WHERE THERE’S SMOKE …
• Firefighters are gathering in the Boistfort Valley this morning to burn down a house. It’s a practice event, with a donated residence on the 100 block of Lost Valley Road, according to Lewis County Fire District 13. Chief Gregg Peterson says they expect to wrap up about 3 o’clock this afternoon.
PARKS, GUNS AND THE LAW
• Chehalis police were called about 7:25 p.m. on Wednesday to Recreation Park about a man with a gun. It turns out the city of Chehalis has a ban on carrying firearms in city parks, but it’s not enforceable. The officer was caught a little of guard, Chehalis Police Department Chief Glenn Schaffer said. When the officer arrived to the 200 block of Southwest 13th Street, a citizen had pulled up the city’s municipal code on their phone and showed it to him, Schaffer said. “We hadn’t dealt with it in so long, we didn’t realize it was still on the books,” he said. There was a time when it was prohibited, he said, but court rulings in a Seattle case a few years back made it clear cities don’t have the authority to ban guns in parks, he said. The chief said he was going to talk with the city attorney right away and get the ordinance repealed. In the past, the offense was a misdemeanor. “They didn’t arrest him, they did the right thing,” Schaffer said. “Just had a conversation.”