News

CHENEY March 28 Mary Jane Hall, 47, was arrested on the zero hundred block of B Street on arrested on a warrant from Airway Heights Police Department stemming from a fourth-degree assault arrest. March 27 Trespassing was reported on the 1000 block of Salnave Road when a number of kids were spotted on the roof of a building. Forgery was reported on the 200 block of south Cheney-Spangle Road. Third-degree theft was reported on the 200 block of south Cheney-Spangle Road when currency was taken from a vehicle. Dennis C. Dent,...

By DAVID TELLER Staff Reporter Cheney may have its answer to Spokane's Hoopfest in the form of a bicycle race through the city called the Washington State Masters Criterium Championship on Saturday, June 27. Event organizer Marla Emde (pronounced EM-dee) of Emde Sports is also the director of event services for the Spokane Regional Sports Commission, which is sponsoring the race. She said it is actually a pilot program for 2010 to bring in a national-caliber, three-day stage race. “We want to involve the community, we want to...

By CARA LORELLO Staff Reporter It opened in December before the big storms hit, but only more recently have West Plains shoppers begun to notice the familiar UPS Store logo outside a near-empty commercial complex that sits next door to Wal-Mart. Yes, United Parcel Service now has an outlet store in the West Plains that's open for business. The store is owned and run by Airway Heights resident Dennis Haider, who, along with brother Dave, is currently managing three UPS Stores between Airway Heights and Spokane Valley. UPS is...

By DAVID TELLER Staff Reporter After a three-year hiatus caused by legal actions, J & M Collision Center is back in business in Cheney. The business's owner, Jay Mahaffy, said he is glad to be back at his own shop where he can do what he knows best. “I just like fixing cars and making them look good after wrecks,” he said. Mahaffy's break was caused by the tumultuous history of the building at 2218 First St. He said the building has had seven owners since 1995, the previous one let the building go back to the lender. Sin...

Tracy Gorum, left, one of the owners of Gatto's Pizza in Cheney, poses with Steve Schwalbe, Cheney Rotary Club president, in front of the Rotarian's banner at Gatto's Pizza. The Cheney Rotary Club has relocated to Gatto's to take advantage of its central location, excellent facility, and great food. The Cheney Rotary Club meets now at Gatto's every Tuesday at noon. - Contributed photo by Cheney Rotarians... Full story

By CARA LORELLO Staff Reporter Currently in the process of filling several vacancies, the Airway Heights Planning Commission will see a familiar face return beginning April 14. The City Council appointed longtime resident and former Planning Commission member, Mary Henson, on March 16, to finish out former member Jason Palmer's four-year term. Henson completed a four-year term on the commission about two years ago, and since then has stayed involved in local planning efforts as a member of the city's park advisory board....

By CARA LORELLO Staff Reporter Medical Lake Municipal Court filings were down last year from where they were in 2007, according to statistics prepared by staff and presented by presiding judge Richard Kayne to Medical Lake City Council on March 17. Statistics on filings are presented once a year to look at some of the trends in filings and cases the court handles. In 2008 the city handled a total of 501 municipal court cases, the lowest in four years, according to statistics. In addition to a drop in total filings, Kayne... Full story

By DAVID TELLER Staff Reporter All of the light pole banners in Cheney are supposed to be aesthetically pleasing, and meant to beautify the city, but there is a cost to having them, with means fees for those who want to advertise. The city of Cheney is developing a policy for the banners throughout town. The program involves the 120 light pole locations in Cheney, most of which line First Street, Washington Street and Betz Road. Light department director Joe Noland said the 94-inch tall banners have been in use for about 10...

Medical Lake High School band and choir students delivered both flavor and funk to a large audience at last Friday's annual Java and Jazz concert held in the school cafeteria. From left to right, students Dusty Wight, Jordan Kuhn, and Steven Jeppsen harmonize with the choir. - Photo by Cara Lorello...

CHENEY March 22 Third-degree theft (theft of services) was reported on the 800 block of West First Street when a passenger ran off without paying cab fare. Washington State Patrol (WSP) requested agency assistance with a pursuit at SR-904 and Jensen Road. The fleeing vehicle was caught via a tire strip. March 21 William A. Rogers, 21, was arrested on the 100 block of Betz Road for fourth-degree assault/domestic violence. A vicious animal was reported on the 1800 block of Fifth Street when a pit bull bit someone. The incident...

Eastern Washington University's Get Lit! Festival – a weeklong celebration for readers and writers of all ages – presents “In Conversation with Charles Baxter,” at 7:30 p.m., Friday, April 17, at the Bing Crosby Theater. Baxter is best known for his fiction, including his latest novel, “The Soul Thief.” The event will include an author reading and interview, hosted by Sam Ligon, a faculty member at EWU's Inland Northwest Center for Writers. A book signing will follow the presentation. Baxter's career has been long and va...

Looking for a good book or DVD or CD or sheet music or puzzle? There are thousands of them – and all at bargain prices – at the Eastern Washington University Friends of the Library used books and recordings sale Friday and Saturday, April 3-4. Come check out titles in education, science, computers/technology, history, popular fiction, children's books and more, along with video and audiocassettes, DVDs, CDs, musical scores and comic books. There are even wall posters. The event is free and open to the public, with all proceed...

By CARA LORELLO Staff Reporter The Bremer Brothers Band is a well-known local performing act, originally hailing from the Medical Lake community, though they've played at music venues all over the greater Spokane area, which the family's called home for years. Brothers Robert and Dale Bremer both graduated from Medical Lake High School. Their mother, Donna Bremer, said her boys first performed as Country Mist. It was the early 1980s. Along with keyboardist Brian “Fuzzy” Seagrave, Robert and Dale were lead guitar and bas...

