Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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CHENEY – Eastern Washington University's search for its next president has officially begun. At a special meeting on Monday, April 19, the university's Board of Trustees unanimously approved the formation of an 18-member Presidential Search Advisory Committee (PSAC) that will review candidate application materials and provide input to the board on the strengths and weaknesses of candidates meeting the job qualifications. The board also authorized the issuing of a request for p...
SPOKANE — National Weather Service officials are tracking a powerful cold front that will be passing through the region this weekend, bringing with it the potential for very strong winds on Sunday into Monday that could create blowing dust conditions and damage from downed trees and power lines. Projections at a Friday press briefing are for winds increasing throughout the day on Sunday. Peak speeds reaching 45-40 miles per hour in the Columbia Basin and Spokane regions and 5...
OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee announced at a March 18 news conference that effective March 22, the entire state will enter Phase 3 of its Healthy Washington: Roadmap to Recovery. He also said evaluation of COVID-19 metrics will be transitioning from a regional approach to a county-by-county process. The governor also announced a new third phase of the Roadmap, a return for in-person spectators for professional and high school sports. Phase 3, announced today, includes a return for in-person spectators for professional and high s...
It’s been a difficult year for us all. I know that’s an understatement. But methinks I shouldn’t have to go into many details to explain why. Unfortunately, those reasons are still all around us. It’s said hard times bring out the best and worst in people. I’ve come to see the truth in that first-hand, and — put mildly — it’s disheartening. I’ve seen people come together as a community to support each other, and I’ve seen people who talk about the need for community support refusing to do so by undertaking the sim...
CHENEY -- Eastern Washington University officials are reporting an uptick in cases of COVID-19 since instruction resumed in an online format Sept. 23. According to the university's Risk Management website, 64 students living off-campus in Cheney have tested positive for the disease since Sept. 6, with 41 testing positive the week of Sept. 20-26 and 13 testing positive the week of Sept. 27-Oct. 3. Additionally over the Sept. 27-Oct.3 timeframe, one student living in campus housing tested positive, five were positive who do...
CHENEY – While education is their preferred first choice of enforcement, Cheney and Eastern Washington University law enforcement are prepared to take sterner measures with students who continue to violation safety protocols spelled out by the state and/or Spokane County Health District to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In a joint statement today, police officials with both agencies said – while not anticipating arrests, issuing citations or taking individual to jail – officers “will intervene with more punitive actions...
PORTLAND, Ore. – Officials want Washington residents to know there is still time to respond to the U.S. Census – especially residents in Eastern Washington. The count conducted every 10 years is important in that it determines congressional representation, helps with awarding billions of federal dollars to communities each year and provides information that will impact communities for years to come. The Census helps determine how many seats in the House of Representatives each state receives. It also affects funding dec...
PORTLAND, Ore. — Officials want Washington residents to know there is still time to respond to the U.S. Census — especially residents in Eastern Washington. The count conducted every 10 years is important in that it determines congressional representation, helps with awarding billions of federal dollars to communities each year and provides information that will impact communities for years to come. The Census helps determine how many seats in the House of Representatives each state receives. It also affects funding dec...
CHENEY -- A series of small wildfires has grown into a 200-acre-plus blaze near Badger Lake about 15 miles south of Cheney. The fires began around 5:04 p.m. Sunday evening under hot, dry conditions, and are burning in grassy areas dotted with stands of ponderosa pine. According to a news release from the Washington State Patrol, about 50-70 homes are threatened. Initially, Level 2 "be prepared to leave" evacuation orders were enacted but state Department of Natural Resources...
CHENEY – A series of small wildfires has grown into a 200-acre-plus blaze near Badger Lake about 15 miles south of Cheney. The four fires began around 5:04 p.m. Sunday evening under hot, dry conditions, and are burning in grassy areas dotted with stands of ponderosa pine. According to the state Department of Natural Resources, one was six acres and threatening structures, another was eight acres, the third was between 1-2 acres while the progress of the fourth had been s...
CHENEY — Eastern Washington University President Mary Cullinan has announced she is retiring from her position, effective immediately. The university's Board of Trustees has named Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs David May to serve as interim president. The announcement came at a virtual board of trustees meeting this morning, Aug. 4. "I have been honored to serve as Eastern Washington University's first female president," Cullinan said in a news release. "...
CHENEY – Eastern Washington University’s Board of Trustees have approved using more cash reserves and an allocation of reduction targets in order to close a $22.54 million operating budget shortfall. At a special meeting today (July 24) held via Zoom, the board voted 8-0 in approving expense reduction targets of 13.5 percent for all university areas except Diversity and Inclusion and Academic Affairs. The latter will look for ways to come up with a 22.3 percent reductions in expenses while the former will be exempt from red...
SPOKANE VALLEY – A small piece of history will pass through eastern and central Washington skies on July 4. Five World War II vintage aircraft owned by Hangar 180 air museum in Lewiston will be conducting a flyover over of the region beginning at 8 a.m. The flight takes them over southeast Washington, through the Tri-Cities area to Yakima, up to Ellensburg, back over central and eastern Washington to Lewiston and then up to Spokane where they will layover for an hour at F...
