News | The Daily Chronicle

Washington state hospitals push for veto of lower state insurance reimbursements

Washington hospitals are urging Gov. Bob Ferguson to veto a bill that would limit health insurance reimbursement rates for state workers and public school employees. The bill is designed to … more

By Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero / The Washington State Standard | 5/10/25

Attorney General Nick Brown (center) announces a lawsuit against the Trump administration in Seattle, Washington, on May 9, 2025, over its declaration of an energy emergency. (Jake Goldstein-Street/Washington State Standard)

Trump energy emergency latest target for Washington state attorney general

Washington and 14 other states are suing the Trump administration over the president’s declaration of an “energy emergency” to speed up permitting for fossil fuel projects. … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 5/9/25

Attendees leave the meeting as Patty Howard of Hope Housing Collaborative gives a speech during an informational meeting at St. Timothy Episcopal Church in Chehalis on Wednesday, May 7.

Chehalis residents challenge church's safe parking pilot program

A Wednesday night informational meeting at St. Timothy Episcopal Church in Chehalis regarding its safe parking pilot program with Hope Housing Collaborative started with a prayer and ended with … more

By Dylan Reubenking / dylanr@chronline.com | 5/9/25

Colvin Ranch Day: Tenino ranch to host celebration for conservation easement’s 20th anniversary

Colvin Ranch, a Tenino-based family-owned cattle ranch founded in 1854, is hosting a celebration marking a milestone for the ranch’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) … more

By The Chronicle staff | 5/9/25

Young kids learn how to show sheep during the Spring Youth Fair at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds on Saturday, May 3.

Participation surged at 2025 Spring Youth Fair

The Spring Youth Fair started off its jam-packed weekend last Friday with a dedication event officially renaming the exposition hall in honor of Lewis County’s beloved “fair father” … more

By Jacob Moore / jacob@chronline.com | 5/9/25

Brad Lee Lansford, 46, of Chehalis, appears in Lewis County Superior Court on Thursday, May 8.

Woman arrested for breaking windows at her mom’s property in Lewis County, slicing her neck with broken glass, in July 2024

A woman accused of breaking several windows to her mother’s home and shop in Lewis County near Dryad before slicing her neck with a piece of broken glass in July 2024 has been arrested. Brad … more

By Emily Fitzgerald / emily@chronline.com | 5/9/25

The outside of Green Hill School is pictured in Chehalis on Tuesday, Oct. 15.

Problems at Green Hill School remain much the same after legislative session

Despite overcrowding and associated safety issues in juvenile rehabilitation facilities in the state of Washington — most prominently at Green Hill School in Chehalis — lawmakers failed … more

By Jacob Moore / jacob@chronline.com | 5/9/25

Sirens: Defendants sentenced in Lewis County Superior Court; vehicle strikes pedestrian; pair arrested for stealing auto parts; Green Hill inmates charged

CHEHALIS POLICE DEPARTMENT Vehicle accident • A vehicle vs. pedestrian collision was reported in the 100 block of Northeast Hampe Way just before 7:45 a.m. on May 8. The pedestrian was … more

By The Chronicle staff | 5/9/25

In focus: Firefighters douse brush fire north of Centralia

The Washington Department of Natural Resources extinguished a brush fire that burned a quarter acre north of Centralia near Oconnor Road Southeast on Thursday, May 8. According to Incident Commander … more

5/9/25

Death notices: May 9, 2025

• JERRY DARREL SEIFERT, 77, Oakville, died April 27 in Chehalis. Arrangements are under the care of Funeral Alternatives of Washington. • KENNETH ELVIN HOLMES, 81, Chehalis, died May 1 … more

5/9/25

W.F. West students and Lewis County Coffee Co. staff members and owners pose for a photo outside of the stand in Chehalis on Tuesday, May 21, 2024

Lewis County Coffee Co. supporting W.F. West club behind Crimson & Gray coffee shop with fundraiser

Lewis County Coffee Co. will serve a drink called the Bearcat Energizer from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Tuesday, May 13 at its 2015 Jackson Hwy location in Chehalis to support W.F. West High School’s … more

