News

Cheney Mayor Allan Gainer discovered the city is headed in a positive direction when he attended a community-based planning seminar in Seattle May 18 - 19. During the seminar, he learned that in terms of obtaining community involvement for rewriting the comprehensive plan, the city is doing the right thing. “We're on the right track,” Gainer said. He added that Cheney needs to create provisions in the comp plan for dealing with problems, like laid off citizens. With help from the state, he said those people could be ret... Full story

Aaron Burke, 13, shot a 23-pound male turkey south of Cheney on May 1. Burke's father, Roger, did not fare as well, but is proud of his son.... Full story

CHENEY May 24 Willie C. Ritchie, 25, and Robert L. Barksdale, 28, were both arrested on the zero hundred block of Columbia Street for residential burglary, second-degree theft, and second-degree malicious mischief. Also arrested were Shawna R. Andrews, 28, for possession of stolen property and Kayla R. Shore, 20, for possession of a controlled substance, (marijuana), possession of stolen property and minor in possession (MIP). Gabriel S. Potter, 37, was arrested on the zero hundred block of First Street for driving under the...

A Level III sex offender has registered a new home address in the zero hundred block of Fifth Street in Cheney, Spokane County Sheriff's Office sex crimes investigators report. Shawn De Nelson was convicted of first-degree child molestation in Grays Harbor, Wash., in 1995. His victim was a 4-year-old female that he was babysitting. Although he attended treatment, his treatment team deemed him a high risk to sexually re-offend. He is no longer under supervision by the Department of Corrections. Nelson is a 34-year-old white...

A pair of 19-year-old Cheney residents were arrested on state forgery charges Sunday evening, and now face potential federal charges after they tried to shell out a counterfeit $100 bill to purchase turtle food. The two were tripped up when they attempted to pass the phony bill at Evergreen Pets on East Sprague and employees recognized that the bill was a counterfeit. Sonnie Antaraliclaude Woods Jr., 1100 Elm Street, and Miranda Frances Smith, 200 Betz Road, were arrested Sunday evening after being interviewed by Spokane... Full story

Bi-Mart and the Cheney Fire Department, in cooperation with members of the Safe Kids Spokane Child Passenger Safety Team, will be conducting a free car seat check on Saturday, May 23. The check will be between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Bi-Mart on 2221 First St. in Cheney. The team includes members from the Cheney Fire Department, Spokane Police Department, Liberty Lake Police Department, Spokane COPS Senior Volunteers, Stevens County Fire District No.1, AAA, Holy Family Hospital, Shriner's Hospital and the Spokane Regional... Full story

Information in the West Plains Police News is a service to the readers of the Cheney Free Press and is only intended to provide information about local law enforcement activities. Any individuals listed as cited, charged or arrested are innocent until proven guilty. CHENEY May 18 A set of keys was found and turned in at the Cheney Police Department. Vehicle prowling was reported on the 500 block of Second Street. Brandon M. Collins, 26, was arrested on the 500 block of West Fifth Street for harassment. A two-car collision wit... Full story

By CARA LORELLO Staff Reporter Members of the Medical Lake Sheriff Community Oriented Policing Effort met on Monday with Spokane County Sheriff's Office crime prevention Deputy Greg Snyder to hear tips on preventing identity theft and remedies for victims. In the United States, identity theft is considered a serious crime. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), identity theft occurs when someone uses personally identifying information, like names, Social Security numbers, or credit card numbers without permission...

By DAVID TELLER Staff Reporter The sprinkler system in the Boulder Apartments on Simpson Parkway in Cheney prevented serious damage when furniture placed against a wall heater ignited and started a fire, May 13. “It was out when we got there,” Cheney Fire Chief Mike Winters said. The Fire Department received a call at 10:38 a.m. By the time firefighters arrived Winters said the occupants had evacuated themselves so fire crews removed parts of the wallboard to ensure that the flames did not spread internally. Winters det...

Plan to lift levy equalization could prove ‘devastating' to Medical Lake By CARA LORELLO Staff Reporter Medical Lake School Board held its annual hearing on Initiative 728 last Tuesday, where school officials announced the district won't be getting the initiative funds as promised by the state next year, or the year after. The district intended to spend 100 percent of I-728 money on class size reduction. As total enrollment numbers for the district continue to drop, and covering cost of living adjustments (COLA) continue t...

Eastern Washington University assistant professor Yao Houndonougbo, from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, is part of a research team from multiple universities that has received an Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) award from the federal government. The grant is for $2.3 million a year over five years, and was announced by the White House in conjunction with a speech delivered by President Barack Obama at the annual meeting of the National Academy of Sciences. The team of researchers, including...

Initiative to form committees to deal with specific comprehensive plan topics By DAVID TELLER Staff Reporter The city of Cheney is asking its residents for help. Community development director Brian Jennings is setting the stage for broad public participation by launching “Choices for Cheney,” which is a citizen committee to provide comment and direction on the long-range comprehensive plan rewrite. To assist with the effort, Cheney's Community Development Department is launching a number of committees to address specific top...

