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I have been closely following local disagreements surrounding the Port of Centralia, its citizen critics as well as the concerns of impersonators using the port’s name and image for their personal agenda against some of those critical citizens. I myself submitted an ethics concern to the legitimate Port of Centralia in late March. Another citizen, Jan Banevich, submitted a letter to the editor highlighting some of those concerns a month later after making public comments at the port about their negligence in addressing the issues being raised. The Port of Centralia has not replied nor acknowledged the concerns.

I noticed both the Port of Centralia 2.0 imposter page as well as other individuals have continually attacked Ms. Banevich as being untruthful about a specific topic, so wanted to dive into that topic a bit and hopefully lay it to rest.

The topic which Ms. Banevich continues to highlight and seems to be agitating certain people is that at one point the Port of Centralia’s primary goal was to eliminate the tax levy Centralia residents are still burdened with. After some research, it is my understanding the goal was for the Port of Centralia to become self-supporting through rents and other means of revenue. Those who wish to paint Ms. Banevich as untruthful about this topic claim no statement has ever been made about eliminating the port tax levy.

In 1994 the Port of Centralia was named Port of the year by the Washington Public Ports Association. In a December 1994 front page article in The Chronicle on the subject, one of the Port’s founding Commissioners, Bob Thompson, is quoted as saying: “Our primary goal is to eliminate the tax levy,” Thompson said, adding he hopes that will happen in eight to 10 years. 

Critics of Ms. Banevich may not like what she has to say but on this point she is factually correct: Thompson publicly stated in this very newspaper, in his official capacity as a Port of Centralia Commissioner, that the primary goal of the Port of Centralia at the time was to eliminate the tax levy by the early 2000s.

More than 20 years after that publicly stated goal came due, Centralia residents are still currently burdened with the broken promise. Rather than continually attacking Ms. Banevich’s character or attempting to paint her as a liar when speaking a truth some people simply don’t want to acknowledge, Ms. Banevich might be due some respect for being the one still asking for citizens to be free of this tax levy as promised.

I hope this clears up this topic enough to at the very least stop calling Ms. Banevich a liar about this particular subject.

Kyle Wheeler

Toledo

Kindergarteners from across Lewis County visited the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds on Tuesday morning for Dairy Days. Eleven schools arrived at the fairgrounds eager to see the cows.

Each kindergarten class rotated through multiple stations learning about the process of a dairy cow.

Kindergarten Dairy Days ran for decades until its last year in 2019. Now, it’s back in full swing with five dairy cows and a 2-month-old calf at the fairgrounds for kids to get an up close look.

Volunteers such as Pete Dykstra, who has volunteered with Dairy Days since 1974, were ecstatic to see the annual event return.

“It’s always fun to see the kids that may not see this every day,” Dykstra said. “Their faces always have the best expressions.”

Students started in the dairy and beef barn talking about what cows eat and how it’s digested while seeing cows up close. Then they headed to the milking parlor where the kids observed the process of milking a cow. Each kid was then able to pet Lizzie, a 2-month-old Guernsey calf.

Miss Lewis County Katelynn Guenther and Lewis County Dairy Ambassador Riley Martin were there to greet the classes at the end of the stations with ice cream.

The cost to repair two Chehalis-Centralia Railroad and Museum steam engines will be close to $1 million each, the railroad announced as part of an update on operations this week.

The railroad also announced that more than 1,500 passengers have taken rides on the railway since its passenger operations resumed after a prolonged lapse in insurance around Valentine’s Day.

“Word is still getting out of us returning to train operations but numbers are slowly but surely increasing,” CCRM wrote in a post on social media.

As for the expensive cost of repairing the pair of steam engines: “Both locomotives will need nearly $1 million in work plus labor to get them 100%. Maybe we should play the lotto,” the post stated.

CCRM recently completed the restoration evaluations of the engines and is working on grant applications and fundraising ideas to pay for the restorations.

