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By RYAN LANCASTER Staff Reporter In their April 20 meeting the Spokane Transit Authority board of directors unanimously voted to adopt bus service reductions as recommended by STA staff, changes that are scheduled to take effect in September. The plan is estimated to save nearly $3 million a year through route efficiencies and eliminations throughout the service area, according to the agency. STA communications manager Molly Meyers said while making cuts is never easy they were deemed necessary to make up for falling sales...

CHENEY April 11 Theft was reported on the 100 block of Washington Street. Identity theft was reported on the 800 block of West First Street. Theft was reported on the 700 block of West First Street. Violation of a court-issued protection order occurred on the 2600 block of First Street. The report was sent to the attorney for review. Harassment was reported on the 2200 block of First Street. Rape was reported in the 300 block of Erie Street. The incident was being investigated. A two-car non-injury collision occurred on the 1...

Come learn what Eastern Washington University is doing to become more sustainable, at the start something Green Earth Day Fair. This special event will promote the school's recycling efforts, and will include exhibits, music and a tree planting ceremony. Sponsored by the EWU Recycling Department, the fair will take place 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, April 22 (Earth Day), on the campus mall. Organizers will emphasize the various recycling efforts on campus, display what Eastern does to promote eco-friendly practices and share...

Eastern Washington University sophomore Dakotta Williams, a government major from Goldendale, Wash., is one of nine students from five different states chosen for the George Nethercutt Foundation's 2011 Fellowship Program. With the honor, she will be part of the foundation's academic, experience and service program. The non-profit Foundation was created in 2008, and is chaired by former 5th District U.S. Congressman George Nethercutt, Jr. “Being awarded this fellowship is one of the highest achievements I can boast a...

Saturday, May 7, Cheney compost customers can load up their “black gold” between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the city's wastewater treatment plant, 119 Anderson Road. EcoGreen is a nutrient-rich material created using the solid residues from the treatment of wastewater, mixed and composted with yard wastes (leaves, grass clippings) and wood products. EcoGreen is a stable organic material that when added to a lawn, garden or flower bed enhances the soil by re-introducing nutrients and texture. EcoGreen is sold for $12 per cubic yar...

Green grass, young flowers, runners training for Bloomsday – signs of spring are here and P.E.A.C.H. Community Farm is ready to celebrate with their second annual country fair on Saturday, April 30. “Last year was a rollicking good time and this year will be much bigger,” P.E.A.C.H founder Brightspirit Hendrix said in a press release. The country fair will include organic gardening workshops, kids' games, cheese making, baby goat petting, chicken keeping, a wild edible plant walk, a raw foods demonstration, green smoot...

The Ice Age Floods Institute, Cheney-Spokane Chapter, is sponsoring a free public lecture Thursday, April 28. “Cheney-Palouse Scabland Tract From Top to Bottom,” will take place at 7 p.m., Room 135 at the Science Building on Eastern Washington University's Cheney campus. The lecture will include an overview of the Cheney-Palouse Scabland from its beginning south of the West Plains to its termination south of Palouse Falls at the confluence of the Palouse and Snake Rivers. Important geologic concepts that help understand the...

‘Mommy and Me' seeks to provide assistance by arranging a variety of activities for families By RYAN LANCASTER Staff Reporter Every day dozens of moms around the Spokane area meet up with kids in tow, maintaining a network of support formed five years ago by one woman and an internet connection. Thi Streeter started the group after she and her husband moved to the Spokane Valley from New York. While living there she had been part of a collective of mothers that arranged play dates and other activities via Meetup.com, a w...

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...

Students and graduates from Eastern Washington University's two TRIO programs, Student Support Services and McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement, will gather next week to celebrate National TRIO Day. The federal TRIO programs (TRIO) are federal outreach and student services programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. This coming Tuesday, April 19, Eastern will hold a TRIO Day celebration starting at 2 p.m. in the reading room on the second floor of Hargreaves Hall....

