Local News | The Daily Chronicle

Frank Corbin holds up a fiber optic cable outside Ramblin’ Jack’s Ribeye in Napavine last April.

Volunteer Group Announces Steps Toward Grant Funding for Broadband in Lewis County

Increasing Lewis County residents’ access to quality, affordable, high-speed broadband service through public-private partnerships is the goal of the Lewis County Broadband Action Team (LCBAT), … more

By The Chronicle staff | 6/28/23

From left, gaming high point earner Josey Majors, versatility high point earner Kylee Smith and performance high point earner Maizy Samuelson smile for a photo with gold belt buckles and certificates at Lintott-Alexander Park in May.

Riders on W.F. West’s Countywide Equestrian Collective Honored by Coaches, Team

Washington’s Association of High School Equestrian Teams (WAHSET) doesn’t follow all the traditions of professional equestrian performances. Where other competitions may judge both … more

By The Chronicle staff | 6/28/23

Kevin Mills and The Mark Dubbeld Family to Perform Gospel Concert in Winlock

Kevin Mills and The Mark Dubbeld Family will perform a free gospel concert at 6 p.m. Saturday, July 1, at Christian Fellowship of Winlock. Mills is an accomplished singer who sang several … more

By The Chronicle staff | 6/28/23

“While out for a drive in the convertible on Coal Creek Road we came across this black bear,” wrote Kristin Tennison, who submitted this photo on Sunday, June 25. A video of the bear can be found on The Chronicle’s Facebook page. To submit photos to The Chronicle for potential publication, send them to news@chronline.com

Photo: Big Black Bear Spotted Off of Coal Creek Road

6/28/23

Birthday Announcement: Marion Moon Turns 101

Marion Moon turned 101 on June 24. She’s been a Lewis County resident her whole life residing in the Boistfort Valley and Pe Ell. She enjoyed a big party in her honor with five generations of … more

By The Chronicle staff | 6/28/23

Zeuirel Nava, 8, sells jello cups for three dollars each in the 1000 block of West Main Street in Centralia on Wednesday, June 28.

In Focus: Enterprising Centralia Boy Sells Jello Cups to Make Extra Money

6/28/23

Pacific County Deputy Faces Felony Charges in Connection With Inmate Death After Investigation by Lewis County Detectives

Pacific County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Deputy Patricia Rojas was charged with felonies on June 21 by the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office following an extensive investigation of … more

By Jeff Clemens / The Chinook Observer | 6/28/23

Photos by Jared Wenzelburger / jared@chronline.com Sandrini Construction crews work Wednesday morning to fill LeMay shipping containers with debris from the former Papa Pete’s Pizza and Shari’s Restaurant location in Centralia after a fire destroyed the building on Harrison Avenue in early March. Christopher Jackson Jr. was convicted for breaking into the building on Sunday, March 5, lighting a Sterno can on fire and then accidentally knocking it over, spilling the flaming fluid and starting the fire that destroyed the building. He was sentenced last week to three to six months in a court-imposed residential drug offender sentencing alternative inpatient program. The hexagon-shaped building where Papa Pete’s was most recently located originally opened in January 1983 as the 26th restaurant in the Shari’s chain, according to previous Chronicle reporting. Shari’s closed in 2007, but the building remained. Three years later, in June 2010, the Castle Rock-based chain Papa Pete’s Pizza announced it would open a new location in the hexagon-shaped building on Harrison Avenue. At 4,300 square feet, the Centralia location was Papa Pete’s smallest eatery, according to previous Chronicle reporting. The pizza chain operated on Harrison Avenue through February 2022 before permanently closing its Centralia location. According to Lewis County Parcels, the property is owned by Vahan Dinihanian of 933 Harrison Avenue Centralia LLC. About $16,500 is owed in taxes on the property.

In Focus: Crews Work to Clear Scene of March Fire in Centralia

6/28/23

Oakville Superintendent Richard Staley Recognized as Outstanding Educator at State Conference

Oakville School District Superintendent Richard Staley was one of three Washington superintendents selected to receive the Robert J. Handy Most Effective Administrator Award at a statewide educators … more

By The Chronicle staff | 6/28/23

Photos by Jared Wenzelburger / jared@chronline.com Carrie Bredy smiles while embracing a passerby who stopped to help and provide encouraging words in Morton on Tuesday after an act of vandalism. Sara Smiley and husband Jason Sawyer own a woodworking shop in downtown Morton where they sell topographic maps and niche furniture. Smiley is a board member on the Lewis County Dignity Guild, a nonprofit that hosted this year’s Lewis County Pride event and provides signs frequently seen across the county that read “rural Americans against racism” and Pride flag-colored signs that read “Lewis County Welcomes Everyone.” Smiley and Sawyer’s shop window is adorned with the signs and Pride flags. Out front, they have a rainbow bench called “The Buddy Bench.” The week of June 13, someone vandalized their window. Then, early in the morning on Saturday, June 24, the business was one in a string of four locations significant to the Dignity Guild that were vandalized: four full-sized windows were smashed in. At the other three sites, a rainbow-painted fence in Chehalis, “The Friendship Fence,” was splattered with black paint; the organization’s new headquarters in Chehalis near the county courthouse had several windows broken; and a flagpole that hosted a Pride flag was bent and the flag stolen. To read a full story about the vandalism, visit https://tinyurl.com/3udmbrmy.

