Opinion | The Daily Chronicle

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

Bill Moeller Commentary: Along the Road Again — and I Think History, Too, Repeats Itself

Here's another of those columns that might, hopefully, bring up a little nostalgia. This one first saw light in 2008. A few things have been added and some were discarded, but … more

By Bill Moeller / For The Chronicle | 3/8/23

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

Letter to the Editor: Let’s Rally to Help a Man Who Has Helped Many Others

Rarely does a day go by when we don’t hear of someone suffering from a deadly cancer or other life-threatening health crises. Such a recent Facebook story got my attention and tugged at my … more

3/8/23

Letter to the Editor: Why Did Braun Oppose Voter Registration Bill?

Sen. John Braun voted nay on the Voting Registration Bill. Sen. Sam Hunt introduced a nice bill, Senate Bill 5112 , to update voter registration. The final Senate roll call was 38 in favor, 10 … more

3/8/23

Letter to the Editor: A Heartfelt Thank You to ‘Some Random Lady’

At 81 years old, I lost my 75-year-old wife of 52 years to cancer. I went to the U.S. Cellular store to disconnect her phone line and move my number to her recently upgraded, newer … more

3/6/23

Raymond J. Egan, of Steilacoom, a historian and reenactor who portrays legendary Northwest pioneers such as Ezra Meeker, Father Luigi Rossi and others, holds a copy of one of Meeker’s books.

Julie McDonald Commentary: History Reenactor Shares Tidbits of Fact, Fiction and Fun

“History is so darned messy.” So says Raymond J. Egan, of Steilacoom, a historian and reenactor who portrays legendary Northwest pioneers such as Ezra Meeker, Father Luigi Rossi … more

By Julie McDonald / For The Chronicle | 3/6/23

Letter to the Editor: Thoughts on Nursing Home Worker Shortages

I just read an article in the recent AARP Bulletin about the pandemic challenges, which have yet to end for nursing homes. “A chronic worker shortage has blocked chances for reform and … more

3/6/23

Letter to the Editor: Recounting 1945 Rescue From Los Banos Internment Camp

As dawn broke over the Los Banos Civilian “Internment” Camp at 7 a.m. on Feb. 23, 1945 (1 p.m. Feb. 22, 1945, U.S. Time) about 25 miles south of Manila in the Philippine Islands, it held … more

3/6/23

This session's House pages are pictured within an outline of Legislative District 20.

Rep. Abbarno Commentary: House Page Program Opens Opportunities for Local Students

For the first time since 2020, the Washington state Legislature is back, in-person, conducting meetings and floor sessions on the Capitol campus. And with this return to normalcy, we’ve been … more

3/6/23

FILE PHOTO — Chris Guenther and his band play during Chehalis Fest in 2021

Brian Mittge Commentary: Old West Reborn in New Chris Guenther Album

Listening to the newest album from local country musician Chris Guenther, you can hear the sun shining down onto a dusty landscape and a rogue’s gallery of train robbers, horse thieves and … more

By Brian Mittge / For The Chronicle | 3/6/23

Assistant Editor Isabel Vander Stoep covers East Lewis County and many environmental issues for The Chronicle including climate change, natural disasters, species and habitat restoration, hunting, fishing and more. She can be reached at isabel@chronline.com.

Isabel Vander Stoep Commentary: If Conservationists Ever Had the Plot, They Lost it With ‘Save the Planet’ Slogan

A few months back, I was on an assignment with a conservation group in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Not bearing ill will toward the organization or its mission, I’m excluding their … more

By Isabel Vander Stoep / isabel@chronline.com | 3/3/23

Sen. John Braun, of Centralia, serves the 20th Legislative District, which spans parts of four counties from Yelm to Vancouver. He became Senate Republican leader in 2020.

Braun Commentary: While Students Struggle With Math and Reading, Democrats Focus on Recess

Students in our K-12 public schools are clearly struggling with the “three Rs” — reading, (w)riting and (a)rithmetic. Only 32.6% of the fourth-graders and eighth-graders tested … more

By Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia | 3/3/23

Commentary: It’s Time to Go Big or Go Home on Washington State’s Housing Crisis

Washington’s housing affordability crisis hurts every corner of the state. We’ve all heard stories. Nurses and grocery store employees can’t afford to live where they work. Young … more

By Kris Johnson / Association of Washington Business | 3/3/23

Letter to the Editor: A Personal Story on a Lack of Mental Health Support

My name is Jessica. I would like to take a few minutes to share my story to talk about why mental health is so important and what the lack of helping someone or ignoring someone's cry for help could … more

3/3/23

Letter to the Editor: Gluesenkamp Perez Offers No Substance or Solutions, Just Fluff

Our new congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, representing Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, has recently begun having town halls. She had a town hall in her hometown of Stevenson, and … more

3/3/23

Letter to the Editor: No, It’s Not Unconstitutional to Pray in School

Writer Marty Anlsey’s recently rebutted a letter for his gun position. His opinions are his and no number of statistics either way will change them. Albeit his final sentence is clearly wrong … more

3/3/23

Letter to the Editor: YMCA Rezone Denied: Precedent Set — No New Growth in East Lewis County

If you have wondered why Lewis County is so regressive and has suffered decades of brain drain of many of its best young people to more economically opportune areas, this week’s session … more

3/3/23

Letter to the Editor: There Will Be Development at Mineral Lake — Just Not This Year

My wife’s family has had a presence in the East Lewis County town of Mineral for four generations having the first ancestors arriving around 1900, with ancestry names of Vanning, Seymour, La … more

3/3/23

Letter to the Editor: Report Unfairly Characterizes Nature of Fatal Motorcycle Crash

On Feb. 28, The Chronicle staff reported that a “37-year-old Tacoma died Monday after crashing his motorcycle into another vehicle on state Route 508 near Cinebar, according to the Washington … more

3/3/23

FILE PHOTO — Students flood into buses at W.F. West High School as school is let out.

Commentary: Success of Chehalis Students Illustrates Power of Local Solutions

About 10 years ago, Chehalis School District leadership, along with community partners from the Chehalis Foundation, created a vision for our schools. The Student Achievement Initiative (SAI) was … more

By Rick Goble / For The Chronicle | 3/1/23

Bill Moeller Commentary: A Mayoral Tale and a Volunteer for Summerfest Grand Marshal

It’s still winter, officially at least, but we can think ahead, can’t we? It’s too early to plant many vegetables, except maybe peas, but we can still pull weeds that … more

By Bill Moeller / For The Chronicle | 3/1/23