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Columbian Newspaper
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‘There is no moving forward’: Clark County Council at impasse on railroad
The Clark County Council’s decision not to spend nearly $100,000 on a rail consultant, made during its July 10 meeting, caught many by surprise. Council members Gary Medvigy, Michele Belkot and Karen Bowerman previously supported hiring a consultant to complete development regulations related to the roughly 400 acres along Highway 503 in Brush Prairie zoned for rail dependent industrial use. |
The Chronicle - Centralia
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State leaders react to Biden's decision to end bid for reelection
Following weeks of questions over whether he would seek reelection, elected officials throughout Washington have offered praise for President Joe Biden after he announced late Sunday morning that he was ending his campaign. The decision by Biden caps a tumultuous three weeks of questions around his ability to fulfill the duties of the presidency for four more years, repeated calls for him to step aside, reports of fundraising challenges and poor polling numbers following a late June presidential debate that was widely panned. “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden said in a letter published Sunday. On Sunday, Biden backed Vice President Kamala Harris for president. “Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump,” Biden said. Sunday evening, Gov. Jay Inslee wrote that Biden’s decision “reflects the character, courage and love of country that have defined his career.” “His support for Kamala Harris offers an historic path forward for Democrats and our nation,” Inslee wrote on X. Shortly after Biden’s announcement, Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Bob Ferguson said that Biden has “been a strong and principled leader, ushering America through the challenge of pandemic recovery, enacting transformational investments in American manufacturing and infrastructure jobs, and leaving us in a stronger position domestically and on the world stage.” Ferguson also endorsed Harris’ candidacy for President and noted that both of them served as attorneys general of their respective states. “She is smart, hardworking and tough. She’ll never back down to powerful interests — and she genuinely cares about people,” Ferguson said. “She is a prosecutor who has put away criminals. She’s exactly the fighter we need to take on a convicted felon in November and win, and I am proud to offer her my endorsement and support.” State Senator and Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Mark Mullet said Sunday that Biden is an “extremely effective President” who chose to step aside “for the good of our Democracy.” “His capacity for humility and selflessness is all but extinct in politicians today, but solely needed,” Mullet said. Sen. Patty Murray, the president pro tempore of the Senate, said in a statement Sunday that “America owes a deep debt of gratitude to Joe Biden for his historic leadership — a true patriot who loves this country.” In the statement, Murray said she supports Harris’ campaign “one hundred percent.” “She is exactly the woman we need to prosecute the case against Donald Trump, save American democracy, lead the fight to restore abortion rights and build an economy that puts working people — not billionaires — first,” Murray said. “I will do everything I can to help elect Kamala Harris as our next President.” Sen. Maria Cantwell, who faces reelection in November, said in a statement Sunday that “the Democratic Party needs a standard bearer who can deliver our economic message — continuing the historic accomplishment of building more economic opportunities for working-class people and a focus on lowering costs.” “President Biden led our nation to accomplish these historic victories. Just like our party's victories on Social Security, Medicare, and family leave, Biden's policies on infrastructure, manufacturing, and lowering drug costs will be tremendous legacies,” Cantwell said. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania — who also faces reelection in a competitive district this November — said in a statement Sunday that her “prayers are with the President and his family.” “I’m sure this was not an easy decision for him to make, and I believe he made it with the national interest in mind,” Gluesenkamp Perez said. “My job is to represent everyone in Southwest Washington, and most of them do not have confidence in the President’s fitness to serve. They deserve to have their confidence restored.” Earlier this month, Gluesenkamp Perez told KATU News in Portland that “Biden is going to lose to Trump” in the general election, citing the “damage” done by the June presidential debate. As Biden struggled to quell Democratic skepticism about his stamina and ability to fulfill the duties of the presidency, Gluesenkamp Perez said she doubted his “judgment about his health, his fitness to do the job and whether he is the one making important decisions about our country.” In the statement, Gluesenkamp Perez said the “crisis of confidence must come to an end," making her the first