Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020 - Week 42
Parents mixed on kids’ return to class
On Tuesday morning, Olympic Middle School teacher Hannah Megan teaches math to sixth-graders who are learning English as part of the newcomer’s program. Small groups of special needs students are learning in Shelton School District buildings. A survey of 1,388 district parents shows 65% would put their children back in the district’s eight schools when the district goes from all online education to a hybrid of in-classroom and remote learning. Journal photo by Gordon Weeks
Wendy’s, Starbucks slated for Shelton
By GORDON WEEKS
gordon@masoncounty.com Ground is expected to be broken in December to build a Wendy’s and Starbucks on Olympic Highway North in Shelton, on a site that housed Burgermaster and then Roosters Restaurant. The City of Shelton last week approved an application to demolish the 4,688-square-foot Roosters and a Shell gas station at 3001 Olympic Highway North and construct a 2,159-square-foot Wendy’s and a 2,068-square-foot Starbuck Coffee Co. franchise. The two franchises will be sandwiched between Jack in the Box and Happy Teriyaki Restaurant. Denny’s sits across the street. City Manager Jeff Niten announced approval of the application Oct. 6 at the Shelton City Council’s regular meeting. He said he is looking forward to enjoying a Baconator and a Frosty at Wendy’s. The applicant filed a site review plan and State Environmental Policy Act determination to authorize the demolition of Roosters and the gas station and the replacement with the two new businesses. The proposal offers no timeline for opening the businesses, said City Planner Jason Dose. “All I have at this time is the developer’s information,” Dose wrote in an email to the Shelton-Mason County Journal. “My understanding is that he’ll be constructing the Starbucks and handing them the proverbial ‘keys,’ but Wendy’s has a contractor that will be building their building. The developer will be doing all the site work — demolition of existing structures, removal of gas tanks, grading and installation of the new parking/drainage/landscaping/lighting.” Andy Barber is the developer. “Pending permit issuance, we anticipate breaking ground in December,” the Edmonds developer wrote to the Journal. “I can’t, however, speak for any tenant on their projected opening date.” For more of the Shelton-Mason County Journal, subscribe to our weekly edition. |
Murder suspects arrestedBy KIRK BOXLEITNER
kboxleitner@masoncounty.com The Mason County Sheriff’s Office announced last weekend that both suspects in the kidnapping and slaying of Rachell Rene Roberts, the 31-year-old Lacey resident whose body was found in the Lake Cushman area Oct. 2, had been arrested in Humboldt County, California. Prior to the arrest, investigators wrote in court documents that they believed they’d pieced together a partial timeline of events before and after Roberts’ death. Roberts’ body was found down an embankment off of U.S. Forest Service Road 24, near the intersection with state Route 119, by a person who called 911 at 10:47 a.m. on Oct. 2. The body, an adult white woman whose hands and feet were bound, was identified as Roberts by her fingerprints, and her next of kin were notified. Mason County Coroner Wesley Stockwell said the cause of Roberts’ death, and the exact date and time of her death, remain under investigation, although he did describe her as “recently deceased” when her body was found. An autopsy was completed Oct. 5, and the sheriff’s office gave a public statement before noon Oct. 8 that stated, “It was apparent from the evidence at the scene that this was a homicide,” and that Roberts was assaulted and that the medical examiner had found signs of suffocation. Jason Dracobly, chief criminal deputy of investigations for the Sheriff’s Office, explained that investigators are working to determine where Roberts was killed, but do not believe her death happened where she was found. Ryan Spurling, chief criminal deputy of patrol operations for the Sheriff’s Office, noted that sheriff’s personnel have logged long hours alongside the Washington State Patrol and the FBI on investigating the case. For more of the Shelton-Mason County Journal, subscribe to our weekly edition. |
The renovation of Shelton High School’s Highclimber Stadium, shown Monday, is nearly complete. Crews this week will add striping to the track and high-jump areas. Construction work on the Mini-Dome addition at the school is also expected to be completed soon. Courtesy photo
Return of sports closer after guidance updates
By KIRK BOXLEITNER
kboxleitner@masoncounty.com
When the Governor’s Office and the state Department of Health issued new guidance Oct. 6 for returning to sports and activities, at least one Mason County school district was ready.
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) has used the guidance from the Department of Health to develop new general and sport-specific return-to-play guidelines to replace those previously tied to phasing in Gov. Jay Inslee’s “Safe Start” plan.
The Governor’s Office informed the WIAA that the guidelines must be followed, and that neither schools nor community sports programs have the authority to implement more lenient policies.
County benchmarks will be used to determine which sports or activities are recommended to take place based on COVID-19 activity in the county. Each county’s status can be found by visiting the Washington Risk Assessment Dashboard online or by communicating with local health departments. These benchmarks mirror those issued by the Department of Health to aid schools in their decision-making for models of in-person vs. remote learning. The three tiers indicate high, moderate or low risk, and allow for varying levels of participation:
1. “High risk” is more than 75 cases per 100,000 for 14 days, or more than 5% positivity.
Team practices and training can resume if players are limited to groups of six in separate parts of the field or court, and are separated by a buffer. Brief close contact such as three-on-three drills is permitted. Any practice or training activities that can be done outdoors should be done so.
For more of the Shelton-Mason County Journal, subscribe to our weekly edition.
kboxleitner@masoncounty.com
When the Governor’s Office and the state Department of Health issued new guidance Oct. 6 for returning to sports and activities, at least one Mason County school district was ready.
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) has used the guidance from the Department of Health to develop new general and sport-specific return-to-play guidelines to replace those previously tied to phasing in Gov. Jay Inslee’s “Safe Start” plan.
The Governor’s Office informed the WIAA that the guidelines must be followed, and that neither schools nor community sports programs have the authority to implement more lenient policies.
County benchmarks will be used to determine which sports or activities are recommended to take place based on COVID-19 activity in the county. Each county’s status can be found by visiting the Washington Risk Assessment Dashboard online or by communicating with local health departments. These benchmarks mirror those issued by the Department of Health to aid schools in their decision-making for models of in-person vs. remote learning. The three tiers indicate high, moderate or low risk, and allow for varying levels of participation:
1. “High risk” is more than 75 cases per 100,000 for 14 days, or more than 5% positivity.
Team practices and training can resume if players are limited to groups of six in separate parts of the field or court, and are separated by a buffer. Brief close contact such as three-on-three drills is permitted. Any practice or training activities that can be done outdoors should be done so.
For more of the Shelton-Mason County Journal, subscribe to our weekly edition.
Lobby Hours Mon.-Fri. 8:30am-12:00pm
With Social Distancing. 6’ and mask requested please. Be safe. We care.
With Social Distancing. 6’ and mask requested please. Be safe. We care.