In an effort to expand their concert venue, Spokane All-City Jazz Ensemble held several performances at Gattos' Pizza in Cheney on Sunday, March 15. Joey Youmans, left, and Josh Wisswell, foreground right, are Cheney High School students in the ensemble shown above belting out some jazz grooves last Sunday. - Contributed photo by Spokane All-City Jazz Ensemble...

CHENEY March 15 Spokane County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) requested assistance with a traffic stop of a suspected theft suspect. Second-degree burglary was reported on the 300 block of Fifth Street. The front door was damaged and left open, but nothing was taken. Ellinore A. Sherwin, 20, was arrested on the 200 block of Simpson Parkway for violating of a no contact order. A one-car, non-injury accident was reported on the zero hundred block of North Ninth Street. March 14 Adam L. Lovik, 21, was arrested on the 900 block of...

By CARA LORELLO Staff Reporter On March 12, female offenders at Pine Lodge Corrections Center for Women presented several checks totaling $5,000 to nine charities from Medical Lake, Spokane and Washington state benefiting women in crisis, families, and children. Several money-raising events in 2008 contributed to check donations. Annual participation in fundraising activities is a long-standing tradition at Pine Lodge, but it wasn't until last year that administrators agreed to make it an annual ceremony to recognize...

By DAVID TELLER Staff Reporter Cheney's City Council is scheduled to proceed with annexing the 20.5 acres on east Betz Road occupied by Secure-It Storage, after the Spokane County Boundary Review Board (BRB) approved the annexation application submitted by developer Lanzce Douglass. BRB director Susan Winchell said the annexation has gone through all of the channels on the county level. She said the annexation is now in the hands of the City Council. All three readings of the ordinance annexing the property will be heard at t...

By PAUL DELANEY Staff Reporter A quiet “remodeling project” has been underway in downtown Cheney, but it's one that has not required city permits, nor truckloads of building materials. The enterprise is the re-branding of the former Pathways to Progress organization that will now be known as the Historic Downtown Cheney Partnership. The curtain will officially be raised on the newly titled economic engine next Wednesday, March 18 in an open house at the organization's office, which is about the only thing that doesn't cha... Full story

By DAVID TELLER Staff Reporter Parents of students attending Salnave Elementary School can rest easy about pedestrian crossings; Keenan is on the job. Fifth-grader Keenan Loughery was selected to the Automotive Association of America (AAA) School Safety Patrol Hall of Fame. For being selected, Loughery (pronounced “lockery”) gets a free trip to Seattle on May 1 for a Mariners' game. AAA communications director Jennifer Cook said Loughery will be escorted onto the diamond at Safeco Field prior to the game and, along with 10...

By JOHN McCALLUM Editor The clock is ticking on scholarships for Eastern Washington University students. As stock markets continue to slide, so do college endowments, endowments utilizing market investment interest to help students pay for education. Eastern's Foundation is no exception, and while the university's endowment fund has performed better than the Standard & Poor's 500, down 24 percent from July 1 – Nov. 30 compared to the S & P's 29 percent, the decline still threatens the university's ability to match the $... Full story

By PAUL DELANEY Staff Reporter A leaky roof and inefficient windows are just two of the reasons the West Plains Chamber of Commerce is moving forward with plans hatched years ago to relocate their office out of Cheney. The need to be more visible in the communities they serve is also a key reason for an eventual move to a patch of property along I-90 just west of the Geiger exit. The new office will be located on a triangle-shaped parcel facing the freeway where Geiger Boulevard. turns to a frontage road that parallels I-90,...

By DAVID TELLER Staff Reporter He said he was just doing his job. Cheney Police Sgt. Bill Benner received the Law Enforcement Partner Award at the annual Construction Industry Crime Prevention (CICP) Program of the Northwest awards luncheon on Feb. 10 in Portland Ore. for extraordinary work in catching a thief taking a $230,000 piece of equipment from a construction site May 7, 2008. Benner, an eight-year veteran of the Cheney Police Department responded to a call about a possible theft at the construction site that is now... Full story

CHENEY March 1 Michael D. Choul, 26, was arrested on the 2400 block of University Lane for fourth-degree assault/domestic violence. Feb. 28 Mario W. Tohee, 21, was arrested on the 400 block of First Street for fourth-degree assault. Carrie L. Flake, 19, was arrested on the 100 block of Simpson Parkway for minor in possession (MIP) and third-degree driving while license suspended (DWLS). She was also arrested on a warrant from Adams County. Michael R. Clardy, 52, was arrested on the 2300 block of First Street for first-degree...

By CARA LORELLO Staff Reporter Office manager Sandy Roloff knew Willow was a special animal when the runaway cat was brought into her husband Dr. James Roloff's veterinary practice last fall. Her former owner wasn't in a position to pay for the feline's deteriorating health, which at the time was dire to say the least. “She wasn't eating or drinking, basically was on her way out. I told the woman to leave her with us,” Roloff said of the gray Scottish Fold, who weighed about three pounds at the time she arrived. “Basically it...

By JOHN McCALLUM Editor Eastern Washington University professors Ron Martella and his wife Nancy Marchand-Martella have two important reasons for being interested in the reading comprehension ability of middle and high school students – they have two of their own. To help their kids and others learn to read to comprehend, the Martella's have created the “Read to Achieve” program. According to a press release from the program's publisher, SRA/McGraw-Hill, the program “is designed to provide instruction in comprehension strateg... Full story