{{more)) The first half of Spokane County taxpayers' 2011 property taxes are due by April 30 at the county treasurer's office as per state law. Payments mailed to the treasurer through the U.S. Postal Service must be postmarked on or before April 30. Payments dropped off at a US Postal Service box or station should be done early enough so they are postmarked by April 30. State law dictates county treasurers recognize only the cancellation date applied by the U.S. Postal Service to determine timeliness of payments. Payments...

Prevention measures to protect life and property are in effect April 15 through Oct. 15 on 12.7 million acres of DNR-protected lands OLYMPIA – Regardless of the snow and rain, wildfire season officially begins April 15, as specified by state law. The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) wants to remind people that dry and unhealthy forests continue to be a fire hazard. These fires can destroy homes and threaten the safety of the public and the firefighters who protect forests and communities. Nine forest f...

By RYAN LANCASTER Staff Reporter A year-end report issued by Medical Lake Fire Chief Jeff Estes last week says repairs made to gear, tools and vehicles over the past few years have taken care of most departmental needs. “Our hope all along has been to provide the department with quality tools and equipment designed for the fire service that will outlast most of us on the department,” Estes said in the report. Fire apparatus is now up to speed with state equipment requirements, EMS units are fully fitted with all nec...

By RYAN LANCASTER Staff Reporter Last Monday City Manager Albert Tripp gave Airway Heights City Council a status update on two proposals in the state Legislature, one of which could bring more street improvements funding to the city. House Bill 1028 authorizes Washington cities and towns to ignore prison populations within city limits when determining eligibility for certain grant opportunities or when calculating the number of city council members they must have. Tripp said the bill, which affects only Airway Heights and...

By BECKY THOMAS Staff Reporter Stars and Stripes Shuttle is once again serving Cheney and Eastern Washington University, and the business's original owner, Bill Thompson, will be driving the van. The business has a new van dedicated to Cheney, aiming to shuttle students and residents to Spokane and to the airport for less than the cost of a taxi ride. Stars and Stripes began in 2003 as a shuttle service for survival school students stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base. Thompson was a member of the Air National Guard at the...

By RYAN LANCASTER Staff Reporter At last Tuesday's Medical Lake City Council meeting Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich heard councilmembers air their personal and collective views on the new county jail. Knezovich was joined by members of his staff and jail project manager, Lt. Mike Sparber, who gave the council a presentation before opening up the floor to comments. As a whole the council said there is no doubt that replacing Geiger Corrections Center is necessary, but most had several arguments against building the...

CHENEY April 4 Police are investigating a report of an assault on the 100 block of North Seventh Street. Jonathon M. Cantu, 19, was arrested on an outside warrant on the 2000 First Street. April 5 Adam C. Nelson, 19, was arrested for driving while license suspended on the 800 block of First Street. A hit and run collision occurred on the 400 block of Fifth Street. Police secured a rifle found in the attic of a residence on the 800 block of Cedar Street. A hit and run collision occurred on the 800 block of Fifth Street....

CHENEY March 21 A city well house was damaged with graffiti on the 200 block of Erie Street. A house window was broken on the zero hundred block of West Third Street. March 23 Police assisted the Cheney Fire Department with a suspicious fire on the 800 block of Fourth Street. A vehicle was spray painted on the 700 block of Fifth Street. A 12-year-old female was arrested at the Cheney Middle School for assault. March 24 A 16-year-old female was arrested at the Cheney High School for assault. Damon J. Ashe, 28, was arrested...

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...

By BECKY THOMAS Staff Reporter As the last remnants of snow melt away in Cheney, city leaders are asking residents and businesses to band together for some spring cleaning. The fourth annual Cheney Clean Sweep will be held throughout the city April 23. The event, started by the Cheney Police Department to clean up streets and yards post-winter, this year aims to bring neighbors together to pick up garbage, get rid of their junk and beautify public areas in the city. Cheney's Community Development and Solid Waste departments...