Sorted by date Results 2020 - 2044 of 3200
In response to the editorial of James Eik, concerning the multitude of deer in Medical Lake: Yes they eat my flowers, they eat my roses, especially the prized yellow ones, and they like my tulips a lot. But I like to see them laying down in my back yard, I like to watch them walking so stately through town, stopping at the crosswalks, waiting for the cars to pass. I do not feed them, and I have learned to plant daffodils instead of tulips, I do not feed the birds either, because the deer really like bird seed, no matter...
When President John F. Kennedy died, the wooden floors started to disappear. People still have wooden floors in their houses, of course, but so many of them in new houses are installed as a kind of a cozy wink. When the wrecking ball took the 19th-century cotton mill where my immigrant grandmother worked 14 hours a day in hellish heat and humidity, they sold the old wooden floors for flooring in new houses, where it will go well with the ecru walls and granite-topped kitchen counters. When Kennedy was elected president, I...
Microsoft is about to see big change in the upcoming year as its CEO Steve Ballmer steps down in the coming months. Ballmer has been the main guy at the company since 2000, during which operating systems from Vista to Windows 8 were unveiled. Think about it, in the past 13 years, a lot has changed. An article in the Wall Street Journal went through Ballmer’s heights and pitfalls as CEO, touching on the company’s growth and expansion while failing to make that big splash in a market that’s diversifying. I dabble in both Windo...
Last weekend (Nov. 8-9), two accidents occurred on State Route 904. One of those was a head-on collision with multiple injuries. Accidents on SR 904 are not isolated occurrences. The last fatal crash on 904 was only three months ago; more than 65 accidents have occurred since 2009. SR 904 from Four Lakes to Cheney is the main route to Eastern Washington University and the Cheney School District, with 17,000 to 19,000 vehicles per day forced into a two-lane, no-passing highway. Clearly, this is a highway with an antiquated,...
The long string of taillights on SR 904 that greeted those traveling out of Cheney Nov. 9 well after the conclusion of the Big Sky Conference football game between Eastern Washington and Montana State was a telltale sign. Because by 4:45 p.m. that day most all of the more than 10,000 fans that packed Roos Field to watch the Eagles dismantle the Bobcats 54-29 should have safely passed through the five-mile gauntlet that bottlenecks traffic traveling to reach Interstate 90. Instead of clear sailing through to various...
Congratulations to the Medical Lake boys’ cross country team. I’m proud of the total effort that coach Gene Blankenship and his assistant coaches put in with the team. All summer at 8 a.m. in the morning when I was going to work I would see Coach and his team meeting at the school to start their training. Our young cross-country boys and girls athletes were willing to put in the extra hard work to achieve their goal- to bring home a state championship trophy. When I went down to the school Saturday night to welcome them hom...
I want to take this opportunity to thank all of the people who supported and encouraged me to run for City Council. It was an interesting and valuable experience to learn about the issues of the city, the concerns of our citizens and politics in general. Mr. Taves ran an outstanding campaign and I want to personally congratulate him on his victory. He is a very intelligent, thoughtful, hardworking individual and I believe he will continue to make Cheney one of the best places to live in the state of Washington. Thanks again....
On Oct. 23 our black lab, Enzo, twisted out of his collar and escaped as we were walking him behind the Blackhawk Vet Clinic. My husband was able to follow him for several miles and stopped pursuing him as he watched him enter the Turnbull Wildlife Refuge along Cheney-Plaza Road just past the Columbia Trail. We spent the next 11 days searching for him, posting signs, running ads, passing out flyers, and calling on a friend to bring his tracking dog, Radar, whenever we had a fresh sighting. It turned out that Enzo had made...
Among my many habits, be they good or bad, is an interest in studying numbers and, in some people’s minds, worthless trivia. My wife might argue that knowing and caring about numbers in the checking account, or remembering the names of couples we run into occasionally, are a much more important endeavor than being able to recite various sports statistics or care about yearly data on the flows of rivers across the region. The big difference I’d counter would be my kno...
According to news reports, the recently concluded Washington Legislature’s special session was called to address a $10 billion transportation package and “other legislation” that would keep production of Boeing’s new 777X project in the state. Apparently that “other legislation” was more important. Legislators took just three days to pass a package extending aerospace industry tax breaks to the year 2040 that will be worth over $8 billion to Boeing. Those breaks could be canceled if the aerospace giant moves constructio...
I wish to write you a letter in reference to a wonderful experience I encountered Monday, Oct. 28. A year ago I took my 1998 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 truck into an auto service center in Spokane, for just an oil, filter and lube service. There was nothing wrong with the vehicle. Upon retrieval they told me, that my front-left four-wheel drive seal, was just starting to leak oil. There had been no leaks until then. They quoted me $600 to repair. So I declined. In the meantime I obtained a much better price quote from Aaron, owner of...
St. John’s Lutheran Church thanks all who shopped or dined at our annual bazaar and rummage sale. Proceeds will go to various benevolences from community to worldwide. Congratulations to the winners of the quilts and table runner: Joe Conner, Helen Brooks, and Norma Fa. St. John’s Lutheran Church Medical Lake...
