News

• IGNACIA G. WEHRLI, 87, Rochester, died April 26 at Providence St. Peter Hospital. Arrangements are under the care of Cattermole Funeral Home.

• LANA J. STEVENS, 80, Centralia, died May 2 at her residence. Arrangements are under the care of Cattermole Funeral Home.

• DREW G. GOARING, 46, Winlock, died May 3 at Providence Centralia Hospital. Arrangements are under the care of Cattermole Funeral Home.

• GARY L. WILSON, 85, Chehalis, died May 4 at his residence. Arrangements are under the care of Cattermole Funeral Home.

CENTRALIA POLICE DEPARTMENT

Malicious mischief

• Just before 8:20 a.m. on May 6, there was a report that a vehicle’s tires were slashed in the 400 block of North Tower Avenue sometime overnight. The case is under investigation.

• Graffiti was reported on a building in the 600 block of South Diamond Street at 9:15 a.m. on May 6.

• A 37-year-old Centralia man was arrested for third-degree malicious mischief in the 1200 block of Harrison Avenue just after 12:05 p.m. on May 6.

• At 12:10 p.m. on May 6, there was a report that graffiti was spray painted on garage doors in the 400 block of West Main Street sometime overnight.

Criminal trespass

• A homeless Centralia man was trespassed from a business in the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue just before 9:05 a.m. on May 6.

• A man who reportedly entered the lobby of a business in the 1200 block of Mellen Street and “began talking to imaginary persons laying on the couch” just before 2:50 p.m. on May 7 was trespassed from the business.

• A homeless Centralia man who was reportedly screaming and yelling near the entrance of a business in the 400 block of East Summa Street just before 12:10 p.m. on May 7 was trespassed from the business.

Suspicious circumstances

• There was a report of “a suspicious male with a metal pole in his waistband outside a local business acting like a spider” in the 2000 block of Borst Avenue just after 7:20 p.m. on May 7. He left the scene before officers arrived.

Indecent exposure

• A naked man was reportedly standing on the corner of North Tower Avenue and East First Street at approximately 2:55 p.m. on May 6. An officer contacted the man, who was dressed at the time of contact. The man informed the officer he was wearing his boxers at one point while trying to dry off his pants.

• A naked man was reportedly walking in the 600 block of North Tower Avenue just after 6:40 p.m. on May 6. Several officers arrived and checked the area, but were unable to find the man.

Scam

• At 2:55 p.m. on May 6, a citizen in the 200 block of Denny Way reported being scammed out of over $9,000 after clicking on a cryptocurrency trading link via Facebook. The victim followed the instructions given by scammers to convert the money to cryptocurrency via Coinbase, then to transfer the money to the fraudulent website for crypto coin day trading purposes.  When the victim attempted to withdraw the money, it was no longer there.

Theft

• A trailer hitch cover was reported stolen off of a vehicle in the 800 block of K Street just after 3:45 p.m. on May 6.

Vehicle accidents

• A non-injury, two-vehicle collision was reported at the intersection of Harrison Avenue and southbound Interstate 5 just before 6:10 p.m. on May 6.

• A non-injury, three-vehicle collision was reported at the intersection of Johnson Road and West Reynolds Avenue just before 6:50 a.m. on May 7.

• A driver was injured in a three-vehicle collision in the 2100 block of North Pearl Street just after 9:30 a.m. on May 7.

• A non-injury, two-vehicle collision was reported at the intersection of North Pearl and West Magnolia streets at 1 p.m. on May 7.

Drug violations

• An officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for expired tabs in the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue at approximately 9:55 p.m. on May 6.  Upon contact with the driver, the officer observed drug paraphernalia inside the vehicle and later found suspected meth and fentanyl in the vehicle. The driver, 35 of Centralia, was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail for two outstanding Lewis County District Court warrants. He was also cited for third-degree driving with a suspended license and knowing possession of a controlled substance.  Mr. Fortune was also issued a citation for third-degree driving with a suspended license. The vehicle’s passenger, 39, of Ellensburg, was referred to the Centralia Municipal Court for two counts of knowing possession of a controlled substance.

• Two homeless men reportedly had drugs in the open at the intersection of Gold Street and East Summa Street just after 4:55 p.m. on May 7. One of the men admitted to being a drug user but did not have any drugs on him.

