Commentary | The Daily Chronicle

Deer graze in an office park in Bend, Oregon, in December 2025. An initiative that would ban hunting, fishing, raising animals for food and most other killing of animals other than insects could appear on Oregon ballots in 2026. (Photo by Julia Shumway/Oregon Capital Chronicle)

Opinion: Oregon anti-animal cruelty initiative sounded like a good idea, until learning details

My wife volunteered for years in dog rescue efforts around the region, and her experiences made clear to me that Oregon’s animal cruelty and mistreatment laws were inadequate and needed … more

Randy Stapilus / The Oregon Capital Chronicle | 6/12/26

Greg Rohr is the elected executive chair of the Lewis County Republican Party. He can be reached at info@lcrpwa.org. To learn more about the party, visit https://www.lcrpwa.org.

Greg Rohr commentary: Loyalty to truth — the foundation of strong communities

As we get ready for the August primary election in Lewis County, voters have important decisions to make. Who will be the best leaders for our community? Who can we trust to make good … more

By Greg Rohr / Lewis County Republican Party | 6/10/26

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

Commentary: On the road to inspire the next generation of builders

Ten years ago, when AWB’s first Manufacturing Week bus tour crossed the state, we had many goals, such as highlighting the great jobs available in our state’s modern manufacturing sector and … more

By Kris Johnson / Association of Washington Business | 6/10/26

Dr. Richard J. Stride is a CEO of a local behavioral health agency. He can be reached at docrs53@gmail.com.

Richard Stride commentary: When being right costs too much

Not every disagreement needs a winner. That may be one of the harder lessons life teaches us. Most of us like to be understood. We like to explain ourselves. We like to make our point, … more

By Richard Stride | 6/10/26

A wagon packed with belongings sits at the end of Eckerson Road in Centralia as structures in a homeless community are demolished by crews from the Washington State Department of Transportation, which owns the land, on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023.

Opinion: Washington’s homelessness and drug policies have created a culture of death and disorder

Timothy was dead for a week in Seattle’s Discovery Park, lying halfway inside the door of his tent, when an officer investigating rumors of “a body in the woods” finally found him on March 31. … more

By Marsha Michaelis / Discovery Institute | 6/9/26

Dan Duffy, 87, speaks about Centralia founder George Washington during a Memories of Historic Centralia presentation at McMenamins Olympic Club last month.

Julie McDonald: Centralia’s Dan Duffy regales McMenamins audience with recollections

After settling in the Hanaford Valley in 1869, Charles Perry Anderson, a Kentucky native who grew up in Missouri, cut down an oak tree on Waunch Prairie north of Centerville to create handles and … more

Commentary by Julie McDonald / For The Chronicle | 6/8/26

Gov. Bob Ferguson, left, and state Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen.

Chad Taylor commentary: ‘The Little Guy’ lacks guts to debate Walsh

I understand why Gov. Bob Ferguson would lash out at Washington Republican Party Chairman Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen. The Grays Harbor County lawmaker has made it his job to call out Ferguson … more

By Chad Taylor | 6/5/26

W.F. West’s Class of 2026 takes a photo in the stands at W.F. West High School in Chehalis on Thursday, June 4.

Brian Mittge: Onward through the milestones

The meaningful moments come quickly during graduation week, whether you’re a student, a parent or a supportive community member. Through a blizzard of banquets, ceremonies, parties and one … more

Commentary by Brian Mittge / For The Chronicle | 6/5/26

Wayne Fournier: The last time — a message to new graduates and their parents

This spring, communities across the country will gather to celebrate a familiar milestone. Caps and gowns, diplomas, graduation parties, proud parents taking photographs and trying, … more

Commentary by Wayne Fournier | 6/5/26

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

John McCroskey: An allegation of untruthfulness does not equal corruption

I’m sure if you are like me, you generally get your news from social media, such as Facebook or one of the other social platforms. Because, as we all know, the stories and claims on the … more

Commentary by John McCroskey / For The Chronicle | 6/3/26

Rep. Peter Abbarno and his bunny Veto reading ‘The Rabbit Listened’ by Cori Doerrfeld, a Dolly Parton Imagination Library book to a class at Edison Elementary School in Centralia.

Peter Abbarno: Give the gift of reading for Father’s Day

June is a special month for families. As we celebrate Father’s Day and recognize the role fathers, grandfathers, stepfathers and positive male role models play in shaping the next generation, … more

Commentary by state Rep. Peter Abbarno | 6/3/26

Richard Stride: We lost more than screen doors as the years passed

My grandmother’s screen door was painted red. Not bright fire-engine red, but the kind of weathered red that came from years of summer sun, winter rain and children pushing through it too fast. … more

Commentary by Dr. Richard Stride | 6/3/26

Mulling a tragedy in Longview and a historic church at Claquato

I’ve been heartsick all week and praying for all the people who lost loved ones after a chemical rupture at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. in Longview last Tuesday. A 900,000-gallon vat of … more

By Julie McDonald / For The Chronicle | 6/1/26

Andrea Heisel listens to a Q&A between members of the public and two of the regional library’s trustees at Centralia Timberland Library on Saturday, April 11.

Julie McDonald: Trying to understand the TRL board’s hiring decision

When I read that the Timberland Regional Library Board of Trustees hired administrator Andrea Heisel as interim director, I groaned. Not because I have anything against Heisel — I don’t even know … more

Commentary by Julie McDonald / For The Chronicle | 6/1/26

The Washington Capitol building is lit up against the night sky in Olympia.

Commentary: Decades of one-party rule broke our state constitution guardrails

Late last month, thousands of retired Washington police officers and firefighters were forced to file a federal class-action lawsuit against their own state government to block a historic $4 billion … more

By Sen. Jim McCune | 5/29/26

Wayne Fournier is a firefighter, Thurston County commissioner and former mayor who has spent more than three decades working in public safety. His column appears in The Chronicle twice each month.

Wayne Fournier: Preparing for fire season in an uncertain time

Each year in Washington, wildfire season arrives with a familiar sense of unease. The smoke that settles into our valleys, the images of aircraft and engines converging on distant ridgelines, … more

Commentary by Wayne Fournier | 5/29/26

Maureen Harkcom: State FSA director hears from Lewis County farmers about challenges facing agriculture industry

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a division known as the Farm Service Agency (FSA). What is it? Just another government “do-nothing for people” agency? I don’t think so. … more

Commentary by Maureen Harkcom / For The Chronicle | 5/27/26

Rob Richards is a Navy veteran and former congressional staffer who has been an active community member in Thurston County for over two decades.

Commentary: Winning isn’t the same as governing

Most people don’t pick a political party because of what they believe. They believe things because of the party they’re in. I’ve spent enough time around campaigns, and in the halls of our … more

By Rob Richards / For Thurston Chronicle | 5/27/26

Commentary: State policies matter for taxpayers and the business climate

I start each workday by reviewing the latest economic and government reports for Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Wyoming. It doesn’t take long to see a trend. Those states that prioritize fiscal … more

By Jason Mercier / Mountain States Policy Center | 5/22/26

Commentary: Washington state keeps making it harder for law enforcement to serve

For 15 years, Washington has lived with an uncomfortable truth: we rank dead last in the nation for police staffing per capita. And instead of reversing course, the Legislature continues to pass laws … more

By Jared Nieuwenhuis / Councilmember, City of Bellevue | 5/22/26