Embattled Centralia Travel Company Reopens Under New Name / Main 7 Weekend Edition Saturday, Matz Building Aug. 3, 2013 Lot Sold $1 Reaching 110,000 Readers in Print and Online — www.chronline.com / Main 4 Full Circle Homecoming On to Semifinals Local Man and a 1931 Ford Model A, Both Twin Cities Babe Ruth Teams Reunited After 26 Years / Life Advance in Centralia Tournament / Sports 1 Tuition Terrorism Scenario Freeze at SWAT Team Prepares for the Worst at Skookumchuck Dam Centralia College INCREASED FUNDING: Will Allow College to Restore Some Services Cut During Economic Downturn By Amy Nile [email protected] Centralia College students will see flat tuition rates and increased servic- es this fall, thanks to a tuition freeze coupled with increased state funding for the upcoming school year. The state Legislature in June in- creased higher-education funding and froze tuition rates at Washington’s community colleges and universities. The tuition freeze marks the first time that cost has remained flat since 1989. Lawmakers boosted higher edu- cation funding by 12 percent and di- rected colleges and universities to freeze tuition at the current rate for in-state stu- Pete Caster / [email protected] dents. Members of the Thurston County SWAT team walk back to their camp, near the Skookumchuck Dam, after a successful practice mission. The State Board Steve Ward for Community and vice president By Lisa Broadt the rest of the 18-operator team Technical Colleges ex- of finance and tended the flat tuition administration [email protected] spilled out of a white van and se- cured the structures near the dam. rates to nonresident The Thurston County Re- One disaster resolved, the students attending Centralia College gional SWAT team assembles team launched into another: in and other public two-year colleges in once a month, often in a remote this scenario, the suspect es- Washington. Centralia College Vice President location, to resolve a variety of caped into the woods. simulated catastrophes. of Finance and Administration Steve From a distance, the cam- Ward said the state added more than On Tuesday, it was an armed ouflaged team heading into the terrorist who had comman- $500,000 for the upcoming year to woods could have been an elite Centralia College’s operating budget — deered the Skookumchuck Dam. army group headed back to Joint From 310 yards away, the the first increased funding in five years. Base Lewis-McChord. “We’re able to start replacing some team’s three snipers fired their .308 And in many ways, the team rifles, and, in succession, set a met- of the services we lost,” he said. is similar to such a unit; its The economic downturn resulted al target — a representation of the members are disciplined, they armed suspect — swinging wildly. Members of the Thurston County SWAT team pile into their van and head in lower state tax revenues over the back to camp for a lunch break during a practice session on Tuesday. The deranged gunman down, please see SWAT, page Main 16 please see TUITION, page Main 16 Little Miss Friendly Finalists Introduce Themselves ‘LIVING LOGO’: The Five themselves to the community Friday afternoon. The Little Miss Finalists Spent Friday Friendly candidates handed out Afternoon Meeting Locals, stickers and pencils at the Historic Handing Out Stickers Lewis County Farmers Market and the Babe Ruth baseball tour- By Kyle Spurr nament at Fort Borst Park. [email protected] Four girls from Chehalis and one from Winlock will vie for The five finalists to become Madison Mencke Cameron Sheets Cami Aldrich Laney Barker Emily Mills MaKayla Mencke the Little Miss Friendly cape. the 46th living logo of the South- Little Miss 8, Chehalis 9, Chehalis 10, Chehalis 10, Winlock 9, Chehalis Friendly 2012 west Washington Fair introduced please see FRIENDLY, page Main 16 The Chronicle, Serving The Greater Weather Homeless Connect Deaths Lewis County Area Since 1889 TONIGHT: Low 54 Lewis County Boone, Mary Margaret Follow Us on Twitter TOMORROW: High 82 (La Pointe), 79, @chronline Partly Cloudy Holds First Centralia see details on page Main 2 Summer Daniele, Marian Louise, Find Us on Facebook 85, Centralia www.facebook.com/ Weather picture by Project Logan, Cleo Janice, 68, thecentraliachronicle Roxey Zion, Fifth Grade, Homeless Morton Onalaska Elementary Connect Event Pugh, Edythe Ruth (Bruner), 75, / Main 6 Redding, Calif. MAKE FANTASTIC HAIR A FAMILY TRADITION. Fantastic Sams - Chehalis • 1549 NW Louisiana Avenue, 360-740-4775 Fantastic Sams - Lacey • 4660 Whitman LN #D, 360-493-1751 M-Thur 10 to 8, Fri 9 to 8 Sat 9 to 6, Sun 10 to 6 M-Thur 10 to 7, Fri 9 to 7, Sat 9 to 6, Sun 11 to 5 Adult Cut th Kids Haircut $ $ 10.00 10 Anniversary 8.00 CH503326bw.db Professional Haircut SPECIAL! Professional Haircut Expires 8/15/2013. No appointment necessary. Not valid with any other ofer. Expires 8/15/2013. Kids through age 12. No appointment necessary. Not