Overdose

• Officers and paramedics responded to an overdose in the 1500 block of Johnson Road just after 2:25 a.m. on May 7. The man regained consciousness after Narcan was administered. Suspected fentanyl was found at the scene.

Sexual misconduct

• A report of sexual misconduct reported in the 300 block of Lowe Street at 11:55 a.m. on May 7 is under investigation.

Assault

• A 52-year-old Centralia woman was arrested for fourth-degree assault, domestic violence in the 2500 block of North Pearl Street just before 2:05 p.m. on May 7 and was booked into the Chehalis Tribal Jail.

Agency assist

• Officers assisted Child Protective Services in responding to the report of two juveniles left outside unattended in the 100 block of Eckerson Road just before 5:10 p.m. on May 7. After speaking to a local hotel employee, officers learned that the juveniles returned to the hotel where they had stayed with their parents the previous two nights, but hotel staff locked the doors due to non-payment. An officer stayed on scene with the children until a family member arrived and took custody of them. Hotel management requested the occupants be trespassed from the premises.

Possession of a stolen vehicle

• Centralia Police received a Flock Security Camera alert for a stolen vehicle in the area of Harrison Avenue and Interstate 5 just after 7:05 p.m. on May 7.  An officer located the unoccupied stolen vehicle parked in the Centralia Outlet parking lot shortly after.  While on scene, a witness advised the officers that the occupants that were in the stolen vehicle had walked off toward Harrison Avenue.  Officers located the suspects a short time later.  The male driver, 28, of Beaverton Oregon, was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail for possession of a stolen vehicle.  Additional charges of knowingly possessing a controlled Substance and possession of burglary tools were referred to the Lewis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for charging. The vehicle’s male passenger, 25, of Portland, Oregon, was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail on an outstanding Multnomah County felony warrant for third-degree assault and was cited for knowingly possessing a controlled substance. Another male passenger, 21 of Portland, Oregon, was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail on an outstanding Multnomah County felony warrant for organized retail theft.  A fourth occupant was released without charges. After speaking to the suspects, officers learned that they came to the Centralia Outlets in the stolen vehicle with the intent to steal from the Nike Outlet, but left on foot after seeing a Centralia Police vehicle in the area, according to the Centralia Police Department.

Littering violation

• A white SUV reportedly dumped garbage, a microwave, car parts and other items in an alley in the 800 block of Euclid Way just after 8 p.m. on May 7.

CHEHALIS POLICE DEPARTMENT

Theft

• A third-degree theft reported in the 10 block of Southwest Chehalis Avenue at 10:25 a.m. on May 6 is under investigation.

• A subject was cited for shoplifting in the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue at 12:10 p.m. on May 6.

• At 8:25 a.m. on May 7, a theft that occurred in the 1700 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue between 7 and 7:30 p.m. the day prior was reported.

• A possible vehicle theft was reported in the 300 block of Northwest Georgia Avenue just before 5:15 p.m. on May 7.

• A subject was arrested for shoplifting in the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue just before 6 p.m. on May 7.

• A third-degree theft reported in the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue just before 9:35 p.m. on May 7 is under investigation.

Assault

• A possible assault was reported in the 300 block of West Main Street just after 10:30 a.m. on May 6.

Vehicle accident

• A non-injury, two-vehicle collision was reported in the 600 block of North National Avenue just after 12:15 p.m. on May 6.

• A two-vehicle collision was reported at the intersection of South Market Boulevard and Southeast Sixth Street just before 4:30 p.m. on May 6. One of the drivers required aid for a medical issue.

Drug violations

• Subjects were reportedly doing drugs inside a vehicle in the 900 block of Northwest Vine Street just after 1:25 p.m. on May 6. Officers were unable to locate the vehicle.

• A man was arrested after a citizen reported he was “shooting up” in the 2100 block of North National Avenue at approximately 1:50 p.m. on May 7.

Suspicious circumstances

• At approximately 3:25 p.m. on May 7, a citizen in the 100 block of Southwest Sixth Street reported they were concerned about their new neighbor across the street “being a criminal.”

