Sorted by date Results 1723 - 1747 of 3207
I would like to comment on the Mother’s Day Luncheon at the Cheney Care Center on Sunday, May 10. I was invited to attend with my mom, as a guest and was amazed at how pleasant the whole event was. Everyone was made to feel special by the wonderful staff. The residents enjoyed being seated, as they would have been with reservations in a nice restaurant. The staff prepared an amazing meal that was enjoyed by all. Cheney is so fortunate to have a Care Center that is so personal for everyone. The staff is professional, f...
In the May 7 edition of the Cheney Free Press Mr. Norm Luther states that Jesus never talked about homosexuality. Mr. Luther may be right, to my knowledge Jesus never used the word homosexual. Mr. Luther uses this detail as justification for his feeling that the Supreme Court of the U.S. should allow same sex marriages. Unfortunately for Mr. Luther, Jesus does describe what a marriage is in Mark, chapter 10. Please read it. There is no misunderstanding that Jesus is talking about marriage as a union between a man and a...
Don Brunell’s ‘Guest Commentary’ on fossil fuels happened to appear in the Cheney Free Press on my son’s birthday, March 26, 2015. The chronological milestone — he turned 50 — made me consider just how irresponsible Mr. Brunell’s commentary was. My son, as old as he is, will still live to see the day when the folly of man’s stubborn refusal to address climate change will have dire consequences effecting everything from agriculture to zoology. Why would Mr. Brunell, who at last count, had 14 grandchildren, promote fossil...
We all walk out the door every day and never know what lies ahead, but rarely do we ask ourselves, “will we come home?” That might ring differently for members of the law enforcement community as it seems police officers have proven to be noteworthy targets lately. The deaths of four police officers at the hands of criminals with guns in the month of May have brought the problem into the national spotlight and conversation. And what is generally something that only happens someplace else hit close to home May 5 when Coeur d’A...
This is a fact: You can’t walk around Eldon Pueblo without stepping on a piece of history. For those who don’t know, Eldon Pueblo is an ancient Native American ruin about a mile east of Flagstaff in Northern Arizona, which is where I spent most of my spring break vacation. It was the home of a people known as the Sinagua, as are the cliff dwellings in the nearby Walnut Canyon and Wupatki national monuments. Actually, Northern Arizona is an archeologists dream when it comes to ruins with societies that were thriving over 800 ...
Currently our U.S. Supreme Court is considering same-sex marriage while its Citizens United decision contributes to our huge inequality of wealth by influencing elections. Since both issues have religious implications, we should remember from the Bible that Jesus said nothing about homosexuality but said tons about love, wealth and poverty. Norm Luther Spokane...
For those of us who saw and witnessed that T-54 North Vietnamese Army tank crash into the gate of what was left of the U.S Embassy on today’s April 30, 1975, well, let’s just say the world changed. I remember well the statement of a very senior officer serving in MACV said at the last tactical briefing at the Embassy. It was the end of so-called “Vietnamization” of the war when he stated the problem was that the enemy was led by the George Washington of the NVA — and we got stuck with all the Benedict Arnolds. There wer...
Bring up Washington, D.C. these days and it can elicit, among others things, a gag reflex. But that’s the D.C. we all know from the media who report the dysfunctional connection associated with the city that is central to virtually all things government in this nation. Defining “the other Washington,” is an important distinction. Our Washington is arguably of course God’s Country, while that other Washington consists of massive monolithic structures, which, when you see the...
It’s that time of year when young athletes are preparing for the next stage in their sports careers. High school athletes who are fortunate enough to get to play at the college level will sign — or have already signed — their letters of intent to universities that have recruited them. The NFL finished its 2015 draft and 256 college football players from across the country will get an opportunity to play pro football this season. There are also college athletes who played basketball, baseball or other sports hoping to conti...
Next week on Wednesday May 6, you’ll have the opportunity to attend a community forum about the coal and oil trains that pass through Cheney around the clock. Some of us are concerned about the safety of the loads carried by those trains. I heard recently that the tank cars that carry the very volatile oil were not even designed to carry oil. If the proposed Vancouver-Energy Oil Facility and the proposed Longview Coal Exporting Facility are approved, Cheney’s coal and oil train traffic will increase. I hope you’ll join us on...
The individual picked by the Cheney School District to replace outgoing athletics director Jim Missel is going to have big shoes to fill. Missel’s actual title is assistant principal for student activities, and it’s more appropriate and accurate than simply athletics director. In his 14 years at Cheney High School, and most likely throughout his almost 28-year career as an educator, Jim has been a tireless advocate for students, always keeping their best interests in focus. Missel and his ever-ready camera have been a fix...
This past weekend, the media was buzzing after reality-television personality and Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner publicly came out as a transgender woman in an April 24 interview with Diane Sawyer on “20/20.” I wasn’t surprised by Jenner’s announcement. For the last several months, tabloids, magazines and media that clutter the grocery store’s shelves in the checkout aisle were speculating about Jenner’s private life, specifically his divorce from wife Kris Jenner and his change of appearance in the public, but the int...
