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Every election season produces a familiar ritual. Candidates run on ideas, critiques, promises and energy. Voters choose. Ballots are counted. And then, almost overnight, something profound happens.
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By Wayne Fournier
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12/22/25
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If you feel exhausted or turned off by local politics, you are not alone. Too many people who get involved, whether running for office or simply volunteering, get caught up in endless personal fights …
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By Rob Richards for Thurston Chronicle
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12/19/25
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On the eighth day of Christmas, according to the popular holiday song, the gift was eight maids a-milking.
I can’t say if milking a cow would qualify as a taxable “live presentation” …
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Commentary by Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia
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12/19/25
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Gratitude is a word we often reserve for holidays, milestones and the big moments that make it easy to feel thankful. But this past year has taught me that gratitude is something steadier — …
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By Rachel Grant
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12/16/25
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Every December, something important happens in democracies that we rarely pause to appreciate. Across the country, leaders step down. Seats change hands. New voices arrive as experienced ones quietly …
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12/16/25
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Many in our state are probably too busy dealing with the effects of the latest “atmospheric river” to think about how winter will soon bring its own weather challenges.
State …
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By Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia
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12/12/25
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Every December, something important happens in democracies that we rarely pause to appreciate.
Across the country, leaders step down. Seats change hands. New voices arrive as experienced ones …
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By Wayne Fournier
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12/10/25
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Across the country, raising the minimum wage continues to be a topic of conversation. Some claim that raising the minimum wage to $20 would help both low-income employees as well as employers. Though …
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By Sam Cardwell / Mountain States Policy Center
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12/10/25
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The community-driven movement to “DeFlock Olympia” has secured a significant win in the fight against AI-driven surveillance. On Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, after weeks of sustained and …
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12/9/25
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One of the most consequential decisions made by the Yelm City Council in 2025 was the sale of the city’s approximately 640-acre property to Blue Fern Development, Northwest, LLC. Because of the …
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12/9/25
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All across our state, every day, employers make big, positive differences in their communities. We see that in the people they employ, the products and services they produce, and in more impressive …
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By Kris Johnson / Association of Washington Business
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12/8/25
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On the surface, a pair of murders in our state nearly two months ago don’t have anything in common except for each occurring in mid-October and resulting in the arrest of a young man.
One …
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By Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia
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12/5/25
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I recently read Thurston County Commissioner Wayne Fournier’s post-mortem on the defeat of Proposition 1 in Olympia, in which he framed the loss as a rejection of poorly drafted policy.
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By Rob Richards
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12/5/25
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When accountability comes due, Democrats in the Legislature immediately run and point to something other than their own policies. They can run, but we should not let them hide from their failures.
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By state Reps. Peter Abbarno and Travis Couture
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12/3/25
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In the days since Olympia voters rejected Proposition 1, a tidy explanation has been circulating among the initiative’s proponents: renter-heavy precincts voted yes, homeowner-heavy precincts …
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Commentary by Wayne Fournier / For The Chronicle
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12/1/25
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Our state’s Democratic legislators have a long list of tax dreams. It’s safe to say a state income tax is at the top of their list, even though Washington voters have repeatedly said no …
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By Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia
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11/26/25
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Most people think of governing in terms of ribbon cuttings, groundbreaking ceremonies, and big public announcements. Those moments matter, but they’re the easy part. The harder work, the …
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Wayne Fournier / Thurston County Commissioner
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11/25/25
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“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” — Matthew 25:40
Mark McHugh …
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By Brian Mittge / For The Chronicle
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11/21/25
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Most of us want inexpensive, quality food.
Some people just want cheap food, regardless of the quality.
I am an advocate for eating quality food, grown as locally as possible.
I …
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By Maureen Harkcom / For The Chronicle
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11/19/25
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The Washington Forest Practices Board’s recent approval of the rule requiring buffers along streams is another devastating hit to Washington’s rural timber-reliant counties, and one they …
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By Rep. Joel McEntire, R-Cathlamet
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11/18/25
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