Looking Back

10 Years Ago

March 6, 2003

The search for a new superintendent of schools for Cheney was pared down to three, including Terrell Dinicht from Twin Falls, Idaho; Michael Dunn, Spokane School District 81 and Dennis Friedrich from Waterville, Wash. The candidates visited the district recently to participate in a community forum with questions posed from school board members, district employees and residents.

With voters turning down tax increases to the city utilities bills in order to fund the Parks and Recreation Department, now it was up to Mayor Amy Jo Sooy to answer questions such as the future of the city pool, run at an estimated cost of $100,000 per year.

With Cheney closing its Parks Department, Medical Lake was also facing issues of having an influx of users, and the concern over how its staff of one would be able to handle the spillover, director Timm Shepherd said.

Eastern Washington University men’s basketball team wrapped up the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Big Sky Conference tournament, scheduled for Ogden, Utah, March 11-12. Eastern, losers of four of its last eight games, finished with a 17-11 regular season record.

20 Years Ago

Missing from our archives.

30 Years Ago

March 10, 1983

Cheney voters turned out in enough numbers, but just not enough to pass a $5.6 million bond issue that would have funded improvements at the high school. Initially, officials of the district had been concerned that the needed 1,920 voters would not cast ballots. But in the end enough people voted but just 49.02 percent said yes to the measure that required a 60-percent approval.

Cheney was the proposed site of a new FM radio station according to documents filed with the Federal Communications Commission by Delta Radio out of Kansas.

There was concern that some Cheney residents who were receiving give-aways of surplus government cheese and butter might not be deserving, program coordinator Jean Johnson reported to the Cheney Free Press. “I think there may be some people who are taking advantage of it,” Johnson said.

Cheney was set to have its own chapter of the Jaycees and a meeting to organize the club was scheduled March 15 at the Pence Union Building at EWU.

Laurie Hattemer scored 25 points to lead the Cheney girls to a 56-52 State AA regional basketball victory over Wapato in a game played at Selah.

40 Years Ago

March 8, 1973

Doing less business was considered a good thing for the Cheney Fire Department and Chief Maynerd Haskins. In figures just released, crews responded to 129 fires in 1972, compared to 136 in 1971.

Three days of meetings in Olympia produced some assurances that a proposed $1.4 million reduction in the governor’s recommended budget for Eastern Washington State College for the 1973-75 binennium might eventually come close to Central Washington’s loss of $662,000 or Western Washington’s $658,000.

A 10-year-old student at the Antonian School for Special Children near Cheney drowned recently during an outing to the EWSC Fieldhouse pool. Troy Douglas Allen from Edmonds, Wash. was found in the deep end of the pool by lifeguards who unsuccessfully adminsitered mouth to mouth resuscitation.

Fresh off their Border League small division regular season basketball championship, the Cheney Blackhawks set their sights on the championship for Districts 7-8-9 in a tournament scheduled to be played at Medical Lake.

50 Years Ago

March 8, 1963

The U.S. Office of Education announced the authorization of over $57,000 worth of improvements to a variety of Cheney School District buildings. The projects that money would help fund included improved lighting in school buildings as well as installation of fire escapes at Cheney High.

Voters in Cheney were set to go to the polls March 12 to elect school board members from three different districts. Ted McMillan and Carmen Stewart were set to meet for the District 3 seat while Richard Russell and Raymond Songaylo would compete for District 4. Eudore Mumaw was unopposed for the District 5 seat.

More than $800 was earned from a variety of fundraisers designed to help support Cheney’s trip to the state 1 A boys basketball tournament. “Almost every mother of a high school student and many other home-makers contributed to the bake sales,” the newspaper report said. Many others canvassed the town selling tickets for a radio.

Cheney lost its opening game to West Valley of Yakima 48-41 despite the 14 points from Denny Lavigne and 12 from Don Dirks. The Blackhawks were to play Blaine in a second-round game.