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Anna Hartley, a suspect in a Clark County child sex abuse case, appeared with a black eye and pleaded not guilty during her Monday, May 18, arraignment in Clark County Superior Court. She remains held in the Clark County Jail. The black eye was not present during her previous court appearance, though there was no discussion during the most recent hearing about how it occurred.

Woman pleads not guilty in ongoing Southwest Washington child exploitation case

Anna May Hartley, the wife of another suspect in a Clark County child sex abuse case, appeared with a black eye and pleaded not guilty during her Monday, May 18, arraignment in Clark County Superior … more

By Cade Barker / For The Chronicle | 5/22/26

Anglers watch their bobbers float in the pond during the annual Centralia Lions Club Youth Fishing Derby at Fort Borst Park in Centralia on Saturday, April 25.

Free Fishing Weekend returns to Washington June 6-7

Free Fishing Weekend returns to Washington June 6-7, offering an opportunity for people across the state to fish for many species without buying a license. Licenses are still required to fish for or … more

WDFW | 5/22/26

The graduation ceremony for the Centralia College class of 2024 is pictured from above on Friday, June 21, 2024. Centralia College will get $347,200 through a Clean Energy Grant for the Centralia College Technology Building solar photovoltaic (PV) system.

State Department of Commerce awards over $2.2 million to local clean energy projects

The state Department of Commerce has awarded a combined total of over $2.2 million to seven clean energy and grid resilience projects in Thurston and Lewis counties. The local investments … more

By Thurston Chronicle staff | 5/22/26

Centralia High School: Top 10 class of 2026 graduates

The Centralia High School class of 2026 will graduate during a ceremony Friday, June 5, at Tiger Stadium. The top 10 graduates of the class are featured in this list provided by the Centralia … more

By The Chronicle staff | 5/22/26

W.F. West High School: Top 10 class of 2026 graduates

The W.F. West High School class of 2026 will graduate during a ceremony at 6 p.m. June 6 at Bearcat Stadium. The top 10 graduates of the class are featured in this list provided by the Chehalis … more

By The Chronicle staff | 5/22/26

Part of Mount Rainier’s Wonderland Trail closed because of bears

Parts of the Wonderland Trail in Mount Rainier National Park are temporarily closed for “unusual bear activity” just as Memorial Day weekend arrives. The 93-mile-long trail that … more

By Kai Uyehara / The Seattle Times | 5/22/26

A bathroom sign as seen on March 16, 2026, at the State Capitol Building in Boise. (Photo by Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun)

High school group challenging Idaho’s trans bathroom ban drops lawsuit after student’s death

A lawsuit challenging Idaho’s transgender bathroom ban in K-12 public schools could end soon, after a group at Boise High School suing over the law dropped the case. The move came after a … more

By Kyle Pfannenstiel / Idaho Capital Sun | 5/22/26

Longview superintendent arrested on multiple charges in student sex assault investigation

Police in Longview on Thursday arrested the superintendent of Longview Public Schools as part of an ongoing investigation related to the reported sexual assault case involving students at Mark Morris … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 5/21/26

Eduardo A. Ramirez Santos, 23, Tacoma, makes a video appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Wednesday, May 20.

Man accused of shooting at trees off Interstate 5 in Lewis County

A Tacoma man faces allegations he shot at trees while on the shoulder of Interstate 5 in Lewis County on Tuesday. Eduardo A. Ramirez Santos, 23, is charged with one felony count of … more

By Jacob Farmer / jfarmer@chronline.com | 5/21/26

A male calf named Torrent near his mother Rainy on May 12. Two American bison calves were born within a week of each other at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park. Torrent was born on May 8. (Katie G. Cotterill / Northwest Trek Wildlife Park)

Two American bison calves born at Northwest Trek

Two American bison calves were born within a week of each other at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park. On May 8, a male calf named Torrent was born to mother Rainy, according to the park’s blog. On … more

By Joseph O’Sullivan / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 5/21/26

Andrea Heisel, library services director for the Timberland Regional Library, listens to a Q&A between members of the public and two of the regional library’s trustees at Centralia Timberland Library on Saturday, April 11. Heisel is not under the Board of Trustees’ supervision, but is among the library administrators that many public commenters have blamed for contributing to the current budget crisis.

