Local News | The Daily Chronicle

State Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Chehalis, reads “Our Table” to a second-grade class during his visit to South Ridge Elementary on Wednesday, Nov. 19. The reading was part of his full-day shadowing of Principal Tawny Malone as the school prepares for changes tied to the district’s new elementary configuration.

Rep. Peter Abbarno spends day as principal of elementary school

State Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Chehalis, spent Wednesday, Nov. 19, walking the halls of South Ridge Elementary as part of the Ridgefield School District’s “principal for a day” … more

By Norman Helgason / For The Chronicle | 12/1/25

Lewis County Foster Parent Association President Sara Jones in the gift room around Christmas in 2023.

Lewis County Foster Parent Association collecting gift donations for children in need

The Lewis County Foster Parent Association (LCFPA) is once again teaming up with local businesses and organizations to collect gifts and monetary donations for foster, kinship and adoptive families … more

By Dylan Reubenking / dylanr@chronline.com | 12/1/25

Olympia Family Theater and String and Shadow Puppet Theater present ‘The Snow Queen’

Olympia Family Theater and String and Shadow Puppet Theater have partnered for a whimsical adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” running Dec. 4 to Dec. 28. … more

By The Chronicle staff | 12/1/25

San Diego Air & Space Museum President and CEO Jim Kidrick is pictured at the International Air & Space Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Nov. 8.

Centralia grad inducted into International Air & Space Hall of Fame

San Diego Air & Space Museum President and CEO Jim Kidrick — originally born in Bremerton and raised in Centralia starting at age 10 — was inducted into the International Air & … more

By Owen Sexton / owen@chronline.com | 12/1/25

The Sylvester Park tree lights up the park in downtown Olympia after a tree lighting ceremony on Sunday, Nov. 30. The tree lighting ceremony took a several-year hiatus in Olympia but returned this year with a visit from Santa and carols sung by The Silver Bell Quartet.

In Focus: Tree lighting kicks off holiday season in Olympia

12/1/25

"Train Dreams," a critically acclaimed movie streaming on Netflix, was filmed in Northeast Washington.

‘Train Dreams’ showcases northeast Washington’s landscape and talent

Northeast Washington might be considered a rugged, quiet place, but it is making noise as the setting for the critically acclaimed “Train Dreams” movie currently streaming on Netflix. … more

By Brandon Hansen / For The Chronicle | 12/1/25

The Chehalis River meanders through clear-cut timberland on Weyerhaeuser property upstream from Pe Ell in 2022. Loggers are required to maintain trees in the riparian zone.

Private forestland owners will take the state to court over new buffer rule

An organization that represents large private forestland owners across Washington state plans to file a legal challenge to recent state forest practice rules. The Washington Forest Protection … more

By The Chronicle staff | 12/1/25

Jamal George West, 19, of Chehalis, appears in Lewis County Superior Court on Tuesday, March 4.

One adult, two teens sentenced to nine years in prison for severe beating of man in Chehalis

Three Lewis County residents who brutally attacked a man in Chehalis in March were each sentenced to nine years in prison Nov. 17 following their convictions of first-degree assault. Jamal … more

By Jacob Farmer / jfarmer@chronline.com | 12/1/25

Jamiah Wood as Sugar Plum Fairy and Wesley Wilhelmi as her Cavalier dance during a Nutcracker rehearsal in Centralia.

Centralia Ballet Academy’s “The Nutcracker” returns to Centralia and Shelton

The Centralia Ballet Academy’s annual production of “The Nutcracker” returns to Corbet Theater and Shelton High School for the holiday season. The dancers perform at Centralia … more

By Emily Fitzgerald / emily@chronline.com | 12/1/25

A horse rider holds the American flag at the Oakville Independence Day Parade on Saturday, July 5.

‘Small but mighty’: Showcase Oakville extolls virtues of small-town living

Despite her acclaimed writings, renowned 19th century author and poet Lydia Maria Child is perhaps best known to today’s audiences for her poem “Over the river and through the … more

By Jerry Knaak / The Daily World | 12/1/25

Member Robert McGinnis shoots at targets at the Cowlitz Public Shooting Range in 2024 in Castle Rock. Starting in 2026, Cowlitz County staff will temporarily operate the gun range.

Cowlitz County gun range in the red, so parks, sheriff's office temporarily taking over

Cowlitz County commissioners and staff believe the county-owned gun range can make money — despite recent financial reports saying otherwise — so the parks department and sheriff's office … more

Hayley Day / The Daily News | 12/1/25

Three injured in Spirit Lake Memorial Highway crash

Authorities say a Toutle driver attempting to pass a Volvo turning off Spirit Lake Memorial Highway near the turnoff to state Route 505 caused an accident Saturday afternoon and injured him and two … more

By The Daily News | 12/1/25

Centralia man could face homicide charge after woman, 95, dies following crash

A 95-year-old Chehalis woman has died following a crash last Thursday on U.S. Highway 12 in Lewis County, according to an update from the Washington State Patrol. Dorothy J. Vandiest died … more

By The Chronicle staff | 11/30/25

Beloved Sylvester Park Tree Lighting returns to Olympia after several-year hiatus

OIympia’s Sylvester Park Tree Lighting will return this year after a several-year hiatus, the Olympia Downtown Alliance announced Monday. The beloved holiday tradition will … more