Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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Before they established careers, Mason County residents performed jobs where they ducked ice thrown at their head, cleaned up human remains scattered inside an airplane, and withstood putrid fumes while clearing sewer lines clogged with grease. They also taught native Alaskan children how to sing Hank Williams tunes, empowered Chinese teens to blossom onstage and fought forest fires on mountainous eastern Washington terrain. The Journal sent questionnaires to residents asking them to share the...
The Shelton City Council on Nov. 19 eliminated building height limits in almost all zones, to hopefully encourage affordable and multifamily housing and other development. No one spoke at the public hearing on the proposal. The council gave preliminary approval to the changes at its Sept. 3 meeting. The change required a 60-day review by the state Department of Commerce. Applicable building codes will still regulate the materials and safety of buildings based on height and method of...
Almost 79% of registered Mason County voters cast ballots in the Nov. 5 general election. That’s the updated numbers from the Mason County Auditor’s Office on Nov. 18. The results were certified Tuesday. In the ballot count, President elect Donald Trump received 17,922 votes in Mason County for 49.35%, and Democrat Kamala Harris 17,064 votes for 47.07%. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. received 663 votes for 1.83%. In the races for the Mason County Commission, Independent Randy Neatherlin got 18,811 votes for 55.08% and Republican William Harris 15,...
Celebrate Harstine Island Community Hall birthday The Harstine Island Community Club hosts a 110th Birthday Bash and Silent Auction Fundraiser from 3 to 6 p.m. Dec. 7 at the Community Hall, 3371 E. Harstine Island Road North. The event celebrates the hall’s 110th year. Attendees can bid on silent auction items, shop for gifts and purchase beer, wine and sparkling wine. Tickets are $15 for attendees ages 13 and older, $10 for ages 2-12. Tickets are available at the door and online at www.harstineCC.org. To get to the hall, take a left off the H...
The Shelton City Council on Tuesday evening approved a budget of $46.1 million for 2025 at its regular meeting. No one from the public commented on the budget. The council gave preliminary approval to it at its Nov. 5 meeting. Mike Githens, the city’s director of financial services, told the council of changes to the general fund from the preliminary budget. In an email to the Journal, Githens explained the city increased the revenue by $150,000 and increased expenditures $212,500 for a net increase over the first budget hearing of $62,500. W...
Improved student attendance, fewer expulsions and suspensions, improved English language arts test scores, and heightened critical thinking and analytical writing skills are among the goals of two schools in the Shelton School District. Each of the eight schools in the district annually produce improvement plans. On Nov. 12, the Shelton School Board heard the plans from Oakland Bay Junior High School and Olympic Middle School for the 2024-25 school year. Oakland Bay Junior High School Principal Maryann Marshall presented the improvement plan...
Heartwarming play staged on Harstine The Harstine Island Theatre Club stages the dramedy "The Curious Savage" at 7 tonight and Friday, and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Harstine Island Community Hall, 3371 E. Harstine Island Road N. Admission is free, with donations accepted. To get to the hall, take a left off the Harstine Island bridge and drive about 3 miles. Marmo Cafe & Gallery hosts poet Poet Nina Burokas reads her work from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Marmo Cafe & Gallery, 217 W. Cota...
Free online workshops to prepare preschoolers The Shelton School District is offering free online workshops to the parents and caregivers of preschoolers to help prepare them for kindergarten. The workshops are open to parents and caregivers in the Shelton School District of children ages birth to 5 years old. The format is online and self-paced — you can pause any time. Each workshop lasts about an hour. After registering, an email will arrive with approval to begin. Participants who complete the workshop can receive a free tool kit while t...
Since being approved by Shelton voters in 2016, sales tax for the city's Transportation Benefit District has collected $5 million dedicated for transportation maintenance projects. The sales tax increase of 0.2% for 10 years has funded 10.2 miles of paving and chip sealing. Along with state and federal money, the TBD money has also helped pay for ambitious capital projects such as the Safe to Schools traffic improvements in front of Evergreen Elementary School and Shelton High School, and the...
The Union-based Great Bend Chorale and an orchestra perform George Frideric Handel's classic oratorio "Messiah" at 7 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Sunday at Shelton United Methodist Church, 1900 King St. General admission is $24, $20 for seniors and military. The "Messiah" oratorio is the best-known work of the Baroque composer, born in Halle, Germany, in 1685. Handel wrote operas, oratorios and instrumentals. His best-known works include "Water Music" (1717) and "Music for the Royal Fireworks (1749)....
One by one, the men and women gathered inside Memorial Hall in downtown Shelton Monday were handed a microphone to talk about their service to the country. A 20-year Navy career brought one man to 31 countries. Another served on a mine sweeper during the Korean War. A woman participated in communications duties during Operation Desert Storm. A Vietnam veteran mentioned he took part in the United States’ evacuation in 1975. With their loved ones, they were gathered to celebrate Veterans Day. M...
For the third consecutive presidential election, Mason County was the only Washington county on Puget Sound to cast a majority of votes for Donald Trump. In fact, the results were solidly red: not a single Democrat at any level of government garnered a majority of votes in Mason County in the Nov. 5 general election. The election results are scheduled to be certified on Nov. 26. Voter turnout in Mason County was 77.37%, with 36,013 of 46,547 registered voters casting votes, according to the Mason County Auditor’s Office latest update at 4 p...