Democratic lawmaker to call for Biden's resignation, according to Mediate. Like Cantwell, Gluesenkamp Perez did not reference Harris in her statement. In social media posts Sunday, both of Gluesenkamp Perez’s challengers — Joe Kent and Leslie Lewallen — said issues with the Democratic party go far beyond questions on the President’s age. “It doesn’t matter who the Democratic nominee is — extreme Democrats like Gluesenkamp Perez are responsible for four years of a wide-open Southern border, skyrocketing inflation and out-of-control prices,” Lewallen said in a Facebook post. In a post, Kent said voters should “Stay focused on the Democrat's disastrous policies” and that “the talking head they prop up in their rigged convention doesn’t matter.” A spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, meanwhile, said that if “Biden can't handle a debate or a rally, he can’t stand up to Putin or have access to the nuclear codes.” |
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Judge orders 43 inmates be returned to Green Hill School
A Thurston County Superior Court judge has ordered that the 43 adult inmates removed from Green Hill School be returned to the facility within two weeks. In a preliminary ruling issued Friday, the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) was also prevented from transferring any more inmates to state Department of Corrections (DOC) facilities. The move comes after DCYF ordered that 43 offenders be transferred to the DOC, and Gov. Jay Inslee authorized the agency to “immediately” begin considering options for a “small, medium security facility” amid overpopulation concerns. According to FOX 13 news, Judge Anne Egeler noted that DCYF signed an agreement less than one year ago that outlined the process for DCYF to transfer an inmate to the DOC, which was not followed. "The settlement agreement provides an outlet valve for the respondents," Egeler said, according to FOX 13. "Respondents may file an emergency motion seeking an exception to move a class member to DOC custody pending an individualized review hearing, they opted not to do so." A final injunctive hearing is scheduled in Thurston County Superior Court on Friday. After announcing his decision to transfer inmates, DCYF Secretary Ross Hunter said the agency had to “prioritize the safety of young people and staff, and that it is safer for everyone when we have capacity levels that promote rehabilitation.” The transfer of residents came a week after DCYF announced it suspended entries into both Green Hill and Echo Glen in Snoqualmie as it seeks to reach “sustainable levels” of population. According to DCYF, the transferred residents were all males over 21 with an adult sentence beyond their 25th birthday who would have eventually been transferred to the DOC. Before the transfer, Green Hill housed 236 residents, above the 180 the facility considers “best practice.” Hunter previously notified juvenile, adult and tribal courts across Washington in a letter that DCYF would suspend intakes at Green Hill and Echo Glen Children’s Center in Snoqualmie. While the move does not mean current inmates will be released, Hunter wrote that it came after a “spike in population” caused a “deteriorating and dangerous situation” at the facilities. Instead of being sent to either Green Hill or Echo Glen, newly sentenced offenders will remain in custody at county facilities, according to DCYF, with the department providing financial support. Green Hill School has seen a rising number of assaults and drug and contraband possession cases amid the overcrowding. |
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In focus: Funtime Festival parade rolls through Napavine
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Sirens: Beer bottle thrown through window; woman arrested for assault; prowler damages vehicle; frozen drink thrown at employee
CENTRALIA POLICE DEPARTMENT Malicious mischief • Just after 7 a.m. on July 19, a citizen reported a beer bottle was thrown through the window of a house in the 1000 block of North Tower Avenue sometime overnight. • A 43-year-old Centralia man was arrested for damaging a window screen at a relative’s residence in the 100 block of East Roanoke Street just after 6:20 p.m. on July 20. • At 3:35 a.m. on July 22, a citizen reported a vehicle window in the 800 block of Euclid Way had been broken during an attempted vehicle prowl. The victim said he saw a male running away from his vehicle after hearing the window break.
Disorderly conduct • A disorderly male was reportedly drinking beer in public and smashing the beer bottles on the ground at the intersection of East Summa and South Gold streets at 11:35 a.m. on July 19. Officers located the subject, a 26-year-old homeless Lacey man, and arrested him for disorderly conduct. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail. • Just after 4:35 p.m. on July 20, a customer at a convenience store in the 900 block of Harrison Avenue reportedly threw a Slushy at an employee who tried to help the customer with their payment. The employee was not hit by the Slushy. An officer later located the customers involved in the incident and trespassed them from the business at the employee’s request.
