News | The Daily Chronicle

Artemis II moonshot: Seattle celebrates ‘history in the making’

Julia Lowe has been on a lifelong mission to see a rocket launch. Lowe, 41, from Tacoma, traveled with her family to Cape Canaveral, Fla., in November to fulfill that dream, hoping to watch the … more

Lauren Rosenblatt / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 4/2/26

Washington state eyes legal challenge to Trump’s mail-in voting executive order

Washington state leaders swiftly rebuffed an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Tuesday, which directs the creation of a nationwide list of verified eligible voters and restricts … more

Anumita Kaur / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 4/2/26

Washington state sees historic surge of immigrants challenging their detention

Since Donald Trump took office for the second time and began an aggressive effort to deport immigrants, federal courts in Western Washington have seen a massive surge in the number of people … more

Mike Carter / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 4/2/26

Traffic backs up along Interstate 5 in Centralia as WSDOT responds to the scene of a crash.

Washington state traffic deaths are declining. What’s changing?

The number of people killed on Washington's roads went down by nearly 12% in 2025, continuing a reversal of the fatalities that had erupted during the first years of the pandemic. Last year's … more

Nicholas Deshais / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 4/2/26

Rick Steves weighs in on Washington state ‘millionaires tax’

After Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed a high-earners income tax into law Monday, Edmonds-based travel writer Rick Steves had a lot to say about it online. The millionaires tax," he said in a … more

Angela Lim / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 4/2/26

Millions in Washington state child care provider payments in question

State auditors say the state should do more to find improper payments to child care providers and work to prevent them from happening in the first place. Auditors are questioning about $37 … more

Claire Withycombe / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 4/2/26

Seattle council member seeks audit after King County fraud allegations

Seattle City Councilmember Maritza Rivera is calling for an audit of the city’s human services contracts, an effort to get ahead of any possible echoes of the fraud allegations unfolding across the … more

David Kroman / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 4/2/26

Trump threats on Iran civilian sites raise escalation fears

President Donald Trump’s repeated threat to destroy Iranian civilian infrastructure is the latest sign of the U.S. leader’s increasing detachment from international norms and the bounds of modern … more

Peter Martin / Bloomberg News (TNS) | 4/2/26

The podcast room is pictured at The Chronicle in Centralia on Tuesday, Dec. 2. The News Dump and Sports Dump are recorded weekly in the on-site studio.

News Dump Ep. 272: The councilman who never was

On the 272nd episode of The Chronicle News Dump, hosts Aaron VanTuyl and Editor-in-Chief Eric Schwartz discuss the appointment and subsequent disappointment of a Centralia city councilor, the piles … more

4/1/26

Gov. Bob Ferguson answers questions from the press during a legislative session preview in a Senate Hearing room in Olympia on Friday, Jan. 9.

Decertified Washington state sheriffs can now be ousted under controversial new law

Gov. Bob Ferguson saved one of the most controversial bills from the 2026 legislative session until Wednesday, the last day for bill signings. SB 5974 , the sheriff decertification bill will … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 4/1/26

With more state financial stress on horizon, Gov. Bob Ferguson signs Washington budget

Two days ago, a beaming Gov. Bob Ferguson celebrated with dozens of allies the enactment of Washington’s new tax on the income of wealthy residents. On Wednesday, a more somber Ferguson signed … more

By Jerry Cornfield / The Washington State Standard | 4/1/26

Paul Gropple, with the Skookumchuck Hatchery, throws a coho salmon into Gheer Creek after measuring the fish at Carlisle Lake in Onalaska on Tuesday, March 31. Onalaska Elementary School students gathered around the creek to watch the coho salmon and steelhead release.

Fish release marks ongoing success of Onalaska Aquaculture program

Students and teachers released nearly 100,000 young salmon and steelhead smolts into Gheer Creek from their net pens in Carlisle Lake in Onalaska this week. Local officials, state lawmakers and … more

By Jacob Moore / jacob@chronline.com | 4/1/26

Candidate for Centralia City Council District 1 seat Cameron Bluhm responds to questions from the Centralia City Council during a public interview in the council chambers on March 24.

Centralia City Council seat again open a week after new appointment

A spot on the Centralia City Council is open once again after council members ruled that the man they appointed to the position last week did not meet the qualifications. Members of the … more

By Jacob Moore / jacob@chronline.com | 4/1/26

Brothers Alexander M. Borgen, 16, of Lacey, and Deven J. Borgen, 17, of Rainier, are pictured.

Fundraiser aims to create memorial for Rainier’s Borgen brothers

It has been nearly five months since Rainier brothers Alexander Borgen, 16, and Deven Borgen, 17, were shot and killed in Lacey. The memory of the two teenagers lives on as Orion Watch: … more

By Jacob Dimond / For The Chronicle | 4/1/26

David W. Dupree, 55, Winlock, makes a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Tuesday, March 31. Dupree is currently serving a sentence at Cedar Creek Corrections Center in Littlerock.

Incarcerated Winlock man accused of violating protection orders months before release

An incarcerated Winlock man less than two months from his anticipated release allegedly violated multiple protection orders prohibiting him from contacting his ex-wife and children. David W. … more

By Jacob Farmer / jfarmer@chronline.com | 4/1/26

Shoppers look through aisles of books during the American Association of University Women Lewis County branch’s annual book sale at the Moose Lodge in Centralia on Thursday, March 26.

Lewis County AAUW book sale collects nearly $25,000 in proceeds

Having finished its 46th year of offering affordable used books to area residents, the Lewis County branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) has announced its annual book sale … more

By The Chronicle staff | 4/1/26

Rep. Ed Orcutt, a sponsor of HB 2668, listens as Centralia officials speak about the House bill that would require the relocation of the Bob Oke game farm in Centralia during a public hearing on the bill on Wednesday, Feb. 4, in Olympia.

Orcutt chalks up small wins, says he will continue efforts to repeal statewide tax increases enacted in 2025

In the 2026 legislative session, House Republicans initiated a floor debate that was three times as long as any in recent memory in an attempt to stop the passage of an income tax on the state's … more

By Jacob Moore / jacob@chronline.com | 4/1/26

Trevor K. Durham, 34, Sequim, makes a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Tuesday, March 31.

Sirens: Preliminary court appearances; criminal citation for urinating or defecating in public; man arrested after kicking in door

LEWIS COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT Preliminary appearances • Trevor K. Durham, 34, Sequim, made a preliminary appearance March 31 for one count of second-degree malicious mischief after he … more

By The Chronicle staff | 4/1/26

Death notices: April 1, 2026

• GORDON DOWELL, 92, Vader, died March 26 at St. John Hospital. Arrangements are under the care of Cattermole Funeral Home. • ARTHUR C. PLACID, 64, Randle, died March 21 at his residence. … more

4/1/26

A rendering of the Wolf Haven Treehouse Learning Center is pictured. Wolf Haven secured $220,000 in state funding for the project through the state’s Local Community Projects program.

Wolf Haven International secures $220K state investment for new Treehouse Learning Center

Wolf Haven International has officially secured a $220,000 investment from Washington state through the Local Community Projects program, the Tenino-based wolf conservation nonprofit organization … more

By The Chronicle staff | 4/1/26