As of April 29, 2015, Medical Lake Physical Therapy will be closing its door after 10 proud and successful years providing service to this community. It is with great sadness that we are writing to announce this closure. The staff and I would like to express our sincerest gratitude for your continued support as we make this difficult transition. We did not come to this decision lightly or halfheartedly. It is unfortunate that, as a small business, we are unable to weather the storm driven by big business and the difficult...
At every school board meeting I attend, there is a PACE character trait read. They read about honesty, diligence and other honorable endeavors. This month’s trait is trustworthiness, ironic since so many families are not feeling trust in our schools, administrators or board members. For months now, Bill Johns has repeatedly asked the board and Yes To Kids Committee to open up a dialogue and debate him, so the public can decide on the bond. Since the August meeting it has been repeatedly ignored. Why? In fact, board member M...
I’m voting “Yes” to support The Cheney School District. I love living in the West Plains Area, I have lived here for 16 years. I have four great kids. They are smart and are fun to be around. Two of my children have graduated from Cheney High School and I currently have one in the high school and one to be there soon. There are several times I need to go to the high school during lunch to pick up my son for appointments. I’m always concerned how crowded the halls are when the students are changing classes. The student...
In 2010 Cheney School District voters approved a bond for $79 million. Construction was completed in 2013/2014 on two new middle schools and elementary. The district is back with a request for $44.8 million to cover the first phase of a remodel/new construction for the high school which, when both phases are completed, will total $87.8 million. For the average homeowner this first phase will cost $150 more a year ($3,150 total). “$150 is no more that the cost of an evening out with my daughter,” a teacher argued during an...
Over the last two years I have researched and prepared an alternative which would only cost $11.6 million instead of $44.8 million proposed with this (Cheney High School) bond. This alternative would provide additional classrooms, safety, circulation and a new alternate high school. I have repeatedly challenged the school district and the Yes Committee to debate. They refused prior to the first running of this bond and now have again repeated this refusal. Has it become OK with voters that there does not need to be an open...
I am writing to support the Cheney School District’s high school bond measure in the April 28 election. I live and work in the Cheney area, and my children attend Betz Elementary. I am proud of the fact that so much of our community is based in education from our public schools to an outstanding university. I am excited that my children will have the opportunity to attend Cheney Middle School. When our community approved a bond to build the middle schools, it sent a message that we really care about our kids and we want t...
Eastern Washington University’s fast approaching commencement exercises June 13 will be the last to be held in Cheney on the Red Turf at Roos Field. In a press release, the university announced it had signed a multi-year agreement with the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena to begin holding commencement exercises at the Spokane facility beginning in 2016. With over 2,000 undergraduate and hundreds of graduate students receiving their degrees, and many more of their family members and friends in attendance to watch them walk, h...
As a product of the Cheney School District, I believe we have a commitment to our youth. But not at the expense of fixed income senior citizens through poor planning by the school board. The job of the elected school board is to be efficient and smart with our tax dollars, to plan and think long term. It seems to me that their first job is to get the state to pay for basic education. Buildings seem pretty basic to me. Second it seems that a little planning on projected student growth would have been a good idea 10 or 15...
As a parent in the Cheney School District, I urge our community to approve the Cheney High School construction bond in the April 28 election. While a bond in February had majority approval, we narrowly failed to meet the 60 percent of the vote needed to approve this important measure. In March, the school board asked parents, staff and the community how we should address the overcrowding in our high school, and the response overwhelmingly was in favor of seeking a bond to help our students and school. Turnout in February’s e...
Please remember to vote this month, and please vote “No” for the Cheney High School bond. The pro-bond information we received in the mail, the automated phone calls and the letters to the editor repeatedly emphasize the crowded condition of the high school, but they do not make financial sense. Spending $44 million of our money to correct a few problems, then asking us for even more in 10 years to correct more deficiencies is insulting. Even worse, at least one of the concerns, the “crowded cafeteria,” is a made-up issue....
Courage. What a powerful word! What do you think of when you hear the word courage? Possibly a firefighter rushing into a burning building to save the person trapped inside with no concern for their own safety? Or a bystander jumping into a raging river to save a drowning person? Words like “hero”, “strength” and “bravery” come to mind. As a bit of an introduction, I am an orthodontist and I do not spend my day facing life-threatening events. When I first thought about writing this article, my thoughts were to write about...
Two new laws are going through the state Legislature that will hopefully avert some tragedies from happening in the near future. The House recently passed Senate Bill 5381, which requires law enforcement agencies to notify family members before returning firearms seized from a person involved in criminal cases, such as domestic violence, or from someone being evaluated for mental illness. After an individual requests the return of their firearm, police have to hold the weapon for 72 hours after receiving a request from a...
Trust. It’s something that is paramount in our personal relationships. At work trust is a two-way street between management and employees — and visa-versa. In day-to-day life we all put implicit trust in so many areas it is difficult to quantify them. But sometimes, when you least expect it, that trust is shattered in the most outlandish manner, as was the case March 24 when an obscure German, Andreas Lubitz, became the center of conversations in nations across the globe. It was the 27-year-old Lubitz, the co-pilot of a Ger...
