Local News
Providence Swedish Acquires Olympia Obstetrics and Gynecology
Puget Sound hospital network Providence Swedish has acquired Olympia Obstetrics and Gynecology after the two groups had already been exploring ways to work collaboratively together, according to a …
Centralia College Foundation to Host Night of Celebration
The Centralia College Foundation will celebrate all of its 2023 distinguished alumna award winners at a special event on Thursday, June 15, in the Rose Bowman Rotary Banquet Rooms in the TransAlta …
Centralia College Choir Performing for Free June 8 at College’s Corbet Theater
The Centralia College Music Department will hold the second of four free concerts this month, according to choir director Cheryl Gorton.  Scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 8, …
Free Fishing Weekend in Washington Set for June 10-11
The annual free fishing weekend in Washington state is set for June 10-11. But new restrictions that take effect this year will limit the species that can be caught without a fishing license. …
Thurston County Coroner Identifies Man Fatally Shot at Interstate 5 Rest Area at Maytown
An Illinois man who died Tuesday when he was shot at an Interstate 5 rest stop in Thurston County has been identified. Carl Steven Ekstrom, 62, died at the southbound Maytown Rest Area near …
Washington Man’s Body Recovered Near Summit of Mount Rainier After He Collapsed and Died 
A 41-year-old Bremerton man participating in a guided climb on Mount Rainier on Wednesday morning collapsed and could not be resuscitated.  He was declared dead at the scene and his body …
Riffe Lake Accessibility Still Limited as Boat Launch Opens for Season; Mossyrock Mayor Expresses Frustration
When Tacoma Public Utilities, formerly Tacoma City Light, completed the Mayfield and Mossyrock dams on the Cowlitz River for hydropower in the 1960s, the community was promised nice lakes for boating …
‘Pinchot Pete’ Krabbe, Chairman of Forest Co-Op, Commissioner Candidate Dies in Motorcycle Crash
Chairman of the Pinchot Partners Board of Directors and former candidate for Lewis County commissioner Pete D. Krabbe died in a motorcycle crash on state Route 508 west of Morton Thursday.   …
No-Till Drill Seeding Machines Now Available to Rent at Farm Store Thanks to Lewis County Conservation District Program
Farming is a way of life in Lewis County, and the Lewis Conservation District is looking to help make sustainable farming easier for county residents, according to Veterans Conservation Corps intern …
Sirens: Assault at Washington Park; 'Making a Scene' and Refusing to Leave; Theft; Lewis County Jail Statistics
CENTRALIA POLICE DEPARTMENT   Theft   • At 9:20 a.m. on May 31, a side-by-side off road vehicle was reported stolen from the 900 block of West First Street sometime …
Swan Song for Retiring Winlock Music Teacher Karl Scarborough
WINLOCK — It’s swan-song time for Karl Scarborough this month after more than three decades leading the music program at the Winlock School District.   For 32 years, thousands …
Businesses See Fewer Tourists Since Mount St. Helens Debris Slide
The May 14 debris slide blocking access to Mount St. Helens damaged the road to popular sites like Johnston Ridge Observatory and is disrupting nearby businesses that rely on money from tourists …
Nearly 1,000 Residents Feud With Lewis County Over Soaring Assessed Property Values
Reading the newspaper on Saturday morning? Here’s some irony to go with your Cheerios. Nearly 1,000 property owners in Lewis County have petitioned that their property valuations (and …
Friends Without Homes Hosting Second ‘Myths and Facts on Homelessness’ Forum, This Time in Chehalis
Friends Without Homes — a local volunteer nonprofit that provides outreach to those experiencing homelessness — will host its second “myths and facts on homelessness” forum at …
Local Sports
Rivals Become Teammates, Teammates Face Off at SWW Senior All-Star Game
LONGVIEW — Players in white, gray, black, red, orange, blue, and more colors to boot took to the turf at David Story Field on Wednesday, as some of the best senior ballplayers in Lewis, …
In Focus: The Chronicle Honors Athletes of the Year at Banquet
The Chronicle held its Athletes of the Year banquet on Tuesday night at Jester's Auto Museum and Events Center on Tuesday night.  It was the first time the event had been held in three …
Sports Dump Ep. 63: Introducing a Little Chaos at Home (Spring Sports Wrapup)
The Sports Guys (Alec, Josh and Aaron) discuss the end of the spring sports season — the wild finish for W.F. West, Josh’s writing adventures in Yakima, a lot of track stuff, state golf, …
Kirshenbaum: It All Ended With a Bang
Soon, this will all just be numbers on the wall, banners hanging from the rafters. Adna writes all of its state-placing teams on the wall of its gym. There will be a 2023 going up in the …
Han and Kuykendall Take Eighth at State Tennis Championships
Battling through the consolation bracket after a first round loss, W.F. West’s top doubles pair ended up coming home with a trophy at the 2A State Boys Tennis Championships in Seattle over the …

Chronicle Podcast

  • Chronicle News Dump 144: This Seems Like an Unusually High Number of Lawsuits
  • Sports Dump Ep. 62: We’re In The Endgame Now
  • Chronicle News Dump 143: Tipping Our Hat to Randy Tire Pile
Obituaries

In Loving Memory of Eugene Gerald “Mac” McClees: 1924-2023

Eugene Gerald “Mac” McClees, age 99, of Centralia, Washington, passed away on Wednesday, May 24, 2023.  Mac was born to John and Ethel McClees on May 22, 1924, in Nevada, Iowa. …

