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W.F. West graduate Emily Malonee sprays fellow graduate Makenzie Dotson with Goofy Spray during the graduation commencement ceremony at W.F. West High School on Saturday, June 7.

In Focus: Chronicle Photo Editor Ridley Hudson’s 2025 Photos of the Year

The Chronicle asked Photo Editor Ridley Hudson to put together he favorite photos of 2025. These are her selections. Look for photos of the year submissions from other members of The … more

12/30/25

Paramedic Supervisor Kanessa Thompson sits beside Apollo at the American Medical Response office in Hazel Dell. Thompson is an AMR operations supervisor and paramedic who works alongside Apollo as his handler during daily operations and support visits.

Therapy dog Apollo marks seven years of supporting emergency responders in Southwest Washington

Apollo did not spend his seventh birthday chasing squirrels or sleeping through the day, though both rank high on his list of favorite things. Instead, the Labradoodle marked the occasion by doing … more

By Norman Helgason / For The Chronicle | 12/30/25

Cowlitz Indian Tribe’s total donations surpass $35 million since 2017

The Cowlitz Indian Tribe announced that it has surpassed $35 million in charitable giving since 2017, including $3.9 million donated this year to nonprofits and community organizations. The … more

By The Chronicle staff | 12/30/25

U.S. Rep. Marie Glusenkamp Perez speaks during a congressional appearance in Washington, D.C., in this photo provided by her office.

Rank-and-file House members are going around leaders to force votes at an unprecedented rate. What does that mean for Congress in 2026?

In October 2015, dozens of Republicans joined a minor revolt led by then-Rep. Denny Heck and the House's Democratic minority to go around the GOP chairman of the Financial Services Committee and … more

By Orion Donovan Smith / The Spokesman-Review | 12/30/25

Two suspects accused of breaking into dead Lewis County woman’s home and stealing mail and a quarter collection

Two subjects were arrested Sunday for allegedly breaking into a dead woman’s home in Lewis County and stealing her mail and quarter collection. Joseph Aaron Groshong, 45, of Buckley, and … more

By Emily Fitzgerald / emily@chronline.com | 12/30/25

Lewis County Commissioners Scott Brummer, Lindsey Pollock and Sean Swope read the meeting agenda during a Board of Commissioners business meeting at the Lewis County Courthouse in Chehalis on Tuesday, Aug. 5.

Reserves will help Lewis County balance the budget as 2025 comes to an end

With one last budget amendment for the year, the Lewis County government will use reserves and leftovers to cover an increase in expenses for the last quarter of 2025. The Lewis County Board of … more

By Jacob Moore / jacob@chronline.com | 12/30/25

Firefighters from Toledo and surrounding districts work to put out a house fire at the River Oaks RV Park in Toledo on Monday, Dec. 29.

Blaze destroys home at River Oaks RV Park in Toledo

Two people were displaced after their home at River Oaks RV Park in Toledo caught fire on Monday morning. The fire at the house was already fully involved when it was reported to Lewis County … more

By The Chronicle staff | 12/30/25

U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard ask for input on environmental impact in the Northwest

The public, stakeholders and tribes are invited to comment on training, testing The U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard are jointly preparing an updated supplement to a 2015 environmental impact … more

Jeanne Huff / The Daily Astorian (TNS) | 12/30/25

Portland office sales will drive millions in property tax losses: year in review

The invisible hand of the free market isn’t done boxing Portland. The city’s office market, in particular, had a bruising year that foretells a contentious 2026. A look back at 2025 … more

Jonathan Bach / oregonlive.com (TNS) | 12/30/25

Highway 410 closed due to flooding between Enumclaw and Greenwater. An emergency repair fixed the road within two days.

Quick fix on Highway 410, but other damaged Washington state roads will need patience

The rapid repair of a flood-damaged highway section in Enumclaw attracted kudos from motorists just before Christmas, and some access to skiing at Stevens Pass will be restored Monday morning. … more

Daniel Beekman / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 12/30/25

Driver in fatal Pierce County wreck was allegedly triple the legal alcohol limit

Pierce County prosecutors charged a man with vehicular homicide for allegedly driving drunk last month when he fatally struck a woman’s vehicle while she was backing into her driveway. Luis … more

Peter Talbot / The Peninsula Gateway (TNS) | 12/30/25

Man dead after shooting involving Pierce County deputies in South Hill area

A felony-harassment investigation in the South Hill area ended with a fatal shooting involving deputies early Monday morning. Deputies were dispatched at 2:01 a.m. to the 8500 block of 156th … more

Puneet Bsanti / The Peninsula Gateway (TNS) | 12/30/25

Some states have issued guidances for schools in connection with how to respond to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. (ICE Office/TNS)

In Washington orchards, immigration crackdown sows fear and uncertainty

On a chilly fall morning, farmworkers fanned out through an orchard here to pick rose-hued apples from green rows of trees that flank this central Washington valley’s irrigated slopes. These … more

Hal Bernton / The Bellingham Herald (TNS) | 12/30/25

Congress heads into 2026 with unfinished business. Here's a look at what's ahead.

The Capitol is quiet this week, with Congress out of town for its end-of-year recess, but lawmakers are gearing up for what promises to be a hectic few weeks of work when the Senate returns on … more

Orion Donovan Smith / The Spokesman-Review (TNS) | 12/30/25

Seattle no longer tops big cities for share of tech workers

Has Seattle passed peak tech? In a 2023 column, I reported on census data showing that tech employment in Seattle surged during the early years of the pandemic. From 2019 to 2022, the number of … more

Gene Balk / FYI Guy / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 12/30/25

Gas prices remain below $3 nationally, $4 in Washington

As the year ends, gas prices across the nation are sitting at their lowest. Nationally, the gas average remains under $3 a gallon. Across Washington, although higher than the national average, fuel … more

Nance Beston / Columbia Basin Herald (TNS) | 12/30/25

Man dies in Pierce County police shooting

Three Pierce County sheriff's deputies opened fire on a driver during a “high-risk stop" early Monday, leaving him dead, according to investigators. Deputies responded to reports of a … more

Kai Uyehara / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 12/30/25

This truck was stolen out of Port Angeles, involved in a burglary in Forks and spotted in Aberdeen by Flock cameras.

Flock camera leads to arrest for a stolen car in Grays Harbor County

Last week, Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office deputies were alerted by Aberdeen Police Department’s Flock cameras of a stolen vehicle out of Port Angeles traveling through Aberdeen. … more

By The Daily World | 12/30/25

An Alaska airliner docks at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Arizona.

Alaska Air’s year of expansion will bring the world closer to Seattle

Last December, Alaska Air Group executive Ryan St. John said the SeaTac-headquartered airline had reached an “inflection point” in its 90-plus-year history. Alaska had recently completed its … more

Lauren Rosenblatt / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 12/30/25

The Washington state Capitol on April 18, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)

New laws and taxes take effect in Washington state on Jan. 1

Tax hikes on big business and rental cars. Unemployment benefits for workers on strike. Those are just a few of the changes to state law taking effect in Washington on New Year’s … more

By Jake Goldstein-Street / The Washington State Standard | 12/30/25