Commentary | The Daily Chronicle

Centralia City Councilor Max Vogt gives an interview in his Centralia real estate office to a documentary crew from KBTC television on July 19 in this photo by Chronicle columnist Brian Mittge.

Brian Mittge Commentary: Celebrating Centralia’s Founder

This week, a video crew from KBTC public television was rolling through Centralia. They were collecting interviews and B-roll for a short documentary they are producing about the town’s … more

By Brian Mittge / For The Chronicle | 7/21/23

Joe Kent shares his views during an interview with Chronicle columnist Julie McDonald at Ramblin’ Jack’s Ribeye in Napavine last month.

Julie McDonald Commentary: My Conversation With Congressional Candidate Joe Kent, Part One

After Joe Kent sat at our table in Ramblin’ Jack’s Ribeye in Napavine last month, I told the 3rd District Republican candidate for Congress — who beat U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera … more

By Julie McDonald / For The Chronicle | 7/17/23

Chronicle columnist Brian Mittge and Shawna Herriford, executive director of Blue Zones Activate Lewis County, during a hike to the top of the Seminary Hill Natural Area in Centralia in June. (Photo: Brian Mittge)

Brian Mittge Commentary: Exciting ‘Blue Zones’ Effort Aims to Help Us Live Longer and Better

Would you like to have a longer, healthier life? Most of us would say, “yes, of course.” But how? It turns out there’s a way to do it. Researchers have not only … more

By Brian Mittge / For The Chronicle | 7/14/23

The Port of Centralia office is located at 3508 Galvin Road in Centralia.

Our Views: Preserving Ethical Vigilance: Protecting Whistleblowers' Vital Contributions

A Port of Centralia whistleblower is being attacked for stepping forward, and that’s wrong. An employee of the port had a positive impression of Commissioner Peter Lahmann, but … more

By The Chronicle Editorial Board | 7/12/23

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

Richard Stride Commentary: Remembering the ‘Glorious Glosters’ — ‘By Our Deeds We Are Known’

The Korean War, which stretched from 1950 to 1953, is called the Forgotten War because no one really remembers why we were there in the first place. My father was in the U.S. Air Force … more

By Richard Stride | 7/12/23

Julie McDonald Commentary: “God’s Children Are Not For Sale”

Those are poignant words from the movie “Sound of Freedom,” based on the true story of Homeland Security Agent Tim Ballard, who arrested pedophiles purchasing children for sex and then … more

By Julie McDonald | 7/10/23

Chehalis artist Charlie Funk set up his easel to paint the old Dryad School from the Willapa Hills Trail, as photographed in July 2022 by Jammie Hoffman, who graciously provided this photo.

Brian Mittge Commentary: Meet the Resident Artist of the Willapa Hills Trail

The Willapa Hill Trail is one of the new “great wonders of Lewis County,” and now the trail has an artist dedicated to properly capturing its many beautiful dimensions. … more

By Brian Mittge / For The Chronicle | 7/7/23

Commentary: Mountains of Government Red Tape Shackling America’s Manufacturers

Until President Joe Biden signed the Chips and Science Act (CSA) last year, companies, such as Intel and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), looked elsewhere to build plants costing … more

By Don Brunell | 7/5/23

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: Our Business and Community Profit From Fair, Balanced Journalism

Coralee and I purchased The Chronicle three years ago for two main reasons: we thought that with hard work, we could turn it into a profitable business, and because a local paper is critical to keep … more

By Chad Taylor | 7/5/23

James W. Loewen is pictured along with the cover of two of his books focused on "sundown towns."

Julie McDonald Commentary: Are White Supremacists Welcome Here? Is Lewis County Racist?

