Week of September 5, 2024
Week of September 5, 2024
The Journal encourages Announcements and News Releases of local, timely interest to our readers. Local photo submissions are also welcome. Include information on the who, what, when, where, why and how of your news lead. Deadline is each Monday by 5 PM. All submissions should include the sender's name, address and daytime phone number which will be used for verification purposes only. Submissions are subject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. To submit your Announcement or News Release: • Email [email protected] (preferred)...
The Shelton City Council on Tuesday evening gave preliminary approval to shopping cart ordinances designed to help prevent their theft and abandonment on streets, in the woods and in ravines. The council can make the new laws official with a vote at its Sept. 17 meeting. The laws would go in effect Jan. 1. An estimated 300 shopping carts are stolen from Shelton stores each year. No one spoke Tuesday at the public hearing on the proposal. The proposed requirements would not apply to any business...
Projected enrollment and school year operating budget Shelton School District — 4,200 students, $81.8 million North Mason — 2,357 students, $44.5 million Southside — 200 students, $4.5 million Pioneer — 714 students, $16 million Mary M. Knight — 170 students, $19 million (includes Washington Connections Academy) Grapeview — 200 students, $4.2 million Hood Canal — 320 students, $8.4 million Dramatically increasing costs in insurance, special education and supplies created budget challenges for the seven school districts in Mason...
Fire District 12 commissioners appointed Nick Jones, who was the only elected member of the previous board, for the position 3 vacancy at the Aug. 28 regular meeting. Commissioner Dave Persell resigned at the Aug. 14 meeting. In May, Fire 12 lost its insurance coverage due to mismanagement, was declared a disaster area by the county and saw commissioners Kelli Walsworth and Cinda Compton, who were appointed by the previously recalled board in 2023, resign along with Jones. “We received a total whopping number of one application for this...
Mason County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to reports of a “suspicious, unexploded device” in the 1000 block of West Star Lake Drive Aug. 31, Deputy Matt Colbenson told the Journal in an email. Police found the device near the roadway, he said, and it appeared to be a homemade explosive about 3 inches by 4 inches, wrapped in foil, with a partially burned fuse. The Washington State Patrol Bomb Squad safely detonated the device, according to Colbenson. Members of the bomb squad include personnel from the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol,...
About 200 people Friday participated in the ninth annual Mason County Overdose Awareness Walk & Resource Fair that began with a resource fair and speakers at Kneeland Park. The attendees, many carrying photos of loved ones lost to overdose, then marched through downtown Shelton. The Belfair Overdose Awareness Walk & Resource Fair was staged the next day. The events honored the memory of lives lost to overdose and provide hope to people who are...
The Mason County Economic Development Council announces the Port of Shelton has been awarded a $200,000 Industrial Site Readiness Grant by the state Department of Commerce. The grant will fund wastewater engineering studies for the Port of Shelton’s development of Johns Prairie Industrial Park, a 400-acre industrial site northeast of the City of Shelton within the Shelton Urban Growth Area. “Expanding the sewer system at this business park represents more than mere infrastructure development; it symbolizes a catalyst for revitalization....
The Shelton-Mason County Journal encourages original letters to the editor of local interest. Diverse and varied opinions are welcome. We will not publish letters that are deemed libelous or scurrilous in nature. We reserve the right to reject any letter for any reason. When submitting a letter, please observe the following guidelines: Writers are limited to one original letter plus one rebuttal or counter-rebuttal per calendar month; Letters should be no more than 300 words; Letters will be edited for grammar, spelling, style, clarity and...
Loneliness and isolation are silent epidemics in our society, exacerbated by modern lifestyles and the pervasive influence of technology. This growing crisis calls for immediate action to foster individual well-being, social connection and stronger community. As leaders of key community organizations— Senior Services for South Sound, United Way of Thurston County, Timberland Regional Library and the South Sound YMCA — we are committed to addressing these issues head-on. The evidence is clear: we are better together! The epidemic of...
I enjoy driving up to crowded four-way stops. It illustrates how Americans can still cooperate with one another. ■■■ You know that feeling you get when a cop car is trailing your car and then turns off in another direction? I really, really enjoy that feeling. ■■■ “The best apology is changed behavior.” — Abe Gardner, a volunteer for Overdose Awareness Day, quoted in the Aug. 22 edition of the Journal. ■■■ I miss that time in my life when I’d walk around in public with...
Ronald Heaton, 80, a resident of Shelton, passed away August 26, 2024, at Mason General Hospital in Shelton, WA. Arrangements are by McComb & Wagner Family Funeral Home and Crematory. Lawrence “Larry” Richard Ambrose, a resident of Grapeview (U.S. Navy), passed away August 26, 2024, at home. Arrangements are by Forest Funeral Home and Crematory. Florence Wardwell, 88, a resident of Shelton, passed away August 27, 2024, at FirLane Health and Rehab in Shelton, WA. Arrangements are by McComb & Wagner Family Funeral Home and Crematory....
Reverend Stephen Schroeder, UMC, of Yakima, WA, passed away peacefully on August 15, 2024. He is survived by his wife Deborah, sons Ryan, Tyler, Tom, daughter Jennifer and nine grandchildren. More info at ww...
Born the youngest child of John McKinley Pugh and Ella May Utterback Pugh, Nancy grew up on the family dairy farm in Shedd, OR with brother Wesley Pugh and sister Phyllis Pugh Roberts Krefting. She graduated in a class of 17 from Shedd School then completed three years at Oregon State College where she caught the eye of George A. Rizor, Jr. She obtained her "Mrs." in Riverside Chapel in NYC on August 1951. With George, a young Army officer, Nancy set up home making around the world, living in...
To submit a Public Notice/Legal advertisement, please email a Word file to [email protected], along with your phone number, and someone will contact you for payment. Thank you, Shelton-Mason County...
