News brief: Car crashes into excavator in freeway work zone

October 18th, 2010

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A 25-year-old motorist was airlifted to a Seattle hospital after she ran into an excavator in a freeway work zone north of Centralia this evening.

The Honda Civic driven by Ashley E. Williams of Kent was totaled, according to the Washington State Patrol. The 2000 Cat excavator sustained about $300 damage, the state patrol reported. It was unoccupied.

Troopers and aid were called just before 5:30 p.m. to the collision on Interstate 5 just south of the Lewis-Thurston county line.

The responding trooper reported Williams was southbound when she lost control of her car, traveling to the right and hitting what was described as a huge piece of machinery.

Responders from Riverside Fire Authority found the dashboard and steering column of the car shoved into the passenger compartment leaving the driver pinned in only about 18 inches of space. Fire Capt. Scott Weinert called it a difficult extrication.

They cut through the door and got the woman out in less than 10 minutes, a feat Weinert labeled as outstanding work by his crew.

Williams suffered injuries to her pelvis and legs and was flown by helicopter to Harborview Medical Center.

The trooper indicated the cause was driving under the influence of drugs.

It’s the second time in just over a month a driver has crashed into heavy equipment in the same construction zone. A Seattle woman lost control of her pickup truck in the northbound lanes on Sept 13 and struck several construction barrels before hitting a bulldozer.
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This news item was updated at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday Oct. 19, 2010

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Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

October 18th, 2010

ROBBERY INVESTIGATION

• Chehalis police are investigating a Saturday night report of an armed robbery at the Lewis County Mall on Northeast Hampe Way. Chehalis Police Department detective Sgt. Rick McNamara said this morning officers are still sorting through the details, some of which are different from the original report made by a Chehalis man.

FAKE CHECKS

• Police are investigating the use of a counterfeit check to purchase items from a Centralia store. An officer was called to the 1300 block of Lum Road yesterday and police have learned the identities of the two female suspects, according to the  Centralia Police Department. On Saturday afternoon, an officer was called to the same area about two females from Seattle purchasing items with counterfeit checks. It’s not clear from police summaries of the incidents if they are related.

AUTO THEFT

• Chehalis police were called about 11 a.m. on Saturday to Southwest Grandview Avenue about a vehicle theft.

CAR PROWLS

• Centralia police were called about 9:40 a.m. on Sunday to the 1000 block of Eckerson Road about the theft of a small toolbox from the back of an unlocked pickup truck overnight.

• Police were called about 8 a.m. on Saturday to the 900 block of South Schueber Road where somebody had broke a window in a vehicle in the parking lot. Nothing seemed to be missing, according to the  Centralia Police Department. At about 2 a.m., an officer had been called to the same area where somebody broke a vehicle’s window and something, unspecified, was stolen.

• Chehalis police were called on Saturday about two vehicles being prowled on Southwest Thomsen Avenue. Shortly after, an officer was called about car prowls on Southwest Grandview Avenue. Another car prowl was reported on Southwest Fourth Street.

BURGLARY AND THEFT

• Somebody cut 50 fence posts off at their base and made off with them and other items from an undeveloped portion of property outside Tenino, according to a report made to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. The theft happened sometime between Oct. 6 and Oct. 14 at the 14,400 block of McDuff Road Southeast, according to sheriff’s Lt. Chris Mealy. Also taken was a 100-foot roll of field fencing, a John Deere riding lawnmower with antlers mounted on the front and a small-sized Suzuki Quad-runner, according to mealy. The loss is estimated at more than $7,000, he said.

• A storage container in Grand Mound was burglarized sometime between 8 p.m. last Tuesday and 6 o’clock the following morning, according to  the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. The victim, a representative of Harbor Pacific Construction, said the items missing from the container on 201st Avenue and Old Highway 99 Southwest included a $500 Stihl gas axe construction saw, brass pipe fittings and an orange headlamp.

• Chehalis police were called about a burglary to a building on South Market Boulevard on Saturday morning.

• Chehalis police were called on Saturday to Southwest Thomsen Avenue about a shed being broken into.

