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A quintet of teens Saturday evening were crowned the new members of the Mason County Forest Festival Royalty Court at the Shelton High School Performing Arts Center. Shelton High School senior Lindsey Ozuna Uriostegui is the new Queen of the Forest, and Shelton High School senior Ben Watkins is Paul Bunyan. Cedar High School junior Jasmine Mejia is Princess of Hemlock, Shelton High School junior Kodee Galloway is Princess of Douglas Fir and Shelton High School senior Orre Leggett is Timber the...
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump clinched their party’s nomination for a 2024 election rematch, and their dominance was reflected in Mason County’s presidential primary tallies that evening. In the first ballot count released at 8 p.m. by the Mason County Auditor’s Office, Biden had 4,003 votes for 89.21% among the Democratic candidates. He was followed by Dean Phillips with 183 votes for 4.08% and Marianne Williamson with 126 votes for 2.81%. Uncommitted delegates received 135 votes for 3.01% and...
The building that houses Mason County District Court in downtown Shelton was dedicated Monday in the name of Gary Paul Burleson, the county's prosecuting attorney for 28 years. About 50 people attended the dedication ceremony at the building that formerly housed Olsen Furniture at 414 W. Franklin St. Burleson died in July 2017. "Gary would be so honored," said his wife, Kathy. She added, "He spent his whole career in Mason County." Burleson was Mason County's deputy prosecuting attorney before...
Local homelessness topic of League meeting The League of Women Voters of Mason County host “Housing Hurdles: Challenges in Housing the Poor and Homeless of Mason County” with guest speaker Colleen Carmichael, executive director of Quixote Communities, from noon to 1:30 p.m. March 19 in the Olympic College Shelton library meeting room, 937 Alpine Way, Shelton. Everyone is welcome. Information: email [email protected]. Ride historic train to visit Easter bunny Simpson Railroad hosts its Easter Bunny Special from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m....
Grapeview Community Tomorrow is the deadline for high school seniors to apply for scholarships offered by the Grapeview Community Association. All seniors can apply, but special consideration will be given to students who attended Grapeview School or performed community service in the Grapeview community. For more information, go to grapeviewwa.com. Harstine Women’s Club The Harstine Island Women’s Club, through its Charles and Judy Chase Scholarship Fund, is offering scholarships to full-time residents of Harstine Island entering or...
Deadline Friday to submit names for memorial The names of 23 local students who died between the sixth and 12th grade will be added to a student memorial at the head of the Huff’n’Puff Trail across the street from Shelton High School, and tomorrow is the deadline to submit names for the update. The Shelton Rotary Club — in cooperation with the City of Shelton, the Shelton School District and project founder Abe Gardner — are planning to complete an initial update to the memorial. No names of local students who died before high school...
A proposal to increase the maximum allowable size of temporary signs, including political campaign signs, from 16 to 32 square feet failed to move beyond a Shelton City Council study session. At the council's session Feb. 27, the council debated the proposal by council member George Blush, who introduced the subject at its Feb. 20 meeting. The council doesn't vote on any resolutions at its study sessions. The proposal required four of the seven council votes to move forward to the business...
Traci Wiley, a registered nurse in the birth center at Mason Health, is the first winner of the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. Wiley and the other 10 nominees were celebrated at an award event Feb. 29 at Mason General Hospital. The other registered nurses who were nominees for the award are Becky Bingham, resource; Leah Coleman, PACA; Rosalyn Griffin, MSP; Joss Meagley,emergency department; Bronwyn Kennedy, wound care; Kim Nicewonger, walk-in clinic; Taylor Rebh, emergency department;...
North Mason High School Drama Club students perform two one-act plays - "Sorry, Wrong Number" and "The Still Alarm" - at 7 tonight, Friday and Saturday in the school's theater at 71 E. Campus Drive in Belfair. Regular admission is $8, with students with an ASB card admitted for $5. Both one-act plays are old-time classics: "The Still Alarm" is 99 years old and "Sorry, Wrong Number" debuted during World War II. Drama Club Advisor Hilary Gennaro said she considered modern one-act plays for the...
The Shelton School District is investigating the injuries of five Shelton High School students sustained Jan. 31 during a weight training class, when two football coaches substituting for the regular teacher ordered the students to perform football tackling drills without pads or helmets. Four students reportedly suffered concussions, and one a dislocated finger when they were slammed to the mat and against padded walls in the wrestling room. On Tuesday evening, four of the students told the Shelton School Board that the football coaches told...
A 40-acre subdivision south of Island Lake known as Meadows Edge is closer to becoming a reality. The Shelton City Council on Feb. 20 gave preliminary approval to the final plat for the subdivision, which will host 36 residential lots. The council can vote for final approval at its regular meeting Tuesday evening. MTT Development of Seattle is the owner of the development, a square, wooded property that borders a corner of the city’s Huff’n’Puff Trail and is north of the Shelton Springs Subdivision and south of Frog Acres. The land was...
Museum director gives update to council From October through December, 1,352 people visited the Mason County Historical Museum in downtown Shelton, 1,187 of them local residents. That’s the word from Executive Director Liz Arbaugh, who gave a report on the museum’s fourth quarter of 2023 on Feb. 20 at the Shelton City Council meeting. Many visitors came to see the exhibit of 24 photos by Shelton native Dennis Meurer of the town and residents in the 1960s, she said. The photos were selected from thousands of Meurer’s photo negatives, and...
