News

By BECKY THOMAS Staff Reporter It seems like the rodeo happened just yesterday, but it's already time to crown a new Miss Cheney Rodeo. The 2012 Miss Cheney Rodeo pageant is just around the corner, and young women are invited to compete for the crown. “It's really a yearlong commitment, but it is a blast. You get to meet so many great people,” queen coordinator Heidi Monter said. Young women ages 17 through 25 are invited to apply for the pageant, which will be held Sept. 23-24. The deadline to apply is Sept. 5. The Miss Che...

By JAMES EIK Staff Reporter Two sisters charged with taking money from their grandmother pled not guilty during their arraignment at the Spokane County Courthouse. Jamee and Jackee Stearns, both 23, both gave their pleas. A court omnibus is set for Oct. 10, and were both assigned an Oct. 31 trial date. The sisters gave the not guilty plea for each of their two charges: residential burglary (domestic violence) and third-degree theft (domestic violence). According to the statement by the arresting officer, the sisters visited...

By JOHN McCALLUM Editor Former Cheney resident Edward P. Herres pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree child molestation in Spokane Superior Court on July 1 and was sentenced Aug. 3 by Judge Harold D. Clarke III to 33 days in jail, with credit given for the 33 days already served. Clark suspended the initial 68 months to life sentence pursuant to specifications under the Special Sex Offender Sentencing Alternative (SSOSA) Act. Herres was placed in community custody of the Department of Corrections for life, and was...

By BECKY THOMAS Staff Reporter Sometimes it takes a hard lesson to turn your life around. For Gary Short, a stroke last fall left him partially paralyzed and unable to do what he loves. Through months of frustrating rehabilitation and lifestyle changes, the local tattoo artist has regained much of his dexterity and is back practicing his art. Short, owner of Cheney's Body Language Tattoo, is a tall, heavily tattooed 50-year-old. He says he used to play up the “tough guy” lifestyle, staying up late, drinking and partying. He...

Photo by Becky Thomas Heavy equipment recently began moving earth across Betz Road in preparation for construction of new practice fields for the Cheney School District. The work includes razing Crunk's Hill, site of one of the first schools in the county. Soil removed from the hill was transferred across Betz Road and deposited at the future home of the city's 50-acre park, show here....

Attendance for July's Feed Medical Lake showed that the program is attracting a following of community members and helping stretch food budgets. Aided by local volunteers, Medical Lake resident Joanna Williams served 89 meals at the first event in June. Although final numbers weren't available, she guessed that volunteers served around 100 burgers with soup at the July 11 program. “Everybody loved the strawberry soup. One of the teenagers said that it tasted like strawberry yogurt,” Williams said. Of the 89 receiving meals in...

By JAMES EIK Staff Reporter The Airway Heights City Council approved a six-year transportation improvement plan at its July 18 meeting, which will improve over 7.5 miles of roads in the city. Running from 2012 to 2017, the only projects set to be planned and in motion are 14th Avenue, between Lawson Street and Lundstrom Street, and another one between Lawson Street and Campbell Street. Crews will reconstruct the roadway to be 24 feet wide, and will install new storm drain systems and swales to capture runoff water. Highway 2...

Cheney July 11 A vehicle was keyed on the 2700 block of First Street. Indecent liberties was reported on the 1400 block of Gary Street. The incident was under investigation. A dark blue bicycle was found on the zero hundred block of North Third Street. Burglary was reported on the 1400 block of First Street. Storage lockers were broken into but nothing was taken. July 12 A plastic bed liner was reported stolen from a vehicle on the 200 block of Walker Drive. Spencer D. Sullivan, 30, was arrested on the 2300 block of...

By BECKY THOMAS Staff Reporter It's easy to forget the Future Business Leaders of America club at Cheney High School is only four years old. In that short time, the club has ballooned to more than 50 members, and a few weeks ago two teams brought national trophies home to Cheney. Nine Cheney students brought their skills and projects to the national FBLA convention in Orlando, Fla., held June 28-July 1. The team of Eric Barrio and Michelle Frantilla placed fifth in computer game and simulation programming for a computer game...

By JAMES EIK Staff Reporter Clear Lake will serve nearly 30 to 40 participants in Ski Fest, a program for the physically challenged. Sponsored by St. Luke's Rehabilitation Institute in Spokane, the event features adaptive water skiing, jet skiing and swimming. Although the water serves as the main attraction, socializing with those facing a similar situation is the most helpful part of the event, according to program coordinator Candice Belcourt. “It's just a good interaction throughout, which is the biggest component,” she...

By JAMES EIK Staff Reporter A delayed spring and heavy snow runoff has extended the high flows at the Medical Lake's wastewater treatment plant. Parallel to the wet ground and swollen rivers, the plant has seen higher than normal flows for an extended period. “It's not been excessively higher, but it has been higher,” plant supervisor Steve Cooper said. The wastewater plant takes anything flushed down the city's drains, separates the clear water, removes the nutrients or anything environmentally harmful and distributes the...

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...