Vehicles Parade for Culp $1.75 / Main 7 Early Week Edition Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020 Serving our communities since 1889 — www.chronline.com Freedom Rally Good Health Morton Event Draws Local, State Republican Good Health Nutrition Owner Julie Candidates for Office / Main 2 Shaffley Celebrates 30 Years / B1 In-Person Learning Put Army Corps Releases NEPA Review on Dam EIS: State Environmental ronmental Impact Statement to cost more than $400 million, The proposed project would on Hold After (EIS) under the State Environ- would impact fish species, water create a new 1,550-foot wide Policy Act Impact mental Policy Act (SEPA) was quality, wetlands and other en- dam structure near Pe Ell, Mossyrock Statement Completed completed for a proposed flood- vironmental facets of the land. which would close only during Early This Year; Now retention dam on the Chehalis Public meetings will be held flooding events. The project Student Tests River, a national review of pos- from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 8 would also raise the existing le- Residents Can Comment sible environmental impacts and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 14, at vee near the Chehalis-Centralia Positive for on National Review of the project has now been re- which individuals can comment airport. The goal is to miti- leased. on the proposed project. Com- gate the effects of major floods, By Claudia Yaw The EIS required by the Na- ments can also be submitted be- which occur, on average, every tional Environmental Policy forehand. Details can be found COVID-19 [email protected] seven years, and catastrophic Act was released Friday. It de- at https://chehalisbasinstrategy. By Celene Fitzgerald Months after a draft Envi- tails how the project, estimated com/eis/nepa-process/. please see NEPA, page Main 14 [email protected] The Mossyrock School Dis- trict returned to a full distance learning model on Monday, Queer Pride and Anti-Racist Signs Get Stolen and Sept. 21 from a hybrid model after a student tested positive for COVID-19 after one week of in- Vandalized, but Lollipop Guild Vows to Continue person schooling. At the start of the 2020-21 school year, Mossyrock School District was the only public school district in Lewis County that decided to defy the Lewis County Public Health & Social Services (LCPHSS) recommen- dation of beginning the school year with distance-only learn- ing. “Out of an abundance of cau- tion, we will be pivoting to vir- tual instruction only tomorrow (Monday), all students will stay home and receive their instruc- tion virtually,” read a Facebook post from the Mossyrock School District from Sunday, Sept. 20. The district said they will use Monday as a day to clean the school building and work with the health department to estab- lish a list of the students and teachers the infected student was in contact with at school. The Facebook post from the district went on to say that they hope to return to their regular hybrid learning schedule on Tuesday. After one week of the parent- teacher conferences and vir- tual learning to start the year off, Mossyorck began their in- Jared Wenzelburger / [email protected] please see LEARNING, page Main 14 A sign reads, ‘Lewis County Welcomes Everyone’ is seen Saturday evening south of Chehalis. The sign was later vandalized and removed. ‘VISIBILITY AS ACTIVISM’: On Friday, a large rainbow tion behind the sign — the here to build people up,” the pride sign was erected in Che- Lewis County Lollipop Guild — post reads. “And we’re not going How the Lollipop Guild halis, with the words “LEWIS posted a photo on Facebook. In anywhere.” Is Trying to Make Lewis COUNTY WELCOMES EV- it, founder Kyle Wheeler stands Wheeler hoped that the sign Follow Us on Twitter County More Inclusive ERYONE.” Before the weekend tall where the sign once was, would counter the decades-old @chronline was over, it was torn down and waiving a large pride flag. Uncle Sam billboard nearby, which has famously projected Find Us on Facebook By Claudia Yaw destroyed. “Y’all may have torn down www.facebook.com/the- [email protected] In response, the organiza- our sign last night, but we’re please see GUILD, page Main 12 centraliachronicle Subscriber mailing label below this line Historic Cabin From Tenino to Nevada? New Owners Set Tenino Star Out to Preserve Football 1800s Lindeman Player Takari Cabin in Ethel Hickle Gets / Main 8 Verbal Offer / Main 6 10% OFF Roofing! THANK YOU FOR VOTING FOR US! Huge Rebates #1 HVAC in Lewis County! on HVAC! CHEHASM252MH The Chronicle, HEATING • COOLING • ROOFING CH607613bw.cg Serving the Greater Lewis County Area Since 1889 SERVING YOUR NEIGHBORS SINCE 1962 chehalissheetmetal.com 360-748-9221 Main 2 • The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, Wash., Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020 