VOTE SOON! Greens Flourish at Toledo’s Never Winter Farm / Life 1 $1 2019 Early Week Edition Tuesday, CH Voting Begins May 16Chronline.com and ends May 28Serving our communities since 1889 — www.chronline.com May 14, 2019 Two Airlifted United Dominates Driver and Passenger Seriously Injured After Boys Beat Forks to Take District Title /Sports Vehicle Hits Median, Flips /Main 3 Nearly 50 Onalaska Man Sentenced to Over 23 Years for Wife’s Murder Lewis County By Cody Neuenschwander months for one count of first- [email protected] degree murder with 112 days of credit for time already served — Residents File Bruce Reed, an Onalaska was an agreed recommendation man who pleaded guilty to between Deputy Prosecutor Monday For shooting and killing his wife in Paul Masiello and Reed’s attor- January, was sentenced Monday ney Kevin Nelson. Public Office morning to more than 23 years He was to be sentenced on a in prison. range of 240 to 320 months in By Will Rubin A majority of the hearing prison. Masiello said the defen- [email protected] consisted of emotional state- dant had no criminal history to ments from the victim’s fam- speak of, other than some dated A trio of Centralia residents offenses. filed paperwork with the Lewis ily, who remembered her as an excellent nurse, mother, cousin Toynbee said he was tempt- County Auditor’s Office on ed to sentence Reed to the max- and sister. Cody Neuenschwander / [email protected] Monday, affirming their status imum sentence available, after as non-incumbent candidates The sentence imposed by Bruce Reed and his attorney Kevin Nelson at a hearing in Lewis County Superior for city council positions set to Judge Andrew Toynbee — 280 please see MURDER, page 11 Court on May 13, 2019. be on the ballot this fall. All three Centralia City Council terms expiring at the end of the year are at-large po- The Mountains on Mother’s Day sitions. Elizabeth Cameron and Steven Hubbard declared their candidacy Monday for the seat currently held by Joyce Barnes, who has chosen not to seek re- election. Former council mem- ber Ron Greenwood, who lost his seat in 2017 to Cameron Mc- Gee, has filed to run against Lee Coumbs, who currently serves as mayor. Centralia Councilor Peter Abbarno also wasted no time in filing to run for reelection on the first day of filing week, which runs through Friday af- ternoon. A trio of incumbent Chehalis City Council members also had confirmed their intent to seek another term as of 4:30 p.m. Monday afternoon: Terry Harris (Council District No. 1). Daryl Lund (District No. 2) and Isaac Pope (District No. 4). All told, 46 Lewis County residents filed to run for 42 of- fices on the first day they were allowed. A total of 163 positions are open this year, with many more filings expected before the close of business on Friday. “People are talking about how Alex Brown / [email protected] they don’t want our town to Mount Rainier and Spirit Lake are seen Sunday from the summit of Mount St. Helens. stagnate,” Greenwood said. “… I think we need to start looking at those people who have been Man Accused of Leading Deputies on High-Speed Chase Down Highway 12 in the background and bring in some new minds and bodies, By The Chronicle Lewis County the 3600 block of U.S. Highway ing westbound vehicles by us- while still working with those Deputies say an Olympia Jail, as of Mon- 12. ing the eastbound lanes, caus- who have been in power for a man sped down U.S. Highway day, on $25,000 The speeding vehicle — a ing eastbound traffic to have to long time. I think it’s time for 12, failing to stop for pursuing bail. 1998 Toyota Avalon — had leave the roadway to avoid a col- us to have more of the younger deputies and causing other ve- According passed another vehicle on a lision,” court documents read. please see OFFICE, page 11 hicles to go off the road to avoid to a probable double yellow line and on a Another deputy joined the collisions. cause affidavit, blind corner. chase and the Toyota slowed to Thomas S. Brannam, 27, was on Friday, a The deputy activated her 50 mph, but still didn’t stop, ac- charged with attempting to deputy clocked lights and sirens and gave chase, Follow Us on Twitter Thomas Brannam cording to documents. @chronline elude a pursuing police vehicle Brannam go- but Brannam allegedly failed to Spike strips were laid down and driving with a suspended ing 91 miles pull over. Find Us on Facebook license. He is being held in the per hour in a 55 mph zone in “The Toyota continued pass- please see CHASE, page 11 www.facebook.com/ thecentraliachronicle Public Health Director Moves On Fairgrounds Annexation Subscriber mailing label below this line Deaths Danette Centralia Goddard, Joanne, 81, York Moves Centralia Leaves