Higher gasoline prices prompted Mason County Garbage to seek approval from the City of Shelton to raise monthly collection bills. The Shelton City Council in a 6-1 vote gave preliminary approval to the increase at its Feb. 20 meeting. If given final approval Tuesday, residential customers will see a 20-cent increase on their monthly bills, and commercial customers an extra $1.63 through the end of the year. Council member George Blush cast the dissenting vote. He pointed out that the proposed in...
Veterans, others invited to join choir The Great Bend Chorale is collaborating with the nonprofit Quixote Communities and the residents of its Shelton and Orting Veterans Villages, and other local veterans, on a program that uses the healing power of music. The choir is open to veterans and nonveteran residents and will alternate music from Eric Whitacre, Eriks Esenvalds, Eric William Barnum, Frank Tichelli and Sean Kirchner with spoken anecdotes and stories from participating veterans about their healing. Rehearsals began Feb. 27 at Faith...
Science grant pays for Pioneer's 3-D printer Pioneer Middle School is one of 41 schools nationwide to receive a STEM research grant from the Society for Science. The school used the $2,000 grant to buy a 3-D printer. "Congratulations to the 41 recipients of this year's STEM Research Grants," Maya Ajmera, president and CEO of Society for Science and executive publisher of Science News, said in a news release. "These grants serve as a catalyst in classrooms across the country, igniting student...
Alicia Healey and Wes Wedell are Seattle singer/songwriters who draw inspiration from their rural roots and have collaborated musically for more than two decades. The two perform in concert at 3 p.m. Saturday at St. Germain's Episcopal Church, 600 N. Lake Cushman Road, Hoodsport. Admission is a suggested donation of $15, but no one will be turned away. Each will perform a set of original songs. "I will be backing him up, and he'll be backing me up," Healey said in a joint telephone interview...
At a Shelton City Council work session Feb. 13, Mayor Eric Onisko asked Shelton Police Chief Chris Kostad the same question he asked his two predecessors: "What's your dream? How many officers would be in your world if it was perfect?" "Four per shift ... one sergeant, three officers per shift," Kostad replied. The Shelton Police Department has two officers for each 12-hour shift. Staffing, recruitment challenges, the K-9 program and future projects were among the subjects discussed during the...
Voters in the Grapeview and Mary M. Knight school districts solidly passed two replacement levies in the Feb. 13 special election, and the Hood Canal School District's proposed $33.5-million building bond fell short of the 60% super majority. Of the 44,481 registered voters in Mason County, 15,315 cast ballots for a turnout of 34.43%. The ballot results are scheduled to be certified Friday. The proposition for Mason County to increase the sales and use tax by two-tenths of 1% to provide ongoing...
When a city hearing examiner last week gave Community Lifeline permission to increase the number of beds from 35 to 54 at its downtown Shelton shelter, the approval came with a slew of conditions. No one has filed an appeal of the hearing examiner's decision. Friday is the deadline. Community Lifeline is required to comply with city ordinances and codes, including building, plumbing and fire codes. Before receiving the certificate of occupancy for a 54-bed capacity, Community Lifeline must...
Writer talks about BC land co-op Laura Busheikin, co-founder of a land cooperative on Denman Island in British Columbia, reads from works in progress from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Shelton Timberland Library. Busheikin, a writer in residence at Hypatia-in-the-Woods, will read a personal essay about the land-share community she’s part of and how the community deals with conflict. Afterward, she’ll take questions and open the event to discussion. “Many people are curious about life in a contemporary intentional community and there’s lots...
Shelton schools sets 2024-25 calendar The Shelton School District has set the calendar for the 2024-25 school year. The Shelton School Board on Feb. 13 approved a schedule that begins with the first day of school Sept. 4, and the last day June 13, 2025. Notable dates include early release days of 1½ hours Sept. 11, Sept. 25, Dec. 11, Jan. 15, Feb. 12, March 12, March 26, April 23 and May 14; and early release days of three hours for staff training or conferences Oct. 11. Oct. 21, Oct. 22-25, Nov. 27, Dec. 20, Jan. 31, March 14, March 31,...
The British classical crossover group Vox Fortura performs at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Shelton High School Performing Arts Center. The trio's eclectic set can include everything from Elgar and Bizet's "Pearl Fishers" to David Bowie, John Legend and Ed Sheeran. The group was a semifinalist on the TV show "Britain's Got Talent." The Mason County Community Concerts Association presents the show as part of its annual program. Single-concert tickets are $30 for adults, with children under age 18...
Replacement levies in the Mary M. Knight and Grapeview school districts were passing on the first special election ballot count Tuesday evening, and the Hood Canal School District’s proposed $33.5-million building bond was falling short of the 60% super majority. The proposition for Mason County to increase sales and use tax of two-tenths of 1% to provide ongoing money to buy, design, equip, repair, operate and improve the 911 emergency communication services was passing with 67.13%. Initial voter turnout was 31.55%. The results of the...
A Shelton city hearing examiner approved Community Lifeline’s request to expand the capacity of its downtown Shelton homeless shelter from 35 beds to 54. In a decision released Monday, city Hearing Examiner Charlotte Archer approved the nonprofit’s request for an amendment to an existing conditional-use permit to expand its number of beds at 218 N. Third St. The City of Shelton recommended approving the amendment, with eight conditions including having at least one trained staff member on site for every 15 patrons staying at the facility...
Two races for the Shelton County Commission are taking shape. Commissioner Kevin Shutty announced he will not seek another term in the fall representing District 2, and Commissioner Randy Neatherlin told the Journal on Tuesday he's still considering whether to run for another term representing District 3. Richard Beckman, owner of Richard Beckman Realty Group in downtown Shelton, announced last week he is running to replace Shutty. William Harris, a Republican who lives at LakeLand Village,...