concerts in the park kick off next week. Cheney Recreation Supervisor Kim Best said they chose a football theme for the movies after the Eagles' championship football season that ended with a come-from-behind national championship victory in January. "I'm a huge...

By JAMES EIK Staff Reporter The Natural Health Center in Medical Lake defied the economic downturn and expanded its office space to accommodate its growing business. Christopher Wellwood and his office of eight employees upgraded from their 700 square feet office to a 2,000 square foot space at 731 North Stanley St. The difference has been noticed immediately. "Everybody was crowding around, with their shoulders and their elbows,' Wellwood said. The $300,000 building sits on 21...

By JAMES EIK Staff Reporter The Medical Lake Planning Commission moved forward with its review of the city's comprehensive plan and reviewed two chapters of the document at its June meeting. Chapters nine and 10 focus on economic development and community design, respectively. The goals and plans for future job creation in the city were outlined in chapter nine, along with the challenges surrounding those issues. Highlighted in the document is the challenge the city faces in maintaining and enhancing its economic strengths, g...

An accident west of the SR 902 exit on Interstate 90 last Firday snarled traffic around 3:45 P.M. An eastbound 1998 Nissan Altima driven by 58-year-old Neida Rios of Fairoaks, Calif. entered the median crossed into westbound lanes and struck the 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe driven by 55-year-old Patricia Sodorff of Sandpoint, Idaho. In an effort to avoid the oncoming car, a 2002 Chevrolet pickup driven by 49-year-old James Fertakis (pictured with state trooper) of Spokane swerved and the fifth-wheel trailer he was towing went out of...

By JAMES EIK Staff Reporter The first year's effect of fireworks restrictions to residential property was presented at the July 5 Airway Heights City Council meeting. Police and fire department representatives noted that there was a very large difference between this and last year's cleanup efforts. Fire Chief Mitchell Metzger said that six calls to the station were service-related. Only one of those during the entire evening was fireworks-related; another was regarding a downed power line. In all, the city's fire department...

By AMY MEYER Staff Intern Zach Madison always wanted to be in the service. It's no surprise. His father, Todd Madison, had been Air Force Special Ops for 10 years. His grandfather, Joseph Madison, retired from the Navy. His great-grandfather, James Jordan Madison, retired from the Marines and survived the attack on Pearl Harbor. When he made a formal decision during his junior year, he was well-prepared. He had maintained a 4.0 GPA through high school, pursued Running Start at Eastern Washington University. But his first...

In observance of Independence Day, Spokane County offices will be closed on Monday, July 4. The Spokane County Courthouse, Public Safety Building, Human Resources and Veterans Services will also be closed. The Board of County Commissioners will be on vacation for the week of July 4 and will not meet on Tuesday, July 5 for either the 9:30 a.m. CEO briefing or the 2 p.m. administrative meeting. The Spokane County Sheriff's Office, 9-1-1, Crime Check, and other essential services will remain open to serve the public. To report...

National hardware chain store creates eight new jobs for Cheney By BECKY THOMAS Staff Reporter Do It Best hardware opened its doors Friday in the Cheney Plaza. George Edwards is president of D. Tepper Enterprises of Illinois, Inc., which brought the store to Cheney. Edwards began considering the venture eight months ago when he visited Cheney with his son, who was touring Eastern Washington University. After demographics and financial studies, Edwards decided to launch a Do It Best hardware store in Cheney. He said Friday...

CHENEY June 20 Amy M. Braesch, 34, was arrested for driving while license suspended (DWLS) on the 600 block of Chestnut Street. A bicycle was reported stolen on the 1000 block of Betz Road. A 16-year-old runaway was reported on the 1500 block of Ridgeview Drive. The runaway returned home. June 21 Items were taken from a vehicle on the 10 block of North Third Street. A bicycle was found on the 3000 block of Normal Park Road. Howard M. Crawford, 41, was arrested on the zero hundred block of Columbia Street for discharging a...

By James EIK Staff Reporter Situated on a vast 600 acres in Airway Heights is the Busy Bee Ranch, run by Larry Beeler and his family. True to its name, the ranch seems to always have a full schedule. Although the recent outbreak of the equine horse herpes virus slowed the number of events, the ranch's availability is quickly filling up. Up next for the ranch is a Northwest Pattern Racing Association event July 2 and 3. Nearly 40 people attend the racing events. None of the horses at the ranch were affected by the virus. Beele...

By JAMES EIK Staff Reporter Mitchell Metzger was selected as Airway Heights' new fire chief, following the retirement of Tom Ledgerwood. The hiring process, which concluded June 21, sorted through 13 applicants. Starting in the fire service May 11, 1981, Metzger came to the Spokane area in 2004 and volunteered with Fire District 8. Three years ago, he was hired as a division chief. Growing up on a farm in Ferndale, Wash., Metzger learned his job responsibilities at an early age. “Part of farming is helping your n...

By BECKY THOMAS Staff Reporter After a broken pipe shut it down last week, the Cheney outdoor pool is set to reopen Saturday, July 2. Parks and Recreation director Paul Simmons announced last Friday that crews had completed a repair of a pipe that broke in the deep end of the pool, causing sand to leak out into the water when the pool first opened the weekend of June 18. The break was likely caused by water freezing inside the PVC pipe, which replaced old metal piping in 2009. Water is left in the deep end of the pool each...

The promise of 100-150 new jobs tempered by increasing traffic congestion in area By PAUL DELANEY Staff Reporter A big chunk of West Plains property near the SR 902 interchange will soon have its carpet of weeds and brush replaced with a coating of concrete following the announcement last Thursday, June 23, that Caterpillar Logistics Services, Inc. plans to open a new parts distribution center on Hallett Road. Cat Logistics, a wholly owned subsidiary of heavy equipment manufacturer Caterpillar Inc., headquartered in Morton,...

By JAMES EIK Staff Reporter Airway Heights' Parks and Recreation department is joining the Rock Your Park in July program to promote healthy lifestyles. J.C. Kennedy, director of parks and recreation, drafted a resolution to publicly recognize the benefit of visiting parks and participating in outdoor events. The resolution states that 75 percent of U.S. citizens use park and recreation facilities to maintain fitness and remain socially interactive. Residents can take the “Five in July” pledge and gain eligibility to win an...