In Loving Memory of Mary Margaret Burchett: 1933-2023

Mary Margaret Burchett was born on October 19, 1933 to Helen and Leslie Mallonee in Dodge City, Kansas. She moved to the Pacific Northwest with her parents and younger sister, Helen, in 1946 where …

In Loving Memory of Jerry Lee Sparks: 1946-2023

Jerry Lee Sparks passed away at Providence Centralia Hospital after a lifetime of service to his community and country.  Jerry was born on Sept. 11, 1946, to James Robert Sparks and …

Death Notices: June 3, 2023

• JOANN D. LOVGREN, 91, Chehalis, died May 30 at Silver Acres Family Home in Chehalis. Arrangements are under the care of Funeral Alternatives of Washington.   • GLENDA COLEMAN, …

In Loving Memory of Johanna F. Salmi: 1928-2023

On May 29, 2023, Johanna F. Salmi went home to be with Jesus, who she always said was her very best friend.  Johanna Frieda Magdalena Christoffersen was born Oct. 10, 1928, in northern …

Wilma Jean Hood Deck: 1931-2023

Wilma Jean Hood Deck, 92, of Centralia, passed away peacefully at home on May 23, 2023. She was born Jan. 26, 1931, in Parke County, Indiana, to William R. and Gladys M. Stewart Hood.  …
State & Regional News

Cancer Drug Shortages Lead to Heart-Wrenching Decisions at Washington Hospitals

TACOMA — As she received chemotherapy in a MultiCare infusion room, Norma Lind told of how she was given likely a year or less to live when diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer. Thanks to …

Schools
‘It’s a K-14, K-16 Effort’: The Chehalis School District’s Unique Effort to Support Its Alumni After Graduation
Editor’s Note: This is the final installment in a series focused on the Chehalis School District and the success of its Student Achievement Initiative, which was launched in 2013. The full …
The Math Problem Part 2: Chehalis School District Aims to Conquer Its Biggest Hurdle With Innovative Teaching
Editor’s Note: This is the latest installment in an ongoing series focused on the Chehalis School District and the success of its Student Achievement Initiative, which was launched in 2013. The …
Achieving Success: The Math Problem: Chehalis — And America’s — Biggest Academic Hurdle
Editor’s Note: This is the latest installment in an ongoing series focused on the Chehalis School District and the success of its Student Achievement Initiative, which was launched in 2013. The …
‘The New Buzzword’: How the Chehalis School District Prioritized STEM and Technical Education to Give Students a Brighter Future
Editor’s note: This is the latest installment in an ongoing series focused on the Chehalis School District and the success of its Student Achievement Initiative, which was launched in 2013. The …
Chehalis School District Awarded $1.05M Grant for Student Achievement Initiative
The Chehalis School District will receive $1,050,000 from the Washington Student Achievement Council over the next 18 months to benefit the district’s Student Achievement Initiative. …
Business Stories
Spring Into Summer RV Sales Event Coming to Awesome RV in Chehalis

  Spring Into Summer RV Sales Event Coming to Awesome RV in Chehalis By The Chronicle staff Awesome RV in Chehalis will host its Spring Into Summer RV Sales Event Friday, June 2, …

Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor: Taxpayers Paying for Campaign Mailers

I recently received a flier from Washington’s 3rd District Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez's office. At first glance, it looked like a standard mailer. But as I continued to read the …

Commentary

Commentary: How Donald Trump, of All People, Might Determine Washington's Next Governor

Democratic Party politics around here, which is to say all politics of late, has been a bit like the old Soviet Politburo. You wait your turn for this post or that, and then the whole party gets in …

Brian Mittge Commentary: Making History on the Willapa Hills Trail

It’s been a noteworthy week on the Willapa Hills Trail, Lewis County’s increasingly impressive pathway from Chehalis to all points west.   It began when my friend Chris Brewer, …

Commentary: McCarthy-Biden Agreement Only a Start for Tackling Nation’s Debt

The deal reached between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to increase our nation’s debt limit was a welcome compromise.   It appears to avert our nation’s …

Bill Moeller Commentary: As the World Turns — a Politician Who Actually Followed His Beliefs

I was just thinking that I had promised more of an in-depth look at one of the more famous losers in politics, Wendell Willkie.   He lost to President Roosevelt by five million votes in the …

Julie McDonald: Toledo’s Don Buswell, His Brother and Four Sons Built Roads and Then Relaxed in the Sauna

Editor’s Note: This is the final installment of a series of columns focused on Don Buswell and his family’s history. Find previous installments at chronline.com.   After the …
Outdoors
Outdoors
43 Years After Eruption, Mount St. Helens Continues to ‘Reveal New Mysteries’
National Geographic states Earth first formed 4.5 billion years ago, and humans have been around for about 300,000 of those.   That’s less than 0.007% of all the time on Earth. The …
In Focus: Exploring the Ape Cave South of Mount St. Helens, Which Reopened May 18
The Ape Cave in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest south of Mount St. Helens reopened to the public on Thursday.  Timed reservations are required, according to a release. Entry tickets …
Could Prescribed Fires Offer the Best Protection for Washington's Lynx?
WINTHROP, Wash. — On a subfreezing morning in March, Carmen Vanbianchi is crouched in the snow, cramming chunks of roadkill deer into a pouch she calls her meat purse. She wrenches the …