FOUND DRUGS

• Centralia police were arresting a man for an outstanding warrant overnight and found suspected methamphetamine when they searched him, based on “furtive movements”, according to the Centralia Police Department. Scott R. Hotchkiss, 31, of Centralia, was booked in to the Lewis County Jail for possession of methamphetamine following his contact with an officer about 12:25 a.m. at North Tower Avenue and East Third Street, according to police.

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Column: A couple of things before I go take a nap …

October 17th, 2010

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Hi readers. It’s me, news reporter Sharyn Decker.

I have to apologize you haven’t gotten a whole lot of news the last several days. I’ve been sicker than a dog for the past week.

I’m going to tell you about a couple of things before I go take another nap.

Some of you might know that Lewis County Sirens has a group page on Facebook.

It’s pretty darn cool. As I understand it, if you “friend” the page – join the group – then whenever I post a news item, my headline and an excerpt will pop up on your Facebook home page news feed.

For those who belong to Facebook and keep it open throughout the day, that means you don’t have to keep checking in at Lewis County Sirens to see if there are new news stories.

Just type “Lewis County Sirens” in the search box on your Facebook page and after you get to the Lewis County Sirens Facebook page, then click “join” near the top.

If you don’t already belong to Facebook, well, you have to join first.

Also, there is this relatively new local web site called Lewis-County.org

I believe it was started mostly as a chat forum by former Lewis County Buzz and Lewis County Goes2Find chatters.

It has other stuff, like games I guess. But, at the bottom of its home page is a news feed where headlines with links pop up for Lewis County Sirens. I was really flattered when I discovered Lewis-County.org added an RSS feed from my news site to their web site.

So it’s the same idea as Facebook; if you happen to have their site open throughout the day, you will learn automatically when I have posted a new story.

On their forum page, under “main” and “news” you will see “Local News RSS“. That’s where they all discuss local news stories.

I don’t think you have to join to take advantage of these features on their site, although I suspect they’d like it if you did.

Neither of those web sites cost anything to use.

That’s it for now.

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News brief: Talks underway about possible joint Twin Cities fire department

October 16th, 2010

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Firefighters from Chehalis and Centralia have been meeting to see if there is interest in joining forces, perhaps creating one big fire department.

Chehalis Fire Department Capt. Casey Beck, who is president of the IAFF Local 2510 representing his department’s union members, said this week they owe it to the citizens to at least consider the options.

“We work together all the time anyhow,” Beck said. “Both groups want to explore it further.”

Beck said such consolidations are happening around the country and the firefighters on the ground here seem to be ready to begin evaluating if the numbers pencil out so they could provide service more effectively and efficiently.

A gathering is set for the end of this month with city managers, fire chiefs, labor representatives from Riverside Fire Authority and the Chehalis Fire Department, as well as Lewis County fire district’s 6 and 5, according to Beck.

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Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

October 15th, 2010

SCHOOL FIGHT AND THREATS OF RETALIATION LEADS TO DAY OFF FOR ALL TOLEDO STUDENTS

• Three Toledo High School students are on emergency expulsion after they allegedly went to the middle school yesterday and assaulted a student there. The arrest of the boys and ensuing rumor mill through texting and Facebook prompted authorities to cancel classes today district wide. Toledo School District Superintendent Sharon Bower said as police and the schools are sorting through the incident, she closed down the high school, middle school, elementary school and alternative school for the day. “The kids are saying a lot of things we don’t think are true, so we wanted to squelch that,” Bower said this morning. “I just didn’t think it was a good place for kids to be today.” Later today, Police Chief John Brockmueller reported the rumors included ambiguous threats of possible retaliation at the middle school. Brockmueller said police were called yesterday morning to the middle school on Fifth Street. Brockmueller said he arrested the three boys for misdemeanor assault. The victim was a middle school boy, he said. The suspects were released to their parents and the case was being referred for possible charges, he said this morning. Later today, the police chief said in a news release the trio was booked into the Lewis County Juvenile Detention Center. They included a 14-year-old for misdemeanor assault, and a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old for criminal conspiracy. Bower said it happened inside the school but “they really didn’t get to carry through” as staff intervened right away. Bower said they really don’t have fights at their schools. The closure follows several days last week when students were off at the middle and elementary schools because a water main break left them without water.