Forward With County for Process to California Annex Land Job / Main 2 / Main 5 The Heat Wave is Coming! Heating - Cooling - Roofing 10% OFF UP TO $1400 & UP TO (SCHEDULE NOW!) $400 CASH BACK! (ASK FOR DETAILS) SERVING YOUR The Chronicle, 24/7 SERVICE CH597522bw.do Serving the Greater Lewis NEIGHBORS County Area Since 1889 MAINTENANCE SINCE 1962 CHEHASM252MH chehalissheetmetal.com 360-748-9221 Main 2 • The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, Wash., Tuesday, May 14, 2019 LOCAL Centralia City Council to Consider Advancing Fairgrounds Annexation VALUE: Property assessed at $3.15 Million, Annexation Would Cost Centralia in Water, Sewer By Will Rubin [email protected] The Centralia City Council is set to consider a resolution today advancing a process to an- nex a portion of the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds into its boundaries. The move follows a recom- mendation by the city’s planning commission. County officials submitted a petition in February 2018 ask- ing the city to take on the more than 45 acres of property sitting between its city limits and those of Chehalis. Doing so would lower the county’s water bill on the fairgrounds by about 30 per- cent since it would be subject to city rates. The fairgrounds are already serviced by Centralia water and sewer systems. Analysis performed by city staff show an expected annual loss of $31,696 in revenue from Will Rubin/[email protected] water and sewer charges should The Centralia City Council will discuss annexation of the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds into the city limits on Tuesday evening. the city council proceed with the annexation process. Utility taxes ners, so we’re certainly going to cal. We don’t receive any more over the annexed portion of The second condition would for cable, natural gas and tele- try to help them if we can.” special privileges or anything the fairgrounds from the Lewis be that the address for the fair- phone service would be levied, The council will not be mak- else like that.” County Sheriff’s Office. A 2006 grounds office be relocated to as would additional sources of ing a final determination on the The property carries an as- study showed no additional within Centralia city limits revenue such as lodging tax dol- annexation process on Tuesday. sessed value of $3.15 million and police resources would be re- within three months of annexa- lars from campground stays, but Once it clears the county review would be given an OSPF (Open quired to take on that responsi- tion. Not all portions of the fair- those are not expected to com- board, councilors will take an- Space/Public Facilities) zoning bility. City staff recommend in grounds are within the urban pletely offset the losses. “It obviously helps the county, other vote as to whether or not to designation if folded into city the agenda packet for Tuesday’s growth area in question — some or they wouldn’t be asking,” City approve an ordinance codifying limits. Lewis County PUD cur- meeting that, should the city individual buildings may well be Manager Rob Hill said. “That’s the annexation. rently provides power to the fair- council accept the resolution, it split between the Twin Cities. common sense. I think from our “They’re just like a business to grounds, a service which would do so subject to two conditions, “Technically, the kitchen of position, as staff bringing it to us,” said Community Develop- be picked up by Centralia City one of which is that the LCSO the Blue Pavilion would be in the council, the county has been ment Director Emil Pierson. “If Light. continue as the primary pub- Centralia, with the rest of the good partners with us on a num- it were a Safeway and they were The Centralia Police Depart- lic safety arm for the Southwest building in Chehalis,” said Fair- ber of projects, really good part- annexing in, it would be identi- ment would acquire jurisdiction Washington Fair each summer. grounds Manager Tamara Hayes. News in Brief citizens up there and the peo- Much of the state funding, in ad- morning at the Lions Theater. County Chooses Bidder ple that travel that every day. It dition to paying for construction Annual Rainier The first place prize is a schol- for North Fork Road will be a state-of-the-art county costs, helped with the acquisi- Independent Film arship for $1,441.10. project and a road for everyone tion of right of way. The county Filmmakers Gary Lun- Realignment Project to enjoy. It will make it very safe negotiated with about two-doz- Festival Announces dgren, Lukas Hassel, and By Alex Brown up there.” en property owners to get the Lineup Shawn-Caulin Young, all have [email protected] The project will realign land it needed to shift the road.