Opinion | The Daily Chronicle

State Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Centralia, represents the 20th Legislative District and is the House Republican Caucus chair.

Peter Abbarno: Olympia’s decisions make back-to-school shopping more difficult for families

As our kids head back to school this fall, many families across Washington are feeling the sting — not just from the cost of backpacks, pencils and notebooks, but from the crushing financial … more

Commentary by Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Centralia | 8/6/25

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

Letter to the editor: Open letter to U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez on Epstein files

Tons of Americans from various backgrounds, including party affiliates and independents, agree on this issue. Earlier this year, Attorney General Pam Bondi said that the Jeffrey Epstein client … more

8/6/25

Letter to the editor: We peasants need to band together in solidarity and vote in our own interests

I recently attended a rally in support of rural health care and our local hospital in Morton Washington. It was organized by East Lewis County Democrats and Rural Lewis County Indivisibles. There … more

8/6/25

Letter to the editor: United Way of Lewis County came through for the Borst Home and so much more

In 2017, I was impersonating Mary Borst and volunteering at the Borst Home, which is 165 years old, and the pioneer school that had been built to make this area a wonderful opportunity for local … more

8/6/25

Letter to the editor: Sexual predators don’t make America great

Sexual misconduct scandals are not new in American politics, nor are they partisan. Since 1974, both parties have faced roughly 20 federal-level sex scandals, and at the state level, the numbers … more

8/6/25

Frances Grove in front of plaques of appreciation from her coaching career

Julie McDonald: Teaching and coaching run in the Grove family

Editor’s note: This is the third and final installment of columnist Julie McDonald’s series on Toledo area resident Frances Grove. See previous installments at chronline.com/opinion … more

8/4/25

Mossyrock’s 2025 Blueberry Festival Parade grand marshal Buddy Rose with his eldest daughter Natalie Gonzalez, younger granddaughter Cecilia and older granddaughter Claudia, photographed in Morton in 2024.

Brian Mittge: Mossyrock honors keeper of stories on water, fire and blueberries

They say “you can’t go home again,” but that’s not just a sentimental saying for Buddy Rose. The longtime chronicler of East Lewis County life and history literally … more

8/1/25

Chehalis City Councilor Kevin Carns is a former state government representative and chair of the Gifford Pinchot Secure Rural Schools Resource Advisory Committee.

Commentary: It's time for a permanent solution for counties like ours

In Lewis County, we are proud of our forests. They’re not just part of our landscape — they’re part of our heritage, our economy and our way of life. But when more than a third of … more

8/1/25

Sen. John Braun poses for a photo outside The Chronicle in Centralia on Thursday, July 17.

John Braun: Reaction to federal shift on homelessness highlights state Democrats’ failures

Democrat leaders in our state have found a new reason to criticize the federal government. This time it’s the July 24 executive order about ending crime and disorder on America’s streets … more

Commentary by Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia | 8/1/25

Letter to the editor: You should be concerned by Washington Forest Practices Board proposal

The Washington Forest Practices Board is proposing new legislation pushed by the Washington Department of Ecology that will affect all of us financially. The Washington Forest Practices Board … more

7/30/25

Letter to the editor: Let’s keep improving our streets together to keep making Centralia better

Please vote yes to renew the upcoming Transportation Benefit District (TBD) .2% sales tax to improve Centralia’s streets. I spent 41-plus years serving the citizens of the City of … more

7/30/25

Letter to the editor: MGP’s rubber-stamping of Trump’s mass deportation agenda is reason for her to be replaced

A recent Guardian report said that migrants at a Miami ICE jail were shackled with their hands tied behind their backs and made to kneel to eat food from styrofoam plates like dogs. Detainees were … more

7/30/25

Letter to the editor: Health care in East Lewis County is doomed

On the Fourth of July, President Trump signed a budget bill that is likely to devastate health care in East Lewis County. The budget bill — called the Big Beautiful Bill Act — is a … more

7/30/25

Letter to the editor: Another day, another outrage

This outrage is closer to home than the political yelling match which has consumed the country. It’s a sign. A sign of the future? I hope not. I was out for a run. It was one of those … more

7/30/25

Letter to the editor: Does anyone still believe that Trump is working for the people?

Our president makes no decisions without ensuring that he benefits personally from them. No president has used the office to enrich himself and his family in such a blatant fashion. Since … more

7/30/25

Letter to the editor: Port of Centralia director is a genius

Maybe not in the way we would hope, but just sit back and think about it. According to his employment contract, he can only be fired for “good cause,” which means convicted of moral … more

7/30/25

An excellent view of the Knab School building with children in front of a split rail fence. The photo was captured in about 1906.

Julie McDonald: Grove family ancestors settled on Layton Prairie in 1800s

When Francis Linwood of Toledo married Jerry Grove, she joined a family with a long history in Lewis County, one that started with Laura Omeg, who traveled by wagon in 1889 from Needy, Oregon, near … more

By Julie McDonald / For The Chronicle | 7/28/25

Richard Stride is the current CEO of Cascade Community Healthcare.

Richard Stride: Which America do you live in? A personal reflection on ‘American Nations’

If you’ve ever wondered why Americans can look at the same set of facts and come away with completely different beliefs, you’re not alone. For years, I thought the differences came down … more

Commentary by Richard Stride / For The Chronicle | 7/28/25

State Rep. Jim Walsh speaks during a “Let’s Go Washington” rally at the Capitol in Olympia on Thursday, June 6. Walsh, R-Aberdeen, represents the 19th Legislative District in the state Legislature. He also serves as chairman of the Washington state Republican Party.

Jim Walsh: Cutting through Democrats’ hysterical rhetoric on Medicaid program

The questions I hear most often from people in Southwest Washington right now involve the state’s Medicaid program. Is D.C. defunding it? Is Olympia destroying it? These questions are … more

Commentary by Jim Walsh | 7/28/25

Zac Eckstein is chair of the Lewis County Democratic Party.

Zac Eckstein: President Eisenhower taught us this immigration lesson 70 years ago

July's heat in Mexicali pushes past 110 degrees most days, but in 1955, thousands of disoriented people wandered the Mexican border city under an even more brutal sun. They’d been deposited … more

Commentary by Zac Eckstein, Lewis County Democrats | 7/28/25