Thursday, Jan.14, 2021 - Week 2
Local reps condemn Capitol attackBy ISABELLA BREDA
isabella@masoncounty.com Many of those who represent Mason County at the local, state and federal levels were quick to condemn the violent insurrection in the nation’s capital on Jan. 6. “There is no place in our society for political violence,” state House Rep. Drew MacEwen, R-Union, said in a phone interview. “And to block Congress from doing its constitutional duty is an affront to the moral fabric of our nation. There's no place for that in this country by either side.” On the day when Congress was supposed to be counting electoral votes and certifying the results of the 2020 election, people were instead seen smashing doors, scaling walls, disheveling representatives’ desks, brutalizing journalists and bearing weapons inside the U.S. Capitol. “The violence we are seeing unfold at the Capitol is unacceptable and an affront to our democratic process and institutions. It must be fully condemned, without equivocation,” Mason County Commissioner Kevin Shutty tweeted during the breach of the Capitol. U.S. Rep. Marilyn Strickland, D-Wash., District 10, tweeted an update while in hiding. “The Capitol has been breached. Both chambers have been evacuated. This is not peaceful protest, this is domestic terrorism,” she wrote in the tweet. U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., District 6, posted on several social media sites later that evening, stating that he was physically unharmed. He later added that he supported invoking the 25th Amendment, which is designed to removed an incapacitated president through a vote of the president’s cabinet. Kilmer and Strickland are among the over 200 U.S. House representatives who co-sponsored an article of impeachment charging President Donald Trump with “incitement of insurrection.” Prior to the violent mob breaching the Capitol, Trump urged supporters to “fight much harder.” “And Mike Pence is going to have to come through for us, and if he doesn’t, that will be a sad day for our country,” Trump said during the Wednesday morning rally. A video posted on YouTube showed some people inside the Capitol chanting “Hang Mike Pence.” The video aired on MSNBC News. Getty Images had photographs of a gallows that had been erected in front of the Capitol. For more of the Shelton-Mason County Journal, subscribe to our weekly edition. |
City considers housing projectBy GORDON WEEEKS
gordon@masoncounty.com Picture as many as 400 new single-family rental homes on what is now wooded city-owned land near the intersection of Wallace Kneeland Boulevard and Brockdale Road, with paths that connect to the city’s Huff’n’Puff Trail. The Shelton City Council will host a discussion on the housing development proposal by a Mississippi company at its regular meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday conducted via Zoom. The proposal by Equity Plus, LLC -- called Shelton Workforce Housing Development -- envisions as many as 400 single-family detached manufactured homes of two to four bedrooms for households with annual incomes between $35,000 and $60,00. Under the proposal, four to six manufactured homes, in 17 or 18 designs, would be placed on each acre. Rental fees would range from $850 to $1,300 a month. Phase 1 proposes the development of 320 lots on 65 acres of city land bordered by East Brockdale Road and East Island Lake Drive. Phase 2 calls for 107 lots on 20.6 acres bordering the northwest border of the city’s Huff’n’Puff Trail off Shelton Springs Road. Five-thousand square feet would be in the minimum lot size. The proposal, introduced at the council’s Jan. 5 regular meeting, states “The City desires to sell the property for development in order to improve the community’s economic vitality, increase the tax base, augment employment opportunities, and create affordable housing with nearby recreational amenities.” The city has not identified a use for the 90 acres and will vote on declaring the property surplus. Under the proposal, the terms of the purchase and sale would follow a professional appraisal. The city would be required to complete an environmental review of the project under city code and the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). The city council was scheduled to vote on the agreement Tuesday evening. But in a news release on Monday, the city stated that “upon receiving community feedback, the city has decided to extend the timeline to consider the development agreement.” Under the new timeline, Equity Plus staff will talk about their proposal at the council’s regular meeting at 6 p.m. Feb. 2. The city will also conduct a survey on Open Town Hall, its new “civic engagement tool.” According to the company’s proposal, residents must earn below 80% of the local median income to be eligible to rent one of the houses. The proposal includes a public mountain bike facility with a skills course and pump track, walking paths that connect to the Huff’n’Puff Trail, and a connected trailhead area of at least 30,000 square feet with parking, covered picnic facilities and a natural play structure. Under the proposed agreement, the city would prioritize construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Wallace Kneeland Boulevard and Brockdale Road. For more of the Shelton-Mason County Journal, subscribe to our weekly edition. |
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With Social Distancing. 6’ and mask requested please. Be safe. We care.
With Social Distancing. 6’ and mask requested please. Be safe. We care.
