News | The Daily Chronicle

Gas leak forces evacuation in Vancouver neighborhood

Update 4:45 p.m.: Officials announced shortly before 4:30 p.m. that residents could return home after mistakenly issuing and then retracting an all-clear notice around 3:15 p.m. Update 4:15 … more

Tarek Anthony / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 7/10/26

Absurd AI attack ads facing scrutiny under Oregon election rules

The ads were not typical political fare. In one, U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum, the 5th District incumbent, appears with Gov. Tina Kotek in a bizarre scene: Both Democrats are dressed in black and … more

Betsy Hammond / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 7/10/26

The Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse, shown on Sep. 13, 2016.

Armenian citizen pleads guilty to ransomware attacks in Oregon and elsewhere

A 34-year-old man from Armenia has pleaded guilty to targeting five U.S. companies and one private school with Ryuk ransomware attacks, including a business in Oregon that had its data and … more

Maxine Bernstein / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 7/10/26

Half-dozen women hit, scratch, kick Portland park attacker as they wait 31 minutes for police to respond

A 31-year-old man who targeted more than half a dozen women by groping or chasing them through one of Portland’s most iconic parks faced a reckoning when the women — a “sisterhood” of … more

Aimee Green / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 7/10/26

Comparing alcohol to asbestos and cigarettes, Oregon health officials accused of trading ‘accuracy for shock value’

A social media post from the Oregon Health Authority stating the risk of excessive alcohol consumption has sparked backlash from beverage industry groups and several state lawmakers. The clash … more

Carlos Fuentes / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 7/10/26

Airplanes at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The routes Washington might take to meet aviation demand without new public airport

For years, state commissions have looked at potential sites for a new international airport to meet growing aviation demand, particularly air cargo capacity. However, no site has been recommended or … more

By TJ Martinell / The Center Square | 7/10/26

Washington state Sen. Nikki Torres, R-Pasco, on the floor of the Senate on March 9, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Legislative Support Services)

A Washington state lawmaker says her opponent should end campaign amid stalking investigation

A Washington state senator is fending off questions about where she lives as her opponent works to distance himself from a man facing stalking allegations stemming from lengthy stakeouts of a home … more

By Jerry Cornfield / The Washington State Standard | 7/10/26

A “no trespassing” sign outside of Northwest ICE Processing Center, also known as Northwest Detention Center. (Photo by Grace Deng/Washington State Standard)

Washington inspectors must be let inside Tacoma immigrant detention center, judge rules

The private company that runs a Tacoma immigrant detention center must allow state inspectors inside after years of refusing, a federal judge ruled Thursday. But U.S. District Court Judge … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 7/9/26

Lewis County sheriff requests state, federal investigations into ‘baseless claims’ of criminality

Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza has requested state and federal investigations into allegations of his own involvement in organized crime and narcotics trafficking, according to two letters signed by … more

By Jacob Farmer / jfarmer@chronline.com | 7/9/26

Washington Democratic chair defends new anti-Israel, pro-reparations platform

Nearly three weeks after the Washington State Democratic Party adopted a controversial party platform that supports reparations and made anti-Israel statements, Democratic Party Chair Shasti Conrad … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 7/9/26

Chehalis School Security Officers Troy and Todd Thornburg pose in front of their vehicle parked outside W.F. West High School in 2022.

Gesa Credit Union honors six local heroes during the first Chehalis Fourth of July celebration

Gesa Credit Union honored six local heroes during the City of Chehalis' inaugural Fourth of July celebration held on July 4 at Stan Hedwall Park. The honorees were selected from community … more

By The Chronicle staff | 7/9/26

Donald L. Meth Jr., 62, Centralia, pictured left seated next to defense attorney Rachael Tiller, makes a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Wednesday, July 8, 2026. Senior Deputy Prosecutor Scott Jackson is pictured right, seated across the aisle.

‘Nothing more than a scam’: Centralia man accused of running phony chrome plating operation

A Centralia man is accused of running a phony chrome plating business designed to scam unsuspecting customers out of their auto parts, while never completing paid-for services. According to … more

By Jacob Farmer / jfarmer@chronline.com | 7/9/26

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. 285: Nothing but respect for MY dairy queen

On the 285th episode, hosts Aaron VanTuyl and Eric Schwartz discuss the Commissioners’ Forum in Morton, the World Cup soccer thing, Fourth of July, the phantom episode, STP weekend, a candidate for … more

7/9/26

Officer Edgar Salazar of the Moses Lake Police Department and four other officers were advancing across an open field under fire when Salazar shot and wounded the suspect.

Eastern Washington hero being honored after stopping accused Gorge concert killer

An Eastern Washington police officer who stopped a deadly shooting spree at The Gorge Amphitheatre campground three years ago will be honored Thursday with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Hometown … more

Annette Cary / Tri-City Herald (TNS) | 7/9/26

Washington state limits spit hoods inside state-run psychiatric facilities

A Washington agency responsible for caring for thousands of psychiatric inpatients now strictly limits how staff use spit hoods inside its facilities, the first restrictions the state’s mental … more

Hannah Furfaro / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 7/9/26

‘Political hit’: Washington senate candidate denies ‘illegal activity’ in alleged stalking

A Washington Senate candidate denied in a Wednesday statement any wrongdoing following revelations that he is under police investigation for potential stalking and harassment charges. An … more

Eric Rosane / Tri-City Herald (TNS) | 7/9/26

First black bear uses Snoqualmie Pass I-90 animal bridge

“Brace yourself for some bear-y good news," as a state spokesperson put it. While Seattle has been breaking public transit records during the World Cup, Snoqualmie Pass racked up its own big … more

Joseph O’Sullivan / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 7/9/26

Cmdr. Gabriel Edwards, from Oakland, Oregon, has been missing since July 1 and is now presumed dead after search efforts were suspended on July 5, according to the Navy.

U.S. Navy pilot lost at sea identified: ‘This Oregon hero will not be forgotten’

A U.S. Navy officer lost in the Arabian Sea after an emergency helicopter landing has been identified as an Oregon man. Cmdr. Gabriel Edwards, from Oakland, Oregon, has been missing since July 1 … more

Sophia Cossette / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 7/9/26

Sinaloa cartel kidnapping that led to murder in Oregon nets prison sentence

A 25-year-old man who helped kidnap a man from Washington and later assisted in dumping his dead body on a rural road in Oregon was sentenced Wednesday to 14 years in federal prison. Fernando … more

Maxine Bernstein / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 7/9/26

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrest a fugitive in 2020.

Lawyers sue ICE to obtain records on any new detention center planned for Oregon

Immigration-rights lawyers, frustrated in their attempts to get public records about the Trump administration’s plans to open an immigration detention center in Oregon, are now suing to force the … more

Maxine Bernstein / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 7/9/26