CHENEY – Every year, communities are impacted by the stories that shape our lives; 2023 wasn’t any different.
Natural disasters, deaths, the biggest crime stories and the most heartfelt community features were all part of our coverage during 2023.
Here are our Top 10 stories of the year:
Gray Fire
The region was scorched during an active fire season in 2023, and the most impactful was the Gray Fire that swept through Medical Lake and Four Lakes.
The Gray Fire left a swathe of devastation Aug. 18 as it scorched more than 10,000 acres in the West Plains and destroyed over 250 structures, records show. Amid all the destruction, one fatality was recorded, long time Medical Lake resident and philanthropist Carl Grub.
We covered the initial story as part of our “Firestorm 2023” coverage which also included the Oregon Road Fire and Winona Fire, along with other area blazes.
The state funded much of the initial cleanup, but recovery efforts are ongoing and will take a long time.
Brayden Bahme
In May, we reported on the vigil for Cheney High School student Brayden Bahme.
Bahme, 16, had been participating in physical education class on April 27 when he fell on a piece of rebar, which went through his eye.
He was taken to the hospital where he died later.
A May 1 vigil took place. As tears rolled down his father’s face, he recalled the camping trip in which Brayden Bahme would get the nickname “fish pockets.”
The family had community members sign a boat in his memory.
Couple extradited
In January 2023, two people were extradited from South Dakota for charges relating to the death of their 8-year-old daughter.
Aleksander Kurmoyarov, 28, and Mandie R. Miller, 33, were arrested in South Dakota after the coroner from Davison County, South Dakota, informed Mitchell, S.D., police that the couple had been traveling from Airway Heights with their deceased child in a U-Haul trailer.
They were brought back and placed in Spokane County Jail on a $1,000,000 bond.
Through 2023, the couple went through several court hearings, and in September, Kurmoyarov accepted a deal pleading guilty to second-degree murder, second-degree assault and three counts of unlawful imprisonment.
Prosecuting attorneys are recommending a sentence of 23 years, and his sentencing trial is set for April 2024.
Man kills sister in Medical Lake
This case was considered a murder/attempted suicide in which Liela “Lilly” Stolworthy, 11, was shot in the head and killed by her brother, 31-year-old Jordan Brownlow, who then drove to a separate location and shot himself.
Spokane County Sheriff’s Office deputies found Brownlow’s body in the front seat of a car on Graham Road, pistol in-hand, records show.
According to reports, Stolworthy was the youngest of four adopted daughters.
Her parents told deputies she had been acting out. That prompted her father to send her belongings with her brother, records show. On the day of the shooting, the father had asked her brother to bring her things back to the house.
Surveillance video obtained through a search warrant shows she went to her brother’s car to retrieve her things and was shot when she turned to walk back to the house.
Brownlow sent the family a text that read,” I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”
Headrick hired to lead Medical Lake schools
Medical Lake School District Superintendent Tim Ames retired this year in June, paving the way for Kim Headrick to step into the district’s top leadership role.
Headrick is a Medical Lake alumnus who graduated in 1989.
“It is a real honor to give back to the community that gave me my start,” Headrick said.
She is familiar with the community and school system as she had served as Ames’ assistant. “The shift for me is really about continuing the projects that were most effective from previous administrations,” Headrick said. “And planning for the future health of the community.”
McMahan Investiture
Although she has been on campus longer, Shari McMahan was officially sworn in as the 27th president of Eastern Washington University on Oct. 23.
The procession started at the one room schoolhouse on campus, and McMahan was surrounded and supported by faculty, staff, students, friends and family while she made her way to Showalter Hall.
McMahan, a first-generation college graduate, said she got her initial drive for higher education from her parents, who set her on the path to go further and reach higher.
“The decision to attend college required a great amount of courage,” McMahan said. “And has provided more opportunities than I could have ever imagined.”
McMahan attributes a lot of her growth to her undergraduate research at University of California-Irvine.
She said she worked on a project that tracked potentially harmful lead exposure through testing human hair. That research showed disadvantaged communities were at a greater risk to get lead poisoning.
“It was because of that research and personal growth that today, as an administrator in higher education, my passion is working with first generation and underserved students,” McMahan said.
Municipal pool bond passes
During the Aug. 1 primary elections, one major bond measure was passed for the city of Cheney.
Voters approved a measure that raise taxes to fund construction of a new community aquatic center.
The measure needed to 60% of voter support, and it received 67.1%.
The new facility will replace the 60-year-old facility that closed during the COVID pandemic.
Demolition of the old pool has already started, and construction of the new facility is set to begin next year.
Airway Heights public safety bond
Airway Heights voters supported a bond in August to pay for an estimated $8 million in public safety improvements.
The measure helped fund the purchase of a new building for the Fire Department and to house other city services.
According to Fire Chief Mitch Metzger, the Fire Department has needed a new facility for a long time.
The old station is 55 years old, and could no longer fit the needs of the city, he said. With call volumes increasing exponentially, the city needed more room for trucks and for general living needs.
Metzger said the public safety campus will create a livable campus for firefighters.
Currently firefighters eat, dress and try to decontaminate where truck exhaust impacts them, he said.
Casino expansion highs and lows
Expansion of the Spokane Tribe Casino had its highs and lows this year.
Ana Vetter, 27, of Nine Mile Falls, was killed March 7 while working on the expansion.
A partial collapse during construction killed Vetter and her loss was deeply felt through the construction and trade community.
Vetter was remembered as a “go-getter” that always showed up ready to help.
Despite her death, expansion resumed later in the year.
A hotel is a major component of the Spokane Tribe Casino expansion.
The other major expansion was the concert hall and event room.
According to General Manager, Javier De La Rosa, the casino has invested more than $100 million into the facility.
And there’s more to come.
Next year, tribal officials plan to add some more outside space and potentially a second stage to host bigger shows.
Airport expansion
With the region growing as rapidly as it is, Spokane International Airport has been expanding, as well.
The biggest part of the growth is the ongoing construction of the 144,000-square-foot terminal C expansion.
The expansion costs $150 million, and the airport board and Spokane County have already contributed at least $30 million.
According to Airport CEO Larry Krause, the airport is debt-free.
The expansion adds three new gates and six ticket counter locations.
Teen arrested in bomb threat
A 16-year-old is facing two felony charges after threatening to bomb Cheney Middle Schoool on Nov. 16.
Even though the boy’s name is public record, police have yet to release his identity.
Cheney police received the threat reported at approximately 2:50 pm from a juvenile claiming to have constructed three explosive devices intended for use at a local school.
Police worked in conjunction with the Airway Heights Police Department, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad, Fairchild 92nd Security Forces, and the City of Spokane Police Department.
After executing search warrants, all three explosive devices were recovered and the teen arrested.
Two devices were found at a residence within the city; the third was located at a residence in Spokane County.
Matthew graduated from West Virginia University-Parkersburg in 2011 with a journalism degree. He's an award-winning photographer and enjoys writing stories about people.
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