News

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. 

A woman is facing possible criminal charges after she crashed her car into a median on northbound Interstate 5 in Chehalis on Saturday while a 14-year-old boy was in the vehicle.

The woman, identified by the Washington State Patrol as Kristin M. Wickersham, 41, of Olympia, was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital for treatment of injuries sustained in the crash.

She faces possible charges of second-degree negligent driving, third-degree driving with a suspended license, failure to wear a seat belt and driving without insurance.

The 14-year-old passenger was not injured in the crash, which was reported at approximately 2:25 p.m. on May 11.

Wickersham was reportedly driving a gray 2003 Toyota 4Runner on northbound I-5 when the car veered to the right shoulder and then veered to the left shoulder where it struck a median and came to rest blocking one lane.

The Washington State Patrol has determined “speeds too fast for conditions” was the cause of the crash. Alcohol or drugs were not involved, according to an incident report.

I missed perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view the Northern Lights from my backyard on Friday night, but I certainly enjoyed seeing all the gorgeous photos posted online.

My friend Sandra Crowell, author of The Land Called Lewis, and I spent Friday evening surrounded by city lights in Bellevue as we prepared for Saturday’s Seattle Writing Workshop, an all-day event with several hundred writers and more than a dozen literary agents. When it comes to viewing stars, planets and northern lights, rural skies beat city lights every time.

Fortunately, we won’t need to travel nearly as far for the 10th Annual Southwest Washington Writers Conference at Centralia College in early September.

Thanks to connections by David Hartz at Book ‘N’ Brush, we booked internationally bestselling Seattle author Garth Stein as keynote speaker at the Sept. 7 conference. Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain, which has sold more than 6 million copies and been turned into a movie starring Milo Ventimiglia, Amanda Seyfried and Kevin Costner as Enzo the golden retriever. Stein, who co-founded the Seattle7Writers nonprofit collective, has written three other novels and produced and directed award-winning documentaries and music videos. He has won many literary awards, including two Pacific Northwest Book Awards. In addition to his keynote address, the World According to Garth, Stein will teach a workshop, “It’s All About the Rock,” delving into the writer’s role in creating a novel.

And thanks to Jan Leth with the Lewis County American Association of University Women (AAUW) chapter, we’ll have a Friday master class taught Sept. 6 by Libbie Grant, a Washington Post bestselling author of historical fiction who writes under the name Olivia Hawker. Her book, One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow, was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award and Willa Award. It has nearly 32,000 primarily five-star reviews on Amazon, while The Ragged Edge of Night has more than 40,000 five-star reviews. She’s written four other well-received novels as well. She will teach two three-hour workshops on Friday — “Take Off Your Pants: Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing” and “How to Write a Bestseller.” (The first workshop refers to what the literary world refers to as seat-of-the-pants writers as opposed to outliners.)

On Friday night, the Lewis County chapter of the AAUW will host an Evening with Authors featuring both Stein and Hawker sitting down and answering questions posed by Centralia College English instructor and memoir writer Matthew Young. The event, which will feature refreshments, baskets for auction items and book signings by authors, costs $20 admission ($15 for students). All proceeds from the event benefit Hope Alliance, a domestic abuse treatment center.

Early registration for the writers’ conference, which features a selection of 24 workshops, opened last week. All proceeds from the conference benefit scholarships awarded by the Centralia College Foundation.

Workshop presenters will be driving from as far south as Eugene, Oregon, and from as far northeast as Inchelium on the Colville Confederated Indian Reservation to teach. Also at the conference, writers can speak with Eric Schwartz, editor of The Chronicle, and Krysta Carper, editor and publisher of LewisTalk and ThurstonTalk, about freelance writing opportunities.

Among the workshop presenters is Christina Suzann Nelson of Philomath, Oregon, a Christy award-winning author of six novels, including More Than We Remember, What Happens Next, and The Way It Should Be. She will teach the general audience how to “Hook Them from the Start: First Line to First Page to First Chapter.” And, as the mother of six children, she’ll teach a workshop on “The Writing Parent: Finding Time to Pursue Your Dream.”

Craig Allen Heath, of Longview, an award-winning poet, playwright, historical reenactor and author of Where You Will Die, will teach a public speaking workshop, “The Author Acts: Give Stage-Worthy Readings of Your Fiction.” He is finishing his second novel, Killing Buddhas.

Linda L. Kruschke, of Lake Oswego, Oregon, a fearless poet, candid memoirist and author of nonfiction articles, will teach two workshops: “The Path to Publication: Don’t Despise Small Beginnings” and “Unlocking the Secret of ‘Show, Don’t Tell.’” She is the editor of Swallow’s Nest, a poetry book, and director of the Cascade Christian Writing Contest.

