THIS DRAWING illustrates what the expanded Lucky Dog Casino will look like.

AT HIS COMPUTER, located just behind the front desk at the Mason County Department of Health Services office, sits Laureano Aguirre, the county's first full-time Spanish interpreter.

Awards for police work

Shelton Police Chief Terry Davenport presented his department's annual awards for 2005 at Monday night's Shelton City Commission meeting. Officer Malcolm McIver was named Police Officer of the Year. He made 37 felony drug arrests last year. Jill Evander was named Civilian Employee of the Year. She has worked for the Communications Division for nearly 24 years. Danielle Rickards was named Reserve Officer of the Year. From left to right are: McIver, Evander and Rickards.

SEVENTH-GRADERS Madison Gaa, left, and Christine Johnson will take turns playing the part of Dorothy in Pioneer School's production of a classic tale, The Wizard of Oz. Four shows are scheduled for 1:30 and 7 p.m. on Monday, March 13, and Tuesday, March 14.

CLIMBER HOOPDOM'S ALUMS pose for posterity at the start of Friday's Minidome classic. From left in the front are Liz (deWaalMalefyt) Canright, Ingrid Rains, Christina Vernon, Leanne Gunter and Bryan Gregg. Second row: Dale "Red" Johnson, Natha Rains, Larry Olli and Dean McCoy. Third row: Scott Eichhorn, Rick Brown, Jake Geist, Mike "Moose" McCoy, Duane Makoviney and Terry Gregg. Fourth row: Brian Bradley, Tom Creekpaum, Sterling Stock, Rob Endicott, Scott "Scooter" Craig and John Wallwork. Fifth row: Chris Stark, Ty Davidson, Rusty Gigstead, Todd Young, Mark Ziegler and Bear Lewis. Back: John Holbrook, Matt Bogh, Kelly (Bingham) Bogh, Mike Martin and Mark Tuson. Not pictured: Chris McGee, Scott River and David Buitenveld.

PAT PENOYAR, 2004 Shelton High School graduate now swimming for the University of Washington, placed fifth in the 200 breaststroke at last weekend's Pac-10 meet. That may get him a shot at the NCAA meet.

LOLLIPOPPING VETERAN COACH John Perry rallies his ladies of Climber racquetdom this week as tennis turnout weathers its second week at the high school. For an up-close and personal look at Perry's cause for seasonal optimism, see next week's Journal.

Shelton's Tyler Thornbrue has qualified for his second straight trip to college track & field's indoor national championships. A senior at Western Washington University, the Climber grad earned a berth in this weekend's NCAA Division II finals by pole-vaulting a Great Northwest Athletic Conference- and school-record height of 16-13/4 in the NCAA II Northwest Last Chance Meet a week ago Saturday in Seattle.