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By Contributor Few people would select the first option. It doesn’t take Russia launching air strikes in Syria (to cite only one recent example) for most to admit that tensions are rising. So why in the world are we cutting defense spending? And not by small amounts. The U.S. military — which is smaller today than it was on 9/11 — has had to contend with cuts amounting to more than $180 billion over the last four years. And there’s no relief in sight. In fact, President Obama is preparing to veto a bipartisan bill that would...
StageWest Community Theatre did themselves proud with the opening of their current production of “Anne of Green Gables” last weekend. And it’s not just a kids’ story. Hannah Knous is new to StageWest and gave a stunning portrayal of Anne, supported by a strong cast including first-time actress Robin Trout. They were very ably directed by Kay Pacheco and her assistant director Judy Gross, and supported by a dedicated crew. There are five remaining performances, this weekend and next, running through Oct. 17. Questions may be...
I have always believed we humans were either men or women. We knew which we were and never decided on a sudden impulse to change it. Hillary Clinton has changed her mind, and decided for the reason of finding more “Vote for Hilary,” in her pockets, she now has help of the transgenders and says “They are loved and they are us.” True, helping, working, doing without, guiding and putting the other person before you is an effort. Maybe someone can explain this to Hillary. I don’t have the time. Luella Dow Cheney...
A constant complaint about Medicaid is that fewer healthcare providers take patients on public insurance programs, and the resulting quality of care suffers. The facts, however, tell a different story. According to the “Commonwealth Fund Biennial Health Insurance Survey” nearly all Medicaid (95 percent) and private coverage patients (94 percent) have a regular source of health care. The quality of care (rated excellent or very good) is higher for Medicaid patients (55 percent) than for those with private insurance (53 per...
The last of a number of dump loads hit the scales at the Valley Transfer Station at a shade over 760 pounds. In large part this was not unlike a hundred other trips to unload a trailer full of junk, but there were some differences, most notably this time my wife was riding “shotgun.” This was not a first I was reminded, but relatively rare. Sexist as it is, I do the dirty work at the dump, she scrubs the toilets at home – neither being either of our favorites but jobs that mus...
When the subject of immigration comes up, the conversation generally revolves around Hispanics — individuals from Mexico, and those in the United States illegally, crossing borders, jumping fences and hiding in vehicles to escape their native country. But there is much, much more to it than that, as an Associated Press story last week revealed. On Sept. 9, the U.S. State Department issued a bulletin detailing which categories of foreign-born individuals could file their green card paperwork to remain in the U.S. legally, f...
Frustrated voters sometimes denounce their representatives as “good for nothing,” but are they being fair? Consider the budget gimmicks some politicians come up with. When it comes to fiscal gymnastics, who can deny their creativity? Case in point: a plan to fund the mismanaged Highway Trust Fund by tapping the dividends that the Federal Reserve pays member banks. Seriously, stick with me here, because this is a doozy. Here we have federal highway spending, operating at a deficit. Duh, it’s run by politicians. Of cours...
A group of doctors has decided to rewrite the Hippocratic Oath. The ancient pledge charges physicians with applying “all measures that are required” to help the sick. The American Society of Clinical Oncology wants to add a caveat —”unless those measures are too expensive. Then let the patient die.” The oncologists’ group has developed a “conceptual framework” that relies on cost-benefit analysis to determine the most “valuable” treatments for different patients. Sounds innocent enough. But healthcare outcomes cannot be...
Planned Parenthood, a non-profit organization that provides reproductive health as well as maternal and child health services, has become a legislative target. Since July, Senate Republicans have made it their mission to take away the organization’s federal funding after an undercover video from anti-abortion groups supposedly revealed Planned Parenthood was profiting from selling fetal parts for medical research. Senate Republicans introduced a spending bill that would strip Planned Parenthood’s funding for the year, whi...
It has been a devastating wildfire season across our state. In his letter to the editor (Cheney Free Press) on the topic dated 9/17/2015, Mike Ault makes some valid points, but he missed some important facts. The fact is that our Fire Department participated in several deployments during June and July. But, when we billed for reimbursement of firefighter labor costs during those deployments, the state withheld 35 percent of what we requested. Our overtime costs were already far over budget and there are no discretionary...
I just read an article in the Cheney Free Press about the building that was known as “Hagel’s House of Horrors.” This building is scheduled to be demolished because it does not fit into your (Spokane International Airport) “master plan.” I can’t tell you how upset I am about this historical building that’s due to be demolished! This building was constructed in 1905 and was the Jamieson Frequency Changing Station. It was the substation for the electric trains that ran between Spokane and Medical Lake from 1905 to about 1922...
Chances are until notable recent rulings by the Washington state Supreme Court, short of a few political wonks out there, little attention was paid to what the nine justices in Olympia did. But following the McCleary Decision, fining our legislators for inaction on education, and finding charter schools unconstitutional, the nine judges who work to interpret the law now operate with the curtain pulled back just a little. Following their 6-3 charter schools ruling Sept. 4, members of the court all of a sudden went from relativ...