Mary Stone, of Castle Rock, who worked more than three decades at Lower Columbia College as a teacher and counselor, will teach workshops on “Character Development” and “Sensible Senses.” She is author of Run in the Path of Peace — the Secret of Being Content No Matter What as well as a middle grade novel, devotional books, and a short story collection, The Innocents at Home — Children of the 1940s.

Jennifer Anne F. Messing, of Portland, an award-winning poet and author of four books, including Love’s Faithful Promise, which won the American Fiction Award, will teach “Prolific Publishing in Magazines Midst a Busy Life.” She has had more than 250 short stories, articles and poems published.

Literary agent Scott Eagan of Greyhaus Literary in Puyallup, which represents authors of traditional romance and women’s fiction, will teach about “What Agents Really Want.” Scott, who teaches publishing with the UCLA Extension Program, listened to writers pitch their manuscripts to him in Bellevue on Saturday. He said he’s happy to answer questions from any writers at September’s Centralia conference.

Erick Mertz, of Oregon City, Oregon, a ghostwriter and freelance editor who cochaired the 2019 Willamette Writers Conference in Portland, is the author of the Strange Air series of paranormal mysteries set in the Pacific Northwest. He will teach “Self-Publishing Success: What Worked, What Didn’t, What I’d Do Differently.”

Carmen Peone, an award-winning author of young adult and contemporary western romantic suspense, has lived with her husband on the Colville reservation since 1988, where she raised their children. Her husband, children and grandchildren are all enrolled tribal members. She will teach two workshops—“Creating Authentic Native American Characters” and “The One Time Emotions Need to Take Control.”

Miriam Gershow of Eugene is a novelist and author of short stories, flash fiction and creative nonfiction. Her books include The Local News and Survival Tips: Stories and her novel, Closer, will be published in 2025. She’ll teach two workshops — “The Joy of Flash: How Short Writing Can Jumpstart Your Creative Practice” and “Big Press? Small Press? Agent? Agent-free? Figuring Out the Questions — and Answers — to Your Publishing Path.”

A former Silicon Valley software engineer,Curtis C. Chen, of Vancouver, writes stories and runs puzzle games near Portland. He’s the author of the Kangaroo series of funny science fiction spy thrillers, including Waypoint Kangaroo and Kangaroo Too. He’s also written for podcasts. He’ll teach about “Query Letters That Work.”

Shannon Blood, of Olympia, the published author of poetry, short stories, articles and essays as well as technical policy papers and curriculum for the State of Washington, will teach a workshop called “Don’t Stay Stuck: Get Short! Using Haiku to Tease Apart Our Sometimes-Tangled Webs.”

Tracy Cram Perkins, of Gig Harbor, is the author of Dementia Home Care: How to Prepare Before, During, and After, which won the 2022 Chanticleer International Book Award for Instruction and Insight. She also hosts the Dementia Home Care Show on USA Global TV. She will teach “A Compelling Nonfiction Book Proposal Anyone Can Write.”

Developmental editor Christine Pinto, of Shoreline, is an award-winning short story writer who teaches 19th-century history lessons for elementary school students. She will teach two workshops — “Writing Distinct Characters with Distinctive Voices” and “Make Every Sentence Work Harder.”

Kelly Langdon of The Dalles, Oregon, has published 25 books, including 10 novels, under the name Kellyn Roth. Her six-book series, The Chronicle of Alice and Ivy, includes The Dressmaker’s Secret and At Her Fingertips. She will teach a marketing workshop, “How to Leverage Your Author Community on Social Media to Sell More Books.”

Annette Grantham, of Winlock, author of the acclaimed five-book fantasy series, The Frontier Witches, describes the books as “where the grit of Deadwood meets the enchanting allure of Practical Magic” about “witches who don’t just navigate but flourish in the untamed frontiers of the Old West.” She will teach a workshop on “The Ultimate Quest: Self-Publishing.”

Wendy Kendall, of Edmonds, who critiqued manuscripts at the Seattle Writing Workshop last weekend and taught a workshop on the art of the hook, is the author of the newly released Kat Out of the Bag, the first in a five-part In Purse-Suit Mystery series featuring a purse designer and sleuth. At the Centralia conference, she will teach a workshop on “Writing Novellas.”

Author and folklorist Kate Ristau of Tigard, Oregon, executive director of Willamette Writers, is the author of three middle-grade series — Clockbreakers, Mythwakers and Wylde Wings — and the young adult Shadow Girl series. She’s also vice president of the Oregon Poetry Association and chairs the Tigard Public Library board. She will teach “Look Who’s Talking: Dialogue & Action.”

