Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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Mason Health celebrated the first New Year's baby, Jazmin Miguel Jose, born at 3:55 p.m. Jan. 1. Parents Marcos Miguel Mateo and Erica Jose Lopez "were supplied with goodies from Mason Health's Birth Center," Marketing Coordinator Arla Shephard Bull told the Journal in an email. "We include families in the process to the extent of the patient's wishes, and we really try to provide personalized care. Each of our babies receive a handmade quilt and a hand-knitted/crocheted hat to keep, donated by...
Mason County commissioners are set to approve almost half a million dollars for the purchase of a road striping machine after "contractors failed us," leaving miles of county roads without new paint in 2024, according to Commissioner Randy Neatherlin. Commissioners will vote on the proposed $410,626 paint striping truck Jan. 21 at the regular commission meeting. Mason County Public Works Director Loretta Swanson and County Engineer Mike Collins briefed commissioners Monday and also Dec. 16...
Driver injured in wreck near Victor A single-car rollover Dec. 28 on state Route 302 south of Victor sent the driver to Mason General Hospital. Lacey resident Gideon Senono, 23, was eastbound at milepost 4 when he failed to negotiate a curve, lost control of his Toyota Corolla and crashed, according to the Washington State Patrol. Senono was speeding and charged with reckless driving, the WSP stated in a news release. Senono’s car was totaled. Goodell retires, Butler begins term Former Mason County Superior Court Commissioner Tirsa Butler began...
North Mason School District voters will see an education programs and operations replacement levy on the Feb. 11 ballot. The four-year replacement levy will be a renewal of the levy approved by voters in 2022 that is set to expire at the end of 2025, Superintendent Dana Rosenbach told the Herald in an email. "The proposed replacement levy is the renewal of our existing EP&O Levy that is about to expire. This levy, approved by the voters in 2022, fills the gaps between state funds and the actual...
Community members looking to volunteer on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, Jan. 20, can help remove invasive species at the Salmon Center in Belfair. "By removing invasive species in a crucial wetland area, we hope to bolster the local ecosystem by protecting the native plants that provide food and habitat for various creatures including birds, pollinators, and Pacific salmon," according to the HCSEG news release. A group of AmeriCorps members will host the volunteers at the center,...
The Wild Felid Advocacy Center for big cats on Harstine Island suffered a devastating loss of at least 20 animals due to avian influenza. "We are heartbroken to share that animal health officials have confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) among over half of our wild felids as of December 2024. This devastating viral infection, carried by wild birds, spreads primarily through respiratory secretions and bird-to-bird contact and can also be contracted by carnivorous...
Last month's tsunami warning for the Northern California and Southern Oregon coasts, issued after a 7.0 earthquake struck west of Ferndale, California, saw panicked motorists lining the Pacific Coast Highway before the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration canceled the alarm. The devastating effects of a tsunami are easy to imagine on coastal communities, but what about Hood Canal? While Mason County doesn't have oceanfront land, our local fjord could face catastrophic flooding from a...
Twanoh State Park subcontractor sues over lost equipment A subcontractor that worked on a culvert installation project at Twanoh State Park has sued the main contractor and Washington State Parks for failing to return equipment or pay the subcontractor for loss, according to a complaint filed in Mason County Superior Court Dec. 12. OMA Construction performed dewatering work for SEA Construction on the park project. “Upon completion of follow up work, it was agreed that the dewatering system would be returned to OMA,” the complaint states. SEA d...
Travis Couture, R-Allyn, is now the lead Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, according to a Dec. 17 news release. He will also serve as an assistant floor leader during the 2025 session. “I’m honored to be selected to help lead this important committee as we work to right the state budget and rein in the out-of-control spending we have seen from the majority party over the past decade. Washington has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. I look forward to working in a bipartisan way during the 2025 session and will fiercely a...
Commissioners have hired consultants to perform a feasibility study for the possible county purchase of Mason Lake Camp. The $99,523 contract for BerryDunn, approved at the Dec. 17 meeting, will assess the viability of purchasing and operating the property at 1052 East Mason Lake Drive West in Grapeview. BerryDunn, based in Portland, Maine, has a seven-phase analysis that should help the county decide, according to the proposal. One of the first things the consulting firm will do is a market...
Jerry Upson has been sentenced to life without parole for murdering Kenneth Simmons on Oct. 28, 2023. A jury found Upson guilty of first-degree murder Nov. 8. At a hearing Dec. 17, Judge Daniel Goodell handed down the mandatory sentence for Upson under the state Persistent Offenders Accountability Act, or “three strikes” law. The law, passed by a voter initiative in 1994, requires life without parole for those convicted of three serious felonies. Upson immediately appealed the verdict and sentence. Upson was seen on surveillance video with a ha...
Taylor Shellfish’s proposed floating oyster bag farm in Oakland Bay is closer to operation after the Shorelines Hearings Board ruled on an appeal that aquaculture development is a preferred use and the company adequately addressed possible environmental impacts. Friends of Oakland Bay and Taylor Shellfish both appealed Mason County’s decision last year to approve the farm. Friends claimed the farm is inconsistent with public access policies, doesn’t comply with views and aesthetics policies and said the county examiner failed to impose reaso...
Wild overnight weather left a quarter of Mason County without power at one point early Wednesday morning, closed roads due to downed power lines and felled trees, flooded roads and delayed schools. At 6:45 a.m. Wednesday, almost 25% of PUD 3 customers lacked service, according to the utility’s website. As of 11 a.m., that number had dropped to 4,419 customers (12.45%) throughout the county, PUD 3’s outage tracker showed. Roads were slower to recover. As of 9 a.m., Purdy Cutoff Road was closed due to multiple downed trees, Skokomish Valley Roa...
