Commentary | The Daily Chronicle

Bill Moeller smiles for a portrait outside The Chronicle in Centralia on Jan. 24, 2023. Bill Moeller is a former entertainer, mayor, bookstore owner, city council member, paratrooper and pilot living in Centralia. He can be reached at bookmaven321@comcast.net.

Bill Moeller Commentary: Searching For Lost Artists of the Great Depression Era

In one of the columns I started to write — prior to my taking a rest from 15 years of writing weekly columns for this newspaper — I touched on the topic of artists who found their own way … more

By Bill Moeller / For The Chronicle | 4/26/23

Commentary: Washington Democrats, You Had One Job

The failure of state lawmakers to do anything about the surging drug crisis is one of the worst policy face-plants I've seen in local politics going back 30 years. Rarely is the gap so wide … more

Danny Westneat / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 4/26/23

Don Brunell Commentary: Consequences Are Too Extreme to Ditch Carbon Fuels

President Joe Biden is unwisely “throttling up” plans to ditch carbon fuels unilaterally despite the extreme consequences of doing so. He wants to accelerate the replacement of gas/diesel … more

By Don C. Brunell | 4/25/23

Visitors from across the Pacific Northwest display signs in protest while demanding answers in the deaths of Aron Christensen and his dog Buzzo outside the Washington State Capitol Building in Olympia on Sunday, April 23, 2023.

Aaron VanTuyl Commentary: Time for Officials to ‘Pull Out the Finger’ in Christensen Case

My father spent my childhood in a constant state of impatience. On family outings, his measured requests to “get this show on the road” would inevitably come to a head. In those cases, … more

By Aaron. VanTuyl / For The Chronicle | 4/24/23

Gordon MacCracken is pictured in this photo from The Chronicle’s archives.

Commentary: Farewell to a Fantastic Writer Who Nurtured Cub Reporters for Three Decades

Years ago, when I arrived in The Daily Chronicle newsroom to work as a reporter, news editor Gordon MacCracken assigned me to cover East Lewis County and the Lewis County Public Utility District … more

By Julie McDonald / For The Chronicle | 4/24/23

Chad Taylor is publisher of The Chronicle and CT Publishing. He and his wife, Coralee Taylor, are the owners of The Chronicle. They can be reached at ctaylor@chronline.com.

Publisher's Note: Democrats Ignore Complexities of Gun Violence With Weapons Ban

The Democrats in Washington state have pulled off yet another disastrous move, this time in their quest to address gun violence. They’ve passed an assault weapons ban, which is nothing more … more

Commentary by Chad Taylor / chad@chronline.com | 4/24/23

Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, takes part in a news conference Nov. 29, 2022.

Braun Commentary: Democrats’ Ban on Certain Firearms Won't Make Our Communities Measurably Safer

Legislative Democrats will hail the passage of House Bill 1240 as a highlight of this year’s annual session at the Capitol. That is the bill to ban the sale, import, manufacture and so on of a … more

By Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia | 4/21/23

Tim Wright is the Centralia College dean of instruction, arts and sciences.

Commentary: Beyond Earth Week — It’s Earth All Year at Centralia College

All week, Centralia College students have been celebrating Earth Week by attending lectures, participating in green crafts, and considering ways to incorporate sustainable habits into their routines. … more

By Tim Wright, Centralia College dean of instruction, arts and sciences | 4/21/23

From left, Hank Kirk, former president of Centralia College, Reverend Doctor Howard Matiya Nkhoma and wife of over 55 years, Mariya, Owen Singini, the chief of his village of 80 residents who has worked as a driver for over 35 years, and Jenny Kirk, who, with husband Hank, helped the Nkhomas to establish the University of Livingstonia in Malawi.

