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We all have our own ways of moving on from an election like we saw last week. My way? See a James Bond movie. I’m not a diehard James Bond fan, but the latest movie, Skyfall, is by far one of the best in the franchise. Over the last 50 years, 23 Bond films have entertained audiences and made millions of children wish they were secret agents. After all this time, the franchise has an entrenched legacy that has endured through the good, bad and slightly weird entries. In order to remain relevant, the franchise has had to c...
By BECKY THOMAS Staff Reporter When I moved to Washington from Wisconsin nearly four years ago, I didn’t know how to pronounce Spokane, let alone Cheney. Now I roll my eyes every time someone says “Chaney.” I usually know everyone at any given public meeting. I don’t ever get lost in this town anymore, even when someone sends me to the Bermuda Triangle, a.k.a. N. Second through N. Fifth streets. After three years and a month as a staff reporter here at the Cheney Free Press, I’m saying goodbye. I never could have predicted...
After a month where tens of millions of citizens have watched a series of debates, what has been accomplished in the race for president? These events were presented in a number of different formats and designed to shed new light on the candidates’ views. Each side will say they were the winner in any of the three face-to-face showdowns between President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney. The same is true when the so-called experts parse what was said between Vice President Joe Biden and Paul Ryan. Any of dozens of p...
The past summer has been an incredible time for charitable giving in the Spokane region. First, Saturday, Sept. 29, Dutch Bros gave $1 from every $2 medium drink toward Cat Davis, a 25-year-old Spokane resident suffering from scleroderma. A second fundraiser was held just last week for Davis where all of the area Papa Murphy’s locations donated $3 from every family size pizza purchase. Of the initial $175,000 goal, around $86,000 was raised to help pay for the cost of a stem cell transplant in hopes of saving Davis’ life. Aft...
There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding I-1240, the initiative on next month’s ballot to create public charter schools in Washington. For those living in the world of public K-12—and there are a lot of them in our community—it could signal either an exciting new option to help students learn or a looming threat to their school budgets and ultimately their jobs. For those outside, though, I-1240 probably doesn’t mean much. Perhaps you saw a sign and found out about the initiative, but are wondering about the logistics...
The Cheney Cemetery Association surprised me with something last week I never considered receiving. I was asked to speak at their annual meeting Friday at the United Methodist Church, something not unusual. I have spoken to groups and classes during my tenure at the Cheney Free Press and am always ready to do so. It’s a fascinating career being in the media, despite the reputation and the criticism – sometimes deserved – we receive. The association asked me to speak about how we develop topics for stories. After my talk I sta...
With an electric Homecoming atmosphere in Cheney flowing from both Cheney High School and Eastern Washington University, October could someday be even more exciting with the addition of the Gateway Project at Roos Field. The EWU homecoming parade, bed races and other events, combined with the high school’s events this year, make for a special weekend. We believe the Gateway Project will only help boost Cheney’s profile upon its completion. Currently in the design and fundraising stage, the Gateway Project is a multi-use fac...
Everyone agrees the rising cost of health care in the United States is unsustainable. Last year Americans spent $2.4 trillion, or nearly 18 percent of our gross domestic product, on health care. Frivolous lawsuits against doctors and hospitals contribute significantly to these rising costs, with estimates as high as 10 to 20 percent of added health care costs caused by the legal system. In many states, health care lawsuit reform, that is, reasonable limits placed on the cost of lawsuits, has helped hold costs down and...
We’re nearing the midpoint of October in an election year. With the myriad issues that face our nation and our state, voters are engaged and turnout is expected to be high. Hopefully, most citizens recognize the importance of voting, of participating in this funny little democracy we call America. Nearly everybody knows who they’re voting for in the presidential election, and hopefully folks here in Eastern Washington know who they’ll send to the other Washington and to Olympia to represent them. Voting is important, and I’ll...
The results of a study conducted 2008-2010 and released last Thursday concluded that free birth control led to lower rates of abortion and teen births among low-income women in St. Louis, Mo. The project tracked more than 9,000 women, many of them poor and uninsured. When price wasn’t an issue, the women chose the more expensive and effective options of implanted birth control devices. The results were impressive: 6.3 births per 1,000 teens as compared to a national average of 34 births per 1,000 in 2010. There were also 4...
This last weekend, I took advantage of one of the precious few free days for state parks in Washington, where it’s not required to own a Discover Pass to enjoy public lands. It marked my first visit to the Bowl and Pitcher at Riverside State Park, and I have to say, I’ll be returning very soon. The beauty of the park easily impressed me, residing just outside the bustling city of Spokane. Having such a jewel nearby is one of the great pieces of the Inland Northwest, that, when combined, makes this a great place to live. Out a...
It was good news to read last week that Spokane County Commissioners are reconsidering their 2010 decision to build a new jail near White Road just off the I-90 Medical Lake interchange. It was even better news that a recent study of 10 new sites determined that the top site was one offered to the county by Spokane International Airport along Geiger Boulevard north of the Waste-to-Energy Plant. Our thanks, and likely the thanks of many other West Plains residents, goes out to the commissioners and to the airport, led by...
