Local News
Use Caution With Fireworks, Lewis County Fire Marshal Says
The Office of the Lewis County Fire Marshal asked everyone in unincorporated parts of the county to exercise caution when discharging fireworks in a news release on Wednesday. The following tips …
Lewis County Won’t Ban Fireworks Ahead of Fourth of July
The Lewis County Board of Commissioners held an informal discussion Tuesday about a possible temporary ban on discharging fireworks in unincorporated Lewis County this Fourth of July. Two issues …
‘They Never Checked In’: 13 Winlock Horses Shed Light on Need of Lewis County Animal Control
Editor’s note: This is the final installment of a three-part series chronicling a 2020 local animal abuse incident. Public records were used to reconstruct scenes from the case.
Oakville Independence Day Celebrations Return, Set for Saturday
Oakville’s annual Independence Day celebration, set this year for July 3, is making a return with a little something for everybody. According to a news release from the Oakville Chamber of …
Sirens: Sexual Assault; Indecent Exposure Citation for Urination on Playground; Catalytic Converter Theft
CHEHALIS POLICE DEPARTMENT Sexual Assault • A sexual assault was reported in the 100 block of Southwest Interstate Avenue just before 2:15 p.m. on June 28. …
Lewis County Continues Downward Trend of New COVID-19 Cases
Lewis County continued its downward trend of COVID-19 cases this week, reporting 40 new positives. That’s down from 43 the week prior and 53 and 93 the two weeks before then. One new …
Citing Recovery Funding, Lewis County Commissioners Vote to Extend Local COVID-19 State of Emergency
The Lewis County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday voted to approve extending its local state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The board approved the resolution 2-0, with …
Two-Year Child Care Licencing Fee Suspension Begins    July 1
Beginning July 1, child care providers will not be required to pay licensing fees. Senate Bill 5151, which Gov. Jay Inslee signed on May 13, suspends fees for child care applicants and licensed …
Lewis County Commissioners Change Time of Regular Business Meetings
The Lewis County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution Tuesday changing the time of its legislative meetings, also known as business meetings, from 2 p.m. to 10 a.m. This change goes into …
Roundup: Free Summer Lunch Programs Return to Lewis County
With summer here, free federally-funded meal programs are returning once again this summer for students and families in need. The annual Summer Food Service Program provides children with …
Centralia Middle School Honor Roll
The following students earned a perfect 4.0 GPA during the fourth quarter: Abigail Bleak, Jamil Cisneros, Giovanni Delaossa, Cynthia Gaytan, Natalia Hedgers, Brianna Hernandez Perez, Audrey Hinkley, …
Napavine Middle School Second-Semester Honor Roll
The following students earned a perfect 4.0 GPA during the second semester: Colin Shields, Emma Stewart, Jeffrey Anderson, Hudson Chambers, Lyla Kirkpatrick and Wyatt Stroup. …
Napavine High School Second-Semester Honor Roll
The following students earned a perfect 4.0 GPA during the second semester: Thomas Bacon, Laythan Demarest, Evangeline Fagerness, Sebastian Foster, Amanda Brossard, Samantha Custer, Trinket Ettner, …
Silver Creek Driver Injured in Rollover Crash on U.S. Highway 12
The driver of a Ford pickup truck pulling a flatbed trailer on westbound U.S. Highway 12 was hospitalized after he lost control of the vehicle at mile marker 79 near Silver Creek on Monday. The …
Weather Service: Chehalis-Centralia Narrowly Misses All-Time High Temperature Monday at 106 Degrees
It was close. Though the Twin Cities recorded a record-breaking 106 degrees Monday, surpassing the hottest temperature observed on record during the month of June by about 4 degrees, it ultimately …
Multiple Fires During Heatwave, Some Man Made
Two garbage can fires damaged the Les Schwab Tires on Plum Street in the early morning hours of Tuesday. Police found video footage of a person lighting the two fires. At 2 a.m., Olympia police …
Lewis County Commissioners Approve Purchase of $1.1 Million Property
The Lewis County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday ratified a sale agreement between the county and Main Street Properties Inc. to purchase a 0.28 acre parcel on Main Street in Chehalis for $1.1 …
Chehalis Man Accused of Possessing Child Pornography 
A Chehalis man is facing felony charges after investigators found hundreds of images of suspected child pornography on devices allegedly belonging to him.  Law enforcement began investigating …
Open Swim at Gail and Carolyn Shaw Aquatics Center Resumes July 1
Open swim at the Gail and Carolyn Shaw Aquatics Center in Chehalis resumes Thursday, July 1, for the summer season.  Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 3 to 6 p.m. daily.  The …
2003 Grays Harbor County Rape, Abduction Case Suspect Out on $250K Bail
The man arrested June 15 after DNA evidence linked him to a 2003 McCleary rape and kidnapping case was released from jail on Wednesday after posting bail. At a June 23 hearing, Grays Harbor County …
Local Sports
Lewis County Arrows Youth Fastpitch Tryouts Set for July 20 and 21
Newly-created Lewis County Arrows Fastpitch is holding youth softball tryouts on July 20 and 21 at Recreation Park in Chehalis. Lewis County Arrows was formed in April by Napavine resident Travis …
Centralia Auto Center Revives in 12-run Fourth Inning 
Centralia Auto Center exploded for a 12-run fourth inning to erase a five-run deficit and come away with a 12-7 victory over the visiting Tenino Trappers Tuesday at Ed Wheeler Field. Centralia was …
The Chronicle’s 2021 All-Area Boys Basketball Team
There are few things more exciting in a high school basketball game than when someone throws down a thunderous dunk and brings the crowd to its feet. And that’s exactly what …
The Chronicle’s 2021 All-Area Girls Basketball Team
It doesn’t take long when watching W.F. West junior Drea Brumfield to realize she’s playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers. Brumfield, The Chronicle’s 2021 …
Dirtbags Split Twinbill with Hudson’s Bay
The Rural Baseball Dirtbags completed a walk-off win over Hudson’s Bay in game one, then couldn’t beat the Cubs, or nightfall, in a 4-2 loss in three innings on the back end of the …
Chronicle Podcast