ROLLOVER CRASH SENDS TWO TO HOSPITALS

• A woman was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after a rollover accident last night on Interstate 5 at the exit 68 interchange. Firefighters and medics called about 10:45 p.m. to the northbound lanes at Avery Road and U.S. Highway 12 found the car in a ditch, according to Lewis County Fire District 5. Both airbags deployed and the car, with Oregon license plates, appeared destroyed, according to Firefighter Brad Bozarth. An adult male was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital for possible internal injuries, Bozarth said.

ALLEGED DISPLAY OF KNIFE LEADS TO ARREST

• Chehalis police arrested an individual for second-degree assault domestic violence after being called about 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday to an apartment on the 900 block of South Market Boulevard. Deputy Police Chief Randy Kaut said a 19-year-old woman had reportedly picked up a knife during a dispute with a 30-year-old man who also lives there. Nobody was injured and she did not have a knife when officers arrived, he said. The woman has not been charged, pending further investigation.

THEFT, THEFT, MORE THEFT

• Centralia police say a witness got a license plate number after a female stole purses totaling more than $1,000 from the 1300 block of Lum Road and fled in a white mini van yesterday evening. Police were called about the theft about 6:40 p.m. and continue to investigate.

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported yesterday they investigated a residential burglary on the 1500 block of South Schueber Road in which an estimated $100,000 of jewelry was stolen. Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said a deputy was called about the incident on Oct. 7. Taken from the male victim was a large quantity of necklaces, ear rings, bracelets and watches, according to Brown.

• Centralia police took a report of a burglary to an office building on the 500 block of West Main Street at about 7:40 a.m. on Wednesday.

• Deputies responding to a burglary alarm about 1:40 p.m. Wednesday at the 100 block of Stearns Road outside Chehalis found a back door pried open but nothing missing. The sheriff’s office speculated the intruder must have been scared off by the alarm.

• An X-Box game and controller were missing after a burglary on the 1600 block of Windsor Avenue in Centralia reported on Tuesday afternoon to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. it happened sometime between 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. that morning, according to the sheriff’s office.

• Centralia police were called about 3:45 p.m. yesterday about the theft of a purse from a car at the 200 block of North Tower Avenue in Centralia. A summary of the incident from the police department notes a suspect was seen going through the purse at the train station but fled on foot before an officer arrived.

• Somebody stole the front-end cover off a vehicle on the 1700 block of Military Road in Centralia, according to a report made to police about 11:15 a.m. on Wednesday.

• Centralia police took a report of a vehicle prowl with damage done to the vehicle on the 300 block of West Pine Street at about 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

• The sheriff’s office is reminding the public not to leave valuables in plain sight inside parked vehicles after yet another car prowl at the rails to trails parking area outside Chehalis at the 200 block of Highway 603. A Chehalis man returned to his truck Monday afternoon to find somebody had broken a window and removed two hunting knives, according to Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown.

SMOKED UP FEED PLANT

• Firefighters from Chehalis and Centralia were called to a possible fire at the chicken feed plant on the 500 block of West Main Street in Chehalis at about 12:50 p.m. on Wednesday. They found a ball bearing had overheated and filled the plant with smoke, according to Chehalis Capt. Casey Beck.

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Sharyn’s Sirens was updated at 6:23 p.m.

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News brief: District 5 firefighters still want to meet you

October 14th, 2010

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

If you still have questions about the ballot measure from Lewis County Fire District 5, they are holding an informational meeting tonight at 7:30 p.m.

The department that protects the greater Napavine area is asking for a fire levy lid increase.

It’s at the District 5 administrative office in Napavine.

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Guest column: Chehalis firefighters to the city: Public overwhelmingly supported current staffing

October 14th, 2010

Note: the following is the text of a presentation Chehalis Firefighter-investigator Adam Myer made to the Chehalis City Council on Monday evening.