valid with any other ofer. Valid only at Chehalis and Lacey location. Valid only at Chehalis and Lacey location. FREE WITH EVERY HAIRCUT. Most salons independently owned and operated. ©2013 Fantastic Sams Franchise Corporation www.FantasticSams.com Main 2 The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, Wash., Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013 COMMUNITY CALENDAR / WEATHER Community Editor’s Best Bet ‘The Ties That Bind’ Coming to Roxy Theater in Morton Centralia College East and able online at www.Morton- the Fire Mountain Arts Council Roxy.org and at the BCJ Gal- Calendar are presenting original musical lery and Centralia College East. Today theater, “The Ties That Bind: A Tickets, $11 for adults and $6 for WHAT’S HAPPENING? Recollection of Bygone Days,” children, will be available at the which commemorates the cen- door. Mossyrock Blueberry If you have an event you tennial of incorporation of the The performance will evoke Festival Rolls On would like included in the city of Morton. memories of Morton activities Community Calendar, please Fitting to the story itself, per- focused on family ties with Lewis County residents look- email your information to formances will be held at the special reference to the im- ing to soak up local culture and [email protected]. 1930s era Roxy Theater in down- portance of railroad ties that produce can enjoy the Blueberry Include a daytime telephone town Morton. Opening night is brought the community to- Festival in Mossyrock today and number where you can be tonight at 7 p.m. Performances gether. This quasi-historical reached. Sunday. The festival has expand- continue on Sunday with a 2 retrospective celebrates ear- ed this year from a one-day af- For questions about calendar items, call Doug p.m. matinee and Tuesday and ly 20th century local events fair to an entire weekend . Wednesday at 7 p.m. The fol- through song, dance, romance, Named for one of East Lewis Blosser at The Chronicle, (360) 807-8238. lowing weekend, which is the explosions and croquet. County’s predominant crops, the weekend of the Morton Loggers The audience is invited to festival will be rich with blueber- Jubilee, the performances will be dress in period costume for the ries and a whole lot more. Events submarines and in the Seabees, on Saturday, Aug. 10, at 7 p.m. world premiere of this original include a 5K trail race, a car show, will be keynoter at the 16th an- with the final performance on production on Aug. 3. Every live music, great food, a dog show, nual Vietnam Veterans Remem- Sunday, Aug. 11 at 2 p.m. audience will be encouraged to talent competition, a grand parade, brance Day today in Chehalis. Advanced tickets are $10 join in the singing of some of the vendor booths, and, of course, a The event, free to the public, adults; $5 children and are avail- old, familiar tunes. blueberry pie eating contest. begins at 11 a.m. at the Veterans For more information, visit Memorial Museum. It will rec- mossyrockfestivals.org. ognize all who served during the Vietnam War era. Regular excursion steam train ride Jackson Highway, Chehalis Freed also served several and museum tour, Mt. Rainier Scenic Dancing, Jack & the Roadrunners, SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Railroad, 10 a.m., 12:45 p.m. and 3:30 1:30-4:30 p.m., Swede Hall, Rochester, years in the reserves and 12 p.m. (barbecue meal with 3:30 p.m. ride), Events occur at Klickitat Prairie Park years in the Washington State (360) 807-1761, (360) 520-6518 unless otherwise indicated. Elbe-Mineral, (360) 492-5588, reserva- Chehalis-Centralia Railroad, coach tions (888) STEAM11 National Guard. trains, excursion to Milburn, 1 and 3 p.m., Saturday Recycling workshop, composting 1.25 hours, 1101 Sylvenus St., Chehalis, Tenino Farmers Market, 10 a.m.-3 basics and options, 10 a.m., Lewis Coun- 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. — Blueberry pancake 748-9593, www.steamtrainride.com p.m., Tenino Elementary School, (360) ty Solid Waste Transfer Station, 1411 S. breakfast at Assembly Church of God Community meal, 1-3 p.m., Rotary 515-0501 Tower Ave., Centralia, (360) 740-1212, Riverside Park, Centralia, free, spon- 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. — Car show – Mossy- Dancing, Country Four, 7-10 p.m., [email protected] sored by Jesus Name Pentecostal rock High School (registration at 8 a.m.) South Union Grange, 10030 Tilley Road Bagpipe music, 6 p.m., front lawn, Church, Chehalis, (360) 623-9438 10 a.m. — 5K Race crossing the Moss- S., Olympia, (360) 352-2135 White Pass Country Historical Museum, “The Ties That Bind: A Recollection yrock Dam (registration at 9 a.m. near Games Day, traditional and modern Packwood, (360) 494-4031 Hydrovista Lane) of Bygone Days,” 2 p.m., Roxy Theater, board games, card games, 1 p.m., Matrix Walking tour of downtown Packwood, Morton, advance tickets, $10 adults, $5 10 a.m.