By CARA LORELLO Staff Reporter Airway Heights business owner Jerry Newcomb's J&J Lube station has taken care of local residents' lube, oil and filter needs for over a decade now, and the success it's garnered in that time, the 40-year resident said he considers a godsend. Newcomb's station started out doing straightforward oil changes on mostly cars and pick-ups no bigger than a 1-ton. Some of his customers included fleet vehicle companies, like Budget Truck Rental, who often asked if Newcomb could do more than just the basic...

Photos by John McCallum...

By DAVID TELLER Staff Reporter In an age where obesity and diabetes run rampant, one West Plains fitness instructor is offering help. Jill Sheffels, a nationally certified fitness trainer, is coordinating with Cheney Outreach to begin offering health and wellness classes to low income women struggling with their weight. The classes are through the Cheney Parks and Recreation Department, and are similar to the classes she began in Sprague a year ago. Sheffels said participants in the Cheney classes do not have to be Outreach...

CHENEY April 18 Malicious mischief was reported on the 200 block of Simpson Parkway when the window of a vehicle was broken. Sean C. Kaemming, 19, was arrested on the 100 block of Seventh Street for minor in possession (MIP). Third-degree theft was reported on the 100 block of North Ninth Street. A camera was taken from a residence. A two-car collision with minor injuries was reported on the 100 block of West First Street. April 17 Second-degree theft was reported on the 300 block of College Avenue. A credit card and...

By DAVID TELLER Staff Reporter What was once a fledgling event hosted by Pathways to Progress is now all grown up and ready to go it alone. The Cheney Friday Farmers’ Market has selected a board of directors, chosen a market manager and opened a bank account as it gets ready to embark on its first season as a free-standing organization. The move came just in time. Eastern Washington University, who contributes one-third of the funding to the Historic Downtown Cheney Partnership (HDCP), formerly Pathways to Progress, is g...

By CARA LORELLO Staff Reporter The experts at Spokane Asphalt Inc., who’ve delivered area residents top quality service in surface and excavation work for three plus decades, have expanded into the horticulture business with their newly opened, full-service nursery and garden center, Earth & Sky Nursery, located just off of Interstate 90’s Geiger exit. Just follow the signs to its full lot and two nurseries stocking acres of plants, trees, shrubs, flowers, topsoil, stones and gravel. The woodsy-esque retail store is...

By DAVID TELLER Staff Reporter As part of the comprehensive plan rewrite, Cheney planning commissioners Don Nichols and Jason Alvarez began presenting their findings on the current plan and posted question and observations about the contents of their assigned chapters at the commission’s April 13 meeting. In the plan, Chapter Seven outlines land use goals, how to use the land and how to grow the city as dictated by the Growth Management Act. Alvarez described the chapter as well defined. He made the observation that there i... Full story

By JOHN McCALLUM Editor Ever wanted to do an Ironman Triathlon, but didn’t want to do the distances? Or all of the events? OK, that’s not doing the triathlon, but thanks to Eastern Washington University’s Exercise Science Club, West Plains residents now have a chance to compete in the Ironman events and distances, but at their own, sweet pace. The club is staging the second annual Eagle Ironman Challenge, a competition where individuals swim 2.4 miles, bicycle 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles – Ironman distances a... Full story

By JOHN McCALLUM Editor Faculty and staff at Eastern Washington University are pooling their resources and ideas to create something new for the university – a military service center. The center would be a one-stop shopping center, as it were, for former military personnel enrolled or wishing to enroll at Eastern, EWU Faculty Organization president and associate professor of philosophy and honors, Dr. Terry MacMullan said. “We want them to have one place to go to have their questions answered,” he added. Navigating p...

By CARA LORELLO Staff Reporter Officials for the city of Medical Lake confirmed on April 21 that city police Sgt. Joseph Mehrens pleaded guilty to fourth degree assault charges bought against him by a female coworker last year, and will remain on administrative leave from the city while they proceed with the proper personnel review process. Medical Lake city attorney Cindy McMullen said that according to the case's prosecuting attorney, Kyle Treech, the charge was made “without any additional tags” for a sexual mis...

By DAVID TELLER Staff Reporter Even though the country is in a financial crisis and the city suffered damaged from last winter's snowstorms, all is well according to Cheney Mayor Allan Gainer. In a town hall meeting on April 9 that was held in the Cheney City Council chambers, Gainer reassured citizens that, after a recent budget meeting, the city is in good condition. “We're doing just fine,” Gainer said. He added that the city is looking forward to some economic stimulus and federal grant funding and that he is proud of...

By PAUL DELANEY Staff Reporter When it comes to what to expect with this spring's weather, there's a familiar ring to the prediction Eastern Washington University meteorology professor Bob Quinn offers. April showers should bring May flowers. And some of those showers could still produce enough snow to further add to this season's all-time record, perhaps pushing totals to the 100-inch mark for the first time since records began back in the late 1800s. Quinn has resided in EWU's geography department for more than 40 years...

CHENEY April 12 Domestic violence was reported on the 700 block of First Street. Dispute was verbal only. Jasmine L. Hunter was arrested on the 1300 block of First Street for third-degree driving while license suspended (DWLS). Gene Paul B. Crow, 23, was arrested on the 600 block of Union Street for urinating in public. April 11 A third-degree malicious mischief report was made at the Cheney Police Department. April 10 Rape by force was reported on the 700 block of Chestnut Street. Investigation is ongoing. Second-degree thef...