By Adam Myer
Chehalis Fire Department
Vice president, IAFF Local 2510

When the city approached the public for support of the EMS levy in 2009, our city manager, Merlin MacReynold told The Chronicle one year ago, “The whole city had seen cuts of as much as 30 percent over the past year, but that the fire department could see layoffs in 2010 on top of furlough days they’ve already taken if it doesn’t pass.” The measure was to continue the levy for six years and tax 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. This was the message Chehalis firefighters were asked by the city to deliver in gathering support for the levy.

”People are concerned about tax change and increase. This isn’t an increase, though, the vote is to maintain a level of service that is already there. In 2008 the department fielded 1,228 emergency medical service calls, compared to 712 when the levy was last approved in 1998. This means the demand for service has continued to increase while staffing has remained at the same level. Cuts will impact who is available to respond. Without the levy, the department would have to cut up to $200,000, and money cannot be funneled from other struggling city departments. According to the 2010 budget, not having the levy could equal one or two firefighter positions in the department.” This is also the impact not passing the levy would have according to the city manager.

The public heard the message. The (headline) in The Chronicle was “Status Quo: Measure Would Maintain Level of Service and Tax Revenue already in Place”. The levy needed a supermajority of 60 percent to pass. It passed at 80.25 percent. We should call it more of an overwhelming supermajority, actually.

Full utilization of the EMS levy, in the manner the public overwhelmingly supported at 50 cents per thousand, will provide the funding to prevent a layoff.

The current level of staffing is 13 firefighters. When Chief Johnson was hired, a chief from outside the department, a chief hired by the city manager … put together his first budget, he asked for three additional firefighters. In 1993, as Dr. Pope and Mr. Spahr will remember, the council had a Fire Services Master Plan prepared for the city. The intent was to provide the city with an approach to identify the most appropriate level and best method of providing services. At the time of the study the call volume was 689 emergency medical calls for service. The plan projected with the addition of elderly care facilities in the city, along with an aging population, an increase in calls. In 2009 there were 1,338 calls for medical aid, that is 110 calls more than the year before. At the time of the study there was a staffing of 11 line personnel. The plan recommended an immediate hiring of two additional personnel, and an eventual third, funded by an EMS levy. The EMS levy was ran, passed, and two firefighters were added in 1996 bringing the staffing to 13. The plan also felt that the department was too “top heavy at the time”, and recommended elimination of a chief’s position.

The staffing level recommendations were based on the call volume at that moment in our city’s history. Since that time, the call volume has literally doubled. The addition of Wal-Mart, Home Depot, the enlarged jail, the Vintage retirement apartments, Woodland Estates, multiple adult family care homes, the increasing student populations in our schools, frequent large scale sports tournaments, the dialysis center, American Behavioral Health, and the expansion of Green Hill … that is a short list of contributing sources. These large scale operations that have moved to our city constitute an impact on services much greater than that of a residential home. The fire department continues to respond reliably and effectively to all of these calls with a current staffing of 13. At that level we are still able to get to all calls and maintain the city’s current ISO rating of 5, while surrounding areas are going to a 7 or even a 9. With the layoff the city now directs us to do this with staffing of 12.

The Chehalis firefighters ask the council to not eliminate the thirteenth firefighter position.

The Local invites the council to enter into a dialogue to seek additional efficiencies and funding sources to provide fire and EMS (services) to the city of Chehalis. Whether through meeting by committee or the whole council, we seek a more proactive partnership based on a transparent understanding of the problems and potential solutions. Combined we have over 200 years of experience providing fire and EMS protection to this community. As a department we have been doing it since 1893. With all due respect to Mr. Dawes statement regarding budgeting for equipment, we maintain the equipment, we operate it, we know the score where replacement is concerned, but empty engines don’t respond to calls. We ask that you please utilize the experts that you have in this field, namely the Chehalis firefighters, when analyzing the best ways to deliver fire and EMS services to the citizens of Chehalis.
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Read the story from Tuesday Aug. 24, 2010, “News brief: Job cuts announced for Chehalis police, fire departments” here

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