Sorted by date Results 1961 - 1985 of 3200
Well, well, well, news flash, former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Terry Yonkers has come out and stated that the Spokane Tribe Economic Project has a “low and insignificant disruption to the Fairchild flying mission.” This along with the Federal Aviation Administration report found no encroachment other than from the trailer parks in the crash and approach zones. Just take part of a day and park at Spoko Fuel gas station and watch the Fairchild planes fly over. If you notice, they fly further north of the planned loca...
With the coming of the New Year our local post, the A. and T. Mautausch Post 11326 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, began our twenty-first year of service to the city of Cheney and the surrounding area. Our mission is to serve veterans of our armed services and to support activities of our local community. One service we accomplished in 2007 was the refurbishing of the veterans monument in the city park (which was later renamed Veteran’s Park) by installing lighted stone benches and placing a lighted flagpole next to the m...
The semi-annual Spokane Regional Council of Governments meeting, known as COG (to everything there is an acronym) proved entertaining and informative last Friday. Particularly when it came to Fairchild Air Force Base and the surrounding environs. Spokane County Commissioner Al French’s presentation “Protecting Fairchild AFB — Helping Families,” revisited Proposition 1, a ballot measure imposing a levy on county residents the proceeds of which would be used to purchase seven mobile home parks in the city of Airway Heights...
After a large snowfall overnight, a person’s worst nightmare is to drive alongside traffic on the snow-covered streets on their way to work or school in the early morning. I propose the streets be plowed and cleared before 8 a.m., which is when most people are preparing to commute to work, and venture out on to the roads of the Cheney and Spokane area. Many people are very nervous and inexperienced driving in the snow, especially people who are not from this area, which is a large population of people who attend the c...
Listen up; there is a great alternative to Cathy McMorris Rodgers. He is Joseph (Joe) Pakootas (puh-KOE-tuss). Many newspaper letters voice disappointment with Rodgers’ votes on food stamps, unemployment benefits, corporate welfare, and more. She consistently represents the wealthy top 10 percent, leaving out important interests of 90 percent of the public. With those voting numbers, we can change this picture. Pakootas would be the state’s first Native American Congressman. He is a proven leader in Eastern Washington, as...
It’s important for a community’s residents to be involved in determining what takes place around them. An example is the current discussion surrounding a parcel of land on Clay Street. Property owner Randall Gillingham has applied for a rezone of his one-third acre property from multifamily (R-3) to high-density multifamily (R-3H) in order to possibly construct a 14-unit apartment building on the site. Gillingham has no firm plans to do this right now, and is simply testing the waters — as it were — at the request of the cit...
It was just intended to be a road trip, an extended weekend winter getaway with my wife and some friends. But last week’s trek to attend the Montana Pond Hockey Classic in sunny one moment, and sideways snowy the next Kalispell, Mont., was also like time spent in Mr. Peabody’s 1960s Wayback Machine. As readers may know hockey and I are somewhat surgically — and I guess genetically — attached at the hip. My grandfather played the game over 100 years ago in Rossland, British Col...
The old saying, “Water- water everywhere, and not a drop to drink (or irrigate),” these days. It’s no secret that much of the nation is in drought conditions, especially in much of the food production areas such as Southern California and the southern states. The answer? Get the older decommissioned super aircraft carriers out of mothballs, man them with reserve naval personnel and tow them to areas where they can produce millions of gallons of water, daily. Much of the irrigation water piping systems are already in exist...
This past week at a press conference, Gov. Jay Inslee announced that Washington state would not be putting any prisoners to death as long as he is in office. This came as a surprise to many, including myself, as Inslee had never brought up the issue of the death penalty since he became govenor. At the news conference, he mentioned he was previously in favor of executions for prisoners, but recently “had a change of heart.” He also said that there are “too many flaws” in the system.” Growing up, I was a fan of crime shows and...
Have you ever left the bars and suddenly realized that not only did you not have money for a cab, but also the buses had stopped running? During the weekend many people go out to the bars and drink with friends and at the end of the night many people are unable to find a ride home so some decide to walk while others decide to drive. This not only causes an extra amount of drunken people to be wandering the streets, but also causes car wrecks to occur. The bus system now stops running around mid-night, when many people are...
Amidst the fiery community debate currently swirling in Cheney over a zoning ordinance that would allow a marijuana growing facility, it appears the smoke is clouding, perhaps, a bigger problem. That’s the illegal smoking of tobacco by those under the age of 18 and some of the problems associated with the activity. According to the Revised Code of Washington, Chapter 70.155, “A person under the age of 18 who purchases or attempts to purchase, possesses, or obtains or attempts to obtain cigarettes or tobacco products com...
Medical Lake now uses SCRAPS to handle pet license’s. For a neutered/spayed dog the price went from $10 to $25. That’s a little steep for people with multiple pets. Not a very good deal for the people of Medical Lake. Thanks. Jim Phelps Medical Lake...
