News

The Thurston County Planning Commission will host a public hearing next month on code changes for Less Restrictive Alternative (LRA) Housing, an alternative to total confinement for offenders a court deems no longer classify as a sexually violent predator (SVP).

The public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. June 5. If adopted, the new code would outline the requirements and standards for LRA facilities owned and operated by a private provider.

SVPs are defined as offenders who suffer from a “mental abnormality or personality disorder which makes the person likely to engage in predatory acts of sexual violence” and are considered the most likely to reoffend.

According to the Planning Commission, county governments can require notification of nearby businesses and residences when a request to change building use to LRA housing has been submitted, provide opportunities for public feedback and require facilities to meet building codes. Washington law, however, prevents a county from denying a proposed building use change request based solely on it being LRA sex offender housing.

Public comment is due by noon on Wednesday, June 5. To submit a comment, visit surveymonkey.com/r/CSN7YDF. Additional meeting information will be posted one week before the hearing at thurstoncountywa.gov/planning-commission. 

The hearing will take place in Room 110 of the Atrium of Thurston County, located at 3000 Pacific Ave SE. in Olympia.

The proposed code change comes after residents in Tenino rallied against a proposed LRA facility in January 2023. After extended backlash, the third-party operator that planned the facility announced it would not move forward.

During the 2024 legislative session, lawmakers from the 35th District introduced a proposal that would have required post-sentence housing for sexually violent predators to be owned, operated or contracted through the state, which they say would improve oversight.

After House Bill 2093 failed to advance out of committee, Sen. Drew MacEwen and Reps. Dan Griffey and Travis Couture said they plan to introduce similar legislation in 2025.

The theme for the fourth annual Chehalis Flying Saucer Party has already been announced as “disclosure.”

Event organizers were out on  Saturday, May 11, in downtown Chehalis recording a speaker announcement commercial as they prepare to disclose the speakers for this year’s Flying Saucer Party, scheduled for Sept. 13 and 14.

The speakers will be announced June 24, the 77th anniversary of Chehalis resident Kenneth Arnold’s historic 1947 UFO sighting, which the Flying Saucer Party commemorates.

The Flying Saucer Party is being organized by the Lewis County Historical Museum along with Vince Ynzunza, director of the Pacific Northweird YouTube channel and a local paranormal investigator.

Along with the traditional Flying Saucer Party events — the saucer drop, speaker panel, vendors, a procession and afterparty — this year’s Flying Saucer Party will also feature the second annual Northwest Flying Saucer Film Fest, which began accepting submissions earlier this year.

So far, 13 films have been submitted for the film festival, Ynzunza said.

“We have more than two hours of footage already,” Ynzunza said.

Custom trophies, bragging rights and a $300 cash prize are up for grabs. The deadline for submission is Aug. 18.

Submitted films must be 30 minutes or shorter and must be related to the UFO genre, meaning they can be about UFOs, extraterrestrials, men in black, alien invasions or alien technology.

Last year’s inaugural Northwest Flying Saucer Film Fest audience favorite along with winner of best documentary was Stuck In Orbit.

The film features John Henricksen, under the moniker “Burt Burtson,” who claims to have been abducted as he attempts to get people to believe his story. Henrickson made the film with the help of his family, including his grandson, Enoch Lui, who directed the film. Stuck In Orbit can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/868014471. 

To submit an entry, visit https://filmfreeway.com/NWFlyingSaucerFilmFest. 

All filmmakers must be based in the Pacific Northwest in Washington, Oregon, Idaho or British Columbia.

Kenneth Arnold’s fateful flight

When Arnold took to the skies over Southwest Washington on June 24, 1947, he had no idea his flight would still be discussed well beyond his own lifetime.

What was supposed to be a routine flight from Chehalis to Yakima and then to Pendleton, Oregon, in his single-engine CalAir A-2 airplane turned into anything but routine.

After departing from Chehalis about 20 miles west of Mount Rainier, somewhere near Mineral, he saw a bright flash in the northeast.

Initially, Arnold thought it was light reflecting off the metallic wings of another aircraft, but after more flashes appeared, he got a better look and quickly realized he wasn’t witnessing any known conventional craft.

Arnold saw nine metallic objects flying in an echelon formation stretching nearly 5 miles.

From his observations, each object appeared to be circular, roughly 100 feet in diameter, with no discernable flight control surfaces. The objects would periodically perform various aerial maneuvers including flips, banks and weaves.

Though it was only an estimate, Arnold knew the distance between Mount Rainier to Mount Adams and timed the objects as they traveled between the peaks. He calculated their airspeed to be at least 1,500 mph, more than twice as fast as any aircraft of the time.

In fact, the sound barrier had yet to be broken. That happened later that same year in October when the famous U.S. Air Force pilot Chuck Yeager exceeded it for the first time flying his Bell X-1 at 767 mph.

Arnold co-authored a book titled “The Coming Of The Saucers” in which he detailed his sighting, but despite the book and a lifetime of investigation, he never discovered what those objects were. He passed away in 1984.

