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  • West Plains Angels event raises $1,120 for locals

    Updated Aug 9, 2018

    Our “Christmas in July” fundraising event at the Medical Lake Pizza Factory was a great success. Angels, a Roman Centurion (to deal with any bullies) and Rudolph were all in attendance. The former mayor of Cheney, Allan Gainer, was our auctioneer. There were many wonderful angel gift surprises for moms, dads, boys, and girls. Many thanks to the Medical Lake Thrift Store, Food Bank, School District office, Church of Redemption, Girl Scout Troop and to all the others in Medical Lake who were of great help and support. Ross Nib...

  • McMorris Rodgers, GOP target Social Security funds

    Updated Aug 9, 2018

    Cathy McMorris Rodgers is after $2.9 trillion of our Social Security money. She is now on record as being in support of stealing $2.9 trillion of the American people’s earned Social Security benefits. When Social Security runs a surplus, Social Security holds the funds in trust. We have built up a $2.9 trillion surplus over the decades to cover the retirement of the Baby Boomer generation. We earned it; it’s our money to be kept safe until we need it. While 96 percent of Democrats voted to protect our money, Cathy and eve...

  • Brown's no vote led to a safer community protection law

    Updated Aug 2, 2018

    Voters in Washington’s 5th Congressional District have seen Cathy McMorris-Rodger’s ad regarding Lisa Brown’s vote on community protection zones. It is at best disingenuous. McMorris Rodgers is correct when she says that Brown opposed a proposal creating “community protection zones,” which would “prohibit sex offenders from living within 880 feet of the facilities or grounds of a public or private schools” (elementary and secondary schools and universities). She forgot to mention, however, that Lisa Brown had argued that p...

  • Thanks for flying our flag

    Updated Aug 2, 2018

    Thank you to the businesses and residences who fly our country’s flag, “Old Glory,” especially on Independence Day. Judy Bridges Cheney...

  • Americans are overfed and undernourished - multivitamins can help

    JEFFREY BLUMBERG, Contributor|Updated Aug 2, 2018

    Americans are eating more than ever. Today, the average adult consumes about 3,700 calories per day. That’s nearly 30 percent more than we ate in 1961 — and about double what’s recommended. Despite these calories, tens of millions of Americans are undernourished. Since many of our extra calories are coming from processed foods rich in sugar and saturated fats, we’re not getting enough nutrient-rich fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Curbing our consumption habits — and trimming Americans’ waistlines — will be difficult....

  • Cementing radioactive waste could save U.S. billions

    DON C. BRUNELL, Contributor|Updated Aug 2, 2018

    Since 2002, the U.S. Deptartment of Energy has funded construction of a $17 billion project to encase radioactive wastes in solid glass logs. It is scheduled to start operations in 2022 and treat more than 56 million gallons of hazardous liquids which are stored in tanks on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. It is called vitrification, a process by which the state of Washington and federal government agreed in 1989. It is complicated, time consuming and very costly. To speed up...

  • Media to Trump: 'You're just so mean'

    PAUL DELANEY, Staff Reporter|Updated Aug 2, 2018

    One of the many scripts that recycle themselves and play out randomly these days in the media is how they are treated so horribly by President Donald Trump. Those poor 90-pound weaklings are constantly getting bullied and having sand kicked in their face by that big guy with the bad comb-over of yellow hair. Yeah right, those who buy ink by the barrel, newsprint in box cars and rule so much of the airwaves cry foul when someone takes issue with “reporting” that is pretty muc...

  • Cathy McMorris Rodgers represents ME

    Updated Jul 26, 2018

    I am a working mother, wife, and city council woman. Cathy McMorris Rodgers represents ME on many fronts. She co-sponsored the bill that extended the Federal Perkins Loan program for need-based students. Without programs like this, our son would not be able to afford college in two years. She supported and had language in the recent Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that puts more money in my pocket each month to help provide for my family, expands the child credit and doubles the standard deduction. I’m actually looking forward to f...

  • Fearful for the survival of Democracy

    Updated Jul 26, 2018

    If you read the actual transcripts of Trump and Putin’s press conference following the Helsinki Summit, the first thing that may occur to you is that President Trump cannot express a coherent thought. The second, and by far the more troubling realization, is that the President of the United States just gave away the farm, and I’m not talking about his trade wars. Donald Trump, who fancies himself a strong-man leader, abased himself before the Russian tyrant and in doing so, trashed America’s intelligence, law enfor...