Theft • A woman reportedly shoplifted a can of bug spray from a store in the 500 block of South Tower Avenue just after 1 p.m. on July 19. Security cameras captured footage of the suspect. The case is under investigation. • A Jesus statue was reported stolen from a residential property in the 100 block of West Third Street just after 4 p.m. on July 19. • Railroad ties were reported stolen from BNSF property in the 900 block of B Street just before 8:50 a.m. on July 20. • At 10:45 a.m. on July 21, two bicycles were reported stolen from an RV park in the 3200 block of Galvin Road sometime overnight. • A 64-year-old homeless King County man was arrested for stealing shoes off of the front porch of a residence in the 700 block of South Silver Street at 1:35 p.m. on July 21. • At 5:25 p.m. on July 21, officers were alerted to the location of a vehicle with a stolen license plate. The vehicle was located in the parking lot of a shoe outlet in the 100 block of West High Street. The VIN plate was covered up. While an officer was watching the vehicle, a male came out of the shoe store with multiple pairs of shoes. When the officer tried to contact him, the male fled on foot. The officer gave chase and the suspect was caught nearby. The man, 30, of Auburn, was booked into the Lewis County Jail for taking a motor vehicle without permission and for second-degree theft.
Vehicle accidents • Injuries were reported following a three-vehicle collision at the intersection of North Pearl and West Main streets at approximately 4:30 p.m. on July 19. • A non-injury, two-vehicle collision was reported at the intersection of East Summa and South Gold streets just before 11:25 a.m. on July 20. The collision blocked the roadway.
Drug violations • Two runaway juveniles were contacted in the 1000 block of Eckerson Road at 7:30 p.m. on July 19. One of the juveniles was arrested on an outstanding felony warrant, and the other juvenile was cited for possession of marijuana. • Just after 4:45 a.m. on July 19, an officer conducted a traffic stop in the 3200 block of Galvin Road on a vehicle that was involved in an assault that occurred on July 17. Kristy A. Price, 44, Centralia, was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail for two counts of second-degree assault, domestic violence. Her preliminary hearing was scheduled for 4 p.m. on July 22 in Lewis County Superior Court. A passenger in the vehicle, a 28-year-old Centralia man, was referred to the Centralia Municipal Court for knowingly possessing a controlled substance. • Two 45-year-old Chehalis men and a 44-year-old Chehalis woman were arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail on outstanding warrants after an officer contacted them in a parking lot in the 1200 block of Mellen Street just after 3:55 a.m. on July 21. One of the men was also booked for knowing possession of fentanyl.
Assault • A 28-year-old Centralia woman was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail for a fourth-degree assault reported in the 900 block of North Tower Avenue just after 9:10 p.m. on July 19. • Officers were dispatched to a shelter in the 100 block of North Gold Street just after 10:20 p.m. on July 21 for a report of an assault. The victims reported hearing a popping noise as a dark-colored SUV drove past. One of the victims thought they were shot with rock salt. Officers were unable to locate the suspect’s vehicle.
Burglary • A 42-year-old Centralia man was arrested for second-degree burglary and harassment after he allegedly entered a residence in the 1400 block of Johnson Road at 10:50 p.m. on July 19 and threatened the occupants. He was not booked into the Lewis County Jail because he needed medical care, according to the Centralia Police Department.
Criminal trespass • A homeless Centralia man was given a verbal warning for camping in the 100 block of East Pine Street just before 7:15 a.m. on July 20. He was advised of local resources.
FIRE AND EMS CALLS • Between Friday morning and Monday morning, Lewis County 911 Communications logged approximately 59 illness-related calls, 25 injury-related calls, 17 fire-related calls, 11 non-emergency service calls, 11 vehicle accidents, four Lifeline medical alerts, one overdose, one suicide-related call and five other calls.