By JOHN McCALLUM Editor There is some light to be shined on Mitt Romney's comments about 47 percent of Americans before those comments are consigned to the historical dustbin. In surreptitiously recorded remarks at a May $50,000-a-plate fundraiser obtained and published by Mother Jones magazine last week the Republican presidential candidate claimed 47 percent of Americans don't pay income taxes, support President Barack Obama and are “dependent upon government, who believe they are victims, who believe the government has a...
Uprisings in the Middle East, sparked in Libya and Egypt have called into question the notion of free speech and its consequences. One of the big factors in the uprisings, according to the U.S. government, has been a low-budget video made by a California filmmaker. The video was uploaded to YouTube a couple of months ago but only recently reached the region, and depicts the Muslim prophet Muhammad in a negative light. Some protesters have spoken out against the government, despite its denouncing the film and affirming no...
Nothing wrong in education with the word ‘alternative' It is the age of budget cuts and fiscal responsibility. That being said, it makes one wonder why the Medical Lake School Board and district are considering changing the name of the Medical Lake Alternative High School to something “without a negative connotation” (Cheney Free Press Sept. 6, 2012). What is wrong with the word alternative? According to Webster it means: 1. Choice or possibility; 2. Existing outside traditional or established institutions or system. Isn't th...
It's widely argued as to what extent the presidential debates play in the eventual outcome of an election. One side of history, at least that which has been studied and measured by the Gallup organization – as famous for their polls as Idaho is potatoes – say debates are rarely “game changers,” a 2008 Wall Street Journal article suggested. With the exception of two times – 1960 and again in 2000 where a small movement in the public opinion generated by the debate cycle could have helped dictate the outcome – the face off be...
By BECKY THOMAS Staff Reporter Last Tuesday, escalating protests were sparked by an American-produced anti-Muslim video in Libya and Yemen. Then, later in the week, Google-owned YouTube made the unusual choice to block the video that sparked the protests, but only in those two countries. The action of blocking videos is not unusual by itself. Google has a policy guiding the practice: remove content that it considers to be hate speech, that violates its terms of service, or that the court or government ordered be taken down. H...
By JAMES EIK Staff Reporter Two years ago, I came face-to-face with remnants of the World Trade Center. I was visiting family in New Orleans on a warm summer day, much like one in Spokane only with extra humidity where even the humidity was humid. We walked through the old New Orleans mint building, just outside the French Quarter. Sounds of nearby vendors shouting out their deals of the day could be overheard as we were entering the building. It's a gorgeous place, really, a three-level brick building encased in a black...
Rich Cowan's experience makes him the right candidate I had the opportunity to meet Rich Cowan the other night. It seemed to me everything he's done to this point has prepared him to represent the 5th Congressional District in Washington, DC. Rich grew up in Spokane and attended WSU. He raised his family here and sent his kids to Lewis and Clark High School. He's served numerous non-profits as a member of their boards of directors. You think he knows our community? Rich built a business here, North by Northwest Productions,...
By Dr. JANET NORBY Esther Reed Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Each year The President of the United States, in accordance with Public Law 915, proclaims the week of Sept. 17-23 as Constitution Week. Traditionally both our governor and our mayor also issue such proclamations. Regrettably, many of us give little thought to these proclamations, and may even be unaware of why they are issued. Most of us are fully aware of the significance of the date July 4, 1776, but fewer regard Sept. 17, 1787,...
Cheney has two seasons: Summer and School. As residents know, the second season will arrive in the next few weeks as Cheney schools and Eastern Washington University resume classes. Like every small town in America that plays host to a college, the community of Cheney will change dramatically by the time October rolls around. The sleepy days of small town summer will be gone, replaced by the energy and bustle of thousands of young people. It can be a startling transition, even for those who have lived here for years....
By JOHN McCALLUM Editor So, how did you spend your Labor Day? I spent my three-day weekend in a variety of ways. Saturday I covered Cheney football after helping out with a yard sale in the morning. Sunday I was at the yard sale all day after church. I finally got some relaxation time to myself on Monday, working out in the morning and then spending the afternoon with family. That night, I worked conducting interviews and writing stories for this week's issue. Many of us spent Labor Day relaxing at the lake or river, took in...
Public engagement system gets input on transportation This summer, the Washington State Transportation Commission launched the Voice of Washington State (VOWS), an innovative web-based public engagement program, which includes seven regional discussion forums and a survey panel. Currently, the Northeast Washington region is critically underrepresented on the forum and the survey panel. All of the state's transportation commissioners, including myself, are reaching out to residents and urging them to log on to...
Airway Heights City Council recently denied a request by Spokane County Commissioners to be released from a portion of a 2010 contract between the city, county and the Spokane Tribe of Indians regarding STEP, the Spokane Tribe Economic Project that includes plans for a casino. We applaud the council's decision but we also think the commissioners were correct in bringing the request. Under the section in question the city would have paid the county 20 percent of what it received from STEP for providing services to the developm...
New students need to take animal safety into account If you have—or get—a dog or a cat, it is important that it be spayed or neutered, you take it with you when you move from Cheney, or you find a responsible new owner for it. Many pets are left on their on or with a well-meaning but neglectful person. These abandoned animals have a hard time surviving, especially in the cold of winter. They breed, and their offspring are wild. If not taken in, most of them suffer and die. If you care for animals enough to want one, ple...