In Focus: Volunteers Make Repairs After Vandalism in Morton

Sara Smiley and husband Jason Sawyer own a woodworking shop in downtown Morton where they sell topographic maps and niche furniture. Smiley is a board member on the Lewis County Dignity Guild, a … more

6/28/23

Thurston County Deputies Stop Vehicle Fleeing From Lewis County After Occupants Falsely Claim a Baby Was in the Car

The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office successfully stopped a vehicle carrying two occupants who fled from Lewis County law enforcement and called 911 repeatedly to report they had a baby in the … more

By The Chronicle staff | 6/27/23

Flags are displayed on tractors and trucks traveling down South Tower Avenue in downtown Centralia in July 2022.

Centralia Summerfest Brings Back Old Traditions in New Downtown Locations for 2023

This year’s Fourth of July Summerfest will feature the return of some beloved pre-COVID-19 traditions in new locations, as the City of Centralia, the Centralia Downtown Association, Centralia … more

By Emily Fitzgerald / emily@chronline.com | 6/27/23

Holly Johnson smiles as she receives flowers and a certificate of recognition for her Regional Teacher of the Year Award in Tenino on Monday, June 26.

Tenino Special Education Instructor Honored as Regional Teacher of the Year

Having just finished her 21st year as an educator, Parkside Elementary School Special Education Teacher Holly Johnson was recognized Monday as Capital Region Education Service District (ESD) … more

By Emily Fitzgerald / emily@chronline.com | 6/27/23

The Riverside Fire Authority and the Washington State Patrol respond to the scene of a rollover crash involving multiple vehicles on the Mellen Street on-ramp to Interstate 5 in Centralia on Monday, June 26. The on-ramp was closed for a period of time as emergency crews worked at the scene.

Minor Injuries, Spilled Fuel Reported After Rollover Collision in Centralia on Monday

One person was transported to a hospital as a precautionary measure after they were involved in a rollover collision on the Mellen Street on-ramp to Interstate 5 in Centralia on Monday. … more

By The Chronicle staff | 6/27/23

Staff at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park in Eatonville are working to raise hundreds of northern leopard frogs, which will later be released into the wild.

Endangered Northern Leopard Froglets Growing Fast at Northwest Trek

Hundreds of endangered northern leopard frogs will leap back into the wild soon, thanks to a recovery effort at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park in Eatonville. The Washington Department of Fish and … more

6/27/23

Gavin Ward, who is part of the Lewis County Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program, hopes to obtain his pilot’s license.

15-Year-Old Aims to Obtain Pilot Wings Through Cadet Program

The dream of soaring through the skies has captured the imagination of countless individuals, but for one young aviator, Gavin Ward, it has become a lifelong passion. Inspired by a Young Eagles … more

By Brandon Hansen / For the Nisqually Valley News | 6/27/23

FILE PHOTO — Emergency crews respond to a rollover crash along U.S. Highway 12 in Rochester near the intersection of Moon Road SW in 2020.

Fatal and Serious Injury Crashes in Thurston County Trending in 'Wrong Direction'

Fatal and serious injury collisions in Thurston County have not been reduced in recent years, despite state and local goals to eliminate such collisions in the next decade. Over the past six … more

Martín Bilbao / The Olympian (TNS) | 6/27/23

The Chronicle News Dump stable of hosts, from left, Franklin Taylor, Eric Schwartz, Aaron VanTuyl and Isabel Vander Stoep.

Chronicle News Dump 147: Whomst Could Have Seen Such Malfeasance Coming

June 26, 2023: On the 147th episode of The Chronicle News Dump, hosts Aaron VanTuyl, Editor-in-Chief Eric Schwartz and Assistant Editor Isabel Vander Stoep discuss vandalism, disgraced law … more

6/27/23

Robert H. Distefano, 32, of Heber City, Utah, appears in Lewis County Superior Court on Monday, June 26.

Man Accused of Stabbing Stepfather in Onalaska on Friday

Bail has been set at $50,000 for a man accused of stabbing his stepfather in the abdomen during an argument at an Onalaska residence on Friday. The suspect, Robert H. Distefano, 32, of … more

By Emily Fitzgerald / emily@chronline.com | 6/26/23

Tara Hamilton and 11-month-old Ragan throw a pair of socks toward a chicken during the Independence Valley Chicken Races in Rochester on Sunday, June 25. Judges timed how quickly contestants, with the help of soft thrown items like socks and hats, could get their chicken to run out of a circle. No chickens were harmed. Proceeds from the annual event — which also included lunch and live music — help fund maintenance of Independence Valley Community Hall, where the event is held.

In Focus: Chickens Off to the Races in Independence Valley

6/26/23