JAIL STATISTICS • As of Monday morning, the Lewis County Jail had a total system population of 136 inmates, including 123 in the general population and 13 in the Work Ethic and Restitution Center (WERC). Of general population inmates, 95 were reported male and 28 were reported female. Of the WERC inmates, 11 were reported male and two were reported female. • As of Monday morning, the Chehalis Tribal Jail had a total system population of 17 inmates, including eight booked by the Centralia Police Department, seven booked by the state Department of Corrections, one booked by the City of Elma and one booked by the Lummi Nation. ••• Sirens are compiled by assistant editor Emily Fitzgerald, who can be reached at emily@chronline.com. The Centralia Police Department can be reached at 360-330-7680, the Chehalis Police Department can be reached at 360-748-8605. If you were a victim of physical or sexual abuse, domestic violence or sexual assault, call Hope Alliance at 360-748-6601 or the Youth Advocacy Center of Lewis County at 360-623-1990. |
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Death notice: July 22, 2024
• JASMINE M. GRAHAM, 23, Chehalis, died July 13 in Centralia. A celebration of life will be held at 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 21, at the Lincoln Creek Grange,1500 Lincoln Creek Road in Rochester. Arrangements are under the care of Cattermole Funeral Home. |
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Onalaska School District to host 'Stuff the Bus' school supply drive
The Onalaska School District will host the “Stuff the Bus” program in the district office parking lot from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 12 through Aug. 15. The event is an annual community initiative aimed at ensuring every child has the necessary supplies for a successful school year. Through donations from local businesses, organizations and individuals, the school district collects school supplies, backpacks and other essential items to distribute to students in need. By working together, the community can help alleviate the burden on families and equip students with the tools they need to thrive academically, the district stated in a news release. The district office parking lot is located at 540 Carlisle Ave. in Onalaska. For more information, visit www.onalaskaschools.com. |
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Three people injured in failure-to-yield crash on U.S. Highway 12 in Morton on Sunday
Three people were injured in a crash on U.S. Highway 12 in Morton on Sunday after a 2004 Toyota Highlander stopped at a stop sign on Second Street but then failed to yield right-of-way to a 2010 Toyota Camry traveling westbound, according to the Washington State Patrol. Troopers were dispatched to the crash at 12:45 p.m. on Sunday, July 21. No drugs or alcohol were involved in the crash, according to the state patrol. All three occupants of the Camry — a 71-year-old Appleton man, a 63-year-old Appleton woman and an 84-year-old Mossyrock woman — were transported to Arbor Health Morton Hospital for medical treatment. The three occupants of the Highlander — an 18-year-old Tacoma woman, an 18-year-old Fircrest resident and an 18-year-old University Place woman — were not injured. |
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Julie McDonald: Could tourists flock to Lewis County to learn of Washington's history?
Like more than 2 million tourists each year, my husband and I traveled last weekend northeast to Leavenworth, a once-dying town that reinvented itself in the 1960s as a Bavarian-style village. Every top-10 list of places to visit in Washington I’ve seen includes Leavenworth in the Central Cascades, once home to the Yakama, Chinook and Wenatchi tribes. Settlers arrived in the late 19th century, seeking gold, timber and furs, followed by construction of a rail line, sawmills and logging businesses. “At that point, Leavenworth was a whole lot less Bavaria and a whole lot more Deadwood!” the town’s website states. When the railroad left, Leavenworth nearly became a ghost town. Then, in the early 1960s, leaders decided to create a Bavarian city tucked in the Cascade Range and host annual events throughout the year to attract tourists. “To say the change worked is like saying you can taste a hint of cabbage in kraut,” the website states, noting that for decades tourists have flocked to the town of 2,500. While bringing jobs and money, tourism carries a downside, highlighted in a June 10 article in The Center Square. It noted that Leavenworth’s popularity is pricing out the locals with the median property value in 2022 at just under $500,000. The mayor announced workshops this September to figure out how to balance prosperity with preservation of the community. For the former sleepy community of Forks, Washington, author