Fireworks Explosion Kills 1, Injures 2 Outside Maytown
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Toledo Gravel Miner Says Witnesses Threatened Critics Are Drug Ring Leader Accused of Using Biased / Main 3 Jail Phones for Threats / Main 4 $1 Mid-Week Edition Thursday, June 19, 2014 Reaching 110,000 Readers in Print and Online — www.chronline.com Fireworks Explosion Kills 1, Injures 2 Outside Maytown Pete Caster / [email protected] Winlock Mayor Lonnie Dowell poses for a portrait while holding the mayoral gavel at Winlock City Hall on Wednesday afternoon. He re- cently received a pay raise for his eforts as the town’s leader. Winlock Mayor Thriving in His New Hometown Leadership Role POLITICAL NEWCOMER: Lonnie Dowell Never Attended a Council Meeting Before Becoming Mayor; Now, He Hopes to Help the City Repair Its Infrastructure and Plan for Economic Growth Pete Caster / [email protected] Emergency responders look on as an injured man is airlifted to Harborview Medical Center after an explosion at a ireworks manufactur- By Christopher Brewer ing plant in Maytown on Wednesday morning. [email protected] It was mid-2013 when a man who had never attend- BLAST: 75-Year-old ed a Winlock City Council meeting decided to run for Man Dies After mayor. “My nephew approached me and said I should run for Wednesday Morning office because there wasn’t much that had gotten done Blast at Entertainment over the last several years,” Lonnie Dowell told The Chronicle. “He thought I would be a good person to take Fireworks Inc. this on. I talked it over with my wife, she supported it, By Dameon Pesanti and I threw my name into the hat.” Today, Dowell is in his sixth month as Winlock’s top [email protected] elected official. The 20-year veteran of the U.S. Navy is One man was killed and two tasked with leading the city through one of its tougher were injured at Entertainment times in history, as businesses have left the downtown Fireworks Inc. near Maytown core and the city’s infrastructure shows signs of its age. at about 9:50 a.m. Wednesday morning in an explosion eye- please see MAYOR, page Main 9 witnesses described as some- thing out of a war zone. “There’s debris everywhere,” The charred remains of an outbuilding where an explosion took place at Entertainment Fire- Thurston County Sheriff’s Of- works are shown Wednesday morning in Maytown. An explosion at the ireworks manufac- fice Lt. Greg Elwin said. Twin Transit to turing plant killed one man and forced another man to be airlifted to Harborview Medical According to Elwin, the Center in Seattle. cause of the explosion is un- Cut Services Amid known. A 75-year-old man died shortly after the accident occurred. A 25-year-old man Budget Shortage was flown to Harborview Medi- cal Center in Seattle with life- DEMAND: Increase in Free Paratransit threatening injuries. A third victim sustained minor injuries Demand Leads to Tough Choices for Transit and was driven to a local hospi- By Kyle Spurr tal in a personal vehicle. [email protected] All men suffered burns and concussive injuries as a result of An increase in Twin Transit riders applying for the the blast. paratransit service, door-to-door pickup for people with The 75-year-old man was disabilities, is beginning to burden the public transpor- originally meant to be life- tation provider. flighted away from the scene Twin Transit is facing potential service reductions via a helicopter, but he died due to the increase in paratransit services, according to at the landing pad so the Twin Transit General Manager Rob LaFontaine. 25-year-old victim was placed “The challenge we are facing is we are seeing a instead. The Thurston County A man injured in an explosion at a ireworks manufacturing plant in Maytown is transported please see TRANSIT, page Main 9 please see EXPLOSION, page Main 9 to a helicopter on Wednesday morning. The Chronicle, Serving The Greater Weather Prodigious Progeny Deaths Lewis County Area Since 1889 TONIGHT: Low 54 Oakville Lambert, William Follow Us on Twitter TOMORROW: High 71 Henry “Bill,” 82, @chronline Few showers Couple Mossyrock see details on page Main 2 Celebrates Find Us on Facebook 50 Years, www.facebook.com/ Weather picture by thecentraliachronicle Alexander Eades, Boistfort 15 Children / Life 1 CH522284cz.cg Main 2 • The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, Wash., Thursday, June 19, 2014 COMMUNITY CALENDAR / WEATHER Community Calendar through Sunday. WHAT’S HAPPENING? On Friday, there will be a no-host gathering at the Limit Bar & Grill, 1500 S. If you have an event you would like Gold St. starting at 5 p.m. included in the Community Calendar, please email your information to Daytime events on Saturday will in- [email protected]. Include a clude golf and a tour of Centralia High daytime telephone number where you School. The latter will be 2-4 p.m. Those The Chronicle, file photo can be reached. who want to play golf are asked to email Dancers watch from backstage as Brianna Jones and Gideon Newkirk from the There is no charge for these listings. Rick Dahl at [email protected]. For questions about calendar items, The main event will be Saturday eve- Farewell Dance Company dance during the Southwest Washington Dance Cen- call Doug Blosser at The Chronicle, ning, 7-11 p.m., at Dick’s Brewing Co., ter’s 2011 Dance Festival Northwest at Corbet Theatre. (360) 807-8238. 