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Fall is here and so is election time. There are new and unknown names on the ballot. Voters should do some inquiring, a lot of study and thinking before putting pen to ballot. Some suggestions have been made about changes for the city. Have the people who made these suggestions determined what it will cost the taxpayer for these changes? I think not. Therefore, I will mark my ballot for the person I believe to have the most knowledge and experience to keep Medical Lake financially sound. Please vote and vote smart. Please...
It is time to set the record straight regarding “policing in Medical Lake.” According to Mr. (mayoral candidate Mikeal) Suniga, he can bring back a local police force with just four full-time officers for our city population of 5,000 citizens. Information from the city of Airway Heights, with a 6,000 population, and for whom Mr. Suniga is an officer, consists of a chief, an administrative assistant and 16 officers. The city of Medical Lake is paying for the full resources of the Spokane County Sheriff’s department, 24-7...
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the over 500 victims and their families of the largest mass shooting in U.S. history last Sunday night in Las Vegas. The mass carnage made that city into what can only be described as a war zone. But our response needs to include more than prayers and moments of silence. We need to act to prevent more mass shootings, which are now occurring at an average of more than one per day. The weapons of choice for such mass shootings are known as assault weapons. They were designed for the...
The “old” Medical Lake Cemetery on Thorpe road is maintained by volunteers and member donations entirely. On Saturday, Sept. 16, an annual work party was held at the cemetery to prune trees, rake pine needles, clean flower beds, weed whack, mow lawn and haul refuse away. It’s a big job but made so much easier by the hard-working Medical Lake Junior ROTC. Many thanks to Chief Master Sgt. Al McGowan and approximately 20 young cadets. His program has an outstanding record of community service. There are 61 veterans in the histo...
There is a new machine being tested in Montana which could decontaminate toxic mine tailings while recovering valuable precious minerals for everyday use. Gold, silver and other metals are essential for our cellphones, computers and electronic devices and their sale could offset the processor’s purchase and operational costs. If pilot tests are successful, the inventors envision building them in the United States. The potential market is worldwide because there are over 3...
Here we are again after another mass shooting in the United States with the events that happened in Las Vegas, Nevada on Oct. 1 during a country music festival on the Strip. The whole situation is devastating and there are no answers at this point in time. But I think there is something we should do as fellow Americans. We should be united as one and come out stronger after another event like this. If you go on social media right now, all you see are people arguing over gun laws, politics, race, religion and NFL players...
My education has always been one of the most important things in my life. I grew up with a single mom who demonstrated that working hard and making good choices was a formula for success. Mirroring her responsibility has been the key to my own success. While I did have an adult figure in my life that pushed the importance of education, there were many times that it was left up to me to decide if I was willing to put in the work. One of the first situations in which I had to hold myself accountable for my actions was when I...
I greatly appreciated the article on the front page of the Sept. 21 Cheney Free Press (“Moving on Up”) in which (Medical Lake City Administrator) Doug Ross explains how the process of obtaining grants for street repair works with respect to population. Since Medical Lake will be going over the 5,000 population mark next year this will put us in a larger pool of cities seeking grants. How this will play out in our future applications for grants remains to be seen. Only time will tell. I would like to see a follow up art...
Here are some observations and thoughts on Donald Trump’s tirade against National Football League players protesting what they feel are racial injustices by kneeling during the playing of the national anthem at football games. First, let’s not lose sight of who started this in the first place: Trump. His comments, delivered in the safety of a campaign rally in front of ardent supporters, were inflammatory, divisive and for some, personal attacks on their mothers. After all, that is what you’re saying when you call someone a s...
Key tax policies emanating from the east and west coasts are like passenger trains passing one another heading in opposite directions. One train is loaded with elected officials proposing changes to reduce taxes while the other is packed with those pushing for new and higher taxes. The cumulative effect of those modifications will impact all of us and our economy, jobs and ability to compete as a state and nation. The adjustments will determine whether we grow, limp along or...
It was perhaps appropriate that the release of Hillary Clinton’s book, “What Happened,” came in the wake of hurricanes Irma and Harvey. The tour to promote the tale of arguably the most astonishing political defeat in this nation’s history in Clinton’s loss to Donald Trump last Nov. 8 skipped across the nation like the tornadoes spawned by the recent spate of terrible tropical storms. Except the difference between the twisters and the book tour was that on Clinton’s...
If not for the quick thinking of a school custodian, and a jammed rifle, the Sept. 13 shooting at Freeman High School could have been worse — much worse. Not to lessen the impact of one student killed, three others wounded and dozens of lives traumatized forever, but as these types of incidents go, a possible bloodbath was avoided. And once more, we find ourselves asking the same questions we’ve asked after every school shooting from Moses Lake to Columbine to Sandy Hook. Why did this happen? How could this have been prevente...
International Day of Peace, Sept. 21, will be celebrated at Cheney Congregational Church, 423 N. Sixth St., starting with a sandwich lunch for all at noon in the fellowship hall. There will be a rededication of our peace pole which has stood vigil outside the sanctuary for 15 years. Dr. Lisa Brown, who taught economics at Eastern Washington University for 20 years, has served as a state senator and Washington State University Spokane campus chancellor and is now a congressional candidate, will speak to peace in the Cheney...