  • News Dump Ep. 53: It’s Hot and the Splash Pad is Soaped Up
  • News Dump Ep. 52: Packwood Does Not In Fact Need Dave Matthews
  • News Dump Ep. 51: A Larger Oversized Check for a Larger Oversized Man
Obituaries

Death Notices: July 1, 2021

• WILLIAM HOWARD RAMSAUR, Chehalis, died June 25 at Providence St. Peter Hospital, Olympia. Arrangements are under the care of Fir Lawn Funeral Chapel. • MARVIN R. HANCE, 73, Elma, died …

Death Notices: June 29, 2021

• WALTER STANLEY BAKER JR., 86, Chehalis, died June 22 at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma. Arrangements are under the care of Funeral Alternatives of Washington. • BETTY LOU LOVATO, …

Death Notices: June 26, 2021

• KENNETH WAYNE SIGLER, 92, of Lewis County, died June 14. No services are planned at this time. Arrangements are under the care of Sticklin Funeral Chapel. • HAROLD ALFRED NEILSON JR., …

Betty Reichert: 1927-2021

Mary Elizabeth “Betty” Reichert, 94, our beloved mother, left us suddenly on Saturday, June 12, 2021. She was born on March 19, 1927, in Chehalis, Wash., to Gladys (Lewis) and Floyd …