Timberland Regional Library names longtime library administrator Andrea Heisel as interim executive director

Library advocates criticize Timberland Regional Library’s interim executive director appointee By Emily Fitzgerald / emily@thurstonchronicle.com The Timberland Regional … more

By Emily Fitzgerald / emily@thurstonchronicle.com | 5/21/26

Two Washington law enforcement officers accused of crimes against children

Two law enforcement officers have been accused of separate crimes against children, Arlington and Mason County officials said. An Arlington police officer was arrested by the Island County … more

By Joseph O’Sullivan / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 5/21/26

The northernmost of three major lookouts over the central part of Hell’s Canyon one mile below, the Buckhorn Lookout is at 6,982 feet elevation. (Wallowa County Chamber)

Oregon’s Wallowa County rejects leaving state to join Idaho

After years of debate over whether rural eastern and southern Oregon would be better off as part of Idaho, Wallowa County has become the first in Oregon to reverse course on the push to leave the … more

By Sophia Cossette / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 5/21/26

Washington State Patrol settles $340K lawsuit over deleted vaccine mandate records

The Washington State Patrol settled a lawsuit for $340,000 over allegations it destroyed or withheld texts and other records related to the firing of state troopers who refused the COVID-19 vaccine … more

By Shauna Sowersby / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 5/21/26

A designated electric vehicle parking spot is pictured at the new Mineral Mobility Hub on Friday, May 8, behind the Mineral Lake Market.

Washington public EV bus operators say they face ‘Wild West’ environment with industry

A major challenge facing the public sector transportation sector’s transition from gasoline to electric is what one local transit manager describes as a “Wild West” environment for the … more

By TJ Martinell / The Center Square | 5/21/26

The Washington state Capitol is pictured from Heritage Park in Olympia on Tuesday, Feb. 3.

DCYF secretary denies fraud claims, says agency needs funding for more audits

Department of Children, Youth and Families Secretary Tana Senn denied claims of fraud and indicated more funds are needed to conduct additional audits during a virtual appearance before the … more

By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square | 5/21/26

Stainless steel containers for waste in the low-activity waste facility at the Hanford site. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy/Bechtel)

GOP budget plan in U.S. House calls for cuts at Hanford nuclear cleanup site

Cuts that Republicans in the U.S. House are seeking to the nuclear cleanup at Washington’s Hanford site would go deeper than steep reductions the Trump administration proposed. Hanford’s … more

By John Stang / The Washington State Standard | 5/21/26

The Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility about 16 miles east of Ellensburg in central Washington is part of Puget Sound Energy’s clean energy portfolio. (Courtesy of Puget Sound Energy)

Washington’s largest utility moves to add more wind power

Puget Sound Energy is adding a wind farm in Klickitat County to its clean energy portfolio, the latest move in the utility’s transition to become greenhouse gas neutral by 2030, as state law … more

By Aspen Ford / The Washington State Standard | 5/21/26

Preliminary FBI data shows a sharp drop in violent crime

U.S. violent crime fell sharply in 2025, according to preliminary federal data , with murders dropping an estimated 18.1% — a decline that could push the national homicide rate to its lowest level … more

By Amanda Watford / Stateline.org | 5/21/26

Journalists at The Olympian will join four other Pacific Northwest newspapers in strike against McClatchy Media

Unionized journalists at five McClatchy Media newspapers in the Pacific Northwest — including The Olympian — voted overwhelmingly this week to approve a strike. A start date for the … more

By Thurston Chronicle staff | 5/21/26