Brian Mittge Commentary: Neighbors Across the Globe

There is a theory called “seven degrees of separation” that suggests any one of us can be connected to anyone else on the planet by no more than seven personal … more

By Brian Mittge / For The Chronicle | 4/21/23

From left, organizer Peyton Smith a senior, Chloe-Marie Bonomi, a sophomore, Gracee Cline, a senior, Elizabeth Orellana Gutierrez, a junior, Payton Baumel, a sophomore, Makenzie Erickson, a freshman, and Madison Buchanan, a senior, pose for a photo at Centralia High School after discussing the levy and programs within the Centralia School District on Thursday, April 13.

Commentary: A Student's Perspective on the Centralia School Levy

On April 13, seven Centralia High School (CHS) students gathered in their school to present their reasoning as to why voters should vote “yes” on the school district’s levy in the … more

By Rebecca Thayer / Centralia High School student | 4/19/23

Bill Moeller smiles for a portrait outside The Chronicle in Centralia on Jan. 24, 2023.

Bill Moeller Commentary: Remembering How a Community Worked Together for Young Girl

It has been decades since Shannon Lewis died after a community bound itself together as it had never done before. And the community really hasn’t really done so since, certainly not … more

By Bill Moeller / For The Chronicle | 4/19/23

Elizabeth Goddard, left, poses for a photo with Sharon Blumenthal, of Centralia, in this photo provided by Julie McDonald.

Julie McDonald Commentary: Award-Winning Centralia Author Keynotes Writers Conference

Every year when January rolls around, our volunteer team looks for an inspirational author to keynote the Southwest Washington Writers Conference at Centralia College in September, and this year we … more

4/17/23

The Washington state Capitol Building is pictured in 2022.

Dear Legislature: Don’t Make Real Estate Even More Expensive

Only in Olympia would someone try to make something more affordable by making it more expensive. That’s exactly what House Bill 1628 would do. It would increase the real estate … more

Commentary by Mike Wallin | 4/17/23

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

Richard Stride Commentary: Lewis County Should Act Now to Prevent Mass Shootings

I recently attended a training put on by the U.S. Secret Service called “Mass Shootings in Public Places.” It includes new training and a report for 2023. Toward the end of the … more

By Richard Stride / For The Chronicle | 4/17/23

Marie Glusenkamp Perez smiles for a photo inside Dean's Car Care, INC. in Portland in 2022.

Commentary: A New Washington Voice Calls Out Democrats as the Party of the Rich, From Within

Washington's new Democratic congressional sensation Marie Gluesenkamp Perez sure doesn't dance around when she's talking about her own party's core ailment: its elitism. Asked in a recent … more

Danny Westneat / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 4/15/23

The “Lifting up Chehalis” mural by Emily von Flowtow in downtown Chehalis next to the new Experience Chehalis office location on NW Boistfort Street.

Brian Mittge Commentary: It’s Time for Some Community-Wide Spring Cleaning

This season’s sporadic sunshine and regular rain notwithstanding, the peek-a-boo daffodils and emerging apple buds clearly show that spring is upon us. That means it’s time for … more

4/14/23

Peter Abbarno Commentary: Emerging Theme in Legislature Ignores Voice of Washingtonians

A troubling theme has emerged this past legislative session that should concern all Washingtonians regardless of political affiliation. The majority party in the state House has continually voted … more

By Peter Abbarno, R-Centralia | 4/14/23

Braun Commentary: Watch Out — Democrats in Olympia Are Looking to Raise Property Taxes

A majority of the state Senate’s Democrats have launched a surprise attack on one of the best friends Washington taxpayers have: the voter-endorsed law that limits the growth of property taxes … more

By Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia | 4/14/23

Bill Moeller Commentary: Getting a Jump on Spring — Seminary Hill History 101

By the time you read this, if the weather hasn’t improved yet, it sure should have. It’s time to think of spring activities and, for many, that means it’s time to ignore … more

By Bill Moeller / For The Chronicle | 4/12/23

Aron Christensen is pictured in the outdoors in this photo provided to The Chronicle.

Guest Commentary: The Time Has Come for a Citizens’ Sheriff Commission

Other than maintaining the highways and collecting our trash, the main expectations of our county government are for police protection, law enforcement and justice. A huge percentage of our tax … more

By Bill Serrahn | 4/10/23