Harold Neilsen Jr.: 1942-2021

Harold Neilsen, Jr., passed away peacefully at home on Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Harold was born in Kirkland, Wash., to Harold and Marjorie (Fisher) Neilsen on December 28, 1942. He married Marie …
State & Regional News
Most Washington High Schoolers Felt Sad or Depressed During the Pandemic, State Survey Finds
Nearly 60% of Washington high school students — and almost half of the state's middle schoolers — were sad or depressed most days during the pandemic, state health and education officials …
Emergence of Coronavirus Variants Not Enough to Trigger Strict Mask Guidance, Washington State Officials Say
For now, strict masking requirements will not be coming back to Washington state, despite the spread of more transmissible coronavirus variants among unvaccinated people, state health officials said …
Clark County Groups Join Petition Asking Inslee to Lift Eviction Ban on County-by-County Basis
Gov. Jay Inslee has once again extended the deadline for a statewide ban on evictions, extending for three months protections for tenants unable to pay rent. He issued the proclamation just a few …
McMorris Rodgers, Murray Lead Bipartisan Group Calling on Biden to Prioritize New Columbia River Treaty
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of 21 Northwest lawmakers called on President Joe Biden on Tuesday to prioritize a long-running effort to renegotiate a 60-year-old treaty that governs how the …
'It Buys Us Time': Inslee Sends State Funds to Keep Point Roberts' Only Grocery Store Open as Border Closure Continues
OLYMPIA — The only grocery store in Point Roberts, Washington may be able stay open a little longer despite concerns it would close in the next two weeks. Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday approved …
Heat Records Shatter in Eastern Washington, Including a Possible All-Time High for the State
Preliminary weather data shows Washington might have broken its all-time heat record — in addition to shattering several local records — on Tuesday, though the temperatures have yet to be …
Washington State Board to Uphold Temperature Limits in Columbia, Snake Rivers
As a summer like no other pushes water temperatures to dangerous levels for salmon to the Columbia and Snake Rivers, a state board announced Monday it will uphold the Washington State Department of …
Inslee: Pacific Northwest Heat Wave 'Tip of the Melting Iceberg' of Climate Change
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who wrote a 2007 book about clean energy and a dozen years later staked an unsuccessful presidential run on addressing climate change, said Monday afternoon that he took …
Canada Announces Big Cuts to Commercial Fishing to Protect Wild Salmon That Washington's Orcas Eat
Canada is slashing and closing commercial coastal fishing on more than 100 salmon stocks and permanently downsizing the fleet through voluntary license buybacks in an urgent effort to protect wild …
COVID Restrictions Ease Across Washington State
The days of social distancing and limited indoor capacity are over. On Wednesday, Washington state lifted most of its remaining coronavirus restrictions. Most businesses can operate as they did in …
Business Stories
Centralia Arcade-Bar Sets Tentative July 7 Opening Date

Pinball wizards and retro arcade geeks rejoice: Centralia’s first downtown retro arcade-bar is opening soon. Owners of Insert Coin, the soon-to-be retro arcade that will feature about 100 …

Commentary
Bill Moeller Commentary: When We Talk About Atrocities Let’s Not Overlook Our Own Country

A few years ago, I wrote about the Bataan Death March in World War II as a prime example of man’s inhumanity to man. Later, I wrote about atrocities on both sides in the Spanish-American …

Outdoors
Outdoors
Washington Fishing Regulations for 2021-22 Now Available Online
The annual Washington Fishing Rules Pamphlet is now available online for the coming year, detailing fishing rules and regulations for the state’s many lakes, rivers and marine areas from July 1, …
Photos: Opening of Windy Ridge Viewpoint Provides for Stunning Views
The Windy Ridge Viewpoint at Mount St. Helens reopened this week. “Forest Road 99, Windy Ridge is now open for the season,”  the U.S. Forest Service announced.  “Please be …
Adna Boy, 14, Lands Monster Bass at Fort Borst Park
Daniel Meyer, an Adna 14-year-old, caught a monstrous largemouth bass last week at Fort Borst Park Pond, coming in at 10.19 pounds. The state record is 12.53 pounds. “I’ve been …
History
Chronicle History Project: Eisenhower Stops in Centralia in 1952
Editor’s Note: The following news item was published Oct. 7, 1952, as Dwight Eisenhower pursued the presidency. It likely reflects an earlier stop than the one depicted in the photos included …