Centralia Chronicle

The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the apparent homicide of a 49-year-old Olympia man on Friday, July 3. A suspect, a 29-year-old Olympia man, died following a medical emergency shortly after his arrest in Longview. The Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office is investigating the circumstances around the suspect’s death. “Our thoughts are with those who have been impacted by this tragedy,” the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office said in a July 4 news release.

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• HOLLIS K. LEE, 67, Winlock, died June 21 at University of Washington Medical Center. Arrangements are under the care of Cattermole Funeral Home. • MITCHELL K. DAVIS, 38, Toledo, died June 25 at his residence. Arrangements are under the care of Cattermole Funeral Home. • MICHAEL W. BUE, 72, Chehalis, died June 26 at his residence. Arrangements are under the care of Cattermole Funeral Home. • NANCY L. KORDOSKY, 86, Centralia, died June 27 at Silver Acres III Adult Family Home.

The Pe Ell School District Board of Directors has appointed district business manager Bobby McCalden as acting superintendent. The appointment was made during the board’s Monday special meeting. McCalden said the district is working with Northwest Leadership Associates to hire an interim superintendent for the 2026-2027 school year. McCalden assumes the temporary position from Kyle MacDonald, who recently resigned.

Posted Friday, July 3, 2026 3:20 pm Children rely on their parents and tasty food to get everything they need to grow healthy and strong. Lewis County hopes to help parents find a great way to make creative and tasty meals as affordably as possible. Lewis County Public Health and Social Services hosted a special event this week for county employees. The event intended to teach them about the Women, Infants and Children benefits program, or WIC.

Posted Friday, July 3, 2026 3:15 pm Nearly four years after he was first elected, a former political newcomer now finds himself the incumbent in a packed race for Lewis County commissioner in District 3, which includes most of East Lewis County and a wide swath of the southern portion of the county. Scott Brummer, a Republican, now carries the experience of a one-term county commissioner, but he insists he represents the same values he championed as a candidate when he first ran.

Lewis County sheriff’s deputies arrested three fugitives on Monday who had allegedly escaped community custody and were hiding out in a Winlock property off Tennessee Road. Brian W. Buckman, 33, of Aberdeen, was apprehended with the help of K9 Hector and Centralia Police Officer Daniel Cox after he allegedly attempted to hide in a thicket near the home. According to court documents, Buckman is on lifetime community supervision for a conviction of second-degree rape of a child.

CENTRALIA POLICE DEPARTMENT Nuisance violation • Christina Dukes, 37, Centralia, was issued a criminal citation for allegedly loitering for drug-intended purposes on city property and consuming narcotics in the 100 block of South Pearl Street at about 2:03 p.m. July 2.

The Friends of the Packwood Timberland Library are hosting a silent auction to raise funds for the 2027 summer library programs. The auction began Saturday, June 27, and will run until July 25, when winners will be awarded their items at the Friends’ table at the Packwood Saturday Market. Residents must be present to win, and only cash or checks are accepted.

Imagine being told you have to leave your home, perhaps forever. You only have a couple of hours to pack, and you can only take what fits in your car. Calista Christiansen, a seventh-grader from the Columbia River Gorge community of Lyle, didn’t have to imagine. That’s what happened to her, her family and her neighbors last summer when the Burdoin Fire burned through the community, destroying 14 homes and threatening more than 250 others, including her own.