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The Cheney Free Press of May 26, 2016 printed a guest commentary by Don C. Brunell, retired Pption of Washington Business. As expected of Mr. Brunell, his commentary presented the usual Republican rubric that the national debt must be reduced and one of the major financial problems of the debt crisis is Social Security. It is true the debt is a problem but it is false that Social Security is a problem. In 2014 Social Security’s receipts were $931.1 billion and expenses were $906.8 billion, a net gain of $24.3 billion. A...
Thank you for the excellent editorial about volunteering and volunteerism (Cheney Free Press, June 2). We are blessed in the West Plains with so many able and willing volunteers. Some resources for local volunteer opportunities are: justserve.org and another one called volunteermatch.org. Both sites match those who want to volunteer to organizations that need volunteers. And, if you are part of an organization that needs volunteers, be sure to post your opportunities on those sites. Thank you to those on the West Plains who...
By JOHN McCALLUM Editor I was blessed with parents who were active, strong and engaged readers and who encouraged the development and refinement of that trait in their children. That’s where my love of history started. But it was more than just reading. My father served in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. His father, my grandfather, was a chaplain during the war in the South Pacific, beginning with being a part of the Army’s 25th Infantry Division that relieved U.S. Marines at a lovely, tropical getaway called Gua...
Tom Davis, where were you when the big mega-cable folks first came to Spokane in the 1970s? Oh, I forgot, you just told me you were staking your territory out here on the West Plains where your tech support is within driving distance. Or on the phone where locals work to solve the problem, and if not, you dispatch someone who can. If you think you’ve heard this story before about issues pertaining to Comcast, my cable and Internet provider, you have not. In my estimation t...
During the recently completed Cheney Mayfest celebration, the 3-on-3 basketball tournament was in jeopardy, lacking volunteers for important positions such as scorekeepers and courtside monitors. But then players and parents from the Cheney High School Lady Blackhawks basketball team stepped up to volunteer, asking, “What can we do to help?” With their assistance, the event took place, providing fun and competition for players and spectators alike. For those aware of this, it’s an important reminder of what volunteering means...
The citizens of Medical Lake came through again. The Post Office had a food drive and our shelves are stocked. Thank you to all who contributed and to the drivers who picked up the sacks of food on their routes. The Medical Lake Food Bank Joyce Callaway Medical Lake...
There is a lot of talk, some of it emotionally charged, these days about where people are allowed to go to the bathroom. This talk is focused on transgender individuals, people who are born physically of one sex yet identify as the other. It’s a confusing subject since most of us likely don’t know anyone who is transgender. Because of that, it’s a subject where fear can have a heavy influence. None of us on the Cheney Free Press editorial board knows someone who is transgender. Some of us have been in the proximity of people...
By DON C. BRUNELL Contributor Now that Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are certain to be the Democrat and Republican presidential candidates, it is time for them to deal with our national debt. Our nation is on an unsustainable borrowing trajectory. We now owe over $19 trillion to lenders of which nearly half are offshore (including China). At the rate which we are selling treasury notes, the deficit will balloon to $21.1 trillion by 2020. That means when the presidential...
Thank you to everyone who purchased items at the Cheney Friends of the Library book sale during Mayfest. Also special thanks to members and parents of West Plains Kidz and Chickz 4-H for providing essential help setting up and taking down the sale. All funds raised by the sale are used to purchase materials and support programs at the Cheney Library. We also appreciate your donations of books and electronic media; donations can be made at the library whenever it is open. Jeri Morgan Cheney Friends of the L...
I am a voter from the 5th Congressional District of Washington (Spokane County) who has been totally disgusted with Congress. The Republican and Democratic representatives who are pulling in six-figure salaries with lots of benefits (taxpayer dollars) are doing nothing except maintaining a gridlock. Many representatives owe their allegiance to special interest groups and big money corporations rather than the hardworking people of Eastern Washington. When I heard a TV ad about Dave Wilson who is running as an Independent for...
I am from Tekoa, Washington (population 843). We are your neighbors to the south. Though we are a small farming community on the Washington-Idaho border we are connected to many bigger cities by the John Wayne Pioneer Trail. If you were to leave your house this summer and get on a bike, horse, or sturdy hiking boots, you could cross almost the entire state on a path with no cars and end up in our town. The trail is 285 miles long, a 100-foot wide ribbon of beauty extending through lush forests, dramatic scablands and the...
In the Associated Press’ May 8 story “Nursing homes turn to eviction to drop difficult patients,” readers learn that nursing homes in different parts of the country are — as the article put it — “increasingly evicting their most challenging residents.” Advocacy groups say many of the residents who are targeted for eviction are those who pay with Medicaid and are difficult to take care for, including some who are suffering from dementia in favor of short-term rehabilitation patients and those who pay privately. In the AP sto...
I came across a couple of reports that had to do with automobile accidents and marijuana use. According to data from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, “the percentage of drivers in fatal crashes who recently used marijuana more than doubled between 2013 and 2014 in Washington state” and “one in six drivers involved in fatal crashes in the state recently used marijuana in 2014.” I have nothing against marijuana. I don’t smoke it, but I have friends who use it for recreational and medicinal purposes. When it comes to...