By The Chronicle staff | 5/9/25

"Eastern Railway, Lumber Firm Was Once Biggest: Organized in 1903, the Eastern Railway and Lumber Company of Centralia reigned as an industrial landmark for nearly 40 years. During its heyday, it was one of the largest mill operations in the state although by the time it was destroyed by fire in the fall of 1939, much of its equipment had become outdated in comparison to the mill giants that had sprung up at Longview, Everett, and Grays Harbor. The record is not entirely clear, but the location was first by the Ballard and Bond mill, built about 1888 and one of Lewis County's early mills. It operated until 1903, when F. B. Hubbard purchased the plant with the assistance of eastern capital. He enlarged its operations and gave it the name it carried for almost 40 years. The Eastern became Centralia's largest payroll, employing more than 500 men at one time. The Eastern firm. also acquired what was the H. H. Martin Lumber Co., and named it the Western Mill. It was located northwest of the Eastern plant and on the west side of the mainline Northern Pacific railroad tracks. For a short time, both plants combined their railway and logging operations, giving jobs to about 1,000 men. Mention history of the Eastern Railway and Lumber Co., and in most of it is Sam Agnew, who rose from foreman to be its general manager and owner of the principal amount of its stock. The Eastern also figured in the history of Centralia's municipal light system. In the middle 1920s, the city and the Puget Sound Power and Light Co., which supplied the city-owned system, tangled over a raise in power rates. Under a corporation arrangement, the mill firm built large generators at the Western Mill, coupled them with the mill's generators and provided power for the city. The arrangement lasted for about 10 years, when the city utility entered its hydroelectric project on the Nisqually River near Yelm. When the Eastern was lost in the fire, Sam Agnew headed an organization to lease the Western properties from the Eastern corporation. That was the S. A. Agnew Lumber Co., which continued production until the 1950s. By 1965, the plant equipment was sold off and work started to remove the mill's structures. Mr. Agnew, with more than 70 years in the industry, died in 1965, He was 86 and regarded as one of the Northwest's last lumber kings." — originally published by The Daily Chronicle on Oct. 10, 1966

A Look Back in Time: Strike shuts down Centralia sawmill; Burglar accidently gets into police car; Tumwater woman honored as Mother of the Year at WSU

In this installment of A Look Back in Time, the Friday, May 10, 1935, edition of The Chronicle featured a story about operations being shut down due to the start of a labor strike at the Eastern … more

By Owen Sexton / owen@chronline.com | 5/9/25

The WSU Extension Lewis County Master Gardeners' 2023 Spring Plant Sale.

Master Gardener Foundation of Lewis County to host annual Spring Plant Sale

The Master Gardener Foundation of Lewis County has announced the return of its annual Spring Plant Sale. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 17 and from 9 a.m. until sold out … more

By The Chronicle | 5/9/25

This static image is from a USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory research camera located at the Johnston Ridge Observatory, north of Mount St. Helens. The view is to the south. This camera is intended to assist the USGS with situational awareness. At times, clouds, rain, and snow obscure visibility.

After two years, Mount St. Helens camera back online

After nearly two years, the camera at the site of the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption is back online. Steven Friederich, public information officer for the Washington Emergency Management … more

By The Daily News | 5/9/25

Readers Lens: Stunning morning views from above Mount St. Helens

Mount St. Helens is pictured from above at about 6 a.m. May 2 in these photos captured by Shawn Downs, a commercial rated pilot who flies out of Toledo. It was captured from about 7,500 feet from … more

5/9/25

Centralia Point Assisted Living and Memory Care staff are pictured in this photo provided by the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce.

Centralia Point Assisted Living and Memory Care to host May Business After Hours

Centralia Point Assisted Living and Memory Care will host May’s Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours event. The event takes place from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, May … more

By The Chronicle staff | 5/9/25

Centralia Mayor Kelly Smith Johnston receives a round of applause and a standing ovation during a Women in Business Seminar inside the Vintage Grand Room at the Washington Hotel in Chehalis in 2023. She is a speaker at this year’s Women in Business event.

Economic Alliance of Lewis County’s annual Women in Business Seminar set for May 14

The Economic Alliance of Lewis County will host its third annual Women in Business Seminar on Wednesday, May 14. The event invites working women and their supporters to learn from the … more

By Emily Fitzgerald / emily@chronline.com | 5/9/25

Using marijuana while caring for a baby can pose a deadly risk, Oregon officials warn

Last summer, a frantic family called 911 for help. Their baby wasn’t breathing. The month-old infant had been asleep with its father on a king size bed. Dad woke up just before 5 a.m. and … more

Sami Edge / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 5/9/25

Portland sports team sues Disney, claiming trademark infringement

The clash between the Portland Pickles and the (fictional) Peaks Valley Pickles has gone from a laughing matter to a legal battle. The summer league baseball team filed a federal lawsuit … more

Zane Sparling / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 5/9/25

Providence Health Plan cuts 4 percent of workforce amid financial struggles

Providence Health Plan, the insurance division of Providence Health & Services in Oregon, has laid off about 4% of its workforce, citing ongoing financial challenges across the broader insurance … more

Kristine de Leon / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 5/9/25