Another successful StageWest Community Theatre production has come to a close. We had some good crowds for our production of “Perfect Wedding” by Robin Hawdon. There was a lot of laughter coming from the audiences. We would like to thank the congregation of Emmanuel Lutheran Church for the use of their building for all of our auditions, rehearsals and performances. We would also like to thank the people that came from all around the area to watch our production. We had people from Deer Park, Coeur d’Alene and several Red H...
How does Cheney benefit from coal and oil trains? Cleaner air? Not so much. Healthier population? Not so much. Quieter nights? Not so much. Safer and clearer intersections? Not so much. Priority passage for emergency vehicles? Not so much. Fewer fires? Not so much. Improved rail access for Amtrak and farm produce? Not so much. Increased security from derailments or spills? Not so much. Better fishing and outdoor recreation? Not so much. More economic development? How much? Increased revenue for Cheney? How much? More jobs...
Responsible parents looking for ways to supplement the educational and personal growth opportunities for their children should consider hosting a teenage exchange student for an academic semester or year. Children and adults alike by interacting on a daily basis with a new international family member, broaden their perspective on the world and discover new facts and ideas. NorthWest Student Exchange (NWSE) places international high school students with families all over the country. Exchange students add a dimension to the...
Openness is important in maintaining public trust in our governmental organizations. Openness means access to what public officials do. It can be difficult, especially when it comes to obtaining records created by government. But openness also means notification, something a bill moving through the state House of Representatives would impede if it became law. The House Education Committee was scheduled to hear testimony today (Feb. 13) on HB 2319, a bill that would make it easier for school districts to publish notices of...
A new business has drawn the ire and eyes of many citizens in eastern Washington. Daiquiri Factory, a bar and grill that operates in downtown Spokane, revealed their drink menu that features a drink titled “Date Grape Kool Aid,” prior to its Feb. 1 opening. This has caused uproar from the community as protesters, many of whom are rape survivors, have been picketing the business since it opened. They say that the name is offensive, inappropriate and a reference to date rape. Jamie Pendleton, owner of the Daiquiri Factory, sai...
In regards to Kelsey Lavelle’s review of StageWest’s production of “A Perfect Wedding,” I too attended a performance (albeit on a different date) and had a significantly different experience. While I agree with Ms. Lavelle’s assessment of the performances by Jessie Smylie and Phil West, I saw a completely different effort from the rest of the cast than she. Judy, as played by Lindsey Bekemeyer, was completely believable in her embarrassment in the predicament she found herself in as a self assured, mature young woman who...
StageWest Community Theatre had a very successful dinner theater on Saturday night Feb. 1. The food created by Mike Harmon from Willow Springs Restaurant was delicious and carried on the wedding theme from the play. The audience really seemed to enjoy the play as there was much laughter coming from them. We would like to thank the four ladies that made up our audience on Super Bowl Sunday. Though the audience was small, they made up for it with their participation. There are still three performances yet to come, Friday night...
Twelve hours of a football watching smorgasbord last Sunday? Not me. At least not glued to the tube and letting spud roots catch hold in the sofa. The Fox NFL Sunday pregame show was on with host Curt Menefee running herd on Michael Strahan and the perfect hair twins from another mother, Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson. Terry Bradshaw unfortunately missed the festivities following his father’s death earlier in the week. They filled the time with introspective looks at Payton Mann...
Cheney and Medical Lake school districts have been promoting character education at all grade levels since the start of the current school year, using a list of monthly traits developed by the Spokane Valley grassroots organization PACE — Partners Advancing Character Education. At the beginning of January they were joined by businesses, civic groups, faith-based organizations and residents as PACE opened its first chapter on the West Plains, making the announcement at the West Plains Chamber of Commerce’s monthly meeting. The...
In the words of the civil rights leader we honor this month, “We must never allow ourselves to become satisfied with unattained goals.” Decades later, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s words still ring true for all of us, including those who have disabilities. What are these goals for people with disabilities? They include education, employment, active participation in a community, and living as independently as possible. They are the same goals we all share. As the mom of a seven-year old son, Cole, who was born with Down syndr...
Trying new things is scary, especially when it forces us to move out of our comfort zone. Some instances where we find ourselves doing this can range from being hesitant to try a new restaurant that you have never heard of before. Will the food be as good as their clever ads proclaim? Or what about walking up to a person who catches our attention and starting a conversation with them? Will they take their recently bought glass of beer and throw it in my face if I say the wrong thing about their favorite football team? These...
The power outage that hit both Cheney and Medical Lake last Wednesday was only momentary. However what lingered was pause for thought on how strongly we are connected to the grid and how high our expectations are when we flick the switch on the wall for that instant illumination. Less than 60 seconds in the dark was somewhat of productivity killer because it took time — albeit brief — to get the Internet running again. We were probably not at all alone. That was unlike months ago when service was down for a few days. It mad...
This past week, state Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, announced his intentions to introduce a bill in legislative session in regards to a $10,000 incentive to state workers who agree to switch from their state pension plan to a 401(k)-style retirement plan. Ericksen’s proposed bill is similar to Boeing’s recent campaign of paying up to 31,000 machinists a $10,000 signing bonus for training their pensions as part of the contract extension that guarantees assembly of the 777X in Washington state. As a result of the con...
