The Daily Chronicle

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

Commentary: FutureCast Data Dashboard Will Help Us Create the Washington We Want

It’s hard to prepare for the future if you’re only checking the rearview mirror. That’s why the AWB Institute has launched a new tool called FutureCast that provides employers, … more

By Kris Johnson / Association of Washington Business | 6/3/22

Bill Moeller Commentary: My Experience Catching the COVID-19 Virus

I ended last week’s column with my admission that, in spite of the shots I’d received, I still contracted “the virus.” Maybe it had been building all along, but I … more

By Bill Moeller / For The Chronicle | 6/1/22

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

Richard Stride Commentary: We Are All More Than the Worst Thing We’ve Ever Done

We are more. I found this saying by Brian Stevenson, Equal Justice Project, in his book “Just Mercy” (there’s also a film by the same name starring Michael B. Jordan, and Jamie … more

By Richard Stride / For The Chronicle | 5/30/22

Grace Klijnsma is pictured on her wedding day, July 31, 1953, Crackstate, Heerenveen, Netherlands.

Highlighting Lewis County: Dutch Woman Known for Hospitality Launched Coffee Business at 60

Editor’s Note: This is the second part of a two-part story. Read the first installment here. Grace Klijnsma was 25 when she married Pieter “Peter” Andree on July 31, 1953, in … more

By Julie McDonald / For The Chronicle | 5/30/22

Commentary: A Lot Must Be Done to Keep ‘Made in America’ Products Competitive

Before the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the world, factory workers were humming along assembling products just after components were delivered. It was called “just-in-time” production. It was … more

5/27/22

Centralia Superintendent Dr. Lisa Grant talks to graduating students during a ceremony held in 2021.

Jami Lund Commentary: Advice for High School Seniors as Graduations Near

As an education fanboy, I often have opportunities to advise young people about their education options. As an educator at heart, I take these opportunities seriously, and I have given the question … more

By Jami Lund | 5/27/22

Bill Moeller Commentary: Scammers Had My Number

I got scammed a week or so ago. And it was all because of my vanity. I’d received an email from someone with a feminine name and I had assumed she was a sensible reader. The message was … more

By Bill Moeller / For The Chronicle | 5/25/22

John McCroskey was Lewis County sheriff from 1995 to 2005. He lives outside Chehalis and can be contacted at musingsonthemiddlefork@gmail.com.

John McCroskey Commentary: Some Leaders Say ‘Don’t Believe What You See’

Hardly any morning goes by without yet another act of violence or tragedy in this country. That, or another act that makes no sense perpetrated by our own government. Some of these are on the … more

By John McCroskey / For The Chronicle | 5/25/22

Family portrait about 1930 from left, father Willem Klijnsma holding Grietje (Grace), brother Gosse, and mother Atje Van Wyngaarden Klijnsma before the youngest girl was born

Highlighting Lewis County: Dutch Nonagenarian in Centralia Recalls Life During World War II

As a young teenager, Grietje Klijnsma stood on a Heerenveen street in the northern part of The Netherlands and watched an Allied pilot eject from his airplane, but as he was dangling from his … more

By Julie McDonald / For The Chronicle | 5/23/22

The Chehalis River is seen from above in this photograph taken by Chronicle photographer Jared Wenzelburger Friday.

Brian Mittge Commentary: Spring Days Paddling on the Chehalis River

Today, if all goes according to plan, two Chronicle journalists will begin an epic trip down the Chehalis River. Reporter Isabel Vander Stoep and photographer Jared Wenzelberger are beginning … more

5/20/22

Bill Moeller Commentary: Crotchety Man Unloads

It may be because I deal with words that I hate to see them misused. And since I spent so many years in radio, also words that are mispronounced. There’s no excuse for saying … more

By Bill Moeller / For The Chronicle | 5/18/22

Don Brunell Commentary: Inslee and Murray Are Targeting the Wrong Dams

Gov. Jay Inslee and Sen. Patty Murray have their priorities backward when it comes to rebuilding Snake River salmon and steelhead runs. Instead of focusing on ripping out dams with fish passages and … more

By Don C. Brunell | 5/17/22

Our Views: Kent’s Attack on Private Sector Provides Reason to Be Wary

Congressional aspirant Joe Kent appeared to side with Vladimir Putin on the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. He attracted a contingent of white nationalists from Idaho for a local town hall meeting … more

By The Chronicle Editorial Board | 5/16/22

Doris Wood poses for a photograph with Lucy Page, who plays the baker's wife in "Into the Woods."

Highlighting Lewis County: ‘Into the Woods’ Production Offers a Trip Down Memory Lane

As we waited inside Corbet Theatre Saturday evening for the Centralia College production of the musical “Into the Woods” to begin, I perused the program listing the cast members and their … more

By Julie McDonald / For The Chronicle | 5/16/22

Richard Stride Commentary: Benjamin Franklin and the Value of Giving Up Your Anger

PBS recently released a new documentary by Ken Burns focused on Benjamin Franklin. I hadn’t realized Benjamin Franklin and his son William were on opposite sides of the American Revolutionary … more

By Richard Stride / For The Chronicle | 5/13/22

Bill Moeller Commentary: And Life Goes On

There are two songs that have been running through my brain this past week. One of them was written in 1938 by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson for a Broadway show called “Knickerbocker … more

By Bill Moeller / For The Chronicle | 5/11/22

Don Brunell Commentary: Milling Thinned Trees Can Foot Bill to Reduce Wildfire Risks

Thinning public woodlands to remove millions of dead trees is a way to generate much needed cash to reduce wildfire risks, improve forest health, and protect rural homeowners and farms. It is money … more

By Don C. Brunell | 5/10/22

Highlighting Lewis County: Railroad Telegrapher Recounts Life in Centralia

Editor’s Note: This is the second installation of a two-part series. Read part one here: … more

By Julie McDonald / For The Chronicle | 5/9/22

Paul McCartney performs at Climate Pledge Arena on May 2, 2022. The second stop on his “Got Back” tour ran nearly three hours, with songs from the Beatles, Wings and McCartney’s solo career.

Brian Mittge Commentary: Music, Memories and Magic With Sir Paul McCartney

When I told friends I was going to see Paul McCartney play in Seattle, I joked that it was a rare opportunity to see the Beatles perform in person. Turns out, there was actually a little truth to … more

By Brian Mittge / For The Chronicle | 5/6/22

Slade Gorton smiles during a visit to The Chronicle’s office in this 1980 archival photograph.

Our Views: Slade Gorton Was a Powerhouse for Our State, Community

Former attorney general and state and national lawmaker Slade Gorton passed away almost two years ago, but like many families who lost loved ones during the time of COVID-19, the Gorton family had to … more

By The Chronicle Editorial Board | 5/6/22