Though most of the people who stopped in to the westbound Sprague rest stop Sept. 5 and Sept. 6 will not see this, I still want to send out a huge “Thank You!” Your generous donations have enabled us to not only secure meals for the Feed Medical Lake patrons, but to also designate a portion of the funds to Thrivent Financial Disaster Response for the Houston victims of flood and Montana victims of fire. Some Feed Medical Lake volunteers have relatives in Houston and loved ones in Montana. We pray for God to shield and pro...
At last count firefighters were battling 82 major wildfires in 10 western states. The fires have already scorched 2,300 square miles of forests and range lands, dislocated thousands of people, and burned hundreds of homes and buildings. This has been the third worst forest fire season on record prompting western congressional members to add billions to emergency hurricane relief legislation It isn’t over yet. The cost of fighting fires already broke this year’s U.S. For...
Hurricanes and fires have been devastating to the United States Even though the smoke seems to have cleared in the Cheney area, the damage is far from over after this disastrous summer of natural disasters. The headlines these days seem to be mainly about the hurricanes now plaguing the East Coast after already having significant damage to Houston, Texas caused by Hurricane Harvey. Some people have been in an uproar because the fires in Montana and numerous other states are not more talked about nationally than the...
Say someone walks up to you, and asks you where you’re from and you say, “America, the United States.” How would you answer them if they then asked, “Describe being an American. What does that mean?” How would you answer? We hear a lot about “American values,” the “American way,” and other attributes. In times of national stress, these are often invoked as a rallying point. But what are they? After all, we are a nation unlike any other in history. We are a mixture, a blend, a “melting pot” of different cultures and ethnicit...
Over the years, U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development’s funding has served as a lifeline for rural communities, providing critical funding for water and wastewater infrastructure, public and community buildings and essential community service facilities. Without these grants and loans, many small communities would have to put off infrastructure or facility projects. When necessary projects are delayed, the quality of life in a small town is impacted, along with its economic prospects. Rural Development seeks out c...
The government of the United States proposes to “save” 5,000 government bureaucrats and their secretaries (no wives or kids) in the event of nuclear, biological or chemical war so it can carry out its “COG,” Continuity of Government plan. This is a great example of “government intelligence” — survive the apocalypse so the IRS can continue to collect taxes from the dead citizens to pay off the cost of the bunkers the bureaucrats (and top elected officials) “survive” in. You, the taxpayer, will most likely be dead. In fact the...
All of the things that went wrong in New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina in 2005, appear to have been corrected with Houston’s recent Hurricane Harvey. Chalk it up to a series of important lessons learned. By now everyone knows that Harvey came ashore from the Gulf of Mexico, dumped a record 51 inches of rain on 22 million people from Corpus Christi to Port Arthur, TX, and sent thousands to shelters. The hurricane hit Houston, America’s fourth largest city and an urban are...
Walter Becker passed away last Sunday, Sept. 3. Most people reading that probably think “That’s sad, but who’s Walter Becker?” Those of us in the know, well, we know. Our response would be “Have you heard of the rock band, Steely Dan?” That would likely bring an “Oh, yes, I love” such and such a song, usually something off their 1977 platinum selling — over five million copies — classic “Aja,” or maybe their biggest hit, 1974’s “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number.” Someone a bit more into music might add in tunes like “Reelin...
Have you read the Cheney Free Press lately? You should. Why? What a better way to get an honest perspective of current events as well as an understanding of the heart beat of Cheney and our neighboring West Plains communities. The Free Press has been part of my life since early childhood and generations before. We were truly blessed with how we were kept informed on current and past events. Remember in elementary school when we were asked to bring something to share with the class? Well, the Free Press was my source to share...
By JORDAN RASMUSSEN Contributor Center for Rural Affairs Since President Trump issued an executive order calling for the repeal and replacement of the 2015 Clean Water, or Water of the U.S. (WOTUS) Rule, my husband has discussed the issue with — and heard the concerns of — his fellow farmers. As any wife would do, I shared with him the facts and premise of the rule: The rule clearly defines which water bodies are protected by the Clean Water Act, eliminating the need for a costly and time-consuming case-by-case evaluation. Th...
By DON C. BRUNELL Contributor Last February, the European Parliament rejected a tax on robots, but took the first steps to regulate their development and deployment. The legislation also aims to establish liability for the actions of robots, including self-driving vehicles. Europe’s governing body, while rejecting the tax to be dedicated to worker training, overwhelmingly passed a resolution to study regulating robots. In an interview with Quartz.com, Microsoft co-founder Bill...
With fall sports on the horizon, the community needs to be reminded what a vital role it plays in supporting the local high schools in the upcoming year. While football is the popular sport at arguably any school in the United States, the other sports need to be supported too. One sport that comes to mind for the fall season is the cross country teams in Cheney and Medical Lake that both have a history of being successful. The teams have been known to send student-athletes to state and have a solid program. Both schools have...