  • The children in the United States are our future now

    FRANK WATSON, Contributor|Updated Jul 26, 2018

    My niece and nephew recently came to visit from the Midwest. They had never seen this part of the world, and I thought they would be impressed with the variety of ecosystems in Eastern Washington. Thus, I was a bit surprised when their initial request was to take a ride in “Uncle Frank’s snazzy convertible.” We mounted up, and I was about to start the engine when they asked for help with their seat belts. These kids, ages five and nine, were conditioned to buckle up before the car was put in motion. I was impressed with...

  • Amazon replacing libraries is ridiculous

    GRACE POHL, Staff Intern|Updated Jul 26, 2018

    Everyone probably knows by now that Amazon is coming to the West Plains area – unless you are living under a rock. But that isn’t the real reason why I bring up the powerhouse company. On Saturday, July 21, Forbes posted quite the controversial article with the headline “Amazon Should Replace Local Libraries to Save Taxpayers Money.” Yikes. The backlash from the article was so extreme that Forbes actually deleted the piece from online. So if you go on their website, you cannot read the actual article anymore. This is how a r...

  • McMorris Rodgers represents middle class, unity

    Updated Jul 19, 2018

    I am not your typical Republican. When I was younger I always considered myself an independent and as I have matured, I have found myself becoming more and more conservative. I have no personal connection to Cathy McMorris Rodgers. I knew that she represented Eastern Washington in Congress, but not much more than that. I started seeing ads for Lisa Brown and hearing people talk about her and decided to look for myself. The first thing that bothered me was that in the early campaign days, Lisa did not affiliate herself with...

  • Cheney would benefit from having a dog park

    Updated Jul 19, 2018

    I’m writing in response to the article about the Cheney dog park in the July 5 issue of the Cheney Free Press. I believe Cheney could really benefit form a dog park. My dog, Lucy, loves running free and socializing with other dogs. According to the article from AVMA.org (American Veterinary Medical Association) website “dogs who have more social contact were less likely to develop fearful or aggressive behavior.” (AVMA.org retrieved 7-15-18) I have raise four beautiful happy healthy children here in Cheney, let’s make it...

  • Lisa Brown opens Cheney campaign office

    Updated Jul 19, 2018

    Cheney now has a Lisa Brown for Congress office at 1010 First St., Suite A, directly across First Street from the Farmers Market at Cheney Marketplace. The office is usually staffed by volunteers Monday – Friday between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Stop by to say hello, make a donation, pick up whatever you need such as yard signs, T-shirts, bumper stickers, buttons, literature and even get assistance with voter registration. Christie Bruntlett Cheney...

  • Operation Success was really a failure

    John McCallum, Managing Editor|Updated Jul 19, 2018

    I’m going to tell you a story. It’s a story about “Operation Success.” Never heard of it? You’re probably not alone. Most of the millions of people in the United States don’t know the tale of how our State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency overthrew the democratically elected government of Guatemala in 1954. It’s a brilliant story. It was done on a shoestring budget and in such a way as to not attract international attention to the fact that the leader of the free world, the proponent of representativ...

  • You need a reservation to enjoy the lazy days of summer

    FRANK WATSON, Contributor|Updated Jul 19, 2018

    We had a cold wet spring. I don’t know whether to blame global warming or Donald Trump, but it sure was hard on my garden. I didn’t think my corn was ever going to come up. I am glad warm weather has finally arrived. I became aware of the arrival of summer this week as I was sitting at an outside table in a small strip mall slurping a huckleberry milkshake and watching the traffic go by. It seemed almost every vehicle was either pulling a boat or an RV; some were pulling both. I was raised on a farm so I was introduced to...

  • Dave Wilson understands education, educators

    Updated Jul 19, 2018

    This week ballots are being mailed for the primary election. As retired educators, we strongly support Dave Wilson as representative for the 6th legislative district. Dave has been a business and education consultant for the past six years. Previously, he was founder and owner of Interface Computer School for nearly 30 years. Dave sees the need for a continuum of instruction (pre-K to post-secondary) to prepare area youth for economic and civic success. He will work to preserve a level of funding that will allow for...