3516 Galvin Road. It will include bever- ages, a photo booth and memory table. Editor’s Best Bet To help cover costs of the reunion, there will be a donation box at Dick’s. Dance Center Plans Three Performances Today On Sunday, there will be a barbecue at Corbet Theatre Energy & Construction Best Practices Summit, and potluck at Fort Borst Park, Kitchen 2. Centralia College, sponsored by Pacific Northwest It will run 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Those attending The Southwest Washington showcase a wide variety of dance Center of Excellence for Clean Energy, (360) 807- are asked to bring a dish of their choice. Dance Center will be presenting its styles, including jazz, acro, tap, 4084, [email protected] All other needs will be taken care of. 31st annual All School Dance Con- modern and classical and contem- Open mic, 6:30 p.m., Matrix Coffeehouse, Che- For more information, call Sally cert at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. porary ballet. Also performing will halis, (360) 740-0492 (Rook) Kloosterman, (503) 263-8620, or Saturday at Corbet Theatre on the be our Rhythmic Gymnastic team. “Let’s Grow a Garden,” 10-11:30 a.m., 4162 Jack- email her at [email protected]. campus of Centralia College. More Dancers, starting at age 6 through son Highway, free, (360) 262-0525 than 190 students will be perform- advanced, will be performing. All CC Grow, farmers market, noon-3 p.m., Centra- Bob Garcia and Melodies Recycled Band, 7-9:30 ing this year. nine instructors from the Dance lia College, across from Health & Wellness Center, p.m., Twin Cities Senior Center, $5, (360) 262-3041 (360) 736-9391, ext. 650 The first performance, at 11 Center will showcase their chore- Lewis County Farmers Market, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., a.m., is dedicated to the young- ography. Also performing will be Painting With Bill Carnahan, Bob Ross method, corner of Pearl and Maple streets, Centralia, (360) 10 a.m., White Pass Country Museum, 12990 U.S. 736-8977, [email protected] est dancers. The Creative Move- the Ballet Company. Highway 12, Packwood Radio 80, 9 p.m.-1 a.m., Scatter Creek Grill, Lucky ment, Parent/Toddler, Tumbling, Southwest Washington Dance Eagle Casino, (360) 273-2000, ext. 301 Pre-Jazz and Pre-Ballet classes will Center is in its 31st year in the Public Agencies Regular excursion steam train ride, Mt. Rainier show their work. Anl addition to Twin Cities. Scenic Railroad, 12:45 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., Elbe-Min- this performance will be a short Tickets can be purchased for Twin Transit board, 8:15 a.m., Twin Transit office, eral, (360) 492-5588, reservations (888) STEAM11 212 E. Locust St., Centralia, (360) 330-2072 dance production of “Born To Be $8 for adults and $5 for children, Seth Hoffman, 7 p.m., Matrix Coffeehouse, Che- A Star.” This production was fea- students or senior citizens at the halis, $6, (360) 740-0492 tured at more than nine schools in Southwest Washington Dance Libraries “Maleficent,” 7 p.m., Roxy Theater, Morton, $8 adults, $6 children, students and seniors, (360) South Thurston and Lewis Coun- Center, 455 N. Market Blvd. in Reptile Man, all ages, 11 a.m., Chehalis, 2 p.m., 496-0541 ty for the Dance Center’s annual Chehalis or at the door, if available. Winlock school tour this past spring. For more information, call (360) PageTurners Book Discussion, for adults, 5:30 The 2 and 7 p.m. programs will 748-4789. p.m., “City of Thieves,” by David Benioff, Centralia Libraries Steampunk Party, for teens, 2 p.m., Winlock Organizations American Legion Post 508, potluck and meet- Organizations ty’s finest restaurants under one roof for a The depictions will include the assassina- ing, 6 p.m., Onalaska First Church of God delicious night to benefit United Way of tion of Princess Sissi, the Archduke Franz Lewis County Writers, 5 p.m., Matrix Coffee- Ferdinand, the Balkan Conflict, the Aus- Onalaska American Legion Post 508, 6 p.m. pot- house, Chehalis, $2, (360) 740-0492 Lewis County and partner organizations. luck, 7 p.m. meeting, Onalaska First Church of God, Spectators will witness local chefs trian Court, as well as events in England, (360) 978-5368 compete for votes, preparing samples and Germany, France and Russia.