Opinion | The Daily Chronicle

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

Letter to the Editor: American Institutions Have Become Corrupt

I don't think Americans have stopped to think about how corrupt our 21st century institutions have become. Let me outline a few for you. Our news media have become mass entertainment venues. One … more

9/21/22

Letter to the Editor: Employer-Provided Health Care the Best Possible Benefit for Workers

We are in odd times when it comes to the job market. We are simultaneously living through rapid inflation as there is a labor shortage. Because of these inconsistent and confusing times, now more … more

9/21/22

Letter to the Editor: A Mega Airport in Thurston or Lewis County? WSDOT and Governor’s Expansion Work Untruthful, Misleading

Once again, this is the case with the current effort to decide on a location recommendation for a new mega airport in the Puget Sound region. It is done very skillfully and intentionally through … more

9/21/22

Letter to the Editor: Lewis County Needs Tom Crowson for Assessor

There are two candidates in the race this November for Lewis County assessor. Tom Crowson currently chairs the Lewis County Board of Equalization (BOE), where citizens come when they are having … more

9/21/22

Letter to the Editor: Letter Takes Unfair Line of Attack on Joe Kent

With regard to Mary Jean Dowell’s letter on Sept. 14 titled “Kent Isn’t Familiar With Issues That Matter in 3rd District,” the entire letter is about what Kent doesn’t … more

9/21/22

Letter to the Editor: Vote Experience for District 3 — Vote Harry Bhagwandin

Harry Bhagwandin is: • A 37-year resident of Lewis County living in the heart of rural District 3. • A timber owner, farmer and steward of 65 acres in Onalaska. • A … more

9/21/22

Commissioner Lee Grose visits a Red Cross center in Randle after leaving Packwood through smoke from the Goat Rocks Fire on Friday, Sept. 9.

The Goat Rocks Fire: A Letter to the Community by Commissioner Lee Grose

Editor’s Note: Lee Grose represents East Lewis County on the Board of Lewis County Commissioners. As Lewis County commissioner, I was privileged to be a part of several meetings with … more

By Lee Grose, Lewis County commissioner | 9/20/22

An 1849 view of Oregon City is depicted in this painting from the New York Public Library.

Julie McDonald Commentary: From Portland to Centralia, Mary Jane Mills Made Lewis County History

After traveling west from Missouri over the Oregon Trail in 1847, early Lewis County settler Elkanah Mills staked a land claim in Clackamas County, Oregon, on May 5, 1848. That was the day after … more

By Julie McDonald / For The Chronicle | 9/19/22

Letter to the Editor: You Are Truly Safer With Sheriff Rob Snaza

I retired from the Centralia Police Department after many years of service to the city. I have known and worked with both candidates for Lewis County sheriff for most of their adult lives. I … more

9/19/22

Letter to the Editor: Death of Queen Raises Questions on Whether Monarchy Should Be Maintained

The passing of Queen Elizabeth II, who assumed the British throne upon the death of her father, King George VI, in 1952, and served with dedication and distinction for 70 years, is an event as … more

9/19/22

Former Bremerton High School assistant football coach Joe Kennedy answers questions after his legal case, Kennedy vs. Bremerton School District, was argued before the Supreme Court on April 25, 2022, in Washington, DC. Kennedy was terminated from his job by Bremerton public school officials in 2015 after refusing to stop his on-field prayers after football games. (Win McNamee/Getty Images/TNS)

Opinion: The Story of the Praying Bremerton Coach Keeps Getting More Surreal

When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that Bremerton assistant football coach Joseph Kennedy had the right to pray on the field, it wasn't widely understood then that the court had also ordered … more

Danny Westneat / The Seattle Times (TNS) | 9/17/22

Don Brunell Commentary: Herculean Effort Needed to Free Seattle of Drugs and Crime

Over the years, Seattle leaders faced “Herculean” challenges yet found the will, resources and determination to come together and tackle them. Today’s conundrum is to overcome the … more

By Don C. Brunell | 9/16/22

Lynda Wilson Commentary: California’s Power Problems Should Serve as Warning for Washington

We’re taught about a “safe following distance” in driver’s education because bad things can happen when you ride the bumper of the car ahead of you. In 2005, Democratic … more

By Sen. Lynda Wilson | 9/16/22

Smoke from the Goat Rocks Fire rises in heavy orange plumes above the trees near Coal Creek Drive east of Packwood.

Brian Mittge Commentary: We Can Only Fight Fires If We Do It Together

Last weekend, as firefighters raced to contain a wildfire that threatened cabins near Packwood and perhaps the whole town itself, the story felt very personal. Just the week before, my wife … more

By Brian Mittge | 9/16/22

Commentary: As Lawmakers Look to Fix Drug Law, Range of Priorities Collide

As state lawmakers go back to work on the state's drug-possession law, there will be a philosophical tug-of-war: Do we need a bigger legal hammer or more robust addiction treatment? Will we … more

Shawn Vestal / The Spokesman-Review | 9/16/22

Letter to the Editor: Kent Isn’t Familiar With Issues That Matter in 3rd District

I am writing to you because I am a 58-year-old lifelong resident of the lower Columbia River — a continental river drainage that happens to be in a temperate rainforest — and concerned … more

9/14/22

Letter to the Editor: Sheriff’s Motives at Fire Questioned

I grew up in Fawnskin, California, population 380. It’s a small mountain community similar to Packwood. Fire threats and looming evacuations were a common signal of the end of summer. I … more

9/14/22

Letter to the Editor: Kent Just Another Radical Extremist in Republican Party

Highly classified documents were found at Donald Trump's home in Florida. Despite Trump's multitude of rationalizations, it was illegal for them to be there. Trump has not stated, and at this … more

9/14/22

Bill Moeller Commentary: It’s the Berries — OK, and the Pies

This newspaper carried an article a while ago that originated in The Bellingham Herald concerning blackberries grown in the wild. That may be a redundant description because I don’t know of a … more

By Bill Moeller / For The Chronicle | 9/14/22

This drawing of the Oregon Trail is from The New York Public Library and is in the public domain.

Julie McDonald Commentary: A Child’s View of the Northwest Trek Across the Oregon Trail

Mary Jane Mills was a child of 8 when her parents, Elkanah and Laurinda Vianna Mills, left Holt County, Missouri, on May 12, 1847, for a new life in Oregon Territory. The family of six started with a … more

By Julie McDonald / For The Chronicle | 9/12/22