CHENEY – The goose has landed! DB Davis owner Dell Davis's pronouncement may not have the poetic sounds of astronaut Neil Armstrong's famous statement trumpeting mankind's first landing on the Moon, but to Cheney Depot Society member Sue Beeman, the words announcing the end of the depot's move were just as sweet. "Whew! What a day," Beeman said in a June 18 email. "I'm doing a bit of basking in the success of the moment today!" She and other members of the society have every r...
CHENEY – A dining favorite in the city has shut its doors permanently. Lenny's American and Italian Fine Cuisine on 1st Street has officially closed. While a post on the businesses Facebook page March 28 noted they were closing their doors due to restrictions imposed by measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Jennifer Matika, wife of owner John Matika, said today (May 14) they had made the closure permanent. "It's very devastating for us to have to close down" she s...
CHENEY – Eastern Washington University’s Athletics Department is eyeing an estimated $2.1 million loss in revenue, Athletics Director Lynn Hickey said during the weekly “Lunch & Learn” show on the department’s Facebook page. Hickey told host Larry Weir on Tuesday, May 12, that the estimated loss comes from an anticipated reduction in student fees, although there will be revenue losses as well as the university looks at the possibility of changes to fan attendance at sporting events as a result of measures to deal with cont...
CHENEY – Eastern Washington University officials announced that they will continue with the current online instruction format created about seven weeks ago in response to measures imposed to slow the spread of the acute respiratory disease COVID-19. "Eastern is moving forward with an online first approach to the fall terms," EWU Provost Dr. David May said during a Tuesday, May 5, morning telebriefing. "We want to keep our students, faculty and community safe." May outlined f...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS -- Citing entertainment and hospitality as essential businesses needed to run their government, the Kalispel Tribe of Indians announced today (April 29) that they will be reopening all of their facilities on May 5 -- including Northern Quest Resort & Casino on the West Plains. The announcement came just before Gov. Jay Inslee said in a press conference that similar restrictions that have closed Washington businesses such as restaurants, movie theatres and other entertainment facilities would likely be extended...
OLYMPIA – Praising Washingtonians for their efforts in what appears to be a slowing of the spread of the COVID-19 disease, Gov. Jay Inslee announced some plans to reopen the state’s economy during a televised address Tuesday afternoon, April 21. In outlining some of the steps needed to reopen, and some specific businesses that could do so, Inslee didn’t directly address recent protests from residents frustrated with the restrictions. He also didn’t reference steps some local jurisdictions have taken to defy the orders...
CHENEY — Eastern Washington University President Mary Cullinan has announced that the university's June13 commencement will be switching from an in-person ceremony to an online format as part of protective measures to slow the spread of the COVID-19 disease. “This year, unfortunately, the global pandemic has forced us all to reset gatherings, celebrations and holidays,” Cullinan said April 15 in a news release announcing the change. “We can’t hold a traditional commencement ceremony this spring.” The ceremony for semester and...
OLYMPIA -- Beginning this Sunday, Washingtonians currently ineligible to receive unemployment benefits may get a chance to receive financial help. In a press conference this afternoon with Gov. Jay Inslee, Employment Security Department Commissioner Suzi LeVine said the state will begin to implement provisions of the federal C.A.R.E.S Act expanding unemployment benefits to independent contractors and others who typically don't qualify for benefits – including those who don't have the usually required 680 hours. Other a...
OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee and Department of Corrections Secretary Stephen Sinclair have announced plans to release up to 950 state inmates from facilities who are part of population vulnerable to COVID-19, including nonviolent individuals due to be released within the coming weeks and months. The move comes after a state Supreme Court ruling April 10 instructing the Department “to take all necessary steps to protect the health and safety” of incarcerated individuals in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and submit a repor...
OLYMPIA -- Washington, Oregon and California governors announced they have agreed on a shared vision to reopen their states economies and provide unified efforts to control COVID-19 in the future. The pact is based around dealing with the severe acute respiratory disease sweeping the nation and the world that is built on three principles: Health of residents, using science and data instead of politics to drive decisions and being more effective through a unified approach. "We are announcing that California, Oregon and Washing...
OLYMPIA – The state Department of Natural Resources is implementing burn restrictions on DNR-protected lands in Eastern Washington, beginning Friday, April 10. DNR officials cited a front scheduled to pass through the region the next couple of days creating dry conditions and forecasted gusty winds as a reason for instituting the ban earlier than normal. According to an April 9, news release, all outdoor burning, which includes permit and rule burning (small debris disposal fires), is not allowed in eastern Washington. T...
OLYMPIA — Gov. Jay Inslee announced Monday that school campuses will remain closed the rest of the 2019-20 school year. The executive order generally prohibits in-person instruction through June 19. Facilities remain accessible for limited use. Many local school districts, including Cheney and Medical Lake, have already begun online instruction, offering curriculum content via special pages on their websites. When contacted Monday, Lind-Ritzville Superintendent Don Vanderholm reserved comment until Tuesday. “We will have a t...