“It was 4:30 a.m. January 30th 1968. We began taking fire, from all directions in Lai Khe, Vietnam. I was in my underwear and made it into a bunker just behind another soldier. As another rocket came in my friend Harvey was diving into the bunker. The rocket hit a tree and the shrapnel took Harvey’s leg off at the hip and put numerous holes in his back. He was fully conscious and telling me he couldn’t breathe and kept trying to sit up. I knew there wasn’t anything we could do for him. We had no medical supplies or bandage...
It will be a warmer winter for many area families this year! The 17th annual Community Coat Drive was a wonderful success with over 500 coats collected locally and 344 coats distributed at three sites, Salnave Elementary, Westwood Middle School and Feed Cheney. Additionally, 100 coats were distributed at Sunset Elementary School from Coats 4 Kids. All of the coats not distributed were donated to the Cheney Community Clothing Exchange. First of all, thanks to the local Kiwanis who did all of the transporting of coats to and...
The members of American Legion Auxiliary Cheney Unit 72 would like to express our sincere appreciation for the men and women who served in the United States Armed Forces. Thank you for serving this great country. Thank you for protecting us. Thank you for the security we have and feel here at home. We know you sacrificed much for your country and all of us. And though you may no longer wear the uniform, we know you’re always on call to serve and protect the freedom and security of the United States of America. We invite e...
On Wednesday, Nov. 6, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in its first case regarding prayer during legislative sessions since 1983, and while I’m not privy to what will be presented by either side, it’s unlikely the above passage from the Book of Matthew will come up. The case is Town of Greece v. Galloway. Greece is a town of 96,000 people near Rochester, N.Y. In March 1999, the town supervisor changed the way the monthly town board opened its meetings from a moment of silence for a prayer to be delivered by local c...
Monday, Nov. 11 is Veterans Day, a time to honor those who serve or have served, living or dead. It’s a time of memorializing and acknowledging with gratitude the sacrifices our men and women in uniform make for this country. Most of us on the editorial board have direct connections to people who have served. Several have family members who fought in World War II as well as friends or family who served in Vietnam. Both of these past conflicts have found their way to prominent roles in our collective cultural conscience. B...
Together we remember the life of an Eastern Washington giant, Tom Foley, who represented our Fifth Congressional District with distinction for 30 years. Even today, wheat farmers and all the citizens of our district benefit from the tremendous work he did to ensure that farmers had a voice in the nation’s capital, to protect Fairchild, and improve infrastructure. He rose as high as a person can rise in politics; chosen by his colleagues to be Speaker of the House, a position he held from 1989 to 1995. On the floor of the H...
I would like to thank the Cheney Free Press for sharing their interviews with the four candidates seeking a position on the City Council. However, when I add this information to that gained from candidate talks at the forum, I am concerned about one issue. Who decides when a council member is required to recuse him/herself from voting on an issue? I had thought there was a state law governing this, but when I inquired of the city, I was told the council member makes the decision and the city will provide information from the...
It is with great pleasure that I am writing a letter in support of our current Cheney School Board president Suzanne Dolle who is running for a second term on the Cheney School Board of Directors. I have gotten to know Suzanne through shared work on committees and through her volunteer work in my classroom. In all situations I have admired her professionalism and her commitment to children. In working on committees with director Dolle, I have observed that she listens and participates in discussions on the topic, asked...
Consumers Union, which publishes “Consumer Reports,” has reviewed I-522 and determined that it is well written, makes sense, gives shoppers clear accurate information, and shouldn’t raise the cost of groceries. If you’re still on the fence, go get your Voters Pamphlet. The full text of the initiative begins on page 28. When you’ve read it, I think you’ll agree with Consumer’s Union. Incidentally, you won’t find any mention of pet food. Christie Bruntlett Cheney...
To my neighbors and friends in Medical Lake and Airway Heights, have you ever wanted to ask your 6th District senator a question face to face? Here’s your chance to have a cup of coffee and a donut – or two – with Mike Baumgartner. Come to the Buckhorn Inn in Airway Heights Nov. 7 from 7:30 – 9 a.m. and talk about whatever is on your mind – like the proposed gas tax increase. Fairchild? The new casino in Airway Heights? Or, if you have an easy way to repair 1900s plaster and lath walls, Mike would like to know that too since...
Brace yourselves, the deer apocalypse has struck! Protect your petunias, fence up your ferns and for heaven’s sake, lock up your lavender, the deer are coming! Well, at least that’s the way it seems to be in Medical Lake. A new ordinance that nearly made it before the Medical Lake City Council would prohibit feeding of deer while in the city limits and set up violation penalties for those committing such a heinous act. The first reading of the ordinance was tabled at the last meeting, but you can almost guarantee that it wil...
Has Spokane County earned a “yes” vote on Proposition 1? The ballot item would raise $18 million over nine years through property tax increases county-wide to remove seven mobile home parks in Fairchild Air Force Base’s Accident Potential Zone Two, an area that has heightened potential for aircraft crashes. There are 188 units in the area, 119 of which are privately owned, with 69 owned by the park’s owners. Fairchild is the region’s top employer and one of the most important assets to our community. It’s invaluable,...
Last Wednesday, Congress did what they appear to be experts at – and that’s very little. Sure, they did do their best at dueling demagoguery. It’s seemingly what they spend the most time at earning their $175,000 a year. Oh, they did get their regular workout kicking the very dented and nearly crushed debt can down the pothole-pocked road. A 285-144 vote in the House of Representatives, which followed 81-18 approval in the Senate, allowed about 18-percent of the federal government to reopen and the government to keep spend...