To this day, nobody knows what Arnold saw in the skies above Mount Rainier, which eventually came to be known as “flying saucers” after an East Oregonian article used the words “saucer-like aircraft” to describe them the day after Arnold’s sighting.

Chehalis residents began celebrating Arnold’s sighting with a “saucer drop” during the Krazy Days festival in the 1960s and 70s, but the tradition was eventually forgotten until the Chehalis Flying Saucer Party revived it in 2019.

Aside from the Northwest Flying Saucer Film Fest and saucer drop event, the Chehalis Flying Saucer Party features speakers from throughout the paranormal investigative world along with special UFO-themed displays at the Lewis County Historical Museum.

For more information, visit https://www.flyingsaucerparty.org/ or follow the Chehalis Flying Saucer Party on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/flyingsaucerparty. 

Customers lined up outside Sweet Dough Cookie Co.'s new Chehalis location during a grand reopening celebration on Saturday, May 11. 

The new location is at 734 S. Market Blvd. in Chehalis, next to Benny’s Florist. The business was previously located in an 800-square-foot space on Main Street in Centralia. The new location in Chehalis has 3,000 square feet of space. 

Bakery owner Ashlee Shirer made headlines in 2018 to 2020 for her appearances on the Food Network show “Christmas Cookie Challenge,” where she twice won $10,000 for her expertly baked and decorated cookies. 

She originally ran a custom-order bakery through her website, selling by the dozens to people across the country for weddings, bridal showers, birthdays and other events before opening the brick-and-mortar shop on Main Street in Centralia in 2022. 

The Chehalis location will be open at 9 a.m. each Saturday until cookies run out. Shirer offers pre-orders through her website, https://sweetdoughcookieco.com/, on Thursday before each Saturday opening.

CENTRALIA POLICE DEPARTMENT

Theft

• At 8:05 a.m. on May 10, a business owner in the 1200 block of Alder Street reported they believed an employee stole $7,400.

• Shoes were reported stolen from a business in the 1300 block of Lum Road just before 3:55 p.m. on May 11.

• A motorcycle was reported stolen from a residential property in the 900 block of Long Road just after 5:25 p.m. on May 10.

• A citizen reported her wallet was stolen while she was shopping at a store in the 500 block of Harrison Avenue just after 4:55 p.m. on May 12. The case is under investigation.

Criminal trespass

• Six homeless people were warned for camping in a park in the 300 block of Lowe Street at approximately 9:05 a.m. on May 10. They were given resource numbers to contact for assistance.

• A homeless California man was trespassed from a business in the 100 block of East Bridge Street at approximately 10:30 p.m. on May 10 for “coming in and out several times asking for free stuff.”

• A 32-year-old homeless Centralia man was cited for trespassing in the 100 block of South Pearl Street just before 12:30 p.m. on May 11.

• A 41-year-old Puyallup man was arrested on an outstanding municipal warrant after officers responded to a report people were trespassing in an abandoned house in the 1000 block of Centralia Avenue just after 8:55 a.m. on May 11.

• Two homeless men were trespassed from a business in the 900 block of Harrison Avenue at approximately 10:25 p.m. on May 11.

• A 40-year-old Centralia man who was reportedly “begging for money” outside a business in the 1200 block of Harrison Avenue at approximately 9:05 p.m. on May 12 was trespassed from the business.

• A business in the 300 block of West Main Street asked officers to trespass a homeless man who passed out at the business at approximately 12:20 p.m. on May 12. The man left the scene without providing a name.

• A 57-year-old homeless Tumwater woman was trespassed from a business in the 400 block of Union Street just after 6:05 p.m. on May 12.

Hit-and-run

• A hit-and-run was reported in the 200 block of M Street at 3:45 p.m. on May 10.

Vehicle accidents

• A passenger car struck the rear of a delivery truck that had slowed for traffic in the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue just after 5:30 p.m. on May 10. No injuries were reported.

• A minor, non-injury, three-vehicle collision was reported at the intersection of North Pearl Street and East Reynolds Avenue at 11:50 a.m. on May 11.

DUI

• A 34-year-old Auburn woman was arrested in the 200 block of South Pearl Street just before 1:05 p.m. on May 11 and was booked into the Lewis County Jail for DUI after driving the wrong way on a one-way road.

• A 44-year-old Centralia man was arrested in the 800 block of Harrison Avenue just after 7 p.m. on May 12 and was booked into the Chehalis Tribal Jail for DUI.

• A 26-year-old Bellingham woman was arrested at the intersection of Harrison Avenue and M Street just after 11:05 p.m. on May 12 and was booked into the Lewis County Jail for DUI.

Malicious mischief

• Just after 8:05 a.m. on May 11, a citizen reported someone had smashed the window out of their car in the 200 block of South Buckner Street.

• A vehicle windshield was reportedly smashed in the 200 block of South Buckner Street just after 8:05 a.m. on May 11.

Disorderly conduct

• A disorderly woman was reported inside a business in the 500 block of South Tower Avenue just before 7:30 a.m. on May 11. She was transported to the hospital for medical assistance.

