Local government, in plain English

What we cover

We report on public meetings and public records in Longview, Kelso, Kalama, Castle Rock, Woodland, Wash., and Rainier and Clatskanie, Ore. Every story leads with what was decided and what it means for residents. We do not publish opinion, speculation or invented quotes. The site is free, with no paywall.

Who edits it

Jimmy Palmer reviews every story and decides what is published. The editor is responsible for everything on this site.

Exactly how we use AI

1. AI agents read public records. Software agents built on Claude, an AI model made by Anthropic, collect agendas, minutes, staff reports, meeting video and public notices, and write draft stories and event listings from them.
2. Agents cannot publish. A draft goes into a review queue. Nothing an agent writes reaches this site on its own.
3. A human reviews everything. Jimmy Palmer reads every draft, checks it against the original records, edits it and then publishes it, or rejects it.
4. Sources are always linked. Every story ends with a "How we reported this" box listing the records it is based on, so you can check our work.
5. No AI-generated images. Images are the editor's own photos, openly licensed or official photos with credit, or charts and maps made from the story's own data.

Corrections

When we get something wrong, we fix it and say so. Each correction appears at the bottom of the story, dated, and on our corrections page. We do not quietly change published facts.

Send a tip or a correction

A contact email address is coming soon.