The Chronicle (Centralia, Washington)

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The Chronicle

The Chronicle building

Type| Weekly newspaper
Format| Broadsheet
Owner(s)| CT Publishing
Founder(s)| Thomas Scammons and J. E. Whinnery
Founded| 1889
Language| English
Headquarters| 321 N. Pearl Street
Centralia, Washington
Circulation| 10,200 (as of 2022)[1]
OCLC number| 22107864
Website| chronline.com

The Chronicle, formerly the Daily Chronicle, is a local newspaper in Centralia, Washington, US. Its newsroom covers happenings in all of Lewis County and parts of neighboring Thurston, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Pierce, Pacific, Wahkiakum and Yakima counties.

The newspaper is owned by CT Publishing and publishes three print editions per week[2] and daily online, where it maintains the "Daily Chronicle" moniker. The Chronicle shares local, statewide and regional news, wire stories and sports, including high school sports out of 17 nearby school districts.

## History

[edit]

Staff outside of the Daily Chronicle building, ca. 1880s

The Weekly Chronicle was founded in July 1889 by Thomas Scammons and J. E. Whinnery. It switched to daily publication the following year, renaming itself The Daily Chronicle.[3] Also known as the Centralia News, the newspaper resided in the city's historic district beginning in 1920 on Tower Avenue, moving to a location on Pearl Street in 1947 where it has remained as of 2025[update].[4]

The Chronicle was purchased by Jeraldine and Richard Lafromboise in 1968. Richard died months after the sale and Jeraldine, known as "Jeri", oversaw operations until 2012.[5][6]

In 2011, The Chronicle switched to publishing three editions per week due to declines in revenue, instead publishing digital editions on the remaining days.[2] Lafromboise Communications, under Jenifer Lafromboise Falcon, sold The Chronicle to the Taylor family, owner of The Silver Agency in Chehalis, in January 2021. Two weekly papers in Southwest Washington, The Reflector and the Nisqually Valley News, were also part of the sale. The Pearl Street building that hosted the newspaper's operations remained under ownership of Falcon. The new ownership company was given the name, CT Publishing.[7][8][6]

The organization was served a legal notice in September 2023 from Joe Kent, a runner-up in the 2022 election for Washington's 3rd congressional district, that requested a retraction of The Chronicle's reporting of a March 2022 town hall meeting. Kent stated that the reporting included defamatory statements regarding whether or not he agreed with viewpoints brought forth by members of the audience that promoted white nationalism.[9] The Chronicle stood by its coverage, citing an audio clip of the meeting in question.[10]

In March 2024, the newspaper unveiled a newspaper vending machine that accepts Bitcoin as payment.[11] The Pearl Street building, a 22,452-square-foot (2,085.9 m2) structure constructed in 1947, was listed for sale in March 2025 for $1.2 million.[6] CT Publishing bought a former bank and city-owned building for $650,000 in June one block south on Pearl Street as a new home for The Chronicle.[4]

## Printing and typesetting

[edit]

The printing process in the early years of the newspaper required the type be set by hand and the press was manually operated by two men. One hundred pages, front and back, were produced per hour. Heavy metals were often used during the printing process. Soon after, the Chronicle began using a cylinder press, requiring one employee; the company upgraded to a Pelton wheel which turned the system by water pressure. By 1966, the Daily Chronicle used a rotary press, able to produce 18,000 pages per 60 minutes. Printing inks and materials were recycled and typesetting was completed electronically.[12]

## Content

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The Chronicle ran a column, "I Was Just Thinking..." by Bill Moeller, a former mayor and city council member of Centralia. The column began in 2008 and recorded over 700 appearances in the newspaper. The articles were often based on Moeller's observations, experiences, and opinions living in the Hub City and Lewis County, as well as personal anecdotes and history. Moeller submitted articles past the age of 95; his last column was printed a year before his death in September 2024.[13][14]

The business section was overseen by editor George Blomdahl beginning in 1979 after serving as a reporter for The Chronicle since 1954. Blomdahl, who died at the age of 84 in February 2008, was also a lay minister as well as a coroner for the county.[15]