After watching mixed martial arts for many years, I understand why fans follow certain fighters. For instance, former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz has a large fan following. Diaz is known for his trash talking, anti-authority attitude and willingness to scrap his opponents. He also smokes marijuana. Whatever the reason, Diaz fans rally around their hero through thick and thin. Recently, the Nevada Athletic Commission recently suspended Diaz for failing his UFC 183 post-fight drug test where a sample tested positive for...
Where did the fire trucks go? Nowhere. I am a retired firefighter with 35 years of service at the Cheney Fire Department. A year ago I relocated to the west side of the state. Recently, I called back to ask some of my former crew members how they were handling the rash of statewide wildfires and to my shock and disappointment I was informed that Cheney had not sent any trucks or personnel. I was perplexed as to why the city would not send any equipment or personnel in such a dire state of emergency. We are in a summer of...
Some of you may have noticed a slight difference in the Cheney Free Press’s coverage lately. If you haven’t, it will become more apparent over time. In the past, areas of news coverage here at the paper have typically been divvied up geographically, meaning someone will be covering government, community and education news by city. For instance, I have covered Cheney government and education while staff reporter Al Stover has been covering the same in Medical Lake, as well as government and community news in Airway Hei...
Football is back and everybody is giddy over it. And yet, as always, there are things happening in the sport watched and played by millions of Americans that make you scratch your head about what it’s doing to our culture. Two of those events wasted little time imposing themselves on our national conscience, taking place on the opening weekend of high school and collegiate play. One was close to home, the other a little further away. Both of them evoked passions over what is known as “the cheap shot.” First, the one close...
The Cheney Police Department (CPD) is a small, but professional police agency, staffed with caring and compassionate public safety professionals. For several years, the CPD has been a state-accredited police department and serves as a model to others in this area. However, behind this façade of excellence and exceptional service, the CPD suffers from a lack of funding support in several key areas. As I near the completion of my fourth year as your chief of police, I find myself examining the state of the police department....
A pair of news items last week has left us wondering if we aren’t becoming too sensitive in our approach to race and cultural relations in society. The first was the incident of five Whitworth University women soccer players who were suspended by their head coach for posting photos of themselves on social media in costumes that included the use of blackface makeup. Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used by performers to portray black people that began being used in the early 19th century. The practice contributed to t...
Last week (Aug. 27) the Free Press offered a Guest Editorial – an opinion – from a liberal newspaper in a union-dominated blue state failing three times (in four years) to defeat conservative Gov. Scott Walker. The piece attempted to connect Walker to Donald Trump and immigration policies deemed “extreme, logistically and politically impossible,” while touting paths to citizenship for illegal aliens as “humane and smart.” Holding a lawbreaker accountable for a crime is inhumane? It’s smart to reward lawbreakers with exactly w...
It’s certainly not the same kind of encore I cheered for a little over a month ago at a Jackson Browne concert. Unfortunately the front and center return to the stage that has had everyone talking and tearing up lately has been a ravaging wildfire season that leaves last year’s suddenly pale in comparison. Just 13 months after the Carlton Complex blackened a record 252,000 in Okanogan County, two lightning-caused blazes, the Okanogan Complex Fire covering the hills north of...
The following editorial from the Colorado Springs Gazette may or may not reflect the views of the Cheney Free Press editorial board. Friday night (Aug. 28), a Harris County, Texas, deputy sheriff was shot, execution-style, while refueling his patrol car. The only motive appears to be the badge he was wearing. It was a senseless, tragic death. Deputy Darren Goforth, 47, had a wife and children. Wednesday (Aug. 26), a Louisiana police officer responding to a call about a stabbing was fatally shot. His name was Henry Nelson,...
Over the past few years, there has been growing recognition of the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease but the funding to find a cure lags dramatically behind what’s necessary. My family has become familiar with the devastating effects of this disease, as we lost my father, a World War II veteran, recently to Alzheimer’s disease. We now realize how many families are being affected by Alzheimer’s and the numbers will grow substantially in the years ahead. In 2010, Congress unanimously passed legislation that set a goal of find...
Earlier this month, billionaire Charles Koch had a surprising message: In a speech to his fellow conservatives, he said politicians must end taxpayer-funded subsidies and preferential treatment for corporations. Why is this surprising? Because the demand came from an industrialist whose company and corporate subsidiaries have raked in 10s of millions of dollars’ worth of such subsidies. The Koch-organized conference at a luxury resort in Southern California reportedly attracted roughly 450 conservative donors who have c...
What’s wrong with this picture? On Wednesday, Aug. 19, at 5:15 p.m., I took a walk from Sutton Park to the Cheney High School through the Eastern Washington University campus. It was hot, it was windy and it was smoky. The sun was covered with a haze. Never had I seen anywhere look like this except during the two weeks I spent in Chengdu, China, three years ago. Added to this experience were four trains (carrying oil? coal?) blowing their horns, one of which I heard as I rounded the corner at the Cheney High School and B...
The following editorial from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel may or may not reflect the views of the Cheney Free Press editorial board. Donald Trump will not be the Republican nominee for president; in the end, the party’s elite will see to that. But Trump’s bullying tactics — and now his bullying ideas for immigration reform — are pushing some of his rivals to take extreme positions. Such as Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. Walker has been moving in that direction for a while now, telling firebrand conservative broadca...