Guest Commentary from the May 5 Cheney Free Press issue: Laura Finley opened with “The ‘woman card.’ It’s so much nonsense,” “we really need to change the conversation when it comes to gender.” However, nearly 70 percent of her words refer directly or by implication to Trump v. Clinton. Prosecutor Finley raised the political issue. Cross-examination – allowed. Prosecutor’s case: fair and unbiased? Trump-related words – unflattering, “sexist” (perhaps deservedly); but Hilary’s words – “terrific” and “importan[t]...
So there I was a couple Friday mornings ago, driving along Government Way in Spokane heading to work. A dark gray Subaru wagon-type car had been dogging my rear ever since I turned onto the road off Fort George Wright Way, heading past the cemeteries. Even though I was going 40 miles per hour in a 35 mph zone, apparently I wasn’t going fast enough for the driver. When I finally got to the point where Government Way becomes two lanes, at the turnoff towards Indian Canyon, I pulled into the right hand lane to let the car go b...
StageWest Community Theatre wrapped up its 2015-2016 season this last weekend with the last three performances of “Getting Sara Married” by Sam Bobrick and directed by Chris Booth. The weekend performances had full audiences and were well received. Sunday’s Mother’s Day High Tea was a success and we would like to thank Lori Musgrave and The Marketplace Eatery & Bakery for the good food. We would also like to thank our cast, crew and volunteers who at each performance set up the stage, performed, took down the stage, did lig...
One of the highest rated television programs during Super Bowl week last February was “Undercover Boss.” According to the Nielsen ratings, it drew 6.8 million viewers. By contrast, the “Greatest Super Bowl Halftime Shows” had 5.72 million. Viewers watched CEOs leave their comfortable corporate offices, disguise themselves as workers and risk the humiliation of doing something wrong. It is all about an awakening to what really happens on the company’s front lines. Too often peo...
U.S. Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for $44 million in competitive value-added producer grants to develop value added ventures. In times of low commodity prices, the help available through this program is especially appealing. The grant program gives priority to projects that expand opportunities for small and mid-sized family farms and for beginning, socially disadvantaged, and military veteran farmers and ranchers. Local food marketing projects are eligible as well, particularly for distribution...
The “woman card.” It’s so much nonsense. Donald Trump is merely the latest to accuse a woman of playing identity politics because she, well, actually discussed the fact that the U.S. still has much to improve in terms of gender equality. Trump alleges that Hilary Clinton is discussing women’s issues so she can win the votes of women. The nerve of her, trying to win the support of more than 50 percent of the population! It’s like she’s running for the highest office in the country, or something. Clinton’s response was...
There are some important dates on the calendar that may not seem related but certainly have a connection. On April 30 property tax payments were due at the county courthouse and not too far into the future — May 9, 10 and 12 — the Cheney School District will present its series of forums at the high school’s Little Theater at which time candidates vying to become the district’s new superintendent will be introduced to the community. Just what is that connection? According to the chart sent out recently by the Spokane County...
Water is once again becoming a hot commodity in the area. Although the winter and spring seasons were wetter this year than in the previous two years, the city of Cheney is preparing for irrigation season by asking residents and businesses to follow an outdoor watering schedule in order to maximize potable water pumping efficiency and maintain safe reservoir levels. Cheney is enacting the same conservation methods it has in the past and we commend them for being proactive in asking residents to conserve water. However, with...
So you thought the TSA strip searches of granny in the wheelchair, or the infant that received special screening made your eyes roll and blood boil when trying to board a commercial flight? The folks that brought you X-Ray vision in the past most recently wanted to try what amounts to “on you honor” boarding of passengers at some airports. But this time Congress was able to cross that great divide that stymies so much on Capitol Hill and have at least liftoff for the Treating...
Living in Medical Lake has been a blessing for us and all those that want a small town with a caring atmosphere. This was so true this past Friday when I had an accident outside the Medical Lake Library. Having fallen, people came running outside the library. Elisabeth Moseley was the first person to help and she took charge. Behind Elisabeth were Marilyn Baugh, Mary Seagraves and Carolyn Wolfe. All were there to help and they did. Being flat on my face, bleeding and needing help, an EMT who was getting books for herself, on...
“Trust is hard to come by. That’s why my circle is small and tight. I’m kind of funny about making new friends.” – Eminem. “Learning to trust is one of life’s most difficult tasks.” – Isaac Watts As a child, I was relatively outgoing and energetic, often playing in the dirt on the playground all by myself, perfectly content. I didn’t mind friendship, but I was perfectly OK on my own. I was that one little girl always running around and “whooping” like a wild animal. The other girls wanted to play princesses, and I wante...
There are many questions to be answered and factors to be considered when it comes to voting for a proposed 2/10ths of 1 percent sales tax increase to help fund Spokane Transit Authority projects and operations. For starters, if one does some simple math, STA serves just 5 percent of the county’s population. Why should the other 95 percent subsidize mass transit usage by a small number of people? One answer might be that if there was an efficient, well-funded transit system in place, more people might use it, thereby t...