## Awards

[edit]

The Chronicle's journalists have earned several awards from the Society of Professional Journalists' Northwest Excellence in Journalism Contests in recent years, including first place for comprehensive coverage from 2018,[16] first place for spot news photography from 2019[17] and 2022,[18] runner-up for environmental and natural disaster reporting in 2019 [19] and 2022,[20] and runner-up for breaking news in 2022.[21] In 2014, a reporter from The Chronicle was named New Journalist of the Year by the Society of Professional Journalists' Western Washington chapter.[22]

## See also

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* List of newspapers in Washington (state)

## References

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1. ^ "The Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy" (PDF). League of Women Voters of Washington Education Fund. November 14, 2022.
2. ^ a b "Centralia newspaper will drop to three print editions per week". The Daily News. September 20, 2011. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
3. ^ Meany, Edmond S. (July 1922). "Newspapers of Washington Territory". The Washington Historical Quarterly. 13 (3). University of Washington Press: 186. JSTOR 40474644. OCLC 2392232. Retrieved December 27, 2017 – via Google Books.
4. ^ a b Reubenking, Dylan (June 23, 2025). "Owners purchase new home for The Chronicle". The Chronicle. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
5. ^ "Chronicle owner Jeri Lafromboise dies at 79". The Daily News. January 7, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
6. ^ a b c The Chronicle staff (March 4, 2025). "The Chronicle's office building is on the market for $1.2 million". The Chronicle. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
7. ^ staff, The Chronicle (October 31, 2022). "Jared Wenzelburger to Preside Over Three Newspapers as CT Publishing Photo Editor". The Daily Chronicle. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
8. ^ "The Chronicle in Centralia has new owners after 52 years with the Lafromboise family". The Seattle Times. The Chronicle. January 1, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
9. ^ Roland, Mitchell (September 5, 2023). "The Chronicle stands by coverage after attorney for Joe Kent threatens legal action over 2022 article". The Chronicle. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
10. ^ Roland, Mitchell (September 5, 2023). "The Chronicle stands by coverage after attorney for Joe Kent threatens legal action over 2022 article". The Chronicle. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
11. ^ "Chehalis man develops Chronicle newspaper rack that accepts Bitcoin". The Daily Chronicle. March 6, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
12. ^ "Earliest Chronicles Came Off Hand Press". The Daily Chronicle. October 10, 1966. p. 4. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
13. ^ Roland, Mitchell (September 11, 2024). "Former Centralia mayor and longtime Chronicle columnist Bill Moeller dies at 96". The Chronicle. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
14. ^ Mittge, Brian (September 13, 2024). "As curtain drops, one more ovation for Bill Moeller". The Chronicle. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
15. ^ "George H. Blomdahl, 84, was newspaper editor". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. February 5, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
16. ^ Chronicle, The (July 2, 2019). "Chronicle Editor Wins Top SPJ Award for Coverage of Alleged Harassment by Judge". The Daily Chronicle. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
17. ^ Chronicle, The (May 19, 2020). "Chronicle Staff Win Three Awards in Regional Journalism Competition". The Daily Chronicle. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
18. ^ staff, The Chronicle (September 15, 2023). "Chronicle newsroom earns three Northwest Excellence in Journalism awards". The Daily Chronicle. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
19. ^ Chronicle, The (May 19, 2020). "Chronicle Staff Win Three Awards in Regional Journalism Competition". The Daily Chronicle. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
20. ^ staff, The Chronicle (September 15, 2023). "Chronicle newsroom earns three Northwest Excellence in Journalism awards". The Daily Chronicle. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
21. ^ staff, The Chronicle (September 15, 2023). "Chronicle newsroom earns three Northwest Excellence in Journalism awards". The Daily Chronicle. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
22. ^ Chronicle, The (May 10, 2014). "Chronicle Reporter Wins New Journalist of the Year Award". The Daily Chronicle. Retrieved December 1, 2023.