The CCRM also announced it is continuing its partnership with the Goose Lake Railway, which is providing training and education for its volunteers and staff. Railroad staff are looking to acquire additional passenger cars to begin renovations on the CCRM’s 600 series cars, which were the first ones it had.

Concession service is anticipated to begin soon, offering water, soda, chips, candy and iced coffee to passengers.

New train rides, including bingo trains and a train ride to the Willapa Hills, are also in the works on select Saturdays this summer. Dates and times will be announced later on Facebook.

Tickets are still available for the Mother’s Day dessert train this Saturday, May 11, according to a CCRM Facebook post.

“Since our first trains around Valentine’s Day, we’ve hauled nearly 1,500 passengers! the CCRM post stated.

The dessert train features an 18-mile trip with scenic views of the Chehalis River coupled with a tea and dessert sampling aboard the CCRM’s 1920s dining car.

Tickets are $25 and dessert and tea are $55. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://steamtrainride.com/mothers-day-train-rides/.  

Tickets for other dinner and riverview excursion trains, including the Father’s Day barbecue train, are available. For a full list of trains, visit https://steamtrainride.com/chehalis-valley-train-rides/. 

To learn more, follow the CCRM on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/steamtrainride or visit https://steamtrainride.com/. 

Unsurprisingly, Lewis County Commissioner Lindsey Pollock has drawn at least one challenger vying to represent District 2 on the Board of Lewis County Commissioners.

On Monday, the first day candidates can officially submit their paperwork with the Secretary of State’s office, Winlock resident Christina Riley declared her candidacy. The move for Riley was anticipated after she announced her campaign in August.

Candidate filing week will run through 5 p.m. on May 10. The general election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 5. A top-two primary will be held on Aug. 6 to decide which two candidates advance to the general election in each race with three or more candidates.

In races with three or more candidates, the slate will be whittled to two in the August primary.

Both Pollock and Riley are Republicans, though the Lewis County Republican Party (LCRP) formally endorsed Riley at a March 4 meeting. In July, the LCRP previously voted to cut ties with and “vehemently denounce” Pollock.

According to previous reporting by The Chronicle, the move came after a string of events spurred by a Lewis County Pride event in downtown Centralia on June 10, where a group of self-proclaimed white supremacists harassed event attendees.

According to the Public Disclosure Commission (PDC), the LCRP has contributed $5,000 to Riley’s campaign. As of 11 a.m. Wednesday, Riley has raised a total of $14,457.39 while Pollock has raised $13,950.56, according to the PDC.

As she nears completion of her first term on the board, Pollock said in a phone interview Wednesday morning she is running to provide “the infrastructure to allow people the opportunity to thrive.”

Pollock highlighted her work to ensure the Law Enforcement Officers' and Fire Fighters' Retirement System (LEOFF) Plan 1 is fully funded by the county. According to Pollock, “most counties are deep in the red” with the program, which serves as the retirement plan for first responders. Pollock said she worked with the county auditor to ensure the program’s viability.

Pollock also highlighted her role in securing funding to upgrade the county’s 911 system.

In the call, Pollock pointed to her advocacy for reopening Interstate 5 in January 2022 following severe flooding. The closure was about 20 miles, from milepost 68 near Napavine and milepost 88 near Grand Mound.

After the road was closed, Pollock pressured the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to consider additional data from other gauges, which showed the river would recede faster than anticipated. The freeway was opened hours after her plea, with Pollock crediting state Sen. John Braun and other state officials in their work to reopen the thoroughfare.

In her announcement release, Riley said she has a background in building and construction, and that she’s a journeyman construction craft laborer. Riley runs a business focused on training and apprenticeships, according to the release, which also states she has spent 10 years on community boards such as the New Market Skills Center.

“Lewis County is one of the most beautiful places in America and I am proud to call it my home,” Riley stated in a Wednesday morning email. “Yet our amazing community is experiencing the highest levels of drug addiction, overdose deaths, poverty, homelessness and lack of affordable housing that perhaps we have ever seen.”

