Tigers’ First Win Hoarded Cats Centralia Runs Away With Kitty Kat Haven Nursing 89-64 Nonleague Victory Over Felines Back to Health, Hoquiam Grizzlies / Sports 1 Looking for Homes / Main 4 Cooking $1 With Local Midweek Edition Thursday, Ingredients Dec. 12, 2013 / Life 1 Reaching 110,000 Readers in Print and Online — www.chronline.com Taxable Dog-Sized Oxygen Masks Retail Saving Pets Available to Firefighters Sales Spike RETURN: Sales Returning to Pre- Recession Levels By Lisa Broadt [email protected] State taxable retail sales have nearly recovered to second quarter 2008 levels, when they last topped $29 billion dollars. Statewide sales, from April 1 to June 30 of this year, are 8.3 percent higher than what was reported in the sec- ond quarter last year, accord- ing to a report released by the Washington State Depart- ment of Revenue. Construction, e-com- merce, and car sales were among the most changed, with e-commerce showing 22.1 percent growth. Locally, Lewis County re- ports a 6.4 percent increase, Chehalis reports a 6.1 per- cent increase and Centralia Pete Caster / [email protected] please see SALES, page 9 Hurley, a 5-year-old standard poodle, shows a concerned look while having an animal rescue oxygen mask put on his snout at the Littlerock Fire Station on Wednesday afternoon. ‘PROJECT BREATHE’: Centralia National Company Man Invisible Fence Aims to Equip Every Fire Pinned By Department With Pet- Sized Oxygen Masks His Own By Stephanie Schendel [email protected] Vehicle LITTLEROCK — When a firefighter carried Scooter, an 8-year-old shih tzu, out of a POLICE: Icy Roads smoke-filled trailer in Grand Result in Crashes Mound last May, she was limp in the man’s arms and not By Stephanie Schendel breathing. [email protected] The dog’s owner said later that she knew for certain her pet A Centralia man sus- was dead. tained only minor injuries One of the West Thurston after his 2000 Dodge Neon Fire Authority firefighters, how- rolled several times down ever, placed a small, child-sized an embankment off of In- oxygen mask on the dog. With- terstate 5 and came to rest in a minute, Scooter lifted her on top of him after he was head and was able to breathe on ejected from the vehicle early her own. Tuesday morning. Pippa, a 2-year-old half-French, half-English bulldog, sits next to three diferent sizes of animal rescue oxygen masks that were The story of the West part of a large donation by Northwest Invisible Fence to the West Thurston County Fire District on Wednesday afternoon at please see CRASHES, page 9 please see PETS, page 9 the Littlerock Fire Station. The Chronicle, Serving The Greater Weather Big Bust Deaths Lewis County Area Since 1889 TONIGHT: Low 36 Meth, Heroin Recovered; Peters, Wallace W., 61, Follow Us on Twitter TOMORROW: High 45 / Main 3 Winlock @chronline Few showers Brothers Arrested Bluhm, Arthur W., 82, see details on page Main 2 Napavine Find Us on Facebook Jerke, Marilyn Joan, 74, www.facebook.com/ Mossyrock Weather picture by Parker thecentraliachronicle Aldrich, third grade, Onalaska Johnson, Nora (Stiltner), 92, Centralia CH511265cz.cg Main 2 The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, Wash., Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013 COMMUNITY CALENDAR / WEATHER Community Editor’s Best Bet ‘The Nutcracker’ Coming to Corbet Theatre Calendar Washington Dance Center and children Thursday, Dec. 12 and adults from the WHAT’S HAPPENING? Open mic, 6:30 p.m., Matrix Coffeehouse, Che- Lewis County area. halis, (360) 740-0492 If you have an event you Local performers Clarissa Gifford, noon-1 p.m., Jeremy’s Cafe, 576 would like included in the with lead roles are W. Main St., Chehalis, (360) 748-4417 Community Calendar, please Scott Middleton as Basket making class, with Carolyn Snedigar, email your information to Heir Drosselmeier; 11 a.m., White Pass County Museum, 12999 U.S. [email protected]. Mark and Sandra Young Highway 12, Packwood, (360) 494-4422 or (360) Include a daytime telephone as Mr. and Mrs. Staul- 494-4031 number where you can be baum; and Trent Vlach Festival of Trees, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Barbara Clev- reached. enger Johnson Gallery, Morton as Mother Ginger. Emma There is no charge for these Stehr and Josey Rosbach listings. share the role of Clara. Public Agencies For questions about Dancing principal roles Centralia Planning Commission, 6 p.m., coun- calendar items, call Doug are: Anna Scheibmeir, Vic- cil chambers, City Hall, 118 W. Maple St., Centralia, Blosser at The Chronicle, (360) 807-8238. toria Rodriguez, Gideon (360) 330-7671 Southwest Newkirk, Madison Hall, Centralia College Board of Trustees, 3 p.m., Han- son Boardrooms, Hanson Administration Building, Washington Dance Center’s per- Tressa Coultard, Marisa Hall, Centralia College, (360) 