Harassment

• At approximately 9:30 p.m. on May 7, a subject in the 2000 block of Northeast Kresky Avenue reported his mom’s boyfriend wasn’t letting him talk to his mom and was harassing him. An officer confirmed there were mental health issues involved and no crime had occurred.

• A juvenile reportedly threatened to kill her parents in the 1200 block of Southwest Pacific Avenue just after 6:45 p.m. on May 8.

FIRE AND EMS CALLS

• Between Monday morning and Wednesday morning, Lewis County 911 Communications logged approximately 34 illness-related calls, 11 injury-related calls, six fire-related calls, five non-emergency service calls, five vehicle accidents, one Lifeline medical alert, one overdose, one rescue, one medical helicopter request, one ambulance request and two other calls.

JAIL STATISTICS

• As of Wednesday morning, the Lewis County Jail had a total system population of 145 inmates, including 131 in the general population and 14 in the Work Ethic and Restitution Center (WERC). Of general population inmates, 105 were reported male and 26 were reported female. Of the WERC inmates, 12 were reported male and two were reported female.

• As of Wednesday morning, the Chehalis Tribal Jail had a total system population of 10 inmates, including seven booked by the Centralia Police Department, two booked by the state Department of Corrections 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.

The Chehalis Police Department blocked off the entrance to the Lewis County Law and Justice Center in the 300 block of West Main Street for several hours Tuesday afternoon after a suspicious package was found at the entrance to the building.

The device was ultimately found not to be dangerous, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

Officers responded to the Law and Justice Center at 3:22 p.m. on May 7 after “a small package” was left “on top of a metal table positioned near a shelter located in the parking lot close to the building's entrance,” according to the Chehalis Police Department.

The Washington State Patrol Bomb Squad responded at approximately 4:50 p.m. and determined the package “not to be an improvised explosive device,” the Chehalis Police Department stated in a news release. The bomb squad destroyed the package on site.

“The device was described as a small cardboard box wrapped in packing tape with a plastic bag and rock underneath the box and a cap and electrical outlet on top,” the Chehalis Police Department stated in a news release.

The Chehalis Police Department encourages anyone with information about the incident or the identity of who left the device to call 360-748-8605.

As reported in The Chronicle, the recent Republican convention in Spokane, intended to burnish and unify the party, was discordant and futile.

Washington state GOP Chairman Jim Walsh denied this reality, as was his responsibility.  But the facts contradict most of what Walsh claimed.

According to public opinion polls and to campaign contribution data, the leading Republican candidate for governor, by far, is moderate  Dave Reichert. Yet the former sheriff and congressman was short changed at the convention, and withdrew his name from consideration for official endorsement.

Instead, the convention bestowed its preference on Semi Bird, whose qualifications for the office, to say the least, are difficult to discern. Reichert slammed this process as “unorganized,  deceitful and deceptive,” and dismissed Bird as a “crook” and a “snake oil salesman.”

Since Washington joined the federal union in 1889, 12 of our 23 governors have been Republican.  But the GOP has lost every gubernatorial race since incumbent John Spellman lost to Booth Gardner in 1984, which is 10 elections in a row.

Incidentally, Ronald Reagan demolished Walter Mondale in Washington in 1984 with 59% of the vote as part of his 49-state re-election landslide.  Spellman was remarkably unpopular.

But several of the GOP’s losses during this period were by very narrow margins and could easily have gone the other way.  In 1992, Ken Eikenberry won 47.8 % of the vote against Gardner, and Rob McKenna garnered 48.3% against Jay Inslee in 2012.

Both Eikenberry and McKenna served as highly respected attorneys general of Washington and were considered moderate, experienced and responsible.

Then, of course, there was Dino Rossi, who lost to Chris Gregoire by all of  129 votes in 2004.  Again, Rossi was considered to be experienced and sensible.

Completely to the contrary were Bob Williams in 1988, Ellen Craswell in 1996, John Carlson in 2000 and the ludicrous Loren Culp in 2020, all far-right extremists who lost in landslides. Carlson, in fairness, seemed honest and pleasant, but his only experience was as a radio talk show host.

Which brings us to Semi Bird. Evidently, Bird is an experienced public speaker, and apparently has some skill promoting right-wing cliches to receptive audiences. But his background is threadbare if not dubious, and promises no managerial skill whatsoever.