Found person

• A child was found at the intersection of Virginia Drive and Juneman Street at 2:20 p.m. on May 11. The child was returned home.

Dispute

• Officers responded to a report of neighbors “arguing about a dog and taking video” in the 1300 block of Rose Street just after 6:15 p.m. on May 11. 

Mental health crisis

• A woman “suffering from mental health issues” reportedly got into a stranger's car in the 900 block of South Scheuber Road just after 11:05 p.m. on May 11. The stranger took the woman to the hospital to get her help, but she refused to exit the vehicle until police arrived. She was admitted to the hospital.

CHEHALIS POLICE DEPARTMENT

Hit-and-run

• At approximately 10:10 a.m. on May 10, a hit-and-run that occurred in the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue the day prior was reported. The driver reported she accidentally backed into another vehicle in the parking lot, but the vehicle she hit drove off before she could give the other driver her information.

• A hit-and-run was reported in the 1100 block of South Market Boulevard just before 10:40 a.m. on May 10.

Suspicious circumstances

• A vehicle with “multiple equipment violations” was reported in the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue just before 10:30 a.m. on May 10.

• A man was reportedly setting up and selling pro-Trump flags on the sidewalk in the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue just before 12:40 p.m. on May 10. When asked if had a permit, the subject reportedly told the reporting party to “go f*** himself.”

• Two small children were reportedly left unaccompanied in a van in the 1700 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue just after 6:50 p.m. on May 10.

• A woman was reportedly “digging in the drain” in a parking lot in the 1300 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue just after 7:05 p.m. on May 10.

• A subject who was “trying to sell a turtle” reportedly dumped a bag of trash in front of a residence in the 300 block of Northeast Washington Avenue just after 7:30 p.m. on May 10.

Malicious mischief

• A group of five men were reportedly “tearing down a chain link fence” in the 300 block of Southwest James Street at 8:05 p.m. on May 10.

Disorderly conduct

• A 27-year-old man was “freaking out” in the 10 block of Southwest Fifth Street at approximately 12:05 p.m. on May 10.

• Three kids were reportedly kicking balls at an apartment complex in the 600 block of Southeast Dobson Court at 8:35 p.m. on May 10 and refused to stop when asked.

DUI

• A man was arrested for DUI after he crashed into a fence in the 10 block of Southwest Chehalis Avenue just after 1:45 p.m. on May 10. Minor injuries were reported.

Assault

• A man reported “someone is punching him in the face” at the intersection of Southeast Kenwood Drive and Southeast Cypress Avenue just after 12:10 a.m. on May 11.

FIRE AND EMS CALLS

• Between Friday morning and Monday morning, Lewis County 911 Communications logged approximately 61 illness-related calls, 21 injury-related calls, 18 fire-related calls, nine non-emergency service calls, 11 vehicle accidents, one Lifeline medical alert, one rescue, one report of a dead body, and one other call.

JAIL STATISTICS

• As of Monday morning, the Lewis County Jail had a total system population of 138 inmates, including 125 in the general population and 13 in the Work Ethic and Restitution Center (WERC). Of general population inmates, 99 were reported male and 26 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 16 inmates, including 11 booked by the Centralia Police Department, four booked by the state Department of Corrections and one booked by the Lummi Nation.

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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.

After it was first built in 1944 to honor Tenino and other South Thurston County veterans who served during World War II, the Honor Roll Plaque was taken down in 1962 so it could be repaired, but it was never put back up and was eventually lost to time.

Now, Tenino VFW Post 5878, the VFW auxiliary and American Legion Post 69 in Tenino are partnering with the South Thurston County Historical Society to build a new Honor Roll Plaque, according to a news release.

The new Honor Roll Plaque will be faced with three types of sandstone — Tenino, Wilkinson and Pennsylvania blue — and will be about 11 feet long, 7 feet high and 4 feet wide at the base.

It will not only include the names of WWII veterans like it did before, but veterans who served from 1913 until 2012.

“This covers the first 100 years of Tenino ‘Union’ High School,” the release stated.

It will be located by the Tenino Quarry Pool, and the names of service members will be engraved on brass plates, which represent the different armed services.

A granite panel will be placed on top of the Honor Roll Plaque reading “Honor Roll, Tenino and Vicinity, Thank You for Your Service.”

Funding for the project is coming from grants and donations from those in the South Thurston County community. Donors can purchase bricks in the Honor Roll Plaque, which can be engraved with any name they wish.

“The names can be of donors, family or business names and do not need to be a veteran,” the release added.

Those interested in donating toward the project can get an engraved brick for $100, or make a family or business donation of $1,000 and have their name engraved on another granite panel being installed.

For more information on how to donate and to get a donation form, visit the following locations in Tenino:

• VFW Post 5878, 285 Sussex Ave. E

• Tenino Depot Museum, 399 Park Ave. W

• Tenino City Hall, 149 Hodgden St. S

• The Iron Works Store, 224 Sussex Ave. W

To learn more about the project, call VFW Post 5878 at 360-264-5420.