The Shelton City Council on Nov. 5 approved awarding $97,000 in tourism grant requests to local organizations for 2025 The council gave preliminary approval at its Oct. 15 meeting. The money comes from taxes collected from motels in the city. The city's Local Lodging Tax Advisory Committee met on Sept. 18 to review the tourism grant applications, with local groups requesting $164,426. The committee recommended Kristmas Town Kiwanis receive $9,000 for the annual Bluegrass from the Forest...
The Shelton City Council will vote to approve a budget of almost $46 million for 2025 at its regular meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Shelton Civic Center. Everyone is welcome to comment on the proposed budget during a public hearing. The council gave preliminary approval to the budget at its Nov. 5 meeting. The proposed budget totals $45,902,596, with a general fund appropriation of $16,789,551. The state requires that the budget be approved by the end of the year. The proposed 2025 budget is a $1.9 million increase, or 4.3%, more than the...
Mounds of dirt and mud cover two adjoining lots in the Shorecrest neighborhood, but next year two families will have homes on the site courtesy of Habitat for Humanity of Mason County and their own hard work. On Nov. 7, the nonprofit organization hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for its 39th and 40th houses, on Panorama Drive up the hill from Oakland Bay east of Shelton. House No, 39 will be home to Destiny Bosworth and her three children, 7-year-old Carter Felix, 10-year-old Allison Felix and...
Prevention Summit event targets Latinx people A Prevention Summit highlights health and prevention strategies in support of the Latinx community from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at Shelton Faith Lutheran Church, 1212 Connection St., Shelton. The topics will include substance prevention, resources and how to be involved in community environmental and policy change; opioid overdose and Narcan training; and mental health and substance use addictions information data and resources. Lunch will be... Full story
In John Patrick's stage dramedy "The Curious Savage," elderly widow Ethel Savage, whose husband left her $10 million, intends to give the entire fortune away to people who wish to pursue their "foolish dreams." Her three adults stepchildren strongly object. To prevent her from giving away their family's wealth, they have her committed to a sanatorium called The Cloisters. Among the gentle residents, Savage finds her true family. The Harstine Island Theatre Club stages "The Curious Savage" at 7...
Washington got bluer, America got redder and Mason County didn't change much. That was the overall takeaway of the initial results from the Nov. 5 general election, released late Tuesday night. With more than 29,500 ballots counted in Tuesday's tally, Mason County's initial turnout was 63.6%, placing it in the top 10 by turnout of Washington's 39 counties. The next ballot count was scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday, after the Journal went to press. The county has an estimated 5,000 ballots left to...
The Shelton City Council on Tuesday evening gave preliminary approval to a budget of almost $46 million for 2025. The budget can pass with a vote at the council’s meeting at 6 p.m. Nov. 19 at the Shelton Civic Center. No one stepped up to the microphone at the public hearing. The proposed budget totals $45,902,596, with a general fund appropriation of $16,789,551. The state requires that the budget be approved by the end of the year. The proposed 2025 budget is $1.9 million higher — a 4.3% increase — than the adopted 2024 general fund budge... Full story
New Horizon Communities and South Sound Solar on Oct. 30 hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception marking the completion of the Shelton Veterans Village solar project in Shelton. "It takes a special dedication to come out in the rain," said Dave Redman, the program supervisor at the Shelton Veterans Village. Construction of the solar array on Shelton Veterans Village's 30 tiny homes and community center was completed in September. The Shelton Veterans Village has 156 solar panels, 102 of...
Local author signs books at library Shelton author Mary May reads from her book “Sheltered by Hope: My Journey out of Homelessness” and also signs copies from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Shelton Timberland Library, 710 W. Alder St. Operation Christmas Child donations Operation Christmas Child, a project of the nonprofit Samaritan’s Purse, seeks donations of shoeboxes filled with gifts for children. In 2023, almost 11.3 million shoebox gifts were collected worldwide, more than 10 million from the United States. The shoebox gifts can b...
Randy Neatherlin seems set to serve a fourth term on the Mason County Commission. Neatherlin, an independent, received 15,338 votes for 55.11% on the first ballot count in the general election Tuesday while William Harris, a Republican, received 12,329 for 44.30% in their bid to represent District 1 for four years on the three-member commission. In an interview Tuesday evening with the Journal, Neatherlin said he thought he was going to lose the race. He said his hours on his commission job kept him from campaigning by doorbelling, and he noted...
In the initial general election ballot count on Tuesday evening, Republican Pat Tarzwell was leading Tom Beben, who states no party preference, in their contest for a four-year term representing District 2 on the Mason County Commission. In the first ballot count released at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Tarzwell had 14,320 votes for 53.31% and Beben 12,963 votes for 47.36%. Tarzwell ran a small manufacturing business for 33 years. Beben owns the High Steel Beer Co. “It’s not over yet, but it looks pretty darn good,” Tarzwell told the Journal on Wedne...
Madison McClanahan, a 2024 graduate of Shelton High School, was crowned 2025 Miss Teen Rodeo Washington. McClanahan, an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Idaho, earned the title at the annual competition Oct. 11 and 12 in Ellensburg. On the first day, she competed in the horsemanship competition at the Kittitas County Fairground and the public speaking and media interview in the theater in the Central Washington University student union building. The next day, McClanahan visited...
The Youth Connection has submitted building permits to the City of Shelton to remodel its two-story building at 2nd and Cota streets that will include 12 apartments upstairs for homeless youths ages 18-24. The almost $7 million project is projected to be completed by the end of 2025, with an opening in January 2026. If the building permits are approved, Youth Connection will then put the project out for constriction bids, said Susan Kirchoff, executive director of the nonprofit organization. The upper floor of the building is now mostly empty....
