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The Lewis County Beekeepers' Association is holding a beginning beekeeping class later this spring, and registration is currently available.

Scheduled five sessions at the Centralia College Student Center starting Feb. 28, the class will cover topics such as: Basic bee biology, equipment & apiary setup, seasonal management processes, identifying & managing pests & diseases, honey harvesting and over-wintering Bees.

Worms can eat a large amount of the food waste people throw out, and provide fertilizer for household plants and outdoor gardens. Come learn how worms work their magic at a class at 6 p.m., Jan. 20, at Fort Borst Park, in Centralia.

"We want to offer people the instructions and tools to start worm composting right away," explained Melanie Case, recycling program coordinator for the Lewis County Solid Waste Utility, which is putting on the program in conjunction with the WSU/Lewis County Master Recycler Composter (MRC) volunteers.

The Cowlitz Indian Tribe and Vision: Toledo have begun coordinating efforts to relocate an eagle statue in Gospodor Park to downtown Toledo, possibly in the next few months.

In light of the continued deterioration of the monuments at the park, which were built by late Seattle resident Dominic Gospodor in 2000 on 10 acres just south of Exit 63, the tribe, who acquired the property after Gospodor's death in 2010, decided it would be best to begin relocating the structures to entities able to preserve them.

Area volunteers are preparing for the first anniversary of Clean Up the Coop, a community organization dedicated to beautifying and improving the city of Winlock.

Organized by member of the Winlock Lions Club in late 2013, the group's first cleanup day was held in February of last year, with efforts expected to be bolstered for next month's projects.

International missionary Don Richardson has been scheduled to speak at the Christian Fellowship of Winlock this Sunday and the public is invited to attend.

Canadian-born, Richardson graduated from Prairie Bible Institute and Wycliffe Bible Translators' linguistics training, and from 1962 to 1977, served with his family in Papua New Guinea among the Sawi, a Stone-Age cannibal-headhunter tribe.

Toledo Mayor Jerry Pratt selects a ticket for local resident Johanna Jones on Jan. 5 during the annual drawing of ToledoTel's food bank fundraiser. For every donation of $5 or five food items, an individual received one ticket in the drawing, and it was reported ToledoTel raised $450 and 105 food items for the Toledo Food Bank.

Wednesday is the Women's Club monthly luncheon meeting at noon in Pioneer Hall. Members bring additions for the salad bar and desserts to be enjoyed by all. The meeting follows lunch. All women are invited to enjoy an afternoon of fun, food and fellowship.

Friday night's menu at the Cafe will be Slow-Cooked Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy. The dinner includes beverage, salad, side dishes along with ice cream for dessert. All for $9! Call Linda at (360) 295-0875 to make reservations.

Mailbox theft jumps in January. Avert ID theft, get a PO Box today.

Toledo New Life now collecting coats, blankets and sleeping bags through Jan. 23 for delivery to the homeless and needy Jan. 24. Drop off donations 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Wednesday - Friday. Visit www.toledo-new-life.com/events/ or call (360) 864-4366.

City Hall has approved another year of services from the Lewis County Sheriff's Office, with plans ongoing to discuss a three-year agreement for the long term. Rates per hour of patrols and emergency calls went up from $55 per hour to $65 per hour, in line with increases seen across the county. Officials are expected to reduce funds elsewhere in the general budget to make up the difference, with Mayor Ken Smith stating he feels the city continues to receive top-notch service from the Sheriff's office. If a three-year agreement is struck, stated Smith, the city would then pay a flat fee to the Sheriff's Office rather than per-hour charges, ensuring stability in funding for both parties.

Here we are again, one game away from the Super bowl. The Seahawks are playing great and keeping all of their fans on their toes. If you have ever been to Seattle when the Seahawks play you know it's a crazy place to be. Seahawk fans are some of the most loyal fans in the NFL. They proudly wear their 12th man jerseys, paint their face and scream as loud as possible. If you live in the town and are not going to the game, good luck on getting out of there. I can remember one day sitting downtown in my car for almost 2 hours then I kicked myself for not going to the game. The way the Seahawks have been playing they deserve a trip to the Super bowl, go Hawks...Show The Packers why we are the best!!

The Rice sisters at Toledo High School have become a fixture on the basketball court for the Lady Indians over the last couple of years, but now, Casee and Chaselin are looking straight into the light at the end of the high school tunnel.

We will feature a story on Casee in a few weeks, but Chaselin has her own independent set of goals for her post high school plans.

Castle Rock wrestling performed well in front of the home crowd on Saturday in the Jim Bair Invitational hosted by Castle Rock High School.

The Rockets entered two teams into the competition with the "A" team winning the crown with 191 points. Woodland was second with 168. Shawn Godinho, Austin Darvell and A.J. Lien were individual champions at 152, 182 and 285 pounds respectively. Kaleb Carroll, Alex Langdon, Ben Patrick all had second place finishes while C.J. Baker claimed a bronze medal.

A rundown of recent local games for the week of Jan. 14.

On Jan. 4, troopers in Lewis County were called to a two-vehicle collision on SR 12 involving a passenger car and semi-truck.

The driver of the passenger car, Jay Sume, of Randle, was fatality injured when the vehicle he was driving crossed the center line, impacting the front of the semi-truck. The cause of the collision is still under investigation.

Lewis County Fire District 15 is looking for ways they can reduce the number of non-emergency transports their EMTs carry out, with officials stating they feel some users of state insurance are abusing the system.

Reported during the District's Board of Commissioners' meeting on Jan. 8, Commissioner Randy Pennington said he has begun speaking with state legislators to learn if their EMTs are able to deny transport to patients on state healthcare without critical injuries, stating other care providers allow them to do so.

Acting Chief Mike Dorothy (left) and Captain Tracy Summers (right), with Lewis County Fire District 2, place signs last week promoting an EMS levy to be proposed to local voters during the Feb. 10 Special Election. The levy, intended to replace an expiring levy of $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed value, received wide community support when it was previously approved, and Dorothy said he is optimistic voters will again support their local EMS services.

Olympia - Governor Jay Inslee has designated Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015 as AMBER Alert Day in Washington.

January 13 has been designated as National AMBER Alert Day in recognition of the date that Amber Hagerman was abducted from Arlington Texas and discovered murdered days later. The AMBER Alert System was developed in response to her abduction in Texas and spread nationally. There have been over 730 successful recoveries of abducted children nationally as a direct result of the AMBER Alert System.

A new year brings many resolutions. Eating healthier, exercising more or even frowning less! Have you thought about the unhealthy lifestyle your vehicle may be living? Now is the time to check your vehicle for proper functionality!

Whether a flat tire, overheated engine or broken engine belt, many Washington State motorists find themselves dealing with mechanical problems when traveling every year. Some even find their travels take an unexpected turn into wintery weather. There are a few things you can do to make your travels less stressful in 2015.