June 16, 2026
June 16, 2026
By Roger Harnack Cheney Free Press COLFAX – Public school students will not be allowed to have a cellphone during the school day if Gov. Bob Ferguson has his way. On Tuesday, June 9, the governor announced his “Away for the Day” proposal which would ban students from using all smart phones and watches, and other smart devices. The measure would apply to all public school students, kindergarten through 12th-grade, from the time the first school bell rings in the morning until after the last bell of the day. “Our kids...
Cheney Free Press CHENEY — The Planning Commission continued its review of proposed updates to the city’s Comprehensive Plan during its June 8 meeting, focusing on housing affordability, land-use policies and economic development goals. Commissioners reviewed redlined revisions to the draft plan and discussed how information from previous planning documents should be incorporated into future updates. The review included proposed changes to the Land Use Element as well as housing and economic development policies....
ROCK LAKE — Two fishermen were rescued from a small capsized boat on Sunday morning, June 7. David Gange, 56, and Joseph Ganger, 20, both of Spokane, were rescued by another fishermen on the lake. David Gange was airlifted to a Spokane hospital as a precautionary measure, due to a diabetic problem and possible hypothermia. Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers said deputies were called to the lake at approximately 9:30 a.m. Sunday for a report of a capsized boat. “It was a super small boat,” Myers said, noting it was...
SPANGLE – Themes of perseverance, growth and redefining success echoed throughout Liberty High School's commencement ceremony Saturday as members of the Class of 2026 celebrated their graduation. The ceremony, held June 6 in the school's auditorium near Spangle, featured remarks from multiple valedictorians, Salutatorian and Class President Addilee Buys and Valedictorian and Associated Student Body President Colin Degenhart before graduates received their diplomas and...
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE - Thousands of visitors packed Fairchild Air Force Base Saturday and Sunday, June 6 and 7, for SkyFest, filling the flightline to watch aerial demonstrations, explore military aircraft and enjoy a day of aviation-themed entertainment. Gates opened at 9 a.m., allowing visitors access to static aircraft displays, vendors and ground entertainment before aerial demonstrations began. Families, aviation enthusiasts and military supporters spent the day...
CHENEY — The Police Department responded to the following calls for service from June 1–7: June 1 Welfare check on Cheney-Spokane Road. Fight in the 2300 block of University Lane. Erica Moore, 38, was arrested. Shoplifting on Cheney-Spokane Road. Domestic violence in the 800 block of Second Street. Vehicle prowl in the 1200 block of First Street. Civil order violation in the 500 block of West Sixth Street. Patrick Kehrer, 47, was arrested. Theft in the 500 block of K Street. Burglary in the 300 block of College Avenue....
MEDICAL LAKE — The following calls for service were recorded by the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office on June 2-8: June 2 12:04 a.m. – Medical call at Martin Hall Juvenile Detention Center, 201 S. Pine St. 3:19 a.m. – Crisis call in the 600 block of S. Lefevre St. 7:54 a.m. – Welfare check at Medical Lake High School, 200 E. Barker St. 7:59 a.m. – Welfare check at Medical Lake Junior High School, 1010 E. Lake St. 7:59 a.m. – Child-related call at Medical Lake Junior High School, 1010 E. Lake St. 2:23 p.m. ...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS — The Airway Heights Police Department responded to the following calls for service from June 1–7: June 1 Gary A. Patterson was arrested near the 1200 block of Hayford Road for first-degree criminal trespass. Misti E. Hall was arrested near the 1200 block of Hayford Road for second-degree commercial burglary. Brenda K. Jenkins was arrested near the 1200 block of Hayford Road for hit-and-run involving an unattended vehicle. June 2 William L. Wilson was arrested near the 1700 block of Hayford Road for...
CHENEY - Authorities have identified the man who fell from a rural grain silo evening Sunday, May 31. Meanwhile, a second man fell from a silo catwalk in Cheney on Friday, June 5. Outside Rosalia, Cody Varner, 29, of St. John fell about 25 feet from a silo in a field on File Road at about 5:20 p.m., Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers said. Emergency responders found Varner suffering from multiple traumatic injuries consistent with a high-angle fall, records show. He was...
CHENEY — The following calls for service were recorded by Eastern Washington University Police Department from June 2: June 2 2:30 a.m. – Threat reported at various locations. Case remains under active investigation. 3:49 p.m. – Hit-and-run reported in the 200 block of 10th Street parking lot. Case...
CHENEY - Ask yourself what might be more remarkable? That it took 37 years for the Cheney high jump record of 6-feet, 7-inches to be topped by an inch at 6-8? Or that that the athlete who accomplished this feat is a relative newbie to track and field? Over the course of 20 days in May, Abram Weins captured the top spot. The first came on the May 2 at Puyallup High School in the South Sound Classic. Weins duplicated the number May 22 at District 6 at the state qualifying meet....
FREEMAN - Seems that long-standing high jump records were just meant to finally be broken during the 2026 track and field season in the area. Following Cheney's Abram Weins who set a new standard for Cheney High School several weeks ago with a 6-foot, 8-inch delivery, along comes Freeman's Trenton Sandborn who went one better. Sandborn set a school record of 7-feet at the 2B District meet. "Yes, his 7-foot jump was a PR and a school record," Freeman head track coach Isaac...
ROSALIA - For Virginia Carter, this year's John Wayne Trail Ride is unlike any other. While many riders on the annual wagon train have participated for years, Carter is making the journey for the first time. "This is the hardest thing I've ever done," Carter said. The ride, which follows portions of the historic John Wayne Pioneer Trail, brings together riders and wagon teams from across the region for several days of travel through Eastern Washington communities. Carter is...
SPRAGUE - With only two graduates crossing the stage, Sprague High School's commencement ceremony offered an intimate celebration of the Class of 2026. The ceremony began with the auditorium lights dimmed as the "Imperial March" theme played. Pairs of students carrying candles walked down the center aisle, lighting a row of candles that lined the graduation pathway before graduates Kye Rosien and Matthew Wallis Brown made their entrance. A student speaker welcomed attendees...
A messy redistricting battle is breaking out all across the country. In states like Mississippi, Virginia, and Missouri, political maps are trapped in an endless loop of court fights and mid-cycle changes. Political parties are treating voting boundaries like a game of tug-of-war. They adjust the lines constantly to guarantee a specific political outcome, leaving voters feeling disconnected and ignored. For decades, Washington state avoided this kind of chaos. Our state...
This year’s legislative session featured proposals to “modernize” agriculture through the forced creation of collective bargaining units. Many activists and legislative advocates persistently implied farmers and ranchers were backward and uneducated, going so far as to cast food producers as “plantation owners.” These aspersions are beneath the open-minded, liberated state Washington believes itself to be. Home to tree fruit orchards, grain growing operations, hop...
Betty Jo (McKinnon) Clark, formerly Weirauch and Buche, 86, of the Inland Empire, passed away peacefully on May 28, 2026 surrounded by her loving family. Betty was born on February 9, 1940, in Spokane, Wash., to Ben McKinnon and Mina Ellingson McKinnon. She attended Field Elementary School and, in 1955, moved with her family near Geiger Field when her parents purchased the Maple Leaf Motel and Grocery. She graduated from Cheney High School in 1958 and went on to attend...