When I read about the primarily masked white supremacists heckling people at the LGBTQ+ Pride event in Centralia last month, it sparked memories of a newsletter I received years ago. I’m a … more

By Julie McDonald / For The Chronicle | 7/3/23

Commentary: The Last of the 'Big Lie' Cases Falls, as Democracy's on a Win Streak

Remember after the last presidential election, when even here in blue Washington state, scores of Republicans and other voters sued contending that the election had been stolen? The lawsuits, … more

Danny Westneat / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 7/2/23

Estafani (center) and other girls from Worldwide Heart 2 Heart Children's Village join Bethel Church mission team members to install new railings as part of work to repair infrastructure at the foster home in Honduras. Bethel has sent annual groups to the village for a decade. Sixteen Bethel members went on this year's trip.

Brian Mittge Commentary: ‘This Is What the Kingdom of God Looks Like’

ABOVE THE GULF OF MEXICO — There's an old journalistic truism that no one wants to read a story about your big trip or vacation. As important as it might have been to you, folks back home just … more

6/30/23

Brady "Bruz" Taylor, a sixth-grader at Chehalis Middle School, smiles as he answers a question about his speech on addressing homelesses as he competes in the final round of the state Civics Bee championship Nine middle-school students -- including three from Chehalis -- competed in the Washington Civics Bee championship, emceed by Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, at the Museum of Flight in Seattle on Thursday, June 1, 2023. (Photo: Brian Mittge/AWB)

Commentary: Inaugural State Civics Bee Puts Spotlight on Civic Life in America

Nine middle school students stood on a stage and listened as Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs asked them a series of questions about the inner workings of our system of government. … more

By Kris Johnson / Association of Washington Business | 6/28/23

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

Bill Moeller Commentary: There Comes a Time When ‘Bird Brain’ Is Not an Insult

This column was first printed in The Chronicle in July 2009, and it began with this line: “The other day (all right, so it will be ‘the other week’ by the time you read this), I had … more

By Bill Moeller / For The Chronicle | 6/28/23

Peter Abbarno Commentary: The Real Impact of Higher Gas Prices

The real impact of higher gas prices is not only felt at the pump. The real impact of higher gas prices is felt at the kitchen table. It is kitchen table issues such as the cost of food, utilities … more

By Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Centralia | 6/27/23

Governor Jay Inslee talks during a press conference at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds in Chehalis in 2019.

Commentary: On the Road Between 'Hogwash and Baloney' on Washington's High Gas Prices

"The oil and gas industry projections around any of this are halfway between hogwash and baloney." This was Gov. Jay Inslee, last winter, talking about the prospect that the state's new climate … more

By Danny Westneat / The Seattle Times | 6/26/23

Richard Stride Commentary: Looking Back at the Fear and Confusion Brought by Unabomber Ted Kaczynski

Ted Kaczynski died by suicide on June 10. Some may remember him, some may not. I am fascinated by what makes people like Kaczynski turn to killing other human beings. Was he abused as a … more

6/26/23

Publisher's Note: Embracing Uncomfortable Conversations and Unlocking Understanding

Reflecting on the state of discourse in our society, I am reminded of the invaluable virtue of engaging in conversations that challenge our perspectives. In an era where opinions often … more

By Chad Taylor | 6/26/23

At the giggling request of girls living at Heart 2 Heart Children's Village in Honduras, Sam Mittge reads a Spanish language Bible passage painted on the wall in the girls' dining area on June 22, the third day of a 10-day missions trip led by Bethel Church to serve and show love to the mostly orphaned or abandoned children who have been there. Roughly translated, the verse reads: "Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure."

Brian Mittge Commentary: Meeting Heart to Heart in Honduras

OMOA, Honduras — Twenty-five years ago, in 1998, a young Centralia pastor and his wife began a lifelong journey to serve orphaned and abandoned children in Central America. After … more

By Brian Mittge / For The Chronicle | 6/23/23

Signs, flags and tags with children's names written on them decorate the fence of the now permanently closed Pearl Street Pool, which the City of Centralia has begun to fill in as it prepares to create something else with the property.

Commentary: Why Not a City Pool in Centralia?

The City of Centralia is filling in the Veterans’ Memorial Pearl Street Pool. This is a sad end to a 70-year era for the community. The campaign to get the city to reopen the pool kept the … more

By Jami Lund | 6/23/23