Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The fire department in Tenino is holding its annual fundraiser this coming Saturday, a crab feed.

Doors open at 3 p.m. at the station and they will stop serving at 7 p.m., according to Tina Vanderhoof, administrative chief for Thurston County Fire District 12.

The event, hosted by the Thurston County 12 Firefighters Association, is held to raise money for equipment that isn’t covered in their budget.

Last year with the money that came in, they purchased new bunk beds, extra long ones that made some of the taller volunteers very happy, Vanderhoof said. A portion of the proceeds was also shared with various youth groups, she said.

Tickets are $30. On the menu is crab, spaghetti and more.

Lewis Mountain Highway Transit bus is towed after wreck this morning in Glenoma with log truck. / Courtesy photo by Washington State Patrol.

Updated at 1:27 p.m.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A collision between a loaded log truck and a bus on U.S. Highway 12 in Glenoma this morning sent at least four people to the hospital.

Aid was called about 6 a.m. to the scene near Wills Road where the driver of the Lewis Mountain Highway Transit had made a U-turn to pick up a passenger, according to authorities.

Photographs shared by a spokesperson for the Washington State Patrol suggest damage to the vehicles was moderate. It’s not clear how many passengers the bus was carrying or how many were injured.

Four individuals were brought to Morton General Hospital and all are in stable condition, according to a hospital spokesperson.

The Morton-based bus service makes round trips each day between Packwood and the Twin Cities.

Trooper Will Finn indicated at about 7 o’clock this morning the incident was partially blocking the highway and had punctured the fuel tank of the log truck. Finn said at 8 a.m. to expect delays for another couple of hours.

The bus driver was at the hospital getting X-rayed for head and neck pain, according to Finn. A 16-year-old passenger, Jonathan Thompson of Randle, was taken to the hospital by a private party, according to the investigating trooper.

Both vehicles were westbound, and the bus attempted a U-turn in front of the log truck, according to the state patrol.

Finn indicates the bus services allows for flag down by riders, however the driver, Richard L. Hamstreet, 69, of Randle, can expect a citation for improper U-turn, according to the investigating trooper.

James P. Pence, 59, of Randle, the driver of the 2001 Kenworth reportedly is uninjured.

Both vehicles were towed from the scene.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – It’s a good day to cook up a pot of home made soup with warm bread and stay indoors.

Weather forecasters are saying to expect more wind, more rain and then announced a flood watch through Tuesday afternoon.

Conditions in Lewis and surrounding counties with gusts of up to 55 mph through late tonight mean the possibility of snapping small tree branches, toppling of shallow-rooted trees and power outages, according to the National Weather Service.

The advisories issued early this morning say additional heavy rainfall over the southern part of Western Washington could drive the Newaukum and Chehalis rivers over flood stage tomorrow, something also possible on the Skookumchuck and upper Cowlitz Rivers.

In addition, East Lewis County residents should be aware of a winter storm warning for heavy snow this afternoon into tomorrow on the western slopes of the Cascades Mountains, the weather service reports. Expect hazardous driving conditions.

Those who live in flood-prone zones are advised to keep an eye on the latest forecasts.

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Monitor “Weather Alerts, Forecasts” as well as “River Levels” from the National Weather Service with the links on the right hand column of this page.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The Washington State Office of the Attorney General is alerting the public to tricksters who are luring individuals to unknowingly rack up $9 per minute cell phone calls to adult entertainment hotlines.

Are you curious about a missed phone call from Antigua, Jamaica or some other exotic location, the office asked in a news release. The phone rings once, then disconnects and fraudsters are hoping you’ll call back, according to the office.

Don’t do it. here’s why:

Scammers are placing thousands of random calls to mobile numbers around the country.

Consumers could end up connected to a paid international “hot line”  located outside the country and find themselves charged $19.95 for the international call fee and then an expensive per minute charge.

The advice? Think twice before answering a call, or returning a call, from an unrecognized number.

Reports about such calls indicate some have originated from the following places:

• Antigua or Barbuda (area code 268).
• Dominican Republic (809)
• Jamaica (876)
• British Virgin Islands (284)
• Grenada (473)