Finally, Jeff Cheney, of Vernonia, Oregon, whose career includes jobs as a civilian contract mechanic for the U.S. Army, heavy equipment mechanic, high school teacher and high-tech computer chip manufacturer, will teach about collaborating with other writers in his workshop, “How to Write a Book with Another Author  and Survive.” He worked with his brothers in writing four science fiction and fantasy novels — Dead Reckoning, Day of Reckoning, Force of Reckoning, and Final Reckoning. He also wrote two novels himself, Forged by Betrayal and Music Box Murders.

As I write about these workshops, I want to attend all of them. But like everyone else, I’ll have to narrow my choices to four — one at 11 a.m., 1:15, 2:30 and 3:45 p.m.

Early registration runs through July 31, after which prices increase. To register, visit the website at www.southwestwashingtonwriters.com. To become a conference sponsor or volunteer, send an email to swwc18@gmail.com. 

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Julie McDonald, a personal historian from Toledo, may be reached at memoirs@chaptersoflife.com.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so let's talk about this important topic.

We all know problems in our lives can cause anxiety. Those problems can be relationship issues, pressure at work or school, or many other triggers. They can have an impact on our mental wellbeing.

What if the world around you is causing you mental anguish and you’re not even aware? Whether you have insight or you don't, that's really beside the point. Issues or problems that you see or hear about are more than likely affecting you right now. So, let’s talk about what’s affecting you right now and what you can do about it. 

Maybe it’s the economy and inflation. A 2023 Gallup Poll indicated 42 percent of Americans worry they won’t have enough money to pay their monthly bills. There is a strong connection between worrying about money and mental distress. 

What can I do? I am glad you asked. Here are a few suggestions from money management experts.

Try to set money aside. It doesn’t matter how much. You can start with very little. Just make sure it’s in an interest-bearing account. Identify expenses that can be trimmed — we all have them — by tracking your expenses. Focus on paying down variable rate loans or refinancing them for a fixed rate loan. See if you qualify for a credit card that gives you rewards or money back on purchases. Shop around. You will find one that is a good fit for you and your family.   

We know that violence globally affects our lives more than we think. Just because you have zero ties to whatever is going on doesn’t mean you’re not affected. Being constantly bombarded with images of hostility, hatred and violence affects you in more ways than you think.

It doesn’t really matter where you see the images: in print, on news shows, online or personal experience, although the latter affects us more acutely than some of the others.

A recent study in 2022 found that 73 percent of adults feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of hostilities around the world. You can take control of that right now. How, you ask? I am glad you asked. 

A good start, according to experts who study these issues, is to first and foremost seek help if you are in a violent or dysfunctional situation. Don’t put it off. Do it today if global or national issues cause you worry or keep you up at night. 

The same experts recommend curtailing and setting limits on your devices and screen time.  Research and find out what works best for you in trying to limit your exposure. One suggestion is to block social media during certain hours of the day. You can download an ad blocker to limit what you and your family see.

Ask yourself, do I really need to watch cable news shows that rehash the same issues repeatedly? The answer will probably be no. Pick a favorite and watch one, not repeated news. As far as internet or social media time, ask yourself, do I really need to log on? If the answer is yes, then limit your time and log off when you finish doing what you need to do. 

You can’t change everything, but you can make a difference. Remember the serenity prayer.  Change or help where you can. Come to grips with things you can’t change. Know the difference between the two.   

Loneliness is another big mental health issue in the U.S. A recent survey indicated that 58 percent of adults are lonely. People who are low income, young adults, those who are part of an under-represented racial group or are dealing with a mental illness have even higher rates of loneliness. 

Shockingly, I learned those with low levels of social interaction share the same risk to health as smoking a pack of cigarettes every day.

What can you do? Again, I am glad you asked. There are many things you can do to combat loneliness. There are many places to seek support. Counseling therapy can provide a layer of support. Seek out groups with similar interests such as book clubs, classes or religious groups. If you are lonely and depressed on top of it, seek help from counseling therapy. Loneliness can lead to mild, moderate or severe depression. Do not wait to seek help. Do it today. You will be glad you did. 

Lastly, find healthy coping skills. It’s tempting to go for the quick fix, like substances. Substance use for coping doesn’t help anyone in the long run. Figure out what works for you. You might have to try lots of things until you find something that works. 

Believe me, it's worth it. You can practice positive affirmations like, “fear doesn’t control me,” and, “I can let go of my sadness because I am safe.” Pick affirmations that have personal meaning for you. You will be surprised at how one positive affirmation that you repeat often can affect your mental health. 

Remember, everyone goes through periods of stress and hardship. Reach out if you need help.  It is as easy as making a phone call. Don’t wait. Do it now. Keep in mind in difficult times it’s important to concentrate and take care of what matters most:  you and your family. 

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Richard Stride is the current CEO of Cascade Community Healthcare. He can be reached at drstride@icloud.com.