In the statement, Riley said Pollock has “failed to provide any meaningful solutions, initiatives or strategies to address these critical and growing problems.”

“District 2 is increasingly failing before our eyes as a direct result of failed leadership,” Riley said. “We need new competent leadership that aggressively addresses these problems and gets results. I have been an effective leader in workforce development, business, and community action for many years and have the skills to spearhead effective policies that solve the historic problems facing our community.”

On Monday, Port Commissioner Peter Lahmann filed to represent District 1 as a Republican, while warehouse worker Damian Bean filed as a Democrat. Sean Swope, the Republican incumbent for District 1, also filed for reelection. Swope was endorsed by the LCRP in March.

In the state Legislature, both incumbent representatives from the 19th District — Joel McEntire and Jim Walsh — have declared challengers. Justin Franks will challenge McEntire as a libertarian, while Mike Coverdale will face off against Walsh as a Democrat.

A third candidate — Angie Brown — has joined Jilona Speer and Dave Fenn to run for Lewis County Public Utility District commissioner. As of 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, incumbent Ed Rothlin had not filed for reelection.

As expected, Third Congressional District incumbent Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Washougal, drew two Republican competitors on the first day of filing on Monday — Joe Kent and Leslie Lewallen. Since then, a fourth candidate — independent John Saulie-Rohman, of Camas — has filed in the race.

To see up-to-date filings, visit https://tinyurl.com/2s3p7a79, where users can see which candidates are running in each county and race.

To file by the Friday, May 10, deadline, candidates in Lewis County can go to https://elections.lewiscountywa.gov/candidate-filing-information and select “online candidate filing.” Candidates can also file in person at the Lewis County Auditor’s Office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The auditor’s office is located on the second floor of the historic courthouse at 351 NW North St. in Chehalis.

To withdraw, a signed request must be received by Monday, May 13, at 4:30 p.m. Filing fees are not refundable.

Whether you’re an artisan baker looking for a custom flour blend or just someone looking for healthier options and regionally grown grains, there’s a new store in downtown Centralia that has what you’re looking for.

Local chef Jay Ryan is preparing to hold the grand opening of Grist Urban Stone Mill Flour Shoppe & Grainery this Friday, May 10, to provide all of that and more.

“You can walk in here and get fresh milled flour in the morning and bake with it that day. You cannot do that anywhere else here that I know of,” Ryan said.

Grist is located inside The Shady Lady at 216 N. Tower Ave., which is owned by Ryan’s wife, Holly Phelps. The Chronicle met with Ryan on Tuesday to talk about the new grainery after holding its soft opening earlier this month.

“I like the idea of being able to be close to the farmers and be in the food business, and this allows me to be super picky about what I have around me and get to sell,” Ryan said.

And being a grainery with a production-sized stone mill, grist — which is grain that has been separated from the chaff in preparation for mill grinding — seemed like the perfect name for his new business.

“You can take wheat berries out of the field, but you need to get it cleaned to make it grist,” Ryan said.

Before Grist, Ryan was working in the Northwest Sports Hub, where he owned and ran Hub City Grub. He ended up with 60 employees and provided meals to local preschool children, but Ryan wasn’t happy with the way the business ran.

“Having to sell all the red 40, high fructose corn syrup and hot dogs, that spurred this on, where I can be super picky,” said Ryan.

Everything Grist offers is regional, seasonal and responsibly sourced and grown.

“I consider organic practices to be paramount as well,” Ryan added.

Not only can you purchase whole wheat and rye berries along with fresh ground flour, but lentils, beans, rice, corn, quinoa and even teff.

“The variety here is cool. Teff is another grass just like wheat is a grass. Traditional bread from Ethiopia called injera, is made from teff,” Ryan said.

The teff Grist sells come from a farmer in Idaho, he added.

