Opinion | The Daily Chronicle

Richard Stride is the current CEO of Cascade Community Healthcare. He can be reached at drstride@icloud.com.

Richard Stride Commentary: If You Want True Credibility You Will Have to Earn It — And It Can Be Lost

I am reading, for the third time, a book called “Credibility, How Leaders Gain and Lose it” by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner. My last column was focused on character. … more

7/11/22

Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, is budget leader for the Senate Republican Caucus. She serves Washington’s 17th Legislative District.

Commentary: The Best ‘Targeted Investment’ in Washington Families Is Tax Relief

Remember how state government had a $15 billion budget surplus during this year’s legislative session? At the time, I and other Republicans said some of that should be returned to the people, … more

By Sen. Lynda Wilson | 7/11/22

The location of the home of the Salzer family is pictured in this photograph by Julie McDonald.

Highlighting Lewis County: In 1875, the Salzer Family Settled in the Valley Now Bearing Their Name

Fifty years after his birth in 1825 in Germany, Joseph Salzer settled nearly 5,300 miles away in a valley 3 miles southeast of Centralia that now bears his name. He and his wife, Anna Marie, … more

By Julie McDonald / For The Chronicle | 7/11/22

Commentary: School Choice Opponents Say Giving Families Access to Education Vouchers Is Racist; Here’s Why They’re Wrong

Due perhaps to the dawning realization that they are losing, school choice opponents are now claiming, in desperation, that using vouchers as a tool to provide children with an education is racist. … more

By Liv Finne / The Washington Policy Center | 7/10/22

Letters to the editor can be submitted to letters@chronline.com.

Letter to the Editor: When Did The Fourth of July Become the Third of July?

Dear Centralia, When did the Fourth of July become the Third of July? A big crew of friends and family headed down here for an old fashioned Independence Day and discovered all the events … more

7/8/22

Letter to the Editor: We Need Term Limits in Congress

There is a concerted effort for a constitutional convention on term limits. Let’s face it. Politics was never seen as a career by our founding fathers. George Washington refused a third … more

7/8/22

Letter to the Editor: Biden and the Democrats Have Completely Failed America

When Joe Biden was elected, we were assured that the adults were back in charge. We were sold the bill of goods that this person with 40-plus years of governmental experience would restore and … more

7/8/22

Letter to the Editor: Bring Back Hound Hunting for Cougars

In regards to all the cougar sightings in Lewis County, when is the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife going do the math? They claim a cougar will kill a deer every nine days. Multiply that … more

7/8/22

A rib plate from Izzy’s Bar-B-Que is pictured at the Southwest Washington Fair in this Chronicle file photo.

Brian Mittge Commentary: Summer Festival Food — Who Does it Best?

We’re hitting our stride in Lewis County with the annual summer parade and festival season. Our diverse agricultural heritage has given us a wonderful range of events that directly tie to … more

By Brian Mittge / For The Chronicle | 7/8/22

Other Views: Combat Organized Retail Theft in Washington With Coordinated, Sustained Effort

Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson is creating a statewide Organized Retail Crime Theft Task Force. It remains to be seen whether it will make progress or become just one more committee … more

By The Seattle Times Editorial Board | 7/7/22

State Rep. Peter Abbarno talks to attendees of an ARPA and Infrastructure Initiatives Stakeholders meeting last May.

Peter Abbarno Commentary: We Must Make Home Ownership Affordable and Attainable

Growing up, many of us heard home ownership was an essential part of the “American Dream.” I still believe that to be true. It is part of a family’s retirement planning, security … more

By State Rep. Peter Abbarno | 7/6/22

Kris Johnson is president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s chamber of commerce and manufacturers association.

Commentary: Washington State Employers Deepen Trade Ties to the United Kingdom

When our friends in Great Britain open their eyes in the morning, many parts of their day look a lot like what we see here in Washington. The Association of Washington Business led a trade mission … more

By Kris Johnson / Association of Washington Business | 7/6/22

Bill Moeller Commentary: Ramblings in Early Summer and a Pitch for Summerfest Grand Marshal

One of these days our weather will settle down and behave itself the way it used to. Remember? For instance, the lady who used to own the mobile home I now inhabit had planted a good supply of … more

By Bill Moeller / For The Chronicle | 7/6/22

Carol Ponder is pictured near the former one-room Salzer Valley schoolhouse.

Julie McDonald Commentary: Interview Provides Glimpses of Early Salzer Valley

As the nation’s bicentennial celebration approached in 1976, members of the Salzer Valley Homemakers decided to reopen the historic one-room school so local fourth graders could see how their … more

By Julie McDonald / For The Chronicle | 7/6/22

Letter to the Editor: Will Centralia Mow Its Own Lawns After Scolding Citizens?

I read with amusement the article in the June 30 edition of The Chronicle about Centralia City Attorney Shannon Murphy-Olson essentially scolding citizens for not mowing their lawns and citing the … more

7/1/22

Letter to the Editor: We Must Unite Behind Marie Gluesenkamp Perez

In one decision, the Supreme Court has taken away millions of Americans’ freedom of choice, aided and abetted by the Republicans who appointed them. The decision is tragic. But nothing is so … more

7/1/22

Letter to the Editor: ‘Elephant in the Room’ on Gun Violence Debate

It amazes me that the “powers-to-be" are citing video games, broken homes, mental illness and guns for the mass shootings that we’ve been experiencing for some years now and seemingly … more

7/1/22

Jack Kerr, a marine veteran who works with his wife Kathy Heimbigner to organize meetings with other local veterans, introduces speakers at the Tall Timber Restaurant Lounge in Randle. Kathy A. Heimbigner is the author of this commentary.

Commentary: Veterans Ask Only for What They Were Promised After Pledging Lives

Whether a volunteer or draftee, each and every veteran signed a document agreeing to sacrifice his or her life during service for the United States of America. That makes a veteran different … more

By Kathy A. Heimbigner | 7/1/22

Sam and Brian Mittge play doubles during the Jack State Tennis Tournament at W.F. West High School on Saturday.

Brian Mittge Commentary: Sunny or Cloudy, Summer Days Are Sweet, Indeed

“Summertime, and the living is easy...” — George and Ira Gershwin I’m a bit of a contrarian when it comes to summer. I’m happy with overcast and … more

By Brian Mittge / For The Chronicle | 7/1/22

Letter to the Editor: ‘Better Angels’ Are as Elusive as Ever

Hoping to bridge the deep divisions we are currently experiencing, many Americans are looking for what Abraham Lincoln, in his first inaugural address on March 4, 1861, called the “the better … more

6/29/22