Mason County commissioners adopted the 2025 county budget at a special hearing Dec. 2 and next year is looking good financially. The total amount is $184,439,408, with the general fund at $70,816,717 and total other county funds at $113,622,691. The beginning fund balance of $26.6 million plus revenues of $44,216,717, equals the total revenue and beginning fund balance of $70,816,717. Salaries and benefits are $37,566,883, operating expenditures $19,037,321, ending fund balance $14,212,513 for a total of expenditures and ending fund balance of...
William Williams has been sentenced to 35 years for the murder of Janus Afo. Judge Daniel Goodell imposed the state’s recommendation Dec. 12 after hearing from six of Afo’s friends and relatives and Williams’ mother. A jury convicted Williams of second-degree murder Oct. 4. During the trial, jurors heard testimony from Williams, who said Afo was the aggressor on Sept. 28. Williams said he was sleeping in his car with Kennedy Karpf, his girlfriend, when Afo showed up looking to collect an alleged debt Karpf owed to Afo’s friend. Williams testifi...
Appraisers visiting properties throughout county for 2025 Throughout December, county appraisers will be visiting property in Area 2, which includes the Shelton city limits and Shelton Matlock Road to Dayton, Shelton Valley Road, Brockdale Road to just before McEwan Prairie Road, Shelton Springs Road, Johns Prairie Road and state Route 3 out to Bayshore, Arcadia out to Totten Shores, a portion of the beginning of Cole Road and the Mill Creek area. Inspections will be used for the 2025 assessment year/2026 tax year, according to a news release...
A transient who failed to register as a sex offender and was wanted on a felony Department of Corrections warrant stabbed a Shelton Police officer in the hand when the officer attempted to arrest him Dec. 5, according to the SPD. SPD Officer Whitley was treated at the scene and transported to Mason General Hospital for further evaluation, SPD said in a statement. “The officer sustained non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to make a full recovery,” according to the statement. Aaron E. Martinez, 39, was arrested for first-degree ass...
A kayaker who failed to return to Twanoh State Park on Saturday was found dead by the Coast Guard Sunday. Dustin Poe, 26, launched from the park Saturday afternoon and was late returning, Coast Guard Petty Officer Second Class Briana Carter and Mason County Coroner Jaime Taylor told the Journal. At approximately 7:18 p.m., the Coast Guard and Mason County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit began searching the area, but were thwarted by poor weather, Carter and Deputy Matt Colbenson said. A member of the Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles spotted P...
A Shelton man died in a car collision Dec. 5 on state Route 3 due to speeding, according to the Washington State Patrol. Levi Eaton, 39, was southbound in an Acura Integra on state Route 3, just north of Grapeview Loop Road South, when he crossed the centerline around 11 p.m. and struck a northbound Audi 8 driven by Belfair resident William Donals, 59, the WSP news release states. Eaton died at the scene and Donals and his passenger were transported to St. Michael Medical Center in Silverdale, according to WSP. Both vehicles were totaled. WSP...
The newest Washington State Patrol trooper has a short commute. “There was only one spot in Shelton and I got the spot,” Trooper Isaiah Tandal told the Journal. Tandal lives in Belfair with his wife and five children. He requested the local assignment after leaving the WSP Academy in Shelton. Graduating cadets can be sent to posts throughout the state, but WSP asks their preferred location and considers family status. Tandal’s last job was at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton as a mem...
The Port of Allyn commissioners appointed a four-member water systems subcommittee at Monday’s regular meeting. The subcommittee will “focus on matters related to the port’s water system operations, planning, and policy recommendations,” according to port documents. “Basically, it’s going to be a subcommittee that’s going to work with commissioners. Commissioners have the full authority to approve or disapprove any decision,” Commissioner John Sheridan said. Subcommittee members will review the port’s current water system operations and re...
State legislators shared their priorities for the upcoming year at a sendoff breakfast at the Alderbrook Golf & Yacht Club in Union Wednesday. The Shelton-Mason County Chamber, North Mason Chamber and Mason County Economic Development Council hosted the event featuring 35th District Reps. Travis Couture and Dan Griffey, both Republicans from Allyn, and state Sen. Drew MacEwen, R-Shelton. Chamber President and CEO Diedre Peterson said the new legislative budget will have long-term impacts for...
The City of Shelton will cover Mayor Eric Onisko’s legal expenses for a suit brought against him and the city for failing to issue a building permit to a marijuana production facility. The City Council voted at its regular Nov. 19 meeting to indemnify Onisko, who abstained. The city’s insurer, Washington Cities Insurance Authority, is covering the city’s defense costs. “The City Council agrees that legal representation and costs associated with the claims against the Mayor shall be borne by the City and covered, as appropriate, by WCIA,...
North Mason High School's band performed at Phil Pugh Stadium for the televised Fox Local Halftime Show during the Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals game Nov. 24. The game was a win for the Seahawks and a win for NMHS Band Director Chris Drewry and student drum majors Athena Bautista and Carl Lewis, who all spoke with "Good Day Seattle" about the experience Nov. 27. "Today, our students got the chance to pull back the curtain and see the wizards behind a major television station, all while...
The North Mason School Board unanimously approved a superintendent recruitment flyer after a study session Nov. 25. The position is now open for applicants through Jan. 5. Search firm Ray & Associates presented results from stakeholders’ meetings and surveys at the workshop to identify qualities wanted by the community in a uperintendent to replace Dana Rosenbach, who will retire in June. “Stakeholders really emphasized the need for consistent, transparent communication and a leader who not only sets clear expectations but ensures fol...