Grist has traditional South American, Native American and Chinese style stone mills, along with a new electric granite stone mill made by New American Stone Mills out of Vermont.

With the electric mill, he can grind grist into flour to order for customers. Currently, Ryan has bins full of several grist varieties — all grown in Chehalis — available to grind.

“I’m calling this a custom flour shop,” Ryan said. “People are gonna be able to come here and get their 80/20, which is 80% whole wheat, 20% sifted, or they can come here and get just whole wheat, or just sifted.”

Along with producing fresh flour, the electric stone mill also produces cream of wheat, which has a variety of uses.

Grist also features a small demonstration kitchen, which Ryan hopes to use to help local farmers educate each other and anyone else who might be interested.

“I’ll teach anybody how to cook, but I want farmers to come here and talk about their CSA (community supported agriculture) programs,” Ryan said. “Or maybe they’ll teach other farmers about tilth (topsoil condition).”

Once he gets Grist more established, Ryan hopes to have local farmers bring him fresh wheat harvest to be processed with a seed cleaner for storage and sale.

Following Friday’s opening, Ryan added Grist will be open during the regular hours of The Shady Lady, which is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

To learn more about Grist Urban Stone Mill Flour Shoppe & Grainery, email Ryan at gristcentralia@gmail.com or follow Grist on Facebook here https://bit.ly/3WC2gBt. 

The nonprofit Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad (MRSR) on Wednesday announced its plans to restore the iconic Porter No. 5 steam locomotive to its former glory. 

Built by H.K. Porter Company in February 1924, the Porter 2-8-2 No. 5 locomotive holds significant historical value as one of the largest Porter locomotives ever constructed, according to a news release from MRSR.

Originally commissioned by the Flora Logging Co. for the Carlton & Coast subsidiary, Porter No. 5 played a pivotal role in the expansion of logging operations during its heyday, according to the railroad.

Surviving the scrap drives of World War II, the locomotive found itself repurposed as a switcher at the Port of Grays Harbor before being acquired by the Schafer Brothers for display near Montesano.

In the early 1980s, Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad’s benefactor, Tom Murray Jr., recognized the importance of preserving this piece of railway history and embarked on a restoration effort that would become a symbol of grassroots preservation. Despite challenges and setbacks, including the deterioration of the locomotive due to decades of exposure, Porter No. 5 was eventually restored to service, becoming a mainstay of MRSR operations for over two decades.

“Now, as MRSR continues its mission to revive and celebrate the rich heritage of railroading, the time has come to breathe new life into Porter No. 5,” the news release states. “The comprehensive restoration project will encompass a complete boiler restoration, replacement of worn tires, and a significant rebuild of the running gear.

Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad was closed in 2020 by its former out-of-state for-profit owner. The original founding nonprofit, Western Forest Industries Museum, was revitalized by local business owners and former employees of the railroad.  

Since reopening in 2023, the railroad has operated at 95.87% capacity, carrying over 22,000 passengers on 148 trains.

"As part of our ongoing efforts to expand capacity and further our dual missions of historic preservation and positive local economic impact, the restoration of Porter No. 5 is a crucial milestone," said Bethan Maher, executive dIrector at Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad. "This project not only honors the legacy of this remarkable locomotive but also pays tribute to the dedicated volunteers and preservationists who have worked tirelessly to keep our railroad heritage alive."

While MRSR has secured funding to cover a portion of the restoration costs, additional funds are needed to complete the project. The organization is reaching out to supporters, enthusiasts and the community at large to contribute to this historic endeavor.

MRSR’s goal is to raise $318,125 for the remaining restoration work, including driving gear, running gear, boiler work and cosmetic enhancements, with a total project budget of $549,500.

"This is a unique opportunity for individuals and organizations to be part of something truly special," Maher said. "Every donation, no matter the size, will make a significant impact on the success of this project and the preservation of our railway heritage."

To learn more about the restoration project and how to contribute, visit wfim.org/Porter5.