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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
October 11, 2012     Shelton Mason County Journal
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October 11, 2012
 
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Journal photos by Natalie Johnson The 229-acre Powerline 2 Fire started as a 5-acre brush fire near Rainbow Lake on Thursday. At right, Dave LaFave, incident commander with Washington Incident Management Team 3, shows the progression of the fire on Saturday evening at a public meeting on the fire at Mason County PUD 3. Fire Continued from page A-1 to the fire. The Mason County Sheriff's office advised .... The team brought in residents of about 25 201 people, 35 engines homes near Rainbow Lake from throughout the state, to evacuate Thursday. one bulldozer, two water The American Red tenders and two helicop- Cross opened a shelter ters. for evacuees at the Mason By Saturday, the fire County PUD 3 building onhad grown to 229 acres. Johns Prairie Road. That night, members of By Friday morning the the public were invited to fire had grown to 150 attend a public meeting at acres and the manage- the Mason County PUD 3 ment team took over ef- building on Johns Prairie forts to control the fire. Road, to discuss fire sup- pression effb~ts ...... "I think this is the first ,T 7 MAN KL LUHIIER ARE CLOSEI) TO HUNTING AND RECRi,:ATIONAL IJSE I)IJF, TO I,:XTREMF FIRE DANGFR UNTIL FURTIIEig NOTICE MANKI Lumber Company, Inc "BUTCHER' Locker Packs Available Locally Owned Accepting EBT PRICES EFFECTIVE 10-10 to 10-16 Bone-In Rib Steak V Lb :::: ~> • Boneless Pork Jumbo Whole % g time we held a public meet- ing where we can point out the window and say, 'Look, there's the fire,'" said Dale Warriner, public informa- tion officer for the man- agement team. LaFave said the fire moved quickly and was driven by wind as well as very dry conditions. "The work we have to do here isn't over by any means," he said. On Saturday evening, the fire was 70 percent contained. By Monday morning, that number was up to 85 percent. On Sunday night, crews used an infrared heat-de- tecting device to identify areas still smoldering. The DNR's Work Camp Program brought 55 adult and 10 juvenile offenders to the area to work 14-16 hour shifts on the fire line. They also worked to cook meals for the more than 200 fire- fighters who worked to extinguish the fire since Oct. 4. In addition to~ Mason County fire districts and the DNR, Thurston and Grays Harbor counties also sent firefighters to fight the fire. The Bonn- eville Power Administra- tion, the Green Diamond Resource Company and Manke Timber Company also sent personnel to help control the fire. LaFave praised these initial responders during Saturday's meeting. "This fire could have been a lot bigger ... it could have caused a lot more damage," he said. "If you're going to thank somebody, let's make sure and thank the lo- cal firefighters that are here." LaFave gave Central Mason Fire & EMS chief Tim McKern a plaque for "recognition of excel- lence" for the district's response. "What they did was a hell of a job," LaFave said. The cause and exact ori- gin of the fire is under in- vestigation. Journal photo by Natalie Johnson Judge James Dixon of Thurston County Superior Court sentenced Stephan R.C. Churchill, 29, to261 months, or 21.75 years in prison. Sentenced Continued from page A-1 the true impact of what you did and what you put me through," she said. Oppelt urged Churchill to take responsibility for his actions and find a personal faith in God while in prison. Morrow's father, JeffMorrow, also spoke during the hearing. "He was my only child," he said. '~rhe Morrow fam- ily ends with me now when I die." Morrow said his son was starting to overcome his addictions and make a fresh start. "He was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel," he said. '~ou took a baseball bat to what should have been a fistfight." Churchill's attorney Brian Hershman, of Tacoma, spoke on behalf of his client. "I want you to know who we're sentencing,', he said. Hershman said Churchill is not a "remorseless so- ciopath," and felt truly sorry for what he had done. He said hi~ client's actions were largely the result of an addiction to opiates and heroin. "I had an opportunity to get involved in this case soon after it happened. I got to see a young man detoxing," he said. '%Ie's a good boy. He did something horrible." Churchill also made a brief statement to the court, in which he apologized to Morrow's family. "I cannot and will not make excuses for my actions," he said. "I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart. I never meant to take somebody's life." Churchill said he pleaded guilty because of Oppelt's letter to him. "Ill try to make the best of my life when and if I'm released from prison," he said. Judge James Dixon of Thurston County presided over the hearing. Mason County Superior Court Judg- es Amber Finlay and Toni Sheldon recused themselves from the case. After Churchill's statement, Dixon was silent for several minutes. "It was my intention before I took the bench this morning to remind you or tell you a 10t of things that needed to be said," he said. "I'm not going to do that because Ms. Oppelt and Mr. Morrow did it for me." Dixon said he had never heard a more "reasoned and articulate statement" in a sentencing hearing than Oppelt's. Dixon imposed a sentence of 261 months, with an additional 36 months of comm/mity custody, as was recommended by both Mason County Prosecutor Mike Dorcy and Hershman. 'This small-town community is a victim of your crime," he said. ,ram These informative sessions offer simple steps to helpyou maintainyour health and independence. We'll cover: • "Prevent Falls with Good Vision" with Dk , ~% Kornmesser & Associates Optomet[y Learn how eyesight plays a role in preventing falls, as well as information on prevention and treatment of cataracts. g aucoma, diabetes and retinal disease. e r~ / "Eye Health Begins with Nutrition" with Wir t:'r ,u,o ; cu:tl!3 Benefits Marke: -Gain a deeper understanding of the benefits of eating well to being well and staying well, specifically the delicious foods that can help keep your eyes healthy. Winter will do cooking demonstrations with samples available tbr the audience. " "]]avelling & Oxygen Needs" with Care Medic: l - Come see the latest technology in oxygen equipment and learn how to addressyour oxygen, CPAP and respiratory needs while travelling. The day will include a variety of healthy snacks and a free raffle for a gift basket that includes a gift certificate to Healthy Benefits Market, ( For information or to RSVP. call Kathy Burbidge or Denise ludd at 360-628-9774. 1729 OLYMPIC HWY. N SHELTON • (360) 426 165E www:michaelsmeats net Mort-Sat 9.7, Sun 9-E Shelton-Mason County Journal -Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012 - Page A.7