Lewis County News April 12, 2023

Lewis County News

Covering rural communities in Southwest Washington since 1967

toledo School District faces budget shortfall

toledo Superintendent Chris Rust resigns

By Lynnette Hoffman

Red Desire opens in toledo

By Lynnette Hoffman

Red Desire is a new adult store at the Toledo/Vader Exit. Misty Callow, the new owner, is just fun to talk to. Writing a story about an adult toy store would not be easy, but Misty made it easy. I had the chance to go visit the store and she has things very tastefully displayed.

Opening the store was an easy decision for Misty, she stated, “I have been in the adult industry for years. I have had an online toy store going on almost 5 years. I was the manager of the old Kinxs that was in Chehalis and Kent for 2 years and when he (the owner) just up and closed the locations, a lot of people were upset because they would have to drive a lot more to get the toys. I knew I would be able to open a new and improved store in a new location and make it work for everyone.”

Opening in Toledo was an interesting choice, Misty said, “We picked this location for a few reasons. Mainly because of location, we are just about half way

from Centralia and Longview. With all the cities in between, it just makes for the perfect location.” Perfect location is right, she has easy access for everyone. She is next to Awaken Espresso and next to I-5.

Many people do not know what to expect when walking into an adult store, Misty continued, “People can expect respect from us and our employees. We are a judge free zone, so no matter what you are into we won't judge. We will greet every customer and do our very best to help you find the right item for you. We also offer an online store that everyone can shop at and have their stuff shipped to them and in private… Just for those who just can’t seem to bring themselves to stop in. You can check our facebook page or our Instagram page to find that online store.”

Misty will work with everyone who comes in the door, that is of course respectful, she stated, “We work with

Toledo Schools

Superintendent Chris Rust has announced his resignation at the end of the school year. Like many schools in the area, the Toledo School District will have to reduce forces in staff to be able to handle the district money shortfall. They also lost money on the Life Skills Program that serves other districts. The Lewis County News took the time to ask Superintendent Rust some questions.

In asking why the budget shortfall occurred, Rust stated, “the projected fund balance is below the 6-9% required by board policy. This is the result of a loss in LEA funds from the state due to increased property values in our district (40% increase). It is also due to the loss of federal ESSER grant funding which paid for many additional mental health staff and which has been supported by levy funds this year. Our regional Life Skills Program that serves students with complex needs experienced increased costs that were not addressed in our current contracts with client districts. Finally, inflation of 5.5% has had an impact on our budget this year as it has for consumers.”

Many schools saw a loss of students over the COVID years that impacted their budgets, Toledo was not one of those schools. Rust stated, “Toledo School District en -

rollment is currently 831 (811.8 FTE). This is an increase of 31 students from March, 2022.” An increase in students is always an increase in the budget.

The Toledo School Board has given a blanket approval to Superintendent Rust that gives him full authority to reduce staff in the amount of $700,000. Rust continued, “I requested and was granted authority to reduce staffing with the goal of reducing staffing costs by up to $700,000. This is the total amount that we need to reduce in expenditures to achieve a 6-9% fund balance. I do not believe that all of these savings will come from a reduction in force. Our team is working to find revenue sources and other ways to meet this challenge without reducing staffing. If we need to reduce staff, I need the board's authority to do that and there are specific timelines for that process required by our Collective Bargaining Agreements. Any reduction would take place in the 2023-24 school year.” There has been a rumor that some of the staff being reduced is the counselors, but Rust would not confirm or deny this.

The Life Skills Program is there to help students who need additional assistance in the classroom. While many schools have gone away from these programs and sent their students to other schools, Rust has a passion for the program. His passion is due to his

educational background. He stated, “The LifeSkills program is not a profit center. Our goal is to provide service at cost to our client districts. This year the district had unexpected costs associated with this program and our contracts are full year contracts, so mid-year fee increases are not possible. While we do not account separately for this program, the district had to absorb some costs. Fees for next year have been adjusted for 2023-24 contracts.”

Finally, Rust is leaving, he stated, “I am retiring at the end of June, 2023 after 35 years as a professional educator. It has been my great good fortune to have been able to serve the Toledo community over the past 8 years. I cherish the friendships that I have made and am proud of the things that our team has done during that time, not the least of which is the improved student test scores, high graduation rates, quality staff and a new high school. My wife and I will continue to reside in Toledo and enjoy our retirement in this beautiful location.” There have been other superintendents who have retired, but have maintained a consulting position with the school. We do not know if this will be the case for Toledo.

Toledo has some challenges ahead with their budget. The superintendent is leaving and will be making the decisions as to who will go.

Photo by Lynnette Hoffman Misty Callow showing off some of her lingerie offered in Red Desire.

It’s April and we are definitely getting April showers for May flowers. We are supposed to have nice weather this weekend but we saw the same thing last week, it turned to rain. Here is crossing our fingers for a few nice days on a weekend!

The Toledo Elementary School PTO is going to have a Mothers Day Bazaar on May 6 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. There will be several activities throughout the day including a book fair and bingo. More details to come.

The South County Chamber will be having a meeting on April 20 at the Napavine Diner in the back room. Featured guest will be City of Napavine Mayor Shawn O’Neill. Shawn has done an awesome job growing Napavine and listening to his citizens.