Massachusetts, which elected Edward Kennedy to the Senate nine consecutive times beginning in 1962 and was the only state to support George McGovern in 1972, is often regarded as solidly Democratic. Yet for 35 of the last 61 years, the Bay State has had Republican governors, evidence of a strong two-party system that should limit complacency and corruption.

One-party rule should never be endless.

Semi Bird is another Loren Culp, this time with a larceny conviction.  The Bird candidacy is a dead duck.

If, after 44 years, the Republicans actually want to win for a change, their only candidate is Dave Reichert. Serious competition would do the Democrats some good.

Joseph Tipler

Centralia

Chronicle columnist Julie McDonald has swallowed every lie told about President Trump by the media. Many of us haven’t.

As strongly as she believes Jan. 6 was an insurrection, I believe it was nothing of the sort. Democrat leaders used their inaction, their failure to provide police protection to those citizens who rightfully came to the nation’s Capitol to imprison innocent people. Trump was not to blame. How do people like McDonald explain the failure of Pelosi and Biden, their underlings, whoever was in charge, to keep order and prepare for the upset at the capitol they knew was brewing? They knew there’d be trouble so they turned it to their advantage, to set up Trump and any of his followers they could snare in that whole plot.

Video released now shows what I believe to be the truth. I suggest she watch some coverage of Jan. 6 but not on CNN or mainstream media news. There is no coverage of D.C. cops being killed Jan. 6 because none were. However, there is video of uniformed officers opening doors and holding them open for people to enter.

Trump offered enhanced security for Jan. 6, which Democrat leaders refused. There’s written and video proof of that, too. As for the 2020 election, yes, it was compromised. Anyone watching the results roll in, and then suddenly flip from Trump’s winning to 81 million votes for Biden? Ha. He didn’t even campaign because he didn’t have to. Everyone who saw that knew something very wrong was going on election night.

Yes, millions of us believe the 2020 election was stolen. And we’ve been taking it in the shorts ever since they were able to cheat Biden in. Their calculated COVID-19 response, the undocumented immigrants who have been harvested, brought in to attack us from within? Or why else would Biden’s administration let all those single military age men from other countries come right in, bringing with them trafficked people, diseases and drugs? And being given practical immunity in our courts now they’re here committing crimes. These aren’t people fleeing from persecution. They have no families or kids with them, baggage, anything like that because they’re soldiers. Just not U.S. military soldiers. So what does that mean for us American citizens living here? Why are they here?

Inflation is ridiculous. The cost of living here has gone through the roof since Biden slithered in. Benefits are cut to compromised U.S. citizens. How else to pay for all these undocumented they’ve let in?

Democrats blame everything on Trump. If anything good happened while he was president, it was actually leftover from Obama, they assert, and any bad that’s going on now, well, of course Trump is still responsible for that, almost four years later.

I am very tired of the hypocrisy these leftists live by. They expect the rest of us to pretend we believe it, too. Men can be women and women men. It’s their right. We should pay for their surgeries, too. Kids can decide to change their gender, too, to the detriment of parents who don’t encourage that stuff, but a few years later when they take on huge loans for college education, we should believe they’re too young to understand adult decisions and make American taxpayers pay their loans back instead.

Liberals squirm out of taking responsibility for every rotten system they’ve created and foisted off on us. In an honest election, Trump will win by a landslide in November. If there’s a repeat of the dishonest election we saw four years ago, I’m not sure what’s going to happen. There are millions of people who believe like me.

What McDonald sees as rudeness toward her favorite politicians at the GOP convention I see as progress. They’re showing people like Jaime Herrera Beutler what they really think. We’re done with hypocrisy. Trump has so many messes to clean up now, including first and foremost to get these undocumented headed right on back out of here, and secure our country’s border. We can make America great again, but we have to fight like hell now, thanks to all this junk forced down our throats by liberals.

Cheryl Matthiesen

Chehalis

U.S. troops remain in peril in the Middle East, sitting ducks for the next attack

The horror of war is something most of us cannot imagine. You can watch documentaries and read stories. But unless you’ve been directly involved in war or you have lost a family member or friend, it seems so far away.

In January 2024, three U.S. Army reservists were killed in Tower 22, a logistical base in Jordan near the Syrian border, in addition to more than 40 other service members who were injured, many with traumatic brain injuries.

• Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, age 46, of Willingboro, New Jersey

• Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, age 24, of Waycross, Georgia

• Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, age 23, of Savannah, Georgia

Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, U.S. troops stationed in Iraq have been attacked more than 60 times. And in Syria, our troops have been attacked more than 90 times.

Our U.S. military has about 900 troops in Syria, scattered mostly in the northeast in places like the al Omar Oil field and the al-Shaddadi base. And in Iraq, there are about 2,500 U.S. troops stationed in Union III, which is the main coalition base located in Bagdad and the Ain al-Asad air base, which borders Iran.

I recently received an email from Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who represents the Third Congressional District, stating that she is available to support veterans.

Gluesenkamp Perez voted “no” on House Joint Resolution 79 in July 2023, a joint resolution to terminate the national emergency in Iraq, which would have extracted our troops out of Iraq. She also voted “no” on House Joint Resolution 71, a joint resolution to terminate the national emergency in Syria, which would have allowed our troops to come home. And she voted “no’ on House Joint Resolution  74, a joint resolution to terminate the national emergency in Yemen, where the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists operate.

From my point of view, it’s rather shocking that Congresswoman Gluesenkamp Perez would vote against bringing our troops home from overseas foreign wars. What really confounded me is when Congresswoman Gluesenkamp Perez voted “no” on House Resolution 4366, an appropriations bill that would have funded the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Marie Gluesenkamp Perez continues to speak out of both sides of her mouth, promising to help military veterans while voting to keep our troops stationed overseas in the middle of foreign wars.

Our troops are stuck in the Middle East and they are easy targets for the next attack.

Barry Sullivan

Clark County

Nothing pleased me more than this recent Chronicle headline: “United Learning Center Construction set in Centralia.” Why? Because I am asked weekly, “when will the museum reopen?” Now, I have an answer.

It is so perfectly appropriate that Discover! Children’s Museum is included in the “United Learning Center.” This effort is truly about being “united” and focusing on “learning,” which is the mission of all involved.

Allow me to focus a bit on history. Thinking back to 2009 when two moms had that seed of an idea — wouldn’t it be great to have a children’s museum in our community? First nurtured by the Chehalis Community Renaissance Team, supported by many donors, the formation of an advisory group, becoming registered as a nonprofit, along with the establishment of a board of directors, Discover! Children’s Museum idea germinated, grew and brought us to where we are today. And oh, what a journey it’s been.

Many will remember the museum’s pilot that opened in an unused retail space on Louisiana Avenue. Originally planned for a six-month trial, success exceeded all expectations so that it remained open for an additional three months. Looking back at the statistics, it’s no wonder. Discover! Children’s Museum saw visitors from 58 ZIP codes and welcomed over 15,000 guests entering to enjoy the interactive exhibits.

Discover! Children’s Museum also extended invitations to the community groups who graciously came and shared their programs. Weyerhaeuser brought forest information and seedlings. The Lewis County Dental Coalition provided free dental screenings. Twin Star Credit Union introduced Dollar Dog Days and encouraged savings plans. Chehalis Fire District 6 parked their fire and ladder trucks outside. The Centralia Ballet Company inspired us with a magical dance performance. Lewis County Crime Stoppers offered child ID fingerprinting. No one can forget FIN — that gigantic interactive salmon!

Yet, Discover! didn’t stay put. Off we went, out into the community. We showed up at Winlock Egg Days, Napavine Funfest, Mossyrock Blueberry Festival, Chehalis Farmers Market, Music in the Park and the Southwest Washington Fair. If there were families and fun, Discover! was usually there.

But pilots need to end, thus Discover! closed its doors. Though not visible, planning continued in earnest for a permanent future, which brings us now to these current headlines. That seed has broken ground, the future is visible and excitement is all around.

A huge thank you goes out to those many faithful supporters and donors who also believed in and held close our hope and vision over the years. Thank you to Sen. Patty Murray, who helped secure our inclusion in a federal budget package. Thank you also to state Rep. Peter Abbarno, who secured additional funding at the state level.

Feel free to visit, learn and watch us grow on our Facebook page as well as on our website, www.discovermuseum.org. 

Marilynn Chintella

Discover! Children’s Museum board member