Lewis County Sirens.com

Newly elected Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer is sworn in along with re-elected county officials in Chehalis this morning.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Lewis County Superior Court Judge Richard Brosey administered the oath of office this morning to recently elected county officials.

More than 80 individuals crowded into a fourth floor courtroom at the Lewis County Law and Justice Center in Chehalis for the brief ceremony.

Above, from left to right are incoming Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer, and continuing Clerk Kathy Brack, Assessor Dianne Dorey, Auditor Gary Zandell, Commissioner Lee Grose and Sheriff Steve Mansfield.

Not pictured are newly elected Coroner Warren McLeod, continuing Treasurer Rose Bowman nor the two county commissioners and the judges who were not up for re-election this year.

Jonathan Meyer is surrounded by his daughters and some of their friends after taking his oath of office.

Sheriff Steve Mansfield and his wife Jill Mansfield pause for a photo with their grandson John Mansfield Jr.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The group responsible for maintaining a response plan document for accidental releases of hazardous materials in Lewis County met yesterday and re-elected Mark Anders as its chair.

Anders works for Puget Sound Energy at its jointly-owned Jackson Prairie Gas Storage Project. The meeting was held at the  Zandecki Road facility.

The committee, comprised of representatives from private industry and public agencies, hasn’t met since May 2007.

Michaelle Fries of the Red Cross accepted the vice chair position.

The group, known as the Lewis County Local Emergency Planning Committee, is also charged with keeping a list of facilities inside the county which submit reports on the amounts and kinds of hazardous substances they use and store.

The list currently consists of some 80 actively reporting entities.

Members of the public who wish to view the response plan or information about what kind of hazardous materials are stored at facilities in their community can do that at the Emergency Management office at the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office in Chehalis during regular business hours.

Back row left to right EMTs: Thomas Trott, Zachary Marti, Christian Vavrinec, Ryan Roland, Scott Brownell, Kylie Kavanaugh, Colin Stone, Jameyson Miller (not shown; Kim Thompson) Front left to right firefighters: Nicholas George, Demetrios Themelis, Gavin Mjelde, Lorenz Schock, Scott Standing, Anastasia Themelis / Courtesy photo by Illusions of Grandeur Photography

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The fire department that serves the area from Grand Mound to Maytown has added 15 new volunteer firefighters and EMTs.

The training they completed Friday included between 200 and 220 hours over a four month period, according to West Thurston Regional Fire Authority Chief Robert Scott.

The new additions will be assigned to West Thurston Regional Fire Authority stations in Rochester, Grand Mound, Maytown and Littlerock.