LOCAL State, County Republicans Talk Gun Rights, COVID-19 at Morton Freedom Rally By Claudia Yaw [email protected] Republican county and state officials rallied around gun rights and property rights at a Morton “freedom rally” Sat- urday, where few people in the crowd of about 50 people wore masks. In Gust Backstrom Park, State representatives Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, and Jim Walsh, R- Aberdeen, both evoked the idea of property rights and the fear of home invasions. “If a criminal knows you don’t have a gun, are they going to have any reservation about robbing you? No,” Orcutt said, noting his membership with the NRA. “But the fact that you have the right to own it, the fact that the criminals don’t know whether you own it, is the rea- son why we’re as safe as we are in this country.” Walsh echoed that sentiment, telling residents that their abil- ity to protect their own homes in turn protects the community. “That collective good, that deterrence to bad actors trying to break into your house, starts with the individual right to pro- tect your home and your per- Claudia Yaw/[email protected] son,” Walsh said. Lewis County Commissioner Edna Fund greets “freedom rally” attendees decked out in USA gear and sporting a Trump fl ag. In keeping with the trend of gun rights, Lindsey Pollock, running for county commis- sioner district 2, whipped out her concealed carry permit, tell- “If a criminal knows ing attendees “this should be all the paperwork we need.” you don’t have a gun, Many speakers also ex- pressed appreciation for law are they going to enforcement officers, including have any reservation gubernatorial candidate and Republic Police Chief Loren about robbing Culp, as well as Morton Police Chief Roger Morningstar, who you? No.” was in attendance. State Rep. Ed Orcutt, “I think we should back the R-Kalama blue every time we get an op- portunity,” County Commis- sioner Bobby Jackson said, gesturing to Morningstar. “I hope you love on this guy every currently recommending a chance you get.” more moderate approach than Morningstar recently some schools are pursuing and faced backlash after erecting a some parents have demanded. “Trump Tower” in his front lawn, Jackson, who went on to en- with some saying it resembled a dorse President Donald Trump Ku Klux Klan hood. to much applause, didn’t at- COVID-19 restrictions were tempt to downplay the effects State Representative Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, voices his support for Republican gubernatorial candidate Loren Culp at Mor- also discussed and condemned of the pandemic, which has at the rally. Jackson posed one ton’s Sept. 19 “freedom rally.” claimed over 2,000 victims in question that evidently resonat- Washington and nearly 200,000 “In the name of health, our fight against the government’s ing residents to a brief round ed with Morton residents. nationwide. Neither did other businesses have been shut down, petty tyrants,” he said. “Espe- of Morton trivia and sporting “How many of you are done our schools and places of wor- cially Jay Inslee, a small man with COVID?” Jackson said. speakers, instead honing in on a Morton-White Pass baseball ship have been told we can’t “We’re done with this, we’ve had it a sense of unfairness when it with an enormous ego, a thirst cap. Jackson followed suit, remi- with this, we’re tired of it … and comes to COVID-19 restric- gather with our friends and for power and a job he treats as niscing on his time announcing I’m going to tell you something tions. family,” Swope said. “These a throne.” Morton’s high school sports on right now, our schools need to Sean Swope, running for are the basic fundamental Swope’s competitor, Com- the radio. reopen, plain and simple.” county commissioner district rights, and yet we see how easily missioner Edna Fund, didn’t The rally’s loosely-planned Jackson assured attendees 1, delivered a more theatrical they’ve been surrendered.” focus on the Second Amend- parade did not end up happen- that he and his fellow county speech on the topic, referencing Although not directly refer- ment as much as other speakers. ing, although a raffle did take commissioners are “pushing the 1995 film “Braveheart” and encing the Second Amendment, Instead, Fund used much of her place. Several items were given this idea very strongly” with characterizing COVID-19 re- Swope told Morton residents to time appealing to Morton voters away, including Trump gear Lewis County Public Health strictions as an erosion of free- be ready to “fight.” by emphasizing her connection and a “make liberals cry” T- and Social Services, which is dom. “We need to be prepared to to the community, challeng- shirt. The Weather Almanac 5-Day Forecast for the Lewis County Area River Stages National Map Gauge Flood 24 hr.