The Toledo Neighbors Program has been helping out a lot of people. They distribute food typically on Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at 5516 Jackson Hwy. There is a lot of food insecurity these days, so it is nice to see so many people helping others. Another group out there is Eagles Nest. They have a facebook page and distribute food in Winlock to all south county residents in need.

St. Frances on Spencer Rd. is planning a Mothers Day Boutique on May 5 and 6. Hand crafted goods only; lunch will be available to purchase. Put this on your calendar now!

Lewis County News

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Lewis County News is glad to print the views and interests of our readers and will accept letters to the editor, photographs, and community announcements received by email or post the Friday before publication. We will decline to print submissions which are inaccurate, misleading, anonymous, or for profit.

202B NE First St. • PO Box 10

Winlock, WA 98596

www.hometowndebate.com • 360-785-3151

Lewis County News

a Flannery Publication product

by Lynnette Hoffman 785-3151

Well, what happened to the beautiful weather we were supposed to get? Now it says next weekend. The weather apps today are as good as the forecasters, it’s all a crapshoot when you live in western Washington!

Jeanne Emmenegger was an incredible volunteer in Winlock, doing so many things. The one thing she will always be remembered for is the painting of the roosters around the City of Winlock. Her memorial is scheduled for April 22 at 2:00 p.m. at the Winlock Community Building. It will be a potluck event but if you can not afford to bring anything, please just show up to share memories.

The hearing for the City of Winlock who is suing the Lewis County Commissioners, Lewis County Boundary Review Board and the 64 residents in the UGA is this Friday at 9:30 a.m. on April 14 on the 4th floor of the Law and Justice Center. It stated that everyone listed is ordered to appear. The hearing will be heard by Judge Toynbee. This is Winlock’s attempt to permanently annex the entire UGA without a voice from the people. Two of our three Fire Commissioners are named in the suit as well.

Just found out the new apartments for Meyers Meadows are going to rent for almost $2,000 per month. This is the area that has several violations by the Department of Ecology that have not been fixed. Hopefully, new tenants will make sure all the violations are corrected as Mr. Webster has still not cleared these violations up!

Hats off to the Rowdy Rooster, if you just want to sit and visit with a cup of coffee, they are awesome. Had the opportunity to enjoy a cola with a friend and I enjoyed every minute of it!

“In

to t he Editor

We need to fight

To the residents of the UGA,

We the residents of Winlock, who have signed the petition invoking the Boundary Review Board, are being sued by the city of Winlock.

Even though the suit claims no wrongdoing by us citizens, it is imperative

each respondent contact me immediately if we have not yet spoken. We are working with an Attorney on our behalf to fight City Hall.

Fighting the city has occurred in the past whereas the citizens have won.

My p hone number is 360.508.3019

Kathy Chastain Winlock UGA

Crane Truck for Sale

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MAY ONLINE EQUIPMENT CONSIGNMENT AUCTION

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May Auction is a great time to buy and sell hay making equipment!

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Delivery starts again on Saturday, April 29th and goes thru Wed., May 5th.

Delivery of Tractors, Trailers, Trucks, Cars, Dirt working equipment, hay making implements, farm implements, good cattle handling equipment (panels, gates, feeders, water troughs, squeeze chutes) new bundled lumber, new metal, new wire, quality welders and generators accepted thru Sat., April 29th thru Wed May,

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desire

Continued from page 1 everyone to a point just to make sure everyone has a great experience and doesn't leave unhappy. We offer toys, lube, enhancements for all, and lingerie. We also sell key chains, tumblers, cups, and other things made by a local Vader lady.”

Misty has a great sense

of humor, she was asked what are some of the things she offered, she stated, “Well that is something I can’t really say out loud. Lol. Seeing how younger people may end up reading this, I have to keep it clean. But I would say stop by and I can show you what we sell best.” You will have a fun conversation if you stop by, guaranteed!

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Work

Flannery News Group is a news-based media platform with ad sales. We cover southwest Washington. We have bases in Pacific and Lewis counties. We are looking for a dynamic personality (Type A) who has sick skills with working a room in person, online and by phone. You are upbeat and very social. You can work web and social media platforms. Working from home is possible. Pay structure is negotiable. Start by sending a resume to patm@flannerypubs. com. We will call you to set up a zoom interview.

People all have different reactions when it comes to an adult toy store. Misty has had different reactions from different people, she stated, “Most people are excited to have an adult toy store in this area and are hoping we stay around for years to come and of course I have the Karens and Kevins of the world that hate my store and some have even came to tell me that I am the devil because of my store and I just respond with at least we have better toys. [Laughing out loud]. I knew with opening my store I would have those that are excited and I know I would have haters. That really comes with any business. We aren’t going anywhere.”

If you have never been to an adult store, Misty says you are missing out, she continued,

“I would say you are really missing out. Everyone should own a BOB or a BOG. If you don't know what that means then you may be too young for my store.” You need to be at least 18 years old to enter the store. Misty continued, “Our store hours are Monday through Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., closed on Sundays, with hours changing in a few weeks. Once the weather warms up and kinda stays that way, we will start to stay open later. We also offer 15% off to all vets and senior citizens.”

While Red Desire is a new store in Toledo, Misty has been in the area for a few years and she is looking forward to meeting new customers. She opened a store that gives people different choices, stop by just to see what she is up to!