Stephanie Meyer’s decision more than 20 years ago to base her bestselling Twilight vampire series on the rainy Olympic Peninsula boosted tourism from 5,000 a year to a high of 73,000 in 2010. It provided a financial boost to the community. But a Business Insider article published on Saturday stated some local residents, irritated by cars clogging the streets and visitors buying all the flashlights in local hardware stores to search the woods for vampires and werewolves, would prefer to “put an end to the ‘vampire tourism’ boom.” We were among the Twilight tourists in August 2011 when a friend and I took our daughters to the Olympic Peninsula to visit sites mentioned in the books. When we stopped at the visitor center, a woman held up a map with pins showing where tourists traveled from to see settings in the novels. With more than 160 million books sold worldwide by 2021, the Twilight series continues to draw people to the Olympic Peninsula, with more than 66,000 people visiting Forks last year. Discover Lewis County in May announced that more than 5.6 million people visited Lewis County in 2023, an increase of 5.8 % over the previous year. That’s countywide, not a particular city or town. More than half traveled from throughout Washington state, and most were drawn to the county by Mount Rainier or the shopping districts in Centralia and Chehalis. Summer brought the largest number of tourists. Discover Lewis County, which operates under the Economic Alliance of Lewis County, is expanding town-specific marketing, according to the report. Fellow columnist Brian Mittge has done a great job highlighting top outdoor spots in the region. I’d like to see Lewis County capitalize more on its rich history. After all, we are the mother of all counties in Washington state, with our boundaries once stretching from the Cowlitz River north to Sitka, Alaska, and from the Pacific Ocean to the Cascades. The Chehalis, Cowlitz and Yakama tribes all called this region home. Five thousand Native Americans once lived in villages on both sides of the Cowlitz River near Toledo. Other villages nestled near the mouths of Lincoln, Scatter and Cedar creeks and the Chehalis, Skookumchuck and Black rivers. The county is named for the Corps of Discovery’s Captain Meriwether Lewis. It is home to the first Catholic mission established in Washington Territory, and many early pioneers rest in the St. Francis Xavier Mission Cemetery. The Hudson’s Bay Company’s Cowlitz Farm operated by the Puget Sound Agricultural Company once spread across more than 4,000 acres on the prairies near Toledo. John R. Jackson, a British native but naturalized American, was the first to file a claim north of Fort Vancouver in 1845, and it was in his small cabin where the first county commissioners gathered on Oct. 4, 1847. His place is also home to Washington Territory’s first courthouse. The first brick kiln and sawmill in the county were built at Cowlitz Landing south of Toledo. Ruts from the Cowlitz Trail between Toledo and Fort Nisqually remain visible in Lewis and Clark State Park just south of the historic Jackson Courthouse. On Aug. 29, 1851, early settlers gathered at Cowlitz Landing for what became known as the Cowlitz Convention, where 26 men signed a petition asking Congress to divide Oregon Territory to create a northern territory called “Columbia” — a year before the Monticello Convention in present-day Longview requested a similar change. The first United States flag flown in the newly created Washington Territory was raised at Toledo in 1853. The oldest church building in the state is at Claquato, a Methodist church erected in 1857. Centralia is the largest city in the United States founded by an African American. Our rich history goes on and on — with Simon Plamondon, George Washington, Billy Packwood, Schuyler and Eliza Saunders, William West, the Jacksons, the Alexanders, the Urquharts and so many more early pioneers. We also have the controversial 1919 tragedy in Centralia with monuments in George Washington Park to victims on all sides of that fateful clash between American Legionnaires and the Industrial Workers of the World. While I love to preserve our history in books, it would be nice to see the community capitalize on it somehow and share it with visitors. The annual Lewis County Historical Ride for bicyclists held before Mother’s Day each year is a start, but we could do so much more. ••• Julie McDonald, a personal historian from Toledo, may be reached at memoirs@chaptersoflife.com.
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NYT Politics
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The 2024 Presidential Campaign Is Unlike Any Other
“I know it’s been a roller coaster,” Vice President Kamala Harris told her campaign staff on Monday.
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