  • Sutton Park adds to reunion experience

    Updated Jul 19, 2018

    The venue for our recent Craner family reunion was our Cheney Sutton Park, the crown jewel of the municipal parks of Cheney. We had a total of 83 attendees, family and friends from as far away as Kansas and the west coast of Washington, plus one dog on a leash, as per park regulations. Our potluck and get-together was enjoyed by all, especially enjoyed by the families with young children who reveled in playing on the ample playground equipment afforded by the park. This was our second annual reunion in Sutton Park, and we...

  • Government fails promoting 'the General Welfare'

    Updated Jul 12, 2018

    I am complementing John McCallum on his superlative Write to the Point column, “Reflections on our American Values,” appearing in the Cheney Free Press of June 28, 2018. In particular, his quoting of the Preamble to the Constitution is the most important point of the piece. The preamble is philosophy for how our country should perform. The Articles of the Constitution are the method of implementing the Founding Fathers philosophy. Promoting the “General Welfare” is where we as a nation have failed miserably. The great d...

  • Brown will address both guns and mental health

    Updated Jul 12, 2018

    So the National Rifle Association and its Republican puppets, such as our own Cathy McMorris Rodgers, think the best way of counteracting terrorism, including school shootings, is improving mental health conditions rather than limiting gun availability. Then I can’t think of any better way of breeding terrorists who want to strike back at the U.S. than inflicting huge trauma on children by forcible separation from their parents. With Lisa Brown we’ll get action for BOTH improved mental health conditions AND limited ava...

  • What'll it be, good stewards or bad slumlords?

    PAUL DELANEY, Staff Reporter|Updated Jul 12, 2018

    Peering across seemingly endless miles of forestland from the rim of Oregon’s Crater Lake can certainly take one’s breath away. But so can stories and statistics about when that green turns to grey after the invasion of wildfire. That thought occurred last week while returning to civilization following the better part of four days spent incommunicado on a rafting adventure on the Rogue River in southwestern Oregon. As soon as the cell service kicked in and the wave of pus...

  • Even if you don't like him, get your information right about Trump

    FRANK WATSON, Contributor|Updated Jul 12, 2018

    I read a recent syndicated column blaming President Donald Trump for the recent shooting in the newsroom in Annapolis. Whoa! That is a stretch. The president has certainly been critical of the national press, but his opinion surely didn’t incite the gunman. Everything I know about the tragedy indicates that the deranged shooter had a personal beef with the paper. There isn’t any evidence that the gunman was even aware of presidential tweets. To criticize Donald Trump for this catastrophe is unreasonable and is not based on...

  • Putting guns in classrooms would only incite additional violence

    BASMA ISMAIL, Contributor|Updated Jul 12, 2018

    On May 22, 2014, Donald Trump announced to the world via his Twitter account that Hillary Clinton accused him of wanting to bring guns into classrooms. Almost four years later, Trump tried to convince us that arming teachers while on school grounds is the answer to school shootings and massacres. With the lack of laws and training regarding carrying and purchasing guns, more students are likely to die in schools if Trump’s ideas are applied. He argues that it will allow teachers to respond quickly to possible shootings and b...

  • Jetsons cartoon robots now reality in fast-food business

    DON C. BRUNELL, Contributor|Updated Jul 5, 2018

    By DON C. BRUNELL Contributor The Jetsons television series about a space-age family featuring “Rosey the Robot” gave us a preview of life with robots, kiosks and interactive television. In 1962, it was a fictitious cartoon; however, in 2018, many of the Jetsons’ conveniences are a reality. Take fast-food restaurants, for example. Faced with a growing shortage of workers and increased costs, some are turning to robots to flip hamburgers and clean grills — mundane, unpleas...

  • July is moving month for this young reporter

    GRACE POHL, Staff Intern|Updated Jul 5, 2018

    It is crazy to me that we are already halfway through the year and that it is now July. This will personally be a big month for me as I move across the country to Knoxville Tenn., at the end of the month. As I realized that I will be moving from my home of just over 10 years in just a matter of weeks, I thought of all the good times that Cheney and the West Plains have brought me. I am a proud alum of Cheney High School and Eastern Washington University. I will forever be a Blackhawk and I am officially an Eagle for life. If...

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