736-9391, ext. 231 forming company, Southwest Ciara Kimball, Tanner Calder, Washington Dance Ensemble, RuthAnn Swart, Julia Dallas, Libraries school ASB office or at the door, (360) 807-7235 will present its 18th annual pro- Kaitlin Davis and Christina Hill. Book Babies, for babies 12-24 months, 11 a.m., Oregon Trail music and dancing, open mic duction of the full-length holi- Ticket prices are $22 for Centralia with Side Kicks Band, 7 p.m., Cowlitz Prairie Grange, (360) 864-2023 day classic, “The Nutcracker,” adults, $15 for seniors (62 and Junior PageTurners book group for kids, for Dec. 13-15 at Corbet Theater on up) and children 18 and under. children grades 1-3, “Listen to the Wind,” by Greg Pinochle tournament, 1 p.m., Twin Cities Mortenson, 3:30 p.m., Tenino Senior Center the Centralia College campus. Tickets are available online at The Knitting Circle, for adults, 4 p.m., Salkum Potato and taco salad bar, open to every- Performance times will be swwdance.org or by stopping by one, $6, 4:30-7 p.m., Olequa Senior Center, 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 13, 2 p.m. and the dance center at 455 N. Mar- Winlock, (360) 785-4325 7:30 p,m on Dec. 14, and 1 p.m. ket Blvd., Chehalis, or by calling Organizations Bob Garcia and Melodies Recycled Band, and 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 15. (360) 748-4789. Bucoda Rebekah Lodge 144, 7 p.m., Bucoda 7-9:30 p.m., Twin Cities Senior Center, $5, (360) The 2013 production of “The After Dec. 8, tickets will only Oddfellows Community Center, 202 S. Main, Bu- 262-3041 Nutcracker” is under the di- be available online, at the box coda, (360) 273-9724 “Babes in Toyland,” by OnStage Children’s rection of Danielle Brosco and office of Corbet Theatre on the United Women in Business, 5:30 p.m., Kit Carson Theatre, 7 p.m., Roxy Theater, Morton, $8 pre- banquet room, Chehalis, (360) 388-5252 sales through Dec. 8, then $10, tickets available Russell Capps. The Dance En- campus of Centralia College 1-8 Chehalis-Centralia Cribbage Club, 6:30 p.m., online at www.mortonroxy.org, at the BCJ Gal- semble is made up of more than p.m. or by telephone. All seating Chehalis Moose Lodge, 1400 Grand Ave., Centralia, lery, next to the Roxy, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednes- 100 dancers from the Southwest is reserved. (360) 485-2852 day-Saturday or at the door, (360) 497-0208 Mary Lacy Chapter, Daughters of the American 80’s Enough, 9 p.m.-1 a.m., Scatter Creek Grill, Revolution, 10 a.m., St. John’s Lutheran Church, Lucky Eagle Casino, (360) 273-2000, ext. 301 Support Groups In lieu of an entrance fee, the Centralia 2190 Jackson Highway, Chehalis, September-May, Festival of Trees, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Barbara Clev- H.O.P.E., all addictions, 7:30-9 p.m., Heritage Downtown Association is asking partici- (360) 740-5899 enger Johnson Gallery, Morton Baptist Church of Tenino, 1315 Sussex Ave. E., Teni- pants and spectators to bring canned food Lewis County Writers, critique session, 5:30-7:30 Fort Borst Park Drive-Thru Light Display, Centra- no, (360) 480-0592, [email protected] to be donated to the Salvation Army. San- p.m., Matrix Coffeehouse, Chehalis, http://lewis- lia, 5-9 p.m., $3 or $2 with a can of food or new toy Life Recovery Group, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Dayspring ta’s helpers will be at the parade to take countywriters.wordpress.com/ donation Baptist Church, 2088 Jackson Highway, Chehalis, the canned food. The Centralia Down- (360) 748-3401 town Association, sponsors of the parade, Support Groups Libraries will deliver the donations to the Salvation Army. “Up From Grief,” for those grieving the loss of a Family Story Time, for all ages, 10 a.m., Salkum Saturday, Dec. 14 loved one, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Morton Community Youth PageTurners, for youths age 4-6, 3:30 Methodist Church, Fourth and Main, Morton, (360) p.m., Winlock 330-2640 Lighted Tractor Parade Rochester Group Hosting Parkinson’s Disease Support Group (Chehalis Shakers), 1 p.m., Bethel Church, Kirkland Road, Che- Organizations Coming to Centralia Breakfast halis, go to left and enter at rear of church, (360) The Rochester Scholarship Association 740-5556 Skookumchuck I.O.O.F. Lodge 129, 7:30 p.m., Bu- The fourth annual Lighted Tractor Pa- coda Oddfellows Community Center, 202 S. Main rade will fill the streets of downtown Cen- is sponsoring a Santa's Breakfast. Overeaters Anonymous, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Im- It will be held at Rochester High School, manuel Lutheran Church,1209 N. Scheuber Road, St., Bucoda, (360) 273-3604 tralia with vintage and modern tractors, Centralia, (360) 736-9268 Lewis County Writers critique session, antique trucks and construction equip- 19800 Carper Road, Rochester.